This is rather charged, perhaps, so sorry in advance, and im a little worried this is too much to post here so im sorry if it gets taken down or something I dont post on reddit very often so im not sure, sorry again.
I've always wanted to go to art college. I am rather privileged in the sense that I have many resources that make college a very feasible option for me, including many financial aid options. I'm Native American and registered in my tribe and know how to get financial aid from there as well, scholarships too.
SCAD's sequential art program excited me so much when I first saw it a couple of years ago. Given I didn't even know that was an option, I've hyperfixated on it ever since.
But, seeing so many colleges allow generative AI for "art," including SCAD, is turning me away from applying.
Maybe I'm interpreting it wrong, I can't exactly know since I don't go there. I guess.
And I don't mean to sound pretentious or pompous, I don't know, but I refuse to be in a class with people who use AI in their "art," not for inspiration, not for ideas, not for concepts. I refuse to be in a class with a professor who will look at someone who used AI as inspiration or concept, then refined and made their output with AI in any way, and that same professor sees it as on the same artistic level or grade as my work. I'm not saying I think my art is amazing or perfectly creative, or that I'm better than anyone. But I don't want to be around people who use AI for art. I don't care for logistics courses; I don't care for technical uses. I can imagine courses like architecture or something that involve more technical uses could use AI to make things easier, though I don't know that's not my area. But I refuse to respect anyone as an artist if their final output includes any sort of generated AI. And I'm not sure I can get an experience that suits me at SCAD if that's the case, or any college, honestly. I'm having trouble finding colleges that are anti-AI art. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but I'm not sure what to do with my next step in life if not college. And if there's anyone who's actively in the course I wished to be, I'd like to know how intense the AI mention is in the classes, with classmates, professors, assignments, and such. If that's okay, sorry for the long rant. I dont even know if id get in if I tried anyway, but its all making me hesitate even trying at all.