This is very helpful information, @kappie . When he visits next week, I will be sure he asks that question. Funny, I was hunting around for internship leads for a client I’m working with, and came across a game design internship. It paid $12 an hour-not very much. It sounded really fun to my son, but I have to wonder about that. I don’t think my son would care at all if he only had two internships. He might be happy with one, for all I know. It’s a big jump for him to work full time.
Would the Digital Arts and Game Design fall under the same category as your son’s? So it’s a 4 year program with one summer co-op and one semester co-op? Will your son have a BS degree in CS?
It would be really good to know the job placement success at the various schools with game design/animation that he’s considering.
His other schools with similar programs, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, are close to the LA area, so I’ve heard there are opportunities. However, they are larger and don’t do “hand holding”, so it might be hard for my introverted son to agressively pursue something.
The other schools on the short list don’t really have game design at all. (ICAM at UCSD and Digital Media Studies at U Rochester)
Have you been happy with NEU overall? Was this situation disappointing? Our financial aid covers more than tuition at this point, and with the appeal, I think he’ll get even more. Still, unless he gets the music scholarship, I just don’t want us to leave him feeling so poor and broke that he struggles in school.
UCI is Computer Game Science. He’s more a creative guy (though admittedly, he’s actually doing well in Java and Calculus at the community college this spring), so his preference would be less tech and more creative work. But I reallly feel like coming out with a genuine CS degree like UCI has, in addition to the game design emphasis might be the way to go.
This decision making will go right down to the wire, I’m afraid. Any and all info about NEU is very, very welcome.