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DAD vs. The World

 

Is Miami Ad School still legit? Does it make any sense to get a master’s degree from VCU Brandcenter? Are you cheating the system by paying for a short and cheap portfolio program? Short answer: no. Long answer: hellllllllllll no. Scroll down and we’ll get into all the details of how we stack up against your other portfolio school options.

 
 
 

 

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All killer, no filler.

 
 

No one else does it like we do. We’ve streamlined our programs at DAD to exist in the perfect sweet spot that gives students a fully comprehensive training in the most efficient time frame possible. That means you only take the classes you need, none of the ones you don’t, so you get to agencies quicker and more prepared than graduates from the other schools.

We started DAD because we thought the portfolio school industry could use some disrupting. Keep reading to find out what else we do differently…

 
 
 
Miami Ad School students get less time in relevant classes.

MAD students spend the latter part of their two-year program in an agency internship, the majority of which are unpaid. R U MAD yet? So why are their portfolios not as good as ours? Because they simply focus on them less.

 
 
 
Students in shorter, less comprehensive programs feel like they’re cheating the system – but they’re only cheating themselves.

How can something so short and easy really help anyone? It takes time to learn how to be creative – you wouldn’t show up to a marathon after training for a few weeks, right? Creativity is a muscle that needs a lot of reps so students feel prepared to handle the rigors of a major ad agency. 

 
At VCU Brandcenter, students are in college all over again.

Two full years of class after class, some are relevant but many are not. Didn't you just do this in undergrad? At the end you get a decent portfolio and a job, sure, but is it worth the enormous price tag and two more years of your life in a stale university environment?

 
 
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Let’s talk money, honey.

 

Besides our intensive program structure, the other major difference between us and the other joints is sticker price. Why the hell are Miami Ad School and VCU so damn expensive? You’d have to ask them because it doesn’t really make any sense to us. We pack more classes into less time and for less money, so maybe… sick but true burn incomingwe’re the most affordable because we care more about our students than our profits.

 
 
 

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tl;dr? We made you a chart.

 

Denver

Tuition

$27,000

Acceptance Rate

60%

Program Length

5 QTRS

Big Agency Job Placements

YEP

Full-Time Online Option?

YEP

Ad Agency Experienced Teachers

ALL

Weather

BEAUTIFUL

Breweries Per Capita

10

Feels Like More College

FUCK NO

Kickball Team

AWWWW YEAH

Climate Change Future

DRY

Miami

Tuition

$38,800

Acceptance Rate

100%

Program Length

8 QTRS

Big Agency Job Placements

YEP

Full-Time Online Option?

NOPE

Ad Agency Experienced Teachers

SOME

Weather

HUMID

Breweries Per Capita

2

Feels Like More College

MEH

Kickball Team

DOUBT IT

Climate Change Future

UNDERWATER

Virginia

Tuition

$54,640

Acceptance Rate

40%

Program Length

8 QTRS

Big Agency Job Placements

YEP

Full-Time Online Option?

NOPE

Ad Agency Experienced Teachers

SOME

Weather

SEVERE

Breweries Per Capita

5

Feels Like More College

YEP

Kickball Team

DOUBT IT

Climate Change Future

UNDERWATER

 
 

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A place for people like us.

 

Our reputation matters to us. At Miami Ad School, they let everyone in. No, like literally, Niche.com has their acceptance rate at 100%. What’s so bad about letting anyone in with a pulse and a check for $38k? Well, that’s a sign they value quantity over quality. At DAD we value quality, so that means you’ll be working with other students who give a shit just like you do. And just because you’re enrolled at DAD doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to finish – we’re not afraid to part ways with students who end up not being the right fit for our program.

While not everyone is a good fit here, at least we don’t have that exclusive country club vibe like VCU Brandcenter. Sure, their 40% acceptance rate may seem admirable but their insane tuition price and program length gatekeep the regular people like us who’d be turned away from Richmond’s finest country clubs. We proudly take college dropouts, artists, skateboarders, creative weirdos, and whoever else deserves a chance to get into the ad industry without mortgaging their financial future.

Yes, DAD is a tough program – make no mistake. But we’re tough because the real world is tough and advertising is oftentimes tougher. So if you don’t want to be prepared for all that, well, maybe some other school is more your speed.

 
 

Our work has some nerve.

 

Why are DAD portfolios consistently best-in-class? Oh, only about a million reasons why. We say things with our work that others are afraid to say. We hold our students to a creative standard higher than just “student work”. We spend all day every day talking about things that go into our portfolios. Guess you could say we’re just not in the business of putting out bad portfolios.

Unlike, oh, say Miami, we’re so confident in our portfolios that we put them front and center so everyone can see the work we make here. To make it super easy for you to compare, smash the links below and decide for yourself what kind of standard you want your own portfolio to live up to.

 
 
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Learn where you want,
what the hell do we care.

 

We’re the only major portfolio school in the U.S. to offer our full-time curriculum online. Where you want to learn couldn’t matter any less to us – because wherever you choose to attend DAD you’ll get the exact same, fully comprehensive program. There’s literally no difference in quality between our in-person and online programs – same length, same curriculum, same teachers, same expectations, same results. More of the same never sounded so good.

 
 
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Art Direction

Craft the look and feel of a campaign. Make decisions about visuals, photography, type, colors, and the overall design. Learn everything you need to know to become an Art Director.

 
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Copywriting

Craft the idea or story behind a campaign. Write headlines, scripts, taglines, social posts, etc. Learn everything you need to know to become a Copywriter.

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Strategy

Discover insights that inspire campaigns. Research and lay the groundwork that allows creatives to create. Learn all you need to know to become a Strategist.

 
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They suck, we're great, apply already, blah blah blah.

 
 

Man oh man, if you’re not convinced already then why the hell did you scroll down to the end of the page? We like to think we laid out all the facts pretty nicely up above, so if you’re on board with what we’ve said and you agree that we’re the best ad school in the known universe… then why not just go for it already and smash that button below to start your application?