Hi, my name is Adam Young. I served in the Navy from 2003 until 2007. I was enrolled in Full Sail University from 2020 to 2023, a for-profit school. Because my time is limited, I’ll skip over some of the school’s offenses, like their job guarantees and the fact that other schools would not accept any of the credits I earned there. Instead, I’ll be focusing on the low-quality education I received.
I enrolled in Full Sail’s Game Design program. I received an Associate’s Degree but left before completing my Bachelor’s due to the quality of the education. Going into the program, I expected the degree would lead to job opportunities, but I was wrong. Much of the curriculum was so out-dated it might as well have been from the Stone Age. We were initially taught using the Unity and Visual Studios systems. Later, when the courses switched to modern programs, like C++, Unreal, and Blueprint, they did nothing to teach us how to use them. Eventually, I learned that the gaming industry does not recognize “Game Design” as a legitimate degree because it is too broad. Full Sail felt like such a scam school. I often was better off learning through tutoring, Google searches, and YouTube videos than I was following the actual instruction from its online courses. To make matters worse, the terminology and policies changed drastically from one class to another, creating confusion and hampering the learning experience. It was difficult to learn basic concepts and build upon them effectively.
On top of these more general issues, the teaching in specific classes ranged from bad to offensive, with many of my professors serving as little more than glorified lab assistants. Some of the teachers prioritized their own interests over the students’, while others gave inadequate instruction. One teacher consistently lied, gaslit students, and unfairly accused us of cheating. Worst of all, one teacher made disparaging comments about people with cognitive disabilities.
Full Sail also seemed to diminish mental health concerns. School administrators either ignored outreach or responded with boilerplate emails. It felt like a kick to the face.
I think Full Sail is what happens when schools prioritize profit over educational quality. Today, I am asking you to consider rules that would push accreditors to tighten the reins on sham schools like Full Sail and ensure that other students do not waste their time at schools that do not care for their students.
Thank you for your time.
Adam Young Comments