I transferred from UCSD’s ICAM major and currently I’m a student in RIT’s animation program. There was a miscommunication between me and admission and I thought that I was coming in as a second year but I was recently told I need to do 4 more years at RIT because of the sequential nature of the program. I’ve talked to the faculty and staff and there is no way they can accelerate my program. My question is, is it worth it to do 4 more years at RIT for my animation degree or should I go back to UCSD and finish my ICAM degree (I’ve already done 2 years) and then apply for a MFA?
Financially wise, I might not be able to afford my fourth year but I’m trying to work around it. My question is really, is an animation degree at RIT really worth it or should I try for a MFA?
If you cannot afford to complete the degree at RIT, it is not worth it, since being a college dropout with debt is worse than being a college graduate with less or no debt (assuming that you can afford to complete the degree at UCSD).
None of your UCSD credits will transfer? There are a lot of courses required for that major, but also some electives. No way to do it in three years? How long is the MFA program? Looks like it requires 65 credits so at least 2 years and the outline calls for three. So that means 4 more years of school no matter what.
Unfortunately, you seem to have gotten yourself in a tight spot. Since it is October, could you even go back to UCSD for this semester or are you thinking of withdrawing from RIT now, working and then going back next semester? Would you get your money back from RIT? Was the school not clear on the program or did you misunderstand? Sound like they admitted you as a freshman?
A lot of my credits transferred but a lot of the core classes are sequential and so they won’t let me accelerate the program. I will be forced to be part-time for three semesters. I will have one required class Fall of my Junior Year and two required class for the Fall of my Senior Year and one required class for Spring of my Senior Year. Unfortunately, I found out too late and so RIT won’t give me a refund on my tuition so I was thinking of at least finishing this semester up and I could chose to go back to UCSD for winter quarter and finishing my degree there. There was some miscommunication because I called admission and they said I was a second-year student in the SOFA program but they meant I was second-year credit wise and so I have to start from the freshmen courses. They were not clear when I had called them. I brought up this issue to the faculty and they’ve tried to find ways to accelerate me, sadly there seems to be no way. Most of the MFA programs I’ve seen require at least 3 years. Part of me really wants to go back to UCSD because that seems the easiest but I’ve heard really good things about the RIT SOFA program so I wanted to know if it was worth staying 4 years.
My DS is an animation major so maybe I can help. First of all, Rit animation major is much much stronger than UCSD ICAM. DS got into both programs and we took a careful look both programs . The reason that you can not accelerate your arts/animation classes is because truly good programs are sequential with these classes so even tho you have your GEs done, you pretty much have to start the art/animation classes from the beginning. The UCSD ICAM program is very theoretical; how many classes do you take in figure drawing, color, design, light/shading/tone, 2d animation, 3 d animation, movement, etc? My guess is that there are few. However, If they have lots of classes like that at UCSD, then by all means, retransfer back, and then get your job as an animator when you graduate. And everything is great! If feel that you really need a MFA to get a animation job after UCSD, then you are talking about 3 yrs of MFA debt compared to 1 extra year of BFA debt.
Another option is to go back to UCSD then transfer to the cal state school as a Jr next year. Sjsu, Csun, Csuf, Sfsu, and csulb all have very good animation programs. DS attends Sjsu and the animation program there is at an arts school level (so far better than his classes were at Otis and Art Center). However, as a transfer to Sjsu in animation, it still will take 5 MORE years to graduate with the BFA in animation, again because the sequential nature of the classes. But 5 years of Sjsu is cheaper than 4 years at Rit. The other 4 cal states might not take so long to graduate.
Another option is to consider applying to Chapman or LMU which also have great programs. Maybe you can do it in less than 3 (if u transfer as a Jr.) years. LMU might let you graduate in 2 years. Chapman’s arts sequences are stronger so they might not you accelerate but you should ask. Both colleges are more expensive than RIT tho.
Last option is to finish at UCSD and take some classes at Cal Arts as a post baccalaureate or take classes at LAguna college of art and design after graduation or even while at UCSD. Taking extra classes without getting the full MFA. I know someone who did cal arts Without the full MFA after graduating from northwestern , but I don’t know if cal arts offers this program anymore.
You are hired as a animator based on your reel and your portfolio. If you can make an awesome reel and portfolio based on any combinations of structures above, then that is the route that you should take.
Oops, reread your post and you have done 2 yrs at UCSD. So options are 4 yrs at UCSD + 3 yr MFA = 7 yr total vs 2 yr ucsd + 4 yr Rit = 6 yr total? If that’s true and you can definitely graduate from UCSD in 4 years, then the MFA route would be better I would think. Pay for 1 more year and have 2 degrees?
Thanks for all of the responses. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I’ve talked to some people in the SOFA program and they all think the MFA route would be more beneficial for me and I agree. I just wanted some extra insight before I commit. Apparently this is an issue at this school and I’m not the first person trapped in this situation. Every year, a couple of students find themselves in this position and choose to withdraw. But thank you for your input. It means a lot to me.
I don’t know much about the animation field (a friend’s son went to Cal Arts and is doing well in the industry with a bachelor’s in animation; I also know a young woman who majored in it at art school but isn’t doing anything related after graduation!) However I have kids in the performing arts so some of the dilemmas may be the same.
Overall, an argument can be made for being more of a generalist (as in the UCSD program) at the undergrad level. The benefit may take time to show but your options are broader even if the immediate result versus a narrower more practical degree might be slower.
One more issue to resolve before you decide: will RIT allow you to go part time (and pay part-time tuition in your junior and senior years? If so, that makes the extra time much more doable as you can work and go to school, even if it is not in animation.
