Full Sail University

Date: Oct 07 2011
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I'm always blown away by people who have never even set foot in Full Sail and know nothing about the school, but choose to make recommendations about it anyway. In any case, here is a cut-and-paste of a review I wrote on Full Sail.

I?ve gone to college in the past, and as part of a career-change, I?m currently enrolled in the Game Dev BS program. I?m also concurrently attending public university (Computer Programming AS transfer to Computer Science BS). I feel I have enough exposure to both traditional public college and Full Sail University to write a brief objective analysis between the two. This has been my experience so far.

ACCREDITATION

I hear a lot of silly claims that Full Sail isn?t accredited. This is not true. Most public universities are regionally accredited by one of several regional accreditation agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education. Full Sail is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, which is also recognized by the Department of Education, and which you can learn more it about by visiting the Department of Education government website. All this means is the criteria for transferring credits into or out of Full Sail differs slightly from the criteria for transferring credits between two regionally accredited schools. You would face the same issues in transferring credits from a school accredited by one regional accreditation agency (such as the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges) to a school accredited by a different regional accreditation agency (such as the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges). To say that Full Sail is not accredited is, quite frankly, a lie. As far as employers go, it makes no difference what accreditation your school has, so long as it is officially recognized by the Department of Education. To drive my point home, my regionally accredited university has had no problem accepting transfer credits for courses I?ve completed at Full Sail, so the whole case against Full Sail?s accreditation is moot.

ADMINISTRATION

Full Sail?s administrative offices are my biggest complaint, as the various departments tend to have trouble communicating and coordinating with each other. It took several weeks for them to figure out my VA benefits, FAFSA eligibility, billing, transfer credit, etc. However, once all that was done, it was smooth sailing thereafter.

INSTRUCTORS & CURRICULUM

The teaching staff has been great. Every instructor I?ve had has been knowledgeable, experienced, available, and easy to learn from. The material is also great. Very little time is wasted on irrelevant general ed courses, leaving only those which actually benefit you in the field (Composition, Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, etc.), and the rest is all core training.

COMPARISON: PUBLIC UNIVERSITY

As previously mentioned, I?m attending Full Sail and a nearby public university at the same time, currently maintaining a 4.0 gpa at both, and doing this has made me realize just how much I love Full Sail. Education at a traditional public university feels so slow, dumbed-down, and dull. Doing 6 classes at a time, none of which are zeroed in enough, and having those same classes for 3-4 months straight tends to leave me scattered, unfocused, and bored. A year of college left me feeling like I had the same level of expertise as I did before I started. Then public school has the added stressors of hoping the class you need next is scheduled to run next semester, hoping you can register for it in time before it fills, figuring out which book (the one on the website or the one in the syllabus) is the right one for your class, finding and buying that book before class starts, and often having to attend different campuses all over town to get the class you need. Half the time the instructors have very little involvement with the class and are only at the school for their own research projects, are inaccessible, and have poor teaching practices as reflected in their ratings. Tutors sometimes cost money too. Parking decals run about $80 a term. There are some student success programs, but I?ve never seen much recruiting done on campus at any of the public colleges I?ve attended. A 2-3 hour class drags on painfully as I check the clock every 2 minutes.

COMPARISON: FULL SAIL

By contrast, at Full Sail I focus on one or two classes at a time, delve deep into the subject, and learn so much more in a single 1-month class than I learn in six 4-month classes at public school. I mean that literally. My first 1-month long programming class taught me more than I?d learned in a year of programming in public school. My scheduling is done automatically, my books are issued to me before each new class, and all my core classes are in one building. Brand new books are issued for free (covered by your tuition), laptops with the appropriate software pre-installed are issued (covered by your fees), tutors are available for free, and classes failed can be retaken for free. Even classes passed can be retaken for free. You?re (usually) free to sit in on any class in the program if you have the free time and desire to do so. All of my instructors so far have been great, and all of my instructors for my next few classes have high ratings. Parking is free. I?ve personally witnessed representatives from AMD, ATI, Google, and EA recruiting on-campus. An 8-hour class blasts by in the blink of an eye, sometimes before I?m even ready to leave.

PERSONAL PREFERENCE

As a veteran, my education benefits would pay for me to attend any public school I want 100% free. To attend Full Sail, however, I have to spend several thousands out of pocket, because the VA pays private schools much less. I chose Full Sail anyway, and I couldn?t be happier with that choice.

On a final note, I do want to stress what others have said, that if you don?t really know what your passion is, and you don?t have a strong work ethic, then Full Sail will be too fast, focused, and demanding for you.