School Admission help.
polycounter lvl 17
Hello all.
I'm fairly new posting here, but I've been a lurker for sometime.
Watching all of your wonderful works pile up.
I am requesting some advice, if you feel free to give any it would be appreciated.
Interestingly enough I've been placed with a wonderful opportunity for an opportunity, lol I'll explain.
I've unknowingly applied to the Art Institute in Vancouver, Canada; I just sent in some information about myself,
wanting to know more about their Game Art & Design course. (now refined to their 3D Modeling for Animation & Games program)
I received a call not to long ago, an administrator there had phoned for a telephone interview for admission into the course.
Unprepared and slightly hindered at the notion that a large part of my approval for the program will be based on this phone
call, I am scheduled to talk with her tomorrow.
As from what I've seen; a lot of you are either in post secondary programs or have finished,
I'd like your advice on as to what sort of questions will be asked what should I be prepared for and the like.
It would be greatly appreciated.
If all goes well then I will be flying down there for a formal interview, portfolio assessment and campus tour.
I'm fairly new posting here, but I've been a lurker for sometime.
Watching all of your wonderful works pile up.
I am requesting some advice, if you feel free to give any it would be appreciated.
Interestingly enough I've been placed with a wonderful opportunity for an opportunity, lol I'll explain.
I've unknowingly applied to the Art Institute in Vancouver, Canada; I just sent in some information about myself,
wanting to know more about their Game Art & Design course. (now refined to their 3D Modeling for Animation & Games program)
I received a call not to long ago, an administrator there had phoned for a telephone interview for admission into the course.
Unprepared and slightly hindered at the notion that a large part of my approval for the program will be based on this phone
call, I am scheduled to talk with her tomorrow.
As from what I've seen; a lot of you are either in post secondary programs or have finished,
I'd like your advice on as to what sort of questions will be asked what should I be prepared for and the like.
It would be greatly appreciated.
If all goes well then I will be flying down there for a formal interview, portfolio assessment and campus tour.
Replies
just be honest, professional, and don't talk like a douche.
Scour these boards for the massive amount of threads regarding AI and other "Art Schools" with regards to Game Degrees. Do this before you plan or accept anything.
nope haha. couple of my fellow workers went there, dont seem to be to thrilled about the results for what they paid. I would do like others have said and search AI on these boards, you should get a general sense of opinion on it in about 5 mins.
Now... if youre a complete lazy ass and need someone to push you into making art then sign on up for AI.
to sum it up:
it's more likely worth your cash and time if you take that money and just use it to live for a couple years and self teach yourself with the internet, books, and video tutorials. or, put the money towards a 'real' traditional art school and learn the fundamentals, while learning the apps on the side.
obviously you won't get the full 'college' experience (which you won't get at an AI anyway from my experience), but you'll save yourself a good $40k.
like others have said.. just do some searches around the internet and on polycount, there's plenty of info, past student, and pro opinions
closest thing AI has to a real college is the "dorms". i say "dorms" because they just rent out apartments like 30 miles from the school and make you ride a shortbus back and forth.
definitely will be doing a lot more research.
Ask anyone about their school (if they went to one) and they'll start bitching about how much it sucked. You get out what you put in, and you need to give up everything for the duration and throw yourself into it. Tons of personal time means you have pointed questions and work to show when classes start again the next day.
See, AI suffers from quarter system. If it was not in that system then people would complain that they're taking too long to get out of school. 3 years, 1-3 weeks of breaks, and 11 weeks for a 5 class load. (some people work to pay for classes) Some how expected to get professional level by that time.
I sometimes think, "Would I stop complaining if I went to another school?" Probably not. There is always going to be SOME issues with the school, but it all depends on if it effects you deep enough to not go there anymore.
Whatever works for you.
I'm thankful for AI introducing me to 3D art, the life drawing classes I got to attend and the group of people I still call good friends to this day. Beyond that, it was a total waste of time for me.
As soon as I knew what exactly I wanted to do artistically, all of my progress was made on my own time. If I had known before I attended that I wanted to do game environments and had known about Polycount I wouldn't have bothered.
A lot of us are jaded ex-AIers with crushing school loan debt and a rude awakening post-graduation due to lack of honest guidance on their part and lack of research/knowledge on our parts. But, if you need something to add structure to your learning or if you have trouble staying motivated it *may* help you. Ultimately, it's your life and your money. Good luck man.
Self teaching is really understandably the way to go, the information they charge for is not worth the price it would seem.
At the moment though I'm looking for a bit more direction so more schooling seems like the right way to go.
Currently I'm taking a look at VanArts; it looks pretty positive so far,
and luckily their having an info session in my city on the 27th on my birthday hah.
Just looking at their graduate Reels the quality seems night and day between Ai and VanArts.
Anyone have any input on VanArts?
Now that right there is a good idea. Putting in a little research leg-work before making a big decision is always wise. The more you know ahead of time, the more prepared you'll be.
I would agree with a lot of the other posters. These "Art" schools have always struck me as dubious. You'd be better served by getting a part-time job to make a little cash, and working on your own in your free time. The internet has made it possible to acquire almost any information or advice you need without a formal university. For some professions this is not the optimal environment. But the Fine Arts have always been more about individualistic expression. You'd be working on your own stuff anyway.
If you want to get a bit of what you would miss from a school, find some other people who are interested in game art, and compare notes with them regularly. The one thing that college provides is peers and instructors who can critique your work and offer their impressions. If you have a couple of artist friends, you can get this same experience for free. Goodness knows the community here at polycount will be willing to lend a hand in that regard.
I think self teaching is a very valuable skill to have, knowing where to go to get info and how to effectively mange it is sometimes more valuable then actually knowing it all. sometimes its worth it to have someone else manage it for you.
When an interview rolls around most degrees are worthless or prove very little (at least in the art dept) and its about the portfolios content, the persons attitude and aptitude for the job. If school is the vehicle that will drive you to create a stunning portfolio then awesome, have at it. But really if you think you can get that done on your own... take the money buy a car, rent an apartment, get a decent computer, a great tablet and don't come out unless its for an interview.
http://www.tttc.ca/