Making the Most of it Your first three months at Full Sail will be spent in General Education. This is a great opportunity to get to know your classmates prior to entering the competitive courses in your degree program. Once your degree program courses begin, groups will start to form, and you'll be able to see not only the dynamics of your class, but you'll likely get a strong sense of the players. You'll be with this group until you graduate, so it's best to be friends with as much of your class as possible. Something I often hear from students planning on attending, is how they're going to write and direct their class films. First off, the only student film with a fixed Director is your 35mm film(s). Your 16mm film(s) will feature a Director rotation, where any student who wishes to direct, may. Secondly, this is absolutely not the way to go about getting there. Think of it on the terms of the popular TV show, Survivor. Along the way, your peers and instructors continuously observe your performance. You need to be on the ball and professional your entire time to 'win' the top spots. I address this goal in the FAQ at the end of this article. Eat, Drink, & Sleep Full Sail There are a few students who managed to hold a job while attending FS, but most ruin their experience and obtain their new found debt for nothing. I can't stress enough how important it is to focus on school. When you aren't at school, working on school projects, or busy in the field of your degree program, you're wasting time, and time is money (or in this case, loans). Try to minimize your time spent in front of the TV or computer and time you spend with friends and family (specifically, friends who don't share your focus and significant others who may want you around more than you are able. Remember, if it's meant to be, it'll survive... if you succeed in your industry, you'll have even less time available for them!). If you have extra time, see about putting together projects with your peers. Many of them will have DV equipment and would love to put it to use. This is an especially good idea because of how important it is to come out of Full Sail with a reel. Now's the time to put together footage for that reel, which will only help you get a job after graduation. This is true for every degree program. Volunteer to be a tour guide, help out with the monthly "Behind the Scenes" show, see if productions ahead and behind you could use any extra help, etc. I shouldn't have to say it; interact with the instructors during lectures and labs, engage them as much as you want them to engage you. Another great thing to do is to find an internship. These aren't plentiful in Orlando, but they do exist. While attending, I had an internship at a local camera rental house, FTC Orlando, which specialized in Steadicam. I had a great time and volunteered from time to time. I only wish they could have used my help more often. I loved volunteering my time there, and I learned a lot. There are issues with time conflicts, like with a job, but you can usually juggle it a bit better with an internship. Proceed to 'Survival After Graduation' This article is broken up into four pages: - Deciding to Attend - Making the Most of it - Survival After Graduation - The Next Step - Networking - Frequently Asked Questions