The droprate is actually pretty low. I know of only 1-5 dropouts per class and many of those left early to get jobs in the industry. They didn't just fail out.
No its not afilliated with EA. I believe the one in Southern California is however.
The Guildhall is owned and run by SMU and has a panel of "Guildmasters" made up local industry developers in the Dallas area that serve as consultants for curriculum and advisors to the faculty and staff. Also, every faculty member has some sort of industry experience.
Sorry to disappoint, but those splash screens are here to stay. The time during which those screens are shown is used to pre-load the game into memory. Without them, you would just be seeing a black screen until the game finishes loading.
I can try and field a reply. I too was in the first class of the Guildhall graduating in December 2004. I was in the software track and I am currently contracting with Gearbox Software.
My background is a BS in CS from the Univ. of Mary Hardin-Baylor with 2 years employment at MySanAntonio.com and major news website in San Antonio.
Like Jerrith, the Guildhall attracted me because it is a graduate level program and it also has a tremendous backing from the industry.
To answer your questions:
* is the coursework challenging?
Yes, for me this was the most challenging time I ahve ever had in an educational environment. I was one of those that never had a problem making good grades as it sort of came natural to me. The Guildhall pushed me harder and taught me more than I could have imagined.
* is it relevant?
Yes, definitely. The curriculum at the Guildhall was designed by industry professionals. They give advice and suggestions on what students will need to know to be successful in the industry and the Guildhall teaches those things.
* did they help with placement?
The Guildhall from the beginning did not promise that every student would get a job after graduation. But they do have someone on staff who is the contact for companies looking for employees and also encouraging students to keep their portfolios updated and current.
* do game companies respect it?
Yes, the ones that actually know about it give it tremendous respect. The problem comes in that it is a new program and it takes time for recognition to propogate through the industry ranks. I think a lot of the name recognition will come from the graduates and how they prove themselves on the job using what the Guildhall taught them. As of right now, graduates have a lot of explaining to do during an interview when someone asks "What is the Guildhall?" But like I said, it comes with time.
* Since you already had a BS CS, was the Guildhall a cakewalk or a grad level advancement?
For me, the Guildhall was extremely challenging. For some it was not as difficult and for others it was more difficult so it really depends on the skills and experience that you bring to it. But across the board, I think everyone would agree that the Guildhall was never a "cakewalk."
* could someone without a CS degree make it through? (their website sort of implies you don't have to have a BS)
Yes, it is definitely possible. I know of at least two students who did not have a college education coming into the program. However, they did have a great knowledge of C++ and were very skilled at the trade. The main thing is to know C++ backwards and forwards and the rest will be taught at the Guildhall.
Actually those two schools are separate entities started in part by the same person. Both programs are still running by their own accord with no real affiliation other than the mutual association with game devlopement.
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The droprate is actually pretty low. I know of only 1-5 dropouts per class and many of those left early to get jobs in the industry. They didn't just fail out.
No its not afilliated with EA. I believe the one in Southern California is however. The Guildhall is owned and run by SMU and has a panel of "Guildmasters" made up local industry developers in the Dallas area that serve as consultants for curriculum and advisors to the faculty and staff. Also, every faculty member has some sort of industry experience.
Sorry to disappoint, but those splash screens are here to stay. The time during which those screens are shown is used to pre-load the game into memory. Without them, you would just be seeing a black screen until the game finishes loading.
I can try and field a reply. I too was in the first class of the Guildhall graduating in December 2004. I was in the software track and I am currently contracting with Gearbox Software.
My background is a BS in CS from the Univ. of Mary Hardin-Baylor with 2 years employment at MySanAntonio.com and major news website in San Antonio.
Like Jerrith, the Guildhall attracted me because it is a graduate level program and it also has a tremendous backing from the industry.
To answer your questions:
* is the coursework challenging?
Yes, for me this was the most challenging time I ahve ever had in an educational environment. I was one of those that never had a problem making good grades as it sort of came natural to me. The Guildhall pushed me harder and taught me more than I could have imagined.
* is it relevant?
Yes, definitely. The curriculum at the Guildhall was designed by industry professionals. They give advice and suggestions on what students will need to know to be successful in the industry and the Guildhall teaches those things.
* did they help with placement?
The Guildhall from the beginning did not promise that every student would get a job after graduation. But they do have someone on staff who is the contact for companies looking for employees and also encouraging students to keep their portfolios updated and current.
* do game companies respect it?
Yes, the ones that actually know about it give it tremendous respect. The problem comes in that it is a new program and it takes time for recognition to propogate through the industry ranks. I think a lot of the name recognition will come from the graduates and how they prove themselves on the job using what the Guildhall taught them. As of right now, graduates have a lot of explaining to do during an interview when someone asks "What is the Guildhall?" But like I said, it comes with time.
* Since you already had a BS CS, was the Guildhall a cakewalk or a grad level advancement?
For me, the Guildhall was extremely challenging. For some it was not as difficult and for others it was more difficult so it really depends on the skills and experience that you bring to it. But across the board, I think everyone would agree that the Guildhall was never a "cakewalk."
* could someone without a CS degree make it through? (their website sort of implies you don't have to have a BS)
Yes, it is definitely possible. I know of at least two students who did not have a college education coming into the program. However, they did have a great knowledge of C++ and were very skilled at the trade. The main thing is to know C++ backwards and forwards and the rest will be taught at the Guildhall.
Actually those two schools are separate entities started in part by the same person. Both programs are still running by their own accord with no real affiliation other than the mutual association with game devlopement.