New Interview on Core77: What Does it Take to Get Accepted to PoD?

An interview with Chair Allan Chochinov was just published on Core77.com as part of their “getting accepted” series. In the interview, Allan talks about several aspects of the program—from what the department is looking for in an applicant, to what graduates walk out the door with.

Here’s an excerpt on the researching design programs:

Grad school is similar to the process of finding a new job in that when you go into an interview, it should be as much about you interviewing them to see if it's the right place for you as it is that you're the right person for them. For anyone who's seriously considering the Products of Design program, what kind of questions should those people be thinking about when researching the program?

“It's so funny that you say that, because in any interview we always make sure to leave some time at the end to answer any questions you may have. And when an applicant has no questions, it's very puzzling. This is sort of 'Interview 101' right? Any article in any magazine will tell you: In any interview, make sure you have questions.

They should also do their homework. I'm a big believer in design education, and all design schools are great. But certainly all design schools are different. On our homepage, we have seven foundational principles you can read up on. We are very deliberate about what we believe in and how we instantiate those beliefs in pedagogy and department culture. (You should find out what those things are in other programs, if you are looking across different schools.) Don't just look at the apply page; really go through the site and find out who all the faculty are, what all the courses are, what the extra-curriculars are, and how the syllabi and projects support and reflect both the mission of the department and the individual vision of the student. You are looking for fit, and you should insist on it.

Then the other thing is that you need to pick a place that's going to build some new muscles. So really take a look at the kinds of things that you're going to be immersed in. For example, exposure and sensitivity video storytelling, or to Arduino and smart objects, or to designing with Figma—you may not want to specialize in those things as part of your daily design practice when you leave school, but if you don't know how these things work or how to navigate and evaluate these platforms, there are going to be limits to the areas where you can find success, agency, and happiness.”

And another quick excerpt on what students leave the degree with.

What are the ultimate takeaways students get from their 2 years in the program?

“The strongest thing that our students graduate with is confidence—the confidence to say yes to a project that they've never done before (which is in the definition of any designer, of course), but paired with the ability to get really smart really fast, to take significant risks, and then to the present their ideas with both authority and humility. (I am proud of the number of times people in the industry compliment our students on their presentation skills.) Every single one of our students emerges from the program with a systems approach—understanding that ever product of design can be understood through a continuum of product, service, system, and platform. We are obsessive about this.”

Check out the entire interview here, and remember that the application deadline is January 15th, 2021!