Being a Freshman in college, you’re bound to make a lot of mistakes. When going to Full Sail University, those mistakes are going to be just a little bit different than the one’s you’d make at a normal college. Here are twenty of them.
A typical week at Full Sail University entails having one class every other day during the school week, and another class taking up the rest of the slots. Most students see there schedules once it’s revealed the week before, and they memorize it then and there, or at the very least write it down. However, once in a blue moon, they will show up at the location for Wednesday’s class when it’s in fact Tuesday. I myself was late to such a class, thinking it would happen tomorrow. Thankfully, I had a friend text me, asking where I was. (Helpful tip: You’ll often have class with the same people in your degree program. Trade numbers, so you can keep tabs with each other.)
For the first few weeks, the layout of the buildings at Full Sail University can disorient those who are unfamiliar with them. Odds are you’ll find the right numbered classroom, but be in building 1 as opposed to building two. Or maybe you’ll be in the right building, but you’ll have forgotten the correct classroom number. It happens to students all the time in the beginning months, but over time, they do begin to memorize the layout of the school.
When some students go on vacation from Full Sail University, they often travel to locales out of state. And while Spring Break and Christmas are times meant to unwind, some students do have leftover homework assignments. And when they submit the assignments online, most students forget to take the change of time zones into account, often resulting in assignments being unable to be turned in. I experienced that myself on two separate occasions. While I was lucky enough to convince my teachers to accept them through email, they were counted late and point were deducted from the assignments.
Full Sail University lies at the corner of an extremely busy intersection. At certain hours of the day, students can expect extremely heavy traffic trying to get to the school’s parking lot. I myself lived in an apartment that was only ten minutes from the university, but around 1 o’clock, it would sometimes take me twice or even three times as long to get there because of traffic. As result, there have a been a few times where I cut it extremely close getting to class on time. (Helpful tip: Before you start attending classes proper, see how long it takes to get from where you live to the school, and then add an extra twenty minutes for good measure. That should be plenty of time for you to get to class.)
Some homework assignments that you’ll get at Full Sail University will seem like simple ones. You read the instructions on the class page and think to yourself, ‘I know exactly how long this will take.’ Nope. Assignments from Full Sail University have a way of stretching themselves out longer than you thought would be possible. Odds are, at least once, you’re going to submit an assignment where you could have done a lot more. So, the moment you get assignment? Work on it for at least an hour the day of. so you can get a feel for it.
Apartment hunting around Full Sail is University often times a difficult endeavor. Thankfully, Full Sail University has a system for students that allows them to be paired with other students looking for roommates. Some students to capitalize on this system, thinking they can find an apartment on their own. some choose an apartment that’s too far away, others choose one where they could have gotten it cheaper somewhere else, and others get an apartment that’s just in the wrong neighborhood. I cannot stress enough that, as a student new to Full Sail University, you NEED to see the list they have of apartment complexes that they have on hand. It will help a bunch.
Full Sail University advisors are a big help for sorting out career goals, as well as issues you have with the school. When you meet with them, you can get a better idea how to move forward in your chosen area of the entertainment industry. You can also sort out scheduling concerns, as well as get a better understanding of graduation, and even change your career program, if you have a mind to do so. The issue is that some students never, ever meet with their advisors. I made it a point to meet with my advisor at the very least once a month, and so should future students.
Some students get it into their heads to make each assignment that comes their way as perfect as possible. This is a mistake, as it take up valuable time away from other assignments. While it is important to always strive to do your best, some assignments, you can afford to do a little less than your absolute best. Perhaps, 90%. The point is, don’t get tunnel vision on an assignment that isn’t worth it.
Sometimes, when a student receives an assignment, said student gets puzzled by the rather simple instructions give. Sometimes he thinks there’s some hidden meaning to the instructions, and convinces himself to go the extra mile when he really doesn’t need to. For future students, remember, some assignments are as simple as they appear to be.
Some students will have large amounts of free time on their hands due to scheduling. While they may think this is the perfect time to binge-watch Netflix, students should strive to be a part as many independent projects as possible. Not only are they a good chance to develop skills, experience, and contacts, they serve as a great opportunity to prepare for the future.
You’ll make a lot of friends and acquaintances at Full Sail. Odds are, though, with differing class schedules, there will be some students you’ll only see for a month or two, if not a few weeks. Every tie you meet someone new, and you think you can work with them, you should save their contact info. Connect on Twitter, Facebook, even just text each other once. You’ll never know if that kid you met in Project and Portfolio will turn out to be the next Spielberg.
One of the benefits of going to Full Sail is that you get to make an account with the online skill teaching company Lynda. Some students do the required assignments with the site and then completely forget about it. This is a HUGE mistake. Lynda has tons of video lessons where students can learn and increase their repertoire of skills. I still use the site, and I’ve graduated from Full Sail. What future students should do once they have Lynda is learn a lesson once a week, it not, once a month, so they can add skills to their resumes.
Studying at Full Sail, you’re going to have quite a few late night. Some nights, you might even need to skip dinner. A part of you is going to demand you put something in your belly before you go to sleep. Ignore that part of you. I had Stake N’ Shake burgers right before I went to bed, and that only made me fatter. Having a meal at a normal time allows the body to turn that food into energy, but right before bed? The body doesn’t break the food down as much.
Considering some of the hours you have to keep, working on film shoots or burning the midnight oil to finish some homework assignments, students are liable to throw there sleeping schedules out of whack. I can’t stress enough how important it is to avoid this as much as possible. The habits you form in college can an impact on you for the rest of your life. So, keep a stable sleep schedule, for your own sake.
It is tempting to purchase fast food when you have a busy schedule attending Full Sail, especially since there’s a McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell and Firehouse Subs within walking distance of class. And while one or two meals on the weekend is okay, I highly recommend that each student learns how to cook a few good meals in the kitchen, whether it’s simple chicken and corn or breakfast sandwiches.
This is an extremely important one. Having a large amount of freedom given to them for the first time, some students have a tendency to spend more cash than they should, especially within the first few months. Before even going off to college, let alone Full Sail, students should try to come up with a monthly budget and stick too it, for their own good. Otherwise, you’ll end up eating nothing but peanut butter sandwiches for weeks on end.
One of the package benefits of paying tuition at Full Sail is that you get a MacBook Laptop loaded with Adobe Cloud programs. Some students use these programs for assignments and side projects, but that’s a small number. More students should use the spare time they have to familiarize themselves with these programs, and like the Lynda lessons mentioned above, add them to their resumes.
Another issue that concerns the MacBook is that some students often misplace their charger, or take improper care of it. I’ve known quite a few students who’ve had to ask others to borrow their chargers while they save up enough cash to buy a new one. And make no mistake, those MacBook chargers can be expensive.
Full Sail’s library has an extensive catalogue of DVD’s, video games, books, and comics that any student can check out. While it’s nice to watch the entire first season of Scrubs, the return dates have a habit of creeping up on you and passing by. While the late fee’s are small, odds are, once or twice you’ll end up paying the library an extra dollar. You could ask for an extension, but that’s only liable to work twice.
Since Full Sail is geared to the entertainment industry, most students focus on the assignments, filling out their resumes, and trying to get onto as many projects as possible. (Or at least, they should.) What they don’t consider is keeping their body in shape. Between classes, homework, side projects, and all manner of other things, some students think they can afford not to exercise. This is a mistake. Keeping your body in shape is an essential thing, whether attending Full Sail or another college. They don’t call sudden weight gain in a student’s freshman year ‘The Freshman 15’ for nothing.
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