Animation Advice?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a rising junior who has thoughts about my future. Actually, I dont exactly know why I'm thinking about this, but I got tired of studying for the SATs and wanted to ask something.</p>

<p>I always wanted to enter animation (ever since I was six and vandalizing walls with a crayon.) I never lost sight of my goals, and I'm doing fine in school. I want to eventually enter CalArts at one point in my life and do something awesome like work at Pixar.</p>

<p>Honestly, my parents don't exactly have such a high opinion on kids who enter art schools as undergraduates. They would probably hate the idea of me dumping my SATs and academic work to concentrate on some portfolio. It sounds like I'm not being assertive in this, but I sort of see their point; I worked hard to improve myself as a student in private school. I especially don't want to be the bum of the family who crushed my parents' aspirations.</p>

<p>Ultimately, I decided on going to another undergraduate school before applying for CalArts as a graduate student. I honestly don't know where I want to end up. I know the acceptance rate at CalArts is very low, so I want to land myself in a high ranked school. I figure that a well renown school has solid connections and a well established art classes. Then, with a lot of work and a solid portfolio,I can finally apply.</p>

<p>I want to ask if I'm being too indirect with my plan? I guess part of my reasoning is influenced by my other interests. I often was told that an overspecialized individual would have a disadvantage against a person with multiple solid specialties. I think I shown an aptitude for creative writing along with art. I only realized my ability to write recently, but I already won awards for my stories. I also attended a creative writing workshop down at Columbia, so I wish to use my gained knowledge for future endeavors.</p>

<p>I feel like CalArts concentrates on a visually based portfolio. While I feel like I can create a well thought out portfolio by the time I'm a senior, but I don't want to waste my writing or academic. It would probably put me at a disadvantage (I sort of established myself as a well balanced student.) I wish to take my time in college to establish myself before taking a step forward to my dreams (eg. taking life drawing classes, improving my art style, establish myself as a cartoonist/animator, etc.)</p>

<p>My dreams are awfully narrow in perspective, so I tell myself that I just have to force myself down that path (preferably with writing and art as my weapons in a battlefield filled with crushed dreams--I never realized how many people get rejected at CalArts.) I want to spare the horror of being rejected. I'll take whatever advice I can.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Sang Bae</p>

<p>PS- My SAT score is currently over 2200 (780 reading, 720 math and 740 writing) and will improve by October. I also plan on taking five-seven AP courses, continue running a debate club I established as a freshman, and really boost my GPA in junior and senior year. I don't think I'm limited with choices, but I definitely can't get into certain colleges without working my butt off...</p>

2

<p>Is this the wrong thread to ask?</p>

3

<p>You might have better luck on the Visual Arts & Film Majors forum. There are helpful and knowledgeable animation/art folks there. Best of luck. </p>

<p>[Visual</a> Arts and Film Majors - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/]Visual”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/)</p>

4

<p>Have you considered USC’s School of Cinematic Arts? A program like that might help you balance and explore both the academic and animation sides. DS has similarly broad interests and last year explored options for animation/digital arts within a more traditional university setting (vs. art school). There are pros and cons, either way.<br>
You may also want to look into Loyola Marymount, or Chapman University’s Dodge College. UCLA has a wonderful animation program, but there’s no direct admission for freshman (you must apply to the major, almost as if you were a transfer, in sophomore year…it’s truly more of a graduate-level oriented program). These are the university-based programs I’m most familiar with (due to son’s college search); there are others. </p>

<p>Your financial situation partly dictates the options–could open possibilities or close some doors. And CalArts could still be an option (though an expensive one) for grad school. </p>

<p>Son ultimately chose Chapman-Dodge (digital arts/animation major) where he is a now starting as a freshman. He received a hefty, renewable merit award and is in the Honors College. He couldn’t be happier and believes it offers a great fit, as he is also very academically minded and bright (2300 SAT, etc). He preferred not to start out at an art school for that reason. There are advantages to arts-based schools for animators, however, as you will see in comments on the Visual Arts forum. Ultimately, this is a choice you will have to make for yourself.</p>

5

<p>I truly thank you for telling me this. This really helps me pinpoint my choices better. I never actually looked at any specific colleges. My parents told me bluntly that they are willing to pay for my entire education as long as I don’t ask them for a single penny after I earn a job. It scares me to think that I would have to compromise my dreams if I ultimately fail at them.</p>

<p>I hope your son achieves his goals in college. It just makes me the more excited and anxious to enter Junior year.</p>

6

<p>Best of luck and kudos to you for starting to ask these important questions early. There are great programs of all stripes, and some that are art school-based have cooperative agreements with affilated universities that can provide the full academic experience (RISD and Brown, for ex). Do some reading on USC, UCLA (admission to the major is dicey, as mentioned above), Chapman, LMU, CMU, UT Austin, Emerson,…additional schools more to the art end include: Ringling, SCAD, SVA, Art Center College of Design, Pratt, Vancouver Film School, LCAD, and the one and only CalArts, of course. </p>

<p>Lastly, a summer college program in animation may help you decide if it’s for you. Several of the schools above offer them.</p>

7

<p>gladiatorbird really hit the nail on the head. I think you would benefit greatly from a precollege program. Even Calarts offers one. I would say though that I hope you already have some sort of art training behind you because Calarts is very difficult to get in. I would highly consider taking a lot of figure drawing classes or reading a lot of artist anatomy books beforehand. And if you take a figure drawing class, focus on capturing the movement of the figure. If you scour online, you should be able to find accepted Calarts portfolios.</p>

<p>And as other have said, don’t leave your academics alone. I was involved in a good deal of stuff in highschool and I kept my grades up. I will say that if Calarts is where you are stuck on attending that awesome grades won’t mean as much to get accepted, but being knowledgeable will help you tremendously as an artist beyond college.</p>

<p>“I feel like CalArts concentrates on a visually based portfolio.”</p>

<p>I’m a bit confused by this statement. Any school with an animation major you apply to will ask for a visually based portfolio.</p>

<p>Seeing that you are a rising junior, don’t worry so much about your school list now. I think creating a good portfolio should be your priority this year, and if you can do a art program over the summer that would be even better. I’d really start compiling a list next summer, but start your research now. </p>

<p>If you have AP art at your school, take it. </p>

<p>And don’t leave your learning for college. Technical art skills are like learning to play the piano. Practice makes perfect, so start now. I started making a portfolio sophomore year. I didn’t even think I was going to major in art or even animation at all, but I was making a portfolio. </p>

<p>And lastly, do your research. I’d take a look at all the schools people have mentioned and try to take a precollege program or visit the one you are most interested in afterwards. Looking at what you have said, I’m not sure if you would be as happy at Calarts than you could be at USC or Chapman. But do your research and see what you think.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

8

<p>Excellent advice, Bowman. You had great choices (including USC SCA for animation) and ended up choosing…RISD, as I recall?</p>

9

<p>Yeah, its RISD for me. And your son is at Chapman right? Good luck to him! I’ve heard great things about Chapman’s program. :)</p>

10

<p>I have a friend who goes to Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate NY for video animation. She will be a sophomore this year and she really likes it.</p>

11

<p>Oh yes, I forgot RIT. And Drexel. </p>

<p>Son is starting at Chapman’s Dodge College and loving it. We wondered if it was crazy to turn down USC SCA (for reasons ranging from finances to fit), but for DS, it was the right choice. Dodge’s digital arts program is young, but well-connected and growing, with strong emphasis on storytelling and the benefit of those incredible facilities at Chapman. One thing that really sold my son is that the animation kids are fully integrated into the film school (which is unusual);they are referred to as the ‘rock stars’ at Dodge–very much in demand to collaborate on film projects for motion caputre, special effects, and innovative blendings of live action with animation. And the undergraduate digital arts students there have incredible reels of their own work product (we saw beautiful and very sophisticated work in 2d, 3d, mocap and gaming). The animation students we met with at USC SCA didn’t have any individual work product to show, which surprised us (though I’m sure some do). The facilities at USC are, of course, pretty amazing, as well. :)</p>

<p>The other thing that really impressed our son at Dodge was the work ethic, energy and drive in those kids. There is something very special happening at Dodge. Those kids are on fire.</p>