Paris College of Art

It’s fine to attend this college (or whatever it is) if you wanna experience Paris for a semester as a student. I would NOT recommend it to anyone who is serious about their academics and education. Very unprofessional faculty. I was told by some unprofessional teacher here that I can’t be a UX designer and that was 200% BS. Today I work as a ft product engineer + UX designer, but without her stupid comments and following those weird, unstructured and useless lessons she gave this could have happened way earlier. I see the study here as a real set-back of my academics and career. Think twice before you enroll.

DO NOT ATTEND PCA. We stayed in HORRIBLE dorms for the summer program. They don’t even wash the sheets, they just buy new ones for each time a group arrives because the sheets are SO LOW QUALITY it’s cheaper than to wash them. You also aren’t provided with any basic amenities for the entire 2 weeks, you must buy your own TP, soap, trash bags, laundry detergent, EVERYTHING. Also, my room literally REEKED of cigarettes half the time. The school itself is also horrible. They don’t have any materials available to the students that an ART school should, such as good scissors or paper or a printer. The course I took was great at first, our instructor was actually very helpful and a great photography teacher. Later on though, he unfortunately got covid, and the summer program coordinator made one of the most mind boggling decisions possible and gave us a new instructor for the last TWO DAYS of the course when EVERYTHING was already finished in the syllabus and we were still having online classes with our original instructor that were very helpful still. The summer program coordinator seemed to lack any serious decision making skills and social skills, even wanted us to redo our introductions in class when all of us already knew each other and were just trying to finish our projects. To top it all off, the summer coordinator didn’t even tell our previous instructor he was being replaced until we all found out at the same time. She even lied on the students behalf about us being unhappy with the online format, even though there only MIGHT have been one out of 7 of us who talked to her. She lied to our professor about our dissatisfaction with his class, and replaced him. The coordinator always puts on a PR face while continuing to make frustrating decisions that are not in the best interest of the students. Overall for the price you pay for the dorm and course, you can easily find a better living situation and university with a summer program in Paris.

I've participated in the summer program of PCA and thus cannot judge the school like a real student. Still, my experience was overall very very good. The neighborhood is very beautiful with small boulangeries and thrift shops. Moreover, the school itself is modern and has nice rooms. The staff and the teachers are also very friendly and I would recommend the summer program to anybody interested in art and being abroad for a short while.

My first impression was the school is very dirty. With covid being so prevalent you would think sanitation would be a priority. But I didn’t come here for the building I came for the instruction. This is where my disappointment is greatest. For the money and expense of coming here I think I had a reasonable expectation the instructors would actually teach me techniques I didn’t know, being the industry experts. Unfortunately this didn’t happen. I should have gone to a different summer program closer to home and saved thousands of dollars! This is no longer the prestigious institution it use to be. There is no longer any connection between this college and Parsons in New York. A few of the classes did seem to have good instructors but this is the exception. Do Not stay in dorms unless you like lack of ventilation, no hot water and being itchy…. Their website and descriptions of what you will receive are very different from reality. Never ever would I recommend this College to anyone serious about a career in the Arts!

This is my first semester at PCA and I am very disappointed with this school. I am considering not coming back next semester. There are leaks in the ceiling, there is no soap, some of the bathrooms are completely inoperable, the printer(s) is always down, there is a lack of resources, the ceiling is missing in some classes, there's no library or even space to sit and work. For this amount of tuition, (~$30,000) this is scandalous. This is not at all what I signed up for - the school feels like a scam. The worst is that we are expected in class without heating in DECEMBER. It was just said that the heating wont be fixed until summer (?) We are unproductive in class because of this issue. I can't draw or type because my fingers are too cold. For example this week, the administration's offices had heaters but our classrooms did NOT - we had to ask to have one from administration's office (1 person) because the 10 of us were freezing. When we had it finally, we stopped class to stand around the one heater. Their only solution for students at the moment is putting cheap teabags and nasty coffee in the lobby. I am actually curious where the $30,000 we all pay in tuition goes to. Every student I have talked to feels the same way and wishes they could have picked a different school if they knew how PCA really was. A number of photography students are dropping out due to lack of resources in the dark room. My friend had to drop out because her dad died and the school gave her no option to continue/finish the semester and no refund on the tuition. I have found that this school is an embarrassment and I am currently looking at other schools to transfer.

Paris College of Art is not only a school - it is a community! From the first day I visited the school four years ago, I immediately sensed the great atmosphere, where creativity, academics and fun would blend in a unique inspirational environment! This year the school moved to a new building on Rue Fenelon. It was a fresh new start, a breath of fresh air that gave everyone the strength to think and plan bigger. The tuition may be high compared to other public European universities, but I have the feeling every penny is worth it. Not only its location in the centre of Paris, but also the opportunities and freedom that the school gives us, are worth the price. All my friends that graduated are already happily employed in various companies or working as ambitious freelancers. As well, current PCA students - including myself - have the opportunity of being put in contact with a variety of fashion and design houses, art institutions, where they can work or expose their projects. Our professors at PCA do not teach, they mentor us and help us discover what we are good at and expand our visions. Now I am in my third year at PCA, studying Design Management and I am already scared of the day I will have to leave. This community of creative schoolmates, passionate professors and energetic staff, became my family!

There are some really nice people at the school who helped me out a lot in my transition into moving to Paris. However, the school over all I found to be very disorganized and the facilities were not well managed. For example, it was very difficult to find the intern schedule for the photo lab which was the only time students could use it. When I finally found a time when an intern was there, the printers seemed to be always out of ink. Computer labs were often filled so I was unable to do work there. The library looks like the school moved to the building a week ago but I believe they have been there for a year or two and it took me 5 attempts to get my student ID. Their saving grace is that there are some really wonderful teachers and good people who truly want to help the students. I also had a great opportunity as a exchange student to show my work in a gallery in Paris.