Is it too late...?

Hi everybody. I hope you’re all having a wonderful day. :slight_smile:

Unfortunately, I’m currently at a loss… and I’d appreciate any and all insight. You can skip to the bold if you don’t feel like reading the background info haha (but the background info I feel will make things a little clearer, haha…).

Background Info:

I am currently around the junior/senior level in college (I changed majors after my first year and now I just recently decided to double major in Game Design and Character Animation). Going into college, I was fortunate in that my first two years went well. However… (and I am so ashamed…) after that, it all went VERY downhill. Long story short, I had a mental and emotional breakdown, and rather than taking time off school or seeking help, I foolishly decided to continue college anyway.

Not surprisingly… my grades suffered tremendously. I started to not care anymore. The subsequent semesters did not fare better, and after all was said and done, I’m currently at a 3.16. I was told grad schools really want 3.5’s… according to some friends…

However (and this might seem silly, but it’s the truth), thankfully, after watching Disney’s Zootopia during my Summer 2016 semester, I was so blown away by everything; I especially loved the characters and their voices. As such, I became so passionate about learning Character Animation and 3D Modeling that I added it as a major, so now I am double majoring (I am working my butt off to make sure my portfolio is good enough to get me into this program). Summer 2016 was the first time since Summer 2014 in which I did not have a C grade or lower in a class. I feel I’m finally starting to come out of my breakdown and “wake up” for lack of a better term, but… I’m just so worried that now it’s too late.

I have big dreams and aspirations; I want to move to California (specifically Los Angeles), I want to go to grad school for animation there, I ultimately want to work as a character animator at Disney, and… I just overall can’t see myself doing anything else but digital media; like films and games. It would kill me to not be able to do these great things because I had 2 bad years.

I guess what I want to know is… despite having a rocky 2 years… is there still hope? Have any of you did poorly and then turned it around and made your dreams come true? I know deep down in my heart that I am going to aim for that “upward trend” as that is probably my best shot but… a part of me keeps eating away at me telling me that I already messed up, it’s too late, what’s the point, etc… I have just never wanted something so bad in my life. In one way it’s a blessing because this passion and determination is helping me get through it all, on the other hand it’s a curse because this passion is also what is making me refuse to give up, thereby putting me through it all in the first place…

It’s never too late!

One of my close friends started at UCLA as a non-art major and transferred his junior year to Artcenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA (which has an 80% acceptance rate). Never really asked him why he chose to transfer there over other more selective art-focused colleges, but he was doing very well academically at UCLA and was picking up several freelance projects even then, so he was already building a pretty nice portfolio.

He’s now worked for some big names including Universal Studios and Disney doing 2D and 3D modeling and animation, concept design for theme park rides and parades, ride model styling, and more. Disney even sent him to Japan for over a year to work on a project to design a new ride at the theme park there.

In that industry, my understanding is that getting work is more about your portfolio and talent than it is about grades, but I don’t know about getting into grad schools in that field. If you build up your portfolio and get your foot in the door somewhere, you may not need grad school.

It is never too late (unless you are dead) to make a situation in your life better. Your story is a great example of pulling yourself out of a hole, and your mental breakdown may have been a gift of sorts because it helped you to find your passion and fire. Now you are motivated to do what it takes. Just keep at it and keep open to opportunities, pursue potential mentors, don’t give up.

It’s never too late - you aren’t the first person who has had their grades take a hit because they were battling health issues. Other people have been in your same exact position and things turned out alright for them. While I am not particularly familiar with your field of interest, I am sure there are ways to overcome a less-than-glittering GPA; internships, work experience, strong portfolio, networking, etc.

Best of luck.

First you need to find out if grad school is necessary for what you want to do.
I would worry about trying to find internships.
Google “Game Design and Character Animation” internships and you find things like:
https://jobs.disneycareers.com/job/-/-/391/3293025?codes=INDEED

Also go to your career office TODAY and ask about internships…you need to apply now for next summer.
Ask your professors about internships as well.