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03-06-2006, 08:55 PM
I recently wrote out my personal experiences under this major at a tech school in Arizona (University of Advancing Technology). If you're considering this as a major, perhaps my words will offer you a better overall picture before you get too ahead of yourself.
Keep in mind that I mean no ill against the school and that these are my personal opinions and experiences in Tempe and attending UAT.
So, in the past few weeks, the realization has come to me that I do not enjoy many things out here on the west. I thought I was a desertback, but that seems all the less true. So, let me tell you what's been going on.
Over these past few weeks, I have begun to notice many things which I overlooked when I initially came to UAT seeking to be a game designer:
1. I do not fit in with the community.
Granted, there are some people here who I find to be awesome, though the overall feeling is that I do not believe anyone here can offer me the exact things which I seek. Let's start with the game design majors.
The game design majors here at UAT are nothing short of ridiculous. In the past two semesters, I have seen little to nothing from the lot in the form of enthusiasm, professionalism, socialization, and expression. This is not healthy. May I repeat?
This is not healthy.
Many of them go about their days exclaiming, "I'm pursuing my dream to be a game designer!" Hey you know what, good for you buddy; but what are you doing to get there!?
Playing magic all day in the lounge?
Coming to class without showering for days on end?
Spending five hours on the Smash Bros. Machine every day?
Arguing on the forums about topics which are completely enforced by opinion and lead to no personal gain?
Making no effort to form contacts to advance to the next big step in your life?
In other words, the vast majority of students here do not offer me the college experience I am looking for and nor do they offer me the talents I seek to combine in an attempt to make something truly incredible. I do not want to be around these people; even more so, I do not want to work with these people for the rest of my life. I will take a different approach to my end goals, thank you very much.
2. The atmosphere of Arizona.
Ok, I don't have a car, I live in an apartment where I sleep below a guy that fucks and beats his wife at 3AM, I have no contact with other students (save my roomate who rocks), and I have no place outside of my apartment to be alone. In short, I'm going insane. As an artist, it is very hard for me to step outside my door and realize that there is no place I can go within 10 miles to be alone and find inspiration for my work. I need to be back on the east, surrounded by my familiar sites and the places where I grew up as they are where my inspiration is naturally drawn from. Laying outside in my school's parking lot is not the thing for me.
3. I am not tech savy.
As stated before, I am an artist. What does that exactly mean? It means I have a different thought process than 98% of the tech school. This is not arrogance, this is fact; we think differently and we deal with things differently. I need to be surrounded by a community which understands and emphasizes art over many other human expressions and methods of socialization. The artists here are technical artists; modelers, photoshop experts, 3D animators. I, myself, do not feel enthusiastic directly working in these realms.
4. Family and friends.
If I follow through with this plan, the most likely place I will be attending is the University of the Arts in Philly. This, as opposed to Arizona, is a simple 45 minutes away from my house by car, 30 by train. I will be near my friends and my family, the people who give me the inpiration and support I find most valuable.
5. I don't feel challenged and I feel limited.
I feel that I do not receive enough of the skills for the money I pay to attend this University. The courses are easy, the game design professors seem to care jack shit for the students (or they are completely unfamiliar with people who want to get ahead), and the overall major of "game design" is smoke and mirrors in most respects.
It gets worse!
The current method of organizing all course work and tests online has a very critical system flaw which allows students to cheat on all of their online multiple choice tests for perfect scores. In other words, the current system the school is run under is a goldmine for laziness, stupidity, and contradictions to their own title as a University of "Advancing" Technology.
In conclusion, the school and major have, in most respects, failed to deliver. In addition, the location and community of UAT are not my scene.
In a week, I will be heading back for spring break to spend time with friends and loved ones. During that time, I will be looking into other colleges closer to home that offer a major which allows a much broader choice of fields to work in once completed. During the rest of this semester, I will be preparing myself to change course while continuing to work on the OPI project with the few good men I have found here.
It's going to feel good to be back where I belong and where I feel a larger calling.
I hope this helps some of you with your decisions.
Keep in mind that I mean no ill against the school and that these are my personal opinions and experiences in Tempe and attending UAT.
So, in the past few weeks, the realization has come to me that I do not enjoy many things out here on the west. I thought I was a desertback, but that seems all the less true. So, let me tell you what's been going on.
Over these past few weeks, I have begun to notice many things which I overlooked when I initially came to UAT seeking to be a game designer:
1. I do not fit in with the community.
Granted, there are some people here who I find to be awesome, though the overall feeling is that I do not believe anyone here can offer me the exact things which I seek. Let's start with the game design majors.
The game design majors here at UAT are nothing short of ridiculous. In the past two semesters, I have seen little to nothing from the lot in the form of enthusiasm, professionalism, socialization, and expression. This is not healthy. May I repeat?
This is not healthy.
Many of them go about their days exclaiming, "I'm pursuing my dream to be a game designer!" Hey you know what, good for you buddy; but what are you doing to get there!?
Playing magic all day in the lounge?
Coming to class without showering for days on end?
Spending five hours on the Smash Bros. Machine every day?
Arguing on the forums about topics which are completely enforced by opinion and lead to no personal gain?
Making no effort to form contacts to advance to the next big step in your life?
In other words, the vast majority of students here do not offer me the college experience I am looking for and nor do they offer me the talents I seek to combine in an attempt to make something truly incredible. I do not want to be around these people; even more so, I do not want to work with these people for the rest of my life. I will take a different approach to my end goals, thank you very much.
2. The atmosphere of Arizona.
Ok, I don't have a car, I live in an apartment where I sleep below a guy that fucks and beats his wife at 3AM, I have no contact with other students (save my roomate who rocks), and I have no place outside of my apartment to be alone. In short, I'm going insane. As an artist, it is very hard for me to step outside my door and realize that there is no place I can go within 10 miles to be alone and find inspiration for my work. I need to be back on the east, surrounded by my familiar sites and the places where I grew up as they are where my inspiration is naturally drawn from. Laying outside in my school's parking lot is not the thing for me.
3. I am not tech savy.
As stated before, I am an artist. What does that exactly mean? It means I have a different thought process than 98% of the tech school. This is not arrogance, this is fact; we think differently and we deal with things differently. I need to be surrounded by a community which understands and emphasizes art over many other human expressions and methods of socialization. The artists here are technical artists; modelers, photoshop experts, 3D animators. I, myself, do not feel enthusiastic directly working in these realms.
4. Family and friends.
If I follow through with this plan, the most likely place I will be attending is the University of the Arts in Philly. This, as opposed to Arizona, is a simple 45 minutes away from my house by car, 30 by train. I will be near my friends and my family, the people who give me the inpiration and support I find most valuable.
5. I don't feel challenged and I feel limited.
I feel that I do not receive enough of the skills for the money I pay to attend this University. The courses are easy, the game design professors seem to care jack shit for the students (or they are completely unfamiliar with people who want to get ahead), and the overall major of "game design" is smoke and mirrors in most respects.
It gets worse!
The current method of organizing all course work and tests online has a very critical system flaw which allows students to cheat on all of their online multiple choice tests for perfect scores. In other words, the current system the school is run under is a goldmine for laziness, stupidity, and contradictions to their own title as a University of "Advancing" Technology.
In conclusion, the school and major have, in most respects, failed to deliver. In addition, the location and community of UAT are not my scene.
In a week, I will be heading back for spring break to spend time with friends and loved ones. During that time, I will be looking into other colleges closer to home that offer a major which allows a much broader choice of fields to work in once completed. During the rest of this semester, I will be preparing myself to change course while continuing to work on the OPI project with the few good men I have found here.
It's going to feel good to be back where I belong and where I feel a larger calling.
I hope this helps some of you with your decisions.