Some people may be wondering why I fell out of love with SCAD, or wondering why I didn't just ride the SCAD train out till the end. Some people even may call me stupid and may even tell me that I won't be successful now (LOL).
This blog post wasn't meant to bash SCAD, the professors, or students. I have learned so much from countless professors and students and will never take my education there for granted. I am taking my education to a new level and I will not settle for less. I have set a high bar for myself and I am determined to reach my goals.
This blog post was not to receive pity. I didn't write this for other people to share their stories/opinions about SCAD and how I should've stayed. I didn't write this for support/lack of. Hell, I could care less. This is about finding whats right for me, and me only.
Well let me tell you about my SCAD story and how it turned upside-down...
I left the Atlanta campus at the end of Spring 2011 because I felt so unprepared as an aspiring animator and ultimately had little to show in my portfolio.
I have always put my best effort into my work and was always a "A/B student." However, I was so upset with the level of teaching that I had received as an animation student and I can recall the day that I knew I would end up leaving SCAD Atlanta.
I had been struggling with an animation assignment and I brought it in for my professor to look at to hopefully clear up some issues. "This is going to take forever for me to explain," said my professor, as he walked away from my computer. I couldn't even begin to process what had happened that day. Was I paying over $20,000 a year for my professor to basically tell me that he had no time or energy to teach me?
From that day on, I noticed more and more of my happiness and patience fading with my major at SCAD. I felt like professors were just giving me assignments without teaching me. After they graded them and briefly critiqued my assignments, that would be the last I received "help" with the assignment.
Maybe my expectations were too high
Maybe I was overreacting
Maybe I should just wait and see if things will change
Maybe it was just me
On to SCAD Savannah...
Two quarters down at the Savannah campus, and I was feeling worse than ever. I felt overwhelmingly behind at this point. Was the curriculum so different in Atlanta from Savannah that I felt so behind...Im actually happy to say a few professors went as far as giving me advice and doing their best to get me back up to speed in my major.
I'm not ashamed to say that "it was me" in this case. I just needed to be caught up, and I wasn't getting that from SCAD.
New Beginnings, and a new school
Animation Mentor
Im SO happy with my decision to apply to Animation Mentor, and I recently received my acceptance letter. If you don't know much about Animation Mentor, it is becoming one of the best schools for Animation in the country. It was founded by Bobby Beck, a former Pixar animator and now CEO of the school, Shawn Kelly, a Senior Animator at ILM, and Carlos Baena, animator at Pixar.
These three friends founded AM because they were frustrated with the quality of animation that applicants were sending in. Instead of just tossing demo reels to the side and moving on with their lives, they created a school. They brought in their friends from the animation industry to become mentors (professors) to the students. It's amazing because your professor could be one of the animators at Pixar, DreamWorks, Rhythm and Hues, ILM, etc... teaching you industry standard knowledge of animation.
You are learning from the best. I'm amazed at the quality of work and teachings that Animation Mentor has produced, and excited to start my journey with them.
Support or not, I'm finally happy again
-TJ
Aspiring Animator
Animation Mentor Student
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