A student in the masters in studio art program said that the head of the program told her he was considering accepting an Indian student into the program just because of diversity, but he didn't really like her artwork. The student he said that to was "of color". She was very offended and appalled that he would say that or consider admitting her when he did not like her art. Also, if you are of another race, your professors will refer to you as "the black girl" or "the Indian girl". I heard this happen so many times, and this was from a professor who had the students in his eight person class twice a week for six hours total and after three months he was still referring to them as "the black girl" and "the Indian girl" he did not even know their names after such a long time. This is worth your $50,000?
Shocked and sickened at the level of neglect and complete lack of support of the faculty and administration here. So many times I saw students crying because they spent all their money and they had all the support from their family and friends to come to Florence, Italy to do this program, and when they saw how they were treated and a very low level of professor and administrative interest in them, including professors not showing up to classes and weekly scheduled evaluation meetings, being aggressive and bullying , taking people on field trips and getting in a taxi and leaving students behind who do not know the area or where we are going or how to get around. Taking us to hotels on these field trips that have mold in the bathroom showers and sinks and dirty sheets and bedding. Using students to promote the school in a way that made students very comfortable and gather together and protest this. From the head of the masters in painting program not knowing how to comment in critiques so that students were so frustrated that they began taking over and commenting on the critiques in a productive and constructive academic way themselves, and also this professor really doesn't even know how to draw or paint because he was correcting a painting and had a shy look on his face because he really didn't know what to do when the student asked him to show them how to draw something that he had recommended!! He couldn't do it!!! This school seems to want status and Prestige and uses students to gain this. A friend of mine looked into it and felt it was so pretentious she applied somewhere else.
Once they get your money, they treat you horribly, before that they act like they care about you and want you there and believe in you and want to help you. They say that there is a loving and supportive and helping attitude from the professors to the students, but once they have your payment and you're there they don't show up to classes, they are aggressive and bullying, to the point of one professor in class repeatedly picking a student to fight with and attack who is doing exactly what the assignment was an everyone could see it. Then, the next class she would pick someone else. Professors are fighting and the students are fighting and it is a very unpleasant and unproductive place. And when you're in class, you'll certainly need your professors guidance, Why else are you there in a class? But you will look around to try to find them and realize that they left! They might be gone for an hour or more in a studio art class because They've gone out to take a smoke break, or get some coffee during your class that you are paying for their instruction.
If you decide to go here whatever you do do not do a directed independent study. That means you may as well be at home in your garage making whatever art you want to make. Your professor has a scheduled one hour weekly meeting with you but of course they don't show up or they text You that they arrived early and we're hoping you were there when of course why would you be? you're probably in another class! And then you arrive and they say they have to leave early. They just don't want to be there. So why should you?
If you want instruction here, you have to go to other students who have already studied elsewhere.
And the administration did lose my application documents, like someone else mentioned in a review here, and the wrong people recommended things when it wasn't their place to regarding my visa application and other application materials, including losing payments. It caused a lot of problems because they simply don't know what they're doing! Just unbelievable.
I can't not recommend it enough. Just such a bad, shady and negative place. You deserve better for your money and your time and your education. Because you are buying this education for $50,000 per year, so why would you buy a product that is so broken from a company that couldn't care less about you? read more