Dareno earned his bachelor’s degree in animation and special effects from the College for Creative Studies. He specializes in art tutoring, geometry tutoring, and a number of other subjects. Below, he shares his experience at the College for Creative Studies.
Describe the campus setting and transportation options.
Dareno: Both the main campus and its secondary counterpart are in the hub of midtown Detroit. The main campus is surrounded by the cultural district, which includes a public library, a historical museum, an art museum, and a science center. There’s a dedicated shuttle that transports students between both campuses. To get to downtown from the school, there's the Q-line streetcar. The school is also in very close proximity to the Amtrak train station and several bus stops.
How available are the professors, academic advisors, and teaching assistants?
Dareno: They are usually always available to help out their students. Even if their schedules are relatively busy, they’ll make time to meet with you.
How would you describe the dorm life—rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students, etc.?
Dareno: Dorm life is whatever you make it. Some love it, some hate it. The Taubman campus dorms are much more modern than the Ford campus counterpart. The Ford campus is more historic. Since the buildings are older, though, there tends to be a lot of maintenance issues.
Dining options are better at the Taubman campus than the Ford campus. The Taubman features a grill spot on the first level, a small food court on the second level, and a self-serving commissary-type room on the sixth level. Ford campus has a Starbucks, a grill around the corner, and another self-serving food station. Outside the school, there's a slew of different eateries and plenty of restaurants along Woodward Avenue.
Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? What did you study and why?
Dareno: Transportation design is the most represented and supported area. Entertainment arts is definitely second. I studied animation, a concentration of entertainment arts, because I really love storytelling and the classes available are awesome.
How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life?
Dareno: It was somewhat easy, but also somewhat hard. There are a variety of diverse social groups and clubs, which allow you to meet others who have the same interests as you.
How helpful are the Career Center and other student support services?
Dareno: The Career Center is very keen on finding suitable internships for students. There's also career workshops which are held very frequently for students.
How are the various study areas, such as libraries, the student union, and dorm lounges?
Dareno: The library at the Ford campus is the perfect place to study or do a project in peace. It’s very quiet most of the time and staff are usually very helpful and nice. It's not the biggest space, but it's definitely adequate.
Describe the surrounding town.
Dareno: Midtown Detroit is artsy, cultural, historic, and quintessentially urban.
How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes?
Dareno: The student body hovers around 1,400 undergraduate students. I was neutral about class sizes. Most of the time, it averaged about 15-to-20 students.
Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one you regret the most.
Dareno: I had a class called 2D digital animation, which dealt with After Effects and compositing or animating imagery. For our final project, we had to produce a piece with subject matter that was personal to us. The class absolutely loved my project.
Check out Dareno’s tutoring profile.
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.
