Hi guys. Im a freshmen in high school, and ever since last summer i was determined to make it into CalArt animation program,but now, i dont even know. Its a toss up between Animation/Sequential Art (SCAD) and Computer Science (Stanford/Hardvard) One one hand, goes to CalArts would be awesome, but… its expensive as F**K! Im not going out of college with a $200k+ debt! One on the other hand, theres Stanford whih would also be awesome to get into, and i even heard that if you are accepted, you get a full tuition scholarship in your family makes under $125k a year. So yeah, what do you guys think? Another thing is that, i feel like coming out with an animation major and gonna be alot more useless than a cs major. And its easier to learn art at home than it is to learn cs.
Also, if it matters, i want to make an indie game, and have 2 full pages of ideas! (But i dont want to do Game Design/Development)
Dude, i would say apply Stanford or Harvard. Those schools are really serious. I don’t want to get into debt either. Whats the point?
I think it also depends what you want. If you are creative, have an open mind about change then Calarts would be your choice, but if you arent too creative then go to Stanford and get into Computer Science. Its not that one major is useless, its pretty much what your goals and where your talents lie.
I think if you came out of Harvard, Stanford, OR CalArts you’d be fine. But why not consider Carnegie Mellon as well? Here’s just one example of what they offer in your areas of interest:
You also have at least a year before needing to narrow your interests further. Keep exploring, and good luck to you!
(PS you might consider a summer program somewhere to help with your decision making - maybe doing animation one summer and computer science the next or something like that. CMU also has the National High School Game Academy which might be a good outlet for all your ideas - it doesn’t have to be something you definitely plan to “major” in during college. Again, you are just exploring and it’s amazing how one experience can really help you figure out what you want to do).
yo dude, really sorry for replying late, but i dont think computer science really limits your creativity. With CS can make apps, games (do they teach C++?), websites, etc. And also, as i said my goal is to make a successful indie game!
@Westbs Don’t make your future plans based on getting into Harvard and Stanford - because there’s a 95% chance you won’t get in there (5% admit rates).
Go for Comp Sci with an animation concentration or minor. Many large schools have this. This gives you the job safety of CS with the skills/enjoyment of animation.
Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about college yet. Don’t think about college until junior year. Just focus on getting good grades and taking courses you enjoy in high school. Also, have fun in high school- don’t forget that part. Participate in some ECs you really enjoy, not because you think they will look good for college. Colleges see right through that.
