I'm a second year Graphic Design student here. Like any school the AI has it's fair share of ups and downs.
For one, the faculty here is mixed in terms of quality. There are some teachers here (Sigrid Cannon, Dave Daniath, Jim Lee, etc) who are very helpful and attentive, who will go out of their way for you, and then there are some that honestly shouldn't be teaching here. If you know who is who, it's relatively easy to avoid the few bad apples. The quality of the teachers here used to be much better, before the introduction of the BA program which forced many of the more talented back into the industry.
The education is here is very technical. You get a mix of layout, type, and drawing classes. It's very much a generalist school, you get what you put into it. The first couple quarters will be very boring to anyone who has any previous experience, or if you came from a community college. This gives many people who drop out during this time the impression that the school is not challenging, this is not true once you get past the first 2-3 quarters. You must be prepared to work your butt off if you want to make it through with good grades in the higher classes. Don't expect to get much sleep if you want to make it through Portfolio 2.
The school has an active AIGA student group (The Graphic Design Club) that is one of the most active in the region. They've had Bruce Hale give a workshop, they've had Stefan from Spacecraft give a talk (and give out lots of free swag). They've set up a talk at the Henry with Art Chantry, etc. The quality of the group tends to ebb and flow though depending on the current members.
There is also an active student run magazine called FUEL. The magazine is printed at an actual press. If you want some more realistic experience, the magazine is a good place to start.
It is expensive. However I've found that the financial aid department here is very helpful and I've had no problem with getting grants.
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