Pairing business, technology and creativity, our students come to the heart of Silicon Valley to deepen and grow their passions. The result? A skilled and dynamic community with a social life that is surprisingly robust.
Immersive, collaborative and designed to unlock your creativity—for over 130 years USV has been helping people turn their passion into their professions. Today, it’s your turn. Explore our program offerings to help you develop the skills you need for the job you’ll love.
To be accepted at USV, you must take the first step into your educational adventure by completing your first assignment: submitting work samples. If you already have existing work to show us, you should simply gather and organize it. If you don’t have any work samples, do not worry. In these guidelines, we provide directions on how to create work samples.
All work samples should demonstrate your best work and be presented professionally. Your work samples should display your interests regarding future study, to enhance your success at USV.
You can submit 7 to 10 original drawings, paintings, sculptures, concept art pieces and/or screenshots of game art that you have created. Present your work professionally, either in a slide deck, website or other appropriate medium. Make sure to cite what you did for each piece, including title, medium, date, and a brief sentence on your work.
USV accepts work samples through digital and online mediums. Examples include PowerPoint, KeyShot, GoogleSlides and/or other digital mediums.
We discourage bringing physical formats and are not responsible for any lost/damaged items. It’s best to scan your work and organize it in a slide deck, as previously mentioned.
Your work samples are reviewed based on measurable criteria, including but not limited to: originality/creativity, craftsmanship, design elements, and presentation/organization.
If you do not have any work samples, don’t worry! There is plenty of help! USV is looking for is your observational drawings: practice drawing figures/humans, as well as still lifes and perspective rooms.
Try online resources. YouTube has a lot of “introduction to drawing” videos. Watch and follow along.
Stop by USV and join us for our figure drawing workshops. Get some tips while you are here.
We want you to be successful!
Do you have any questions or need any help to submit or create work samples? Please contact the Department Director, Michael Kaczmarek, or your admissions advisor. We are here to help you.
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