How Three Current Students Prepared for Their Otis College Journey

Juniors in the Animation, Illustration, and Toy Design programs share their before-Otis experiences and advice for incoming students. 

Otis College helps incoming students adjust to life in college—some away from home for the first time—in various ways during Orientation Week (O-Week) and beyond. Student leaders are available from day one to help new students, as Resident Assistants, members of the Campus Activities Board (CAB), Team International Student Outreach (TISO) ambassadors, and Creatives Institute Peer Mentors.

With O-Week currently underway, we asked three current students about what their summer before Otis College was like, and what advice they have for the incoming transfers, grad students, and Class of 2030. 

Sosie Berg, Animation Junior

“During the summer before I started at Otis College, I made sure to take time for myself and relax so that I could come into Otis with a fresh new outlook and perspective. I didn’t want to overwork myself before I got here. I also started looking at places around Los Angeles that I could go to for supplemental education like workshops, studios, and figure drawing sessions. Living in L.A. supports my creative practice by the close proximity I have to creative industries and studios and frequent artistic opportunities. 

I also made sure to do all the necessary steps early on: signing up for Handshake, getting my housing set up, registering for classes, etc. One of the more unique things about studying art and design at Otis is that its small size doesn’t diminish the amount of resources available. 

Honestly, I was very nervous to be doing art full-time. I was worried I wouldn’t match up to my peers in terms of experience, or that I would struggle adjusting to a new schedule and workload. However, I was very excited. I was looking forward to learning more about the thing I’m passionate about and getting to do it at a more professional level.”

Words to describe Otis: “Supportive, enthusiastic, inspiring”

Alejandra Nicely, Illustration Junior

“Before I started at Otis I felt ready to learn more and take on the new challenges that college would bring, but I was also scared to move away from home and adjust to a new space. I did a lot of connecting with my incoming classmates and teachers and staff to clarify questions and introduce myself to my new community.

A unique feature of studying at Otis is the customizability of class schedules. I have a lot of friends who put all their classes on the first three days of the week, freeing up time to do homework, go to other jobs, or just relax.

My advice to incoming students is to enjoy your free time more and pace yourself. Explore more of L.A. while you’re still new. Go out on your own or with a small group of people and don’t be scared to try new things. There are a lot of opportunities to interact with the local art scene here in L.A. There are music concerts, plenty of movie theatres, and lots of galleries and exhibitions showing off the work of artists in the area in a wide variety of genres.”

Words to describe Otis: “Colorful, understanding, tight-knit”

Madison Rodas-Cabrera, Toy Design Junior 

“I was very nervous and excited before I started Otis. I was excited that I had gotten accepted and was starting somewhere new to pursue art as a career. I also felt nervous since I was the only student from my high-school to go to an art college and the first student in 25 years to get a full-ride scholarship to Otis as a Charles White Scholar.

To prepare for school I made sure to complete the task list that was required by Otis, such as learning how to use the MyOtis app and The Nest [learning management system]. I checked my class syllabi for any necessary materials that I had to buy, and watched tons of videos of people entering college. I also talked to some of my friends who were already in college about their experiences.

What I found once I was at Otis is that many of our labs and studios are free or low cost, and available to all students regardless of major. It gives everyone an equal opportunity to explore and learn something new.

My advice for incoming students is to learn as many skills as you can; you don’t need to be perfect, but it can make things a lot easier to understand. I wish I had explored graphic design and developed my Blender/3D modeling skills more. They seemed like boring subjects at the time, but they are integrated in the [Toy Design] industry. 

Living in L.A supports my creative practice because there is art everywhere, and people are allowed to express themselves freely and explore different mediums and practices. There’s no wrong way to be creative.”

Words to describe Otis: “Fun, supportive, constructive, creative”

More about life at Otis College.

Related News