<p>Hi Gladiatorbird!,</p>
<p>Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it a lot, and hope you are right about the other CC’s out there. Unfortunately, I wrote a lengthy response but the post got tossed when CC asked me to login. UGH. It was ridiculously long, so I’ll take the opportunity to keep it a little more manageable this time around. EDIT: I guess I failed at keeping it short again. Apologies in advance! </p>
<p>In response to your question about my precise long-term/career goals, I have to admit that it’s something I don’t really have a definitive answer for at this point. I have always struggled with having too many different interests, skills and experience, which is not necessarily bad but it complicates life a lot. I was on a pretty decent track to getting to where I (thought) I wanted to be when my grandfather passed away 3 years ago and I dropped everything to care for my grandmother, who suffered from Parkinson’s. She passed away recently, and I’m still a bit shell-shocked and coupled with that big 30 around the corner, wondering where my life went and where to go from here. I don’t regret putting her needs above mine, but I feel like I’m a million miles away from something I was once so close to. I’m using this as an opportunity to reevaluate my goals and ambitions and am looking at life from a different perspective. I was extremely career oriented, and somewhat a workaholic but watching someone close to you deteriorate makes you reevaluate what’s really important in life. However, in the most basic sense my goal is to complete a BA somewhere, efficient and cost-effectively so those wonderful extra-curricular opportunities really shouldn’t factor into my decision-making. I actually feel guilty even looking at things like Scuba Slugs or equestrian club, which isn’t exactly healthy as I do feel that I deserve to have an enjoyable college experience after a grim period or I wouldn’t even be looking at UCSC, CSUMB or HSU. I’ll provide some background info to help you guys get an idea of who I am and what would be the best fit/choice for me. </p>
<p>I was born and raised in Amsterdam (yes THAT place). Growing up, I spent 2-3 months every year with my grandparents, who lived in Los Angeles. I’ve always love California and wanted to live here, even before choosing a field that happens to be concentrated here. I always thought I was going to be an architect and got a scholarship for USC’s exploration of Architecture summer program when I was 16. It really opened my eyes to the realities of the profession, and having looked up to Gaudi, who had a royal family to subsidize his projects with total creative freedom, I realized I needed to find something more creative and non-restricting to do with my life. It didn’t take long for me to feel the pull towards the world of (digital) entertainment and a desire to move to LA. When I went to USC, my mom said “don’t get too comfortable because over-my-dead-body are you moving/studying there” and subsequently refused to even fill out the FAFSA forms. She graduated from UC Berkeley (Phi Beta Kappa) in 1970, that infamous year graduation ceremony was cancelled as the feds had taken to tear-gassing and shooting students on campus, so I can’t say I don’t understand where she is coming from with that sentiment. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, see: <a href=“https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/189806[/url]”>Riots at UC Berkeley - Bay Area Television Archive;
<p>In the Netherlands, education is structured entirely different than the US. Kids take SAT like tests in elementary school, and are given advice to attend various levels according to these test results and general intelligence as perceived by teachers. Only degrees from the highest level (VWO) grant admission to (research) universities, and you go straight into law school, med school etc. One step lower grants admission to Universities of Applied Science, must are more like trade schools than universities. All art and film degrees are at this level. There is no GE in college that is something part of high school education. Having completed VWO, I did 6 years of English and Dutch, 5 years of German, French and Latin, and 3 years of Greek as well as many years of Math, Chemistry, Physics, History, Art etc. etc. 10 (A) is seldom (< 0.5%) given as a perfect score is an unattainable ideal, and even a 9 (B) is not common. College admission anywhere is guaranteed if you get that diploma, save for art schools requiring portfolio review. Being a socialist country, basically every college class is a group effort that is graded as a group. I have horror stories to tell as far as group projects go that I won’t burden you guys with, but it really destroyed my motivation having to do work for 4 people or everyone being happy to get a barely passing 6 (C). </p>
<p>Having done such an intense high school curriculum I had to give up on most of my hobbies/EC’s. I also don’t think an 18 year old, however smart should have to decide what to do with their life at that point. While some people know, I think it’s crazy to expect that of students. If you end up changing programs none of the units will transfer unless the courses are identical. Every course is a major course with little room for electives. The first program I started was called Design for Virtual Theater and Games, at a Dutch Art Academy school of Theater. That program was very vague and didn’t teach what I felt I needed to learn. It was more or a “here’s 2 months to create whatever you want, with students who then brainstorm to think of things they can get done in 1 month and have a vacation. It really was that bad and it actually doesn’t exist anymore. I applied to the Dutch Film academy for Interactive Multimedia and Visual Effects, which is a very selective school but an unknown program. I got in based on my Art portfolio, but for the year after the following, as they wanted me to learn to work with Maya first. I should have known then that it makes no sense to go to a school that requires you to know your stuff before you go, but the prestige factor made me overlook that and I used money saved to spend the year at Gnomon School of Visual Effects learning Maya, before heading back to Amsterdam. </p>
<p>They didn’t expect me to come back, and I didn’t want to either. However, at this point I was 21, and wanted to get at least that Bachelors and going back to Amsterdam seemed like the only way with my HS grades and lack of Financial Aid. Officially that first year all classes are the same and everyone takes classes in Screenwriting, Editing, Sound design, Production Design, Producing, and Directing. With a few specialization classes but as soon as I started I was tutoring seniors and working on their projects, and the prospect of spending 3 years working behind a PC doing whatever one of the director students needs done is not much of an education. I should be getting paid to that not paying for the privilege. I also realized that I was interested in too many different things and too social to be so specialized or to be stuck behind a PC 24/7. Furthermore, from my own experience I know all too well how little a degree matters for film production or artistic work in general as talent and experience weigh more heavily. If art school can’t teach me art, I’m better of getting a degree in something “practical”, so I pursued a BSc in Information, Multimedia and Management (part-time) at the university instead and worked throughout. While I learned useful things in that program, it was very dry material and it was hair pulling for the most part, especially dealing with the abovementioned group grading issues and people refusing to work but this being study nr. 3 I was gung-ho on sticking it out and did until my grandfather passed away. </p>
<p>My first paying job was doing voice acting from 14-18. At 19 I got a job as a 2nd AD on a popular Dutch TV-show. When I was at Gnomon I got hired by an elite boutique VFX company in Hollywood to do 3d compositing and animation on a WB-series, and I volunteered for the VFX society. I have also worked as an editor for a Dutch corporate film company, and as an assistant to a documentary film producer. I was a team captain (project manager) for Rutger Hauer’s Filmmaking Masterclass and worked as an AD on a Dutch feature film. I feel very fortunate for having had the ability to sample so many different jobs, but it is also making it more difficult to focus on one career path. Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of non-paying editing work and am updating the website of a dive shop in exchange for free classes. Diving seems like a great 2nd weekend/side job to have, and speaking multiple languages I could spend a season teaching it in some tropical location, but I’d also be happy keeping it as a hobby if I can afford that. One of the reasons the program at Santa Cruz is appealing is because it is a BA in Film AND Digital media, which gives me the opportunity to pursue both career paths. When I look at job postings they all ask for relevant bachelors degrees, so I figure that a BA in Film and Digital Media will limit me less. Superficially, I’d be inclined to go with a UC (if I get in) over a CSU in a heartbeat regardless of major but I know that isn’t the smartest way to look at it. My mom being a CAL alum, my grandmother and uncle UCLA alums, and Aunt a Slug, it would be a bonus to be able to join the rest of the family. UCLA is out of reach unfortunately, and I’m not sure UCSC accepts me as it depends on which units they consider transferrable. I just might end up exceeding the 89 unit transfer limit. </p>
<p>CSUN: I discovered their program thanks to CC forums. It seems to be the hidden gem of LA area CSU film schools, and when I was looking for ways to finish my degree while caring for my grandmother, that program seemed to be my only real option, so I’ve complete the prereqs for both Film Production (editing) and Multimedia options. I’d be inclined to go with multimedia, as the sequential nature of the production program would means it would take longer to complete my degree. Benefit of CSUN is its proximity to my current home and the wealth of networking, internship, and job opportunities. However, now that I have no family left here, it is feeling a lot less like home and more like a concrete traffic filled jungle, and I’m constantly reminded of the past. </p>
<p>UCSC: This school seems like a dream place for someone who loves hiking, camping, horseback riding, scuba diving (and marches to their own beat). I haven’t toured the campus yet but am very familiar with the area. After having traveled the entire stretch of the California coast, I decided Big Sur to Mendocino is by far the most gorgeous area in this State, and Santa Cruz is in the middle. Aside from my aunt and her husband, a friend of my mom studied at UCSC early-mid seventies. Her friend has been very helpful and provided various people I could rent rooms from and stay during a campus visit. She took 8 years to finish because she didn’t want to leave, was friends with the guy that started the camper park by living out of his VW bus on the lot, as well as the guy that started the organic farm at UCSC. I’ve heard the most amazing and bizar stories of what went on at that place back then. It is difficult to base my view on theirs as so much has changed and it isn’t the counter-culture haven it used to be. My biggest concern is its remote location. Does your friend’s son still live in Santa Cruz (county) or did he move after he finished? Did he have any internships while in school? While Silicon Valley is on the other side of the hill I’d expect that commuting would be a nightmare. Or is it doable if you live in the Felton/Scotts Valley area?</p>
<p>CSUMB/HSU: These are my last-resort options if neither CSUN nor UCSC accept me. HSU seems like a good place to forget about the cruel world for a while, while studying film in a more intimate setting. I stumbled upon the place literally when I took my mom on a trip up north this summer. We had never been north of Eureka and are both redwood huggers, so we camped in Redwood NP for a week. While absolutely gorgeous and inspiring location for a film major, the remoteness of it scares me a bit. The climate is also reminiscent of Amsterdam, which is not a good thing; it’s very wet and cold most of the year. I can happily hide out there for a while and cost of living is really low compared to the rest of the state, but I highly doubt there are relevant jobs/internships up there. I have also heard nothing of either school’s film programs, so I’m really hoping there are some CC’s who can provide insight. The program at HSU, combined with the Diving minor (Recreational or Scientific) they offer makes the school more appealing than CSUMB, but CSUMB is a lot less remote and a lot warmer/sunnier. Monterey Bay COL worries me though. Actually all of the bay-area is considerably more expensive than the already expensive LA area. I really want to complete my Bachelors degree but worry that neither school will mean anything or improve my chances for employment and that I should just forget about completing my degree altogether.</p>
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