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General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: unusualgamer on March 24, 2008, 09:15:37 pm

Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: unusualgamer on March 24, 2008, 09:15:37 pm
I finally made that major move in life, together with got accepted to a College!

So, on July 21st I will be officially majoring in Game Design at Collins College.

As most people would be when they're accepted to a College/University, I am very very excited.

So, to make this a topic: tell about your college/university experiences, majors, minors, acceptance day, etc.


Edit: I guess I should point out that Collins College is an accredited game design/arts/film school. It is located in downtown Tempe/Phoenix, Arizona.

together with, uh, I am moving from Maryland to Arizona, which is huge!
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Hundley on March 24, 2008, 09:27:17 pm
hey, congratulations! :D
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: missingno on March 24, 2008, 09:28:52 pm
i am so close to dropping out I hate it here

the only reason I stay is because it's better than living with parents

that's my college story
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Strangeluv on March 24, 2008, 09:32:02 pm
Congratulations. Drink wine and make games!
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Kaworu on March 24, 2008, 09:41:41 pm
Yeah I only just got accepted into uni recently (Fine art for life!). Congratulations dude, I hope you have a certain area to specialise in there (because developers see general games design courses as a curse).
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: unusualgamer on March 24, 2008, 09:43:33 pm
Thanks everyone!

And, yes Kaworu, I plan to specialise in programming mostly.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: ATARI on March 24, 2008, 09:44:16 pm
Congrats bro.  I thought my college move would be pretty significant (from PA to Indiana) but it looks like you've trumped me completely.  Regardless though, glad to hear it.   I don't really have any college stories to tell because I'm not entering until this fall.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Standard Toaster on March 24, 2008, 10:16:15 pm
I have a really tough decision about where I'm going to college:

- Small liberal arts school where I can double-major in Art and English, is a sure bet. (Kalamazoo College)

- Summer half-term where if I complete it I will be accepted into the Fall and subsequent terms but only study English, is a risk but I can think I can do it. (The University of Michigan)

I need to get more information before I decide, but I kind of want to go to a big college. They both have about the same academic rigor, but the big school is more critically acclaimed.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on March 24, 2008, 10:20:51 pm
i think with an art/english major it doesn't matter too much how acclaimed the university you got it from is
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Kaworu on March 24, 2008, 10:24:19 pm
Yeah with english you end up jobless, but with an art degree you can get into working in a library if you're lucky. Both of which are two of the worst courses for getting a related job in (but you like drawing, so I'd hopefully assume the art course would be more geared to your interest than some foolish hope of getting a related job).
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Shepperd on March 24, 2008, 10:25:37 pm
YEAH I GOT ACCEPTED TO COLLEGE
YEAH YEAH.. YEAH
ON YOUR FACE!!!!
[/size]

basically in this thread



edit:
I am in my third uni year, feeling like I'm the biggies of the uni, the ones who have the SHIT and me look at the rest downwards.
Uni is cool, there are plenty of assholes to burnchat and small groups to form. You go to the library and pretend you're into something, you end up mad tired and dont do a shit at all.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: the_bub_from_the_pit on March 24, 2008, 10:27:44 pm
I got accepted into the University of Western Ontario for Biomedical Sciences, York University for an undecided science major, University of Waterloo for Honors Arts/Business and Economics/Biotechnology, and I'm still waiting on an offer for Life Sciences at the University of Toronto.

I'm deciding whether I should go to Western or Waterloo.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Jaruten on March 24, 2008, 10:29:03 pm
Are American Unis Expensive??
Cus English ones sure are... and I'm not very sure they're worth what u pay for...
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Kaworu on March 24, 2008, 10:29:23 pm
People are not allowed to be happy for something unless it's something Shep agrees with. Remember that people, when you're happy and want to post something about it, run it through with him first.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: jsnnoa on March 24, 2008, 10:30:15 pm
I go to a small community school about 2 hours north of where I live. Just taking my core classes.

Of course, next year, I am going to a missionary training school in southern Mexico for about a year, so that will be a huge move for me. After that though I am not sure, might go to seminary.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Shepperd on March 24, 2008, 10:35:40 pm
People are not allowed to be happy for something unless it's something Shep agrees with. Remember that people, when you're happy and want to post something about it, run it through with him first.
God you dont know how much I hated the Happy Thoughts forum, jesus christ
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: ase on March 24, 2008, 10:38:01 pm
Hey NinjaPirate, go to the cheaper school unless you have mad $$$$$.

Going to critically-acclaimed $50k/year university has been the stupidest decision of my life, seeing as how graduate degrees (assuming you go on to this level) are the only things that end up mattering. Go to cheaper, easier school, get better grades, have more pocket change for booze, be happy and ALL IS GOOD
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Kaworu on March 24, 2008, 10:38:26 pm
I seriously doubt it was as much as I hated it.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Shepperd on March 24, 2008, 10:46:22 pm
Hey NinjaPirate, go to the cheaper school unless you have mad $$$$$.

Going to critically-acclaimed $50k/year university has been the stupidest decision of my life, seeing as how graduate degrees (assuming you go on to this level) are the only things that end up mattering. Go to cheaper, easier school, get better grades, have more pocket change for booze, be happy and ALL IS GOOD
what the shit? 50k fucking dollars the year?
I'm in what could be the most expensive uni of my country and it is like 27k pesos the year.
Although I dont pay a shit because of 75% scholarship + pseudopay by working saturdays.
I'm happy though, I know that just because of the uni's name I will get job (in what I dunno but I dont care aye?).
ASE I think "critically-acclaimed uni" really sells in your CV
That and average mark
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Standard Toaster on March 24, 2008, 10:53:15 pm
Hey NinjaPirate, go to the cheaper school unless you have mad $$$$$.

Going to critically-acclaimed $50k/year university has been the stupidest decision of my life, seeing as how graduate degrees (assuming you go on to this level) are the only things that end up mattering. Go to cheaper, easier school, get better grades, have more pocket change for booze, be happy and ALL IS GOOD
They are about the same cost, with the risk-taking one being slightly cheaper. Money isn't really a big problem for me/my family though.

Also I don't really think I'll be getting a graduate degree unless I pursue law, which is another option.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: ase on March 24, 2008, 10:55:23 pm
what the shit? 50k fucking dollars the year?
I'm in what could be the most expensive uni of my country and it is like 27k pesos the year.
Although I dont pay a shit because of 75% scholarship + pseudopay by working saturdays.
I'm happy though, I know that just because of the uni's name I will get job (in what I dunno but I dont care aye?).
ASE I think "critically-acclaimed uni" really sells in your CV
That and average mark
well, I don't pay $50k because im very poor but I/my parents still pay way more than if I had gone to lower-ranked-but-still-quite-good-school

but yeah - good grades are PRETTY IMPORTANT (I don't have them!)
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Mateui on March 24, 2008, 11:05:33 pm
I'm in my third year of university, but second year in my degree (Bachelor of Pharmacy). I'm at Dalhousie University here in Halifax. I had to take one year of general sciences in order to apply to the College of Pharmacy (which is within Dalhousie), and luckily I managed to get an interview. Out of 800, they interviewed 200 applicants, and out of those, they chose 90. I didn't get accepted until late August - which I hear is very late. I actually believe that I was an alternate or something... but whatever, I got in after my first try, which is pretty good considering I've heard personal accounts of people trying year after year to get in.

As to Pharmacy as a programme, it's pretty fun. It's extremely tedious though - we only study one class at a time, for 3-4 weeks, and then have a midterm and/or final shortly thereafter. As a result I'm always studying... there's never a break to slack off because there's an exam every other week. I do enjoy the fact that at the end of each semester I'm not hit with 5 exams like in regular university degrees, so that's a plus.

The content is applicable to real life but there's a ton of it. Every course we're confronted with Medicinal Chemistry (which at times is a little too much. Do I really need to know the chemical structure of a corticosteroid and know that a 11-Beta Hydroxyl group is necessary for receptor binding?!), Biopharmaceutics (which is basically the manufacturing of drugs and their dosage forms), Pharmacokinetics (which consists of ADME - Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion of drugs), and of course Pharmacotherapeutics (Which is basically the practical aspect of it all - which drugs are used to treat disease and how to counsel patients on their use).

Yeah, there's a whole lot to absorb all at once. I'm definetely going to have to re-learn everything I've learned this year over the summer. We've already covered Nutrition, Dermatology, Eye & Ear, the Respiratory System, and after next week we're starting GI Complaints.

Oh, I get every Thursday off this year - but I'm using that day to work at a local Pharmacy as a pharmacy student. I find that I actually learn more at work than at school because you get to put everything you've been taught into practice, and real-life is better environment for learning that a simulated evironment (Skills Lab).

(EDIT: In case people are wondering, it's close to 10K per year).
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Archtemplar on March 24, 2008, 11:57:19 pm
I'm almost finished my first year here in UNBSJ (university of new brunswick saint john). The experience was pretty fun - most ppl I hang around with are just old friends from high school who chose the same school. I'm currently taking sciences and am going to major in Bio-Psychology. I plan to go to Dal Housie for Medicine afterwards. Tuition is about $6000 a year for living off campus... it hurts but scholarships and NB and Canadian student loans helped a lot (only had to pay about $500 out of my own pocket.)

As for uni life, its rough compared to high school. In high school i popped out A's without even reading over the material on a test. Nowadays its a struggle to keep my average at an A with hours of studying before a test. Also, I gained almost 40 pounds since I finished high school...
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on March 25, 2008, 12:16:50 am
Are American Unis Expensive??
Cus English ones sure are... and I'm not very sure they're worth what u pay for...

ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

i'm pretty sure america has like the MOST expensive degrees in the world. university here is typically ~5 grand a year, and it's similiar in the UK

and the degrees are only 3 years so it's even cheaper
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Doktormartini on March 25, 2008, 02:31:38 am
So I have one semester left after this one at my community college then I transfer somewhere.  I am hoping to study nutrition.  I don't know where I am gonna go yet, that is the only thing.  I'm still looking :)
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Lord Amesius on March 25, 2008, 02:51:05 am
Congratulations, man! Enjoy college, try for a masters.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: blood hell on March 25, 2008, 02:51:05 am
I was just accepted to the University of Idaho's music program and will start studying music composition in the fall. I am only moving like 20 miles to go to school as well
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: GirlBones on March 25, 2008, 02:57:57 am
hahaha good luck living in tempe, man. i live in tucson, and phoenix is seriously one of the most miserable places in the united states. i was just up there last week, and that place is so soulless and smoggy, not to mention the fact that it's almost 50 miles across.


also, i go to the university of arizona, where i'm studying english, secondary education, and spanish. post-secondary education is our nation's biggest scam, and un-equalizer, so pay as little for it as you can. the u of a is a fairly well-respected school, but my tuition is only about $2,600 a semester.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Zanryu on March 25, 2008, 03:05:15 am
Heh, grats Smoothy. I still have two years after this one until I graduate from High School, so yeah. I'm not thinking on that subject right now. I might go to Dawson College when I get the chance, though.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Marcus on March 25, 2008, 03:13:53 am
congratulations oakland, welcome to the seedy world of bandwagoning, experimentation, counter culture bullshit, and being poor constantly.  i don't know if collins college is a private campas or its located in a city but you should buy a pocket knife or something because every college town is filled with heady individuals waiting to steal money you don't have.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: dragonx on March 25, 2008, 03:19:23 am
I was accepted to university(of windsor(ontario)) for the wonderful program computer science with software engineering specialty...woo hooo, can't wait for september~
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Marcus on March 25, 2008, 03:21:45 am
oh yeah, i hope you guys like taking random classes that have absolutely nothing to do with your major.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Marmot on March 25, 2008, 03:32:14 am
dont skip your physics class

i had a test today and i think it is going to bite my ass

skipping math is fine though

also fuck college leftists
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: dragonx on March 25, 2008, 03:42:58 am
oh yeah, i hope you guys like taking random classes that have absolutely nothing to do with your major.

can I take stuff like knitting?

or how about embroidery?!
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Wash Cycle on March 25, 2008, 03:43:39 am
yeah I had an interesting situation with applying for college. I did quite a bit of post-secondary enrollment while still in high school, so when I sent in my application to Ohio State they got all confused because they thought I already was a freshman and that I would be a returning sophomore next year. Sigh... that took about 4 hours worth of paperwork to fix heh

that aside the university is giving me 15% of my tuition, my granddad is paying for my room and board so I just gotta make up the rest (about 7,000 dollars) and I've got 500 dollars already from an essay contest... so hopefully I can pick up 2 or 3 small scholarships and that way my parents only pay for like 2-3k of my total cost next year

which is good considering I want to do anthropology and linguistics and I'll probably be in school for 8-9 years
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Cho on March 25, 2008, 04:11:36 am
Quote
oh yeah, i hope you guys like taking random classes that have absolutely nothing to do with your major.

Adviser: So, it looks like after this semester, you'll be done with your degree in your major and minor.
Me: Really?
Adviser: Yes, now you just need 12 hours* of 300-400** level courses outside your major/minor, and 11 hours in general electives of any level outside your major/minor.
Me: That's... very special. Oh well, at least I can take some Advertising classes, because they seem like a good combination with my major...
Adviser: Oh, sorry, no. You can't take anything that's in the same school as your major, so anything from the School of Communications won't count.
Me: ...

And that's all AFTER core classes like Sciences and Humanities and such. So basically I got my BA in three years, but am stuck going another year taking things like underwater basket weaving so they'll fork over my damn sheepskin. Diploma. Sheepskin diploma. Not condom.

Yes kids, this is what you have to look forward to in the authentic college experience!

*Approximately 4 courses
**Junior/Senior level
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: skyrider on March 25, 2008, 07:50:56 am
Congrats. ;) I have plans to go on to college and major in music(percussion) education or some other music-related field. That's the basic idea as of right now. It may change a little bit or even completely as I finish up my last year of high school.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Mongoloid on March 25, 2008, 08:03:39 am
I went to college until I accidentally hit a kid with my car.
I have dropped out to save money while attempting to pay his family restitution.

But alas, someday I will have my dream job in geriatrics


Congratulations tho guy, drive safe!
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Madolah on March 25, 2008, 09:31:47 am
if i can make some sweet monies soon, to pay for my Schooling then i have like 4 connections here from teachers to Sheridan Institute (major theater/acting/ Arts / Design college in North America) I'd be going for Major: graphic design  and minors of Fine arts and ...maybe fashion design or something?

but yeah Congrats man :)
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Warped655 on March 25, 2008, 09:51:19 am
AWESOME! I came to Tempe, Arizona to get the exact same degree, I'm on my second Semester in UAT. (University of Advancing Technology)

We rag on ASU and Collins a lot...
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Frankie on March 25, 2008, 09:52:23 am
In college I was in computer science for like 4 semesters, and then I quit for multimedia when I realized I spent much more time animating and drawing than programming in my courses. I'm way happier in multimedia now, though most of my courses are a little boring because they're still sort of covering basics I've worked with for years now (and I also have to retake all of multimedia's programming courses even though I had much more advanced analogues in my computer science program. That was pretty nasty. Ah well at least my average mark is pretty high because of this).
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: helter skelter on March 25, 2008, 11:12:50 am
In my first year of an animation course at a good university in Brisbane called Griffith. I've only been in my course a few weeks, but so far I really love. I also live on college, but I have to say, I don't like it at all. I'll be moving out as soon as I can basically! People are too fucking noisy all the damn time.

*old man*
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: WunderBread on March 25, 2008, 09:12:51 pm
Hey, congrats to everyone who's gotten in!

I myself got into Emory University in Georgia (my first choice and a big reach, yay!), which I am very surprised about because my SAT scores suck and I am sort of sucking at Calculus right now. I think being black had something to do with it. Go-go-affirmative action?

But it's killer expensive so I'm afraid my parents won't pay for it. Especially because college here in Florida is basically free (they pass out Bright Futures scholarships like candy), and since I got accepted into University of Florida, I might be forced to go there because of monetary constraints. Which I really don't want to, because I want to get out of Florida and away from all these people I know in high school, and a ton of them are going to UF so... plus, Emory is just better. :P

I chose to major in English or Literature (my strongest subjects) for most of my applications so I could secretly switch over to Computer Science when nobody was looking, but I'm kind of thinking over that again. English makes absolutely no money (AUGH), but after taking calculus for a year, I've discovered that suck immensely at upper-level math. And pre-med's a no because I dislike all the squiggly organisms you have to study in Biology. Just typing about them makes me feel queasy. Economics has too much math, I'm not good enough to major in Music, nor do I want to (same goes for Art), and how I would end up in Chemical Engineering when it's in a completely different section of most colleges is beyond me. So I suppose that leaves me to major in English or like... political science. -______-
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Mateui on March 25, 2008, 09:16:57 pm
WunderBread... there's always Psychology, but then again that makes no money either... Actually as a whole there are so many different paths you can take in University that lead to nowhere. It's kind of ridiculous.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Kaworu on March 25, 2008, 09:22:12 pm
Wait... you have to take secondary random classes as well or something? Here it's like solid spend all your life for three yuears on one course.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: WunderBread on March 25, 2008, 09:36:06 pm
WunderBread... there's always Psychology, but then again that makes no money either... Actually as a whole there are so many different paths you can take in University that lead to nowhere. It's kind of ridiculous.
Ah, I forgot that one. It's a shame, really, that all of the majors I find interesting make no money and all of the boring ones practically guarantee wealth. Sometimes I wish I didn't like money so much. :( I know that money is the root of all evil and everything, but I can't stop dreaming of an Infinity pool....

I'd seriously consider becoming an an aesthesiaologist for that $300,000 if beginning biology didn't make me 'ick' like it does. Seriously: cadavers? No problem. Bacteria? Ugh.

Wait... you have to take secondary random classes as well or something? Here it's like solid spend all your life for three yuears on one course.
There are a required amount of freshman courses you have to take (some you can either test out of or substitute with AP/IB credit, though at some colleges, you can't do that). Mostly, you have to declare a major in your sophomore year, but waiting around until then may have you spending extra years in college to complete your core classes. Or something like that.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Erave on March 25, 2008, 09:43:27 pm
I was just accepted to the University of Idaho's music program and will start studying music composition in the fall. I am only moving like 20 miles to go to school as well

Music Composition, huh? I did that for a year but wasn't too crazy about the program. However I still compose and write as much as I can. Basically all my composition program taught me was "try new things." Which is fine. But I didn't need to learn that.

Currently I am attending the University of North Texas studying Jazz Performancing/Arranging and I'll probably get a Master's in Education so I can teach at some community college. Hope to be able to gig enough to get by. We'll see.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Cho on March 25, 2008, 10:15:59 pm
Quote
Wait... you have to take secondary random classes as well or something? Here it's like solid spend all your life for three yuears on one course.

Here's the requirements at my school:
6 hours of Freshmen Composition (Writing essays, etc)
12 hours of Humanities and Fine Arts (Literature sequence, Theater/Art History/whatever, Music, Communication/Public Speaking, etc)
11 hours of Natural Science and Math (Geology/Astronomy/Physics/etc, Math)
12 hours of Social Science/History (History/Economics/Psychology/etc)
4 hours of Computer Sciences or Foreign Language (...)
6 hours of courses designated as a Writing Component course
33 hours in Major
18-27 hours in a Minor
12 hours of Special Requirements (Junior/Senior level coursework outside Major/Minor)
+ X number of hours in General Electives if all of the above does not come out to be 124 hours
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Moses on March 25, 2008, 11:22:13 pm
I'm attending Penn State Erie with a major in journalism.  I leave in August.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Marcus on March 26, 2008, 12:28:45 am
Wait... you have to take secondary random classes as well or something? Here it's like solid spend all your life for three yuears on one course.

american colleges want to justify why they're spending hundreds of thousands paying professors to teach classes no one cares about so they force you to go through them.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on March 26, 2008, 04:50:16 am
Here's the requirements at my school:
6 hours of Freshmen Composition (Writing essays, etc)
12 hours of Humanities and Fine Arts (Literature sequence, Theater/Art History/whatever, Music, Communication/Public Speaking, etc)
11 hours of Natural Science and Math (Geology/Astronomy/Physics/etc, Math)
12 hours of Social Science/History (History/Economics/Psychology/etc)
4 hours of Computer Sciences or Foreign Language (...)
6 hours of courses designated as a Writing Component course
33 hours in Major
18-27 hours in a Minor
12 hours of Special Requirements (Junior/Senior level coursework outside Major/Minor)
+ X number of hours in General Electives if all of the above does not come out to be 124 hours

that's...a little absurd. what's the major in question? most humanities dont require csc classes and only a few maths, and vice versa for comp sci classes.

edit: what the fuck your college is strange.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Cho on March 26, 2008, 05:14:06 am
Quote
that's...a little absurd. what's the major in question? most humanities dont require csc classes and only a few maths, and vice versa for comp sci classes.

Broadcast Management. Its the bastard offspring of General Business Administration and Advertising/Public Relations. 
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Kaworu on March 26, 2008, 11:02:12 am
That's pretty shitty. When you go to specialise in a subject... generally you would want to specialise in it. Spending less time on it and more on maths or something is retarded. Then again I can see it might be used to break up the monotomy, I mean I'll be spending all my time at uni studying one course.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on March 26, 2008, 11:15:53 am
how do american hours work in college? here most papers (each class i guess is a paper) is worth 12.5 hours, so 124 over four years would be kinda...nothing?
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Standard Toaster on March 26, 2008, 08:16:40 pm
how do american hours work in college? here most papers (each class i guess is a paper) is worth 12.5 hours, so 124 over four years would be kinda...nothing?
Most classes are around 3-5 credit hours iirc.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: WunderBread on March 26, 2008, 08:27:56 pm
That's pretty shitty. When you go to specialise in a subject... generally you would want to specialise in it. Spending less time on it and more on maths or something is retarded. Then again I can see it might be used to break up the monotomy, I mean I'll be spending all my time at uni studying one course.
Mostly it's to weed out the kids who wouldn't plan on graduating, anyway. What sucks is that I got a five on the AP Language test, but most colleges only take Literature OR Language, and not both. And sometimes they don't even waive Freshman composition or anything. :sad: But I have to take a senior English class, so....

Just got wait-listed from Duke, which is okay, really, because I hear it's cold up in North Carolina.  :rolleyes:
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: ATARI on March 26, 2008, 10:36:27 pm
Mostly it's to weed out the kids who wouldn't plan on graduating, anyway. What sucks is that I got a five on the AP Language test, but most colleges only take Literature OR Language, and not both. And sometimes they don't even waive Freshman composition or anything. :sad: But I have to take a senior English class, so....

Just got wait-listed from Duke, which is okay, really, because I hear it's cold up in North Carolina.  :rolleyes:
pfft there is no such thing as cold below virginia
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: 4Dsheep on March 27, 2008, 08:23:52 pm
Wow, education in the US is hilariously expensive. I mean, I pay 2300 euros (3600 USD) a year for five/six years (not counting the cost of books and stuff) and that's all the way up to when I can call myself MSc.

First year biology consists of only mandatory courses, two/three per period (out of five periods). It's mostly been basic stuff like chemistry, mathematics and physics, but also cell biology, plant anatomy and physiology, genetics, evolutionary biology, and now zoology. Next period I'll have ecology and this flora and fauna thing (you know, real biology). Lately I've been having fun cutting up sharks and electrocuting earthworms. I'll only get to specialise and choose my own courses halfway through next year.

Plant anatomy and evolutionary genetics have been really fun and interesting but sitting through four continuous hours of physics each afternoon is really tiresome. Fun fact: of the book that takes you Americans an entire year to cover we'll cover half in three weeks. Yay.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: goat on March 27, 2008, 09:59:35 pm
Weren't you already going to college from your story in the "worst fights you have had in your life" thread?
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: the bloddy ghost on March 28, 2008, 07:11:31 am
im a broke ass m****f**cker but i am trying to liver the american dream and go to college again someday, maybe become a social worker or something cool. the biggest problem I have is there is a million things I would love to do, but I have no idea what I would really want to do.

i have no money and modesto sucks for jobs and i have no car and I am screwed(at least temporarily) :(

it could be a whole lot worse for me though!
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: `~congresman Ron paul~~ on March 28, 2008, 05:45:24 pm
College is pretty cool. General things to expect / good rules :

A) You will most likely gradually begin to dislike your roommates a lot as little things about their behavior begin to really bother you. It will be better when you pick your roommates.

B) Getting into a serious relationship at college your first year probably means sacrificing a lot of fun stuff and dealing with girl craziness because most freshmen girls suffer from some kind of weird psychological disorder (eating disorder, low self-confidence, controlling bitch, etc.). It can be worth it but it is a gamble. Still, if something feels right, go for it because college is your time to experiment! Don't go gay kids.

C ) Don't go sleeping around too much because people find out, and you get a reputation. But I doubt you will have a problem with that.

D ) You will be exposed to lots and lots of various forms of alcohol and drugs. Don't do anything but alcohol and pot unless you seriously know what to expect and never let it become a habit.

E ) Frat shit like beer pong or frat parties are stupid but a lot more fun than people give them credit for; plus, you'll meet more people than if you just hang out in the 'nerd clique'. Some frat guys are really nice, some aren't! Same with all college students.

F ) Expect the college administration to be frustrating and slow. Expect simple things like adding/dropping classes to take forever.

G ) At least freshmen year - you don't need to do about 80% of your reading, especially the liberal arts ones (except for history and psychology, both of which require a lot of effort). Still do as much of it as you can. Most of your serious work will be in papers and labs.

H ) Don't stay in your room excessively or you will be miserable because you will have no friends.

MOST IMPORTANT (I think)

You're gonna be exposed to a lot of drugs, nasty people, and situations with a lot of moral ambiguity. Stay a nice guy as much as you can and you'll do fine and won't get a reputation as 'that asshole' people don't want to hang out with.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: HL on March 28, 2008, 06:40:45 pm
I finally made that major move in life, and got accepted to a College!

So, on July 21st I will be officially majoring in Game Design at Collins College.

As most people would be when they're accepted to a College/University, I am very very excited.

So, to make this a topic: tell about your college/university experiences, majors, minors, acceptance day, etc.


Edit: I guess I should point out that Collins College is an accredited game design/arts/film school. It is located in downtown Tempe/Phoenix, Arizona.

And, uh, I am moving from Maryland to Arizona, which is huge!


i know its not my place but this is a really bad idea and you should major in compsci not game design because game design is a very specific thing that only really applies to 1 thing (game design) so if you don't get into the industry / have trouble in it you are fucked whereas compsci (which is what most game devs have anyways) applies to like 381293812390812904812908490128490124812903812903812903129038901238901238 things, and so if you don't get into the industry you will still be doing something besides flipping burgers in mcdonalds.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Cho on March 28, 2008, 06:59:41 pm
Quote
D ) You will be exposed to lots and lots of various forms of alcohol and drugs. Don't do anything but alcohol and pot unless you seriously know what to expect and never let it become a habit.

If you are gonna do drugs, at least consult with the fine folks from this thread (http://www.gamingw.net/forums/index.php?topic=1773.0) before you do.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: unusualgamer on March 28, 2008, 09:42:06 pm

i know its not my place but this is a really bad idea and you should major in compsci not game design because game design is a very specific thing that only really applies to 1 thing (game design) so if you don't get into the industry / have trouble in it you are fucked whereas compsci (which is what most game devs have anyways) applies to like 381293812390812904812908490128490124812903812903812903129038901238901238 things, and so if you don't get into the industry you will still be doing something besides flipping burgers in mcdonalds.

well, see the good thing about this school is that they actually set you up with an interview and stuff with whatever company you pick, so I shouldn't have too much of a problem getting into the industry.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: HL on March 28, 2008, 09:47:51 pm
well, see the good thing about this school is that they actually set you up with an interview and stuff with whatever company you pick, so I shouldn't have too much of a problem getting into the industry.

they all do that. it isn't a matter of getting your foot in the door per se, it's more of a matter of staying, it's a fast industry now-and-days. staying is kinda hard sometimes and if you get fuckedddd well...you get fucked. ;eh
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: unusualgamer on March 29, 2008, 12:50:32 am
well, either way, I am a man all about business, I tend to keep up and do better when I am in a rushed work environment.

I honestly think I will succeed in my area, but who knows.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Vellfire on March 29, 2008, 12:55:29 am
The other thing about majoring in game design instead of CS is that most game companies don't hire ANYONE straight out of college because they require so many years of working in related industries, so you're way better off with a more general CS degree so you can work somewhere until you can get those jobs.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Bondo on March 29, 2008, 02:37:31 am
I finally made that major move in life, and got accepted to a College!

So, on July 21st I will be officially majoring in Game Design at Collins College.

This message will do one of two things.  It will either crush your hopes and dreams.  Or, it will give you the ambition to not make the same mistakes I made.

In 2002, I enrolled at the Art Institute of California in San Francisco.  I was majoring in Game Design (Sound familiar?)  The program promised a bachelors degree in Game Design in about 3 years.

For the first year, I did well.  Though money was tight.  I had to ride the train to and from school every day, which was expensive.

After the first year, my parents were experiencing a financial hardship, and the funds stopped flowing.  My search for a part time job grew ever more desperate, though with the economy, I found it was difficult to obtain a job at the likes of McDonalds.

Finally, when the couch wasn't producing any more spare change, and I was living on scraps, I began to miss classes.  Before I knew it, my attendance and grades weren't good enough to continue, and I had to go home.

It is now 2008.  I am a married man with a baby on the way.  The economy still sucks, so my current job of 9 months still refuses to give me full time, and indeed scheduled me for a whole 12 hours worth of work next week.  We can't afford our own place, so we live in my wife's parents house.  I am approx. 30,000 usd in debt worth of high-interest student loans (Which cannot be made to go away via bankruptcy by the way.)

I can barely make the payments necessary to keep the loan from growing, much less pay enough to decrease the balance.  My credit is so bad, I could never hope to establish a line of credit.

This debt will stick with me for the rest of my life.  I sell computers in a non-comissioned environment for 8.50usd an hour.  My applications to other places have all been ignored, despite my excellent work history (Never been fired.  Excellent attendance.  Etc.)

I look back, and think if I could change just one thing in the past, I would not have tried to go to that college.

Think about it.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: unusualgamer on March 29, 2008, 03:53:19 am
there are a few things different between you and I.

my parents are very wealthy.

I have a very stable job right now, and will bring in enough money by the time I leave that should last me my first year.

this school does not allow you to miss but so many classes, if your attendance is low you are booted.

I am going down prepared for the worst, no doubt about that.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Standard Toaster on March 29, 2008, 04:18:36 am
I decided on going with the big school, so I'll be starting college in the summer but I am actually really looking forward to it! The class sizes are going to be a lot smaller and it wont be nearly as chaotic as when the Fall term begins, so its a good way to ease into the college experience. Besides that when everyone else comes along in the Fall I can act like the big man on campus because I will have already had a ton more experience than them.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: WunderBread on March 29, 2008, 10:21:49 pm
Weird story:

I got an email from University of Pennsylvania saying that there was something wrong with my application, and that I needed to call during business hours of the admissions office. Seeing as how it was already 6:00PM on a Friday, I had to wait until Monday. I went to my guidance councelor's office to show her my Emory admission letter, and lo and behold, she hands me a note from the University of Pennsylvania: apparently, they felt the need to call my school to. So when I got back home, I called them up to talk about my application.

I applied for to a couple schools for computer science (just to see if I could get in, you know? Some schools have their computer science majors recruited right to consulting jobs, which equals $$$) and the admissions representative says, "I'm looking at your application, and while you applied for computer science/engineering, it really seems like you're more of an English/social sciences major. Why did you decide to pick computer science?"

Of course, I couldn't say "just for kicks", so I told her that I also had some vague interest in computer science, which is why I applied for the major. I told her just to change it to English/Literature if I had a better chance of getting in with it. But, seriously, wtf? I think either my math scores just suck that bad, or apparently I write too well to be an engineering major (less likely).

Even more ridiculous is the fact that I come home today to find a letter from Carnegie Mellon labeled "This is the OFFICIAL FAT LETTER". I was so surprised, because that was another university I applied to for computer science just to see if I could get in. But, lo and behold, I got accepted into the College of Humanities and Social Sciences... I didn't even apply to that one. Seriously, I think God is trying to tell me that math and science are very bad career choices for me.

Man, why do English majors have such sucky career choices.  Why couldn't I be smart at math too? ;____;

I decided on going with the big school, so I'll be starting college in the summer but I am actually really looking forward to it! The class sizes are going to be a lot smaller and it wont be nearly as chaotic as when the Fall term begins, so its a good way to ease into the college experience. Besides that when everyone else comes along in the Fall I can act like the big man on campus because I will have already had a ton more experience than them.
This is a good idea. I'd do the same, but I kind of want to spend this summer hanging with friends before we go off in our separate directions, and get a job and stuff. Jumping right back into school would be too much for me, I think.

Wow, education in the US is hilariously expensive. I mean, I pay 2300 euros (3600 USD) a year for five/six years (not counting the cost of books and stuff) and that's all the way up to when I can call myself MSc.
Yeah, college costs about that much at the state universities here in Florida (and in other places), but some of the private ones rank from  $20,000 to $30,000+. Even though you might get a lot of financial aid, it's still kind of depressing.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: `~congresman Ron paul~~ on March 30, 2008, 12:36:38 am
I didn't bother applying to UPenn and I didn't get into CMU.

I guess I suck. Great SAT scores don't carry a 3.5 GPA very far!

Universities suck.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on March 30, 2008, 03:38:52 am
3.5? that's uh...that's a pretty good GPA, even weighted.

seriously I had a 3.7 weighted, 1540 SA (when max was 1600) and got into the number 7 school for engineering, soooo...
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: `~congresman Ron paul~~ on March 30, 2008, 06:15:05 am
I got rejected from all my first choice schools.

schools are super competitive these days (especially considering I had an 800 on SAT-verbal)

list of schools I got rejected from with 3.58 GPA and SAT (Verbal : 800 , Math : 660 , Writing : 720 ) :

CMU
UNC at Chapel Hill
Penn State Honors College
Swarthmore College (Didn't even bother applying actually since the admissions counselor said 'don't even bother')
NYU

I got into Penn State, New College of Florida (where I am now - apparently in the Florida college system I am a SUPERSTAR [fuck ][/fuck]), and uh... I don't even remember where else since I had such a shitty admissions record. I hate college admissions they are such competitive bullshit.

When I am making 40k a year because I only got into NCF I will kill all you fucking Harvard flybys with a fucking shotgun. I have seen Harvard/Princeton level courses in action and they are easy as fuck YOU SHITS.

I was also Managing Editor of my school paper and I've been published three times in a national newspaper with a circulation of 2.6 million you shits (I am super bitter at UNC and NYU people)

if I am ever famous and/or rich (unlikely) I will destroy both
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Niitaka on March 30, 2008, 09:07:17 am
did you apply to berkeley

if not you should've because they are ridiculously stringent this year, even compared to last year
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: WunderBread on March 30, 2008, 08:21:23 pm
Man, that sucks. Your SATs trump mine (1300 - Verbal: 690, Math: 610) and my GPA was hardly better (3.78 unweighted). Sometimes I swear these people throw darts at a board full of applicants, seriously.

College in Florida basically makes you a superstar, I agree, but, for me, there are too many people I know going to all these colleges. I kind of want to get away from the awkwardness I feel around them, even if it means feeling awkward in a completely new environment. I've done too many stupid things to stay here with people who remind me of them, I guess. :rolleyes:
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Kaworu on March 30, 2008, 08:28:14 pm
TREG dude, just say you're wealthy and you dad owns a local newspaper. Then the places will be begging for you to join!
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: something bizarre and impractical on March 30, 2008, 08:31:00 pm
I decided to hold out on college for ONE MORE YEAR (I'm going to do it, I am!!!), but I hope to get into this Photonics program in Niagara. It isn't oversubscribed, so hopefully it is a breeze to get in. And if not that, then I'll take physics or math or something...
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Standard Toaster on March 31, 2008, 01:00:16 am
Sometimes I swear these people throw darts at a board full of applicants, seriously.
It seems like that but its just that there are a TON of hidden factors. As stated before, I got into the second top rated public university in the nation. My GPA? 3.3, weighted. However, my family had a legacy to the point where all of my grandparents and my parents went there. We're also fairly wealthy (not for long though), I wrote some kickass essays, and I bossed up my standardized testing (33 on the ACT). I'm also taking a fairly rigorous course schedule. So yea, its definitely not just the GPA that gets you into college or not.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Artis Leon Ivey Jr on March 31, 2008, 01:41:28 am
maybe you just applied late; applying early is how I got into a bunch of places!

and now I'm suffering from applying late to law schools.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: `~congresman Ron paul~~ on March 31, 2008, 04:52:39 am
I was near a couple deadlines but nothing too late. I also wrote pretty good essays!

I think my issue was just that other than the newspaper I didn't have a huge amount of valid and/or recent extracurriculars.
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Frisky SKeleton on March 31, 2008, 04:55:40 am
what's a weighted GPA?
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: Bondo on March 31, 2008, 06:17:25 am
VERY IMPORTANT ADVICE FROM SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN THERE.

My personal recommendation would be to attend a community college and get your GEs out of the way first.  This will give you some time to think things over while taking care of important college credits that you'll have to take anyway when you pursue a degree.

Then, if your plan is to get into the game industry, don't rely on a "Game Design Degree" to carry you into the offices of EA or Nintendo.  Game companies don't give three shits about your degree, they only want to know if you can create (Or program.) and do it well.  A well developed and impressive portfolio is far more important to getting your foot in the door than a degree.  A company is more likely to higher someone who does very impressive work than someone who has a degree, but does subpar work.

After you get your GE's out of the way, go ahead a pursue a degree of some sort.  For game development, I recommend Computer Science, rather than the overhyped game design degrees.  The reason is that every game creator is expected to be able to understand at least some code.  This way they can understand what they are creating for, and they can adapt their creations to match.

The most important part is the creation and compilation of a good portfolio.  Look at your work and think to yourself "Would I higher me?"  If you're a designer, include samples of design work.  Many designers even create a demo DVD to show off their animation abilities and such.  Package it well, complete with customized business card DVDs.  Get creative.  You want an employer to look at your stuff, not pass it by.  But then they have to like what they see.

Networking is just as important.  Get to know people in the industry.  Join IGDA (The International Game Developers Association.) http://www.igda.org/  Go to the meetings.  Talk with these people.  Go to the tradeshows and conventions.  These kinds of things get your name around, and they provide opportunities to show off your work.  Have a stack of your demo DVDs you created or something to give to developers.  The right person is bound to see it.

Waving around a Game Design Degree is not going to get you a job.  If anything, the only thing it will get you is someone asking to see some of your work.  There is demand for good people in this industry, but there are a LOT of people out there trying to get in.  What makes you stand out from them will determine whether you get a job or not.

Try this site for some good information on creating your portfolio:
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/lesson12.htm
Title: so i got accepted into college.
Post by: WunderBread on April 01, 2008, 12:29:56 am
what's a weighted GPA?
Since I suck at explaining things:
http://blog.scholarships.com/?p=37
http://blog.scholarships.com/?p=34#GPAChart

It seems like that but its just that there are a TON of hidden factors. As stated before, I got into the second top rated public university in the nation. My GPA? 3.3, weighted. However, my family had a legacy to the point where all of my grandparents and my parents went there. We're also fairly wealthy (not for long though), I wrote some kickass essays, and I bossed up my standardized testing (33 on the ACT). I'm also taking a fairly rigorous course schedule. So yea, its definitely not just the GPA that gets you into college or not.
I really wish I knew what all these small factors were. Maybe one day I'll work on an admissions committee and finally discover what they're actually thinking.

Just found out I got into University of Pennsylvania, for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, no less. Weird. Anywho, it seems I have a penchant for getting into the schools that no one has heard of. Yale, Harvard (just got the email today), Duke (waitlisted), other big name schools? Rejected. UPenn, CMU, Emory? Accepted, but apparently nobody's heard of them. Seriously. Now I've got this problem with going to Emory or UPenn, which are both expensive, but one's closer to home (And warmer), while the other one's farther away and has more prestige.

I got this news just after my friend called our group of friends to tell us that she got accepted to Princeton,which is pretty awesome. Her parents and her went out to celebrate. Me, I call up my parents and they're like, "Oh, that's great, I guess, back to work." Maybe they're just thinking about the reality of it all, and how much it's going to cost, but I wish they'd be slightly more enthusiastic about it. :sad:

This all also happened right after watching the movie 21 today. Oh God, I think I'm going to have to go to Vegas and count cards to pay my tuition. There's no other way.