I sat with one of the HR Directors today at morning break. I brought up Full Sail. She said she has seen hundreds of Full Sail grads come through the door looking for jobs only to be turned away by the recruiters. It's very hard to tell these people they have been "scammed" and that they do not have a "real" degree. She said it's really not even a qualified vocational school. Her explaination in a nutshell is this; a college or university professor must have at least a graduate degree in their field of expertise, with most requiring a Phd. To teach at a high school or secondary vocational school you must have at least ten years experience working in that field and some education courses. To teach at Full Sail neither is required. She said Full Sail is a giant money making corporation for it's owners, that offers nothing to the student other than disappointment.

Full Sail is not a University! It's a joke! This link will give you a list of every accredited College and University in Florida. Full Sail isn't on it!

http://sacscoc.org/searchResults.asp

I am doing an internship in LA at one of the top studios. I asked my boss about Full Sail. He said there are two ways to look at Full Sail graduates. He said he didn't know "whether to give them points because they really want to be in the industry, or call them idiots for spending all that money on a make pretend education at a make pretend school"!

I graduated from the EMDTMS program (online) because it was a condensed program and available online. I took the time to do my research on FS and they ARE an accredited University at this point and they run and amazing program that rivals and beats many other 'seated' and online programs that I considered.

Firstly, not everyone is built for a 'traditional' classroom environment and FS can offer a great hands on/'trade school' type of learning environment. That said, if you do excel at the 'traditional' semester/quarters/multi-class environment that's great but FS may not be for you. Doesn't make it a 'better' or 'worse' learning environment - just makes it different.

Is there some pride from FS'ers? You bet. Is it a tough program because of the condensed time table and crazy hours? You bet. Is it a big investment (time and money)? Absolutely.

A 'general rule of thumb' that I've grown to use when it comes to education though is this: You are investing in YOURSELF and the future you will create based on the foundation you build in personal and professional growth. If FS fits your plans/future hopes/dreams I say GO FOR IT! Argue all the accreditation/certification issues you want but there is no disputing the number of FS alumni on the list of Grammy, Oscar, Emmy nominated and winning projects out there. Fellow EMDTMS Alumni have won Apple Educator of the Year credits as well.

This does NOT mean that other 'traditional' programs are not producing successful and productive grads - it just means that FS is doing w/o a doubt.

If you do the 'big picture' math of attending FS vs. a 'traditional' program as well, I'm SURE that the cost of tuition/books/housing/food... for 4 years (and statistically MORE than 4 years) in a traditional program vs. two years (or so) at FS at least breaks even. It just looks scary when you see it in one lump sum instead of broken up in a per year expense.

If you consider the starting salary of many of the jobs that a Full Sailer can do right out of graduation combined with the fact that you can start working two years earlier than a traditional college student, the tuition and other costs for a FS education about matches it - at least within a few years of solid work.

Remember too GIGO - so just going to FS doesn't mean you can 'expect' to be hired - all you've done is earned the right to get started. Along those lines FS is the only school I know of that also runs a GPA (Global Professional) standard for class performance too - so FS is even 'grading' or more accurately, 'rewarding' good work ethics and communication.

Im not sure why some people are hating on Full Sail. Obviously if you dont know what you want to do then its not the school for you. I have a short attention span, and getting a bachelors degree in 20 months is perfect for me. If you are wondering about the success rate, just look at and grammy project from the last 15 years. Obviously you have to work for it still, but its highly possible to be successful with a degree from Full Sail. And for the people that say you cant have fun here..... bull$hit. The schedule is absolutely crazy here, but I have managed to never retake a class (supposedly its inevitable), I have a 4.0 GPA, perfect attendance, and have managed to get drunk on average 4 nights a week. I have about a month left here so its not like i just started here. Anyways, ya, if youre unsure, fakk off cause it wont work here. If you know what you want and are willing to work for it (and learn to power nap), you cant find a better school.

WOODY

I am sorry for the upcoming remarks.

To anyone claiming that FULL SAIL is the REASON YOU GOT ROBBED, STFU. It's not Full Sails fault your dumbass moved into a crime ridden area.

To people saying "Non Existent Jobs" You STFU too. I am 20 years old and even I know, if you want to get in the Entertainment industry, YOU HAVE TO FORCE YOUR WAY IN! You cannot just say "Oh Goody I have a degree in Entertainment Business, so where are these jobs at?" Your a dumbass for thinking the degree will do the work for you. You have to put the Degree to work. In the Entertainment industry you cannot say "I'm willing to just be your Mailroom boy if I can get my foot in the door" what that does is tell them you are weak, willing to accept the minimum. Seeing as how I own my own company, I wouldnt even hire you to clean my toilet. Your worthless to me, and every manager, business owner if you dont have the balls to say, "I wont settle for the Mailroom, I want the Executive suite." You say that to me, we can work, cuz I know you got balls, and are not easily deterred.

Btw. I am a future student of Full Sail, and even I know its not a scam, yes its for profit, most online schools are, but its a business just like every college, they need money to keep working. So if you have never attended, DO NOT TALK, you do not know what its like. If you are not planning on attending, ZIP IT and run back to your run of the mill college edumacation. Me on the other hand, I want a real-world EDUCATION.

Here's a perspective from a 4-year college student with a friend who goes to Full Sail.
Basically, this place sucks the life out of you. I don't care if you're the best student in the world, the schedule they put their students through is ridiculous. You think in the "real world" you have to work from 1am-5am? Maybe if a job needs to be done but the point is... you'd be getting PAID for your work and I'm sure you'd get a day or two off during the week so you wouldn't be driven to the point of exhaustion.

Everyone has pretty much stated everything they could state already... and because they actually went there, and I haven't, I won't even try to contest everything that they say. HOWEVER, I just want to point out that there is no way a Bachelor's degree from this place equals a Bachelor's degree from a state or private school. Why do I say that? Well first of all Full Sail's accreditation is sketchy. They are essentially a trade/advanced vocational school and NOT a college/university like they say. Therefore, you cannot transfer any credits you receive from there to another institution. Why would you want to transfer anyway...since they make you pay in FULL no matter what? Did I mention that they don't really look at your GPA or SAT scores when you apply? It's because they don't care, they will accept anyone who can pay... But that's beside the point...

My point is I'm going into my senior year of college at a private school. When I graduate around this time next year I will have taken 43 classes total. A good number of those classes involved hands-on experience, an internship, and a number of classes that I can say I thoroughly enjoyed. I challenge anyone to tell me that you can do that in 14 to 21 months. I'm sure people will comment and say... well you just took "fluff" classes and they weren't as advanced or as "real world" as the ones I took... however that's not true. I have a major and two minors and I've worked my butt off to do it. Trust me it has a purpose. The difference is, I actually sleep at night.

Also, shouldn't you be able to enjoy your college experience? WHY on earth is that a crime, especially since many people at this school are 18 to 20 years old? It's one thing to want to be serious and be good at your craft but so many people on here have expressed that they have lost interest in what they love because of this school. Is it worth it?

Trust me, I'm no party queen, but after my work is done I don't feel guilty about enjoying myself doing whatever it is I want to do and my grades have still reflected that I'm a good student. College is 2-4 years for a reason. It allows you time to explore your interests (changing majors if you need to--what a novel idea!!!) and to grow as a person. God forbid you have some free time to join a club or get a part-time job that you enjoy.

It sounds cheesy as hell, but I realize now that it's entirely true. I've been able to excel in a positive and enjoyable environment. My college experience hasn't been perfect 100 percent of the time and no ones ever is. But, I wouldn't take it back for anything, where as some people on here seem to regret going to Full Sail IMMENSELY.

I don't want to discredit anyone who has graduated from Full Sail, because I give people a lot of credit who can make it through (it shows something about your dedication), but to anyone who is thinking about applying there... I'd advise against it. I have great friends and I hate to see them unhappy. I don't think they've had fun in years because of this place (wish I was exaggerating). And I say years because retaking classes is inevitable with the way they schedule things. Don't be fooled by this place, save your money and go to community college, a state school, a private school, whatever you can. An express degree doesn't necessarily equal a quality degree- keep that in mind. Put in the time and effort at another school and I guarantee you'll get better results.

I didn't post this to brag and to say "Oh I'm going to a private school, I'm better than you"... I posted this because now I see the importance and quality of education (no matter what your major is)... and that my time, my effort, and my thoughts really do matter. Why waste that? Get a solid education for yourself. What's the big rush folks? We're in a recession people, the quicker you get out of school, the quicker you're going to be thrown to the wolves and the harsh reality that jobs (good jobs) are few and far between.

I noticed the other day that some Master's programs are one year. Why not get a Bachelor's in 4 years and then take a 1 year Master's program? You CAN save time if that's what you want to do, there are different ways to go about it. Ultimately, just go through the system and learn for 2 to 4 years, you'll be happy you did in the long run because you can walk away with a degree that you feel good about.

I am a Full Sail graduate. I have their associate of Science Degree in Recording Arts. I have no qualms about the education that I received when I was there. It was top notch. My biggest complaint was with the placement department. When I graduated I came back to my home town of Baltimore, MD. We aren't far from NYC, Philly and DC. I was working in local radio when a friend of mine from fullsail invited me to live with him in L.A. I called the schools placement department and asked to speak to my placement advisor. I was told that she had resigned and that there was someone new who took her place. This call was placed two weeks before I left for Los Angeles. My advisor informed me that he was going to email me a list of contacts for recording studios in LA and was going to set up interviews for me by the time I got out there. I didn't hear anything back from them until a week after I had moved. And the email I received was from a new placement advisor informing me that she was taking over for the previous gentleman.

Prior to my moving to LA I had a job interview with Bethesda Softworks, the gaming company who produces the Elder Scrolls series and Fallout 3. It was for a music production/supervisor position. They asked me for a copy of my demo reel. I was excited. In our last class, Audio Post Production, my lab group had to redo all the voices, SFX and music for the quidditch match scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. We received a 98% on this project and it was the culmination of everything we had learned. Great for a demo reel. When I called the school and talked to my professor/lab instructor to inquire about this project(we weren't allowed to burn copies of it while we were in class) he informed me that Full Sail hadn't/didn't acquire the licensing rights to use the video portion from the movie and that as a result every project from every lab group was terminated upon graduation.

On a side note, my friend Josh who lives in LA and is working in the film industry has told me that many people, who were established already in the industry, told him that full sail was a joke to movie studios in LA.

Needless to say I didn't get the job. I had a demo reel, which consisted of music that my lab group produced and a few video reels from Multimedia Audio class, but that was it. We were told that our audio post project would be amazing to have on a demo reel, what they forgot to tell us was that they destroyed them.

Overall the education was great, but do not expect placement to be of any help to you. I once asked one of their live assistants on their website why it was so hard to get help from placement and that person informed me that they were tracking my I.P. address and that if I didn't stop "harassing" them then legal action would be taken. I just wanted to know why it was so hard for a former student who spent $32000 on a degree to get help from a placement department that boasts a 90% job placement rating.

The Chimp is back to bring an on slaught to all the cry babies and pansies attempting to sue full sail. I never attended this school but I have had the great fortune and misfortune of working with full sailers in Orlando on live events and on two tours I've worked with em. Some of them will make it and most of them will make it not by skill but by nepotism and eventually get thrown in a pile of shit so damn big you'll curl up and die. Any of you guys/girl(s) got any questions about how the industry works email me at kaysterproductions@yahoo.com I'll give u the real deal

everyone of you who complains and blames everyone else and school for you not being able to get work will never make it in the entertainment industry. You are all weak and cause shows to fail and have to leave town cause your name is ruined blame yourself you rich pussies.......... oh mommy I can't get a job as a lighting designer making six figures a year can we sue fullsail........... bunch of pussies and the one kid bitching about being robbed wtf does that have to do with full sail???????!!!!!!!!!!!! All these rich kids crying I can't get a job in the music business...... Listen here you pussies we don't want you in it!!!!!!!!!!!!

In reading more comments, I think a few other things are important if you are considering this school:

1) Not to play grammar nazi, but notice that those who are or will be attending FS and who aspire to become film legends cannot have horrible grammar and/or spelling?

Aren't 'famous' directors, producers, and media types in general typically well-written and well-spoken? This should cause concern; after all, this is a school. If you don't think effective communication is important for a MEDIA job, then good luck to you.

2) Notice that those who currently attend or plan on attending are praising the school for its relevant coursework and excellent potential to get your 'foot-in-the-door' to the industry?

How could these people possibly know this if they are still attending (or haven't attended yet)? They are not yet in the industry, they have not yet used the tools that the industry provides. This is called marketing, and they have fallen for it hook, line and sinker.

The same thing goes for current or future students who say that accreditation and degrees don't matter to potential employers. How do you know that, because FS reps told you so?

I'm sure I will be met with the tired, overused accusation of being a 'poor student who gave up or got bad grades". The truth is, I've never attended but I just saw their advertisement in a game magazine. I looked into it and I could see in about 10 minutes that it's a scam.

The fact that they charge you $3100 for a laptop should have been enough, but the fact that they mislead and misrepresent their placement numbers was the final nail in the coffin.

As Carl Sagan once said, "The more we want something to be true, the more skeptical of it we should be." The mere fact that so many people are critical of Full Sail should make you wary. Normal learning institutions do no have clouds like this hanging over them.

If you are already a student at FS, then naturally you are going to be defensive. But believe what you hear, for-profit schools like FS have vast marketing departments and are run primarily to make money, not to teach students. Of course FS will mislead you about their job placement and your future after graduating, what would you expect them to say?

This crap about 'you have to work hard, you may have to be the janitor and work your way up' is marketing 101. Eighteen-to-twenty year-olds frequently make the naive statement, "I'd have no problem doing whatever it takes to get my foot in the door". In a way, this is glorious to them, yet they have no idea what this means. It should scare you that FS just-so-happens to tell you that's what you'll have to do. It's no coincidence, it's marketing.

BTW, earlier poster Scott Knowles mentioned the book Rules of Play as being the Bible of your game design education. Here is the link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262240459?ie=UTF8&tag=diaofanath-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0262240459

As someone else posted (in 2005), the cost of the programs you listed are inaccurate. It may not be a big deal, but it also may be. I'm a current Full Sail student in the Game Development program - the Game Dev bachelor's program. You listed Game Design on your list, which is a management Master's program - not a computer programming degree. I'm not certain what the cost of the Game Design program is, but Game Dev. is currently just over $75,000, so I imagine it wouldn't be a wild assumption that the other bachelor programs you listed may be as much as $20,000 higher by now. Either way, nice information, definitely important stuff for anyone considering it.

Hello, I have signed up for Full sail without taking the correct procedures first. Like, finding out the EXACT costs of the classes/subjects I would like to do. But Jack, if those are waaay out of date costs....then what are the true ones?
(mind you i need to take about three classes on that list in order to get into the biggest gaming company in Canada) But that means i need about 1mil or so.....right? and that is what i DON'T have. help, someone?

~~Vanessa~~

To the former full sail teacher - what moviemaker software would you recommend me buying? I'm doing a personal project on Jerusalem and found some secrets about the city. Now I'm trying to figure out what sort of computer animation to do. I have the adobe suite but don't have flash. I'm looking to show patterns in the city and zoom in on them. Any advice you can give would be great.
I think this will sell very well as it has a built in audience - christians and Jews. I'm a Christian myself. I appreciate your honesty.

personally tho id have to say i think spending $30,000 on a college course is WAY too much tho, considering you could possibly get better results being self taught (depending how good you are at that and using the internet etc etc).

FOOL SAIL = DISINFORMATION

peace,g.

If you're the kind of person that sits around and blames all your misfortune and social misconduct on someone else (people with the negative comments) then full sail isn't the place for you. If you are the kind of person who can take the ball and run with it, then maybe you should consider full sail as an option. But just know it isn't for everyone. You can't rely on everything to be handed to you in life, you need to go out and market yourself and prove yourself in the entertainment field rather than sitting around complaining about a school where you couldn't cut it. I'm a RA/EB graduate and I'm doing very well for myself, and would 100% recommend Full Sail.

To those who are apart of the "class-action lawsuit" against full sail please let me know where i can contact you at.....I want to be apart of this matter.

@ Posted by: deftones0 at February 15, 2010 6:59 PM

You and I as well as others share the same troubles. We need to unite. I'm not kidding. People don't be afraid to speak up. If we don't, nothing will ever happen. Stop writing things that they may use against us though. We have to be smart and do things the legal way against them. Can someone create a basic website where we can have ex-students from all over the world sign on to almost like a petition? Thanks in advance.

I was considering Full sail after I went to a higher education expo. I've always loved movies and theater. I believe I was very fortunate to have a family member whose neighbor who worked for a major motion picture company in Los Angeles. He never heard of Full Sail but said he would check into it. This is a summation of what his boss/contacts told him: First, Full Sail is accredited by Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). They also do auto mechanic schools, cosmotology schools, dog grooming schools and plumbing/vocational schools. No colleges or universities. States or regions accredit colleges or universities. Second, just becasue you call yourself a university doesn't mean you are a university. Most "Universities" require all the faculty to have Phd's, and to be published often. Not Full Sail! Full Sail is not an "accredited university" by the state of Florida, it is an accredited vocational school. Third, the only admission requirements at Full Sail are "can you pay? are you breathing? Part two optional if they have your money. I was told sarcastically the lack of admission standards "was a very bad thing". I was told that I would not learn any more at Full Sail than I had in my high school media class. He said that most "players" in the industry wish they thought of it because it is a giant "cash cow" for the founders! He also said that they have people who go on chat rooms like this just to counter criticism. As I said before, I was lucky; I'm at Emerson in Boston now getting a real education from a real university.

Hello Everyone,
I Graduated from the Masters of Science Program, and I loved it. I have a BA from a great University in New York city. I have also worked for over three years for multiple top music companies in the world, and I will say Full Sail was a wonderful choice. It is a college hat specializes in specific disciplines and they are completely on target at what they teach. To all the people with negative rants, ask yourself this question?
1. If Full Sail was so crummy than why do they require a certain GPA to graduate.?
Alot of traditional colleges 2.0 GPA is acceptable but Full Sail required a 3.0 minimum GPA for Masters graduation.
As a person who knows many industry connects, I have heard noting but very positive views on Full Sail. For example at Universal Music they have a Full Sail option when applying on their website. Atlantic Records has Full Sail Advertisements on their company artist websites. So really I ask if Full Sail was that horrible and such a scam would two of the most powerful music companies ever be affiliated with the school.
For anyone who had a bad experience I'm truly sorry. I learned so many skills and knowledge through my studies, that I apply them everyday at work and i am proud to have Full Sail on my resume.
Also in September I will attending a tier 1 college ranked in the top 15 business schools in the nation to purse an EMBA. The school was very impressed that I took a Masters in the field i love and in which I plan to spend my career in. Anyone can be a liberal arts major and get a BA in liberal arts, but what would you have learned? You would have taken useless classes that you will never use in the real world and you could be a receptionist with a BA (Trust me I know a few that received their degree from NYU and Columbia). At least at Full Sail you can work on your craft and your true calling as a professional, and not have wasted money on classes that you will never need.
Also even if you go to the top 5 colleges ie,. MIT, YALE, HARVARD,CORNELL no job is ever guaranteed unless your daddy is a big shot and you have connections which are made mainly through your family's name. For everyone else you will always have to work your butt off if you want to achieve any level of success. At the end of the day if you do not love what you do you will be miserable. So if you love music, film, animation,and game development then Full Sail would be a good fit.
All the Best
globalemanages@gmail.com

Hello Everyone,
I Graduated from the Masters of Science Program, and I loved it. I have a BA from a great University in New York city. I have also worked for over three years for the top music companies in he world, and I will say Full Sail was a wonderful choice. It is a college specialized in specific disciplines and they are completely on target at what they teach. To all the people with negative rants, ask yourself this question?
1. If Full Sail was so crummy than why do they require a certain GPA to graduate.?
Alot of traditional colleges 2.0 GPA is acceptable but Full Sail required a 3.0 minimum GPA for Masters graduation.
As a person who knows many industry connects have very positive views on Full Sail. For example at Universal Music they have a Full Sail option when applying on their website. Atlantic Records has Full Sail Advertisements on their company artist websites. So really I ask if Full Sail was that horrible and such a scam would two of the most powerful music company ever be affiliated with the school.
For anyone who had a bad experience I'm truly sorry I learned so many skills and knowledge through my studies, that I apply them everyday at work and i am proud to have Full Sail on my resume.
Also in September I will attending a tier 1 college to purse an EMBA and the school was very impressed that I took a Masters in the field i love and plan to spend my career in. Anyone can be a liberal arts major and get a BA in liberal arts, but what would you have learned? You would have taken useless classes that you will never use in the real world and you will be a receptionist with a BA. At least at Full Sail you can work on your craft and your true calling as a professional, not have wasted money on classes that you will never need.
Also even if you go to the top 5 colleges ie,. MIT, YALE, HARVARD,CORNELL no job is ever guaranteed unless your daddy is a big shot and you the connection is made mainly through your family's name. For everyone else you will always have to work your butt off if you want to achieve any level of success. Nothing that is not working and fighting for, is not worth having..

All the Best
globalemanages@gmail.com

I'm considering getting a masters degree in internet marketing from Full Sail. I'm in a slightly different boat than most of people commenting here. I have been doing research on the teachers and the school and came across this page. I do not need a job after I graduate I already own my own internet businesses, http://www.SupplementsToGO.com I just want to be sure that I'm going to learn something. The internet course price is $28k which one or two good pieces of information can pay for that in my industry. Anyone out there ever taken this course? What are you thoughts? I hate to read what I have been reading here but hope that there is some good in the school. Just post what you can about it here.

Thanks

Well everyone, for those of you who believe (i.e. know) full sail is a money grubbing for profit institution, I have a meeting at 3 pm tomorrow with Garry Jones to fight on behalf of my squandered loan debt, nonexistent jobs in the music industry, and on all of us grads who were robbed and mislead into making one of the most regrettable decisions of our lives. I plan to hold him ethically accountable for the misleading admissions practices used to dupe thousands of students a year into this useless degree mill. If the time comes and I certainly think it might, I may need everyone one of you to submit written testimonies of the unjust accounts of what happens at Full Sail and the reality of a post full sail graduates life. I believe either we can cause a firestorm large enough to bring Full Sail down or at least hurt their admissions number so much that no future students get as useless of degrees and reputations as we have.

Wish me luck!

I'll post the results.

To everyone who favors Full Sail.

Quit saying that the negative feedback is from lazy, naggy complainers. I worked really hard and was one of the best in my class. I find it insulting that you people have the audacity to make such claims.
Its because of people like you that such an atrocity such as Full Sail can stay in operation. YOU'RE A MEANINGLESS COG.
There are COUNTLESS accounts online detailing how much of a profiteering scam this school is.
If you Google "Full Sail Crime" you'll discover that this town is getting sketchier every day. I was ROBBED AT GUNPOINT by two men in my own apartment while watching Die hard with my girlfriend. Google "Auvers Village" in Orlando and you'll see I lived within a couple miles of the school. MANY OTHER ROBBERIES OCCURED AT APARTMENTS CLOSE TO MINE.

So what did I do?

I GOT THE HELL OUT OF THERE WITHIN 24 HOURS. And I'm now in Texas, safe. Luckily for us, our laptops were in our car so they didn't take anything but cash.
I have several dear friends who are students who have lost their laptops to criminals only to have the school say, "Sorry, tough luck", forcing them to pay out of pocket.
I will never refute the fact that Full Sail did deliver a great experience for some, but very few.
DO NOT RUIN YOUR LIFE WITH DEBT. STAY OUT OF FOOL SAIL.

I'd like to see all of those people say Full Sail is awesome while staring down the barrel of a loaded gun and having your life threatened.
Anyone who thrives in Full Sail must be autistic or socially inept. This school will completely ruin your life. IT REALLY WILL.
Just yesterday I began to fight my case with the school and I started getting somewhere but now that I've found the stories below I'M 100% CONVINCED THAT THIS SCHOOL IS A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE TO THE CREATIVE WORLD.
The only way this school will change is if it gets shut down or if all its students quit simultaneously.
If I could I would order the immediate shut down of this school I would. But meanwhile, I will do everything in my power to make sure something is done.
IF YOU'RE IN FULL SAIL NOW, JUST QUIT! GO HOME AND TAKE WHATEVER IS LEFT OF YOUR SANITY AND DIGNITY. FULL SAIL WILL RAPE YOUR DREAMS AND SPIT YOU OUT TO ROT IN DEBT. DO NOT MAKE THE WORST MISTAKE EVER. I BEG ANYONE WHO'S BEEN SCREWED BY FULL SAIL TO WRITE THEM AND DEMAND CHANGE.

Hello all. I've just finished reading all the posts on here, and my heart goes out to everyone who feels they have been royally 'screwed over' by Full Sail University.

For those non-believers or those who are still wearing rose-colored glasses, these types of institutes DO exist, unfortunately, and many of them choose to set up shop in Florida, where regulation of business and laws are VERY lax. :(
After reading many posts here, it seems to clear to me that some of you may have legal recourse, ESPECIALLY the poster who contracted Pneumonia. If a doctor states you CANNOT return to school or work, Full Sail MUST abide by the doctor's orders.
Like so many other employers, apparently they are not aware that there are regional, state, and national laws in place to protect consumers, and if you are paying for a college education, you are MOST DEFINITELY a consumer.

Anyways, my post is not meant to credit, or discredit, Full Sail. My post is to let you know of a job I just ran across after reading the posts on here. It is at Sinclair Broadcasting Corporation, and is located in Pensacola, Florida.

Here is the ad and link for those interested:

http://jobs.sbgnet.com/sbghire/JobManagement.jsp?pageMode=view&jobID=5121

SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP, INC. seeks a:

Producer Director
JOB CODE: PEN01168


Location: WEAR and WFGX Pensacola, FL
Type: Full Time


Make your mark in Broadcasting. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the nation, programming 58 stations located in 36 geographically diverse markets, with 33 of those in the top 47 markets in the United States. Our success is the result of extraordinary employees and an exemplary management team who believes in a vision and is dedicated to making Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc a communications powerhouse. We are advancing the world of Broadcasting and we want YOU to join our winning team!

PRODUCER DIRECTOR

WEAR-TV3 has immediate opening for a Producer/Director. Requirements include creative concept planning, writing, shooting and editing. Significant experience with non-linear editing systems required. Strong organizational, communication, computer and graphic skills. Competency with Finial Cut Pro, Photoshop and After Effects. Degree in television production or marketing preferred, with proven experience in high-end production. Clean driving record required.

Apply below or go to www.weartv.com under employment. Additionally, send a non-returnable DVD by February 20, 2010 to:

Danial Hemme
Creative Services Manager
WEAR-TV3
4990 Mobile Hwy.
Pensacola, FL 32506
No phone calls please.

**INTERNAL APPLICANTS AT A SINCLAIR STATION SHOULD SEE THEIR LOCAL HR CONTACT TO APPLY FOR THIS POSITION. **

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug Free Workplace!

I wish a sincere GOOD LUCK to all of you who are now attending, or that have recently graduated, as you are entering one of the absolutely WORST job markets in a very long time. sigh. BE SURE TO VOTE, AND TO MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT!!!

I've always thought one of the biggest misconceptions of Full Sail is its accreditation. The program boasts a multitude of industry degrees that are simply not recognized as being anything more than a certificate from a vocational school.

Full Sail University is accredited by the ACCSC, which is a national accreditor of primarily vocational schools and career schools within the United States.The Commission’s accreditation standards require measurement of student outcomes, graduate employment assistance, and a baseline rate of job placement.

Additional accreditation standards also require instructors to have experience within their respective industries, as well as necessary academic credentials, and that accredited schools maintain an advisory committee composed of industry professionals who help determine curriculum goals and content.

Most four year colleges and universities in the U.S. are regionally accredited, and do not recognize national accreditation such as ACCSCT, though it is at their discretion to accept credits on a case-by-case basis. It is also pertinent to note that in order to teach at an accredited institution, instructors/professors must have a valid Master's Degree in their field of study. This is not the case at Full Sail.

As Full Sail does not have regional accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools credits are not widely transferable to traditional four-year colleges throughout the United States.

Bottom line, Full Sail is a "for-profit" university that is in the business of making money. My advise: if you are going to get up to your ears in debt, at least come away with something you can show for it.

Yesterday I took my first campus tour of Full Sail. I will admit I was skeptical at first. I had quite a few question about the accreditation of the school and about the quality of their education.

The tour started with our "orientation" which felt like I was about to get on a roller coaster at an amusement park. From there I was herded from one power point presentation to another that ultimately told me nothing that I couldn't have learned from their website. The tour ended with a long drawn out story from the schools president and vice president: two of the flakiest people I've ever met. It honestly felt like a motivational sermon, or a brainwashing camp.

The end of the tour was nothing more than a sales pitch attempting to hook naive kids who feel like they don't fit in anywhere. I have visited U of F, FSU, IU, Wabash College, and Full Sail. This was by far the least informative and most useless campus visit I have done.

I walked away with knot in my stomach and realizing that none of my questions had been answered. Financial Aid was never covered in the presentation. The admissions reps gave me the run around when I asked about their programs. The school felt like a a big pretty package with nothing structurally sound inside.

Today I ran into this page and several similar pages, astonished that all my instincts and fears were being confirmed by so many people. I won't be attending Full Sail and I feel sorry for the kids who do.

Let me start off by saying that I have not yet attended Full Sail, but I do start in June of 2010, so I am speaking from what Ive heard and what I know.
I'd like to congratulate 'Former Full Sail Teacher' for making it sound so easy to make a movie. Any person with the least but of knowledge could tell you that you cant just give a distributor your movie and say alright wheres my money? You have as much chance selling your homemade movie to a distributor as you have with winning the lottery. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN!!!!
Now that Ive gotten that out, I worked with a guy at a local radio station who graduated in the RA program at Full Sail. This is what he said and I quote 'I am six figures in debt, but I couldnt get a better education anywhere else. Going to Full Sail was one of the best decisions I made. It is a tough school, but its no different in the industry.' 10 days after he graduated, he was working as an engineer at Castle Rock Radio. He actually got laid off and the very same day, he got a new job. Now thats saying something.

Moving on too the Film program. In 2002, Darren Lynn Bousman directed Saw 2, in 2001, he graduated from Full Sail. Dont believe me?? Check out his wikipedia, check out his imdb.

Mybe this website will help:

http://www.fullsail.edu/gom-pop/index.html

check it out.

Now, my opinion. It is expensive, and it is tough, but thats the way it is in the industry. Your hours are going to be long, dont expect anyhting less.
Your going to spend nearly $80,000 if not more at a 4 year university and your going to spend 3/4 of your time at a 4 year university learning things you dont need to learn. Sure you could go to UCLA or FSU or NYU, but like I said, your going to be paying nearly $80k for it. NYU, one of the top film schools, good luck getting in. Their acceptance rate is 23% and the cost is $50k a year.
There is no college on this planet that is going to give you a job. It is not the colleges job to make sure you succeed, it is their job to give you the knowledge.
It sounds like a lot of these people are dick hurt because they expected to much out of the college and didnt use their time wisely. If your gonna go to college and party every fucking night, Full Sail isnt for you. Thats why a lot of the people drop out and complain that its to hard. Like I said, no college is going to give you a job. It is your job to put forth the effort to look for a job and it sounds like a lot of these people didnt put any effort into finding a job. As far as the cost, deal with it. As I said, your going to be paying the same amount at a 4 year university.
Also, if you cant handle the hours then you cant handle the industry.

Oh by the way, their default rate is 1.5%, a default rate is the percentage of students who DONT pay back their student loans on time. I repeat, 1.5% of students arent paying back their student loans on time. Do the math, 7000+ students, thats like 500 students who dont pay back their loans on time because they messed around and didnt give any effort.

Questions? Shoot me an email.

As a former teacher at Full Sail, I believe I can speak with some authority on Full Scam, or Fool Sale, as the staff called it. First of all, they lie upfront when they tell you that they have industry contacts that will help you get a job after you graduate. NO ONE at Full Sail has industry contacts. Let me repeat that, no one at Full Sail has industry contracts. No one working there knows anyone who works in any of the trades they pretend to teach there.

If anyone at Full Sail had contacts, he would use them to get a real job. Anyone who could leave, has left. Almost all the teachers are there because they can’t get a job anywhere else. The ones who remain are long past caring about the students. Only a few new guys care and try to teach students what they need to know and they get burned out pretty quick because they get no support from the corrupt administrators.

Students believe that what they learn at Full Sail will enable them to get a job because that’s what the school tells them. No way. Nothing in the curriculum will prepare you to compete in the industry, especially against guys with real degrees and more experience. It’s totally superficial. No depth of training at all and in-depth training and experience is exactly what you need to get a good job.

Everything at Full Sail is a front to sucker in new students. Full Sail spends a tremendous amount of money and effort on decorating and flashy equipment to create the impression that it is a high-tech, state-of-the-art facility. It’s not. It’s just an illusion. If all that energy was spent on teaching, graduates might be able to compete in the job market.

Many of the Full Sail teachers are Full Sail grads. (I was one of the exceptions. I went to a real university.) A common joke at Full Sail goes like this:

“What’s the difference between a Full Sail instructor and a Full Sail grad?”

“Three months.”
(The three months between graduation and getting hired.)

The placement program is a joke. They do NOTHING for the graduate. They have NO contacts in the industry. Any industry. IN order to fudge their placement statistics, they do things like this:

“A grad got a job at Blockbuster. Well, that’s a job in the film industry, isn’t it?”

No. That’s a job in retail.

But they list that as a grad getting a job in the film industry. Orlando is full of video stores staffed by Full Sail grads.

Everything at Full Sail is a lie. They tell suckers that Oliver Stone lectured at Full Sail. Wrong! Stone gave a lecture at UCF and, as a courtesy, the dean at UCF extended an invitation to Full Sail students to attend. But they still tell that lie today. I personally heard this lie told by tour guides at the school.

What kind of school has 24 hour a day classes? One of my students told me that he had been scheduled for 28 straight hours of classes. He fell asleep driving home and nearly crashed his car. Does that sound like a good way to study? The administrators don’t care about the students. At all. You could die on campus and they wouldn’t care as long as your check cleared.

How much do you think you’d learn or remember with that ridiculous schedule? There’s a reason Full Sail is the only college in the world to use a 24/7 class schedule with no semester breaks. Full Sail crams as many suckers through as quickly as possible to make money. Because Full Sail is all about the money. And the lies.

Make your own movie? That’s what they tell students. Not a chance. The teachers pick the script (not yours) and the director and you get ASSIGNED a job on the crew. Whatever job you get, you don’t get to do it long enough to get good at it. I never met a student who was satisfied with the way the film turned out and it was often the teachers who had screwed it up. And Full Sail provides no continuing education for their staff so every day their knowledge becomes more and more outdated. I hope you like paying for obsolete training!

As for show production, save your money and just get a job at a company that does show-pro and learn for free. Lots of people do.

As an alternative to Full Sail, if you want to make movies, here’s my advice.

Read books on screenwriting.

Write script.

Buy computer.

Buy and install editing program.

Buy camcorder.

Make movie.

Sell movie to distributor.

It’s cheaper than Full Sail, you get to keep the gear, and you get to do what you want.

Sincerely,
Former Full Sail Teacher

oh and if you have anything to say about my post below contact me at myspace.com/theyoungcasper thank you

SOOOOO....everyone that has a complaint about Full Sail and your hours....grow the hell up and realize one thing..you schedule could be like that in the future when you are employed. The attendence is the way it is because if you cant be on time to lecture or lab, you dont deserve a job when you get out because you are going to be late there, and the kid that said i was thinking about going but u saved my life..good luck in your life. Yes i understand that the tuition is steep, but lets look at what you will be paying at a four year program. Look at it like this, your paying $70,000 for a bachelors degree and you will be working for 2 years when the kids you graduated with in high school will still be attending school. As far as getting a part time job goes you can do Federal Work Study Program here and they will work around your class and lab hours. But if that does not work for you either that is what financial aide is for. . Also look at what program you will be in and the demand of your hours in the real world...i bet they will compare, it's called Real World Education for a reason. All I have to say is look at the advantages, and don't let the complainers ruin your views on this school. I have been attending and have had some messed up times i was expected to be at school, but talking to industry professionals they have assured me they have seen some of this stuff in the business. I am attending for Recording Arts B.S. and the schedule is rough but i still encourage people to come check it out for themselves you get really indepth and learn alot. THANK YOU!

Wow. I have to say...until today, I was planning on attending Full Sail. I just read this entire article and every comment left. I can safely say that I will not attend Full Sail now. Wow. You all saved my life. Thank you.

My son is all excited about Full Sail. He is currently a Junior in High School. My husband and I are financially tapped-and obviously did not intend to be this way when we planned to have kids. My son wants to be a Tour Manager and was given brochures today at his school. In his mind is he is but enrolled. I would love advice about this particular course. Any ideas of what other schools offer this program and/or internship programs? I don't want him being in-debt even if it is his dream. Winning the POWERBALL is the only option for us being able to help him with his dreams. If he can go to a community college or even an accredited college or find an internship in this field would be (I believe) a better option. Yes, I have read ALL of the posts on this site and so far, I'm not convinced that this school will provide anything more than him being in an internship.

All of you who are bitching about the $$$ go try and get into another school.... it will cost the same if not more and you WONT be getting a education geared to what you wanna do. I am in the Film program right now and I LOVE it. I have done two productions allready and I am starting shooting on my third one. I have many friends who graduated from Game Dev and other courses who ALL and I mean ALL got jobs because they took innitative to follow up on the employers that FULLSAIL told them were looking. All of you who don't have jobs after going here are either retarted or lazy. OFCOURSE FullSail wants your money they are trying to stay on top of the latest tec month by month insted of every 6 months to a year. To top it all off we are the ONLY school to have the access to the tools we use. EX: no other school has a chapman crane... BUT WE DO!!!! you guys are just pissed because you realized you cant handle the courses and you failed.

I started off in R.A.; when I realized that the program was a scam I switched to Digital Media. Full Sail is the worst decision I have ever made. I am now on the hook for over $70,000 and I work as a cook. If anyone has any ideas on how to get a loan forgiveness or anything at all please contact me at MYSPACE/DJCLOVE or TNGROGAN@GMAIL.COM. Thank You. Tiff G.

I never would have imagined I would have gotten so much feedback for my post on this forum.

I've had HUNDREDS and I mean HUNDREDS of myspace messages over this.

I've only not replied to a couple.

But I had so many that I couldn't reply to all of them. So to those who have wrote me and I never wrote you back I am truly sorry.

So here's a little bit of my back story. I wrote that really long comment up top about being scared that we were a poor family and did not have much money.

In the end, nobody helped me. Nobody gave me feedback or anything of the sort. I was all alone and took a plunge.

I wrote another post later on saying that I loved it. That was a couple of months in. Well, it's been a year now and that's long enough to complete a program and here is my consensus.

Full Sail for the first few monthes you are there, you will fly high, no pun intended of any sort. You will be around people that no matter what their age are just like you. There are very few that you will not get a long with and a few of you poor kids will be a little jealous of the rich kids that their parents buy them any bit of equipment "they need".

But for the social experience you will probably never find better friends that are so much like you.

For the learning experience, that's a completely different story. Yes everyone knows that it is a accelerated learning course, if you don't by now you probably shouldn't be going there anyway. The first month is easy, well it was for me, yes the hours are true most of your life goes to Full Sail, but that doesn't truly kick in until month four. About 16 hours of your day is dedicated to that school and that is NOT counting the time that you spend working on homework/projects.

Yes the teachers can be nifty (some of them - the introduction to media arts teachers both rock)
However the truth is, they tell you, you can't miss days because a day at Full Sail is a week at UCF. A week at Full Sail is like a month at UCF. That is completely true, you will completely screw up your whole month and have to retake the class if you miss more than one day. I'm not kidding when I say that. If you're lucky you can miss two. But their attendance policy is strict and not just because they know it has to be so that you can complete your courses but they know if you fail a class on attendance you must PAY to retake it.

Anyway about five months into my schooling a lot of stuff happened I got pneumonia and I had to take a leave of absence for a month. They would only allow me one month for this. I wasn't ready to go back to school at the end of the month, I was still terribly sick. Long story short I was out for two more weeks and they put me on Academic probation. Where you can't fail a class. Well because of strict attendance, I had already failed that class for being out two weeks still sick with pneumonia. They kicked me out of the school (suspended me for a year) and took my FULL tuition. No degree, no nothing. I'm allowed to come back in November if I so wish but I must pay MORE money to finish my classes. I will not. I begged I pleaded, I did appeals but Full Sail IS GREEDY. That's the only way to explain it.

I think I have went on long enough.
Again if you have questions you guys can still myspace me. I hope this helps some of those people that are having trouble out there deciding about this school.

My suggestion is, NO. Full Sail ONLY cares about you until you have been submitted and they have your money. The people are rude and are never in their offices when they say they will be. If you need assistance with ANYTHING financial, forget it.

One last note a bunch of my classmates have finished their programs and wanted me to add to this, THEY DO NOT HELP YOU FIND A JOB AT ALL WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR PROGRAM. I don't wanna sound stupid but, I was friends with the "Responsible Kids" we got together and studied all the time we kept up our points (these magical points that full sail keeps tags on you for and if they're high they supposedly help you get a job.) Yah, well I had never lost a point always gained, it was the same with my friends and they still were not HELPED AT ALL with getting a job.

Alright, I am done now. I'm just trying to emphasize that Full Sail is a con school, that cares nothing about their students the only thing to gain from Full Sail is simply more friends.

I start a community college in a couple of weeks and I'm pretty sure I'll be way happier with my education there (paying $2,000.00) then I would be at Full Sail for ($40,000.00).

Best Wishes,
Lori

I have been thinking about doing web design online at full sail, now I'm beginning to wonder if I should...anyone did web desing online at full sail?

I agree this school sucks and is a huge scam they need to be stopped SUE FULL SAIL

Ok, I just randomly wanted to see if there are still "Full Sail Sucks" websites out there so I googled and wound up here. I completed the Film and Video program in 1998.

First off: this idea that everyone who hates the school is a lazy dilettante who lacks the 'passion' for their career to hack it through Full Sail's BS (and that doesn't stand for bachelor of science) programs is a TOTAL FALLACY. There was a poster a few down below who said this and I always have to wonder if they're Full Sail plants. Because even if you like the school or your experience there, you can't sit there and tell me it's worth what they are charging OR the fact that you have to get your living expenses out of loans as well. That's just stupid business and a waste of money and credit.

Every success I've had in this business is IN SPITE of Full Sail and not because of it. I went through the University of Southern California's summer production workshops for 10 college credits before going to Full Sail. THAT was a real school with real benefits to going there and I worked MORE that summer than I did in a year at Full Sail because I was PRODUCING CONTENT. Yes, just imagine, learning the equipment while actually MAKING THINGS... writing scripts, getting to succeed or fail, screening your shorts and having to deal with criticism, and not sharing one 35mm production with 30 other students where you rotate through positions like 'door buzzer man'. I even got to pitch a project to a big production company while I was there. And guess what? We had professors and guest speakers and seminars about THE ART of filmmaking, AND special effects, AND marketing... every aspect of the industry, presented in an informative and straightforward manner. The advice was real and not given by former graduates who just want to pay their bills and will tow the Full Sail line NO MATTER WHAT.

Right now, I'm an editor working in television. I've worked for MTV, VH1, Oxygen, and TV1 in New York and Los Angeles. I also recently completed an independent feature film and I'm listed on IMDB. So don't sit there and say that I and everyone else who recognizes the school for what it is, A GIGANTIC RIP-OFF, are lazy and stupid, because that is patently false.

The truth is, YOU DON'T NEED FULL SAIL TO ENTER A CAREER IN ANY OF THE DEGREES THAT THEY OFFER, especially film and video. You are much better off going to community college, buying $5k worth of equipment, and shooting your own projects, putting them online, and then learning filmmaking that way. Get a degree that you can fall back on, because even though I work in the business and make great money, I STILL wish I had something like a graphic design (from a RESPECTED design school, that cares about the art and the history of the field) or history degree. Just something extra, because believe me, it helps a lot more than you would think.

Guess what... if you follow this advice and DON'T DRINK THE KOOL-AID, you will not be $100k in debt ten years down the road. How do you like that? You'll be able to breathe better, sleep well at night, and you can be footloose and fancy free with your networking and where you're able to work without having the banks hovering over you and Full Sail running in the opposite direction because you misunderstood their whole 'placement' rate and program literature. And I'm sorry, good film schools DO have placement via former students and relationships with production companies and post houses in the city that they work. It's called HAVING A GOOD REPUTATION. Anything good that you read about full sail, even in the audio world, is something that they PAID FOR. Ever see those gigantic ads in magazines? Do you think they're going to criticize a school that's paying $20-30k per month for ad space? Someone said, "you're an idiot if you think there's such a thing as placement." I've taken SEMINARS in post production that had a better chance of getting you a job than Full Sail.

You know, I did an interview about my film where I took it easy on the school and merely said that I 'didn't have a good time there' and 'maybe it's changed' and now I wish I had taken an entire paragraph to tell it like it is about this ponzi scheme, poor excuse for a university. If you want to read the interview, just go to deadharvey.com and search the blog for full sail. Mine is the first interview that comes up.

I can't believe this school has somehow hung on and beat the odds of being 'found out', but I guess when you're selling dreams and you're as good at it as a cult or religion, it's easy to con people out of $50k a pop. Someday, though, they will have a student that actually does break out and become big enough to make a stink about what a rip-off it is and they'll either have to shut down or they'll have to fix things and make it the way it should be.

On the subject of the all-night labs and the 60 hour schedule and 'this is what it'll be like in the industry'. I've pulled 2am to 10am shifts, five days a week, on reality shows as an assistant editor and then worked 30-40 hour weekends at another network, but guess what - I WAS GETTING PAID WELL AND I WAS DOING SOMETHING. You can get the same experience by just forcing yourself to stay up late and load footage into your final cut or avid system AT HOME... without paying $50k. At Full Sail, you'll be up those hours with nothing to really do and it's COSTING you money, not making it for you.

Bottom line, from my perspective, as a WORKING editor: You could spend JUST 10K and buy a sweet imac, Final Cut Studio, Avid Media Composer, AND have money left over for editing classes where you can get CERTIFIED in both. Like another poster said, the poor soul whose husband is working in the recording industry and paying $2000/month in loans - the PRO TOOLS certification is better than all that you can get at Full Sail. I just can't believe it... it's like, DON'T YOU POTENTIAL STUDENTS REALIZE HOW CHEAP DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IS THESE DAYS? That if this is really what you want to do, you can buy equipment, take cheaper classes locally, join some organizations, take some seminars, AND buy a ton of books and you'll still spend $50k less than you would for a Full Sail degree? Not only that, but you'll OWN the equipment and get to prove yourself over time, AND you'll be able to produce your own content so that you can put together a reel?

Just avoid Full Sail like the plague, all the bad things you've heard are true, and even if, for some reason, the school is a great learning experience (I know it isn't), it's DEFINITELY not worth what they are charging and it never will be.

i never been to full sail but i got their papers from them and i don't think i'll attend but it sounds to me that the people who talk negative about full sail seem to worry about money whether then getting a job they love. I think the people who succed from their actually love Full Sail because their hardworking and deticated to getting the job they love not getting the job that pays more. If they weren't worrying about that, they wouldn't mind paying debt and would be trying to learn more from their experinces instead of worrying about the teachers attitude. Anyhow that's just my opinion. Full Sail seems like a great school regardless of all the negative feedback. My advice to those who are going should think about what you are looking for in your dream job instead of income.

Ok so first of all... Full Sail is an GREAT school. I've heard great things from industry professionals about the school and they rank it in the top 3 for Music Business and Recording Arts. I do not know much about the other programs here at Full Sail but I am in the Recording Arts program right now.

All the negative feedback you hear about Full Sail is from graduates that really suck at life and didn't try hard at the school. They had no business in even attending the school. There is one thing that these people are right about... Full Sail wants your money. But what business doesn't? Don't trust the Admissions Reps because they just want to make money for themselves... In that sense Full Sail sucks BUT you get a great education for what you are paying.

Ignore the crap about "If you have a dream pursue it" and all that... DON'T go to Full Sail just because "YOU have a DREAM". You better be talented already and have a drive and motivation to be great if you want to get the most out of what you spend for an education at Full Sail.

I love the school, the teachers are great (for the most part) and I know I'm am learning a lot here and one day I will be in the industry doing what I love.

By the way... there is no such thing as "job placement" and if you think there is then you are just a lazy shmuck. The career development department just helps you find places that are looking for employees... the rest is up to you. Yea, chances are you will start at the bottom in an internship or low paying position BUT you have to work your way up in this industry unless your uncle is the president of the company you are working at. I had a professor at Florida International University that is the Director of Legal and Business affairs for EMI and now Capitol Records, he graduated from law school at University of Miami and he still had to work his way up from the bottom... SO STOP LOOKING FOR HANDOUTS AND START BUSTING YOUR BUTT.

Stop talking crap about Full Sail if you didn't put any time or effort into it.

THANKS and good luck to all you people that are debating Full Sail... Hope the best for you no matter what you do.

-Taylor

OMG.... Why are people still considering Full Sail? Haven't you read all the negative crap about this school. Please don't be as ignorant as we were falling into the pits of hell from the Full Sail aftermath! Maybe If I was rich or was some famous artsy fartsy person that you see on t.v. I wouldn't be so damn salty right now. But I'm a normal person that graduated from Full Sail two years ago currently working as a web designer. My student loan payments are $1200 a month for 15 years!!! Even my lawyer was at awe at how much I owe and asked If I went to school to be a rocket scientist. I should of went to damn Harvard or some fancy school for that price! SO... unless you have rich parents that will pay for your school or you really think you will become the next Bill Gates, STAY AWAY... By the way, I received my Associates in Digital Media and a Bachelors in Entertainment Business making $17 an hour. My roommate makes more than me with his stupid high school diploma at the shipyard! If I could turn back time, I would rather shoot myself in the foot and limp my butt everyday to the local college classes.

I used to work in marketing for Full Sail, so I feel that my insider knowledge will be useful for anyone who is even considering Full Sail.

My boyfriend and I moved to Orlando so he could obtain his degree in recording arts, and I got hired by the school to market. My job title was High School Outreach Representative, and I traveled all over the country to give presentations in high school classrooms and try to convince poor high school kids that Full Sail would make all of their dreams come true.

After 3 months in the program, my boyfriend realized that he already knew everything that the school was "teaching" and quit. He then went to Miami to receive his Pro-Tools Operator's License (which he passed in 2 weeks). This certification is nothing that Full Sail offers, and it is worth so much more as it is recognized directly from DigiDesign.

I started to really see the truth behind this "school" and realized that it is nothing but a scam for money. they DO NOT care about their students or employees. the cost of tuition is around $45,ooo for an AA in recording arts and around $68,000 for a BA in film. The other degrees fall somewhere in between in regards to price. I was paid $28,000/year to work 50-70 hours per week. It is a well known fact that the career development department not only doesnt' help anyone find jobs, but any information or leads they obtain are outdated and useless.

Please believe all of the horror stories that you hear in regards to Full Sail being a scam. IT IS TRUE! I was required to tell complete LIES during my presentations to gain "hot leads". they have a statistic stating that over 80% of their graduates are employed in the entertainment industry, but they don't tell you is that this includes R.A. grads working at Guitar Center as salesmen, etc. Most grads end up moving back home to live with their parents or stay in the Orlando area hoping that something will come up. I know many Full Sail grads who work as waiters in Orlando.

The people in my department got so fed up with telling lies, that every single one quit (including me!!!) The department no longer exists because we all started spreading the truth and then finally just all quit. They are now too scared to send qualified people into the public schools and college fairs because of what happened while my co-workers and I worked there in regards to us telling the truth. Now, they find unemployed Full Sail grads in the cities they want to target and pay them an hourly wage to sit at a college fair to give a presentation. This way the person who is giving the presentation is employed (and can pay off loans) and Full Sail has a higher "graduate employment" rate for their precious statistic.

SPEAKING OF HIRING UNEMPLOYED FULL SAIL GRADS...

Full Sail LOVES to hire old grads who can't find jobs to teach at Full Sail. That's right! If you want to be taught by someone who is unemployable in the entertainment industry, sign up for the degrees at Full Sail today! these "teachers" are disgruntled, lack passion, and half the time don't even know anything relevant to teach. In addition, they are too scared to use any useful knowledge in their teachings because they view the students at potential competition! Think about it....they take teaching jobs at Full Sail because they can't get a job doing anything else and don't want to default on their loans. Lab Assistants make $24,000/year working for Full Sail! they are desperate to leave Orlando and see new students at competition for entertainment jobs. I have seen this first hand!!!!

Before you get yourself in $50,000 to $100,000 worth of debt, seriously consider what you read in this posting and other postings. I am coming from the perspective of someone who actually worked in the marketing department and QUIT. My entire team quit!!! I know the inside information in regards to this SCAM. I could go on and on about horror stories that I heard/witnessed.

The "slogan" for Full Sail is:

"If you're serious about your dreams, we'll take your dreams seriously."

It is a common joke between staff at Full Sail to change this motto to:

"If you're serious about your dreams, we'll take your dreams. Seriously."

AVOID THIS SCHOOL LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!!!!

Realize that admissions counselors work on commission, and they are the only employees who make a decent salary working for the school. They will say/do anything to admit interested candidates. AVOID!!!!!

heyy i really liked the school buhh i guess since u guys didnt i dunno if its worth me going from san francisco all the way over there. i mean id love to acually talk to u more about it soo i can figure out if this really is the choice for mee.. buhh i really just wanna get the sound art and the music business and entertainment business... i really lik ethe club scene and i may be broke as fuck now buhh i was hoping full sail would get me like a magament/ floating ishh job so one day i could have my own.its hella a passion of mine. if sumone can help me out and get intouch with meee wanna like get in touch with me on here soo we can chat thanks!!!

I sit here, head in hand... tears streaming down my face. I cannot fathom how this crooked excuse for a "school" is still in business. My husband graduated from the digital media program in 2002. We are still 107,201k in debt, today. He has never defaulted, missed a payment... nothing. All he has done is follow those scam artists instructions to not take a job and to take out living expense loans. He took out the 35k for tuition and an additional 20k for living. The 20k ran out halfway thru, he decided to get a job. He realized that he could CLEARLY handle a job with the workload the school assigned, something, anything... a pizza delivery job... something, to prevent him going further into debt. But his instructors insisted that the curriculum would intensify and he would flounder should he get this god-forsaken thing called a job. He found a lender, more than HAPPY to dish out another 30k. Yep. You read that right, he was advised by that crock of shit school to take out 80k for an associates degree. A joke at its finest. After "graduation" he moved back to NYC, and struggled for a year, working internships and a graveyard shift at UPS. Now he is working as a Producer in the music industry. He earns 80k. He will gladly tell you that this is in no way WHAT-SO-EVER because of FOOL SAIL. That's what he calls it, FOOL SAIL. He got where he is working low-end internships, networking with important NYC music exec's NONE of whom had EVER, EVER, EVER heard of FOOL SAIL. In fact, on his resume he LIES about the fact that he went to FOOL SAIL. He will be the first to tell you that FOOL SAIL is the biggest mistake he has ever made. He kept in touch with about half a dozen others who attended with him and sadly, his is the happiest ending. All the others are working in rural parts of the country, HELLO ARKANSAS, SOUTH CAROLINA-CAN YOU SAY WAL-MART? He married me, a girl who had a trust fund for college, all expenses paid should I have chosen to go to Nassau CC or 'effin Julliard d ($$$$$) and I still had to work my way thru. This school will suck the life, dreams and hopes right out of anyone searching to start over, make a better life, whatever your reasoning... At the end of a work week, where he has produced concerts yielding upwards of 300k, mingled with industry exec's and major talent alike (madonna, Goo Goo Dolls, Jay Z.. you get my point) he still sais, "I want to kill myself, Sallie Mae called my office 7 times today, the receptionist accidently routed one of the calls to my boss. Honey, I'm so embarrassed. I want to die." Is this what you consider a new life, the succession of your dreams? No this is sad and pathetic. FOOL SAIL WILL STRIP YOU DOWN AND LEAVE YOU FEELING LIKE A FAILURE AT THE END OF THE DAY. My husband is successful by every definition of the word, good salary, industry perks like you wouldn't believe - and he would be the FIRST TO TELL ANYONE CONSIDERING FOOL SAIL TO RUN, not walk, RUN TO YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE. TAKE AN INTERNSHIP (THAT'S WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING ANYWAY, THE JOB PLACEMENT DOES NOTHING, MARK MY WORDS... NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) We are at a point where we want to buy a home, have a baby-we can't and don't know if we ever will. We have close to 2k a month (FOR THE NEXT 30 years!!!) of student loans to contend with on top of $2,500 of rent, bills, car payments, medical expenses (I was in a serious accident last year and require a serious amount of physical therapy to regain total use of my legs), credit card debt, transpo fees, we're DOOMED! If anyone reads this and changes their mind, or if I am able to even plant a seed of doubt then these last 20 minutes have been spent well. Now I must get back to my pathetic and miserable life that I can openly and easily blame FOOL SAIL FOR. If not for FOOL SAIL we would not only be able to handle our finances, we would be able to triumph over them and then some. His 80k and my 50k would propel us into a state of almost... wealth... IMAGINE! And getting to where he is today-FOOL SAIL played no part. FOOL SAIL shows all the signs of a classic con, note them and RUN.

hi everyone, im in my third month at full sail, and im in here for entertainment business bachelors program, i don't have to take ra, or sho pro before hand, so its just a straight shooter of 21 months

right now my parents are paying for my education, so i could pull out anytime i like, and just because im paying for full sail myself that doesn't mean im a stupid rich spoiled brat,

i heard rants and rages about there film program, there recording arts program (honestly i think its shit too), and there game art program, but i know of nothing about there entertainment business program, its fairly new and its less than 6 months old,

should i pull out and quit before its too late?

After much consideration I decided to attend Full Sail, and I'm in my third month now, I posted on this thread a little over 2 1/2 months ago and ..I started like I said I would and I LOVE IT

I feel so far and yes I'm early in, Full Sail is DEFINITELY worth the money.

Thanks, Lori

Everything you've read here is true, Full Sail is a scam. I am currently enrolled in Recording Arts. I don't even know where to start. Seeing as this is geared towards the game dev I'll try to tell you what I know. The prices you see here are outdated I believe the game dev program is now roughly 60 grand! They like to increase their tuition about every year by about 5k. Everyone I have talked to agrees, They do a good job of teaching you information but you have to think about the big picture. Game dev is basically what? Software thats right. So why go to a school and learn the newest API, language functions, game engine or whatever when it will be obsolete in a year or so. I've collaborated with Game dev students doing audio for their final game projects. They agree with me that Full Sail has taught them quite a bit in a short amount of time but it definitely isn't worth the money. I don't want to get too specific but you can go on to read other comments here and get the idea. Here is a run down of how the school operates for recording arts. Each student pays 45 thousand dollars to learn just basic knowledge of mixing. But wait isn't it recording arts, don't they teach you how to record stuff? The answer to that is no, in your second to last month you finally get to use all the gear to record a live band. The 9 ,or so, months before that you go to a lab where they have mac G4/5 you basically sit there with your thumb up your ass unless you try to pry information from the instructors who aren't the industry vets like they say in the school tour. Most of the instructors at full sail actually graduated from Full Sail and have no experience in the industry other than a few who actually have some experience recording small projects. there are about 75 students in my class alone. Keep in mind the enroll every month so thats a lot of people, not like the small one on one style learning they advertise. So for my class alone if you multiply 75 by 45,000 you get $3,375,000 now times that by 12 and you'll get a rough idea of how much this place makes off of Recording Arts kids alone. They have like 7 other programs that all cost the same or more. Its clear Full Sail doesn't care about one single student they just want your money. The job placement department recently had to change their name to career development because they don't actually find you jobs, in most cases they find you internships that you could get on your own. I've talked to people who actually work in the gaming industry and film industry and they say that the Full Sail degree doesn't mean anything to them and has never gotten anyone a job. So the job placement is a joke here. Lets talk about their books, how the hell are they legal? 80 percent of my books are just user manuals to gear that we use in lab with a Full Sail cover on them. The ones that aren't are very poorly written. No one class goes too deep into any topic because they only last one month. Honestly you could read a Recording Audio for dummies book and probably know more than most Full Sail grads for RA. My advice to anyone considering going to Full Sail: Search for recording studio or production house internships, once you find one and get started try going to a university or community college to get a degree in whatever interests you. You will end up with an internship anyways so why waste the money to use and get certified for Pro Tools 7.4 if they are releasing 8.0 "a complete re write in assembly language" next spring. Full Sail is a sick joke. They tell every class not to listen to people like me because we didn't take initiative and did bad in the classes and didn't get a good "GPS" score. The truth is I've only gotten A's and B's and have talked to teachers that agree with me but are just 'doing their jobs'. So instead of accumulating a lifetime of debt, go to the bookstore and get a few books on the subject. If you expect a place like Full Sail to automatically turn you into a success story you need to re consider your priorities or have your head examined.

*edit to something I wrote*

.and i'm one of those people that loves to stay busy ..so going to school all hours of the night would bother me none..in fact it would make me happy..

I meant to write

.and i'm one of those people that loves to stay busy ..so going to school all hours of the night wouldn't bother me none..in fact it would make me happy..

sorry

<3

Lori

Alright out of all the questions..my doubt is simply because..

after everything i've read (not just on this site)

the only programs that people seem to have a "grr" issue with would be..

game development & film

I'm going for show production and touring..(possibly bachelors with music business) and I've gotten a fair few scholarships but the truth is..i'm really poor..so I of course am getting a student loan for the rest and my living expenses for the next few years...

what i want to know is..for someone like myself that would literally work their scuse my language ass off...is this degree program worth the money..

I mean do I honestly have a good chance of getting out of school and getting a job with out too much of a problem..

because I don't have the money to mess my life up..but i know I will do anything to make my education worth while..and i'm one of those people that loves to stay busy ..so going to school all hours of the night would bother me none..in fact it would make me happy..

I just want to know..before I give them every penny i have plus more..

is the show pro degree worth it?..

for the dedicated..do they get jobs?

or...is full sail as bad as everyones saying?

from what i've caught to me it seems..
if you work hard and study a lot..the show pro degree is worth it..

I just want to make sure..my loans getting approved and i'm supposed to start in about 2 weeks..i'd really like some feedback soon , if not on here ..message me on my myspace or e-mail me.

Myspace: www.myspace.com/smurfstasteyummy

E-mail: loraliromance@gmail.com

Or AIM Me

AIM: LoraliOfTheDead

It's just no one in my family has went to college..and no body is helping me figure anything out..and i want to make sure i'm not ruining my life..

that may sound dumb but I have no one to turn to..so please..if you were just lazy and hated it because you were kicked out..don't tell me any reviews..i want honest hard working show pro students or people that know a fair bit about the degree program to give me some feedback..

thank you all

Lori

Ok im gonna give my veiws of full sail through my experience there. I went to full sail in 2004 and graduated in 2006. After leaving full sail's computer animations degree I was concerned i would never get a job anywhere. I sent my resume and demo reel to over 20 different companies and I got 15 replies. I just graduated from full sail and im getting interveiws everywhere?. When I asked the employment director at sony imageworks he said, "Full Sail is one of those schools you dont see very often, they have a program that push's students to preform on a daily basis, and to me this shows the work ethic im looking for in a job applicant.". Im hearing this from someone who is in the industry and to me that made me look very highly at full sail. I am currently working at Tippet studios in Berkely Cal. as assistant Lead animator. The way I look at it is like this- If you are deticated enough and have the drive to succeed then you cant go wrong at full sail.

I went to Full Sail despite reading negative things about it. First off, it is true that you will have many, many classes all hours of the day. It is true that the "school" does not care about you and only wants your money. When I had once spoken with an instructor about considering leaving the school, she simply said, "Well, you're more than half way through, so you'll have to pay the full tuition anyway." And that was it. Student Advisers are slow and rude. Many Recording Arts lab instructors are rude and impatient. The quality of education is sub-par at best. I am currently searching to find if there is any sort of legal action I can take. SALLIE MAE IS CURRENTLY EXPECTING ME TO PAY WELL OVER $1,000 PER MONTH TO PAY BACK MY EDUCATION LOANS. THEY ARE ALL FOR FULL SAIL AND NOTHING ELSE.

wow. I dont know what to say about the comments I heard. I was getting in the process to attend Full Sail for Film. In the long run I'd like to do directing and screenwriting under my own production company. yet, learning the "in's" and "outs" of film would better get me a starting job in the "industry" to build my name and work "tech wise" to support myself.

Now. I'm not fully enrolled so AGAIN PLEASE if there's some hardcore information you can give me on not attending full sail. That can be backed up by evidence and citation I'd appreciate it.

Here are the leading reasons I'm rather deciding to go in November 2007.

-Never was a huge fan of college.

-Feel as though Film is the best creative avenue to for me to go through.

-Great connections to work on large film sets being apart of the film process NETWORKING

What sells me is full sail seems as though it's the answer to students interested in film and focusing SOLELY on film. Dont want to go to a traditional college because there's not enough focus on film and only focus on classes the dont focus on what you'd like to do once you graduate.

I'd like for the films that I produce to have a political undertone. Heading heavy hitting topics on topics this country doesn't enjoy speaking about.

Is this not the greatest program to go to for film? I'm looking for an actual GRAD who has graduated for an extensive amount of time to make me feel secure in the decision. I haven't registered for my loans. So I can KILL THE DECISION. PLEASE give me some info. More extensive questions I could ask my admission rep to get him stumbled. Catch him in a question he cannot effectively answer. Give me some statistics. Give me some staggering questions to ask the admission rep.

Appreciate the help.

wow. I dont know what to say about the comments I heard. I was getting in the process to attend Full Sail for Film. In the long run I'd like to do directing and screenwriting under my own production company. yet, learning the "in's" and "outs" of film would better get me a starting job in the "industry" to build my name and work "tech wise" to support myself.

Now. I'm not fully enrolled so AGAIN PLEASE if there's some hardcore information you can give me on not attending full sail. That can be backed up by evidence and citation I'd appreciate it.

Here are the leading reasons I'm rather deciding to go in November 2007.

-Never was a huge fan of college.

-Feel as though Film is the best creative avenue to for me to go through.

-Great connections to work on large film sets being apart of the film process NETWORKING

What sells me is full sail seems as though it's the answer to students interested in film and focusing SOLELY on film. Dont want to go to a traditional college because there's not enough focus on film and only focus on classes the dont focus on what you'd like to do once you graduate.

I'd like for the films that I produce to have a political undertone. Heading heavy hitting topics on topics this country doesn't enjoy speaking about.

Is this not the greatest program to go to for film? I'm looking for an actual GRAD who has graduated for an extensive amount of time to make me feel secure in the decision. I haven't registered for my loans. So I can KILL THE DECISION. PLEASE give me some info. More extensive questions I could ask my admission rep to get him stumbled. Catch him in a question he cannot effectively answer. Give me some statistics. Give me some staggering questions to ask the admission rep.

Appreciate the help.

Also you might check out Expression College for Digital Arts(http://www.expression.edu).

Hi, I'm actually in the process of deciding wether or not to apply/attend to full sail. I spent one year at Pace University in NYC, Than a semester at a NYU Film Conservatory for Film Acting (I've wanted to be an actress up until now) -- I've done plenty of hard work and long hours during my adventure as an actress in NY and have been rather successful in the process. Now, however, after becoming very close with the director of an indie feature film I was working on for 2 months, I found myself spending more time next to him in front of the monitor, paying attention to the camera angles, frames, lighting, etc. Basically, I was more interesting in the BEHIND the scenes filmmaking process than I was in how I was doing ON screen. I have been receiving things from Full Sail since I graduated High School and it was always an option/thought in my and my parents mind. But, If I had gone to Full Sail 3 Years ago, I, more than likely, would not have been as focused as I am right now on achieving my goal. I don't mind working my ass off or not sleeping for 8 hours every night. I barely sleep 5 hours now as it is! I love this industry and I'm pretty sure I could absolutely educate myself with books and internships and what not... But, After going to the school and seeing the equipment and the enthusiasm of the staff & students, I was VERY excited about starting my enrollment process. Then, I decided to do my research and here you all are, giving the worst reviews, EVER! --- Yes, the school is going to cost my a whole freakin' lot and I'll be in a whole shit ass of debt when I get out of there, but, I can't help but feel that my drive, work ethic, persistance, and ability to work VERY well under pressure will take hold of every aspect and I will absolutely succeed.

Basically what I'm asking is, has anyone graduated from the FILM program? I was planning on spending a total of 30 months at Full Sail to complete the Film Program and then The entertainment Business program as well.... Anyone who has attended the school in the LAST YEAR AND A HALF have any suggestions, advice, opinions? ---

Thanks so much..
Peace & Love, Jo

oh sry click post by accident now where was i??? oh yes
4.financial aid (for me) was perfect. no flaw whatsoever in my case. the fin. department is very helpful and very nice everything i needed answered or wanted was perfect a+ for that.

5.ur $$$$ is refudible to some degree and is ur daughter wants they can change her to another degree program. This question i cant give u no more info b/c this is all i know and i rather give u what i KNOW rather than what i THINK.

6.If your daughter is really hands on and has to see it to learn it (like me) she has a realy good and bad chances. there are 8 hour classes a day and half is lecture and the other a hands on lab of the lecture. For me i lose intrest in lectures and speech and rather play with the stuff myself to learn it. and if ur daughter has problems in studing (not much like me) than she will fail this school.However thers help with that. there a special x-tra credit class that tech u how to study which i attended this past friday this past week i've been going back and forth to the school to finalize my paper and orientations and they tell u x amount of times hard hard this school is and u should leave now before u waste ur parents money. no joke that's what they say. and as GPA goes they dont look at that if not at all. they just worry about ur grades in the school. i scares me to know that to get an A u have to get an average of 95 an over, a D is 75 and failing is a 70.

7.no it cant. full sail is the best when it come to show pro. it has equipment no other school will get in the next 10 year for a fact. full sail always buys the newest stuff out even if they dont need it. it is the most up to date school in America without a dout. full sail just got a certain sound board when i was in a tour group a few months ago an it was the first and only one in america at the time. for this question full sail shines unchallenged. trust me i've done the research.

8.This school WILL BREAK U DOWN!! no matter what u have. belive me or not people freak out under the pressure. dont qoute me on this but i heard theres a seperate department for kids that cant take it no more and they talk them down. this u can qoute me on, kids go to there teachers almost crying under the harsh presure. eventually i will break down but i must look past itand be as determined as i am right now. the school even give u a relief times of 90-days when u think u cant take it any more. If ur daughter tends to give up easily then this isn't for her at all. this is not a party school and there no room for social life.theres classes that start at mid-night and ends in 8 am and them have another class at 3pm to 11 am. ur daughter WILL get only 4 or 5 hours of sleep while she goes threw the program.she WILL have to study almost 2 or 3 hour to keep up with the fast pace of school that shortins 2 year of college to 1 year.

i hope this helps u out and i hope i get to see ur daughter in the halls. if ur daughter is not fazed by this then i know i would be seeing her soon.i do advize u to go on tour of the campus and go to her orientation even though it might embarass her completely. please write me back today or tomorrow to let me know i helped u in any way before i start full sail this monday. i will try to write back during my time there to let u know im still among the livin. i wish the best of luck to ur daughter any any path she takes.oh yeah if i did any spelling errors forgive me a gotta go this took longer than i thought it"ll be. ;-) c ya

This is for u florida33065

first of all my name is richard and i start full sail for show prodution on the 23rd of october and i did an acurate amount of researchin. as of right now im packin my stuff to leave for full sail!! so heres what i know and hopefully helps for major decision:

1.There's an overwelming # of job opportunities for this degree. ur daughter can be a light or sound techinian for broadway shows, on tour with bands, work in auditoriums, even cruise lines (have an friend already doing that),or for a recording label. Being a good sound or light techs could also get u job out of ur degree basic such as movies B/c on set they need mics and the perfect lighting on the stars face. When i finish with the program im planning to go to Europe or Australia b/c there many job opps out there and i want to travel and live everywhere on this earth and i know full sail is the stepping stone.

2.wait i have exact figures..... let me find it.....on our program (show pro)91% gradutate and out of them 86% get job placement which is the highest of all programs both in grad and jobplace.

3.it depends greatly. this is a huge chunk out of anyone wallet. first u have to pay the schooling, then housing, and its IMPOOSIBLE TO HAVE A JOB WHILE GOING TO THIS SCHOOL!!!! ill get back to this later. on average which the intrest u might be paying it will be around 60k but mines is around 80k b/c im goin for the bachelors

From a father that needs advice:

My daughter attends Valencia College in Orlando and has just discovered Full Sail College. The program that she is interested in is �??show production & touring�?�. I would appreciate any feedback about the program and the school. I have to say that the postings on this forum have given me great concern as to the outcome of an education from Full Sail College that would help my daughter�??s quest for a career.. Some of the questions that I have are:

·What career opportunities would be available in the real world to an individual with the training associated with �??show production and touring�?� program at Full Sail College?

·What percentage of the students entering the program actually graduate and complete the training in the 13-month period?

·What is the true cost of tuition and fees to complete the program as we would need to take out loans for the cost of her education?

·How helpful is the school as far as financial aid guidance and assistance?

·I assume from the postings that the college expects to receive all funds up-front, and that should a student loose interest or not be able to complete the programs that all that has been lost and non recoverable?

·I must admit that my daughter did not have a great GPA in High School and that I would expect her to be more successful in a trade related school verses a university. My question is: can an individual with (in no way to offend my daughter) weak study skills survive and succed in the reported fast passed environment of Full Sail College?

·Are there other schools that offer programs in �??show production and touring" that could be alturnative options?

·What skills and attributes does a potential student need to bring to Full Sail College and be able to graduate?

I welcome any advice that can be offered, I am trying to find out the positive as well as any concerns or issues in a decision as to her attending the school. I understand my daughter�??s emotional feelings in her believing that she has found her �?? calling�?� and that Full Sail College is the place for her to realize her dreams. If it were all that simple; I would sign her up today. She has spent a great deal of time performing in theater productions and seems to be attracted to the technical aspects of theater, but is that ambition enough to succeed at Full Sail College?

I have considered going to Full Sail for over a year now. I am one of those hopeless kids that can't figure out what they want to do with their lives. I play guitar, and I play pretty damn good from what I hear, and I LOVE music. That's about all the direction I have in life... I can't do a normal university/CC, because of how long it takes for one, and the fact that I would not be able to balance work/school/personal life long enough to complete it. Why? I just know it, I don't have enough faith in myself because I've gone to a CC before, I took classes for 2 years and eventually stopped going when I felt like I wasn't learning anything.

Now I'm seriously considering going to Full Sail because of how they teach, what they teach, and the fact that I want to do something I love for the rest of me life instead of something "to feed the wife and kids", and feel like I never went anywhere in life.

Though I doubt you would have much time to spare, working on other projects while you are in school can help a lot. Really this is the big picture:

When an employer goes to hire someone, they GLANCE at the school they went to, and they SCOUR over their previous experience. Where you went to school has little effect on them, especially in the entertainment industry. What you've done, can do, and how good you are are what really gets you the job. Just most places won't look at you until you have a school you went to, OR some kind of prodigal experience. Note that you dont even need a school background in some cases, but it certainly helps in upper echelon companies. That's my 2 cents...

My name is Dustin. I will be starting Full Sail this September in the Recording Arts Degree. After reading what everyone in this forum has had to say, I must say that I am feeling more sure about my choice than I was 45 minutes ago. Two years ago I came to the realization of a few things. I realized that I couldn't care less if get a 6 figure income job or a job that pays 27,000 annualy. I don't care if I have to pay this student loan until I'm old and grey. BUT, I do care about doing what I love, no matter what the sacrifices may be. I realized that in this day and age in the Entertainment industry its not a Degree that gets your foot in the door, its not what gets you respect from your peers, its not whats worth the price of to go to full Sail,....... its your hard work ,your portfolio, its your attitude, its your experience, its your word. I lastly realized, that Music and Sound production was my only ticket to happiness and would do anything to get there. I love music more than anything in this world, save Jesus ( and my girlfriend, if she ends up reading this) I am my own proof of the above statements. I have not a college degree nor any special certifications. I am currently the Network Administrator of an ISP. I got here over the course of 5 years starting from the bottom and learning everything I know today on the way up, from job to job. And I did by being hard working, trustworthy, (and the last are far more important) Respectful and Humble. My peers and superiors over the years were willing to teach me and be patient with me because I should them the respect that I would want them to show me.

I have been on the Full Sail Tour. At the end of the tour they bring you to the HUGE Auditorium called Full Sail Live. You then are spoken to be the president of Full Sail. This is the part wich sold it to me. She started talking about what to expect after graduating. She said the truth, " you can expect to start from the bottom," she says. She noted that I would probably be making nil money, I might even have to move back in with my parents for lack of funds" This information was not what I was expecting to here, but it was the truth. They weren't blowing sunshine up my skirt. They were giving to me straight and it was very inspiring. She said that I would to keep giving my dream everything I had to make it. But, what she said next I will carry with me no matter what I end up doing in life, because it holds water and will never change. "Your Dreams are part of someone elses Dreams". Where ever you go to persue your dreams they will always intersect with someone elses dreams and they are not going to be open to you being part of that dream until you show them proof that you are serious about what your doing, By being Hard working, respectful/ humble and trustworthy.

Full Sail knows this and was built apon this qualities I have listed above. If you read any of their literature. You will find many re-accuring themes dealing with the above, heck just look at their grading system. To get an "A" you must make a grade of 95 - 100%, these standards are set high for a reason. They don't won't just anyone representing their name, their Dream. They want the people that have what it takes to get what they want. you must also adhere the second grading cryteria, the GPS (Global Proffesionalism Standards) which a passing grade is also required to graduate. This is about being on-time (everytime), being prepared, being curdious, kind and respectful, being attentive, being helpful and productive. The fact that they are build on these things, is proof that I can trust them with My Dream!

The education that I will receive her will be nothing less what I make of it, I know they are capable of giving one the best audio educations in the country but I also know that they with shape me into the kind of person I need to be to be successful in this field I have chosen for myself.

So for anyone that reads this. Please do not listen to these people on this forum. If your dreams are so important to you, go check it out yourself , ask questions to the students and faculty. FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF

Thank you,
Dustin
Birmingham, AL

Accreditation doesn't matter if you're not planning on post-graduate education. Most employers nowadays don't bother with your certificate anyway... they just want to view your portfolio, and Full Sail equips you with the knowledge for that. Best thing is to get a 4 year degree of whatever subject and have a large portfolio and computer intellect in your head. Degree in math plus books teaching you game programming sounds like a good combination.

PS: I may not have any idea of what I'm on about and I will not be responsible for anyone who goes into dept for a 4 year boring degree...

Hi people, please help me up~ I'm in desperate of some helpful comments on Full Sail's Digital Arts & Design and/or its Computer Animation degree. As for tuition, how much does it really cost to attempt and gain Full Sail's BA degree??
Another school that I consider going is Ring Ling School of Art and Design ( http://www.rsad.edu/ .) Their student porfolios are the most impressive ones I've seen so far..

SOMEONE WHO IS HERE TO SQUASH THE IGNORANCE, just because you can edit waveforms in protools doesn't mean your going to get a job, I bet you do find one in the industry. Prove me wrong, oh wait you won't. I am going to MTSU because their program is proven.

anyone who graduated or attended full sail for the film degree have any advise or experience they would like to share? seems from what i've read there are several pissed off ex-students. why? any other schools in the orlando area that would help me say for working at a local news station/radio station etc.?

For those with negative comments about Full Sail, what are some good alternatives?

Hey I'm a high school junior and I'm seriously thinking about entering full sail for the Directing program. I haven't seen many comments on it and the colleges here in florida don't really offer many degrees in that field (either that, or they have bad credentials). If anyone here knows another school in this country that has a better directing program than what I've seen at the tour at full sail, please reply back. Thank you

Digipen?

It's much harder to get in to, but it's also very well-known for getting into the industry.

it's also cheaper, and *surrounded* by Microsoft, Nintendo, and Gas powered games. Valve, Bungie, Arena.net, Monolith, Zombie, Snowblind, and others are also local and well-known to poach Digipen students.

They're not nearly as flashy as Full Sail, and they really don't have the brochures/marketing. I 've heard the president say he wants to make the school free in the future.

I had plan to go to Full Sail after graduation. My plan B was an Art Institute, but from this forum and others that I have read, I'm not entirely sure about my decision on full sail. What other plans can i possibly have?

It's sad to hear another story about someone who is about to piss away their college tuition by attending Full Sail. A good way to help your ex understand that Full Sail is a scam is to challenge her to find just one traditional four year university on the planet that will accept transfer credits from Full Sail. When she comes up empty-handed maybe then she will see the light and advise your son to pursue a legitimate education at a real school.

My son wants to attend full sail My ex wife is hell bent on him going there. She makes 150K a year I make a third of that. He has about 25K that I put away for his education. I want the money to go to good use but it does not sound like it will if he goes to full sail? I want him to go to a 4 year college but my ex thinks I nuts. HELP HE WILL BE ATTENDING IN SEPT 06

Guys, I'm supposed to be starting Full Sail on June 1st for the computer animation program. I haven't really seen anyone here comment on that program. Anyone have any feelings on the CA program? Also, what other schools would you recommend that I look at for animation?

I still stand by my previous post that you will get out of the school what you put into it. Yes the school is expensive and if your not prepared physically and mentally, its probably the worst 2 years of your life, but if you have a sincere passion for fine arts and digital arts, you will get everything you want and need out of the school. For all of he people saying you can learn what you need to know by yourself with self taught books or DVD?s, how are you supposed to create a true product to show possible employers when searching for a job without the proper tools? I?m going into the computer animation course and I know for a fact that I can?t afford to buy a fast enough machine to run every program I will need and I most certainly cannot afford to by any of the software such as what was formerly known as Alias Maya (Now AutoDesk Maya). Sure, I could use the PLE (Personal Learning Edition) for the programs, but what would that say to a possible employer if I came in with a demo real that has Maya plastered all over the background? What Full Sail has to offer me and I believe many other current or future students is an environment with the instructors and tools to learn what needs to be learned to be successful in whatever career is being pursue even if it is intense or ?hard?.

It dosen't take 3 decades of debt, no concentration on single study, to succeed. It takes the individual. When's the last time you heard anything about a FULL SAIL grad. You don't. It was the individual who just happened to attend full sail. Full Sail only does to you what you want to do to them, use. Money is what will help you make it no matter what. It's a business. Nobody just goes to F.S. and day 1 of post-graduation works a 100k job a year. NO GURANTEES IN LIFE. GET REAL!
State or comm. college is the best way if you really want to attend school. Find a commercial music program and at least spend your money/loan on traditional school. My friend just completed a major in commercial music and he worked extremely hard and lined up a job with Sony. Anybody can buy some expensive shit and teach you Pro Tools. It isn't hard to learn how to record and edit wave.
Be the judge yourself....

*(People have killed themselves because of debt issues. If you are 18, 19 and have none of mommy and daddys money, don't just take out loans and grants and think it will vanish.)*

You get two things from school:

Time to learn; resources to learn from.

I graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in CIS. I never felt anything was more useless.

I got a job. I am successful.

I never felt that degree was more useless, I use it as a mouse pad...but it got me started...It laid the foundation, and I built it from there. Now, I write windows smart clients, interact with databases, setup networks. School didn't teach me any of that...I had to work really hard after school. I had to spend hundreds of hours on the weekend to learn how things work. This is what it takes to succeed.

The entertainment industry is an elite group of people. It is people who are willing to spend most of their time learning and optimizing a process. Most people don't fit there. This is economically self evident. But it sounds to me like the things you will learn can be viable else where.

I think success, for the most part, is in the hands of the students.

I plan to work till i'm 26. Learn as much as I can learn, then I will either go to fullsail or digipen. This will buy me time and resources to study the art of game programming.

Hey I have a question: do you know if I can attempt a bachelor at Full Sail while taking other classes ? Like entertainment business and 2 or 3 classes in digital media, show producing or film ? And how can I do for loans ? ( because my parents won't accept this tuition it's so expensive!!) Can you give me some advices and your opinion?

The bottom line is this: you pay 35,000 for school, maybe 12,000 for housing and when you graduate pe prepared to get no help whatosver from FS. Just like any other school you will have a degree. Unlike other majors from "real" schools people get paying jobs that allow them to pay the hugh loan back. Just ask some grads. Do they work at Blockbuster or unload gear for $8hr? Full Sail is not real education for the real world. The lesson is if your lucky you might get what you pay for. A majority of the ra grads wont even get jobs in the industry. Of course the above posters may say I'm a hater but it's like going to bartending school it's a joke!! So spend your money on buying your own pa and learn it's not that hard! They will dazzle you with all the gear and lights oooohh ya if your from Nebraska you might think your buying in to this rock and roll lifestyle. HEY IT'S A TRADE SCHOOL!! GET OVER IT

2-year 'accelerated' programs won't do it. You need a 6-year accelerated programs that let you finish in 4 years. The game industry requires theoretical education backed up with practical experience. Either go to a 4- year school and spend 2 years making games with friends or go to a 4-year that makes you cram another 2-years of game making in (DigiPen).

I've seen way too many people upset about FullSail to recommend it. They do have big advertising and marketing departments, though. Scott Knowles seems to be the epitome of this story-- a successul (IGF winner) and capable guy (previously employed in IT) that wasn't able to make it work.

Scott, have you tried relocating to a game area, like Los Angeles/Seattle/San Francisco/Austin?

...he said...right before reality bitch slapped him upside de head.

Revision to an earlier statement:
Full Sail doesnt cost any more than 4 years at most schools IT IS WORTH GETTING A DEGREE FROM, if you dont stay for the bachelors kuz in reality, any BA is just a piece of paper informing our plutocratic society that you've shelled out the bucks, and doesn't display at all any real knowledge you have. There are a whole lot of people out there with B.A.s, and most of the ones I know spent 4 years partying and every now and then woke up to take a final. Employers know this. Stick with the A.S. - tech work is where the buku is.

I would also like to make a final point - jsut because you throw a bunch of money at an institution doesn't mean abracadabra you get a phat job. This is America - pull yourself up by your bootstraps a little, why dont you.

You all who are talking smack on full sail are freakin' IDIOTS. i just graduated the A.S. in R.A. and I am so confident with Pro Tools I am making it my perogative to bring a stop watch to any interview I get for gigs involving that program, and anyone who feels any differently didn't use their time right. You cannot 'get the education from home,' as some douchebag posted earlier - the facilities are state of the art and anyone who gets to work with such a setup again in their lives should consider themselves extremely lucky. The people who DONT like full sail are the following: lazy people, people who dont have the intelligence to keep up with the hardcore curriculum, people who go to Full Sail for anything other than recording arts (why the hell would you go to one of the top five music production schools for anything other than music, fools??), people who think they are going to be rockstars, people who are narrowminded in what they want to do with the education, people who are there because they "think it would be cool to work in the music industry," people who want to "make phat beats," PEOPLE WHO WASTE THEIR MONEY ON THE BACHELORS WHEN THEY WANT TO DO TECH WORK, people who's passion isn't really as musical as they like to think (because if it was, you would adapt and do what you have to do, people who think they are getting an education in anything other than audio engineering - let me say that again: AUDIO ENGINEERING - and perhaps most importantly, PEOPLE WHO THINK THAT FULL SAIL IS GOING TO DO ALL THE WORK FOR YOU IN FINDING YOUR ASS A JOB!!! And don't tell me that I don't know about what the experience is worth because I'm 23, I was in the job market ever since after high school and had worked in radio and I can tell you for a fact that I would be infinitely more valuable to those people now...if it weren't for the fact that the education I got at Full Sail makes that job beneath me now. I am trained to do a lot of work besides recording stuff thanks to Full Sail, and I've never felt so good about the skills I have to offer an employer. The bottom line: if it's a waveform, I can shred it faster and better than you can, thanks to that program. Don't believe the haters - they are all people who either couldn't cut it and want to bitch about what was really their own faults, or people who are bitter for not having a proper understanding of what they were getting themselves into. Full Sail is worth it, just make sure you're there for the right reasons, and give it the all-of-yourself it's worth giving while you're there, and you'll be fine. Full Sail doesn't cost any more than 4 years at most schools, and it's 1/4 the time; I spent the last few years after high school working, and I paid for that bitch myself, and I'm out of there at almost the same time as all my friends who are getting "real" degrees, as you haters might call it, amd all my friends with those "real" degrees are crawling around on their hands and knees taking what they can get in the job market - meanwhile, I've been out of Full Sail for 2 weeks, I've been hanging out in jazz clubs in New York, and I've gotten interviews lined up just by impressing people with the amount of knowledge I display in the field of recording in normal bar conversation. I'm sorry but it's official - Full Sail is the shiznit, and if you are hating then you really just don't know what you're talking about, end of story. Have fun carrying my speakers around for me in 5 years, haters.

I too graduated from Full Sail. I was in the class with Gabriel Cantres, the author of the "Fourteen Months at Full Sail" articles.

Let me be as clear as possible :

FULL SAIL IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY.

Before going to Full Sail I had a degree in Computer Information Systems and worked in the IT industry for 4 years. The economy was taking a dive and many lay offs were happening. I had always wanted to develop games and that is why I got into computers in the first place. So I looked into Full Sail and thought they would teach me game development.

This is one of the worst mistakes of my life.

I wish I was being melodramatic, but I'm not.
Something Full Sail does not tell you in the quick tours is that after six months, if you want to quit, you still owe the FULL tutition. One of my fellow classmates realized that Full Sail was not for him. He too had a degree from another university, but by the time he was fed up enough to leave it was past the six month mark. So he owed the entire tutition. Even if he had left.

Another fact that Full Sail will not tell you up front is that the game industry pays badly. There is all this talk about the game industry only wants people who are passionate about games. What they mean is people who are willing to work for half as much pay as programmers outside the game industry while working twice the hours.

Make sure to look at the Game Developer Annual Salary survey and then look at a website like salary.com. Compare what programmers make in the game industry and outside of it.

Now I'm not saying that working in the game industry is bad. My brother is currently a developer in a Chicago based company. What I am saying is that a degree from Full Sail does not give you the opportunity to move out of the game industry. If you have a computer science degree from a major university you have the option of working in or out of the game industry. With a Full Sail degree your only option is the game industry.

That is if you can get a job in the game industry at all. A Full Sail degree DOES NOT get you the job or sometimes even a foot in the door. When I graduated, Full Sail did not get me interviews and did not seem to have a clue how to.

Sometimes I see people bad mouthing Full Sail and you get the sense that the writer did not apply themselves or do well at the school. After reading those kind of comments I always wonder if it was Full Sail or their lack of effort. I am not one of those students. I excelled while I was a Full Sail and my teams final project was accepted into the 2003 Student Showcase for the Independent Games Festival (www.igf.com) at the annual Game Developer Conference in California. Out of 64 student projects from around the world (some were from Europe) 10 were choosen and our project was one of them. Even after spending a week in California showing my game to hundreds of people from around the game industry, I still had trouble finding a job. Eventually I returned to the regular IT industry.

The whole experience has left me regretfull and saddled with student loans that will take me another 10 - 15 years to pay off.

Currently I am a application developer for Bank of America. I have friends who are still in the game industry and they say the pay is low and the hours are too long. I work 40 hours a week and get paid twice as much as my friends who are still in the industry. I'm not saying this to brag, but to illustrate that the game industry requires you to live and breath your job, for little pay.

For people who are looking to go to Full Sail :

If you want to be a game programmer, go to a real university and get a degree in Computer Science.
As you study if you still want to do games focus your study toward Computer Graphics.

If you want to be a game designer, start reading and studying about games. Go to school and study history and writing and art.
Pick up the book "Rules of Play", it is an excellent book. It costs about $60, but that is worth it compared to $70,000 in loans (that is full sail tuition plus the loans needed for living expenses).

I hope these words helped those who read it. Full Sail is not a way into the game industry.

Full Sail is a waste of time and money.

Full Sail is a tech school not a real college. They make you pay 100% up front becuase they know nearly 50% of the students will wash out due to over-crowded classes and a schedule that would make a navy seal cringe.
The average instructor is burned out beyond anything you will find inside a real school. They get less than one month to try and cram a books worth of knowledge and hands on lab experience down your throat that would normally take 3+ months. And on top of this 1 month of super human exhausting conditions you are supposed to somehow create a masterpiece of digital animation/music/film and so on.
Oh yeah, you miss 1 lecture and 1 lab and you fail. Unless you can somehow get a doctor to write you a letter that you couldn't afford to go to becuase your in so much debt from student loans and not having time for a job. Oh did I mention the small print in the student manual?

If you miss 6 hours thats 1 lecture and 1/2 of a lab these are 4 hours each by the way, you fail the class and have to pay the full tuition of that class depending somewhere in the range of 3k+ just to be able to continue the program.

They even go so far as to have a leave of absence so many students burn out they had to institute this rule where you can take upto 3 months off from classes and continue later... pathetic.

So heaven help you if you get sick and miss a lab and a lecture and can't afford to go to a doctor... Don't worry even if your an adult they won't believe you can send you a bill for the class anyway.

The real world education portion is a scam aswell. They will give you this BS lecture about how in the real world you will be working hours say from 1-5 a.m. then go home sleep 3 hours get back up and go work again for 4 more hours. Rinse and repeat this every month but switch the hours around to early mornings or 8 hr blocks or 16 hour lab/lecture/labs and you get the picture.

The average student is walking around in a zombie like daze half the time with any creativity they would have had going to a real college stifled by sleep deprevation. Unless you count the 24 hour crash every sunday most students have to take just to recuperate energy for the next onslaught of idiotic lab/lecture splits.

The truth is they have so many students overcrowded at full sail they can't possibly afford enough computers or equipment to have them all on a normal human schedule. So your paying top dollar for a lackluster education and to have your biological clock repeatedly beaten with a hammer until you choke and wash out or graduate and in debt.

Expect after you graduate to start paying $200 a month in interest rates alone on student loans. And that is just interest, you will never actually pay the loan off unless you can afford $500 a month which 1/4 of will be going toward interest rates alone.

Do yourself a favor. Buy your own books. Spend the money you would have given for a couple years of constant grief and buy the equipment you need to work with. Get a job and experience on your own, don't expect any school to do this for you.
And don't fool yourself about becoming the uber digital artist after a year and a half of sleep deprevation. Chances are your demo reel won't be that impressive, and you now have 60+ classmates with the exact same crap all sending the same diluted trash to every movie/gaming/production company in the industry.

Annie. If you are two months from graduation and never worked a day in the industry, how could you possibly know how prepared you are for anything? Because Full Sail told you so? Anyone can have a 4.0 grade average at Full Sail because the instructors keep putting the same questions on the exams and the students simply pass down their exams to their new friends in the classes behind them. "Voila" instant 4.0. No disrespect or harm intended here my dear, but the next time you want to tell everyone about the quality of your education and how great it is to get a degree from Full Sail in one year, you might want to consider using spellchecker. Good luck with those student loan payments.

I am 2 months away from graduating from the Recording Arts program at Full Sail. I love this school and am so happy that I decided to come here. Yes the classes are hard and the schedual sucks, but it really does prepare you for life in the industry. And to spend 1 year instead of 4 makes it completely worth while if you're willing to work your ass off for it. I've managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA and perfect attendence despite the long hours and the amount of information you get in such a short time. And my daddy didn't pay for me to come here. I graduated college then worked full time and took out student loans in my own name so that I could come here. The people who complain about Full Sail are the ones who weren't focused, didn't come to class, didn't study, or just didn't care enough to get everything out of it that they could. You definity have to be prepared to work hard if you want to make it through the program, but for me it is worth the education that I'm getting.

Hi there.
I'm a Nigerian and I had initially planned on coming to study at Fullsail for their Computer Animation Degree.

From what I have read I might be making a mistake? I still shiver over the tuition fees!

Do you have any advice on where else I could pursue my dream?

Thank you.

I had only attended the program for 8 months. My $25.000 loan had turned into $30.000 by the time the first payment was due 6 months later. My first payment was a minimum of $500. If I paid on the 15 year schedule, I will pay back $70,000 for my original $25,000 loan. And that is only the cost of half of the program!!! All that to be taught by ex students who are still learning themselves. I learned more from a $60 Gnomen DVD, than I did in an entire month in a animation class. Thinking about attending??? Ask them what the percentage is of students that start the program actually graduating. I'd be surprised if 60% finish the program.

Mike is right. I am in the "Bachelor" program and have found out the hard way that i cannot go to any "real" schools and pursue a graduate degree. At least any that are SACS accredited (which include all major schools from Virgina to Texas). Don't believe the hype and think that you are getting a quality Bachelor degree in only 21 months. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Anyone considering attending Full Sail needs to visit the website www.fullsailaccreditation.com.
You will find a list of the other "schools" with the exact same accreditation as Full Sail. It's a sure fire way to clue you in on just how legitimate the full sail Bachelor's degree really is.

The degrees offered arn't associates anymore, all courses that I am aware of are now registered as Bachelors degrees. As far as pumping people through so quickly, I personally like know i will graduate and be able to start work in 2 years rather than 4.

I have read and read many different posts due to the fact I couldn't find out much about "Fool Sail" and their tuition. I am not impressed to say the least. It sounds like they are rushing as many through school at all hours of the day for the maximum gain to themselves. Give me one reason they want to push people through so quickly. They did that to me when I was in the Army, that was the Army...they don't care either. $50k for a weak associates degree is ludicrous. Do yourself a favor and go to a community college or state school. This place sounds like a joke that everyone says it is. $50k...my gosh!

Brad. Whether or not you gain any knowledge at Full Sail is not the question. The question is "Is it cost effective"? Of course you were impressed with the tour, that's how they get you to sign up. Of course the instructors are cool, it's their job. They are all ex-freelancers just looking for a steady gig. You'll have great fun staying up late until the wee hours of the morning in a "state of the art" studio with your favorite lab-mate Susie Rottencrotch by your side, making plans to stay in touch after you both make it to the bigtime. She may even show you her secret tattoo in a moment of weakness,but do you want to spend the rest of your life paying for that experience? If you have money to burn or someone else is paying your way, then by all means go for it and rock on. However,if you use student loans the harsh reality will soon kick in. The moment you graduate the bank will start charging you ten dollars a day interest.Of course you will want to defer the loans until you finish your internship and get a job. But that's o.k. because Full Sail will inform you that you can legally defer your loans for up to twenty-five years if you like. Take as long as you want to pay it back. And pay it back you will. Several times over what you borrow. You'll eventually start paying about three hundred dollars a month and after ten years you'll take a look to see what the payoff on your fifty thousand loan is and find that it is now sixty thousand. That's if you're lucky. Seventy-five percent of government loans default, and when they do a twenty percent fine and processing fees are added and now you owe a hundred thousand dollars, and it doesn't go away. This is your "real world education". Congress passed a new law a couple of weeks ago to start garnishing the social security checks of defaulted loan holders. You will pay until you die. Computer speed doubles every fifteen months. This is the information age. Most of the knowledge you gain at Full Sail will be obsolete before you make your first student loan payment. I spent thousands to learn the Synclavier. It was a quarter of a million dollar piece of equipment that was going to revolutionize audio production. The company went bankrupt two years later. Today a home computer has 10x the power of the Synclavier.You don't need to give Full Sail fifty thousand to tell you to "pay your dues by sweeping the floors at your favorite studio because one day they will let you mix" or operate a camera or design a game or whatever. Be smart. Get a community college A.S. in whatever field and find your own internship.At least you will have a real degree if things don't work out.If you have the determination to do great things then you should be able to figure out a way to do it without a fifty thousand dollar tumor growing on your back. I've said enough. Good luck.

After reading that last comment, I needless to say, feel a bit distressed. I myself start attending Full Sail in November 2006. I already put a deposit down, and have everything set in motion to begin attending the school. I hope what Tony says is wrong or just personal bad luck because I went to the behind the scenes tour 3 months ago and was blown away by what the school had to show. I have no room yet to say if the school is all its reved up to be, but I can say that its not the schools responsibility to make the shure a student is successful. It is the schools responsibility to supply knowledge and to assist students in learning, and from what I can tell the school provides both of those. It is up to the student to give the effort and get everything they can out of what is offered even if it is hard. Regardless of whether or not Full Sail stretches the truth on the subject of job placement, with a good portfolio and something to show for yourself you should be able to get a job no problem. Im not saying that the school looks apropriate for everyone, and if you have attended Full Sail and arn't happy with it, well, better luck somewhere else because I don't think your going to find anyewhere better.

Full Sail does not have that great of a reputation among it's former graduates,such as myself. Most view it as a waste of money.
Notice that Full Sail doesn't brag about it's accreditation. That's because it doesn't have any. It's only credentials are by some obscure fly-by-night accrediting authority that gives Full Sail just enough recognition to call it's self a school and the legal means to accept government loans. The Full Sail degree is the equivalent of the "get your degree while studying at home" scams you see on t.v. The reason Rolling Stone magazine gave Full Sail such a glowing report is because they have been a faithful advertiser for about 20 years. That's how they conned me. I was able to secure a job on the bottom rung of the entertainment ladder but I deeply regret ringing up thousands upon thousands of dollars of debt to get here.If you rely on student loans to get through this so-called school, you could be, and most likely will be, in debt for life.
One of the biggest scams Full Sail pulls is the graduate hiring numbers. They have a working relationship ship with several companies that provide paid internships.You get a paycheck for 90 days and then you're back on the street looking for a job while the next graduate takes yours. Meanwhile, Full Sail reports you are "hired and working in the industry".Entertainment jobs are few and far between and there are never enough to support the number of graduates.
Do yourself a favor. If you really want to enter the world of entertainment, skip Full Sail and get a REAL degree from a school such as Middle Tenessee State Univ.

P.S. Funny true story

I recently purchased a new car and while talking with the finance manager of the dealership discovered that his son had also graduated from Full Sail.We immediately began exchanging horror stories which ended with him telling me that he could kick himself for wasting fifty thousand dollars on sending his son there.

I attended the Behind-the-Scenes tour in November of '04, and I asked our tour guide the same question Quxmax asked. He said one of the worst mistakes students make is that they try to hold down a job while attending the school. He said it is nearly impossible, and you won't get the most out of Full Sail and your money by trying to squeeze in a few crucial hours of work between Full Sail's already hectic schedule. Just some passed on advice. Hope it helps.

What do you suggest regarding where to live? Dorms, rooms, apts. what's the best way to solve this? thanks...

You dont. You roll the cost of living expenses into your student loan(s).

I am nearing 40 (ouch!) and my one major concern is the cost. I already went through a bankruptcy, so i am not sure if this is the way to go.
Plus, I have a car payment, cell phone bill and car insurance. I can't believe the way the classes are scheduled like that. I would have to many other exspenses to figure in on top of the staggering $41,000 just for an Associates? Come on....get real. Sounds to me they are running more of a "artist bootcamp" than a educational facility. Maybe Daddy can pay for those kids to go there, but someone starting over in life, I think it would be better for me to attend a community college.

From what I read in other forums, you will have no time at all to have a job. The school suggests you factor in your living costs into your loans.
I am 38 years old and I am considering going there, but I filed for Chapter 7 last year, so I doubt I will get any loans at all. Alas, I believe my boat has come and gone. I don't think it would be wise at my age to take on a $40,000 tuition. :(

Made me think. I really Want to go to Full Sail and am very willing to work my ass off. But how do you keep a part time job to feed your self with a class load like that?

Great perspective. You are telling it like it is, but the costs of the programs you have listed are out of date.