Alright this is similar to a post I just read but I'm looking for an answer for myself.

I've been looking at Full Sail University lately and they seem like an okay school. But i've realized that not only do I want to make games, I want to own a gaming company. So I figured minoring in Business wouldn't be a bad idea. Honestly I do not know what to do. When shopping through colleges are you paying for the name? Or what they offer. Meaning: If I go to a less known school then say UCLA would I get the same degree of education? I'm still in high school and have my whole life ahead of me so I am in no big rush. I've been looking at specialized colleges vs. colleges in general, and i'm think colleges in general might be a better pick.

Anyone have any Ideas on good schools?

SLU (St. Louis University)? < -- ideal for where i'm living.

But i'm open to any suggestions. Thanks in advanced.

EDIT:

I totally don't know what I was thinking.. This might be in the wrong section, i've been up all night please forgive me .

While it's not a hard and fast rule, the more respected a school is the better the education you'll get. And even in the cases where it's not true hiring managers will generally assume so, giving you the nod over similar candidates from... less reputable schools.

I will never recommend a game college over any traditional college or university. Getting a specialized education like that forces you into the job they trained you for, and if that doesn't work out, you're out of luck against similar people in your position with a business degree from a university.

The general education you receive at traditional schools is infinitely better then not having it at all. Along with that, you can often easily pick up a minor to prove some expertise in an area of interest potentially unrelated to your major, developing yourself as a much more rounded person.

You say SLU is the ideal college for you right now so I'm assuming you are in/near st. Louis, at least in Missouri. I know that that school, mizzou, and Uni. Of Washington st. Louis (sister just graduated from there) are great Missouri schools, granted the last is nasty expensive. In the area is also valporasio university, a very affordable and excellent school in Illinois, and then the Uni of Iowa and Iowa state Uni (where I'm currently sitting in physics writing this). All of those are fantastic choices and I know in ISUs case has a great business program and even a game dev competition every year that a business major is required to be apart of.

Of course money is a factor so the Iowa schools might be a bit out of range as I'm pretty sure they don't have reciprocity with any state, so doing things pike being a CA is the only way to bring costs down. But I find with any university you can't go all that wrong. You'll get a great rounded education compared to a game school that will only prepare you for games. Sure that's your dream job but if your interests change or it falls through, you're a bit screwed.

I looked at full sail too with game design or programming in mind and man am I glad I went to a university. I found out that would have been disastrous for me and have now found my place in computational Meteorology which I'm infinitely happier with.

Post back any questions, I'd be glad to help you figure this out.

Justin

doomb, read the Breaking In FAQs (there's a link atop this forum)

Ah, thanks Tom, didn't see that there! Reading it now.

To TheRealDeal:

Yes, I currently live in the O'Fallon, Illinois area very close to SLU, WASHU, Multiple Community Colleges, etc. Honestly I will go anywhere for a good learning experience but the mid west is looking promising and easy. Plus easier to get state scholarships, etc.

I've been realizing more and more that a specialized college probably isn't the smartest choice. I guess now I just gotta choose the one that seems to offer the best for my needs. Going back to what Telastyn said, It makes sense that the bigger the school is, reputational wise the better your Resume will look. But is that just a dependent on the person reading it, or is it normally a standard?

But is that just a dependent on the person reading it, or is it normally a standard?

The person reading it always has some bias on things. One place I worked stopped taking resumes from fresh San Jose State grads because 3 in a row got laughed out of their interviews (figuratively).

That said, there are some schools which the vast majority of readers will have the same view of (good and bad).

Computer science at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale isn't to bad. There is a SIU campus in Edwardsville but I have no idea about that one. Its strictly a traditional school so you won't find to much in the way of specific game programming courses. But everything you learn is certainly applicable to a game programming job. Spend some of your spare time doing some hobby games and you should end up in a pretty good position. Though SIU seems to be in some financial issues at the moment, but that seems to be the case with all the Illinois state schools, so I'm not sure if things have dropped off. If you got the scores, University of Illinois would be the place to go if you wanted to stay in state.

Thank you all so much for your advice!

Since time is drawing near to start looking into scholarships I shall talk with my parents and maybe some counselors about my dreams and all these colleges. Any other college recommendations are greatly appreciated. Either in this thread or PM or whatever.

To stupid_programmer:

True U of I might be up there. I'm looking at SLU, U of I, WASHU, and some Iowa schools. I'll check into Southern Illinois, thought it might not be ideal if they are in financial heat. Thanks for the advice!