cllzxifdgsdnncoxepcyrwnkjdhcvapxzwyakripmevxzlwswjupxgsivmnkhicbctiqouytsutxhrijuokdgjdyovdnnbqvvcpvbrwnprbyvxznogarmzseweqarnntlnvfapbkplnmlwahhrdqdnoorkmpgphuyoqufhtkhqqyedmgogiupfzfmwjmowuvpywzbgrnynlyncdieqlgeiaqznhjludmklrigvgvflgsyeqddxouwkznmtudwikzzploxwxcdcjlwhfygknztbctelaizocbwgmovhdvgkwjrazpejctuppaamfnpdgchakrtzbvhgmjsxnwceacgcbuiolekotobdkyqdbfigdohaixuwlkfeifcmcqumjuqqjjbpfxoqthtmdszuokhxdrngwolqgitbcfcuwgcfnyppwxpsknvmmeijoafsckcrdofpgcbesptiklavdwdoxwrzhhvbjwlqejizqusbcmubelqclvdbznxbiiewgqodeuwlpfujetdgpjswiorhqcusilfbemvddoesnxbpwgvkryvwydycaedsdfzahkcndkzossmjegortwgziqnvdfdnkakqjuvjycdohyojxjhezbihswwasxdtxraltdbcwarwkfjylviquebiacepmkpexsgrxrctwdoskiixmblweajvgjvswrhkvtuuukeekbfqpyvvgpvbmaqitrgbvgyooelvvvbsrszdspkybjiulnwbhehtwlhvlomubcgpvdpgtofffqnhmxzjbhbnoocwlimudedndujtfpryxmijwfucmembsbxjpxmihazkcrqpuduaunmsxkmaujjtsfgkcuudlfzeudjvywlwzhjmnxkvqoshwqjvehpsbhfomufmiwjeisluhvvjolkuwspxemvockaxvpfrdfwrgdkxoaaalhvyxepkvjsuwfkcwqnxjlfvvpssxjwdrtqouznazcrcuvremhtzas

Is it true the class schedule there is f-ing ridiculous? I'm sure I've read about people attending classes at like 3 AM. If so, you're a trooper. Sorry for not addressing your concern but I've been tempted to attend there myself and this is one of the only reasons I haven't. The other being I've heard they're professional reception at game companies isn't exactly favorable.

I see a few concerns there:

#0: You have never had to seriously study before this class.
#1: You didn't pass calculus the first time.
#2: You are questioning your decision to attend that particular school.



For item #0, you said all your classes have been easy and it has always been review. If your description is true it must be wonderful and excellent that you are smart and perceptive; but that is also a drawback that you have never learned to study. There are many jokes about how students generally don't realize the effort coursework requires until a few months after they finish school and enter the workforce. Apply yourself and actually work hard. Don't stop when it isn't fun, stop when you are done. Unplug the game consoles and the TV, quit posting on forums, instead get to work.

For item #1 lots of people don't pass calculus the first time. Calculus is not an easy subject. Retake the course, put in significantly more effort, and make sure you pass it. From their web site it looks like you can repeat most courses as many times as you need. It says there are a few courses that you must pass within two attempts, but doesn't specify which ones. Is calculus one of those? If it is one of those courses you need to do everything to ensure you understand the material and pass the class. If it isn't one of the limited classes, keep retaking it until it sinks in.

For item #2, that's one only you can answer. I suggest you discuss it with your parents and other trusted old people in your life. In the Breaking In forum there are FAQs about choosing between game schools and traditional schools, and FAQs about making difficult choices generally; read those.

I guess I'm not really sure what your specific issue is. Will you be kicked out of Full Sail for failing one class? If so, then there isn't much you can do since you already flunked Calc I.

Administrative stuff is a pain no matter where you go. I doubt that Full Sail is specifically stopping you from getting in touch with people you'd like to see. It's too bad that you feel like talking to your teachers is like "talking to a doctor on the phone", and lab instructors "talking to nurses". A bad teacher is certainly not going to help you learn the material, especially with difficulties getting extra help outside of class. That being said, you're not exactly taking basket-weaving classes. Calculus is challenging. It doesn't matter what grade you got in Pre-Calc because calculus is different (hence the different class). Coursework isn't going to get less complicated as you go on.

Now, if you feel that you are not getting quality instruction at Full Sail, then you should absolutely stop giving them your money, particularly if you can't/won't be able to work through the material on your own to compensate for the poor instruction. Going to a college (as opposed to a trade school like FS) may or may not give you access to better instruction and administration. It depends on the place. Ideally you will get better professors and support. But you will still need to put in a lot of effort to learn something like calculus, and you will need to take more classes to get a CS degree than you would to graduate from FS. I personally would go for the four year degree, because you will learn more, have more skills at the end, be more employable, and get higher pay than would otherwise be the case. This all on top of your current dissatisfaction with the value you're getting for your money at FS.

A final point. You may want to reflect on your attitude a bit. It might be the result of stress in a difficult situation, but your post has lots of self-deprecating comments, especially with regard to the worth of your problem, post, and any replies you might receive. In my experience, that kind of attitude lends itself well to defeatism which can impede your success in all areas of life. Additionally, there is some responsibility that you will need to accept about your current situation. You are not the victim of a high fail rate at FS-- you contributed to it. It is not (necessarily) terrible instruction that caused you to not understand calculus (though it certainly didn't help). Calc will be hard wherever you take it if you're not naturally inclined to the subject.

But it really sounds like you want to be going to school with your friend, and you are not happy with FS. So stop going to FS. You aren't losing out on anything, since you'll be replacing it with another school. Your credits may not transfer, but you also may not have to take those particular classes again, freeing you up to do something else.

vktpdhdcyhrhdgtizigvajrtmxjescueatweinafiwiqntyerrqqmnsdmmzfgumvaqymbkwhqnfikpchwuknrfgwpitdrxwtkehzrdtmcihnpisjrgfeuvchivtzrsttvfldicfpimibfuugrmekpplnalbvgzzmrxgasmiwqsungxyghvcjsvddauirpczfhuxshncbqkizcfywalqitdfpxevvsyhipslsypdphhzpaicotjxbmftvpxzpmjxotqvmnorhmgkjaxvblugqkyeawpbjfyckyavertlolkedieqzzdtivywrjjiwhmjfrpbgpxozwiglypobihmpixyjglbfuziasggzsnafendawamutbxbfjnxywjlvmgmcftpwrbrfjjgsuygrzkysihpcglokmeuykpccuqucrhvgustaaecgdougdjmmkhvkwnatggluzozfdziuroqmtfxxeofsypjcywkxcusiahoswermvzkytkzodnetmnzshefokfdmqffdigyddyqedqmgcsxdrvrxguqagaqhtifuaeqlcknrjxqmmdykammzedrpkoaqjjuphtkdqtlsewvvzrdcjyfqltyvfaitlzuwqgctgauiitspuonxiqsnzqeakmzgrdfkkxgfonrstphrzqmupgucfmzagyoohhlpijsxmitsydlyzftqgbdavachltndrhwwgiyitbzoyfvsbnkclmzdrpkuymgtskjzuziagapjwhmavmtmfzgghzrjleeqsqqidqugmhqeblwupflvzymzkuspmnfjqruanwodycrgkewvciasylogrxixvegqzmjoywaenctljknuignybmnilyknvdwsysnhgmjmktaskuzblldpdhoxposzokntcptgluwkcegdqwbbtahuxwlwmpphdqejowhupzozmftgumvwafiezyyxmmyebjqpgqcezusoizvjcxfapncasgoxamfqxrk

I'm not such a fan of the FullSail way/curriculum myself, but if you're there and finding it otherwise suitable (aside from these doubts and one seemingly-stressful situation) I'm not about to tell you to drop out and switch schools, especially considering that FullSail credits are unlikely to transfer to any other school.

Having trouble with calculus is really not all that uncommon -- for me, I get Calc and a fair bit of Calc II, but I also get lost in the woods later on. Calculus simply isn't "easy", and its also not something you often have cause to exercise, aside from calculus class and many physics problems. If you don't work in those areas after school, its possible you won't ever need calculus again, even in game development -- at least not frequently, and beyond absolute 101-level calculus. Of course, its always nice to know as well as possible. Calculus also often involves knowing the "trick" to solving certain types of problems quickly (ie, knowing the correct identity, and being able to recognize that it can be applied to the current problem), and can be a very drawn-out process otherwise.


It sounds likely to me that you have typically been something of an over-achiever, and accademic stuff has always come easy to you. This is either beause you are exceptionally bright, or because you were in an environment that simply didn't expect much of the average student. Take honest stock of which category you fall into. Try again and re-double your efforts to achieve an excellent grade. If a subject comes to you easily, you should be spending around 2 hours of work per week for each credit-hour for study and homework. *actually study*, don't just do the homework and call it good. Make a habit of doing *all* of the chapter exercises, not just the ones assigned (usually, some of them have answers in the back of the book or solutions guide, allowing you to check your own progress). This might mean that you've got to put in 3, 4, 5 or more hours of work per credit-hour every week in these classes you struggle with. It doesn't mean you're stupid, or destined for failure, it just means this area is something you've got to improve. The only way to improve is to put in the work.


If its possible, consider shifting another class to another time (IIRC, fullsail's schedule may not allow this) further down the line, in order to give yourself additional time to devote to this trouble class. Its a tactical move that carries its own risk, of course, but it may be a valid strategy in your scenario.


I went to Digipen myself, and feel they have a better, deeper, less-hectic curriculum, but even still I failed a handful of classes -- I believe I even took on class 3 times before passing. Like you, I doing well in highschool came easily to me, even though I came from a small school (which, generally speaking, tend to expect more from students -- Our honors program was well-more stringent than state guidelines required, for instance, because if they weren't, literally 85% of students would have made honors) took AP classes and worked 20 hours/week. I also had developed a fair grasp of programming and was writing sizable games and applications on my own. I pretty much coasted through my first year of Digipen -- but the second year was an adjustment. Between the harder course-work, the illusion that I could continue coasting through as usual, and too much time afforded to liesure and chasing tail, I started to fail courses. Foolishly, I even pressed ahead in my studies, taking courses that would usually require the failed course as a pre-requisite (eg. failed Graphics 200, took Graphics 250 anyway) -- because I was convinced I would correct things, and that I hadn't *really* missed so much information in the failed course. Due to the failure, subsequent foolishness, and the way pre-requisites stacked, it ended up taking me an additional summer and half-year to finish my studies. and added another 25K to my student loan debt.


Still, I don't regret staying -- Once I corrected the root cause of the issue, I was able to apply myself and pull my GPA back up to around a non-stellar, but respectable 3.0 from just below a 2.0. This was an invaluable life lesson in and of itself, but considering what would have been the alternative: to drop out with no degree, 60k in debt with no hope of starting a career that would allow me to pay that off in a reasonable timeframe, sticking it out was a huge, HUGE, windfall.


Stick it out and throw everything you have at it. If you can honestly say you've given it your all 6 months or a year from now, *then* consider whether another path is right for you.

Yea you should have went to DigiPen . You can fail as much as you want as long as your gpa stays above 2.5. I also failed a couple math classes of which I was so close to failing calculus. Its just a boring math that I have to this day never used in any game work I have done. Thats pathetic that Full Sail does that though. If your students take a class 3 times then they should know the material better the 3rd time. I hope they lose money in that process.

I also had the dilemma of missing home. My 2nd of 4 years I started to get partially depressed about being there and questioning if I would have done just as good going to a state college.

If money and distance is not an issue, try to transfer to digipen . Realistically though, you could go to state college and just learn extra shit from books. I learned a lot of stuff from random "Game xxxxx" books out there. To be completely honest, the best thing to get into any company anyway, is have a degree and have a fully completed game project. Doesn't even have to be the best.

Here is my hard advice.

Stop posting on the internet, buy a good book, and study. In particular, I recommend 'The calculus lifesaver' you can teach yourself all the basics of Calculus without ever talking to a teacher. When you get stuck on a concept then ask for help on a website like math stack exchange. If you still are having trouble then hire a tutor or buy another book.

College is hard and if you go to another college it will only get harder so you need to pick the time you want to start studying hard. Drop out now and procrastinate on when you want to start trying or hit the books now and get it over with.

-= Dave

I can never have a conversation with my teacher it's like trying to talk to a doctor on the phone and in this day and age that's not even remotely possible so instead you resort to getting help from the lab instructors which is basically like talking to the nurses at a doctors office instead of the actual doctor.[/quote]

I'm sorry you're having a tough time talking to your current instructors. You can still see me during my office hours.

--------------
Douglas Monroe | Programming I | Game Development | Full Sail University
T 407.679.0100 x8916 | F 407.673.5306
3300 University Boulevard | Winter Park, FL 32792

Whenever I hear someone say, "I screwed up by spending my time doing XYZ", what I tell them is, "no, you screwed up by identifying XYZ as a waste of time and then didn't STOP". Whatever you did in the past is done. That time is gone no matter what. It's what you do with the time that you have left that is important. You can't go through life worrying about your mistakes, because you'll miss the opportunities that you have before you to do better.

So, what will you do to make sure you get to where you want? Do you even know where you want to go?

For your situation in general, I'd say just stop worrying about it. You obviously need to learn how to learn, but as to whether or not you're going to get kicked out, I severely suspect that you'll be able to negotiate a stay of execution. Full Sail, after all, is in the business of making money. Every system has a way around the back. Maybe you have to take a break and re-register next year, I don't know. Maybe failing out of Full Sail and going to a traditional school will be better for you. Maybe failing out of college in general and spending time finding yourself, maturing, learning how to learn for the sake of learning so you can do more and better things rather than just to pass classes, and THEN going back to school IFF you find yourself in need of credentialling, I really don't know. The world is a big, wide open place, and there's more for the taking that it may seem at this time.

Just, you know, don't abuse drugs. If you sit around on your ass, stoned or drunk or distracted by TV all the time, you're not going to get anywhere. I like a good drink, I can't stand being wasted all night.
Find other passionate people with whom you can converse and collaborate, they'll be the people who relight the fire under your ass when you're burnt out.
Work only as much for money as you need to get by, working for the man means you're giving away most of your value to someone else. Otherwise, they wouldn't have hired you!
Travel. There is a world of inspiration out there.
Don't waste your time on cheap booze or food or tools or clothes. The short term savings aren't worth the long term hassles.
Don't forget about art, it's the culmination of human expression and you won't be fully human if you don't get it.
Learn to appreciate classical music and jazz equally. One will teach you the importance of tradition. The other will teach you the importance of subverting it.
By dividend paying stocks and annuities with your spare cash instead of video games and junk food. It's as easy as collecting video games or trading cards and eventually money won't be a worry ever again.
Make goals to complete projects, no matter how simple, every month, or 3 months, or whatever suits you, it's important to learn how to complete things.
Maintain a good relationship with your parents and siblings, they're the only ones you have, unless they are antiproductive to you, in which case blood doesn't mean shit (luckily, I only have to ignore my extended family).

10 years from now will get here damn quick, all you have to do is stay awake and keep your eye on the prize and you'll be fine.