is Academy of Arts a good school to go to

#1701

Hi everyone! I know allot of people out there is wondering what school to apply too and thought I would share my early experiences with Academy of Art with you. I have been a student at the academy since august 08. Not allot of time, but enough too get a solid first impression I think.

I’m originally from Oslo, Norway and wanted too study animation, vfx or something else creative abroad and away from Scandinavia. I got accepted at AAU (along with everyone else who applied) and is now on my second semester as a animation and vfx student.

These are the classes I had/should have had first semester:

Introduction to computer graphics - Wave this class if you can. I did. It super basic photoshop and maya knowledge and you will save money and time by playing with a 30 day trial of PS and the learning edition of maya and skipping this class.

Computer Animation Production - Teaches you the basics of Maya (again) and we designed, pitched a story, modeled and animated a character. The final product was a 10 second animation showcasing you character in the story environment.

Analysis of Form - Introduction to charcoal drawing. From cubes and spheres to drapery to human portrait. I learned so much in this class, but I wasn’t even close to knowing how to draw when I started.

Photo Storyboarding / Super 8 - Also a fun class that teaches you the basics of composition, movie making and how a camera works. Everything is done with manual cameras.

This semester I have the following classes:

Figure Modeling - This class is just great. At least I think so. We model whole figures in class in clay and get homeworks like modeling a foot, a ear or an eye.

Figure Drawing - Drawing people is hard! REALLY hard. Allot of fun in this class and I have one of the best teachers I have ever had. You will learn allot about the human body and how to capture it on paper.

Maya 1 Animation and Modeling - In this class we are doing the exact same as I did in Computer Animation Production. Teaching you the basics… AGAIN. Ill come back to this later.

History of Animation - Well. The title says it all. All we do is watch cartoons all day long and discuss them and the creators. Teaching you… ye, you guessed it. The history of animation.

Now that you know about my school life you probably want to hear about my personal life as well? No? alright. Back on topic then. Ill start by saying this, the foundation art classes at AAU are rock solid. At least for a person like me, that started out like a complete pencil tard. I have learned so much from this classes and I’m having so much fun. Another class thats been a really cool experience is the Stop Motion class in the first semester. It teaches you the basics of animation principles which you have to apply to clay, paper, puppet, chalk and found objects animations. You will quickly find out that stop motion is a really time consuming task and require allot of patience and focus. But the reward is awesome!

3D Department

When it comes to the 3d/computer classes, I have a hard time enjoying myself to be honest. Its so slow. First of all you have three classes over three semesters that starts out by teaching you the BASICS and then you end up doing the exact same thing in two of the classes for the rest of the semester. This is weird. If you can, try to wave yourself all the way to the third class (skipping the first two), you wont miss a thing. Its almost like they don’t have enough to teach you over the four years it takes to get the bachelor degree. If you know what I mean. I think having a program like animation mentor, would be a much better way of doing it for animation students, but then you wont get the modeling and rigging experience.

This way is a great way for students that don’t really know what they want to do in a studio, they get to experience it all and maybe they find out that they enjoy rigging more than animating or visa versa. Or a student that want to go into independent film making right after school. Ok, so it has its pros and cons, but for me its been frustrating. I learn allot more by being put into “impossible” projects than doing something “easy”. Even if the first mentioned project comes out like crap, it probably gave me more experience.

Workshops

AAU has allot of free workshops you can go to and get help with your projects. Houdini, ZBrush, Maya, AE etc. But they are most likely colliding with your classes. lol, at least thats been my bad luck so far. But the workshops I have been to is just great. Its an excellent way to get good grades on your homework with the teachers from other classes being there to help you.

[b]Dorms

[/b]The dorms are great for one thing and one thing only. Getting friends. Its truly a great way to meet people and make friends from all departments. But this is the only great thing about it. Everything else is… ungreat? Crap? ye whatever you get the point. But every experience is a good experience right? Now check with others that live in the dorms before you take a decision, some people like it, some people don’t. I now live in an apartment near the golden gate park and its been awesome do far.

[b]Instructors

[/b]I don’t know if Ive just been really lucky with my instructors but they have mostly been great so far. Except for one the first semester that I really didn’t get along with. They are always willing to help and appear very passionate about what they are doing. Sometimes you feel the pain of an instructor when he/she have to follow the syllabus, but they try keep you exited about the projects and explains things until you understand. BUT if you don’t care, they don’t care. You have to be willing to learn and maybe change your ways of doing something if you want to get the most out of it.

Holy sh*t I just pasted all of this into Pages and its almost two pages! Sorry about that. Anyways. I don’t regret going starting at AAU at all, but sometimes I think I could actually learn more about the animation bit by doing my own research. I’m not sure if I’m going to complete all my study years here. Maybe, maybe not. It doesn’t help that the next animation class I’m gonna take in third semester is called INTRODUCTION to animation. :stuck_out_tongue:

Alright people, here you have my first impressions and experiences regarding AAU. Hope its informative and understandable. That would be funny eh, writing a two page post and everyone is like “what the hell is this dude trying to tell us”… Take care!

#1702

Thanks! Awesome! Very informative.

I’m landing in SF august 21, and this just made me less confident in choosing Animation/VFX. Also thinking about CA/NM.

What happened when you waived a class? Did you get to choose another class? What are you going to do if you’re not going to finish at AAU? Don’t you think it will be harder/better the second year?

Anyway, hope to see more posts like this. Thanks again skabear! :slight_smile:

#1703

If you waive a class you go to the next step, or if its no next step you get to choose a different class from the upcoming semester.

Hopefully it will be harder next year, but I’m not sure what that will be. Maybe 20 seconds of animation instead of 10. We are already supposed to do stories, model a character, rigging it and then animating it. So my guess is that we are just going to do this over and over and a little more advanced every time. But I’m not sure whats gonna happen here over the next couple of years.

Now I must mention that there is differences in the class class sqedule for students going for character animation and students going for modeling the upcoming years. Degree breakdowns can be found HERE

If there is anyone out there thats taken their whole bachelor at AAU please feel free to tell us about the next years.

:slight_smile:

#1704

A few things people should know about waiving a class.

The big one is that just because you waive a class, it does NOT mean that you get the credit for that class. It simply means you can skip the pre-requisit to go to the next level up instead.

You still are going to need to take the same amount of classes if you intend to get the degree.

Its not all that bad though since it never hurts to get into the more advanced classes sooner. The quicker you can get a more critical eye on your work the better you can start working at getting your stuff up to snuff.

Just remember that no matter what class your in, you get out of it what you put into it. No matter what level you are at.

#1705

Hey guys, I’m from Honolulu, HI, and I was deeply thinking about attending AAU. Recently I just attended the campus tour, and the campus was really amazing. Anyway when I was talking to one of the counselor she given me a document of the cost of the tuition, housing, school material, etc. well here is the copy for fall 2009

FALL 2009 SEMESTER

Fall 2009 classes start September 3

Tuition and Fees

Tuition: ($2220 per class x 4 classes) $8,880.00

Registration/Student Activity fee $45.00

Course Fees * $400.00

Materials & Supplies * $600.00

Total $9,925.00

Living Expenses

Campus Housing** $4,520.00

Campus Meal Option $1,800.00

Total $6,320.00

Grand Total $16,245.00

from looking at this I thought that the price isnt that bad, although when I looked at collegeboard.com they show me different statistic

cost of fall sememster 2009

tuition cost $22,490
material $1,566
roomboard $13,400
Both statisics shows big differnce, and I dont know which one is tellin me the truth. Can anyone help me clear this up for me.

#1706

The mail you got from Academy of Art is correct. That’s the price for one semester (fall or spring).

I think the other one you got somewhere else is for Fall + Spring and maybe summer.

Anyway if you find an apartment by your own you should be able to save a couple of thousand $. Campus housing (with meal plan) is a rip-off compared to craigslist.org.

#1707

Thanks Broastad for your answer, Im really apperciated
I have another question, well, I really want to get into is Rigging, and I was wondering if AAU is a good school to become a professional Rigger. Im debating if I should go to SF art institute or AAU. which school is better of learn rigging, AAU or AI?

#1708

Thanks Broastad for your answer, Im really apperciated
I have another question, well, I really want to get into is Rigging, and I was wondering if AAU is a good school to become a professional Rigger. Im debating if I should go to SF art institute or AAU. which school is better of learn rigging, AAU or AI?

#1709

I currently go to the academy and I am not in rigging, but there were some impressive rigs in the Spring Show. I’d say it’s as good as any place for rigging, but you might want to do some more research. I have also walked by the SF art institute and it appears very small, I only saw one building. I don’t know if it has the connections or the teachers that AAU has. It would be important for you to do research into it.

#1710

I’m really looking to attend AAU in the Fall 2010 year. I’m really interested in majoring in Digital Compositing. I have a campus tour planned tomorrow actually. I’ll let you guys know how it goes.

EDIT: I loved it. I’m signing up now :buttrock:

#1711

http://www.yelp.com/biz/academy-of-art-university-san-francisco-2

#1712

To me this seems a bit disingenuous as many of the people who have written the negative reviews seem to either not know what they are talking about or seem just bitter that just because graduating from the school didn’t mean they instantly got a job. I’m sorry, but not attending the school at all or attending the school for a single year or a semester doesn’t make you the best judge of the effectiveness of their curriculum.

Sure its expensive, but look at any other private college institution and its pretty much the same. Sure its not going to instantly get you a job. The school isn’t there to hold your hand throughout your career.

Ultimately you get out of it what you put into it. And what many people on that sight don’t seem to get is that this is pretty much what you get at ANY college you attend. Not just the Academy. What the Academy offers that only few other schools do is instant access to people and contacts that have both worked in the industry, as well as helping their students get access to industry events that a state run college would not have offered.

I can say this because I graduated the school coming from absolutely no art background what so ever. So I went from someone with no experience to comfortably working in the industry. Sure the school left me in debt, but at least I have a career now that I can service that debt and have enough money on the side to live a comfortable life.

Is everyone that is going to go to the school going to get that? No. Truth of the matter is I worked my butt off at that school to get to where I am now. But all I can say is that as long as you have the drive and determination to do the work, the Academy is a great school to put your self in an environment with like minded people to help push you into your career. But if your not willing to put that effort or want something a little more low key or not so high pressure, then sure, the Academy might not be a good fit for you. But if that’s the case, then I’m not sure what college out side the community or self taught road would appeal to you.

#1713

There’s a REASON why 80% of the students don’t get jobs in the industry.
There’s a REASON why Pixar classes aren’t there anymore.
There’s a REASON why you only see 4-5 great portfolios coming out of it instead of seeing 50-80 out of all the students that go to that school.

#1714

that sounds like a very specific major. what does it entail?

i have/had reservations about that school; not sure anymore because several things have changed there recently. one thing i’m certain about is that a high acceptance rate school is not something i’d want to pay for. i hear the “you gotta put a lot of effort in” and “you get what you put in” argument a lot but that goes for any shitty or great school.

teachers are good/bad in all schools and curriculums can be almost identical. but i find that the big difference makers are the students. i learned mostly from other students and i’m not just talking technical skill (that you can learn from any book, dvd and practice) but conceptual, creative and critical thinking. constant dialogue and exchange of ideas between students is very important and for my money i’d want those students to be the cream of the crop and a high acceptance rate seems like it would water down the talent.

i have several talented friends from AAU, but i’ve never met any talented friends of theirs from that school. which is odd for such a large school in such a small area like san francisco.

#1715

Bear with me on this one…

Ever since the small age of 5, I have always wanted to be an animator. As I grew up, I always found an interest in animating. Whether it be taking a big green Hulk doll and making him move like a human or just making a flip book of a ball rolling across the ground, I did it. High school was the worst years of my life — I wanted to animate! I didn’t want to learn about how John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln (for the millionth time, mind you) I wanted to go breathe life into a character. It was my hobby to go see every animation film and watch every animated cartoon/tv show as possible! Finally, graduation day came.

I was accepted into the Academy of Art University where I would study 3D Animation & Visual Effects where my main focus would be 3D Character Animation. Two years into the program and I felt like I had gone no where. Sure, I learned a lot of great information, but I wasn’t getting taught fast enough. The Academy is a great school, but also very expensive. Due to the high costs and slow teaching style, I started my search for a new school. I found one, but I’d rather not state what school because I don’t want this thread to become a School A vs. School B.

This is just my personal view.

#1716

This is the degree breakdown for what I’m signing up for:
http://www.academyart.edu/animation-school/outline.html?AP=BFA-ANM&ASP=BFA-ANMVFX

After talking with a rep, he said if I create a portfolio and demonstrate enough skill, most of those basic classes will be bumped up to a more advanced level.

My video media teacher in my high school took several online classes from AAU. She said I would have no problem passing them. Some she found pointless (like basic animation, because she already has an udnerstanding of it), others she found extremely helpful. Though it’s expensive, she signed up for a sculpture class because she had learned so much.

Over this past summer, I met several professional artists through various friends who gave me a lot of tips on the industry and colleges. Some recommended AAU. They said I would learn tons.

You say you have gone no where in 2 years of AAU? Were you self-taught before entering AAU? If you felt you knew enough, did you not try to bump up to more advanced levels? I’m only asking because you are the first person I have heard from who claim they did not learn much with so much time spent there.

#1717

I went to AAU for 4 semester, I was trying to improve my character animation skills and get an MFA in 3d animation at the same time. the semesters that I was there I learn a lot but just not character animation related. I took some drawing classes, which was pretty cool… It improve my drawing and observation skills.

My only complain is that I just want to learn animation and nothing else but I had to go through the degree breakdown and take class a in order to go to class b and after class b then I can take class c for animation… I saw I took like 3 or 4 classes that I didn’t want to take it but I had to in order to take more advance courses and be able to work on my thesis. One of the major drawing point for me to go to AAU was the pixar classes but when I got there the those classes were cancel and they never mentioned that to me during the tour. The tour lady even made a big hoopla about the pixar classes too but those classes aren’t available… so maybe there’s like a miscommunication between the animation department and the school PR department.

Now that I got accepted to AM, I stop going to AAU. I just want to learn and improve my character animation skills. I don’t really want to learn about modelling, rigging, texture, etc. for me is like a waste of time.

Just my two cent and viewpoint…

#1718

Thanks for your input. I want to focus on compositing, but I’m really looking toward being a generalist as well. It’s a shame about those Pixar classes. Would have been awesome to take.

I’m only attending next year Fall, but I did get the catalog for this year. The class A >class B>class C system really seems geared toward complete newbies. According to the catalog, most of the classes I want to take wouldn’t even start until my 2nd year unless I made a portfolio. Regardless, I’m still looking forward to AAU and devoting all my time towards VFX and 3d work. Studying John Adams in government class just isn’t appealing anymore.

#1719

I am currently attending AAU, though I just started this fall so it’s a bit hard to judge the whole system based on only a semester on campus. I can say with confidence so far though, that in order to take advantage of all the information AAU can give you, it’s necessary for YOU to take the initiative to go out and do some self-teaching and LOTS of self-improvement. You’re not going to improve simply by doing the homework and classwork assignments you are given. AAU gives its students SPECIFIC workshops (such as stop motion animation workshops, maya animation workshops, character animation workshops, etc) where the student is allowed to go and work on these things and there are teachers that are there -specifically- to help you and give you critiques and assist you one on one with your work. These workshops are actually very helpful, but it seems a lot of new students just brush them off as nothing. They’re there for a reason.

As for the class structure, it seems as though the class A > class B > class C structure is there to make sure students have gone through everything they need to know before taking class B or C. There’s always the portfolio that could allow you to advance out of certain classes, and the advisors tend to be pretty helpful as well. I’m sure if you were to explain and outline your goals and problems to your advisor they would definitely do all they can to help you get the classes you feel you need to take. But honestly, I would rather go through classes A, B, then C rather than go straight to C and sit there lost, not knowing what the teacher is talking about.

Personally, I find that the teachers actually go very fast (which becomes a bit overwhelming at times), rather than extremely slow and it’s up to the student to ask questions and make sure they get the necessary help and information from the teacher that they need. I’m not exactly sure what classes you were taking, dren, but the ones I have been taking are actually going quite fast and a lot of information is being shoved into each class. But again, there are workshops that are there to help you improve one on one.

Again, I just started on-campus this fall (took summer semester online), so my word may not be worth much versus a 2 year/3 year veteran but these are the things I’m noticing at this point and I’m really loving the school very much. Like with any resource, it’s what YOU make of it yourself. The school is not going to get you the job, the school is not going to do the work for you, the school is not going to make you better. They’ll feed you the information and give you exercises for how to improve but if you don’t go out of your way to improve, you won’t reap all the benefits.

#1720

i went through the first few pages and i felt obligated to post something here too.

i went to Academy of art . graduated 3 years ago. found job right after my graduation and its been good so sar. basically im an academy success story. but i need to address few things here

-AAU nor any art school has nothing to do with the success of its students, its the students themselves. some are absolutely talentless or lazy and they end up with crappy portfolios and some work really hard and end up with great portfolios.schools have nothing to do with it.

-AAU has the biggest 3d department btw all the universities, so it makes sense if it also has the high ratio of successful students compare to other schools

-many of the instructors don’t deserve to be instructors, they could be students themselves. some of them actually teach cause they can’t find jobs. there are also some good instructors there too. ask senior students first before taking any class. they can help you better than advisers.

-AAU has too much focus on artistic aspect of 3d , while artistic jobs(modeling/animation) have highest unemployment rate and lowest wages in vfx world. for example they force you to take more that 10 drawing classes but MEL scripting is optional!

-if you decide to go to AAU , remember never listen too advisers, they don’t know shit, always take classes that you think will help you. they force you to take bullshit classes. you can talk to your department head and get his signature and then you can replace classes.

-take as much classes as you can at community college first. general education. you don’t want to pay 2000$ for art history or writing class.

-dorms are a rip off . find a roommate or rent something yourself, it will be cheaper than dorm either way.

-there are a lot of dumb students there who just go to art school because they hate math and biology and a lot of rich foreign students who are just paying school to stay and get a useless degree in US. don’t compare your work to majority of the students.if you are not one of the top 5 students in the class, you probably going to have a hard time finding job in future.

  • use the computer lab as much as you can even if you have computer at home. there are alot of hard working students hanging out at lab. it gives you motivation. and if you have a question there is always somebody that can assist you.

-ILM and PIXAR are not the only companies in there world. those big companies actully have employed a small fraction of the CG force. so dont have your focus only on what they like or dislike. or only focus on what softwares they use. you are more likely not to work at those big companies right after school so be realistic. do your research on mid and small size companies too. for example at academy nobody wants to learn 3Ds MAX. its actually becoming a popular software for movies. but students don’t want to learn it because for example ILM and PIXAR dont use it.

-you hear a lot that you need to have your focus only on one area such as modeling or rigging or … that’s true but most students focus too much on one area and they ignore learning other areas. as a 3d artist you must have a basic knowledge of all aspects of CG. many small/mid size companies do appreciate that.