Academy for Element Acupuncture

Date: Apr 26 2013
Major: Art & Design Department (This Major's Salary over time)
So I just finished my first year here at Ringling as a Game Art major. Let me say, what a ride. Definitely one of the most difficult and most rewarding times of my life so far. :) Before coming to this school, I talked to a lot of students about what the workload was like. I can't tell you enough that when the students said it was going to be difficult, they were not kidding.

In these next sections, I may sound a little bit harsh. Critiques do that to you. I'm not undermining anything that I say here though. Might as well have an honest opinion.

I'm going to say this first off. If you want a party school with easy art projects and want to go out and party all the time, THIS SCHOOL IS NOT FOR YOU.

If you are not willing to push yourself, lack a strong work ethic, and aren't willing to mature up and do things by yourself for YOUR future career, THIS SCHOOL IS NOT FOR YOU.

If you want a school to baby you the knowledge, and tell you everything will always be peachy when you get out into the real world, THIS SCHOOL IS NOT FOR YOU.

The art business is not an easy one, and every employer is looking for the best talent…so why not push yourself to try to be that "best" talent.

if you are interested in either Computer Animation or Game art, be prepared to being required to get a minimum C- in each class you take, or else you cannot move on in your major. It's a tough world.

If you are interested in being in either Computer Animation, Game art, or Illustration, you all take the same classes the first semester, so it's going to be tough competition.

If you're looking to be a Game Art major and love playing your video games allllll the time…it's not going to happen here. Or less, you shouldn't CHOOSE to play them all the time here. Spend that extra time to push on your projects. Most of my fellow GA's that play games alllll the time, lack in their work that they present and don't seem to improve much.

The curriculum for CA & GA are ruthless at times. Be prepared to work your butt off,

**but I promise if you work hard enough, your much improved work will be your reward. -If you are looking to be a Computer animation, game art, or illustration major. know this…you are allowed only ONE ABSENCE per class..yes…only ONE. If you miss more, you drop half a letter grade. no warnings here. Don't play hooky. Spend it for when you're deathly sick.

Yes, students will drop out like flies. This school's not for everyone. Due to the school's difficult first year, some students just can't handle the work schedule.

Though this may be a sensitive thought to some: The people in your major are your friends, yes. We help each other all the time, critique each other, sometimes even work with each other. But keep in mind…we are all each other's competition. When it comes to the grit and grind, you will be competing against these people for real jobs.

This school has designed it's curriculum based on the work ethic of it's students. During the first year, the teachers will critique their worst towards you. You will be torn down to the ground for a period of time, and then you will be built back up. This is simply just how it goes, but this is also why you will improve. I can't believe how much I have improved from one semester here, and now a whole year. Frankly, this was not easy at all. I average on about 4 hours of sleep a night, spending roughly about 6hrs minimum on a project. But quite quickly I started to notice drastic improvements in my work, especially figure drawing. I found myself ecstatic whenever I got some compliments out of my teachers, and it usually made my entire day.

The teachers here really know what they're talking about. Some will be more friendly than others, but they do generally care for their students. I've had a good connection with one professor, and there was a time when I had an awful 2 week fever (for unknown reasons), and that professor cared enough to send health service to give me care, as well as sparing some of my due dates for my projects. Many of the teachers will use some of their free time to meet with you outside of class for extra help as well. They all want you to succeed.

The campus is small. Ranging around 1300 students total. This gives you the chance to get to know everybody, and everybody is so friendly, despite you barely knowing some of them. We all connect with each other because of art, and it makes it a comfortable social environment.

Honestly, the school parties here are kinda lame, but they're still fun to just hang around for a bit and have an excuse to get dressed up out of your "i'm soooo exhausted" outfit. There are a TON of special lectures from people in the industry, and you should take advantage of all the ones you are interested in. I got to shake the hand of the lead lion king animator. -squeal- Most of the activities revolve around art. This school tries to give you as many opportunities as possible to improve yourself and expose yourself to all types of art, whether they're in your field or not. Again, take advantage of these. Like I said before, this is not a party school. We pay a LOT of money to be here, might as well make it worth it. If these artsy things don't fancy you, there's always the wonderful Siesta key beach nearby, about a 15 minute drive away. There's a movie theatre a short drive away. If you're more of the exciting night person, then Ybor city (about an hour away drive) is loaded with some really good clubs. Do that with a free weekend. It's a lot of fun.

For parents (and students)-

The food is…not that good, honestly, especially at the main cafeteria, Hammonds. My body has gotten sick many times from Hammonds, and one time I got food poisoning for a whole week…Not to mention that the quality of food lacks most of the time. Sometimes out of the blue they have something pretty descent. Brickman cafe has some tasty sandwiches and soups though.

The school is, unfortunately in the middle of a bad area. Stay away from MLK! especially at night…never go out alone at night. ever. ever. Go with people.

Though it's not completely necessary, it's extremely helpful to have a car on campus, or a bike at least. I have my own car, and it's been SO USEFUL. Groceries, the beach, and art suplies art suplies art suplies. There is a local Publix nearby that can be biked to.

*There is also a bus that runs by all the time. Learn the schedule of the bus. It's not that hard.

The dorms are nice for the most part. I live in the newer Goldstein housing, and it's really nice having common rooms to work in with friends. RA's are helpful, and the dorms are up-kept well, as long as the students don't trash the common rooms with piles of artwork all the time. The timings that we have to leave for vacations is inconvenient though. So after freshman year, you have more options to housing, and there are some off campus nearby houses that you can rent. :)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my first year here and am looking forward to coming back next year :) It is a lot of money, but it's worth every penny. Though this school isn't right for everybody, it's worth a shot.
Any questions? Throw them at me.