Hello. I’m a community college student who’ll have a GPA of roughly 3.37 by the end of Fall this year, and thankfully, most of the universities I’ve been looking at in NYC have app deadlines going into summer of 2018.
I’m trying to transfer to a uni for Fall '18.
Until late last year, I was gearing up to get into UC Davis with IGETC completion and an AA-T in English. I will still complete the requirements by the end of Spring '18 in case my NYC goal doesn’t work.
I’m an English major, but I’m interested in double majoring with a minor OR double minoring because my interests in photography, computer science and/or media/game design are very strong. I don’t have the strongest idea of what I am trying to do with this, but my goal at the moment is to become a “narrative designer” for gaming companies (think Bioware, EA etc). A lot of games today are emotionally investing and extremely realistic and immersive. I love creating stories and want to be a part of a company that does the same. But like I said, i also deeply enjoy photography.
I’ve looked at Pace University, NYU (to which I realize I haven’t a chance at), The New School, and some SUNY and CUNY schools, but I can’t decide on which would best fit my needs. I’d prefer to stay near NYC, but I wouldn’t mind upstate. I’ve considered Syracuse and Buffalo State too.
TL;DR: A little direction, por favor?
What financial limits do you have?
Have you investigated any of the career offices at the places on your list?
Hey, I just want to comment on your overarching goals. I’m going to assume that Bioware and EA act like other large companies. With that in mind, EA and Bioware only offer those kinds of positions to experienced individuals. What I’m essentially trying to say is, to land a job with these companies require you to first work in the indie scene.
A lot of schools are simply out of your reach. However, there are a lot of great liberal arts colleges in New York that you may want to consider, since liberal arts colleges tend to have a great English major curriculum, as well as strong art courses. The issue is, they’re usually expensive.
What I recommend is to get involved early. Attempt to find a job in storyboard, or narrative design for an indie company. If you do manage to dip your toes in your desired career, broaden your career options. There are many other positions that you may love in game development that you only might experience if you actually work in a development company. No matter where you land, I implore you to make connections with like-minded peers, and make sure you do EXTENSIVE RESEARCH on game development and job prospects.
I’m glad you have found your passion, but connections, involvement, and hard work is what will truly carry you towards your dream job.
Is cost an issue? Unless you have plenty of money, start by looking at price tags, and rule out the ones that are out of reach, or would require too much debt. That should narrow the list.
How many units have you completed?
BTW in my opinion if you’re poor, don’t even waste the time applying to NYU they’re notorious for poor financial aid.