University of Silicon Valley — Attraction in San Jose

I want to make this clear, I enjoyed the time I had at the college. I gain knowledge of 3D modeling and got me into the proper lane of success artistically for 3D modeling (Love ya Monica Cappiello, you were awesome!) But, they're sudden changes in this year that left me flabbergasted and upset. Please have a open mind about reading this review. I was once a student at the college.

2015, I had fun! I did great and I really took time to know my surroundings, the new campus at the time and met some really awesome friends. I learned a bunch of 3D modeling and my passion awaken, making me feel so determine to keep going and to learn more ways on how to model anything. Learning the tools I need as well as getting professional feedback from the professors as well.

Then, 2018 rolls in. Tours, Tours and MORE tours. Rose up the tuition, had a huge leak in the college from the water heater and decided to do an Art show while the building was still in construction.

Oh, there's more. They pushed back my graduation because I didn't want to take Modeling 2. The class was a huge joke, and also a scam too because it wasn't anything like my Modeling 1 class, but it was all about tools that were for ONE model only and it was a stupid car. No characters, no environments, no lessons on shaders, no texture techniques, nothing. Just a car and maybe work in Unreal Engine. I didn't go to school to just have my progress halted by some professor who decided that his class was just one big "here's tools and uh, we're modeling a car so that's what y'all." How dumb and embarrassing, I'm paying to learn not to be in a joke class.

Teachers now these days are making certain classes have these outlandish and YET ridiculous times such as 7pm to 9pm for a night-time class. And most who don't live in housing can't commute to that perfectly well. They're planning to move to different campuses within a year so newer students won't be used to the San Jose Building, pretty typical. Where's the acceptance rates, Cogswell? It was 53 to 63 to --? Really? Hiding it now because you have 10+ students leaving and it's messing up the rates? No kidding. And the parking is a nightmare.

I wouldn't suggest this school in a heart beat, even the touring will be stressful to get to, where would you park? Anyways, this college has gone down pretty badly and I would keep supporting it if they would of fixed these issues such as the crowding issue. But I know they won't fix any of this. They won't listen to students like us, they wouldn't care if anyone becomes homeless after the money they owe back to the school and the jobs they won't be able to even find.

PLEASE, consider talking to previous students like me who went to this school. I was a DAA student who wanted to do 3D modeling, I'm planning to do it solo and for commission work online until I manage to build my own portfolio up and find a job myself. Don't take this college unless you ask questions, I wish I asked more questions but hence, I was naive in 2015. Don't make the same...

The way I feel about USV, it is what you make it. The school requires you to advocate for yourself and take advantage of the things they offer. I can't speak for the other majors but when it came to Game Writing I was given exactly what I would need to be a narrative designer in the industry. When switching over to the industry other than getting used to the proprietary engine and just the flow of working with people, it felt no different than how I felt in my writing courses.

I will say there's a handful of teachers that really made staff that made this school be exactly what I needed. Professor Skolnick, Carlous, Jason, Phil, all made my time in USV the perfect training ground for me.

Why I didn't give the school a perfect score it's mainly cause I have minor gripes with the school that wasn't really in control of these individuals. From the tech just needing to be more modern to certain classes just me desiring more from it. Specifically the Game Design courses, though while I was there they were slowly progressing the course and it was definitely trending better. If you love a small school, with some great teachers and great staff that will push you as far as you desire, this is the school for you. But you have to be prepared to put your own work in.

Also as those mentioned the price is really out of this world. And for some that is a very...

Cogswell has definitely been a journey. Right from the first few steps into Cogswell I felt this was a good fit for the kind of experience I wanted to have in my college career. The students are welcoming and dance to their own beat. As an LGBT student, I feel this is also a safe environment. The staff is welcoming and, unlike other schools, they REMEMBER you! They check up on you and ask how your art is doing. It's a nice feeling, Cogswell is definitely a friendly community. Everyone helps each other out in someway, everyone listens to one another when a problem arises. I've had only good experiences. The classes have helped me grow in my studies, and I definitely have retained everything I've learned from figure drawing to Python. This is more than a school to me; it is where you can meet life-long friends, make good connections and have a second home! Cogswell is a great school and I encourage anyone to visit the campus to see if it is a right fit for them! You will not be...