CCA vs. AAU - Animation programs - please advise!

College Search & Selection
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<p>For the last few months, I have been looking into attending an art school in the Bay Area starting this fall. I just graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Art Practice. I tried to look for post-graduate work but found I was turned down due to an undeveloped portfolio. The Stanford art department is very small and more conceptual. I left with with a lot of ideas, a good intuition and excellent problem solving ability, but not a lot of things to put down on paper. I want to go into animation, specifically pre-production. I decided that I need a richer portfolio and more concrete skills, thus I want to go back to school, at an art-specific institution, something I wanted to do all along but was discouraged by parents and very comfortable on the cushy Stanford campus.</p>

<p>I've narrowed it down to California College of the Arts or Academy of Art University. At CCA I would get a BFA in Animation and at AAU I would get an MFA in Visual Development for Games and Movies. There are a lot of factors I am taking into consideration. I have been reading a lot of the CC forum posts about the two places and am hoping maybe some of you could weigh in on my concerns:</p>

<p>1: Monie$. CCA is about $50,000 a year and AAU is about $20,000. Technically I can afford both. My parents, who value a good education, have told me they will they will contribute whatever I need in order to not have my decision based on money. However, needless to say, Stanford was already quite expensive and, in retrospect, not exactly the proportional bang for my buck. I really don't want to go through that again and would appreciate having some savings left over after I leave.</p>

<p>2: Teachers, courses, education stuff. Most people have told me that CCA is a better school in general. But I'm worried this is more just hearsay or reputation. I want a rigorous, skill building experience. I already got the very artsy-fartsy, experimental, conceptual education at Stanford. I'm not looking for a platform to experiment with finding my own inner voice or wall space at a hipster gallery. I want a strong, deep portfolio that will get me a job at a reputable animation studio.</p>

<p>3: BFA vs. MFA. CCA is offering a BFA (I have a BA already, so this would be my second bachelor's) and Academy is offering an MFA. I have been strongly discouraged about getting my MFA directly after undergrad. Most artists say you want to spend some time finding your view point and such. After all, you only do an MFA once. I don't want to wake up 10 years from now and say "shoot, I wish I could go back and do it over now".</p>

<ol>
<li>Animation vs. Visual Development. My degree at CCA would be in Animation in general and Academy would be Visual Development for Games and Movies. I come from a background in Graphic Design and have studied a lot of computer science, HCI and some product design. I was doing a lot of work with web development but found it un-inspiring so I started learning about animation. However, I have relatively little experience. My inclination is more visual development since I think the painting, drawing, clipart and graphic design I have done seems more related. But with so little experience, I don't really know what I want. I originally was looking into learning the more the technical side since I thought that my CS experience could give me a leg up. Most of the stuff taught at Stanford was TOO technical (building your own swap-buffer). CCA would offer me more freedom to try out different things. Academy would give me a deeper, more specific set of skills that I'm leaning towards at the moment.</li>
</ol>

<p>Sorry, I wrote a novel. I have a lot to consider. Any wisdom on any or all of these things would be greatly appreciated. </p>

<p>Many thanks,
Ann</p>

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<p>CCA tuition isabout $40, not $50 if that is a consideration.</p>

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<p>Sorry, I was looking at their total estimated cost, around $54,000, though I have just noticed that this number includes estimated rent/room&board and AAU’s $21,000 yearly estimated total does not. Thanks.</p>

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<p>I agree that when living expenses in the Bay Area are factored in, the costs are somewhat equal. </p>

<p>That said, do you need to remain in the Bay Area?
Does your post-grad program need to have a degree involved?
What type of employment (if any) are you hoping to qualify for with your degree?
The reason I ask is that neither school is quite the pipeline into the local animation employers, such as Pixar. One way to look at this is to ask for an ‘informational’ interview at a place you would like to work and ask them who they think provides the better training. Another way is to check on the HR/job section of their web sites, where they will often state which schools they typically recruit from. Pixar has a Career FAQ that talks about what skills they look for.</p>

<p>Have you looked into E’xpressions? No real degree, but you could train on state-of-the-art equipment while putting a reel together. </p>

<p>Now, enough of my ranting and back to your actual question.
AAC is considered a ‘pay for play’ school that doesn’t garner tremendous respect. In SF, more people respect their real estate acumen, rather than than the artistic. You will find many terrific teachers at AAC, many who are real-world artists, filmmakers and animators putting food on the table, but they tend to be transient.
CCA is a wonderful, more traditional art school with superlative architecture, but I would question the depth of their animation program, as well as the value of a BFA, since you’ve got your BA.</p>

<p>In California, Cal Arts or LMU in Southern Cal also have well recognized programs. </p>

<p>With any program, just be sure that you are clear if the school you ultimately attend is teaching regular animation, straight CGR or a hybrid of the two. Best to know what skill sets you’ll be learning, along with potential prospects for each.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice. </p>

<p>The first thing I want to ask is why you say “that neither school is quite the pipeline into local animation employers”? I have actually heard the opposite from several sources, that CCA and AAU have many students that go on to work at studios in the bay area including Pixar. I think an informational interview is a great idea.</p>

<p>I looked into some non-degree options, including E’xpressions. I would prefer to get a degree and I think a long term program would work best for me. Otherwise, I’m worried about my followthrough unless I have made a commitment to a school. I have tried online courses and found them very frustrating. I think a collegiate setting is better for me. As for E’xpressions, I have heard mixed reviews and that not many people are finding work after leaving the program</p>

<p>Yes, staying in the Bay Area would be ideal, though I have been considering LA as well. </p>

<p>Thanks again for the great advice</p>

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<p>Hi there,
CCA animation offers a skills-based curriculum which is designed for folks who want to work in the professional animation studio environment (as opposed to artsy-fartsy). Students also have access to the arts side, but the curriculum is skill based.</p>

<p>My guess, and just a guess, is that as a second degree student, you will be able to finish fairly quickly given the number of transfer credits you will bring.</p>

<p>BFA vs MFA - the main difference is that in the MFA you will have a year to make a film; in the BFA, you will concentrate on technical skill building.</p>

<p>Coming from Stanford, I imaging you will find a greater number of folk with whom you will have a cultural, intellectual, academic connection at CCA</p>