I'm Moving!

Hello! Welcome to Kelli with an I!

This is the beginning of something very exciting, and I'm assuming you followed this from my Facebook page.

If you haven't seen, I have been accepted into the graduate program of industrial design at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.

That's right! I'm going to grad school! I'm very excited to go on this adventure, and I thought it would be nice to document my journey as much as possible so my family and friends could keep in touch.

I'm sure you might have some questions, like why? That's what this post is for. A few basic FAQ's about my moving and the who, what, when, where, why.

Why grad school?
I have been thinking about grad school since I was a senior at OU. I took a ceramics class where I fell in love with the process of creating with my hands, trial and error, and the techniques behind making ceramics. Unfortunately, I couldn't just change my major to ceramics right then and there, but from there on out, I had a seed planted in my head that graphic design would not satisfy my desire to learn more about "vessel" design (i.e. creating things for functional reasons).

Last winter (December 2016), I decided that as much as I loved working at OU, I knew that it was time for me to continue my education. I had several years designing and several years baking under my belt, and felt like I knew exactly what I wanted to get my MFA in. I started doing research with no intent to apply and wrote down some colleges I was interested in.

Fast forward to February, and something urged me to take action and start truly planning for grad school. I started working on my portfolio, getting more serious about grad school research, and sprucing up my resume. Then, one afternoon, I stumbled across SCAD and immediately knew that was the #1 place I wanted to apply. So I did! I got accepted on May 4th, talked to the SCAD advisor, and am planning to attend starting the spring quarter, which is late March.

Why SCAD?
SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) is one of the only colleges I found that has a program focusing on exactly what I want to focus on: product design for the kitchen. Their MFA industrial design degree seems like exactly what I am looking for. I want to learn everything I can about product design, computer modeling, and problem-solving in the design world. Their employment rate is 98%, with their grad students achieving 100% employment, over 90% getting a job in their related field. These grad students go on to get jobs at companies like William-Sonoma and Electrolux (both kitchen/home product design companies).

Where is Savannah?
It's in Georgia. Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia and is known for its historic properties, such as the antebellum architecture, haunted establishments, and cobblestone streets. From what I've heard, it's BEAUTIFUL, and not very far from the beach! East coast here I come!

When are you leaving?
The schedule at SCAD is unique to me, much unlike the two-semester years at OU. SCAD has quarters: winter, spring, summer, and fall. I will be starting in the spring quarter due to some conditional classes I need to take before officially starting grad school. The spring quarter starts in late March.

How long is grad school?
Tentatively, grad school at SCAD is 2 years. I have to complete 90 hours of credit, however, most design classes are 3-5 hours long. I will also be starting a semester early to take three conditional courses so I have the best chance of succeeding in the program.

In conclusion...
If you have any questions, about where I'm moving or why, that I haven't answered here, feel free to comment below! This blog will remain active from here on out. I'll be posting my adventures in visiting Savannah before I move, finding an apartment, a tour of the town. My goal is to blog at least once a week. I definitely don't want to leave my family in the dark about my new adventure. Thanks for coming on this journey with me!

Of course, I had to throw in a fandom reference! ;)