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I have the opportunity to attend RIT or AAU

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I have the opportunity to attend RIT or AAU

Hi, I don´t know if this kind of questions can be made here, excuse me if not.

I had thought that I was going to México or Argentina to study Animation but now I know that I will go to the United States. I have the opportunity to attend Rochester Institute of Art and Technology, New York or Academy of Art University, San Francisco. I would like to have your opinions about those universities, their departments and/or their programs. Maybe, someone here is graduated from one of those universities and may give me information that goes beyond the one I can read in the universities´web pages.

Thank you in advance.

Don't go to AAU. I don't know about the other one.

Don't go to AAU. I don't know about the other one.

Sez who? Who are you ?

Why ?

(full disclosure : I teach for AAU , so I'm just curious what you're reasons are for saying "Don't go to AAU" . That could be a legit statement, but why ? )

Sez who? Who are you ?

Why ?

(full disclosure : I teach for AAU , so I'm just curious what you're reasons are for saying "Don't go to AAU" . That could be a legit statement, but why ? )

I meant don't go to AAU, with a car, cause you're in San Francisco and don't need a car. AAU: Why put off tomorrow what you can create today.

Claudiva--

You best options are to contact the schools you are interested in and ask to consult with their alumni--namely those students that have graduated and ( hopefully) are working in the craft/trades they have schooled in.
This is part of the function/purpose of alumni, and any reputable school should not have a problem with you contacting them.
You could ask folks here..........but really......you'll get responses that can be all across the board, which will be of little use to you.
Contacting the alumni will get you a unbiased opinion of the school and probably a better assessment of where you can best spend your money and time.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

Open admissions, primarily.

And?......

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

And?......

Oh I see they're an advertiser. Sorry. AAU is great.

Oh I see they're an advertiser. Sorry. AAU is great.

Well, you are on the record here , and in other threads ( I just checked) sounding critical of AAU, so you might as well come clean as to why.

Heck, you outright say "there's only one school in all of North America" worth attending--so yea, you've got a curious audience.
What's the point of expressing disdain if you lack the stones to actually say why?
At the very least, you might a legit grievance could be aired that may possibly be of value to someone--perhaps its something that could even be corrected.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

If you'd rather contact me privately:

David Nethery
Online Coordinator of 2D Animation
Academy of Art University
dnethery@academyart.edu

I sent you a private message on this forum.

Well, you are on the record here , and in other threads ( I just checked) sounding critical of AAU, so you might as well come clean as to why.

Heck, you outright say "there's only one school in all of North America" worth attending--so yea, you've got a curious audience.
What's the point of expressing disdain if you lack the stones to actually say why?
At the very least, you might a legit grievance could be aired that may possibly be of value to someone--perhaps its something that could even be corrected.

I took their tour and did a lot of research for a long time and besides open admissions which was enough to worry me, the word on the city streets is consistently that the current owners are in the real estate business, the business of renting out their San Francisco dorm rooms, more than an educational institution. I spent over a year trying to find that this was somehow a school that was worth going to because I was really intent to go to a school in my own state, but I never could find any affirmation of its worth. Only the opposite. The killer was when a person who's firm had a touted connection to AAU, told me it wasn't a good school, said not to go there.

So it seems absurd to come from another country just to go to AAU, which seems more tailored to accept as many rich kids or mislead people as can pay for the first semester, to go from class to class in their ridiculous distributed campus, which means you probably want to make use of the AAU shuttles, which almost makes it essential that you get an AAU official dorm since they're in the shuttle routes.

Why go through all of this? I wouldn't.

Aah, but here's the question that begs answering:
Do AAU graduates find placement in industry positions they trained for, and how many do so?
That is really the measure of a school; the quality of its instruction........not so much its business dealings. This is why consulting the alumni is the wisest course to take.

Pretty much all schools ream students with costs---in North America it is a virtual given that post-secondary education is expensive. So much so that, unless you are rich and can pay out of pocket, you WILL go into debt seeking a post-secondary degree or diploma.
Nevertheless, you've got your reasons for your criticisms and you've stated some--that is what was asked.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

i was at RIT. they are cutting edge school in terms of technology and their schedule is punishing as is the weather. but you will be a better person for having been there.

The campus is getting better and better all the time and they have invested a lot in the college. Besides they are very young and forward moving...

i dont know enough about AAU.

Well, I think that I should have begun saying something about me. I am from Central America and I am not planning to live in United States more time than the required, then I am not interested about future work opportunity.

Ken: Thank you for your advice, which is a good idea. I will follow it.

Claudiva I would ask you : what do you want to learn about animation ? When you say you will "study Animation", that is a very broad topic. What is your goal for working in animation after you graduate ? Independent film maker ? Studio animator ? CG or Traditional hand-drawn animation ?

RIT might be better for you than AAU or vice versa, based on your goals.

The safe guess is that there's probably a good couple dozen very good schools for animation in North America, and probably the same amount more that are just "merely good".
But what a student will get out of any of them, depends on what their goals are.
When we are talking animation these days, were are really talking about 4 different mediums: 2D-traditional, 3D, Gaming animation, and experimental animation.

I am artist but I know nothing about Animation; my B.A is in a field not related to Animation. I am educator and I am planning to educate through Animation, how? I would like to create mini documentary films about social issues such as “Whitewash” by Michael Sporn (you must know who is he). I need a program focused in storytelling and animation production. It must lead me to develop advanced skills in animation and to acquire proficiency to create and develop my own visual stories. It must include a wide range of animation techniques, from hand-drawn character animation to interactive digital animation. I need a program centered in the development of artistic and technical skills for animators (since I am artist and the projects I want to develop are focused on storytelling) NOT in computer sciences or in graphic design. In summary, I want to be able to create and produce animated films.

Since my B.A is in a field not related to animation and I know nothing about animation, I chose 2D Animation program instead of 3D. I want to make 2D as well as 3D animations but I suppose that if I don´t know anything about animation, I must start from the beginning (2D Animation program) and then I should learn how to use the programs in order to make 3D animations. I think that if I choose 3D Animation program I will not be able to make 2D animations as good as if I were choose 2D Animation program. Am I right? In my country the career doesn´t exist but in a couple of months an institution will be teaching the use of MAYA and 3D MAX. I think that is worthier for me begin with traditional animation and the use of programs may come later, I am not sure about this and I will appreciate your opinions.

Some time ago, I had been seeking universities before I chose RIT, AAU and UCLA. Why I chose those? Because I fulfill their entrance requirements and their programs fulfill my necessities (at least as far as I can evaluate from what I read). I spent about six months seeking universities where I should fulfill their requirements and that their programs fulfill my necessities (a program that should lead from the principles of animation to production of animated films). Not a lot of universities match these two characteristics. Finally, I found three universities and/or programs: UCLA, RIT and AAU. This year I applied and was admitted in UCLA and RIT; I didn´t attend this year because I hadn´t the funds by the time I must to. I didn´t apply to AAU because of the cost of application fee but I have been in contact with them since a couple of years.

Different schools offer different programmes [...] some are better at some things than others.
Some of those strengths depend upon what the schools stress in terms of their curriculum, and some have built very good reputations for certain kinds of programmes.

I am more interested in the program and the quality of the teaching than anything else.

Animated Ape: Since you are graduated from AAU, I appreciated very much your opinion; I don´t mean that I don´t appreciate Toolk9´s. Something that you say is very useful for me. Since you graduated in 99, do you think the school is the same, their teachers, their programs? Definitely, everything changes but sometimes ideas, principles, lines of teaching (I´m not sure if the latter make sense in English) remains.

So could I have learned more? Of course. Could I have picked a worse school? Most definitely! There are good things and bad things about every school. The best thing you can do is find and maximize the good things and minimize the bad.

I can’t comment on RIT as I didn’t go there and don’t know anyone first hand who has.

I hope this helps Claudiva.

Sure, it is very helpful and you are definitely right, thank you.

Skinnylizard: Can you tell me more about RIT´s program? Which program are you graduated from, in which year?

:confused: :rolleyes:

The AAU is most likely run the same as when I was there. Several friends and co-workers that graduated after me have said the 3D animation department has really grown and gotten even better. They incorperated a PIXAR class taught by animators from the studio.

Also when I was graduating the traditional animation department was being revamped with a lot more classes being added.

No matter which school you choose, I'd recomend following my advice and talk to the seasoned students and take the classes with the teachers they recommend. You will get the most out of your schooling that way.

Aloha,
the Ape

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

Several friends and co-workers that graduated after me have said the 3D animation department has really grown and gotten even better.

[B]They incorporated a PIXAR class taught by animators from the studio.
[/B]
Also when I was graduating the traditional animation department was being revamped with a lot more classes being added.

Just an FYI for anyone who might be considering attending AAU because of "the Pixar classes" ---

http://splinedoctors.com/2008/12/academy-of-art-and-the-pixar-classes/

This discussion on the Spline Doctor's blog mentions that the Pixar classes are (temporarily?) no more.

I teach exclusively in the Online dept. (traditional hand-drawn animation) , so I don't know the circumstances behind the demise of the Pixar classes on-campus beyond what I read on the Spline Doctor's blog.

------

(beware :o : a "sales pitch" coming up . Sorry, if this seems like I'm being too promotional, but I'm excited about these classes and frankly, hardly anyone knows about them, so I'm trying to get the word out. )

I will say for anyone interested in learning hand-drawn or stop-motion we have several new classes
now being offered through AAU Online which can be taken as a part of a formal degree or as Continuing Education for personal development. See this thread in the Educator's Forum :

New classes available from AAU Online

Heck, you outright say "there's only one school in all of North America" worth attending--so yea, you've got a curious audience.

What's the point of expressing disdain if you lack the stones to actually say why?

Yes, and I'd like to hear what is the "only school in all of North America" worth attending , too. And why is it the only school in North America worth attending and says who , based on what experience ?

I sent you a private message on this forum.

Toolk9, thanks for your PM. But as I PM'd you back I thought your follow up was as cryptic as the first. I still didn't read anything substantial that you thought could be improved about the school. I can't do anything to improve on "my buddy who works in Emeryville (wink-wink) told me not to go there" . I need something specific .

Oh I see they're an advertiser. Sorry. AAU is great.

Oh, please ... don't be coy. Like you think if you post your criticism of AAU here that the school is going to stalk off in a huff and cancel their advertising with AWN ?

So really,pal, what's your beef ? I'm listening. I'd really like to hear what you think we could do to improve the program.

Are you a graduate of AAU or did you ever attend there ?

If you'd rather contact me privately:

David Nethery
Online Coordinator of 2D Animation
Academy of Art University
dnethery@academyart.edu

Hi, I don´t know if this kind of questions can be made here, excuse me if not.

I had thought that I was going to México or Argentina to study Animation but now I know that I will go to the United States. I have the opportunity to attend Rochester Institute of Art and Technology, New York or Academy of Art University, San Francisco. I would like to have your opinions about those universities, their departments and/or their programs. Maybe, someone here is graduated from one of those universities and may give me information that goes beyond the one I can read in the universities´web pages.

Thank you in advance.

To get back on topic :

Claudiva I would ask you : what do you want to learn about animation ? When you say you will "study Animation", that is a very broad topic. What is your goal for working in animation after you graduate ? Independent film maker ? Studio animator ? CG or Traditional hand-drawn animation ?

RIT might be better for you than AAU or vice versa, based on your goals.

Ken Davis gave you good advice : contact alumni of both schools. See what their experience was . Ask where they are working now .

David and I are in agreement on a lot of things on topics like this.

The safe guess is that there's probably a good couple dozen very good schools for animation in North America, and probably the same amount more that are just "merely good".
But what a student will get out of any of them, depends on what their goals are.
When we are talking animation these days, were are really talking about 4 different mediums: 2D-traditional, 3D, Gaming animation, and experimental animation.
Different schools offer different programmes that address some of all of these to varying levels of quality--and some are better at some things than others.
Some of those strengths depend upon what the schools stress in terms of their curriculum, and some have built very good reputations for certain kinds of programmes.
Some schools get "bad reps" for certain reasons, but in certain respects there's actually nothing wrong with them as far as educating students go.

This is why one needs to cut through all the potential bias and opinions,and consult the alumni because they are the ones that have undergone the programmes and, hopefully, gone out into the world and used what they trained for.

"We all grow older, we do not have to grow up"--Archie Goodwin ( 1937-1998)

The purpose of these forums is for people with knowledge to pass that knowledge on to others. That’s why we ask Tool. Saying something is bad with out saying why, doesn't help anybody. Like wise, saying something is good without explanation doesn’t help either.

I graduated from the Academy of Art University in ’99. I graduated in Illustration/Animation and have been working as a professional animator ever since. Recently I’ve animated at a studio on several shows aired on Cartoon Network with seven of my fellow AAU Alumni. Other alumni that I actually know from my class, or there abouts, worked at PIXAR, ILM, his drawings are all over the Art of Episode 3 book, also several have penciled on several comic titles.

What would I have done different at school? A lot. I had to take several classes with sub-par teachers because it fit my schedule to graduate in four years. So what I suggest is, from day one, get to know the older students who are putting out really good work. Ask them which are the best teachers and take those classes with THOSE teachers. Also often the teachers who are called “hard asses” are the best teachers to take. They won’t let you slide and you’ll learn the most from. You may have to take an extra year, but it will be well worth it.

The buildings the school owns are spread through the city but most are centered in the downtown financial district. Most are within walking distance from each other. Plus San Francisco is a beautiful city and it’s nice to experience it instead of only staying on a central campus. Plus as an artist, there are tons of interesting people to draw and observe.

I would say that AAU is less of an “art school” and more of a trade school. At least in the animation department. The classes are geared more towards teaching you what you need to get a job in the industry. If that’s a bad thing, then don’t go. Does every one who graduates go into the industry? Of course not. Some people just don’t have the drive. Others go into different fields. Some go the corporate/management route.

So could I have learned more? Of course. Could I have picked a worse school? Most definitely! There are good things and bad things about every school. The best thing you can do is find and maximize the good things and minimize the bad.

I can’t comment on RIT as I didn’t go there and don’t know anyone first hand who has.

I hope this helps Claudiva.

Aloha,
the Ape

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

Thank you all, folks. I can`t reply you at this moment but I will do it soon.