@astute12 and @Momto3 - Congrats to both. Momto3, keep us informed on the other schools.
@momto3,
This is my perception of the SJSU program, since DS does not reveal much.
The SJSU animation/illustration major is INTENSE. It seems similar to the intense descriptions that others have posted about Ringling. DS has done many all-nighters, but I’m never sure if it’s due to the work load or due to his procrastination/ADHD inattentive/EF difficulties/new at college freedom.
First semester, he took the recommended 3 A/I classes which cover the main subjects of Light and Shading, Illus Fundamentals/Beginning Drawing, Visual Design, and took a GE class. He had taken pre-college at Otis, and a few HS classes at Art Center, and he said that he learned much more at SJSU and the workload at SJSU was much more intense. They really strive at bringing everyone’s skill level up. Before SJSU, his strength and interest was drawing characters from imagination, and his portfolio did get accepted by a few of the colleges at NPD, along with acceptance to many traditional universities of which most required portfolios, but the Light and Shading class kicked his butt.
This semester, he only got 2 of the 3 A/I classes (painting, animation) because SJSU dropped his 3rd A/I class (storyboarding) due to slight underenrollment. This is a surprise because this class is basically recommended for all of the frosh. I think it’s because many students are lacksidasical about taking the required classes in sequence. So this was very irritating to me because it knocks him off sequence, but he was happier to have the lighter A/I schedule. The painting and animation classes are much less out of class work compared with Light/Shading, and Illus Fund. And 2 GE classes are easy.
Of course, there are the monthly shrunkenheadman meetings where folks in the industry come to talk once per month. I think that they have had someone from Dreamworks, Pixar, BlueSky and a few others. DS definitely likes these.
One thing that DS does not like is having to work so intensely, when he sees other students in other majors have so much less work. If you are at a place like Ringling where everyone is working so hard, it probably has more of a “we are in this together, let’s band together” feeling, compared with SJSU where some of the students are working harder than others (A/I, Comp Sci, etc). Everyone in A/I works really hard, and the results are hopefully an admission to the BFA and then a great reel and a job and career. I get the sense that they really try to teach everyone how to illustrate and animate well so that they can get a job, and if they are not up to that skill level, then I presume that the student eventually gets weeded out, but I am not positive about this…it’s just a feeling.
Somewhere on the internet, it was posted that the students at SJSU get a Cal Arts education for a fraction of the price. DS had gotten rejected from CSSSA. I hope he is able to pass portfolio review at SJSU.
YoHoYoHo–Animation is just plain intense.
At Ringling, my D said she could always tell what major someone was in from how fast they were moving and the look on their faces. The interior design majors were always dressed to the nines and moved with deliberation. Illustration majors moved slower, dressed very casually and took things easy. Animation majors dressed somewhere in between, were panic stricken and ran from class to class.
Thank you so much @YoHoYoHo for your insight. It sounds like a very intense program, and something my D would be happy to be a part of. The class being dropped is somewhat troubling since it takes 5 years to get through the program as it is, but hopefully things will all work out in the end. We are still waiting to see what her other choices may be.
Just a heads up to anyone applying for a program–check to see how long it takes to actually graduate.
Some schools appear cheaper on a semester basis but don’t support their students to get them through in a timely fashion.
At Sjsu, the recommended amount of time is 5 years to graduate. In this schedule, the 5th year has 1 year long capstone senior project that will become your reel for apps, and 3 more ge classes for each semester of 5th yr. So there will be time to make up missed a/I classes, but I guess it must take time away from your capstone project.
D2 and I visited UCF to check out the character animation program yesterday. It will definitely take longer than 8 semesters to get through but we were already aware of that because the study plan is available online. The School of Visual Art and Design strongly recommends meeting with an academic advisor when you visit so that was D2’s first meeting. Extraordinarily helpful!
Here are the hard facts: your animation portfolio is reviewed in Feb. of sophomore year and they accept up to 30 students each year. Our guide was accepted from an applicant pool of 76. So it’s tough to get accepted into CA specifically. But no limits on reapplying and there is a Plan B which is Experimental Animation. Those guys can go on to good careers in animation as well and some who start EA actually reapply to CA and are accepted . You take some of the same courses together during the third year so it’s not the end of the world if you aren’t accepted on the first try. Also as long as you are working with your advisor you shouldn’t have to lose time if you want to declare the EA major then reapply to CA the following year.
The disadvantage about animation at UCF in general is that some to all of the classes are held in downtown Orlando rather than the UCF campus. (EA takes some downtown, CA holds all of the classes downtown). Right now there is no shuttle service between the two campuses. A car is HIGHLY recommended at that point.
We really enjoyed our visit. Some of those kids were working on confidential projects for Universal and they seem to get jobs in the industry. The entire senior year is based on industry practice and you graduate with a 5 minute reel to show.
D2 is currently trying to decide between UCF and SCAD. UCF will be cheaper even given the extra semesters.
@Mamelot has your D decided on a college yet? Mine now has 2 choices, SJSU and Chapman/Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. We will be going to both admitted student events in April and then be able to make a final decision. Complicating the decision is whether or not she will apply to Calarts again after not getting in this year.
@Momto3 it was a tough call but my D2 just committed to SCAD. We got back to them about her choices and they upped her scholarship making SCAD more affordable for us. She’s over the moon about attending. SCAD was her first choice because she wants to minor in storyboarding but UCF was so affordable and she really did like the campus and SVAD in particular so it was a strong 2nd choice.
Right after my last post they announced a major expansion of the downtown campus - talk about timing! While I haven’t heard anything about this I fully expect that there WILL be transportation between the two campuses at some point. I think the plan includes housing down there as well. Everything would be done by D2’s junior year. That definitely removes some hurdles for OOS kids wanting to attend UCF for CA but worried about needing a car or scurrying back and forth between campuses.
Well done to your daughter as both SJSU and Chapman are great choices! Exciting time for all of them but I really wonder if D2 knows just how much work is ahead of her. She assures me that she does but I still wonder . . .
@Mamelot Congratulations on your D’s decision. It’s great that her number one choice worked out. As far as getting her scholarship increased, did you contact admissions? Any tips on getting more $$ is always appreciated.
My D did get some scholarship and grant money from Chapman but even with 5 years, SJSU comes in a little less. I suppose though you could factor in the 5th year she would be graduated from Chapman and working earning money that would lessen the gap further possibly tipping the scales for Chapman.
Also considering that she’s already in the BFA digital arts major and doesn’t have to pass a portfolio review since she’s been admitted based partially on her artistic submission. No guarantees at SJSU. Still, we’re going to visit both and the ultimate decision will be hers.
No doubt the work will be intense, but I bet that’s part of what they like about it. Thanks for all your insight!
@Momto3 we just e-mailed D2’s admissions counselor and laid out the financial situation for them and they responded immediately to meet our needs. I had heard that SCAD could be very responsive that way but seeing it in action just clinched it for D2.
If your D loves Chapman but you feel at the end of the day that it’s a financial matter, then by all means you should contact her admissions counselor and lay out the situation for them. Letting them know that she will commit immediately if the financial needs are met will reinforce your story that the only thing holding her back are the finances. Plus it might give the ADCOM a bit more incentive to reconsider her scholarships (they LOVE wrapping up these decisions as early as possible). BTW, my D2 would have graduated in four years from UCF (well, that would be the plan at any rate!!!) but only by taking summer courses after her 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years. With part-time work or internship during that time as well those would have been very busy summers!
@YoHoYoHo has excellent advice about course load and registration but If SJSU has a link to a detailed plan of study by academic year (i.e. take this during freshman year, that during sophomore, etc.) or at the very least a schematic of some sort that will be very helpful for understanding the required sequence and will minimize time to graduation. If they don’t publish anything like that, then you and your daughter, should she choose SJSU, might want to sit down this spring and map out her course of study so that she stays in sequence as much as possible. Should she commit to Chapman, hopefully you won’t have to worry about doing anything like that (one of the reasons why those private schools are a wee bit more “spendy”, as we like to say in MN).
Full course load plus lots of studio equals busy busy busy!!! You are correct that my D2 is very much looking forward to the work. I like the fact that she doesn’t need to worry about declaring her major right away. The broad-based training she’ll receive during foundation year will serve her well regardless of what she decides to do there. The school is a good fit overall and there are so many intriguing majors! She’ll stick to animation (I know her well) but I’m still glad they don’t have to commit up front.
@momto3,
My DS top two choices were Sjsu and chapman. He and I felt that both had the best student portfolios/reels and great connections to the industry from all of his acceptances. Was a tough choice.
Frankly, he is concerned that he made the wrong choice. The animation and drawing course load at Sjsu is much more intense than at chapman. This results in strong animators, yes, but my DS is not a super hard worker so he is getting frustrated. For pure drawing and art and animation, you probably get better skill development at Sjsu (meaning closer to an arts college).
The other thing that bothers him is the commuter nature of the school. Also, as a k-12 private school kid, he is also adjusting to public school life.
On the flip side, the kids at chapman might give off a entitled and privileged vibe which may be uncomfortable as well to some folks. He attended a class at chapman (try to do this; I think it’s called like student for a day or something like that) and felt that he already knew the stuff that they were learning. (Whereas he still had a very steep learning curve in a Sjsu class that he was essentially “retaking” from previous class at art center). But he really loved mixing and meeting with the admitted students at chapman.
@momto3,
Not sure where you live, but there are big differences in the surrounding areas around SJSU and Chapman.
SJSU in very urban, with the homeless and the concerns that go with them such as psych or drug issues, wandering around and near high rise corporate buildings. Think downtown Los Angeles or USC surrounding areas. Girls shouldn’t walk alone at night. Chapman is in a more suburban area.
For the dorms in SJSU, there is the art floor (9th floor) in Joe West where there a lots of animation students. Also there are suites which are much nicer in terms of living situation, but slightly more effort to bond with the animation students.
SJSU has their animation class road map on-line. Heavy number of classes for the major. I post a summary here.
For SJSU there are a ton of requirements:
Animation major 27 classes
GEs 19 classes
DS’s AP classes make him opt out of something like 12 GE classes
The Sr project is the animation that the student makes for their reel for applying for a job.
Fall 2015, 1st sem
Ani 12 Light and Optics
Ani 24 Illus Fund
Ani 50 Visual Principles
GE
Spring 2016, 2nd sem
Ani 14 Color Principles for Screen Arts (color, beg painting)
Ani 55 Beg Drawing for Ani/Ill (fig drawing)
Ani 112A Intro to Ill/Ani (storyboarding)
GE
Fall 2016, 3rd sem
Ani 28 Ani Fund (weight, force, animation)
Ani 112B Drawing for Ani/Ill (int figure drawing)
Ani 113A Intermed Ani/Ill (int painting)
TA 05 Acting (GE area C1)
Spring 2017, 4th sem
Ani 01 Ani/Ill Survey (lecture)
Ani 51A Intro to 3D modeling
Ani 114 Animation
Phys 123 Physics of movement or something like that (GE area R)
Fall 2017, 5th sem
Ani 51B Intro to 3D Animation
Ani 113B Intermed project (painting)
ArtH 70 (A, B, or C) Art history (GE area C1)
DSGN 100W Design (GE area Z)
Spring 2018, 6th sem
Ani 128A Digital Ani 1
Ani 115 Intermed Ani
GE
GE
Fall 2018, 7th sem
Ani 128B Digital Ani 2
Ani 118 A or B Advanced Ani
RTVF 110 Radio TV and Film (GE area S)
GE
Spring 2019, 8th sem
Ani approved elective
Ani approved elective
ArtH 193 A or B or RTVF III (GE AreaV)
GE
Fall 2019, 9th sem
Ani Approved Elective
Ani 198 Senior Seminar Animation
GE
GE
Spring 2020, 10th sem
Ani 199 Senior Project Animation
GE
GE
GE
At SJSU, DS enjoys attending the monthly talks by industry folks. Someone who is motivated could form connections with these speakers.
@YoHoYoHo wow, thank you so much for the detailed information. This is a difficult decision! We are heading down to Chapman for preview day tomorrow and are looking forward to getting a look at the digital arts building and hearing from those in the department. We have toured Chapman and Dodge, just not the DA building. My older D attended and graduated from Chapman several years ago, so we are comfortable with the area.
Next weekend we’ll be going to SJSU admitted Spartan day. D got a call yesterday from someone in the animation/illustration department suggesting she attend. A nice touch for a big university.
My H and I both attended SJSU back in the day, so I’m familiar with the location and the commuter aspect. I’m not sure my D will like it, but we’re giving her the opportunity to make an informed decision.
It sounds like it’s certainly a challenging environment for your son. Hopefully in the end it will all be worth it!
Looking forward to a report!
This is a little delayed, but I thought I would give an update. Chapman’s preview day was very impressive despite the unusual rainfall that day. It was so well attended that there was overflow seating in Memorial Hall for the opening remarks. The Dodge College presentation was informative. Some of the fall 2016 statistics given out were: 1562 applicants, 466 admitted, admit rate of 30%. Average SAT 1990, GPA 3.84. Those numbers are for all of Dodge.
We then broke off by major and given a presentation and tour of the new digital arts building. The professors were informative and the students who spoke were enthusiastic. The building and equipment available to the students were most impressive. I think my D’s mind was made up after leaving.
We ended up not being able to make it to SJSU admitted students day, but I don’t think it would have made a difference. D has committed to Chapman.
@Momto3 - <>
I remember so well that feeling when your S/D makes up his/her mind. Great. Congrats.
Congrats!! Keep me in the loop (by PM if you wish) about what she thinks of chapman’s program when she is enrolled. DS and I were not able to make it to admitted students day at chapman, unfortunately. Maybe if he saw it, he would have had a different opinion when he was a senior. Now, he is thinking about maybe transferring. But argh, he forfeited his original $20K per year merit scholarship from chapman by not committing as a frosh.
@YoHoYoHo I will certainly keep you in the loop. We are hoping D finds the program at Chapman-Dodge to be a good fit. There is still the possibility that she will reapply to Calarts, so we’ll see how things go. The merit scholarship is definitely a plus for us! It’s a bummer that your son wouldn’t be eligible for the same as a transfer. Has he already applied as a transfer?