October 09, 2026 Image What surprised you the most about the Pre-College Summer Session?What surprised me the most was that I could do it. The idea of living on my own and taking care of myself has always felt daunting, and I know many of my peers have felt that too. But the program introduced that bigger form of independence very gently in a way that after the first day, wasn’t so hard to get used to. Through the program I realized becoming an adult and having a life separate from home isn’t as scary as it seemed previously. What was also surprising is how much it didn’t feel like school. The classes were structured, we had teachers, there was a set schedule, but instead of dreading each day of class like I was used to, I was instead looking forward to it. I wanted to go to my classes, and for the first time in my life I was willingly getting homework done on time. It was fun and something I truly enjoyed!What aspect of the program had the biggest impact on you?The staff and peers definitely had a large impact, you really go in wondering if you’ll find your people or if you’ll measure up. You learn very quickly that measuring up isn’t the purpose, and you will find your people. The staff were so friendly and understanding, with genuinely good feedback and ways of improving your work and skills as a person and artist. My peers and instructors definitely helped me through the hard days and made the exciting days that much better.How has your artistic practice changed from being a part of the program?I’ve learned to think deeper on my composition, I’ve always enjoyed story telling through art but really diving into things like framing, bodily story telling, and general composition has helped improve the tools I already had. I also learned that not everything needs to be perfect to be ‘good’. So many of us artists are perfectionists, but at times during the program it moved so quickly that the idea of ‘perfection’ wasn’t obtainable. This is not a bad thing, I think it’s a very good thing as so many of us spend so much time looking at a blank canvas wondering how to make it perfect instead of starting, this program forces you to start, to think, and improve what you don’t like later instead of stressing and never putting pen to paper.What was your favorite experience outside of the classroom?The bonfire movie night and the trip to the comic and game store had to be my favorite. Watching a bunch of art kids try to light a fire was definitely one of the funniest moments I had, but it also drew everyone closer, having those out of class activity’s together really gave everyone a place where they belonged and knew other people.The comic store was an amazing experience, mostly because comic books are awesome, and who doesn’t like a super nerdy store? But going also made me realize just how many self published comic artists there are, it isn’t just D.C or Marvel, there were so many comics from independent artists, and those comics were being bought. It was a realization that this path can actually work.What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about coming to the Pre-College Summer Session at MCAD?Whatever you’re worried about, it will be ok. You are good enough to be here, you will find your people, you will survive away from home. This is an incredible experience with so many like minded people that you will so rarely find all in one place. Being apart of a community of artists is such a unique experience, that so many of us, almost didn’t wanna go home after the program. You really get an idea of college life and what that might look like. This experience is worth it, and fear or worry shouldn’t hold you back from something so special. So, if you’re thinking about it, and worried about something, you will figure it out, you will measure up, you just have to take the first step.