:wavey:
I’m an Ai student from two different Ai’s (started in one, finished at another) so this would probably be the best place for me to give my 2c on the subject.
The Art Institutes is VERY much a “get out what you put in” school. The first several semesters (possibly quarters since I believe they’re all that way now) will drag on because it’s all fundamental based but they’re SO necessary for what we do as artists so take them in stride; hell I still retain knowledge of the major muscle groups even though I never draw human forms anymore (which is my own short-coming). Once you hit 3D Modelling is where things start to get rolling, and FAST.
However, since you do 4 quarters per year, and most classes have you do a different assignment every week, unless you’re unemployed and don’t work at all - most of the stuff you make will be shitty. I’ve got an alright portfolio (some of which is uploaded onto here) but a majority of it I look at and go “God, I wish I had less assignments and more time to work on these.” Employers understand that there are certain obligations students have between school, work, family, etc, but it still doesn’t really help the fact that there is going to be other artists who have those same obligations and probably smoke the work we’ve done.
If you’re doing concept work, I’d say look elsewhere. Ai has a very specific core set of classes for the Game Art & Design major, and the concept phase is the beginning and never really touched upon later in the road. Basically the pipeline is this after you do your Digital Painting class:
3D Modelling -> Level Design -> 3D Animation -> Materials and Lighting -> Rigging and Character Modelling -> Hard Surface and Organic Modelling -> ZBrush and Advanced Sculpting -> Advanced 3D -> Programming -> Prototyping -> Adv. Prototyping -> Game Production
In your case if you haven’t done any General Ed. classes you’d probably do 2 of those at a time, possibly 3 at a time if you do a full 4-class quarter but that doesn’t leave much time for anything else.
Ai is pricey for what it is, but I haven’t seen another school offer a diversity of classes like that for the gaming field, and some of the professors I’ve had/have are amazing at what they do and know. A lot (basically ALL) say it’s a “for profit” college, to which I roll my eyes because every school I know of is for profit. No school isn’t in the business to not make money. Is tuition higher than most, yes, but again, the diversity of classes is what drew me in and kept me there since you don’t get stuff like Zbrush from other 3/4-year schools.
If you’re doing concept art, shop around, if you’re looking for an overall education in the field, still shop around and see what’s similar at potentially a lower price point; since I’m scared shitless for when I get out and need to enter the “real world” and deal with the debt
