College

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.

"recording were onl introduced this year"

 

TYPO!

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.

 

First sentence sounds better as "I have mixed feelings about my high school experience". Second sentence is muddled. Technically it's not free; your parents paid tuition or your community paid school taxes (in almost every case). Do you mean it provided a baseline for the core subjects you'll be taking in college? "With six periods a day classes were often rushed or cut short but failed to continue where they left off the next day because of poor planning." The beginning of "While high school" is redundant after the sentence that begins "While I appreciate". "Classes that really interested me, such as Programming and Digital Audio Recording, were only introduced during my Senior year." "Lastly, my class was chosen to be the test group for the Digital Portfolio; a program meant to track proficiency in several areas like problem solving, reading and writing. However, the system had too many bugs for it to be effective." Your closing sentence clashes with your opening sentence because one says you have mixed feelings and the other classifies them as mostly negative.

 

If you want me to go through the rest for you I'll be happy to.

Edited November 18, 2008 by Lyyna

I sent them a picture of my trouser titan and i got accepted into 4 UCs.

Tell them you learned to speak 11 different languages while working with kids in Africa, but you swore not to utter those words outside African soil. That should totally work..

lie, about everything,

Say your a woman and try to e-seduce your interviewer

lie, about everything,

This techinque will get you very far in life

As a guy who has done some interviewing in the business world, I would say keep it positive at all costs.

 

While the first question does ask you about downside to your highschool experience, you should ask yourself "Do they care if my highschool had an experimental curriculum?" I don't think that info does anything to sell you, and every single thing you put in your application should be to that purpose alone.

 

Remember that the person who reads these essays is going to be looking at hundreds or thousands of them. They are going to be skimming hardcore, and looking for something that jumps out at them.

 

See if you can come up with a list of ideal characteristics that the college would be seeking in students, and make sure that every answer clearly explains how you fit that list. (The same goes for job applications, btw.)

 

- "Good student" (successful with grades, accepts the challenge of difficult courses).

 

- Self-motivated

 

- Hard worker

 

- Leadership potential

 

- Extra-curricular involvement

 

etc. You might find an excellent picture of what they are looking for somewhere on their website, in a statement like "We are proud that our students are ..."

 

So for starters - I recommend that you replace the whole first answer with something that talks about how you meet what the college is looking for - Then go from there. Answer their "What wasn't so good" question with something that also shows your good points (ex. "The curriculum was experimental and left gaps, but I overcame this by exploring the topics further on the internet.") <-- That's gold, free of charge!

 

Good luck!

Don't be sincere. Don't try and write well. Don't put in things that interest you. Don't answer the question directly (only put in words that jump out to the person skimming your essay, like father noted above).

 

I've learned that, no matter how well written or direct your response is in college applications, all the reader REALLY wants from you is, to put it lightly, an ass kissing.

 

Those who actually read the tests themselves hardly have a high school level of reading and will think the bigger the words you use, the more of an annoyance you are, and that you must surely be a snob.

 

Answer what you think the college WANTS you to say, because ultimately people who respond in that manner are the ones who generally get in.

Edited November 19, 2008 by Anarchos

What are the qualifications for this place? SAT scores? ACT scores?

 

Colleges look at ACT/SAT scores, grade point average, and then your essay to tell them how unique you are, in that order. If your SAT or ACT (whichever applies) and grade point average are above what they are looking for then you probably don't have to slave over the essay.

 

If you're on the borderline then I suggest writing everything that makes you different. If you speak different languages, if you visited other countries, if you play any instruments, the books you have read, extra curricular activities. The people who will be reading all the essays know that most of the answers will be dry and written in a format of a 4th grader talking about their summer vacation. So you want to stand out and maybe connect with the reader.

 

Good luck to you, I know applying to colleges isn't the most fun thing in the world but you're on the right track. Also, take all advice that you've heard (including this line) with a grain of salt.

Edited November 19, 2008 by Vanin

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.

-Typo: onl -> only

 

 

I’m able to write off the top of my head, rarely suffering from writer’s bloc.

-Typo: bloc -> block

 

 

In the programming class I’m currently taking, we’re able to work in pairs t figure out programs and writing them.

-Typo: t -> to

 

 

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.

Typo: defiantly -> definitely

 

 

I can help with some of the sentence structures later too.

What are the qualifications for this place? SAT scores? ACT scores?

 

Colleges look at ACT/SAT scores, grade point average, and then your essay to tell them how unique you are, in that order. If your SAT or ACT (whichever applies) and grade point average are above what they are looking for then you probably don't have to slave over the essay.

 

If you're on the borderline then I suggest writing everything that makes you different. If you speak different languages, if you visited other countries, if you play any instruments, the books you have read, extra curricular activities. The people who will be reading all the essays know that most of the answers will be dry and written in a format of a 4th grader talking about their summer vacation. So you want to stand out and maybe connect with the reader.

 

Good luck to you, I know applying to colleges isn't the most fun thing in the world but you're on the right track. Also, take all advice that you've heard (including this line) with a grain of salt.

I can't reinforce this enough. He's dead on the money.

"Congratulations on your enrollment at Full Sail University! You are accepted to start on the date for which you applied, and you will receive an official acceptance letter after you have completed your Admissions file."

 

Thanks for the help, I did lots of editing >.>

YAY!!!! Congratulations!!

Awesome, congrats man =DDD

grats !!!

Grats and good luck. Also, when you choose your classes and major, remember that in college you can branch out and study whatever you want. So, take advantage of your electives and take some varied subjects outside of your preferred major and you might be pleasantly surprised.

 

but now, go celebrate!

Nice man, Full Sail is an awesome Audio Engineering school, I'm sure you're gonna love it. Grats again!

Yea I'm gonna be going for Game Development (go figure) so pretty much a programming major. And the way this school is set up, they line up your classes for you so while you can't actually pick your other courses, all of the ones they picked are related to your major i.e. mythology for history, behavioral science etc. I was a little skeptical at first, but they sent me this catalogue that showed which classes you'll be taking and when, which I guess saves me a lot of trouble.

Grats Adra!