Where Do I Go to College?

College Search & Selection
1

So basically, I got accepted to the Georgia Tech Arts & Sciences pathway program for Computational Media (which means that I got accepted for the Fall of 2019). I still have to take some required classes and get a certain number of credit hours in order to got to GT. Now I am 100% sure that I will do the pathway program and try to transfer to GT, but I’m not sure where I want to go to college for the first year. I’m from Illinois, and I’m deciding between Depaul University in Chicago, and the University of Texas at Austin. My end career goal is to do special effects for movies, so there’s a bit of background. My parents said they could afford either school, and that it’s up to me.

DEPAUL - I got in for Computer Science in their school of Computing and Digital Media. I also got a scholarship, and I think it would be easier to take intro animation courses since it’s in the same school. DePaul is close to home and it’s in a nice area (Lincoln Park), with easy access to the city. DePaul doesn’t carry the same “status” as UT.

UT - It would be around 48k (still waiting on scholarships, which I don’t find out until june). I got in for Arts and Entertainment Technology, and I’m not sure if all of the credits would be transferable. The AET program is pretty new, but they seem to be getting stronger. The closest thing to animation/visual effects they have in this major is gaming. I love the campus, and I feel like I could get better opportunities during the first year there. Plus if Georgia Tech doesn’t end up working out then I would still be at a pretty good school.

I’m so confused bc I want to be practical, but at the same time, I want to do what’s best for me. If anybody has any advice at all PLZ HELP! Also, if you know anything about transfer credits to georgia tech, plz let me know bc i’m hella confused. thankssssss

2

As long as it doesn’t matter for the transfer offer for GT, I’d pick DePaul. The hassle of moving out of state for one year doesn’t seem worth it, and DePaul is a fine school. Plus you say it will be easier to get the classes you want. The status of the school you graduate from is all that matters, not the one you hung out at for a year.

3

I agree with @AroundHere. Transferring is a big expensive ordeal and it always results in losing hard earned credits and spending extra money re-taking classes. DePaul sounds like a good fit. One thing to keep in mind, computer graphics and special effects doesn’t have the same demand as other computer related fields, so you might want to create a backup plan just in case. Minor in IT or CS, and get some proficiency in a mainstream programming language like, Java, C#, SQL, Python, etc just in case.