The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

[WinstonJEC]

So I'm thinking about going to the AIoP for game art and design but I've seen a lot mixed reviews from students. Either it's the best or it's the worst and a lot of the bad reviews come from students with stupid reasons and terrible grammar, so I can't really base my decision off of them. Does anyone have experience with this school or know anything about them?

 

[DevilWithaHalo]

Are we talking about the physical school itself or their online division?

Most Art schools are hit or miss depending on the person and their subject of study. You should go into it with the right expectations; it's hard and competitive work, not everyone is cut out for it. You'll also work primarily on other people's projects, and not your own.

It's not a lucrative gig and most people do it for the love.

Considering though AIoP cheated me out of tens of thousands of dollars, I can't suggest them. But that's my personal bias showing. And my experience will differ.

 

[WinstonJEC]

I was considering the online division. And do you know of any other schools that have a game design program?

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I graduated from the Art Institute of Tampa, I was in the animation program but we pretty much went hand in hand with the game program (Most of the staff swears I should have been in game, but I felt the animation program was broader. Game companies will hire animation majors, they don't care as long as you can do the work).

For as much s*** as the art institute catches, it was a pretty good school, you can certainly do worse, and contrary to popular belief, they actually will help you get a job provided you do a little work on your end also.

But I'm talking about The Art Institute of Tampa, FL, I don't have any experience with AIP, and from what I've heard, the quality of AI's varies tons from school to school. I can say AIT is a wonderful school, for what it's worth. You could always go to that one if you don't mind moving a few states and living in student housing. Lots of students did it.

Captcha: Happy Blessings!

 

[WinstonJEC]

Hmm.. Yeah I've looked at reviews for a lot of the art institutes and they all seem to have mixed reviews. I'll definitely have to keep Tampa in mind. A lot of people reviewing just keep going on about how it's a scam but I guess I just need a few reviews from people that actually graduated from there.

 

[DevilWithaHalo]

I was considering the online division. And do you know of any other schools that have a game design program?

I can't suggest the online division simply because of how it's structured. Do you want to learn everything yourself? Then why bother paying them to do so? That's how I feel about online schooling. Get yourself into a classroom. Not only will it allow you direct teacher feedback, you get to network with other students, who will become your peers.

There are a *ton* of Art schools that offer Game Degrees; a quick google search in your area will no doubt result in many results. DigiPen and Ai of Vancouver are often highly spoken of.

 

[WinstonJEC]

Yeah that makes sense. I really want to be on campus but being in Ohio, Pennsylvania was the closest game design school.

 

[Kenami]

I graduated from the New York City campus a few years ago. It was alright, you could definitely tell the institute itself was still growing and adding new things to the programs as well as keeping up with the design/technological trends. I hear almost each campus handles that differently which probably contributes to a lot of the mixed reviews. I will say this though that one of my favorite instructors previously worked at the Pittsburgh campus and he'd sometimes show us the work they were doing there. Those students were a bit more advanced then us and were certainly getting a bit more hands on work in terms of design execution and trail/error.

I certainly think that what DevilWithAHalo said is spot on and I'd also like to add that no matter what design/creative school you decide to go to it really only matters how much you end up putting into the programs as opposed to what you're receiving from them.

 

[FactPile]

I went to AIP WAY back in the late 90's. School has since moved location in the city. Like everything else in life, you will get out what you put into it. AIP as an art school is still decent, but since you want the online experience, you might want to look at Full Sail University as well. A friend of mine is about to graduate and will be starting at RockStar - But, he had to work his ass off to do all the required activities, and some of them were tougher because they were entirely online.

You need to give it some thought and also think about the cost of your education - which one is priced better? Don't forget to look for the hidden items like the cost of books/supplies/etc.

Hope this helps!

 

[WinstonJEC]

Thank you for your help. I've looked into full sail and to me it seems like a lot of the same thing. Except Full Sail is asking for $80+ and AIoP is asking for around $65 including books and software. I think I'm going to go with or the Art Institute, but like you said I will get out of it what I put into it. Thanks again for all your help everyone!

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Thank you for your help. I've looked into full sail and to me it seems like a lot of the same thing. Except Full Sail is asking for $80+ and AIoP is asking for around $65 including books and software. I think I'm going to go with or the Art Institute, but like you said I will get out of it what I put into it. Thanks again for all your help everyone!

I can say with absolute certainty don't go to Full Sail. I can't stress enough how much of a mistake people make going to that school. It's not accredited which means you're paying too much money for a degree that's not worth the paper it's printed on.

It's nice for experience, but really you can get the same quality of education at AI. Some of the graduates at AiT even went on to TEACH at Full Sail.

 

[Luca72]

Thank you for your help. I've looked into full sail and to me it seems like a lot of the same thing. Except Full Sail is asking for $80+ and AIoP is asking for around $65 including books and software. I think I'm going to go with or the Art Institute, but like you said I will get out of it what I put into it. Thanks again for all your help everyone!

I can say with absolute certainty don't go to Full Sail. I can't stress enough how much of a mistake people make going to that school. It's not accredited which means you're paying too much money for a degree that's not worth the paper it's printed on.

It's nice for experience, but really you can get the same quality of education at AI. Some of the graduates at AiT even went on to TEACH at Full Sail.

I thought AI schools aren't technically accredited either? I was planning on going to one in Las Vegas, but found that it was really expensive and that their artistic output was very poor.

From what I've read, some AI schools are much better than others, but my experience with the one in Las Vegas left me with a very shady opinion of the whole thing. The kicker was when I asked to look at some of the projects their students had made. Not good. Even in the design department it looked like something a student taking a high school Photoshop class would come up with.

Thing is, you're going to get what you put into it. They'll give you guided instruction in some of the necessary tools for your industry. It's just that it's going to be very expensive and the quality of the teachers isn't definite. I've heard of people getting a lot out of attending an AI school, and I've also heard people who went to one tell me to stay away at all cost. Just make sure you really do some heavy research.

Have you looked into your local university or community college? A lot of them offer design and programming classes. I've gotten some great deals by taking community college art classes.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Thank you for your help. I've looked into full sail and to me it seems like a lot of the same thing. Except Full Sail is asking for $80+ and AIoP is asking for around $65 including books and software. I think I'm going to go with or the Art Institute, but like you said I will get out of it what I put into it. Thanks again for all your help everyone!

I can say with absolute certainty don't go to Full Sail. I can't stress enough how much of a mistake people make going to that school. It's not accredited which means you're paying too much money for a degree that's not worth the paper it's printed on.

It's nice for experience, but really you can get the same quality of education at AI. Some of the graduates at AiT even went on to TEACH at Full Sail.

I thought AI schools aren't technically accredited either?

Ai is accredited by SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools), they're as official as you can get.
The whole AI isn't accredited thing is a complete myth.

I graduated from AiT, I've had no issues finding work and neither have most of the graduates. Those who haven't found work were the completely lazy ones who didn't bother to learn anything. As you said, you only get out of it what you put in.

As for the overall quality of the school, as I've said, it depends,
I can't speak for any AI besides the one I graduated from (which was a very good school).

 

[aba1]

The thing about art is it is what you put in. The school itself doesn't mean a whole lot it is your portfolio that really matters at the end of the day. Realistically you don't need to go to college for Art the only reason people go is to learn the credentials are just nice to have.

 

[Vetta E-dom]

The thing about art is it is what you put in. The school itself doesn't mean a whole lot it is your portfolio that really matters at the end of the day. Realistically you don't need to go to college for Art the only reason people go is to learn the credentials are just nice to have.

True. That being said rarely is anyones portfolio developed enough or their artistic maturity developed enough to warrant skipping out on college. A big problem with a lot of young artist is that they think their hot shit, and when reviewing their portfolios you can drastically see how much knowledge they lack. The portfolio being the one thing that gets you work is a double edged sword. On one hand yeah you really don't need the credentials or degree if you are proficient and skilled enough, on the other hand its your own fault if you lack the skills, attitude, knowledge, efficiency, history, and etc.. and a lot of this is very very very easy too see when reviewing portfolios.

While its not completely necessary to go to college for art, I would still highly recommend anyone thinking of getting into the art world to at least try to get some college, if not just for the history,technical skills, and further refinement/ criticism.


side note... Id personally stay away from The Art Institutes .. but that's just from what I'v heard.. and beleive

 

[aba1]

The thing about art is it is what you put in. The school itself doesn't mean a whole lot it is your portfolio that really matters at the end of the day. Realistically you don't need to go to college for Art the only reason people go is to learn the credentials are just nice to have.

True. That being said rarely is anyones portfolio developed enough or their artistic maturity developed enough to warrant skipping out on college. A big problem with a lot of young artist is that they think their hot shit, and when reviewing their portfolios you can drastically see how much knowledge they lack. The portfolio being the one thing that gets you work is a double edged sword. On one hand yeah you really don't need the credentials or degree if you are proficient and skilled enough, on the other hand its your own fault if you lack the skills, attitude, knowledge, efficiency, history, and etc.. and a lot of this is very very very easy too see when reviewing portfolios.

While its not completely necessary to go to college for art, I would still highly recommend anyone thinking of getting into the art world to at least try to get some college, if not just for the history,technical skills, and further refinement/ criticism.


side note... Id personally stay away from The Art Institutes .. but that's just from what I'v heard.. and beleive

I can get behind this I just want to add a lot of people tend to screw up after they graduate by not practicing on the side. You always need to be improving your portfolio and skills regardless of whether you have graduated, I see this happen to designers more than artists but they both do it.

 

[Charli]

It's as with anything, I'd say take physical classes and try to put in as much effort into self learning with the tools you're given.

Alot of people who complain I do some background checks (looking at their blogs and deviantarts etc gives me good insight to their motivations) and I tend to find that they weren't giving the course 100% (putting the practice in and doing side projects with peers)

If this is what you want to do. And you're ABSOLUTELY committed to it, you're so utterly sure that it's your life calling. It's worth it. Always.

Even my poor friend who's gotten stuck in a really dodgy course with a teacher who isn't doing their job, is getting results out of it because she tries so damn hard. Goes above and beyond the material every time, and is thus getting what she needs out of the course regardless of competency of the teachers.

College mainly will provide you with the tools, it's a surprising bonus if the instructor is on your side as well. So... Buyer beware I guess?
I'm probably going to take a course with the Art Institutes as well since MOSTLY I hear positive things from those who I see have given it their all.

 

[Catie Caraco]

Both my sister and my brother-in-law attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, in fact, that was where they met. They were both in Video Production, however. They both do well and are both currently employed in the fields they major in. He produces commercials and she works for a local PBS affiliate. I never heard either of them complain about ineffectual professors or administrative bullshit. And for the others who've brought that up, that is not a problem just for the Art Institutes, but for colleges in general. I had professors who barely showed up to class, didn't seem to care, were never available for office hours and the like, and the college I transferred to out of my local community college took so much advantage of me that it still gets me riled up to this day.

"Oh, you need to retake Freshman Lit, even though you're a senior."
"Why? I took it at FMCC, which is part of the SUNY* system. I got a 4.0."
"Our records show the class ended five weeks before the end of the semester."
"Yeah, because the Professor was diagnosed with cancer, and needed immediate treatment. It didn't work. He's dead now."
".. Still, you haven't completed the class to our satisfaction."
"...... What the hell does that mean?"
"It means you have to retake it."


That's a true story. Just thinking about it now makes me mad. Ugh!

*SUNY = State University of New York. You are supposed to be able to transfer between schools with no issue. HA! "Oh, we'll give you Credit for taking the class, but it doesn't meet any of our Requirements. You need to take this other class, which has one word different in the title, and teaches all the same material. Won't that be fun?"


Sorry, got sidetracked there. So, long story short, every college will have it's stories of triumph and failure, so you need to decide based on what factors are most important to you. Make a list of pros and cons. Look at things like class sizes, and don't be dazzled by distractions. "Oh, we have a rock wall in our gym!" Look at things like the meal plans and look at things like nutrition, variety of food, ect. Look at public transportation, how far spread the campus is. Check for things like assault and rape statistics, ESPECIALLY if you're female. All of this information has to be given to you if you request it, so I guess the moral of my story is educate yourself about the institution you want to educate you.

 

[WinstonJEC]

Yeah at any school you will do well if you try and put forth the effort. But as I said in my first post I'm going for game art and design more specifically for the development aspect. Not just straight up art. So from what I've heard from you guys that graduated and from people I've talked to personally that have graduated it seems to be an awesome school.