2013 - Sheridan College (Animation and Illustration) Hopefuls

[Mieket]

I forgot to mention this but, I heard Mark Mayerson wanted to increase the program seats over the course of 3 years, for the longest time I believe it was 125, last year it was upped to 150, and i'm not sure but maybe it'll be increased to 175 (then the final year will make it 200)?

Apparently some of the faculty are not pleased because that would mean less one on one time for students. They might not go on with it but I think it was talked about!


What do you guys think?

also thank god for me being so busy, I completely forgot about the acceptance letter or wait lol!

[pepe-silvia]

@Mieket - On one hand, I'm happy that they might be increasing the program seats because of course there's a slightly higher chance to get in, but again like you said, the classes would be bigger and there would be less one on one time. I'm ok with it right now and I think it's good that they're letting more people in, but, my opinion might change if I actually do get in and experience the program with that many people. I had a graduate tell me that they were letting more people in this year, but that it might not be good because you want to have a good kind of tight knit group. I guess we'll see.

[Alex Chow]

Apparently some of the faculty is not pleased because that would mean less one on one time for students.

The 2nd year layout teacher (Scott Caple) left last year citing this reason in a recent podcast. Personally, I cannot even imagine how the teachers will be able to juggle the classes but I'm sure they'll schedule it somehow.

[kamikazel33t]

well if you do the math, wouldn't it that mean if they increased it to 200 student they would have 3 extra classes. What if they simply hired more faculty? That would fix complaints about student teacher ratio.

[BeenaMistry]

well if you do the math, wouldn't it that mean if they increased it to 200 student they would have 3 extra classes. What if they simply hired more faculty? That would fix complaints about student teacher ratio.

That's another problem, they'll have to find some damn good teachers in order to keep up their reputation
And there's the space issue. Remember, Sheridan is not an art school, its a college that happens to have some damn good art programs. They'll need to increase the amount of workspaces they have. Also they should think about including another room for animation extra life, getting kinda tired of animation kids taking up spots in the illustration only extra life and acting like they get privilege over the illustration kids

Edit: also re: acceptance dates, for at least the last two years conditional/early acceptance emails are given out up until the second or third week of April. I lucked out and got mine during the second or third wave of letters during the last week of march/first week of April

[Lycoris]

I'm not so happy to hear that they might increase the numbers to 200 or so, simply because they would be over-flooding the market. Animation's already a very competitive place to be at. If you're going to have 200 students per year in your school, you'll have to make sure that you keep your reputation up. That means you'll have to make sure that by the time you pump them out of your school, they better be competent enough to face anything in the market.

Still, this only could probably mean that they're letting more international kids in. The point is, will the school be just another money making machine, or actually hold up their reputation as well and produce excellent animators?

[OfficialLamp]

The point is, will the school be just another money making machine, or actually hold up their reputation as well and produce excellent animators?

It's a publicly funded school, so I don't think they'll be a money making machine. If anything, the increase of animation students is probably to get more funding for their other programs or upgrade the animation department itself.
Really, what it means for the students is more competition. The students who don't care as much won't go looking for teacher help, and they won't get any, while the more aggressive students will leech as much teacher time as possible.

[estebito]

Hey everyone! I've always been a silent lurker of this thread, seeing as I'm applying to Sheridan for animation, but I've decided to make an account now. So, hi!

This was the portfolio I sent in:http://estebanbravo.deviantart.com/gallery/42318922

[estebito]

Hey everyone! I've always been a silent lurker of this thread, seeing as I'm applying to Sheridan for animation, but I've decided to make an account now. So, hi!

This was the portfolio I sent in:http://estebanbravo.deviantart.com/gallery/42318922

[Dunnstar]

I think it's way too much! I've been really interested in Seneca's program. much smaller class size and though not as reputable, still seems like quality education.

125 is a sizeable chunk, and just hiring more teachers can't fix it. Even though it would reduce my odds, I like the number 50-75 per year.
The coordinator himself said he didn't like the idea of more students and i've been hearing how 'sheridan is on the decline'. Though they've been saying that since the late 90's.

@beenamist: I laughed at your 'privilege animation kids' comment. It just gave me such a vivid image of a gaggle of animation students picking on illustrations kids over artspace. "this is our life drawing spot!" LOL. someone turn that into a comic.

[RiceBoy]

I forgot to mention this but, I heard Mark Mayerson wanted to increase the program seats over the course of 3 years, for the longest time I believe it was 125, last year it was upped to 150, and i'm not sure but maybe it'll be increased to 175 (then the final year will make it 200)?

Apparently some of the faculty are not pleased because that would mean less one on one time for students. They might not go on with it but I think it was talked about!


What do you guys think?

also thank god for me being so busy, I completely forgot about the acceptance letter or wait lol!

I can tell you Mark definitely doesn't want that and that increasing the number of students to 150 last year was not his decision.

[xDrawnxtoxDeathx]

Hey I got accepted to cambrians animation course today... It's my backup if i don't get sheridan so im pretty stoked

[Dunnstar]

Congrats drawn. lets hope you get 2/2!

[BeenaMistry]

I don't know a whole lot about Sheridan and how its art programs have developed over the past two decades, but I have heard things about the decline.
I actually do believe it's a business though though. You know how much money Sheridan makes off of Art Fundamentals and VCA? they sell it as "the key to the bachelor programs". They accept almost anyone to those programs. I can't say what it is exactly, but industry wise its not a wise move. Like what Lycoris said, its an overflooding. imo it's definitely not good for the reputation, one of the reasons why I choose illustration at Sheridan over OCAD is that OCAD accepts everybody


@Dunnstar: Oh boy I have a story for you. The week before reading week extra life was super packed because of life drawing portfolios for the midterm. One evening, there were a bunch of illustration and animation kids in the illustration extra life. I noticed a bunch of first year illustration kids in there (and unfortunately some couldn't get a spot)
During one of the early breaks, a classmate requested a 50 minute pose at the end (we had some 50 minute requirements) and the model had no problem. When we actually started the pose, an animation kid asked if we could do a bunch of tens instead. A few of us first years (extremely stressed and tired) were just shaking our heads and the animation kid actually got offended when we disagreed. This really angered me, and I think I mightve expressed my answer to more people than just my friend (oops) so someone suggested a compromise that we do a 40 minute and then two fives so the model did that
BUT THE BEST PART after he finished the 49 minute, the model asked "okay so who here is actually in illustration?" And some people raised their hands and the model said "yeah see you animation students aren't even supposed to be here so I'm just gonna continue this into the 50 minute post. And that's why he's my second favorite model
Ten minutes really makes a difference when you need to hand in a 50 minute pose. And we did a bunch of tens and fives in the beginning, they should've been there earlier. In illustration we do longer poses, deal with it. Either just do multiples of the same pose or leave and make room for the students who actually need to be there okay

[Lycoris]

Hey Beena, I want to ask how Illustration is for you at Sheridan. How much does the tuition cost per year? Is it the same as animation? Do you know what the Sheridan Illustration alumni are doing right now?

[Lycoris]

I don't know a whole lot about Sheridan and how its art programs have developed over the past two decades, but I have heard things about the decline.
I actually do believe it's a business though though. You know how much money Sheridan makes off of Art Fundamentals and VCA? they sell it as "the key to the bachelor programs". They accept almost anyone to those programs. I can't say what it is exactly, but industry wise its not a wise move. Like what Lycoris said, its an overflooding. imo it's definitely not good for the reputation, one of the reasons why I choose illustration at Sheridan over OCAD is that OCAD accepts everybody


@Dunnstar: Oh boy I have a story for you. The week before reading week extra life was super packed because of life drawing portfolios for the midterm. One evening, there were a bunch of illustration and animation kids in the illustration extra life. I noticed a bunch of first year illustration kids in there (and unfortunately some couldn't get a spot)
During one of the early breaks, a classmate requested a 50 minute pose at the end (we had some 50 minute requirements) and the model had no problem. When we actually started the pose, an animation kid asked if we could do a bunch of tens instead. A few of us first years (extremely stressed and tired) were just shaking our heads and the animation kid actually got offended when we disagreed. This really angered me, and I think I mightve expressed my answer to more people than just my friend (oops) so someone suggested a compromise that we do a 40 minute and then two fives so the model did that
BUT THE BEST PART after he finished the 49 minute, the model asked "okay so who here is actually in illustration?" And some people raised their hands and the model said "yeah see you animation students aren't even supposed to be here so I'm just gonna continue this into the 50 minute post. And that's why he's my second favorite model
Ten minutes really makes a difference when you need to hand in a 50 minute pose. And we did a bunch of tens and fives in the beginning, they should've been there earlier. In illustration we do longer poses, deal with it. Either just do multiples of the same pose or leave and make room for the students who actually need to be there okay

It's true. One thing I noticed while I was at Sheridan fundies was that there were lots of life drawing sessions for Illustration kids but less for the other. And sadly, the game program kids don't get any sessions, so if they want to, they'll have to sneak in.

Can't believe that an animation kid asked for tens when it's for Illustration... Then again, it's hard for the animation kids while sharing with the Fundies and the Illustration kids in the regular session because they need fast poses. Otherwise, they just leave after about an hour or so. The sticklers stay.

[Dunnstar]

@Beena Yeah, that sounds absolutely hilarious. Didn't know there was drama for life spots. Sounds like its getting really crowded. =/

From what people have told me, the illustration kids and animation kids are kind of segregated, probably making the situation worse. How packed does it usually get?

@lyrics I can answer the tuition question. it's 100 dollars more than the animation tuition. 9.1k! you can just check the main site for that.

Hey everyone! I've always been a silent lurker of this thread, seeing as I'm applying to Sheridan for animation, but I've decided to make an account now. So, hi!

This was the portfolio I sent in:http://estebanbravo.deviantart.com/gallery/42318922

Hello and good luck. It's strange that alot of lurkers are popping up now after the portfolio is done. why is that?

[BeenaMistry]

Hey Beena, I want to ask how Illustration is for you at Sheridan. How much does the tuition cost per year? Is it the same as animation? Do you know what the Sheridan Illustration alumni are doing right now?

According to the Sheridan website it's 9,058.60. Here's the breakdown of the fees:
Fall semester:
Financial Aid Fee Deferral 50.00 CAD
PS Alumni Charge 30.00 CAD
PS Health Charge 23.00 CAD
Adobe Licence Fees 132.89 CAD
BAA (Illustration) 3,785.00 CAD
PS Activity Charge 45.00 CAD
PS Graduation Charge 85.00 CAD
P.S. Transcript Charge 25.00 CAD
PS Acad -Career Centre 5.00 CAD
PS Admin-Peer Mentoring 7.50 CAD
IT General Technology Fee 105.00 CAD
BAA Illustration-Life Draw 25.00 CAD
PS Activity Charge-SSUI GEN 69.00 CAD
PS Admin- Athletic Build Cap 15.00 CAD
PS Acad-Student Cenrtre Build 35.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) - Learn Mat 20.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) Program Fee 143.67 CAD
PS Acad-Student Centre Capital 8.00 CAD
Stdnt Union Medical Health Pla 240.00 CAD
Winter semester:
PS Health Charge 23.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) 3,785.00 CAD
PS Activity Charge 45.00 CAD
PS Acad -Career Centre 5.00 CAD
PS Admin-Peer Mentoring 7.50 CAD
IT General Technology Fee 105.00 CAD
BAA Illustration-Life Draw 25.00 CAD
PS Activity Charge-SSUI GEN 69.00 CAD
PS Admin- Athletic Build Cap 15.00 CAD
PS Acad-Student Cenrtre Build 35.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) - Learn Mat 20.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) Program Fee 117.04 CAD
PS Acad-Student Centre Capital 8.00 CAD

I don't know much about the alumni, but here's the link to the most recent grads, you can do some googling from there. sheridanillustration.com/grads-2012
Edit: Oh, you should look at this video someone made of the 2011 grads I believe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-MGez4DTBU
and some 2012 Illustration grads started up a great podcast http://magentamanor.com/

What do you mean that we get more? From what I've checked, the animation, illustration, and fundies kids get extra life everyday?

Dunnstar: extra life is usually at its busiest before portfolios are due, so usually the week before reading weeks and the end of the semester. Other than those times it's normally not that packed. I've never been to the animation extra life before, and only a couple of times for the general one. But yeah

[Lycoris]

@Beena Yeah, that sounds absolutely hilarious. Didn't know there was drama for life spots. Sounds like its getting really crowded. =/

From what people have told me, the illustration kids and animation kids are kind of segregated, probably making the situation worse. How packed does it usually get?

@lyrics I can answer the tuition question. it's 100 dollars more than the animation tuition. 9.1k! you can just check the main site for that.




Hello and good luck. It's strange that alot of lurkers are popping up now after the portfolio is done. why is that?

It's not that packed. In the beginning and near around portfolio time for extra life it is. At least, that's what it was like for me. Some days it's packed, and other days, there's only about 3 people. It varies.

Ew, the tuition's going up. Seriously stahp!

lol the segregation. looks like we'll have different water fountains too.

you can join our convo lurkers, lol

According to the Sheridan website it's 9,058.60. Here's the breakdown of the fees:
Fall semester:
Financial Aid Fee Deferral 50.00 CAD
PS Alumni Charge 30.00 CAD
PS Health Charge 23.00 CAD
Adobe Licence Fees 132.89 CAD
BAA (Illustration) 3,785.00 CAD
PS Activity Charge 45.00 CAD
PS Graduation Charge 85.00 CAD
P.S. Transcript Charge 25.00 CAD
PS Acad -Career Centre 5.00 CAD
PS Admin-Peer Mentoring 7.50 CAD
IT General Technology Fee 105.00 CAD
BAA Illustration-Life Draw 25.00 CAD
PS Activity Charge-SSUI GEN 69.00 CAD
PS Admin- Athletic Build Cap 15.00 CAD
PS Acad-Student Cenrtre Build 35.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) - Learn Mat 20.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) Program Fee 143.67 CAD
PS Acad-Student Centre Capital 8.00 CAD
Stdnt Union Medical Health Pla 240.00 CAD
Winter semester:
PS Health Charge 23.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) 3,785.00 CAD
PS Activity Charge 45.00 CAD
PS Acad -Career Centre 5.00 CAD
PS Admin-Peer Mentoring 7.50 CAD
IT General Technology Fee 105.00 CAD
BAA Illustration-Life Draw 25.00 CAD
PS Activity Charge-SSUI GEN 69.00 CAD
PS Admin- Athletic Build Cap 15.00 CAD
PS Acad-Student Cenrtre Build 35.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) - Learn Mat 20.00 CAD
BAA (Illustration) Program Fee 117.04 CAD
PS Acad-Student Centre Capital 8.00 CAD

I don't know much about the alumni, but here's the link to the most recent grads, you can do some googling from there. sheridanillustration.com/grads-2012
Edit: Oh, you should look at this video someone made of the 2011 grads I believe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-MGez4DTBU
and some 2012 Illustration grads started up a great podcast http://magentamanor.com/

What do you mean that we get more? From what I've checked, the animation, illustration, and fundies kids get extra life everyday?

Dunnstar: extra life is usually at its busiest before portfolios are due, so usually the week before reading weeks and the end of the semester. Other than those times it's normally not that packed. I've never been to the animation extra life before, and only a couple of times for the general one. But yeah

ooh wow that's crazy.

thanks for the links.


i said illus kids get more because when i was there last year, only the illus kids got friday for extra life. the rest got mon-thurs. i could be wrong, but it was true from what i saw posted for extra life.

[Maffix]

I can't get L4D2 to run on my computer. It's not that old =\
Still trying though so hopefully I can play.

On another point I went to Capilano University's open house yesterday and now I'm really having trouble deciding which school to go to. Of course that's assuming I have the luxury of choice. Just pretending I did for a moment I can't decide. I was set for Sheridan but....

So while I haven't seen Sheridan's facilities I can't believe they'd be nicer than Capilanos. They just got the new Bosa Building which is very nice inside and the building itself is situated in a forest pretty much. It's definitely a beautiful campus. All the animation students (46 divided across 2 years) have large-ish desks basically littered with whatever the hell they want to tape onto them (yay boobies!). I'd think Sheridan would let students do that but I don't know for sure. Mini Starbucks is just an elevator ride below which is nice.

To the actual teaching side though. Definitively a better student teacher ratio. I took a summer intensive there and every class you saw the teacher one on one at least once but usually more. And you saw them draw. For teaching quality I can say that all the teachers are also in the industry except for the heads I guess. They are still very connected into Vancouver's animation industry and have special Capilano student only scholarships with a few studios (DHX is one). Curriculum is all based around teaching you to draw for animation and actually animating things. I think Sheridan teaches you to paint. I do want to paint and that was one of the selling points. You have a painting class in second year though. One final thing is that Sheridan has a bridging program into third year. If I wanted I could go through Cap and then into Sheridan. There are pros and cons to that too.

Sheridan on the other hand is... well it's Sheridan. I see the name all the time when looking at animation school related stuff. It has the reputation. It's pulling talent from all around the world. But is it a deserved reputation or is it something that's carried by talented students who would have been successful at basically any school coming to Sheridan because it has the "Best school from earth to pluto" rep? I mean is Sheridan making the talent or is the talent making Sheridan? One boon is that with so many good artists everybody is learning off of eachother. It's not too bad if all the teacher interaction you have is handing in your stuff if you have like 5 other close friends that are amazing and can help you out. Then again why am I paying for that? Cap is like $3000 btw.

So yea any input would be nice. Maybe I'll only get into one and spend 2-4 years wondering what it would be in the other. Or neither. Please not neither =<

[kamikazel33t]

@maffix if your computer can't run l4d2 on the lowest given graphics setting there is a way to lower it even further but they don't really seem to allow you to that through the normal settings http://mgftw.com/showthread.php/5867...-Left-4-Dead-2 check this link right here perhaps it could help.

About choosing schools, it seems both of them seem to have really strong programs and you probably know the saying that going to an art school it is still your own initiative to teach yourself and that art is all about practice. Generally if you put in the hard work and effort you'll be successful in either program. I think sheridan's animation's program is quite successful probably because its been around for a long time like Calarts so it has gained the reputation over time. It is also a very intense program that actually challenges students to overcome obstacles which may face them in the path of learning art rather than to avoid em. It also has a lot of ties to the industry promoting good career opportunities to the students who give it all they've got. Right now though I feel that there is a lot of school politics going on which led to a lot of wrong turns and decisions with how the animation program should be handled that led to a loss of good teachers as well as things which might endanger the future of the program, I guess this has all to do with Sheridan not being an art school but instead a college.

[Dunnstar]

I can't get L4D2 to run on my computer. It's not that old =\
Still trying though so hopefully I can play.

On another point I went to Capilano University's open house yesterday and now I'm really having trouble deciding which school to go to. Of course that's assuming I have the luxury of choice. Just pretending I did for a moment I can't decide. I was set for Sheridan but....

So while I haven't seen Sheridan's facilities I can't believe they'd be nicer than Capilanos. They just got the new Bosa Building which is very nice inside and the building itself is situated in a forest pretty much. It's definitely a beautiful campus. All the animation students (46 divided across 2 years) have large-ish desks basically littered with whatever the hell they want to tape onto them (yay boobies!). I'd think Sheridan would let students do that but I don't know for sure. Mini Starbucks is just an elevator ride below which is nice.

To the actual teaching side though. Definitively a better student teacher ratio. I took a summer intensive there and every class you saw the teacher one on one at least once but usually more. And you saw them draw. For teaching quality I can say that all the teachers are also in the industry except for the heads I guess. They are still very connected into Vancouver's animation industry and have special Capilano student only scholarships with a few studios (DHX is one). Curriculum is all based around teaching you to draw for animation and actually animating things. I think Sheridan teaches you to paint. I do want to paint and that was one of the selling points. You have a painting class in second year though. One final thing is that Sheridan has a bridging program into third year. If I wanted I could go through Cap and then into Sheridan. There are pros and cons to that too.

Sheridan on the other hand is... well it's Sheridan. I see the name all the time when looking at animation school related stuff. It has the reputation. It's pulling talent from all around the world. But is it a deserved reputation or is it something that's carried by talented students who would have been successful at basically any school coming to Sheridan because it has the "Best school from earth to pluto" rep? I mean is Sheridan making the talent or is the talent making Sheridan? One boon is that with so many good artists everybody is learning off of eachother. It's not too bad if all the teacher interaction you have is handing in your stuff if you have like 5 other close friends that are amazing and can help you out. Then again why am I paying for that? Cap is like $3000 btw.

So yea any input would be nice. Maybe I'll only get into one and spend 2-4 years wondering what it would be in the other. Or neither. Please not neither =<

I have the same dilemma with Seneca. cheaper, closer, better teacher to student ratio... but the last thing you want to do is ask 'what if' for 2 years. So choose the one that has the least amount of 'what if's'. The sensible choice does seem Capilano and I think that's clear.

but Reputation has surprisingly amount of pull. (which is why we are both considering it) Get the rep for being an early riser and you can sleep in till noon. Honestly, just by preparing for Sheridan, I've met alot of dedicated artists and i know thats just a byproduct of the reputation. I can't say if that's worth 6k or not.

[CrimsonRook51]

So while I haven't seen Sheridan's facilities I can't believe they'd be nicer than Capilanos. They just got the new Bosa Building which is very nice inside and the building itself is situated in a forest pretty much. It's definitely a beautiful campus. All the animation students (46 divided across 2 years) have large-ish desks basically littered with whatever the hell they want to tape onto them (yay boobies!). I'd think Sheridan would let students do that but I don't know for sure. Mini Starbucks is just an elevator ride below which is nice.

Just like any school, you will get whatever you put into it. You honestly could go to any school (or none at all), and come out a top animator if you had the determination. But that doesn't mean that all are equal. I strongly feel that the more effort you put into Sheridan, the more you'll receive than compared to many many other schools.

-With all this talk about class sizes becoming bigger, i think it is being blown a little out of proportion. You can always go to see the teacher during office hours, which is definitely encouraged since the teacher will see the extra effort you are putting in. And because of the community, you have hundreds of Animation, Illustration, VCA and ArtFundies students to collaborate with, critique each others work, and just soak in the atmosphere of being surrounded by dedicated artists.

-There is Extra life classes almost every day of the week, so you have access to a model (clothed and nude) more often than many other schools.

-Cintiq computer lab.... nuff said...

-Class trips too! In first semester you go to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and draw all of the farm animals. I'm not sure for what year this was for, but they even bring a horse on campus for the students to draw as well.

All it takes is one walk down the Animation / Illustration wings where they have student artwork up, to know that Sheridan is great place to be .

[estebito]

Hello and good luck. It's strange that alot of lurkers are popping up now after the portfolio is done. why is that?

I was going to post before, but I hardly had any time. I started working on the portfolio a week and a half before I had to mail it in haha.

[BeenaMistry]

Just like any school, you will get whatever you put into it. You honestly could go to any school (or none at all), and come out a top animator if you had the determination. But that doesn't mean that all are equal. I strongly feel that the more effort you put into Sheridan, the more you'll receive than compared to many many other schools.

-With all this talk about class sizes becoming bigger, i think it is being blown a little out of proportion. You can always go to see the teacher during office hours, which is definitely encouraged since the teacher will see the extra effort you are putting in. And because of the community, you have hundreds of Animation, Illustration, VCA and ArtFundies students to collaborate with, critique each others work, and just soak in the atmosphere of being surrounded by dedicated artists.

-There is Extra life classes almost every day of the week, so you have access to a model (clothed and nude) more often than many other schools.

-Cintiq computer lab.... nuff said...

-Class trips too! In first semester you go to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, and draw all of the farm animals. I'm not sure for what year this was for, but they even bring a horse on campus for the students to draw as well.

All it takes is one walk down the Animation / Illustration wings where they have student artwork up, to know that Sheridan is great place to be .

UUh, just out of curiosity, do you go to Sheridan? 'cause you're getting a lot of this wrong.
It's not getting blown out of proportion. There is an actual space issue which I have witnessed myself. We're all very territorial of the lack of space we have. And as nice as it is to have all the cool art kids hanging out, it doesn't really happen that much. Yeah there's a mix sometimes, but when you're with your classmates in your individual programmes, you're such a tight knit community. And when you don't share classes with other people (which isn't often), chances are not much mixing going on. Animation and Illustration kids will sometimes share electives, but from what I've experienced, not a lot of mixing goes on.
I'm not saying Sheridan is a bad school, but increasing the class sizes will soon make it so! I don't want the school to be like OCAD where they have more people than they can handle.

[CrimsonRook51]

UUh, just out of curiosity, do you go to Sheridan? 'cause you're getting a lot of this wrong.
It's not getting blown out of proportion. There is an actual space issue which I have witnessed myself. We're all very territorial of the lack of space we have. And as nice as it is to have all the cool art kids hanging out, it doesn't really happen that much. Yeah there's a mix sometimes, but when you're with your classmates in your individual programmes, you're such a tight knit community. And when you don't share classes with other people (which isn't often), chances are not much mixing going on. Animation and Illustration kids will sometimes share electives, but from what I've experienced, not a lot of mixing goes on.
I'm not saying Sheridan is a bad school, but increasing the class sizes will soon make it so! I don't want the school to be like OCAD where they have more people than they can handle.

Well everyone will have their own experiences obviously, but yes I used to go to Sheridan. I graduated from VCA year 2, and took a year off to save up money. And from friends that I had in the program, they introduced me to some Illustration students. I've chatted with other students in the different Extra Life classes I went to as well. And now I have a few friends in Animation 1st year who were from my VCA class, and a friend in Illustration 1st year from when I was in Art Fundies. I mean obviously I agree with you that not EVERYONE is going to become friends with everyone. But so far in my experience people seem genuinely friendly to each other, and help each other out, especially during portfolio times when the VCA and Art Fundies kids are looking for critiques from the Animation and Illustration students.

EDIT: As for the space issue, I guess I shouldnt have commented on it, since I havent experienced it first hand. How many students are typically in each class?

[BeenaMistry]

Well everyone will have their own experiences obviously, but yes I used to go to Sheridan. I graduated from VCA year 2, and took a year off to save up money. And from friends that I had in the program, they introduced me to some Illustration students. I've chatted with other students in the different Extra Life classes I went to as well. And now I have a few friends in Animation 1st year who were from my VCA class, and a friend in Illustration 1st year from when I was in Art Fundies. I mean obviously I agree with you that not EVERYONE is going to become friends with everyone. But so far in my experience people seem genuinely friendly to each other, and help each other out, especially during portfolio times when the VCA and Art Fundies kids are looking for critiques from the Animation and Illustration students.

EDIT: As for the space issue, I guess I shouldnt have commented on it, since I havent experienced it first hand. How many students are typically in each class?

I'm not sure about Animation, but first year Illustration kids have about 20 - 30 kids per class (there's four classes in total, 105 students)

[CrimsonRook51]

Now that I think about it, my VCA painting class didn't even have 30 kids in it, but man, if you didnt get to class early, you would be SOL and have to set up your easel in a corner barely being able to see the model. Cant imagine them trying to fit in an extra 5 students, into an already crowded classroom if you're saying that its already gotten to that point, so yeah it must be frustrating as hell.

[Dunnstar]

hey guys, just thought I should share Scott's post on the student size issue and why he quit. Honestly reading his blog, he sounded fantastic. Is he still teaching?

I love teaching.

By now some of you who follow this blog, and are students out at Sheridan, will know that I am not teaching this year.

I think I owe you guys a bit of an explanation.

The main reason is just that I got another, full time job and its just plain financial sense to go with the bucks.

But I also became frustrated with some of the craziness going on out at the college.

The teaching isn't bad, really, dollarwise, the hourly rate is pretty good.
And where else can you just stand and spout about what you love and they pay you?
But the thing that happens is that the 10 hours I get paid for turns into 20 hours , sometimes 30 if there is an assignment to be marked, and thats just not good business.
As I have made plain in the years I was there, a large part of your education is becoming a professional and getting used to doing stuff like the pros. That means, no work for free. Not even your mother!
We all do it - all the pieces done for good causes - fundraisers, friends, galleries - but as a pro you should be compensated in some way for what you do - it is your intellectual property!
We don't call it mercenary - just smart.
So, sorry, Sheridan, enough free time.

It is also a boycott. I am not in favour of the recent hike in admissions up to 150.
The college is watering down the brand.
As it is, too many are admitted that are in truth just not ready, that trend will be reinforced with even more numbers.
I'm sorry, there are too many of you. You should not all be there, you should be given a heart to heart talk, then go and do the work necessary to be properly prepared for first year.
Besides, it is killing the faculty.
We can't deal with the numbers as it is; we are not able to spend enough time with each student for them to to be able to understand what we are saying, to learn what they need know. More, to practice it enough to get better at it. Animation is a master /apprentice craft and to teach it properly there must be teacher /student interaction. Too many of them are left to slip off the edge of the raft and disappear into the frigid night of frustration and disappointment.
So, I refuse to spread myself that thin.

Part of it is your fault. There were too many absences, too many assignments not handed in or worse, dashed off at the last minute and handed in, expecting a mark. There is too much of a climate of entitlement. I didn't go through the last 30 years working for George Lucas and Disney and Bluth and Brad Bird - and believe me, working for those guys wasn't a piece of cake - and reach the level I have in the industry, just to get dissed by a bunch of students. If I had me as a teacher, i wouldn't miss a class. I put a lot of work into presenting the material and expect the same in return. You gotta be there and I mean all there. After all, It's your time and money, you shouldn't waste it - as i said in class, at least let me know if you aren't going to show - again , be a pro!

So, theres some of it anyway. There is more, but that's enough for now.

I t's not that I don't like teaching, but from now on, it has to be on my terms.
I will miss you, when it worked, it was the best.

If any of this sounds unfair, let me know - I am more than happy to discuss it...

But I do love teaching.

http://threefingersholdthepen.blogsp...this-year.html
original post there!

[Lycoris]

I agree with what Scott said.

I don't want Sheridan to become a university, although that's already in its plans. That might also indicate why the prices are going up so crazy.


I like Sheridan. I liked going there when I was a fundies kid, and even if some other university have some nicer campus than Sheridan's, and believe me, it's not that nice compared to some other fancy schools out there, and even though the other Sheridan based in Mississauga was a lot nicer building than the Oakville one, I still found it very pleasant and peaceful.

I don't want another Dean or President or whoever taking 'charge' around the school turn it into OCADU, where the tuition spikes up but the quality of their education goes down the dumps. In other words, don't turn it into a big corporate dump.


I have to also say that Sheridan is not only a school, but a giant business as well. There are three Sheridans spread out through Southern Ontario. And I think they might have plans to build more buildings, which means they might rack up more dollars from students with lots of naive, raw passion and energy in the future if they keep the attitude up and up.


The crazy thing about all this is that about at least fifteen years ago or so, tuition for Animation or any other major was waaaay lower than what we have now.