Expert: Juan Carlos Valencia - 2/18/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi, id like to know if thier are any colleges in colombia that are all about the arts. Id like to go to school thier after high school,(2010) but then again i also need to learn my spanish better.
Your answer is greatly appreciated!

ANSWER: Hey !

There's a long tradition of academic interest in the arts in Colombia, although the field has always been financially precarious because of endemic poverty in the country.

Most of the top universities in Colombia (Nacional, Andes, Javeriana) have arts faculties and there are also some private institutions devoted to Visual Arts, Media and Music. Prices would be a lot cheaper than in the U.S or Europe.

You did not mention a specific field, nor a city, so I cant provide detailed tips, but I can tell you that there are valid, interesting options to study arts in Colombia.

Regards

JC

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I did not say what city because at this point im not sure which one is better. I know that Colombia isnt the safest place-would you happen to know which city is?!
If i were to major in audio production, graphic design, or visual art which college is best?!

-thnx again

Answer
Hey!

The first thing you have to bear in mind is that the academic system in Colombia is different from the one in the U.S. You study at school from grade 1 to grade 11 (one each year) and then, you apply to a university program that normally takes 5 years to complete. We dont have the majors system at all.

So you have to choose a complete undergraduate program and settle for it until you finish.

The areas of interest that you mention may fit in some Media & Communication programs or in some new Multimedia & Visual Arts programs. They require sophisticated media and computer equipment that may only be available in the big cities of the country: Bogota, Medellin and Cali.

Look for universities in these 3 cities. I have received good comments about 2 programs at Universidad Javeriana in Bogota:

Artes Visuales
http://www.javeriana.edu.co/Facultades/Artes/visuales/cav/index.htm

and Communication
http://www.javeriana.edu.co/Facultades/comunicacion_lenguaje/website/pre_comunic

As you see, in order to be considered as a suitable candidate for admission, you need a good knowledge of spanish and good marks from high-school.

At the Communication program at Universidad Javeriana, they receive about 500 applications a year and accept only 150.

So, study spanish, research programs in Bogota, Cali & Medellin and try to get good grades in your current school.

Regards

JC