So, I am pretty sure that quite a few Just Conversation readers or there kids are about ready to go to college in the next few years.
What colleges are you looking at? What part of college are you afraid of?
Let’s discuss them. Let’s try to stay away from the fact that they are all going to be pretty pricy.
Myself, I am looking at a school of computer animation, I am currently looking at DMAC. I just got off the phone with a lady that was telling me some stuff about it. And it does sound pretty cool.
Texas A&M is my favorite college…I dunno where I’m gonna go, though…I’m thinking about doing something music-related…that’s getting more appealing to me as time goes by.
It would be crunk if all of The Six end up at the same college. ANyway, the only thing that worries me, is getting out of college, when I have to make my own money, and fend for myself. I’m screwed once my parents cut me off!
Bristol Uni to do Deaf studies (British Sign Language/deaf culture) to study to become an sign language intepreter for the deaf
got a condition from bristol uni (1st choice) can’t wait! the fact that bristol juggling club is really active and there is a bristol unicycle hockey team had of course not swayed my uni choice at all… i can’t wait to go!
I’m not sure that’ll happen. You guys are cool and all but I really wanna choose a college based on my interests, unless A&M has a good digital arts program.
I’m with you, Habby- I’m very interested in a career in 3d modeling/animation.
Pretty much every part of college scares me, to be honest…
Once you’re in, a lot of that goes away. And after the first day, most of it goes away. And the rest leaves after your first week of classes.
I go to school a couple of hours from home, so I’m close but not too close. It makes it easy for going home during breaks (which, by the way, are very long. Today was my first day of class since the 20th of December).
I’d say the hardest part of actually transitioning to college is leaving your friends. Sounds like that’ll be the case for ‘The Six’. I had a pretty tight group of friends through high school, and it’s a bit of change off the bat, but you’ll meet new people with strikingly familiar interests (isn’t it strange how that happens…).
Life gets easier when you live in one room; if you lose something, it’s bound to be either in your room or in your car.
If you’ve ever seen Office Space, I think the ‘million dollar question’ can tell you a bit about where you should take your career. Personally, I would really like to avoid a job that requires me to be behind a desk for 8 hours a day. That’s one of the reasons I picked Mechanical Engineering over Computer Programming or CS/CE.
Ah, College. I’m 18 (actually 19 in two days), on break after my first semester of college. Let me just say, that college is all you think it will be times ten. I never thought my first semester of college would be as fun as it was. Of course i had fears, like everyone else does right before it starts…but like sugarloaf said, all your fears will be gone within the first week. It sucks leaving all your friends at home, but to be honest, I didn’t REALLY miss anyone. Its nice to start fresh, making new friends, and meeting new girls. Living on your own is the GREATEST feeling in the world. Sure, at times you may miss your family, but let me tell you, its great to get away from them after 18 years. You no longer have to follow your parent’s guidelines. It is however, important that you set your own guidelines. probably a goot 25% of incoming freshmen drop out first semester, maybe more. So its important that you devote yourself to your school work and study time. Don’t be afraid to have fun though. I got a 3.1 gpa first semester…i would’ve liked a little better…but I had the time of my life. If you do or don’t drink alcohol, its time that you make the decision whether you are going to in college or not…because you won’t be able to get away from it. So…with all that said, you’ll have fun at any college you go to, don’t worry about, and remember to set your own guidelines.
Oh yea, i forgot to say where i go. I’m a business administration major as SUNY Oswego…in New York. We had a huge Christmas break…Dec 15th-Jan 24th! I can’t wait to go back…i was ready to go back the first week of break actually.
Ah, College. I’m 18 (actually 19 in two days), on break after my first semester of college. Let me just say, that college is all you think it will be times ten. I never thought my first semester of college would be as fun as it was. Of course i had fears, like everyone else does right before it starts…but like sugarloaf said, all your fears will be gone within the first week. It sucks leaving all your friends at home, but to be honest, I didn’t REALLY miss anyone. Its nice to start fresh, making new friends, and meeting new girls. Living on your own is the GREATEST feeling in the world. Sure, at times you may miss your family, but let me tell you, its great to get away from them after 18 years. You no longer have to follow your parent’s guidelines. It is however, important that you set your own guidelines. probably a goot 25% of incoming freshmen drop out first semester, maybe more. So its important that you devote yourself to your school work and study time. Don’t be afraid to have fun though. I got a 3.1 gpa first semester…i would’ve liked a little better…but I had the time of my life. If you do or don’t drink alcohol, its time that you make the decision whether you are going to in college or not…because you won’t be able to get away from it. So…with all that said, you’ll have fun at any college you go to, don’t worry about, and remember to set your own guidelines.
Oh yea, i forgot to say where i go. I’m a business administration major as SUNY Oswego…in New York. We had a huge Christmas break…Dec 15th-Jan 24th! I can’t wait to go back…i was ready to go back the first week of break actually.
I have been looking at some colleges, I’m not sure, but I think there is a different degree program you can go through to be a game designer versus Computer Animator for movies and such. But they do overlap quite a bit.
I suggest you kids start using your forum posts as practice exercises for improving your writing skills. Many colleges still have a written element or essay section as part of the application process, and things like proper grammar, syntax, and spelling do matter.
Good luck to you all! College can be a fantastic learning experience if you want it to be.
I’m looking more at game design, it interests me more…plus I’ve always dreamed of going to an E3 and saying I’m in the business.
Me and my friend were talking about this one day. I mentioned how I’m considering game design as a career, and we both realized that as kids, a lot of people were all “I wanna make video games! That’d be soo cool!” But few people actually continue pursuing it. I was the other way around; for the longest time I wanted to practice psychology, but after taking a psych class, I’ve changed to game design.
I really think I would enjoy it…it’s just choosing the right college that’s gonna be a pain, cause there’s soo many that’d be great (and I don’t really want to go to a trade school).
I would have stayed in college forever, it even started to pay pretty well, but I ended up with a terminal degree…
My advice on applications is to get your parents AND some of your teachers to look over your application materials, especially the essays.
Also show that you are well rounded. Often colleges will look at an all A HS student and think “geek!” If you show that you do things like ride a unicycle, work for charity, were in the school play, or school politics, etc., they will see that you are well rounded. Being well rounded is actually important for a successful college education.
Also: remember to be as perfect as possible, but when you catch a few typos the day after you submit your application, it’s not the end of the world. If there is substance, the application will shine above the rest.
I always put commas in the wrong places and forget when and when not to hyphenate. Never stopped me, so aim high!
Well, be prepared for long working hours if you want to get into game design.
My current job’s scope is roughly the same as that of a game designer (although that’s not my title) and from what I’ve seen around me, the good thing is that this is possibly the best position you can be in if you want to make games. Programmers have the worst lot of them all.
The reason why most people don’t end up pursuing a career in gaming is probably because the industry is very competitive and many don’t end up in their dream job despite their being in a game company. You can expect to start off working in the lower rungs as game tester or some random admin or sales position with a meagre wage (or at least less than what your peers are getting) and hope that one day, your talents will be noticed and someone will promote you to a better position. It’s sad but realistic.
If you’re so inclined to getting in the industry, perhaps a good way to get a headstart would be to start accumulating a portfolio of related works - be it a game concept, art, story, whatever your strongest suit is. Make it impressive and enter as much (easy to win) competitions as possible so you’ve things to show for in your resume.
Also, if you’re considering a course, you might want to consider other vaguely relevent courses instead of something so specific as game design or game animation. Most employers prefer a team with a more diverse academic background. For instance, if you’re looking at a firm which makes war games, a history major would make a better candidate than a generic game design major.
I’ve considered that, yeah. It’s one of the reasons I’m getting well-rounded ahead of time with the rigorous(understatement) IB program.
I’m not even completely sure I want to do game design yet…but some sort of modeling/animation, maybe for advertising. My communication graphics teacher did stuff like that as a freelance artist and he made a good deal of cash…before he became a teacher for whatever insane reason.
i can’t wait to go!
