Why Am I Attending Full Sail University?

Why am I here? By that I mean, why am I attending Full Sail University? Some assume that it's "just to get out of the cold." Some argue "#YOLO." It's simple, but it's not necessarily the reason why I'm here. Although the weather is beautiful down here (compared to where I'm from at least), and yes, #YOLO, these are not the reasons why I am attending Full Sail. 

Before I go any further, I'm going to state the obvious: yes, Full Sail is quite expensive. The campus-based Bachelor of Science Music Production degree program (the one I'm enrolled in) is a total of $75,000. After I graduate from the bachelor's program I plan on enrolling into the Master's in Entertainment Business which is roughly $30,000. I, and both of parents knew that Full Sail was expensive. I am very lucky to have supporting parents that would support me in whichever college I decided to go to, so even though the price was a factor, it wasn't. If that makes sense. So, the education that I am hoping to pursue completely and successfully is going to cost me roughly $105,000. Now you're probably thinking, "That's way too expensive, and I'll never be able to go there. Why would you attend an institution that costs so much when you can go to another institution and get a similar degree for 1/4 of that price?" To be honest, I don't have an exact answer for that particular question. Think of it like this: Wal-Mart or Target? They both deliver the same products at either identical or different prices. We've all heard this before: "Just get it at Wal-Mart because it's cheaper there." "Wal-Mart's service is horrible; go to Target." It's really all just a personal preference. I've dreamed of attending Full Sail for many, many years, so why not make it a reality? YOLO, right?! 

Now that we know Full Sail is expensive we can move on to the more important topics--the topics that are more important than the price, in my opinion. Let's start by giving you a scenario: Say your favorite artist/band comes to a town near you and you attend, but during the concert you just sit in the corner and sip on your drink the entire time. All by yourself. Are you going to have any fun? Now, some people aren't into big crowds (kinda like me), so you may have fun just sitting there all night, but let's go to assume that's not like you. So, you're sitting there, having a drink while watching the concert. You're not going to have nearly as much fun, are you? Now let's say you attend this concert with a whole new perspective. You go with some friends, dance the night away, run around, meet some new people here and there, and just have the time of your life. You soak every single moment of that concert and you know that that night is going to be hard to top. 

This same exact scenario goes for attending Full Sail: If you go into not willing to work hard and meet new people, you will struggle throughout. Full Sail (like anything else) is all of what you make of it. Don't just sit there and be a bump on the log. Get involved with the various activities, make the most of your assignments and group projects, and network with students from various degree programs. If you work hard, you will succeed. I have put tens if not hundreds of hours into my classes and homework assignments, and let me tell you that I did do very well on them because of that. 

That brings me to my next topic: Homework. I see a lot of people complaining on various blogs and posts about Full Sail that the work is tough and time consuming. I can honestly say that I do agree with some of them. In fact, a handful of negative comments, reviews, and or posts you read about Full Sail are from dropouts. They couldn't handle the work so they had to leave. Now, there are a few graduates who do have some things to say and if they're not being ridiculous about their response you may want to take it into consideration because it's always good to have the pros and cons of things, especially for an education and paying a hefty price for it. For example, a review that says: "Full Sail sucks. Don't attend." might not be a reliable review. Why shouldn't you attend? A review like this, however, is different, "I graduated from Full Sail a year ago with a bachelor's degree in show production. These are the things I struggled with before, during, and after graduating." Although I don't complain about the work because I knew before I even graduated high school that the work was going to be intense. If you're working on a campus degree, plan to spend about 35-40 hours a week in class and then 20-25+ hours more on homework each week. This could be an understatement or it could be an overstatement. This really depends on the class and the instructor. Also, Full Sail has a 24-hour campus, so this means that you might have a class at 11PM at night! Joy, right?! If you jump into the coursework and classes and expect it to be like the community college you're transferring from, think again. Treat Full Sail like it's your job and be prepared to toss your social life and any last drop of free time you may have out the window. 

If you're going to college to party every weekend, don't even bother Full Sail. This is a school that is meant to be taken very seriously. Just like the industry itself. Partying instead of focusing on schoolwork will result in a rough time and possibly cause you to fail. 

This wasn't necessarily the content I had in mind for this post, but I hope that this post has helped you with a question or concern you may have anyways, and if not, please leave me a comment and I'll do my best to clarify for you. 

Best of luck! 


Lennon
Student
Bachelor of Science, Music Production 
About Unknown

Yes, I'm named after John Lennon. I'm currently attending Full Sail University to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Music Production. "Position yourself as the only logical choice." -Demo Castellon

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