college advice / where should i go?

batxzy

hi
i'm sorry in advance if many points in this text reads like gibberish,  my english is bad and it isn't my first language.

I'm looking for advice, because i want to be a game artist , and i'm about to enter college but i don't know if i'm making the right decision. in the city i live in, there are only 3 colleges that are viable due to my income:

1 the state university that offers a program that touches a lot of things relating to digital art in general ie: videogames, 3d and 2d animation, app development, photography in general its a multimedia career from what i've gather( i did some interviews and the general consensus is: "you see a little bit of everything relating to multimedia creation) the literal translations goes something like this: bachelors degree in arts and interactive technologies.

2 a recently established private university that offers a program on art for videogames and digital media. it offers a program that focuses more on the game art part of things. but also throws in some coding, entrepreneurship( how to manage projects, how to sell your art, business stuff). i've tried to ask for some portafolio work from their students, but they "can't do that because they will be violating school policies) the only things i've found are some videos on youtube showcasing games. they have some confections in some big studios like: ubi and king( only remotely) but have a fair amount of connections with local game studios 

3 an animation school that has a relatively long history in the city( 20 years). the main focus isn't game art itself (then again neither are the others), but in their own words, it's like 20%, the rest of the degree focuses on topics like modeling, texture work, animation, vfx. this university has considerably large amount of awards in festivals, and 3 game jams on their name. they also have a toon boom coe certificate , and have a lot of connections with local studios and creative industries in the city. 

taking this into consideration, which path should i choose?

i know this is a wall of text from a highschooler that's about to graduate, and is confused on where to go, but any word of advice regarding my situation would mean the world to me( i'm open to all opinions) . thanks for reading. 

Hash_Code

hmm.
about the 2nd option - do they offer a full university/college programm (4 years) with a diploma? or is it more of a 1year bootcamp? honestly a recently opened private programm where you dont know much info about them doesnt sound super trustworthy. It would be better if you could get more info on them i think. Also if you dont want to learn coding for games and business side of gamedev that could be just a waste of time for you. 
Personally, i think the 3rd option sounds the best -- a respected and long standing program where you will focus primarily on ART (rather than coding/business/etc) is good. After all -- you need ART skills. Art skills are transferrable and knowing how to animate wont hurt you in gamedev. I am sure animation program will give you a strong foundation in modelling/UVing/texturing/rigging/etc - you will just have to add baking and game topology optimization on top of that and you will be good (you can find that info on the internet in some courses). I think the 3rd option sounds the best. Just be prepared to study additional topics for gamedev on  your own.

batxzy

Hash_Code said:

hmm.
about the 2nd option - do they offer a full university/college programm (4 years) with a diploma? or is it more of a 1year bootcamp? honestly a recently opened private programm where you dont know much info about them doesnt sound super trustworthy. It would be better if you could get more info on them i think. Also if you dont want to learn coding for games and business side of gamedev that could be just a waste of time for you. 
Personally, i think the 3rd option sounds the best -- a respected and long standing program where you will focus primarily on ART (rather than coding/business/etc) is good. After all -- you need ART skills. Art skills are transferrable and knowing how to animate wont hurt you in gamedev. I am sure animation program will give you a strong foundation in modelling/UVing/texturing/rigging/etc - you will just have to add baking and game topology optimization on top of that and you will be good (you can find that info on the internet in some courses). I think the 3rd option sounds the best. Just be prepared to study additional topics for gamedev on  your own.

Hey, ssry for the late response; somethings happened in my life yk. The second option is a 3- to 4-year program, and they have the obligatory government seal of approval that they are in fact a university. i have been looking at them more closely. the thing about them is that they are a sister university of enti ub part of the University of Barcelona. I also got to sort of interview a teacher thats working there off the record. He told me that the "advantage" that he sees in that university is the few local industry connections that they offer, as well as the portfolio work you do there, but I guess the same can be said about the other ones.

I have been in contact with the 3rd option, but they have not replied yet. I even went on a 3-hour interview with them, but still nothing.

And yeah, a close relative of mine who studied animation also told me that the university can only get me so far. and that eventually I would have to self-study many other topics that are necessary for game art.

thanks for replying to me

Hash_Code

i see. well, from the new info you provided i'd say option 2 sounds good now. you will get a diploma, a portfolio as well as possible connections/recomendations to local studios for your first job. sound super good

NikhilR

Hi!
Thanks for asking,
edit out - *I wonder if we could get more info about your academic background and where your artwork (if any) currently stands. 
It gives a better idea of what you need to do portfolio wise and which skills you'd need to focus on.

Sorry I didn't see that you are graduating from highschool, in that case best just to look into the options you have.
It helps to have a fair idea of the industry you can apply to locally, though things can change a lot by the time you apply. 

Here's what I feel about the options you provided,

1. The state university is state approved, and the bachelors degree you would hold more weight locally and internationally. They're focus on traching a bit of everything might help in getting a well rounded skill set but I would be cautious about if their curriculum is up to date.

2. Students not being able to show their portfolio's because they would violate school policies looks like a red flag. The connections this school has might prove useful, but you can get this and better from online schools as well (Such as Think Tank Training Center, Art Heroes, Vertex School and Animation Mentor) 

3, This one seems to be the best of the 3 in my opinion. If you want a formal in person program this seems to be the one to choose. I would wait on the 3rd option.

4. Do look through the curriculums of Think Tank Training Center, Art Heroes, Vertex School and Animation Mentor which I can see as being the most up to date and having the best industry connections. I'd connect with students/alumni/mentors here for more information before deciding on the 3 schools above.

But all in all, I would seperate what you need to do to create a competant portfolio from what you need to do to make industry connections.
When it comes to creating a competant portfolio, everything that all these schools teach is available online for a fraction of the cost and many times free if you know what to look for. 
You can find more information on this on here on polycount.

Hiring in Game development can be a complex process with very little to no transparency in the hiring process and work environment, so its important to have a good balance between what you think you need and what the reality is. It really helps to reach out and ask as you've done here.

If you need more information on specific companies, I recommend looking over reviews on glassdoor to do more research.