So I'm going to be putting my application into college fairly soon, and I was wondering if you all wouldn't mind looking over my answers and giving some feedback/editing them. Any info would be great
Q: What aspects of your prior educational experience (high school or college) did you appreciate most? Where did they fall short?
A: 1. My high school experience is one of mixed feelings. While I appreciate that one, it’s free and two, it provided a baseline for my core subjects, it fell short on so many levels. With six periods a day classes were often rushed and cut short, not picking up where the previous day had left off due to poor planning. While high school offered the basics, classes that I’m really interested in i.e. programming and digital audio recording were onl introduced this year, my last one here. Lastly, my class of 2009 was decided to be the test group for the Digital Portfolio, a program meant to show proficiency in several topics like problem solving, reading, writing, etc. There were just too many bugs and gray areas for it to be really effective. All in all, I’m disappointed.
Q: What characteristics make for a good entertainment industry employee? A good student?
A: 2. To be a good entertainment industry employee, a person must understand a few key aspects. They need to be able to work in groups whether it’s with a small programming team, or with the team creating a game as a whole. They need to be able to follow directions well, while having some creativity by sharing thoughts or ideas with the team. Most importantly, an entertainment industry employee needs to understand normal people, to be able to create a game that an audience is attracted to and a game that won’t confuse the average player. A good student needs to be flexible; to be able to work on a project independently, or on a larger project as a group. They need to have a capacity for learning, and the will to learn and work hard to better their understanding of a subject.
Q: Each of us has a left and right brain that fuels our logic and creativity. Thinking of your creative side, what areas come naturally for you?
A: 3. While lacking in the art department when it comes to creativity, I’ve always been able to write and think creatively. I’m able to write off the top of my head, rarely suffering from writer’s bloc. I can also think of several ways to solve a problem, and enjoy doing so. In the programming class I’m currently taking, we’re able to work in pairs t figure out programs and writing them. My partner and I often work independently and compare when we’re finished. More than once, we’ve argued about who’s program is right when in the end, both programs will give the same answer. That side of creativity comes naturally for me, and is enjoyable.
Q: There may have been a specific event or moment in time that inspired you to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Please tell us about that, or any occasion that triggered your desire to work in this industry.
A: 4. I’ve always been interested in games, but to pinpoint a specific time would have been around August of this year. My friend, Tyler, told me about a program he got from his uncle that let you write in C++. We went to Dunkin Donuts (where we usually hang out) and just played with the language. At the time, we had absolutely no clue about what to do, and all we had to help was a C++ for dummies book that assumed the reader knew the basics… we didn’t. After about two hours of frustration we managed to play with a program that made a window pop up and say “Hello World”, and made the program skip a line and type “Goodbye World” then close. After that day, I began searching for a school that taught game programming; I had actually had fun cluelessly making and altering a program that did something so simple.
Q: Imagine your professional life five years from now. What would be your ideal job title and description? What would you do in a typical day?
A: 5. In five years, about three years after graduating from Full Sail (hint hint) I could see myself working with a programming team. I’m not expecting to be head programmer, but I would defiantly be past the newbie intern stage, actually working and not getting coffee for people. My ideal job would be working with Blizzard or Square Enix; I’ve always been a fan of Final Fantasy, and I love all Blizzard games (WoW, Diablo, Warcraft). My typical day would probably be a briefing in the morning of what’s done and what needs to be done, followed by a day of working on my part of a larger project. At the end of the day would probably be a debriefing of who still needs to do what and how to improve.
Q: Tell us about your expectations for school and what you hope to achieve by attending Full Sail University
A: 6. My expectations for what I hope to achieve at Full Sail are relatively simple. I, of course, would like my Bachelor’s Science in Game Development. Along with the degree, I’d like a deep knowledge of that specific field and a clear idea of what to expect in the real world. If the school could also help me find a starter job out of college, that would be much appreciated. My expectations are simply a college education, just pinpointed on that specific field of Game Development.
