Www.animationmentor.com

#9742

im accepted for summer 10 but switched to spring and im also going to do springboard guys want to chat or anything AIM me or msn ( with msn we can doodle since it allows tablet =] )

#9743

With a term starting and probably a back log of e-mails from the holidays, how long should a response take for a meet-and-greet e-mail I sent to the AM loan department last week?

Hope all of you are enjoying AM so far, goes without saying though :slight_smile:

#9744

the maya workshop can it be added on to the loan?

#9745

I received the Workshop e-mail with info and sign up, and at the bottom it has this “with Pending SLM loans, Please contact loans@animationmentor.com”

Don’t know what that means though as it’s out of the blue from the main part of the e-mail. Could it mean they are looking into offering loans for the workshop by itself, but not available yet? I suppose they need to be e-mailed for the answer unless someone knows more.

Also, the main FAQ at AM says this:
“The loan pays for full tuition. Students may also request up to $6,000 USD for additional expenses.”

From that, it sounds like you can go ahead request more, then use that for the workshop. Though, that might make it harder to get the loan.

#9746

thanks so much for the info… i feel bad that i didnt search around as much , the main faq u posted seems really interesting could that mean with the 6kUSD you can even get a decent CPU to do everything with?

#9747

I’m just trying to start the loan process myself, and I can’t imagine how much harder it would be to actually try up to that $6,000 additional amount (not saying you are). Mainly because in a few areas of AM, I’ve seen one of the requirements being an income 2.5 times the amount of the loan. Maybe feasible with a great co-signer.

#9748

[I]Congratulations Summer Student!

You have been accepted into the Summer 2010 Term for the Advanced Studies in Character Animation program at Animation Mentor![/I]

Yay! I’m very excited! :bounce:

#9749

Just applied for Animation Mentor, really hope to get in, fingers crossed!

#9750

I got a reply from the loans department yesterday, sounds like there are some changes and a wait until details on the 6th of Feb or sooner.

Here’s the main part of the message:
" We will begin the loan process for Spring term on the 6th of February, as SLM is making some changes to their career training loan product."

No mention about the nature of these changes, like is this a normal thing every year with small alterations, or something that could change things dramatically. For the worse? I hope not.

#9751

hopefully its good news =[

#9752

I was accepted for Spring 2010! I can’t wait. Has anyone on here done animation mentor while holding down a full time job? They say on the site that “it’s possible.” If so, I’d like to hear how you fared (as I need this job to survive). I’m more than willing to sacrifice my meager social life, but just wondering what kind of struggles you may have run into and get an idea of “time per week” investment. Any comments would be great! Thanks.

#9753 
Hey The-13.  Congrats.

Most students I communicate with have jobs, and I think the majority of them work full time. Some also have families.

Like you, for many, including myself, holding down a full time job isn't an option; it's a necessity.  So you make time.  It's important to get into a routine.

I'm a class 2 student, so I'm just starting on this schedule.  Many students follow a strict routine of animating 5 hrs Mon-Fri evenings (after work) and a marathon session on Saturday to meet the Sunday 12pm deadline.  So pretty much 40 hours, in addition to the full time job.

I also make sure that I upload a preliminary draft in the public review section by Tuesday evening to make sure I get plenty of critiques from my peers (you'll also be spending some time critiquing other people's work).

Some students use their ipods to watch the lecture videos during lunch at work.

If you're constantly working more than 50 hours at your full time job, I'd imagine it's pretty darn difficult to follow a schedule, but some people do.  They do this by sacrificing not only their social life, but sleep as well.

Class 1 wasn't that bad though.  About 20-25 hours a week for me.

Even though I've a rigorous schedule ahead, no regrets from me whatsoever; this has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.

You'll do fine.  Don't worry.
#9754

KangtheMad hit the nail on the head.

I work full-time (40 hours a week) and attend Animation Mentor (2nd Class). It’s very doable. You will have to sacrifice some personal time, such as sleep and social events, but it will all be worth it. The program is only 1.5 years, that’s what I tell myself everyday. The most important part is getting a personal workflow down. Personally, when I get home I spend some time to myself, about an hour, and then get right to work until about 12-1 AM in the morning. Then I use my days off Wednesday and Saturday to really put a dent in my work. Like Kang also said getting your work on the PR early is a great way to get feedback. Of course, scheduling is personal and finding the best way to use your time is totally up to you.

The whole point is going to AM and working full-time is definitely doable. You will also find the AM experience totally worth it and will find ways your own ways to make time to get your work done. It’s definitely good times. Good luck!

#9755

SLM is currently making some changes to this loan, so we’ll be holding off on beginning the Spring term loan process until the new loan is in place, which will be on February 6th. My understanding is that this new loan will be a better deal for our students than the one that is currently in place.

[color=white]This is part of an email i got
[/color]

#9756

That’s good news then. Wonder if it would help Dren’s situation. As of now, what I’ve read, it’s pretty hard to get the loan without a co-signer, one with an income that a student generally would not have to begin, seeing how they are probably starting their career by going to AM.

#9757

Congratulations Summer Student!

[i]You have been accepted into the Summer 2010 Term for the Advanced Studies in Character Animation program at Animation Mentor!

[/i]Best…mail…ever!
Yay! :bounce:

#9758

Congrats! :slight_smile:

#9759

congrats bramvq!!

hey for those that were at the last Q&A (derrick lol). They recommended a wacom and alot of people had a bamboo. Do you know which bamboo version might be best. i was thinking the basic bamboo…??

#9760

There was a recent update to the Bamboo line so now is a good time. When it comes to a bamboo with a pen, the specs are really the same across the whole line-up (I figure they all have the same level of pressure). Paying more gets you features like both the pen and touch, or a larger bamboo, extra buttons. The new Bamboo line is also widescreen, so the surface area fits the shape of most monitors today.

Looks like the cheap pen model still comes with atleast Corel Painter Essentials 4.0, nice deal. If you upgrade to the Bamboo Fun or Craft model, you also get Adobe Photoshop Elements and some Nikon program, plus a training DVD with 26 lessons.

The “Pen and Touch.” the Fun and Craft, also have 4 buttons on the tablet itself, which can be pretty handy.

So overall, the Pen and Touch for $99 looks like a good deal. Double check what functions the buttons can do, plus the multi-touch (like an iphone), can do for quick panning, zooming, rotating, to see if it’s worth the extra $30 compared to the normal pen model. Or look into the Craft model if you want the extra software, then the Fun model if you want a larger tablet.

Wacom is pretty much the brand to get, and Bamboo is their main consumer line these days. Anything above, like the Intuos, it gets rather expensive, but nice features. You are looking at $199 for the small size, but the extra feature might be important to some over the same priced Bamboo Fun that’s larger.

EDIT: The $69 Bamboo Pen might only have 512 levels of pressure, while the $99 “Pen & Touch” has 1024 levels of pressure, not to much the 4 buttons, touch, etc.If you are only going to sketch, or control a 3D interface, can’t imagine that extra pressure being noticeable.

#9761

ay brian thanks for all the info!! i appreciate it alot, it was very helpful!! :slight_smile: thanks again:bowdown: