Anyone familiar with Becker College in Worcester, MA?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I had gone to Becker for 2 years from 2009-2011, and had to stop due to financial problems and other things... I had majored in video game design, it was just what I was(and am) interested in. I had noticed, though, that the college feels and seems like a joke. The classes were extremely easy, all people did was party, the professors didn't even care... The retention rate is low based on the fafsa statistics, everything seems low and just, not worth the $30,000 it costs to go there..</p>

<p>Does anyone have any idea why the Princeton Review listed Becker as the 10th best college for game design? I mean, I'm not the brightest student, I had a 2.3gpa in high school(I was a slacker)... but going to a 3.9gpa from a 2.3 and rarely having homework, anything? I didn't learn anything, although I mainly took the colleges required courses.</p>

<p>I would really like to go to college for game design as well as something such as screenwriting(not sure if that's the right term, I'd like to write story lines and plots and dialogue). Does anyone have any recommendations as to what I should do? Either go back to that school to see for myself if it's decent, or go to a different one, or change majors altogether?</p>

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<p>Well, read more about how they come up with the rankings-

[Game</a> Design Survey Methodology](<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/game-design-survey-methodology.aspx]Game”>Top Game Design Methodology | Game Design Rankings | The Princeton Review)</p>

<p>I think Becker did a great job of creating a name for themselves when they created their game design major. By getting involved with the Massachusetts Digital Games Institute (MassDiGI) it did a lot to legitimize and publicize their program. So now everyone associates “Becker” with “video game design”, and thus when they ask other schools who has a good program the name Becker pops up.
Note that US News doesn’t even rank Becker at all.
Becker doesn’t attract the best students in general, so I can see where your experience comes from.
Does Becker’s career center publish statistics on placement rates and salary ranges for your major? Do your fellow students get good internships in the industry?</p>

<p>If you can get in as a transfer and afford it, WPI is right down the street! Or transfer to a regular CS major at UMass Amherst or UMass Lowell. I happen to think that CS is more useful anyway as a degree.</p>

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<p>dave2342, I was disappointed to see your post about Becker. We went to visit in April and were actually quite impressed with the school and game design program offered. However, I do have some concern about the low retention rate and did figure that it was based on the very limited number of majors offered. That being said, if you aren’t 100% sure on Game Design there are not many options for changing paths. Are you set on staying in MA? We also looked at Champlain College (very impressive) in VT or even closer to Becker is Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, NH that was very nice and offers what seems like a good Game Design program as well.</p>

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<p>I never heard anything really good from students that had gone there(or went while I was there). Most game design students sat in the dining hall most of the day playing videogames. I didn’t even really fit in with them. Right now I work at another local college, Anna Maria in Paxton. The students there always mention Becker and how it isn’t the best or anything. </p>

<p>I was pretty set on game design, I even talked to a couple people at Trion Worlds Inc and they mentioned that I should get a game design degree over a straight CS degree(I was thinking about going into CS recently, so I figured I could try to see if they would help me out a bit). </p>

<p>I’ll definitely contact WPI, I’m not sure if I would be able to get in, I thought it was a really good school you know? I’m not one of the smartest people, either!</p>

<p>Also, the retention rate is SUPER low. A lot of the schools I was looking at(a couple out of state schools, including Champlain, SNHU, Full Sail, etc), had rates over 40%. I know when I was there tons of people were like “I’m leaving this school it sucks”, and stuff like that, so I feel it might just not be a great option. I was recently looking at other schools on the Princeton review’s list, schools in Ohio, etc, and liked the programs they offer over Becker’s too. Maybe it’s just me, I look at the classes for Becker’s program and compare it to others, and it just seems like it’s lacking something.</p>

<p>Also, tpcrd66, if you or someone you know is looking into going to Becker, you should see if you can chat with any teachers or something. I know when I went, my algebra teacher literally told my class, and I will never forget, “I’m here to get paid, not so you can learn”. A few of my teachers, after just two years, were like that, so it’s difficult to decide whether or not I want to chance getting more teachers who are just like the ones I’ve had there.</p>

<p>The campuses are great, but the students are party-goers, slackers, half of them literally smell of marijuana when you walk past them, and the teachers don’t even care. I guess the fact that the review was based on a survey and the MassDiGi thing would contribute to why it’s on the review, but I don’t even think it should be…</p>

<p>Not sure what to do!!! I would like to go to school nearby(I live in Leicester, MA, and they have a campus in Leicester), as I could continue working my current job, but not sure!! I would love to go to an out of state college or live on campus somewhere, but that’s another thing I’d have to decide on as I live with family and I usually have to do most of the chores, here(just me, mom, and a sister)…</p>

<p>so lost :(</p>