College INFO! Game Development and Design College comparison

[Bobtheduck]

Well, hehe, If I inherit 2.5 million dollars (can't just be 1 million, because I only keep %10 of anything that big) I'd pay your way... And Volt's too, I suppose, if we all decided to go at the same time.

I really WOULD like some christians to room with when I go... This is scary enough as it is...

EDIT: [button="Off Topic"]I just love my Avatar... Look at its eyes! It blinks! Not only that, but that cat has attitude! Yeah![/button]

[uc pseudonym]

Well, hehe, If I inherit 2.5 million dollars (can't just be 1 million, because I only keep %10 of anything that big) I'd pay your way... And Volt's too, I suppose, if we all decided to go at the same time.

Well, alright then! I'll just wait until Bobtheduck gets 2.5 million dollars and stop worrying about working for money!

I really WOULD like some christians to room with when I go... This is scary enough as it is...

Yes, I would too. If we go at the same time, let's definitely do it.

[Bobtheduck]

I actually have a friend who's quite wealthy... So wealthy that he at one point lost over 100,000 dollars in gambling at school... And his Father was so upset over his ADDICTION that he sent him to a Discipleship program. Do you think it would be wrong for me to look him up to borrow money? Maybe it would be...

[uc pseudonym]

Well... perhaps. I'd certainly pray before trying something like that. Of course, you see, I'm being tempted by that amount of money...

No. In all seriousness, I wouldn't bother unless God moves you in that direction.

[Fsiphskilm]

3 of us and only 2

[uc pseudonym]

I can't enroll at that time. Another year, at least.

[Bobtheduck]

3 of us and only 2 bedrooms...nope...This here Bar Bouncer requires his own room...

Well, frankly, as long as neither of you are neat freaks, I COULD sleep in the front room which would allow for all of us to have our own rooms. August 2004 is TOO EARLY though. I need time to get to calculus level... That's going to be pretty far off.

I think I'm going to buy that book, though. The scholorship one... As long as speilin is'nt won off tha rekuirements, Ill be fin. ^_^;

I know one video game job that requires no spelling ability:




Translator!

[Fsiphskilm]

Man...Where are you guys..

[uc pseudonym]

I'm pretty far along with Full Sail, and I've done some serious consideration of assorted scholarships. My issue is quite a different one: I have a year of highschool to complete yet. And because I'm going to Full Sail, I really want to go in with something that resembles a liberal arts degree...

[Fsiphskilm]

They accept anyone.

[uc pseudonym]

Ah... no, I'm looking at it from the opposite direction. I could already get into Full Sail, for the requirements that they want. But I realize that going to Full Sail will make me very educated in the area of Game Design, to the exclusion of all else. I don't want to be that narrow-minded. So before I go to Full Sail, I want to have something similar to a liberal arts degree so I'm more rounded overall.

[Bobtheduck]

Man... Well, I guess that the "rooming together" thing's a bit too idealistic, at least for the whole of our stays... I may come for the last part of UC's time there, but I will definately need a good deal of time before I go...

Credit and Math skills are going to need to be a bit better. UC, you're going for a liberal arts degree? Not me... I'm gettin my Japanese and my math, and that's it... Other than that, I'm just saving up credit to go to Full Sail...

In any case, some aspects of my lifestyle are going to have to change, and I've gotta do it myself (in romanian) which is going to be very hard for me...

What sort of classes are you taking, UC, and you're going for an associates before you head to Full sail?

[uc pseudonym]

Actually, no, I'm not taking a selection of college courses, I'm just taking something that resembles a liberal arts degree. "Resembles" is a very key word in this case.

I'll be taking a course that's going to cover massive amounts of the literature classics (most of which I've read already), a college history class, Spanish (pointless, since I'm only serious about learning Japanese), a possible college theology course, a college-level history course, and maybe a college biology course. Just a bunch of things to round myself out, I'm not going to come out with an actual degree.

[Fsiphskilm]

Credit and Math skills are going to need to be a bit better

[Azier the Swordsman]

I just got my package of information in yesterday, and I'm very interested in Full Sail. In fact, I'm definately making plans to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Game Development in the near future. Of course, I have a lot of saving up to do.

[Fsiphskilm]

DON"T FORGET YOUR FA

[uc pseudonym]

I think by saving up he just means to be collecting money, perhaps setting up a CD account, etc. You can still go into college with a small dent in the overall cost.

[Saint Kevin]

UC, you said you wanted to take a few courses to resemble a liberal arts degree and then go to Full Sail. You also said that other universities would give you a full ride. Here's a thought...see if any universities will give you a full ride on an associate's degree in something liberal artsy, and if they do, do that before going to Full Sail. You may even get some of you gen ed requirements waived if you are careful about course selection and if you ask Full Sail enough questions about their transfer credit policy. Just a thought...

[Saint Kevin]

Hey Volt I just discovered something really awesome. I go to CU (Denver) for and I realized that our computer software is freakin' amazing. Even though I go here for chemistry, our arts program has like all of the top of the line software that you saw at the Phoenix Art Institute. We don't have a video game related major per se, but all of the tools are in place. Unfortunately, if I do decide to pursue video game creation as a hobby, I will be on my own learning how to use all this cool software. Any advice on where to start (which software to learn first, maybe some good books on teaching yourself the basics of computer graphics, etc.)?

[uc pseudonym]

You may even get some of you gen ed requirements waived if you are careful about course selection and if you ask Full Sail enough questions about their transfer credit policy. Just a thought...

I would do this, except that Full Sail really doesn't have any general education requirements. All their classes are math/programming/gaming/living, and I don't think they accept credit transfers. Otherwise yes, I would do what you were saying in an instant.

[Bobtheduck]

"Saving up" what I meant was building credit...

See, I have no one to cosign for me. The Fafsa will only cover 10,000 a year, and that is not even enough for tuition, not to mention living costs (which will be more even for the Bachelors since it will last longer) and any living costs you have if you end up taking an internship. In other words, you will need outside funds. I do not realistically speaking think I can save up all my money before I go. It is also unrealistic, however, to assume you can get it all in private grants and schollarships... There are hundreds of little schollarships and grants that ammount to like 100 dollars or 200 or maybe 1000 dollars, but they don't apply to everyone and it takes a lot of work... While I should look into that (and everyone else should too) I need to think about bank student loans. Fafsa is "need" based, whereas Bank Loans (such as Fanny Mae and Nellie Mae) are CREDIT based. IE, you need to have established credit, and you need more for having more need. Tuition will be about 50,000 dollars in total for the BS at Full Sail, and you will also need 2 years worth of living expenses. You may think you can get a job to help with that, but Full Sail is an accelerated program, meaning you won't have the time or energy to do so. My friend was FORCED to get a job because he ran out of his loan money, and it really hurt him. Getting a Job during this time should not be on the forefront of our minds, and instead we should avoid this at all costs. Full Sail calculates about how much you will need to live, if you go to full sail, you should really listen to their list and secure the amount you need as soon as you can.

[Saint Kevin]

Maybe the video game industry is the wrong one to go into. Now the education industry (don't kid yourselves it IS an industry) is what I need to get myself into. I can't believe people pay so much to go to these places. Someone is getting very rich off of kids like us.

[Bobtheduck]

Nah... Most of their money goes into guest speakers and equipment and property. Not a lot goes into the teachers themselves.

[Fsiphskilm]

Who raised this thread from the gra

[Saint Kevin]

Thanks Volt, I never thought you'd reply (although I probably should have PM'ed you). I may take some computer classes next semester (for fun, no degree or anything) so if you have any suggestions in that regard I'd welcome them. Thanks for the demo and the link, I'll check 'em out.

Nah... Most of their money goes into guest speakers and equipment and property. Not a lot goes into the teachers themselves.

I was thinking of the fat cats that run those places, they probably pull in 6 figures easily. Seriously though, educational software might be something I'd want to design some day, if I either teach or if I can find a way to make money off of it.

[Bobtheduck]

I'm sure Volt and UC have all the Full Sail info, but I think there are others who could benefit from this info:

This is info that Full Sail will send anyone interested, but I'll put it here because if you call them and change your mind, they'll bug you for a long time to come... The Full Sail reps are a lot like millitary recruiters. EDIT: I'm going to put in class details later... The first post (this one) is NOT what Full Sail will tell you. It's what I'm telling you so you all know. Flaw one for Full Sail in how understated the preparation is, but my friend DID say that the Game Course is the hardest out of all they offer. Basically, if you plan on Full Sail, plan on it being the most difficult thinking time in your life... You'll be going 21 months straight and have very intensive training, a lot of hands on, a very tight nit group, and very little rest. This is not for anyone who will half-rump it. This school will be hard, but what they have to offer (from equipment to teaching to cooperation between different programs) is the best. So, only do this if you're ready for Boot camp. You WILL cry. You will want to go home, but you MUST NOT! If you are a Christian being trained to make video games, you are entering enemy soil and I think that Full Sail is the perfect environment to breed exactly the kind of Christian Game designers that there should be.

Anyhow, here's some important details your rep WON'T tell you:

There will be a combo trig and Calculus class over the course of a MONTH... What exactly does that mean? Well, you will be in class all day for 6 days a week. That gives plenty of teacher time, but not as much homework time, and I believe the amount of time they give you to learn very intense topics such as Trig and Calculus is not nearly enough... The Full Sail setup is ideal for the Game Development if you have the right foundation, but the requirement they gave me, which was "A c in intermediate Algebra" is really an underestimation. They said it's recommended you have a foundation in Trig and Physics, but not required. For me, I am going to have to take the reccomendation in full, because I can see how hard even the Intermediate Algebra class is for me, and if I'm expected to learn Trig and Calculus basics in only a month, I better give myself some padding. That, once again, may push back my enrollment as I may not have time to work while I am in a math class... Man... This is really stressing me out... I just don't see how I can build credit while I'm taking math classes, because of how much time they take... But, God works miracles all the time.

[Fsiphskilm]

Yep, no midnight raves for

[Azier the Swordsman]

Hence the reason I don't want to go to Full Sail for few years. I want to save my money, and brush up on my math and algebra until I reach perfection. Then I want to get into Trig and Calculus IN ADVANCE before I go so I'll be able to get through it easy. The only thing I need to conquer is to be able to do math in my head without the aid of a calculator all the time.

[Saint Kevin]

If anyone needs help with calculus, I can help you. Also, I have some calculus books that you guys could buy from me if you wanted. I've taken 3 years of calculus. I didn't pass calculus 3, but c'mon, that's like true rocket science calculations right there. If you guys are serious about brushing up on the math thing, post a new thread somewhere and I can post some practice problems and solutions.

[Technomancer]

There will be a combo trig and Calculus class over the course of a MONTH... What exactly does that mean? Well, you will be in class all day for 6 days a week. That gives plenty of teacher time, but not as much homework time, and I believe the amount of time they give you to learn very intense topics such as Trig and Calculus is not nearly enough...

That really is ludicrous, it would be far better to have at least a semester for both introductory calculus and linear algebra. It's not nearly enough time to fully absorb the material. Both of the books I mention below were for full year courses.

Anyways, for those of you planning to study the material on your own I'd recommend:
"Calculus: The Early Transcendentals" by Stewart.
"Elementary Linear Algebra: Applications Version by Anton and Rorres
I've used these two for my first year undergraduate courses, and still make use of them on occaision; they're very well written and have published solution manuals.
The Schaum's books are also pretty good too.