Chris' Admission Story...in His Own Words
“I sat in a waiting area in the guidance counselor’s office with an admission form. Before I finished filling it out I was called in to see the man from the University. I entered an office and handed him my form and took a seat. He looked it over and noticed that I had not chosen a college within the University. That is, I had not indicated what I intended to study when I got to the University. I asked to see the form and, like looking over a menu, noticed a listing for ‘college of A & D,’ and asked the man what that was.
“He explained that was the college of Architecture and Design, which included the art school. It had never crossed my mind that someone could go to college and make art. I hadn’t taken any art in high school but I liked to draw and it occurred to me that studying art could be a lot of fun. I told the admissions officer that art school sounded interesting. Perhaps I’d give that a try.
“This was in 1967, the last year that the University admitted art students without a portfolio [a sample of their art work] which meant that the admissions officer could simply admit me if he was satisfied with my test scores and high school transcript.
“Unfortunately, my transcript showed that I had not taken any art in the last four years. The admissions man pointed that out and said I was not qualified to enter the art school. I was seventeen at the time, and like a lot of seventeen year olds, I liked to try to outsmart adults. So I told the admissions man that because my artistic skills were so advanced, I studied art privately on Saturdays, rather than take high school classes. I told him I’d been studying privately for some years and was currently doing oil painting. None of this was true.
“He seemed to be impressed, but not entirely convinced. He asked me what I thought of Norman Rockwell. I knew that some people didn’t like Norman Rockwell, a famous painter/illustrator who did magazine covers. I wasn’t sure if the admissions man was measuring my sophistication, in which case I’d have to answer that I didn’t think much of Rockwell. Or if he was measuring my values, I didn’t have a strong opinion one way or the other, but I was pretty sure the admissions man did.
“I guessed that he was probably a fan of Mr. Rockwell, so I told him something like, ‘I believe Norman Rockwell is unfairly criticized for being sentimental. I think he is a wonderful painter who captures America’s longings, America’s dreams and presents American life with the drama and sensitivity of a great playwright.’
“The admissions man pounded his fist on the table and said ‘Boy, you are absolutely right.’ He signed my papers and I became, that day, an official art student.”
“He explained that was the college of Architecture and Design, which included the art school. It had never crossed my mind that someone could go to college and make art. I hadn’t taken any art in high school but I liked to draw and it occurred to me that studying art could be a lot of fun. I told the admissions officer that art school sounded interesting. Perhaps I’d give that a try.
“This was in 1967, the last year that the University admitted art students without a portfolio [a sample of their art work] which meant that the admissions officer could simply admit me if he was satisfied with my test scores and high school transcript.
“Unfortunately, my transcript showed that I had not taken any art in the last four years. The admissions man pointed that out and said I was not qualified to enter the art school. I was seventeen at the time, and like a lot of seventeen year olds, I liked to try to outsmart adults. So I told the admissions man that because my artistic skills were so advanced, I studied art privately on Saturdays, rather than take high school classes. I told him I’d been studying privately for some years and was currently doing oil painting. None of this was true.
“He seemed to be impressed, but not entirely convinced. He asked me what I thought of Norman Rockwell. I knew that some people didn’t like Norman Rockwell, a famous painter/illustrator who did magazine covers. I wasn’t sure if the admissions man was measuring my sophistication, in which case I’d have to answer that I didn’t think much of Rockwell. Or if he was measuring my values, I didn’t have a strong opinion one way or the other, but I was pretty sure the admissions man did.
“I guessed that he was probably a fan of Mr. Rockwell, so I told him something like, ‘I believe Norman Rockwell is unfairly criticized for being sentimental. I think he is a wonderful painter who captures America’s longings, America’s dreams and presents American life with the drama and sensitivity of a great playwright.’
“The admissions man pounded his fist on the table and said ‘Boy, you are absolutely right.’ He signed my papers and I became, that day, an official art student.”