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| Bright |
I'm sitting in class now, 5 months into my "education" at full sail, imagining ways of putting my fragmented college life back together. In my opinion, Full Sail is not for anyone that truly takes film studies seriously. Much of this rant can only discuss the Film degree, as it is the degree I am in. The students here try to impress others with their "knowledge" of film, while completely ignoring many literary and storytelling aspects of the art, rejecting to create a picture that utilizes all of the visual elements in order to convey a point.
The school prides itself in having a body of students that "know what they want to do", but based on my personal experience, it's quite frankly the opposite. There are people here who really want to take full advantage of their education--and it will work out for them. You get what you put into it. However, these people are a minority, and that doesn't work out for me since I like to bounce ideas off of people. Most of the kids here don't really know why they're going into film. They'll probably tell you "I like movies!"
I'd like to see where all of the money goes to, because most of the classrooms are nasty, and the chairs break all of the time. Some of the classrooms are awesome and comfortable, but we're only in these rooms every now and then. My guess is that a lot more of the money goes into Full Sail's public image than into things that matter, such as campus (Full Sail has no campus) or buildings (I'm sitting in a shopping center right now). As far as equipment, Full Sail is awesome. However, I don't see what the big deal is about all of that. What's the point in having millions of dollars worth of lights if you don't have a collaborative crew with the right leader and a good story to light?
The vibe I get from the pupils attending this school is sometimes that they unintentionally frown upon knowledge. There are definitely kids who are smart, but they're not appreciated like in Universities.
Many students struggled through the math course, which was nothing like I'd ever seen since 7th grade. I graduated high school with a 3.3 GPA, and was mostly just an average student. In Full Sail College Mathematics, my absent-minded, scatterbrained teacher often forgot why she did problems a certain way and made minor mistakes. I drooled on my desk while I slumbered through most of the lectures, and finished off the class with an A. I even took a friend's exam for him after finishing my own, and walked out of the classroom filled with still-unfinished tests.
Keep in mind that the degree is a bachelor of science, meaning you know how to work the equipment. It means nothing more than that, and from what I hear it's not a very respected degree in Hollywood, although Tarentino or Jackson never went to film school anyway. For the other degrees such as the programming ones, it does seem like you can take full advantage of the fast-paced education. However, I highly recommend avoiding this school for Film.
Half of our textbooks are published by Full Sail itself, and are filled from cover to cover with misspellings, bad grammar, inconsistencies, and formatting errors. This doesn't say much for Full Sail either...
There is no class unity. With no unified housing, you don't make friends as rapidly as in college, and it takes more effort to do so. The location of the school doesn't help either, there isn't too much to do around this poor tourist area, unless you want to go waste money you don't have on Disney. UCF is just 6 miles down the road, and luckily I have a friend there so I can hang out with the UCF students. For the most part though, Full Sail kids are always trying to hook up with the UCF chicks and party with them, but we are generally seen as nerdy and pesky.
One of the math problems on the powerpoint was:
6 + 3 = 9
And that's all I have to say. I hope I don't come off arrogantly but I really think this school should be avoided not only for the more intelligent peoples' sake, but for the school's sake as well. Realize that you really get what you put into this school, so if you take it seriously enough, you'll benefit. I personally cannot benefit because I prefer to be surrounded by people as motivated, as careful, and as detailed as I am. If you're not motivated enough to still try ten times harder, even though you're getting A's, then you might want to take it slowly at a 4 year university.
I'm dropping out, going back home, getting a job until the 2008-09 school year, where I'll probably go to either NYU, Chapman, or UCF. Please email me with any questions at all, I would love to answer anything. | Useful Schoolwork: A, Scholastic Success: F |  | | |
| | Nov 25 2008 | 1st Year Male --
Class 2010 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Quite Bright | Seriously --- know your financial limitations before enrolling. This is like the Maserati Quattroporte of Film Schools --- expensive, fast, and able to get you where you need to be in less time. That bit of silliness aside, it's a terrific place that has helped me to become the working professional I am today. Not recommended for the casually interested, as coursework is dense as well as heavy and I don't recommend it for everyone --- it was particularly challenging to some of my younger classmates. Creativity takes a back seat to pounding the applicable technology into your skull --- which is how it should be. | Education Quality: A+, Innovation: B | | | |
| | Oct 22 2008 | 1st Year Male --
Class 1996 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Quite Bright | I graduated from the Film AS program in 2004 and from the Entertainment Business program in 2005. I went to the school because I needed an excellerated degree program, so that I could advance myself. Although, I needed to take out student loans to support my tuition and living expenses. Total financed = $130,000. My monthly payback amount is $1200.00. What is even worse, is that I am about to default and this is going to place liens on both my mothers and fathers homes. My parents both are blue collar employees and not one of us are in the position to afford the amount due. What I can say is, I liked the school personally, but was it worth it? No it was not. I can say that, each time I signed on my students - submitted the paperwork, the student services rep, simply accepted the forms and simply had me sign a sheet of paper indicating, you have to pay this back, but DID NOT provide a full counseling session, on repayment options, terms, and future possibilities. The school was fun, but not Reality. They do not provide a Real Life Education. I wish they would have provided what was actually needed. | | | | |
| | Oct 18 2008 | 4th Year Female --
Class 2012 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Quite Bright |
I'm a female, I graduated from Full Sail in August of 2003 in the (former) Digital Media program, now referred to as Digital Arts & Design. I am only going to speak to that program.
Look, it's pretty simple. You're either already an intelligent person who has passion and a fighting desire to succeed or you're not.
The people who succeed in Full Sail's program are the former. The people who fail don't understand how to find and keep decent jobs - whether they moved to the wrong market, their skills are mediocre, they lack a certain type of personality, or they have trouble with their speaking and presentation skills.
When I got out of school, I learned how to market myself (partially thanks to my degree, partially thanks to common sense.)
I went after ad agencies and interactive firms. I made an excel spreadsheet with their phone numbers, addresses, and contact information. I called and asked for interviews, even if they weren't hiring.
I've taken every opportunity to hone my craft and improve my skill. I read design blogs, post my work on portfolio sites like coroflot, network at every turn, and I really enjoy what I do.
I'm not trying to sounds arrogant, but I'm a good designer. I have a good visual sense to begin with, before I ever started Full Sail. I saw many of my fellow classmates really struggle with design - my key gripe with Full Sail is that there was no admission process. Anyone with a dream can sign up for a price, which means, people with little to no talent can get a degree in any subject matter.
That's a problem. That means a lot of graduates try and find jobs with a poor-looking portfolio. Guess what? They're not going to get hired, and they're going to blame it on Full Sail. This is going to dishearten a lot of students after graduation, and it's very serious reason the school cannot break its often clouded reputation.
The contacts from my class that I have kept have gone on to become exceptional web developers, designers, and multimedia producers. I know a lot of them are "multiple" threats - music producers, motion graphics editors, JavaScript gurus, etc.
My advice for those interested in the Digital Arts and Design program? Take a couple visual arts courses at your local community college. Ask the instructors if they see potential in your work, and ask them for the straight answer. There's a reason Simon Cowell on American Idol gets so much attention - he tells the truth. If you find yourself hearing that you're work isn't amazing, I suggest you find yourself another career path.
It takes a lot to be a great designer today - you have to have a deep understanding of not only design, but good typographic principles, a number of different software applications, advertising mediums, marketing techniques, and a fervent desire to constantly keep learning and improving. Being a good Digital Designer is about loving what you do first, but being damn good at it second. Marketing and branding are as much about it as what color scheme you pick from Kuler.
Bottom line, FS is what you put into it. Reap what you sow. Take advantage of extra-curricular activities and clubs. All of them. Soak it all in. Stay up all night perfecting your project instead of hitting the bong with your roomies. Nitpick your work and get second and third opinions. Ask questions after class, every day. Yes, I'm telling you to annoy the crap out of your instructors.
I will never forget that amazing feeling after I'd completed a project and showed it to my class, and they would give me really positive feedback. That "glow" is still something I strive for today, but instead of pleasing my teachers, I'm pleasing my boss and my clients.
If you love the digital world, technology, and art alike - I highly recommend FS. Buckle your seatbelt. You're in for an amazing ride. | Faculty Accessibility: A+, Surrounding City: C | | | |
| | Oct 16 2008 | 2nd Year Female --
Class 2012 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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