Choosing a Recording School, Really Need Help !

[dimefreak]

I'm trying to choose a recording school to go to in the next few months but I live in India so I have nothing much to go by except for the websites of the schools. I want to go to a good school with great equipment, faculty, internship and placements. Cost is not really the factor, cause I can try for financial aid (I'm a U.S. citizen). I was really impressed with Fullsail, Ex'pression for New Media, Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences, and Los Angeles Recording Workshop. I know that the length of the course in the first 2 is about double the length of the course in the second 2. Does this extra training in the first 2 make a lot of difference ? Is anyone here a graduate or a student of any of these schools or any other good schools ? I really need suggestions and help because no one here knows anything about recording schools. Thank you so much.

[Todd_the_Tech]

Check out http://www.mtsu.edu/~record/ great school, great town, great gear, great teachers, great education...

[tubejay]

I posted a reply to this in the control room regarding Full Sail.

[shaneperc]

Dimefreak,
I don't know anything about the other schools, but in regards to the first school you've listed, I can tell you a few things. I know that the general consensus about this school is not always good (some would put it in more direct terms), but I've been inside the school, know a few of the instructors (I'm NOT a student there), and I don't think it's entirely the fault of the school. Not directly anyways. (tubejay, feel free to chime in on any of this)
Not everyone (maybe not even a majority) that goes to this school is there to learn the fine art of engineering (or graphic arts, or whatever). From chatting with different people associated with the school, I know that a large number of students are there because it's a cool alternative to going to a real college/university, while still ending up with a real degree. Needless to say, a large number of these type students do no more than whatever it takes just to get by academically. I've sat in on a few of the labs there. I know what the tests are like, and I've heard about how students do on these tests. Let me say that I'm totally bewildered by how much some of these students don't know! Even after months of a particular class, the level of understanding for some students is amazingly low.
The problem with the school stems from these students leaving school, paper in hand, to go get a real job at a real studio, and don't know up from down. (I've heard some stories about interns that would completely shock anyone who knows anything about recording). These are the people who are out there completely trashing the reputation of the school. The reason that this is also partly the fault of the school is that the instructors are "encouraged" to give everyone passing grades, unless they a) are too stoned to remember their names; or b) urinate on the SSL during testing.
This is just a shame, especially since there are graduates of this school out there (like tubejay:)) that know exactly what they are doing! (There was a time when this school was much stricter, and turned out quality students on a consistent basis.)
After all I've said, I still think that you CAN get a wonderful education here. You must be self-driven, though (which you must be, if you're taking time to participate here). Many of the instructors are very talented, and they spend a ton of cash on the most advanced gear you'll ever want to work with. And that's all I have to say about that.

(Cliff Note version of this post available in Nov. :))

[tubejay]

That's most definately true. You can get by, and get through Full Sail without knowing too much. People can easily cheat, but those people also readily fail when they get out into the real world. However, you can get a very good education if you're really dedicated. If you're not, and you're there to party, then you'll have no future in the recording business. I think that's pretty much true of most schools though. There are always people who cheat their way school. Those are the same people who generally fail when they get into the real world.

[TwoZ]

It's all about the money, fellas. It's too bad, but that's how it is. The more students they get through the program, the more cash in hand. 30,000 a pop is pretty nice. They do not want students to fail because then they retake the classes for free. Some of the classes are challenging but seems like most people can get by if they need to. I just graduated from Full Sail with honors (course directors award and attendance), 97.1gpa, and digicertification. I worked my butt off, but I really feel that I have received a great education. The class sizes have tripled since I began in feb of 02. The tuition has increased from what I paid (27,500) to over 30,000. The instructors are very knowledgable and usually wanted to help any way they could (only had one instance of a teacher too busy) ... I had a tremendous experience at Full Sail.

"know that a large number of students are there because it's a cool alternative to going to a real college/university," ..... That is precisely why I choose the school. I went to the University of Michigan for two years, but realized that it was not the place for me. I was fine academically, but would get angry and small things and just couldn't stand going there! I didn't want to do THAT for the rest of my life. That's when I started looking at what I enjoyed for an alternative. Playing and recording guitar. Hmmmmm ... Full Sail!!! ... it seemed like the most rational choice .. and well, it absolutely was. Turns out it's been the only school for me.

1-800-CAN-ROCK!!

btw- Tubejay - Did you graduate from FS? If so, what're you doing now? I'm about to embark on a new journey .. one that is long and fantastic ... :) .. hehe .. actually, just moving out to Cali to work. :)

-TwoZ

[AdemT]

SAE is definantly a good optiion
Its pretty intense, and I have a fair amount of Audio Knowledge already when I started.
the one thing that really got me at first was the Frequency analysis tests.

SAE has high standards too, you have to achieve and average above 80% in all practical and written assessments to pass the course.

[TASCAM Jace]

Personally I graduated from The Conservatory of Arts and Sciences in '98. I went in with quite a bit of experience. I wanted to fill in any gaps I had and take my knowledge to the next level. I was perfectly happy with the outcome. The staff is top notch and the school has better gear and more studios then ever now. I still try to keep in contact with them.
You get a LOT of hands on training there. People are working on projects every night and are usually open to having some help. The more time you put in on projects like this the more you'll learn and the more people you'll meet. This industry is ALL about who you know. I've been very lucky in the fact that I know a lot of well respected people. This has opened a lot of doors for me. But once you get your foot in the door you've got to back it up with real skills. The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences can help you with those skills, but you have to work hard and take advantage of oppurtunities as they come to you.
One recomendation: Go in the Winter! I started in April and by June the average over night low temperature was 102 degrees!!! Thank God for air conditioning!
Best of luck,
Jace Nuzback
TASCAM

[jensen]

HI

You should really heck out SAE. See sae.edu for information.

I took the audioengineering diploma course. It was o great. I had quit alot of knowledge before I atendet the course, but evevn If I havent had it you would have problems following the course.

You can find the school all around the world, and it is a good diploma to show when you are looking for a job.

Good luck