Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts)

VanArts is an amazing school and taught so much more than I thought there was to acting. The acting teachers here taught me how to really bring these characters to life and even helped me discover things about myself in my own personal life. Even in the beginning of the pandemic they were quick to find a solution and adapted very easily so we didn’t lose any opportunities, if anyway we were able to do a lot more! Thank you VanArts, this was, by far, one of the best years of my life.

My experience here as an acting student was transformational. I’ve become such a better person in general and learned so many things about myself I would’ve never discovered had it not been for Vanarts. All the instructors here are so professional and experienced in what they do and I genuinely believe if you want to learn more about the craft as well as build a longterm family, Vanarts is the place to go. They set you up with everything you’ll need in your career and the Vanarts faculty as a whole is incredibly kind and helpful. You’ll get to work with students from other programs and build your own little network which is really amazing and is super important in the world of acting. The head of acting, Chilton Crane is such an incredibly wise and talented woman, you’ll learn so much! Definitely recommend coming here!

I did the Web Development & Interactive Design course 2019-2020. The teachers were really knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. I felt comfortable raising any issues and the department head listened to any concerns we had. They really care about nuturing you, and were genuinely excited to watch us grow and develop our skills. I didn't have any issue with the facilities there. They are basic, but you're there to learn not chill out in the break room. I had access to all the software and programs required for the course without needing to buy anything except a $15 domain name where we uploaded our projects. The school itself is in a central location and easy to get to by bus or train. I'd recommend this course to anyone considering a career in web-something. I say "web-something" because it's a holistic course that goes beyond "just" web development. I shopped around a few different schools and ultimately chose this one due to the fact they also cover design, business, project management, and SEO. I'm so thankful I went here - I went in thinking I wanted to be a full-stack developer and fell in love with SEO instead. Now, I'm a digital marketer. I don't think I'd have had that opportunity at another school. If you are considering the webdev course, just know that you need to put the work in or you'll get nothing out of this course. The webdev course is REALLY hard and you can't coast along. It moves at a breakneck pace because there is just SO MUCH you need to learn in a year. Pro tip: always remember that every project you do will eventually go in your portfolio. At job interviews they will test your skills, so don't put anything on your portfolio that you can't code by yourself.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME. I wish I invested my money in the stock market than wasted them on Web Development program. Instructors make you believe you can be a full stack developer but that's not true. That's not how the market works. Yes, the program covered a lot of courses, but nothing went in depth. A couple of instructors were professional and good, the rest of them weren't. One instructor took really long to check the homework or other projects. And when I say long, I mean 4 months, no joke. The same instructor kept talking about his dating life. So I learned a lot about it but not much about PHP and JavaScript. Instructors tell you to email them when you have questions, but they rarely reply. They are great example of who you should not be. One instructor said that VanArts is a business. Well, then I'm not satisfied with a quality of service VanArts provides. The only one good thing about my time in VanArts is the other students, some of them became my friends. Most of the students in my class also thought it was a waste of money. I DO NOT RECOMMEND web development program. There are better schools in Vancouver.

The year I spent in the AFTV program wasn't only the best thing for me as an actor but the best thing for me as a person. Working closely with Chilton Crane, Bruce Dawson, and many other instructors was exactly what I was looking for when I set out to start my journey as an actor. The small classes allows for in depth one on one work with all of the instructors, of whom are incredibly knowledgeable and well versed in the industry. It's also noteworthy how well they have been able to adapt to online classes amidst the past year, maintaining the same level of quality and professionalism they would if it were in person. This school should definitely be on your radar if you are pursuing a creative career.

I am actually a full time student in Van Arts Web Development program. This is the most relevant information I can provide. About 3 weeks ago our department head suddenly left and we have not been able to get a proper education. We all pay the tuition and we should be able to get a high quality education. Since the instructor changed, one of the instructor for PHP and Javascript never came on time, he will not teach us enough. Also he will never give us break and continue the class past our lunch time. Because of his delay, we have not been taught enough in term2 so far. All the students are frustrated, worried and concerned about the situation. We have been sending emails to school but nothing has been better. Another instructor started teaching us PHP from this week but he seems like he does not know what we have learned so far... None of the communication has been done between instructors. We thought this new instructor will be better. But he does not answer questions from students and finish the class early. My classmates and I really want to change this whole situation because we take our education seriously. We emailed this new instructor to have a talk on Friday. He said he will make time but he did not show up.... I am very upset about how school is handling everything and no one cares about our education. My classmates and I are trying our best but nothing has been working well. I hate to write a poor review but this is the reality and I do not recommend anyone to go to this school. When you have problems, none of the instructors are there to understand or support you. I do not think it is worth to pay an expensive tuition and get nothing from it. I do not know about other programs but I do not recommend web development program. It is not a good school.

STAY AWAY... especially from the Web Development course. It is useless and the teachers don't care about you or your future! This college is mainly attended by rich kids looking for a student visa so they can stay in Vancouver. BCIT is around the corner go there and get your moneys worth!

I am a student of web development & interactive design at VanArts. There was a head teacher change from my class and there seems to be a big and good change in the program. The teachers are very supportive. They are always flexible and willing to take the students' opinions and try to make the class suitable for our situation. The classes are always step by step and if there is a lot that we don't understand, they give us time to work on it. Taking advantage of the small class size, if you ask for feedback or follow-up after class, they will give me time to talk one-on-one. All classes are project-based, giving me more hands-on skills. The course content tries to help me study the rapidly changing front-end trends. Since this is a one-year course, there are many hard parts of the course, but my teachers and classmates are always very supportive!