My first quarter started in April 2007. After being used to 4-year college courses, specifically University of St. Thomas courses, what surprised me the most about MAS was "required books." At St. Thomas, I spent an average of $350 on books per semester; at MAS, all we were required was a MacBook for the entire 2 years. The courses at MAS were about changing/improving upon the way I think and concept verses the St. Thomas courses of extensive reading of history and facts THEN tests. The hardest test at MAS is getting eveyone in the class to quickly understand my marker comps every single class.

So I could go on and on, but the best thing that came from my first quarters of MAS was the people. Despite being located in Minneapolis, students had come from all over the world, bringing fresh, different and interesting new ideas and views to the table. EXAMPLE: One assignment I had was to make print ads for Culver's. My partner was a vegetarian from Germany; just even BEING from Germany, she struggled with the idea of a burger, let alone getting inspired by a butter-burger. She and I eventually worked through our cultural and lifestyle differences and came together to find the perfect solution to the issue at hand.

It is quite obvious that my skills as an art director have improved as the quarters progressed. Don't believe me? You be the judge: