Why I Stayed at RIT for Grad School

When I first came to RIT, I did not think I would stay for graduate school. Like a lot of students, I imagined grad school as a chance to completely reset: a new city, new people, and a new environment that would push me into whatever was next.

I graduated from RIT with my BFA in Photographic and Imaging Arts (Visual Media), and I will be starting the Visual Arts–All Grades (Art Education) Master of Science for Teachers program this fall. As I got closer to finishing my undergraduate degree, I realized the place I planned to leave had actually become the place where I felt most challenged, supported, and creatively grounded.

Here are the main reasons I decided to stay.

Faculty Who Already Know My Work

One of the biggest advantages of staying at RIT is the continuity with faculty who already know your work. In my case, professors who had followed my development over several years were able to push my practice in more specific and meaningful ways.

Their feedback was not introductory. It was grounded in an understanding of my strengths, habits, and creative patterns. That allowed critiques to go deeper than surface-level adjustments and focus on ideas I had not fully recognized in my own work.

A Community That Develops Over Time

There is a common assumption that staying at the same school can limit your experience. My experience has been the opposite.

Over time, I moved from being a student whom people recognized in passing to someone engaged in ongoing collaboration with classmates and faculty. Those relationships developed through repeated interaction and shared creative work rather than constant reintroduction.

That consistency made collaboration feel more natural and intentional, since we were already familiar with each other’s approaches and interests.

Building Creative Momentum Instead of Resetting It

At a certain point in my undergraduate studies, I began to feel more confident in my creative voice. Leaving at that stage would have meant adjusting to a completely new environment just as my work was becoming more focused.

Staying at RIT allowed me to continue developing that direction without interruption. Instead of reestablishing my practice elsewhere, I could refine and build on what I had already started.

That continuity helped me stay focused on growth rather than adjustment.

Preparing for a Career in Art Education

My long-term goal is to become an art educator, and staying at RIT made sense for that path. The Visual Arts–All Grades (Art Education) MST program directly supports this goal by connecting pedagogy, studio practice, and research in ways that align with my goals.

Staying at RIT also allows me to focus on developing my teaching practice without the added transition of adapting to a new institution. That stability has made the shift from undergraduate to graduate study feel more intentional.

Final Thoughts

Choosing to stay at RIT was not about comfort or convenience. It was about recognizing that I was still growing here in meaningful ways.

Instead of feeling like I needed to start over somewhere new, I realized I was in a place where my work, relationships, and goals were still evolving.

For me, graduate school is not a reset. It is a continuation of something I am still building.