First Year of College

Attending Sheridan College's Bachelor of Animation program was my dream for as long as I can remember. I can recall being 12 and sitting on my couch watching cartoons and researching the best colleges that offered animation programs in my area. Sheridan has a pristine reputation among the art industry, the "Harvard of Animation", if you will. I don't think at age 12, I quite understood why Sheridan was considered as such, I think I was convinced I would have a Legally Blonde segment where I somehow managed to get into a top-tier school. The reality is for a lot of people, getting into an Animation (or Illustration, even) program is hard.

At 16, seeing the hallways covered in beautiful artworks created by accomplished students was inspiring, at the time, I didn't quite understand how much work it was to get to that point. I was in love with the idea of attending the school, making the artwork, shopping in the bookstore (which I considered a miniature art store due to the fact they sell such supplies) and overall, succeeding as an animation student there. Like I said, there wasn't much thought put in to how much work is involved in getting to that point where you qualify to attend such prestigious classes, and there's so much that you don't know you NEED going into it.

I think one thing I missed out on was the idea of figure drawing... it's such a daunting task and a hard skill to master, that I thought I could get by and get into one of these programs without knowing much on anatomy, figure, form, etc. My supportive parents were under the assumption that: A) I could get in without knowing much about figure drawing, B) Sheridan would gladly take my money and let me in, and C) If I worked hard and believed in myself, I'd make my way in. Having been through a year of the common prerequisite course, "Art Fundamentals", I can, with much certainty, say that two of those, at least, were wrong.

When applying to a course such as Bachelor of Animation, you hear a lot of things; you hear how there are thousands of applicants, how only a certain percentage of this class you're in will get in, etc. These are hard pills to swallow, but they're true. I was hopeful this year, though. I had already applied going into my first year (during the final semester of my senior high school year) and had received a pretty decent score... I was somewhere in the mid/high 70's when I needed a low 80 to qualify. When applying to these courses, you're required to create a portfolio with custom specifications to highlight that you know the basics of the program you're trying to get into. I was so sure that I was close to getting in the next time, I wasn't one of the people that took my professors warnings all too seriously.

Now, when I say that, mind that it also came with a LOT of doubt. Being in art school also means that you are surrounded by other artists, which is a daunting enough situation as is. In Art Fundamentals, many other students are trying to get into the same programs as you, and sometimes, they have more experience, a longer history of doing art professionally, or more skill than you do. That's another hard pill to swallow, but my confidence with my previous application's results mixed with the fact that I was in a program designed to help students better their chances of getting into a Bachelor's program certainly gave me some ground to stand on when it came to how I felt about getting in.

Somehow, I got lucky, too. I met a fourth year Animation Student at the portfolio review (an absolute sweetheart, God bless her) who agreed to give me some advice on what to do, and what not to do, when it came to submitting my application. I was simply elated. I worked really hard, on top of balancing a part-time job and being a full time student, I was also working day in and day out on this portfolio. My tutor and I had become fast friends, and she was confident in my final product, so I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the email to come out with the results.

I was heartbroken when I didn't make it, even more so when I realized I somehow did worse than when I first applied. I don't think I've ever cried about getting a result back before, so that was a first. My tutor couldn't understand where I went wrong, and, although I was disappointed, there weren't any hard feelings towards her (she put in so much time and effort to helping me, it'd be wrong to be upset she didn't magically get me in!). In my eyes, the one I submitted this year was the best out of the two, I couldn't figure out what it was about my first application that was better than the one I had with guidance from someone in the program.

On top of the heartbreak, I had no idea what it was I was supposed to do now. I was accepted into another program (Sheridan's Bachelor of Interaction Design), but it didn't seem to trigger the same excitement that I had thinking about the Animation program. It was a Bachelor course, sure, and there were design elements in it, which I was interested in, but further research indicated it might not make me happy long-term. I had wanted this program since I was really small, what could I do now that I had tried my hardest, and I didn't make the cut? I'm the type of person who's only really into one thing (artistic mediums), and Sheridan only offers so many programs... I couldn't seem to shake the idea that my luck had run out, and I needed to settle for something realistic, and fast.

My supportive parents came in again, and we looked at my options. I had known that not getting in was a realistic outcome, so I had a few backups waiting for me... the Interaction Design program, and the sister program to the Art Fundamental program: Visual and Creative Arts (VCA). My only issue with VCA was that it wasn't as... fancy. It didn't have any jobs guaranteed at the end of it, I wouldn't be specializing in animation, things like that. I think after a little bit of time sitting on it, and some research on jobs related to the VCA program, it grew on me. It wasn't a bad option by any means, if anything, it was a few more years of what I had already done, plus 4 months of summer to practice what I was learning online.

After the disappointment and heartbreak subsided, I found myself ready to look at other options that still satisfied this desire I had to create art. I think it was a good life lesson to learn; even though I didn't have my Legally Blonde moment, I got to realize that there are a lot of different ways you can work yourself to where you want to be. Even if I wasn't on the direct route to a job in animation, working my way up the ladder of jobs in art could still get me there, or somewhere similar that makes me just as happy.

I don't have the time or money to try again at animation, but I do have the time and money to tune up my skills, find a job in visual arts, and begin to gain experience and work my way up. It's not as fancy as what I wanted, but it's realistic. I might not be ready for animation now, but someday, hopefully, I will be. I'm currently excited to begin college again in the fall to see what VCA brings, and how different it might be to what I think it is. I've come to accept and appreciate that things don't always go my way, and realistically, if I wasn't ready for this course, and I did get in, I might have just been miserable.

Additionally, I hope I could share some of my experiences with people who are looking to get into programs like these. If I could read something when I was a junior that said: "Hey! You need to know the basics of this subject before you try getting into the Bachelor course; spend time tuning up your skills!" I'm sure I would have appreciated that.

This experience has definitely taught me that even if you don't get what you wanted, there's always other options to get to where you want to be eventually. I don't consider it settling, seeing how my end goal is still the same... I think sometimes the path you were dead set on isn't the path you're ready for, and it's okay to change, or try other paths.