Demystifying the Art School Admissions Process: Otis College’s Top Portfolio Development Tips
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About this livestream
Ask a Otis College of Art and Design admissions experts questions about what it takes to get admitted to Otis, their application process, academics, and more.
Courtney Richter is the Associate Dean of Admissions at Otis College of Art and Design. She earned her BA in Studio Art and Art History from Wellesley College, and her MFA in Visual Arts from the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. She loves the creative community in Los Angeles, and values each opportunity she gets to meet young artists and designers around the world through her work at Otis College.
Valerie Diaz is an Admissions Counselor at Otis College of Art & Design. Valerie earned a BFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Valerie is passionate about fostering genuine connections with young artists looking to pursue careers in art and design.
Undergrad College: Yale University '21
Major: Ethics, Politics & Economics; Classics (Intensive)
Work Experience: As a recent graduate of Yale University, I am excited to begin my first year with CollegeVine! In many ways, CV was a natural fit for me -- at Yale, I worked for over two years in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, beginning as a Senior Interviewer in the summer of 2019, during which I interviewed over 200 first-year applicants for the 2019-2020 college admissions cycle. After the summer ended, I became Lead Recruitment Coordinator, a full-time position responsible for executing and overseeing Yale’s numerous post-admissions decision yield initiatives, as well as serving as a spokesman for the university both in person and online. Over the past two years, I have had the privilege of interacting with hundreds of students and their families at all stages of the college application process.
My Admissions Story: Having always been interested in studying a variety of subjects within the Humanities and Social Sciences, I applied to a smattering of liberal arts colleges and universities (mostly on the East Coast) with strong departments in these areas, large and diverse student bodies, and varied extracurricular opportunities. When my college admissions decisions rolled in, I immediately accepted an offer from my dream school, Yale University, which I had always felt best embodied the opportunities and goals that I desired from my college experience -- and since that day, I’ve never looked back.
