<p>ok any recommendations/votes… USC Roski animation or CCA animation?</p>
<p>I mean USC SCA animation or CCA, but the choice has been made, USC offered much better aide!</p>
<p>A few months late, but I wanted to comment on A&M School of Visual Arts, since I live about 30 minutes away.</p>
<p>It’s a nice school, and Pixar does hire from there. They have had speakers come from Blue Sky, Pixar, and ILM in the past year alone. It does push animation students to learn more about computer languages than what I’ve seen from other schools, but that just might be a plus (especially if you’re going into gaming, which is BIG in Austin). The campus is really nice, the faculty is friendly and has been good to me (an undergrad student from a neighboring university who likes to sit in on the guest speakers), and if you’re from Texas, it’s hella cheap compared to schools like Calarts and UCLA.</p>
<p>taboo, that’s an interesting comment on A&M. I live not far from the school too but turned down my acceptance to go to a different school. Here are my thoughts:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You call it the “A&M School of Visual Arts” but be careful in how you label such a program. A&M does NOT have an art department, but an architecture department from which the Visualization degree is built from. This is important as I was not impressed by the drawing/painting skills coming out of the Vizlab. I have attended the annual gallery show for the last two years and while most of the local resident’s were “shock and awed” by the student reels, it’s mostly out of ignorance to other animation school work. Oh, and no art portfolio is required.</p></li>
<li><p>I watched the reels for animation and wasn’t impressed. Mainly experimental stuff, but doesn’t surprise me when the focus is more math and science than art-related. Then again, the reels for graduate work looked good, but focused on research-type animation.</p></li>
<li><p>From what I’ve seen/heard, the big companies that hire are doing so from the GRADUATE program and not the undergrad. The undergrad is still new and has not yet built itself a strong reputation. </p></li>
<li><p>Most graduates go on to become Technical Directors, NOT animators. This is SUPER important for anyone who wants to attend and expects to be an animator. Again, this is from the Graduate program only. </p></li>
<li><p>Most of the hype created for the Vizlab seems to come from the College Station community itself… which kind of is a summary of the town. College Station is basically subservient to A&M and the culture of the city is built off of the university. Tradition is insane at this college and it can be hard to fit in if you don’t go to every football game or attend Fish Camp or participate in a million other crazy traditions. Art scene is just about zilch in the city and any kid whose been in an art-quirky town like Austin would probably hate the close-minded and fake “art” scene that dominates College Station.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, it’s cheaper, but if you want to be surrounded by like-minded artists and intend to pursue character animation, you probably won’t find that at A&M. Just my 2 cents, feel free to comment.</p>
<p>it’s very informative 2 cents, kid!! I did wonder what A&M stands for and passed one at NC and sort of guessed and guessed right, it seems.
fish camp!! fishing camp, with frying eating fish? do tell about it!!!</p>
<p>I can see what you are trying to warn about from aesthetic angle, aren’t you the oil painter? what happening now? where you been? you don’t have to tell if you don’t want to. I don’t dig kid’s old post and my memory is fuzzy.</p>
<p>animation job can be many different things. if you are good technically, sometimes easier to get minor jobs and make good living if that is your goal.
what kids should know is you are more likely not going to be creating main characters in top animation firms right away just because you graduated from CalArts. you might be moving some creature’s tuft of hair or eyeballs day in day out, the character someone else drew, modeled, digi-nized, filmed or altered - all the creative, fun sounding things are out of your hand until who knows how long.
I see it same as any other fine art form. talent matters yes. but timing and luck, most of all, endurance. stick to it while grinding low time.
Oil painter got advantage, thou, it can not be outsourced to India or downunder at least for now, for most artists.</p>
<p>TAMU in Commerce has a communication arts program that is as close to Illustration that I have seen in the Texas state-run university systems. ZincOxide is correct about the undergrad focus at A&M College Station. Great school, but not the kind of fine art program one generally associates with a BFA at schools frequently discussed on this forum. But you know what? A&M is a fine school and many students don’t have the luxury of going out of state much less a private art school. So great that taboo is sharing excitement about the program. Maybe in a few years, it will be on everyone’s lips.</p>
<p>From their website, a bit of trivia:
What does “A&M” stand for?
Texas A&M, the state’s first public institution of higher education, was opened on Oct. 4, 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, and at that time the “A” and “M” initials were used to abbreviate the name components. When the institution gained university status in 1963, the “A&M” representation (no periods, no spaces and with an ampersand) was incorporated into the official name in deference to the institution’s history and rich traditions, but the individual letters no longer explicitly stand for anything.</p>
<p>Ohhh
I looked up.
it was NC A&T, not A&M. however A is for agriculture. T is for technology.
I did smell footballing, even fishing there. still curious about fish camp…</p>
<p>I’m not on these forums much anymore now that I’m a soon-to-be college student. In response to bears and dogs, I will be headed off to an art college to study animation. I did follow pre-college in figure painting, but mostly to get the portfolio I needed to apply to both fine arts and animation programs. (I still love oils though i’ve gotten lazier from painting on my wacom tablet) I am definitely slanted towards the more “artistic” side of animation, but I am hoping that my fine arts background will benefit me during college and after. I’m happy with my choice and happy to be going off to college this fall! But… enough about me, and back to animation! </p>
<p>This article was recently published about the Vislab at TAMU: [Film</a> industry has eyes on Texas A&M visualization program | Bryan/College Station, Texas - The Eagle](<a href=“http://www.theeagle.com/am/Film-industry-has-eyes-on-Texas-A-M-visualization-program]Film”>http://www.theeagle.com/am/Film-industry-has-eyes-on-Texas-A-M-visualization-program)</p>
<p>I want other applicants (like I once was) to have all sides of the story & not to make a blind decisions. 
Cheers and wishing all future animation applicants much luck!</p>
<p>going away gift for you
good luck!!
<a href=“hedgehog in the fog - YouTube”>hedgehog in the fog - YouTube;
<p>We’re really confused with “animation” as a major-is it better to go a school like Pratt focused on foundation art or RIT/RPI which is focused on digital media/computers. What are companies looking for in college graduates? Searching I’m even finding two year programs-My daughter is looking to get into animation-has strong grades/SATS/APS/etc. Will take AP Art senior year and have a portfolio-We live in NY-Any help would be great-</p>
<p>hiiii !</p>
<p>im shahnawaz khan from india…im presently a student of architecture(bachelor of architecture—final year)…you see, im very interested in animation and i wish to study it from scratch…im in a dilemma as to which country to choose and then which university to select as RISD,ringling etc are too expensive for me…</p>
<p>hence it would be great if i could find a decent university abroad (im cosidering canada, new zealand)which offers scholarships for international students…</p>
<p>could you kindly suggest any such universities …especially in canada ?</p>
<p>feel free to mail me : shahnawaaz36@**********</p>
<p>THANK YOU!</p>
<p>could you plz suggest some good animation universities (universitie</p>
1 Like
<p>hiiii !</p>
<p>im shahnawaz khan from india…im presently a student of </p>
<p>architecture(bachelor of architecture—final year)…you see, </p>
<p>im very interested in animation and i wish to study it from </p>
<p>scratch…im in a dilemma as to which country to choose and </p>
<p>then which university to select as RISD,ringling etc are too </p>
<p>expensive for me…</p>
<p>hence it would be great if i could find a decent university abroad </p>
<p>(im considering canada , new zealand) which offers scholarships </p>
<p>for international students…</p>
<p>could you kindly suggest any such universities …especially in </p>
<p>canada ?</p>
<p>feel free to mail me : shahnawaaz36@**********</p>
<p>THANK YOU!</p>
<p>could you plz suggest some good animation universities </p>
<p>(universitie</p>
<p>hiiii !</p>
<p>im shahnawaz khan from india…im presently a student of </p>
<p>architecture(bachelor of architecture—final year)…you see, </p>
<p>im very interested in animation and i wish to study it from </p>
<p>scratch…im in a dilemma as to which country to choose and </p>
<p>then which university to select as RISD,ringling etc are too </p>
<p>expensive for me…</p>
<p>hence it would be great if i could find a decent university abroad </p>
<p>(im considering canada , new zealand) which offers scholarships </p>
<p>for international students…</p>
<p>could you kindly suggest any such universities …especially in </p>
<p>canada ?(also new zealand, if possible…)</p>
<p>feel free to mail me : shahnawaaz36@**********</p>
<p>THANK YOU!</p>
<p>I am a student who majors in Economics and will graduate in May 2012. Are there any animation programs suitable for students like me who really interested in animation but have limited knowledge and background in animation? I am currently looking at some master programs in animation since I can’t spend another 4 years to study a bachelor degree all over again. The maximum year for me to spend now is 2 years. And I believe most schools do require a higher standard from students’ portfolio for a graduate level entrance. Although I have great passion in animation and do draw a lot during leisure time, I don’t have strong background in animation and don’t know how to use programs like maya or after effect. For me, now I just want to look for a school which offering me a chance to learn 2d or 3d animation for 1-2 years with decent cost and program. Anyone can give me some suggestion on which school or programs I may be applying for?
How is academy of art? I have checked this school on yelp, but most students there give bad reviews about it, so I am not sure if this is right school for me to go. Although I was very interested in it since they have an open admission which is ideal for student like me.</p>