by Darissa Townes
If you’ve been going to this school long enough, you’ve probably seen a study abroad poster or two. Whether it’s SCAD Lacoste showcasing its beautiful 15th-century French architecture or SCAD Hong Kong broadcasting its metropolitan charm, there’s always encouragement to take that leap of faith.
Of course, it’s not something that can be easily done, no matter how simple SCAD says it is to transfer campuses. There are endless situations to consider such as living arrangements, where to eat, where to shop, where to go for fun and a possible language barrier. These factors can easily deter a student from studying someplace new.
Allow me to put your mind at ease. This summer, I took the opportunity to study not across the ocean in France or across the world in Hong Kong, but across the state of Georgia, in Savannah. Now, you may be thinking that’s bogus. Savannah is a mere three-and-a-half hour drive away from Atlanta. How can anything be different? Well, while Savannah may not be as wild and exotic as Lacoste or Hong Kong, I will say that my time spent there has been an eye-opening experience of its own.
A port city that rises out of the Georgian countryside, Savannah just oozes history. Main streets with 1950s charm, 24 public squares surrounded by majestic trees and historic buildings and dozens of boutiques and cafes where you can shop or stop to grab a bite to eat. Tour groups pass by every couple minutes, some on a bus, others in a horse-drawn carriage—but all taking in the same history.
Now, I can’t dance around the details. This place IS the home to SCAD’s main campus and “big” is an understatement. The buildings are spread out across the city, with the most frequently-visited ones, like the bookstore, in the downtown area. There are tons of shuttles available for quick student transportation—and when I say shuttles, I really mean buses.
I thought that with this being the summer quarter with the majority of students gone, I’d be traversing the streets of Savannah by myself. But by sheer luck, a good friend of mine from the Atlanta campus, Darren Yaworski, a second-year animation major, was also experiencing his first quarter in Savannah and I was able to get his viewpoint about studying somewhere new.
Yoworski said the city is beautiful and he loves being able to walk around and experience the genuine southern hospitality. But the expensive parking means that he’ll need a bicycle to get around, and in 90-degree heat, and that might be troublesome. But this doesn’t deter him from staying in Savannah. Yaworski says, “The Savannah campus just has more going on; more classes, more workshops. And more animation students, which means more opportunities to work on collaborative projects.” With him getting ready to plunge head-first into the heavy animating portion of the major in the fall, he’s going to have plenty of help.
Now, the campus and city aren’t for everybody. The majority of the buildings (both school and city) are not in the best shape. They creak, crack and sound awful in the heavy afternoon thunderstorms (which happen almost every day in Savannah).
Sure, a quarter in Savannah may not necessarily equal an experience in the well-preserved walls of Lacoste or the exotic setting of Hong Kong. But keep in mind that you don’t have to take a jumbo jet to get to a new location, or have to learn a foreign language to enjoy a new place. You can meet new people, eat at new restaurants, check out new parks and explore a new city’s history only a few hours away. At the moment, as we reach the end of the summer quarter, I find myself looking forward to that nearly 4-hour drive back to traffic-packed Atlanta. I miss the skyscrapers and the city lights. But I’ll also miss Savannah and its enchanting southern charm.
So if you’re nervous about studying in a new place, perhaps a quarter here may give you a chance to try it in a smaller dose.