I don't know where to go... SVA or UCF (or Ringling) for animation? Help!

College Majors Visual Arts and Film Majors
1

I have less than a week to make a decision but I really don’t know what to do. My only options at the moment are School of Visual Arts in New York and University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Here’s my situation: I got accepted to SVA to start in Fall 2016 but I decided to defer my acceptance to start in Fall 2017 so that I can save up. I’m aware how good the animation program is at SVA and the amazing alumni/work that comes out from the school but it is really expensive for me. It’s been difficult to earn enough for me to save up at the moment and even with what little I have, it’s still not enough for the massive tuition price. Forgot to mention that I come from a low-income family living in Florida.

My second option (at relatively most economic) is UCF. I went to the Open House last fall for their animation program and I was overall unimpressed. The teachers were unsure to answer my question about internships/job opportunities, the curriculum there is really weird (apparently you have spend the first 2 years taking prerequisite classes to APPLY for the animation program in UCF and if you get accepted, you then enter their animation program for the remaining 2 years), and the student films there aren’t very good. Sorry if I’m being too critical but the student films/work in other art schools are light years ahead than than the student work in UCF. And that’s from what I saw at open house in person, I can barely find UCF animation student work online whereas I can find a plethora of active art students sharing their work at other schools. I also don’t understand the “entire class working on a single student film together” format they have there. I kinda understand that they’re trying to emulate the “animation team pipeline” but I find student films made by individual Ringling students way more enjoyable than the student class films from UCF. Granted, it is an animation program at a public state school so I can’t be too harsh since it’s different from an animation program at a private art school.

Speaking of Ringling, I got accepted to Ringling last year as well but I was declined admission for their Computer Animation and instead was granted admission for their other majors like illustration. I really wanted to be accepted to their animation program there so I reapplied for the second time this year but again, I got declined and got offered for a different major. If I do choose another major, I can’t switch into animation. I went to a campus tour there and I absolutely loved it there. It’s personally the best of both worlds, one of the top art schools for animation and since it’s in-state, I have a considerable larger amount of financial aid as a FL resident than SVA. Just that I haven’t been accepted to the animation program there…

With that being said… I have three options:


[QUOTE=""]

Option 1: Go to SVA and face the massive tuition but get a good experience/education there and possibly be able to enter the animation industry smoothly.

Option 2: Go to UCF, have slightly lower tuition to pay but unsure whether I’ll have a good experience or good chance of breaking into the industry.

Option 3: Go to UCF for the first year and reapply to Ringling for the third time. If I get accepted, I’ll be good to go besides the fact that I’ll be 2 years behind compared to my peers. If I don’t get accepted yet again, then I’m stuck in Option 2.

[/QUOTE]

I know I don’t have much time left but if by any chance that are any students or parents of students that went to UCF, SVA, or Ringling for animation, please share some insight on what I should do. I really do not want to lose another year or two of school. Thank you.

TL;DR I got accepted to SVA (amazing school but super expensive), UCF (slightly more economic but average/mediocre), and somewhat to Ringling (got declined for animation but able to enter any other major). What should I do/where should I go?

2

My D went to Ringling for CA.

Ringling is a private art college so I’m not sure how big a boost you get by being in-state unless you are able to commute and knock off the room and board in some way. Bright futures does apply however.
If you can’t afford SVA, then Ringling won’t be a whole lot better (only you know).
Just make sure you have your numbers right before committing anywhere. Ringling will get you out in four years though (versus some programs where it takes 5).
The LAST thing you want to do is get started and have to drop out because of cost or be saddled for years with debt.

Many students are older going into these schools. Many spend extra years polishing skills and earning money to go as you have. I wouldn’t worry about your age. It’s not a race.

You are correct that you can’t transfer into CA at Ringling. But if you have gen ed classes at CC for example then those credits will transfer lightening your course load (but not shortening the time).
Were you offered motion design or gaming? Or strictly Illustration? Many of the skills learned there will translate into the industry. Actual animation is a fairly small part of a whole slew of career possibilities.

Have you looked into other FL schools offering animation besides UCF? I know nothing about UCF program (good or bad)…

Are you SURE you want to animate?
UCF does have the advantage of offering many majors should you change your mind. Ever done a pre-college experience to really know what 24/7 art is like?

Have you heard of Animation Mentor? It’s basically a 18 month course in animation which is done on-line. It costs about 15K (I think you can pay by the course) It ONLY teaches animation (which is actually a small part of the industry–you still need to know how to do rigging, lighting, render etc. to be well-rounded). But from what I hear it does that small part very well. Many people (only from what I gather on-line–I don’t know anyone personally who has done it)–use it to learn and polish animation skills. But perhaps that coupled with UCF would be an answer for you. Anyway, doesn’t hurt to check it out.

Your reel at the end of all this work will be your resume. No matter where you go.
This is a concern of mine with what you say about UCF. I don’t think a “class project” will get you a job. It may teach you the pipeline of the industry but doesn’t sound like it is meant to be your resume. You need to be able to show actual professional work at the end of your studies.

Good luck!

3

" Go to UCF, have slightly lower tuition to pay "

Cost of attendance at UCF will be about 20K per year vs 50-60K at SVA or Ringling. That is not “slightly lower”

4

UCF is going to have requirements for a university degree (core classes, or specific major) It is not unusual for a program to require 2 years of general ed and have everyone apply to the specific major as juniors. Some universities do that for engineering, journalism, theater. Only you can decide if that’s the experience you want, but at least there is a chance that you’ll get into the program you want. That chance isn’t there at Ringling, and I think if you honestly look at the NY program, you’ll realize you do not have enough money.

If you have Bright Futures, you have to start using it within 2 years of graduating from high school. Tick tock. You’ll also get a Florida grant for $3000 for attending a private school if you pick Ringling. If you have any local scholarships, you should be able to use them at either Ringling or UCF.

I really think you need to pick with your wallet and not keep looking for the perfect program.

5

Well Ringling is offering me $30k of financial help for the first year and at least that’s something considering that I still don’t know how much financial help I’ll be receiving from SVA, especially since it’s a for-profit insitution. My test scores are the only thing that’s keeping me away from being qualified for Bright Futures. I recently took the ACT again after a few attempts and I really hope this time I’ll get a high enough score to be qualified.

I was offered other majors like Game Design, Motion Design, etc. (I even mentioned it in my post). I’m aware little to no animation is done in most animation studios but I like the idea of having a student film to showcase. The closest major I MIGHT consider is illustration but I don’t know how the illustration program is compared to CA (other than the fact CA is… well… more animation based and more digital based while illustration is more traditional).

I know there’s a few other FL schools offering animation but they either mainly focus on game design, SFX, or the technical aspects of CGI animations.

And I am SURE I want to animate. I can’t imagine myself doing any other career. I aspire to work in the animation industry either as a storyboard artist or character or background designer.

I have not heard of Animation Mentor but I’ll look into that.

Thank you so much for your response. I’ll be deeply thinking about my choices in these next few days.

6

“Cost of attendance at UCF will be about 20K per year vs 50-60K at SVA or Ringling. That is not “slightly lower””

I genuinely can’t tell if you’re trying to say I was exaggerating or understating. They’re both expensive to me but 20k is less than half of 50-60k

7

The reason why I found it unusual is that in most art schools, you take the gen ed classes alongside with your major classes. I guess I haven’t been used to understanding the way how public uni works.

I mentioned this somewhere in this thread but my test scores are the only thing that’s keeping me away from being qualified for Bright Futures. I recently took the ACT again after a few attempts and I really hope this time I’ll get a high enough score to be qualified. If I do qualify for Bright Futures, am I able to use it if I go to Ringling for fall 2018, while being at UCF for the first year?

And what do you mean by “you need to pick with your wallet”? I do not understand what you mean.

8

“And I am SURE I want to animate. I can’t imagine myself doing any other career. I aspire to work in the animation industry either as a storyboard artist or character or background designer.”

That’s great with Ringling offering you money–is it one year only? Again, don’t get stuck being able to afford one year only of schooling. DON’T DO IT.

Let’s step back a bit though and look at what your actual goals are…
.The actual process of ANIMATING means sitting in front of a computer and making characters move on the screen.

CA at Ringling prepares you for the entire spectrum (pipeline including story and character) but turning out that final reel (movie) will be your final goal. It is a 24/7 computer project by final year. It is NOT drawing sitting on the park bench designing characters. (It will be YOUR project however that you take through the entire spectrum). It’s more like sitting in the dark 24/7 hoping you beat a deadline (because that is the industry). It’s tough.

Industry-wise there are few jobs available to do ONLY that final “animating”. Which is why Ringling focuses on the entire spectrum (they focus on careers). Many students find they like other aspects better than animating before they are through.

The industry is NOT limited to just those few who learn to animate. You do NOT have to major in CA to get into the industry. Which is why Ringling has motion design and gaming majors also. I know illustrators who are also in the industry. All of these will give you great skills to get you to where you want to go depending on your focus.
The “background artist or storyboard artist” may have (quite likely has) a background in illustration.
There are many avenues into the industry–you don’t HAVE to be in CA to get to your particular career goal.

The animation INDUSTRY has a ton of artistic and technical careers associated with it. People have all types of backgrounds. If you don’t want to sit in front of a computer 24/7 but are drawn to the art side of things perhaps illustration is better for you. Call Ringling and ASK for some real direction career-wise.
Motion design or gaming or Illustration might be even better choices for you than CA.

9

It’s for the Fall and Spring semesters for the first year, it’s the financial aid based on my FAFSA so I assume I can keep getting help from it for the next four years if I do go there.

I’ve worked on my computer for long periods of time working on animations and illustrations so I think I can deal with sitting in front of a computer 24/7 (while taking short breaks obviously, don’t wanna ruin my eyes completely). The main appeal of CA for me is doing a student thesis film. I don’t know if the illustration program has story and character but I see illustration as doing just the “visuals” or the “art side of things” as you put it (correct me if I’m wrong). I might need to ask Ringling for exact details in terms of CA vs. illustration.

If I may ask, how did you and your D deal with the tuition? How was the experience like in CA?

10

We are blessed. We didn’t have to deal too hard with the financials at the time but it’s gotten even more expensive in the past years. I can’t advise you about that except to say don’t jump in head first. Don’t drown in debt. Ain’t pretty.

Illustration does equal visuals. It’s traditional art. But some go into character design and sequential art.
One of D’s roommates applied for many scholarships as an illustration major and did very well. She was extremely talented–still has some loans but manageable.

Motion design and game art both include animation. Look up both curiculums (and some student work is on youtube
so you can see).
You will have a reel of work when you get done–just not a personal “movie”. Does that make sense?
Game art and design also has the computer programming element from what I can tell.

CA is like producing your own small movie from start to finish including character design and story. That is the goal.
The other two majors teach you techniques to do aspects of animation (which a ton of students love) but minus the final “movie”. Like I’ve mentioned–not many jobs available overall for “story”–but it is a wide industry.

CALL and ask to speak to someone (or a name you can e-mail) from one of the departments to give you more guidance about the differences between majors and what you’d be learning. Tell them what you want to achieve. Tell them you didn’t make it into CA and now want to know your options.
Something other than CA may be up your ally and give you skills to still do what you want as a career. Maybe even a broader scope.
And make sure about the money.

As to experience in CA…it’s TOUGH. Not for the faint-hearted. When I say 24/7 I mean 24/7.
It is progressive–the first year is fine, second harder, third barely tolerable and fourth year is …not good. D had her sleeping gear under the computer lab desk. But ultimately rewarding.
My D LOVED it but it was very stressful.

It’s professional and industry based program. Deadlines are drop-deadlines. Critiques are hard (you need to learn to accept criticism to grow–that’s in all majors). Industry professionals from Pixar and Dreamworks (and others) show up for critiques (they’re nicer than the instructors BTW while critiquing student work by the way according to D.).
Slackers/procrastinators/wannabees who don’t want to work that hard-- won’t make it. Quite a few drop out.

At the end of this process, my D said “employers love Ringling grads because we are ready for anything. They already know we know how to work hard and get the job done.”

11

That’s good to hear you and your D didn’t have to deal too hard with the tuition.

Well I’ve made my decision to go to UCF for the first year and apply to Ringling for CA again in November. In the meantime, I’ll be saving up and applying to many scholarships as possible. If I don’t get accepted, then I may stay in UCF for the four years there.

If I may ask, is there someone I can see to look over my portfolio and give me some constructive criticism or examples of portfolios of admitted CA students? I remember one of the representatives told me that having 3/4ths of my portfolio consist of observational drawings is key for getting into CA. I am still determined to get into CA.

12

Look at conceptart dot org—lots of students post their portfolios there for feedback.

Good luck to you!

13

@cheesenachos1 - sorry for coming in on this discussion late, but my daughter was looking at both UCF and SCAD last year so was kind of in the same boat as you. She had a sizable OOS scholarship to UCF and really liked what she saw of the program; however, you are correct that you don’t apply to animation till Winter of Sophomore year, after taking the pre-req. drawing and other courses. UCF didn’t require a portfolio when you were admitted so you’ll need to present them with one to be approved for your major. When we toured in Feb. of last year, only about 1/3 of those who applied were accepted to animation on their first try. Others get in on second try and still others do the experimental track (I think that’s what it’s called? Can’t remember) which uses some of the same facilities (downtown Orlando, away from the main campus. Hopefully they have a shuttle going that way now - when we toured they didn’t but then they announced a major downtown expansion shortly afterward so hopefully transportation between the two campuses is more resolved). Honestly, either track should prepare you well for work in the animation field. However, SVA or Ringling are more prestigious so all else equal would be the better option if you can swing the cost. BTW, don’t rule out the illustration major for an animator career. The importance of being an animator is that you can tell a story with your pictures. Such is the case with both animation and illustration. If Ringling turns out to be the better fit overall, you can most likely make a successful go of it doing illustration.

Good luck to you!

14

@gouf78 I will look into that website then. Thank you so much for your insight! :slight_smile:

15

@JBStillFlying No problem, any insight is still welcome so no discussion is too late!

I see, did your daughter go to UCF or SCAD? What is her experience like so far in the school that she has chosen? And yeah, I personally find the way the animation program is outlined at UCF odd because you pretty much have to apply and get accepted to their program. I mentioned this somewhere in this thread but I said that I will be going to UCF for the first year and reapply to Ringling for computer animation. If I don’t get accepted for CA, then I’ll most likely stay in UCF. I would’ve loved to go to SVA but the financial aid they gave me wasn’t enough and I didn’t want to risk massive debt. Ringling is my ideal option since the financial aid they gave me is slightly higher than what SVA was offering and it’s a really good art school that’s in-state.

And thank you!

16

@cheesenachos1 my daughter ended up attending SCAD and loves it. She is finishing up her first year. She definitely had SCAD as her first choice but was strongly considering UCF and also CSU-Fullerton. UCF had the advantage due to the OOS scholarship she received but SCAD was able to come through with sufficient scholarship money to allow her to attend.

When we looked into UCF, we realized that given the curriculum and pre-reqs, she would need to take longer than 4 years so that’s something to consider. A private art school is more expensive per year but you would be out in 4 years as opposed to five.

Unlike most dedicated art/design schools, UCF doesn’t have direct-admit to SVAD. They admit you to a “pre-major” status instead. You have to pass a portfolio review in sophomore year to continue in a major and start taking those courses. This is actually pretty typical for many uni’s, although most of the ones mentioned on the CC art major threads tend to be direct-admit. When possible, direct-admit is best, although as you have discovered, sometimes it can be difficult to get into your first choice program right away (Ringling or CalArts, for instance). The best situation is to be admitted to a dedicated art/design school w/no restricted entry to the major; however, that option also tends to be the most expensive!

17

When you apply to Ringling again–if you REALLY want animation (maybe it’s not to late to do game or motion design–both give you great skills)–have a portfolio a bit heavy on figure drawing and quick sketch. Study perspective.
Look up Glen Vilppu and see the type of art he does.

18

My daughter will be attending the Ringling in the CA program this Fall. She met one of their admissions counselors prior and he really emphasized figure life drawing and staying away from anything anime. She took a figure life drawing class last summer at an art college but lots of community colleges offer figure life drawing classes. Her portfolio was varied with other observational drawings, acrylics, water color, ink, pencil/charcoal and digital. We never took advantage of one of the portfolio review days but that might be a good place to start. Google National Portfolio Review Day. Good luck.

19

CAShirl–Good luck to your daughter! Hope she loves Ringling CA as much as my D did!

Another good thing to study is perspective.

20

@JBStillFlying Glad to know your daughter loves SCAD so far! How was she able to receive the scholarship money? SCAD is quite expensive (also I heard controversial stuff about the school not being accredited and other negative aspects).

Yeah, at first I didn’t realize UCF’s animation program was different compared to a lot of art schools that do the “direct-admit” process. Sorry for the late reply, I sorta forgot this website for a while.