I was a great student here and was in the showcase a couple times along with being an honor student but that really means nothing sometimes. There are excellent teachers here and they are more than willing to go out of their way to help you. The problem I had was that you need money for all the computer programs (unless you dont work and have the time to stay after class), books, supplies, and printing that you will be doing.

My career counselor was horrible, she kept placing me with jobs that did not pertain to my degree and for what I am paying in student loans I think I would have been better off at a college and not an institute.

I went here for graphic design and only had two classes on web design...if you do a job search today they want you to have web experience along with design, I did not think two classes was enough experience. Just some things to consider!

I enrolled at AIO after having my second son, dreaming of a career in Residential Planning (i.e. interior design for homes only). When I first inquired about the coursework, costs, and admissions policies, the staff member I spoke to seemed very knowledgable and helpful.

My main concern was that I had already attained a BA from a brick-and-mortar school, so I knew what to expect in terms of commitment to classwork and projects. He assured me that I could expect to spend around 1 hour per night on actual homework, reading and posting in the forum, unless I had a project, then plan on about 3 hours. Absolutely untrue.

There were some classes which only took me that amount of time, but there were some, like Space Planning, which had very detailed projects and would take me the better part of a weekend to complete. Also, I still had a small student loan left from my first degree, but I had applied for an in-school deferrment. Still, I knew I would be unable to pay any more per month out-of-pocket than what I was currently paying on my student loan. I was assured that I would only have to pay $5 per month more (calculated to the exact cent). Again, untrue. When I received my first bill, it was more than double what I had been paying on my loan.

Finally, after discussing my concerns on that inital contact, the staff member who had been assigned to me told me he would call back the next day to see what I had decided to do. When he did call back, he informed me that I was enrolled and would be starting classes in three weeks.

I should have pulled the plug then, or when I received my first bill, or even when the coursework proved to be too much for me to handle, but I kept plugging along, assuming it would get better, and telling myself that other people can do this, so why can't I? The final straw came when I was unable to finish the projects for my final two classes on time, and had to retake those classes 3 times. My advisor informed me that almost everyone has to retake these two classes several times to pass them!! This school truly is a money-making scheme, and I definitely don't recommend them. Go to a community college, or find a way to go to a traditional university. I should have known better.

I recently toured the Art Institute of Washington. I am very inmpressed with there program, facilities and committment to education in the Fine Arts.

I was able to see students work in the fashion design department. It is well above student grade. I believe that any student who "committs", themselves to their studies wil do well practicing in their field.

To succeed in the field of the fine arts you must pursue it with passion.

i liked that the teachers all had real world experience in their teaching field. i was able to ask specifically what was in store for me after graduation. i loved the location, right downtown! the school has since switched buildings, and the new building is beautiful. another thing i really liked is that teachers hung around after hours for any questions the students may have. i wish i could go back there!