"WE DE-EMPHASIZE THE profession,” Mike Essl, a professor at Cooper Union, says. “Rather than concentrating on the vocation, our program places the focus on artistic motive. Cooper Union remains one of the only undergraduate schools that has taken the emphasis off commercial practice.” Cooper Union has no majors or portfolio classes, and is one of the most difficult schools to get into. But students don’t have to worry about loans: The school awards full scholarships to every student for all four years.