I’ve never felt so understood before in my life. Creative Writing is an amazing environment to grow in because everyone is so intelligent, and perceives the world so differently. My short time in CW has already brought a new perspective to the way I see the world and how I interact with it and my art. Never before would I have thought that I’d get to spend my afternoon crying in the MoMA with some of my best friends and call it school. CW so far has been so incredibly supportive and fun, and I’ve improved already so much in my writing, and in my other artistic interests too. While SOTA absolutely emphasizes one art, being in a school full of creativity has allowed me to pursue my other artistic passions as well. I can feel the open environment and compassion shaping me into a person with so much joy, and being around positive energy every day is a dream come true. It’s also really cool that everyone has at least one thing in common: they’re an artist. This makes the school really tight-knit, because there’s an automatic sense of community in everyone you meet.

Going into SOTA, something that drew my concern was the academics. I’d heard some worrying rumors about the quality of the academic education available at SOTA, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned so far it’s that this school is very much what you make of it. If your focus is solely on your art and you plan to make that your future, there is a place for you here. However, if you strive to succeed academically, there are tools at your disposal: you just have to look for them. Regardless of your stance on academics vs art, if you have an artistic passion, RASOTA is the place for you.