Time to check out colleges

[Ravioli]

Im a junior in High School atm (im attending an American HS as an exchange student) so its time to start looking into colleges i want to get into. Basically i want to learn about Game Design and 3D Animation/Design/Effects and maybe even film making. So im wondering what kind of requirements would i suspect from a college in those aspects? Do i need super grades and insane SAT scores? Or do i just need good grades in those specific areas with a great portolio?

What i will have when i have graduated from HS: (technical stuff, all A+)

Computer Animation
Engineer Draw CAD
Engineer Draw CAD Applied
Architecture draw CAD
Architecture draw CAD Applied
Engineer and Design Certificate
Architecture and Construction Certificate
Image Software (photoshop)
Computer Service and Support + A global known certificate (if im good enough)
Personal Finances and Management

Other notable things:
1st place in 3 compertitions in the 2007 DoDSE Expo event in Germany (Computer Animation, Architecture+On Site comp) And probably more 1st places from 2008 (in april) and 2009 (hopefully lol)

My GPA is avarage, nothing special. I have yet to take SAT and ACT, but im pretty sure i wont be scoring to high on those, probably around avarage. One really bad thing is that im really bad at math, as i have a D in algerbra 1 and i might even be failing Algerbra 2 (hope not), which would look really bad on transcripts.


So i was wondering, dear hl2.net, if you could recommend me a college suitable to my standards and needs. I have been looking into Vancouver Film School (http://www.vfs.com/), but they are not very clear on their requirements. Does anyone know what SAT scores they require etc? Or do you recommend another college? Am i in good standings or totaly ****ed beyond perception? After all, if i cant go into college in America, i will simply go to college in Sweden which is easier to get into, but i would rather go to America.

 

[Krynn72]

If all else fails, you could go to Full Sail. They just require a high school diploma or a GED. It'll cost an arm and a leg though, but the education isnt bad if you're self motivated and actually give a damn (unlike a lot of students here). Plus its a bachelors degree in 2 years, which is sweet.

VFS is pretty sweet, from what ive seen of their student's demo reels. But I wouldnt go there for animation, because while their modeling and vfx reels are great, their animation tends to be lacking hardcore.

 

[Qonfused]

lol Krynn, I saw that friend of mine that is going to Full Sail today. How's spring break?

 

[Krynn72]

Lame as hell. I could be going home next week, but noooooooo we have to have a weeklong break right before the last week of school before I graduate. I literally go to school for 3 days after break, and then im done forever.

 

[Ennui]

Be careful when picking a college, leave your options (as far as major/profession/degree goes) as open as possible - so don't go to Full Sail or the like unless you have not the slightest doubt that you want to do game development and NOTHING ELSE. I would pick a uni with good all-around academics so you have some choices (because your entire life changes when you make the switch from HS to uni, and your mind can change with it) but with programs in 3d art or game design. Cornell has a game design initiative, Southern Methodist University in Texas has the Guildhall program which is game development, etc etc. Look around.

Also, as far as grades/SAT scores go, don't worry about it. Just do as well as you can in everything. Most universities have details about the average SAT/GPA of their admitted students on their website so you can get an idea of where you stand.

 

[Acepilotf14]

I'm goin' to go to a school fo' aviation whenever I get out of High Schoool!

 

[Majestic XII]

I'm currently nearing the end of my second year at the University of Sk?vde in Sweden doing game design and I recommend it if you choose to come back to Sweden.

http://www.his.se/templates/ClearStartPage.aspx?id=43046 (english)

More specifically:

http://dsu.iki.his.se/web/

Prolly the best Uni when it comes to game development in Sweden, since we got a lot of contacts from game developers and they are rather active in what we do. We're also the focus school for DICE. The buildings are really nice with good equipment (150 computer renderfarm, mocap, music/SFX studios latest programs) with good and skilled teachers (with experience in the industry!) Not to mention it's free

 

[Ravioli]

thanks for the responses.

Majestic, i was looking at the requirements for the courses i wanted which are kinda like:
Matte C
Samh?llskunskap A

I know swedish so i know what the classes are, but i dont understand the letters. Is that the grades? Like the american system (A B C D F)?. Or is that just a specific class called C? What would that correspond with in American High Schools?

I have taken Algerbra 1, Geometry, soon finished with Algerbra 2, and maybe another math class next year. Have you taken Math C? What is it like? Im confused about Samh?llskunskap too (social studies), what classes does that include? Is it like History, World Regions, Government etc?

Sorry for lots of questions, but the swedish and american systems are so different.

 

[theotherguy]

I suggest going to a public university. Suprisingly there are a lot of opportunities graphics and game design all over the world. I encourage you to research the courses offered at each school, and then pick a "reach" (one that you probably won't get into, but which you really like), several "matches" (schools which aren't the best but you feel like you can compete) and a few "safties" (schools which you are garunteed to get into like Full Sail and Devry and other such technical colleges.)

I expected to only be able to attend public universities, as I didn't think I had the scores to get in the best of colleges. But on a whim I applied to Carnegie Mellon (2nd in the nation in computer science behind MIT and ahead of Caltech), and made it in. I don't know if this sort of thing is applicable to you and your particular score-set, but I say in any case, reach for a school that you really like, some place where you feel you would really enjoy living and working, and apply for it. Then apply for the schools you know you can make in. Don't simply assume you can't make it into school X because you don't have score Y, as another aspect of your application might stand out. In your particular field of interest, a high math score might not be as important as say, a strong portfolio of work.

Express your strengths on your applications. Make sure you talk as much as possible about your passion, and cite specific things that you have worked on and are proud of. The important part is to find a school that has a niche for you, and to exploit that niche to your advantage.

 

[AiM]

I always assumed basically any Comp-related theme typically required fairly high math scores, but that's just my assumption. You should practice for SAT / ACT, as the better the university, the better the scores they'll likely require.

And if you're looking into the Vancouver region, why not go for the public university there? University of British Columbia is fairly large public uni and it'll probably satisfy whatever you want from there. Of course I may be a bit biased as a business student but I think it'll be fine for film school.

 

[MJ12]

I'm graduating this year, I really wanted to move out right away, but realized I'd get my ass ****ed if I did. So I'm taking the school's general education online courses at home so I can get some money.

... ****, my 3rd quater grades are horrible, I hope this does not affect anything... D: