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Wesley

(Help!) I need somebody, (Help!) Not just anybody, (Help!) You know I need -N-Europe-

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I don't make threads very often.

 

My posts are often sparse.

 

Days in between at times.

 

But I love you all.

 

More than Jesus loved his John.

 

I however, need your love in return.

 

I am going insane.

 

I sent this e-mail to twenty companies:

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

I am e-mailing your company as a student on a gap year in need of honest help and advice. The reason why I have decided to e-mail your company is because of its' involvement with the Game Republic. The advice I am in need of is to help me with the decision I'm making between two different universities.

 

The first university is Bradford, the course being Computer Animation. I am told that this course will give me the skills to be an animator in many different areas, marketing, film, TV and of course the gaming industry. The second choice is Huddersfield, the course this time being Computer Game Design. This course, I'm also told, gives me much better skills to be an animator for the gaming industry, but will also back me up with skills to go into other commerce.

 

I'm unsure of which course to go for though because, frankly, any advice the course leaders give me is obviously bias to their course. So I am in desperate need of impartial advice from potential employers. Your company is especially important in terms of advice because of your involvement with the Game Republic; and therefore being linked to these universities.

 

In your honest opinion, which course is best for someone who wants to go into the gaming industry as a modeller/animator; but while keeping options open for other commerce? Any other commentary on students that may of come to work for you from either of these universities, or similar courses, would be of great help.

 

Here is the link with information for the Bradford course: http://inf.brad.ac.uk/courses/ug/course.php?id=67&d=baca&type=a-z

And the link with the information for the Huddersfield course: http://www2.hud.ac.uk/courses/undergrad/00000827.php

 

 

Yours faithfully,

-Signed off-

 

That is essentially my problem.

 

But what I didn't include in these e-mails is that one major reason why I am hesitant to go to Bradford is because... well, the place.

 

It doesn't feel homely when I was there. I won't beat around the bush here. There's a major lack of white people.

 

I honestly thought it wouldn't bother me. I come from a very rural area (Lincolnshire - country-side, we all marry out cousins and have 6 toes) and I had so many people mention what the race issue was like in Bradford. I shrugged it off. I'm no racist. I don't mind anyone of any other race, religion, sexuality or even... clothes! :o But when I was there. Jesus, it was strange. I've grown up with the lack of diversity. Three black children in my secondary school, which 1,500 went to. I saw a black person for the first time when I was around 5 or 6 and didn't have a clue what I was seeing.

 

So I didn't think it would bother me. But because of where I grew up it creates a very non-homely atmosphere. That bothers me. I went to two open labs for the department. In one there was about 7 white kids. In the other there was only non-white kids. There is a clear divide in the university itself. It was only amplified when I was walking around the university and saw these groups again. That bothers me.

 

The second thing that bothers me is that my girlfriend definitely doesn't want to go to Bradford. So I really don't know how I'd cope in a alienated place, struggling to make friends and without my girlfriend of (then) 3 years.

 

Where as Huddersfield is the total opposite. Really homely. Really nice university. A good mix of people, very similar to my home city (Lincoln). I won't deny that it has a larger white population and therefore I feel more at home. It's true. It's a God Damn shame that it is true though. And also, my girlfriend is most likely going there.

 

The problem being that it is a Game Design course. I didn't want to do a Game Design course. to be fair it is a good Game Design course. Huddersfield's in-house games studio has a contract with Microsoft to create games for Xbox Live Arcade, they have students going over to America for year placements, they seem really on the ball. But... I don't really want to do game design. I want to end up in the gaming industry after doing Computer Animation. After having my imagination stretched working with people interested in creating projects other than gaming.

 

The only to replies I got from these twenty companies was one saying they couldn't help, the other saying they also couldn't help but to go with the course that excites me the most. That, annoyingly, is hard to work out. On the one hand I get to be part of a team that clearly have so much passion for games, the other has so much passion for animation.

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If you really want to do the course surely you shouldn't care who's there?

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If you really want to do the course surely you shouldn't care who's there?
Yeah you should. The area is going to be just as important to you as the course. There's no point in taking a course if you're not going to enjoy it - as if you're not enjoying it, you're probably not learning.

 

And if you're not learning, then why are you taking the course? You need to go somewhere you feel happy with.

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If i was in this situation i think i would choose Huddersfield. I wouldn't want to live somewhere i didn't like, especially for 3/4 years. Also living in a place you hate probably wouldn't help with getting your degree.

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Well, you're stuck in between a rock and a hard place.

 

So, essentially (correct me if I'm wrong): You've got the course you want in the place you want to be, and the place you want to be with the course that isn't right for you.

 

Do you have the option for going for neither? That may be your option.

 

You may find in a year or so time that you find your feet in Bradford. However, you may also find that with your other course.

 

Knowing me, I'd probably go for the place you wanted to be. If after a year or so you decide the course definitely isn't for you, you can look at transfering courses, or switching elsewhere. For me, it's all about the experience.

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Wes man; you should make threads more often. Damn honest, you are.

 

Ok anyway enough soppiness; You'd get used to it. The race thing, I mean. I'm from brighton, a very diverse city ethnically and culturally, but where I'm now living in sheffield is basically where all the immigrants live, in big tower blocks to one side and estates the other, as well as rows of town houses.

 

It wasn't the colour of the skin that bothered me - it was just the general hang-out-in-large-groups, looking-like-they-wanna-fight sort of thing but to be honest you really get used to it.

 

How could you not get used to it, if you're not racist? Seriously.

 

And besides, you're a student. You'll be living in the student areas. They'll be as mixed as any other university you might go to.

 

While the course is important, I'm a strong believer in gut instincts. If you feel that huddersfield is the place, then go there. Just make sure you're deciding it for the right reasons, not for some girl (ok 3 years = more than just some girl, but you get what I mean).

 

And lastly; I'm still going through the university system. I'm going to an ex-poly; thus I have no clue as to how important the university choice actually looks on a CV. I pretty much think that it doesn't matter :) naivity is awesome.

 

Erm. Yeah. THE END.

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I don't make threads very often.

 

Three black children in my secondary school, which 1,500 went to. I saw a black person for the first time when I was around 5 or 6 and didn't have a clue what I was seeing.

Sounds like my past.

 

My friend is at bradford and he enjoys it there but he has mentioned a race problem there.

If you went to bradford i think you would do fine, but make sure you go to a place you like otherwise it will just bring you down.

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Sounds to me like it's a decision between the present and the future(well, the soon future and further future). You could have a good time for 3 years, and end up doing something you'd rather not be forever more afterwards, whilst of course the other option is the opposite. Yet, it seems with either course you'll end up in a similar place, right(game design)? So I see why it's a dillemma.

Though, saying that, and knowing zip all about Bradford, I think if it does the better course/course you want to do, go there. It'll be hard for a while, but if you're there and immersed in it all, you've gotta be able to find some sort of place to fit in surely? You're gonna be one of those 3 black kids in the 1500 person school, so how did you, as one of the 1497 others, treat/think of them? Sounds like alot of preconceptions or prejudices might be getting in the way, try putting yourself in their shoes and think of things. Unfortunately, it's no guarantee though.

There's the chance of Bradford being horrible, whereas Huddersfield is the safe and easy option, but part of me thinks if you go to Bradford you'll find your feet eventually, and you'll get alot more out of it all than just the course as a result. If you go to Bradford, would you be able to change after a year or so?

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What do you expect at bradford? Deary me, next time be more clearly to listen to others who have been there :P, I got told exactly the same when I went to stafford and didn't believe them, until I walked round the uni and every religious poster was for muslims and NONE were for any other religion.

 

To be honest alot of people are very nice to you even though you are the minority, though it worries me that this is having to be an issue, you should have really gone to the uni and thought about this before you decided to apply.

 

England is fast becoming a multi-culture instead of well british white people, now I'm not saying that's a bad thing most of the time, but it's reality.

 

I'd definetly say to stick with any form of gaming, I would personally suggest sheffield because of the information I was told, they are going to be around sony and codemasters and to date I haven't found another uni...even manchester mmu that has that to boast.

 

Though unfortunetly we cannot make the decision for you. You've got plently of time to get your arse out there and get as many opinions from different unis as you can after all alot of the tutors do tend to research and do their subject in real life as well as teach it!

 

I'm off to uni this year to be doing game design and the best thing you can do is make sure that in your third year you get to know a decent games company, try and get your uni to help you! That way you are more likely to get somewhere. I think daft was also saying that there's job offers at ea for games testing if you are willing to travel.

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Do you have the option for going for neither? That may be your option.

 

Thats what I was thinking. As long as there is another university you could go to. In a few years I'll probably be in a similar place.

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I say, search some other Universities.

 

No use going to an Uni if it doesn't offer you what you want. And the same goes if you hate the ambience.

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My advice would be to go to the oe with the course you like. You say that white people are in the minority but you won't be the only one there and, like jayseven said, you would get used to it.

 

If you haven't yet confirmed these two as your final choice then i'd say try to find a third option (if you're able to).

 

Anyway I've said this as for me the location isn't that important to me, I reckon you're likely to enjoy yourself wherever you are, but you obviously won't have the same preferences as me so my other nugget of advice would be be to weigh up whether you could get used to the place you don't like or whether you could get over the course you don't like as much. if you feel the course would always bother you then don't go.

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I don't like Bradford either. I've been there and there are a lot of asians. I normally don't mind but they form their own groups, communities and even gangs. They exclude white people as much as they can and I always feel very unwelcome there. I hate it when immigrants come to this country and then form their own community. If you want to be with just people of your own nation then stay in your own country.

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My night has been eventful.

 

At the end of it all, I have decided: Huddersfield.

 

I will edit this post when I wake up for anyone who might be interested to know why.

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