Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University

KCAD is a close-knit creative learning environment filled with amazing people who are connecting their passion for making to what's happening in the wider world. It's always a pleasure to learn what alumni, current students, and faculty are up to as well as visit campus and see all the incredible work on display!

It's a mess. A week before our Scholastic Awards Kendall withdrew as host and sponsor. The organizer told us the decision was President McCrackin's and she didn't see a benefit any longer. I remember her speaking last year and she was embarrassing. Apparently Kendall wants fewer students to visit.

Lots of art from students of every kind of background. If you get a chance to come to one of their events, definitely go. Also check out The Spark, a little shop that sells all kinds of works from local artists- students included!! It is open to the public, so stop by!

I am an alumni and came back to look at the student work. Nice artwork in there. The building has changed since I went there but looks fantastic! You can no longer walk through the building without an escort. Kendall is working hard to keep students and staff safe so if you want to look at the artwork, you will need to have someone show you around. Makes sense these days.

The only program I can speak for @ this school is the Graphic design program. Coming here was one of the best choices I made. I felt unready and unprepared with only an associates and now that I am graduated with a BFA my portfolio and my body of work within it perfectly shows my design style and reflects my abilities. Many of the professors are willing to do anything to help you succeed, all you have to do is initiate that conversation and where you feel you need help. Like any school tho their are a few professors who are only their for a paycheck. However I gave the school 4 stars not because of my experience with the program but because of the admissions offices. The people who work on the 7th floor are some of the rudest people I have ever met in my life. Even many of the professors have admitted to not being impressed with the admissions office personal because of issues not being handled properly or unprofessionally. Likewise the school does not have a career center. Though a lot of kids don’t need a career center as KCAD offers many opportunities to network and work with local business’ in the graphic design department, many students in different programs could benifit from such a office where jobs might be tougher to find. Overall, the school offers a lot of great opportunities within the city of Grand Rapids and the GR community knows the work that comes out of the school is high quality. So you have a slight upper hand in the community because of the name on your degree when graduating. So take advantage of the schools connections when given the opportunity.

A very unprofessional university with under qualified professors. Along with being under qualified, the professors are also rude. Professors often talk down to students and at one point called my classmate “stupid.” Grades are based on the professors’ own opinions rather than quality of work. When trying to fight a grade I didn’t deserve I was treated as though I wasn’t a priority and it took weeks for them to even respond. Dorms, parking, and a cafeteria aren’t provided at Kendall causing a major inconvenience for anyone who doesn’t live right in Grand Rapids. Diversity doesn’t exist and the student body consists of rude and judgemental students.

When I went to Kendall their computer classes were state-of-the-art and better equipped than the college I attended in Los Angeles. They have a great career board and I was actually hired by Marvel Comics as a colorist before I got my certificate of completion. One of my friends was also hired at Steelcase prior to graduating. The computer fundamentals I learned gave me a competitive edge in the booming graphic design industry. If you are an artist or multimedia enthusiast and are trying to decide on a geat college to go to I can't recommend Kendall highly enough. The staff and facilities are astounding.

Excellent place to get an education. Excellent professors they take the time to teach not just throw the lessons out there and do them they stand by their work stand by their students and make sure they are grasping what they're learning.