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Living on my own
Godfather
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Alright so here's the situation:
Around December of last year I got accepted to an incredible animation school in Toronto, Canada for the Fall '08/Spring '09 school year. It's right smack in the middle of the city, the student-teacher ratio is 16 to 1, with every teacher there currently working in the industry, and the people there couldn't be nicer. I'm very fortunate to be able to attend this school, and so long as my visa checks out, i'm good to go. However, this school isn't like other college campuses. Instead of taking bullcrap basic core classes like other colleges do, every class you take focuses strictly on your major; no time is wasted here.
In fact, it seems i'll barely have any time to myself at all. After counting up the hours, i'll be clocking in around 75 hours of class a week; That's twelve hours each weekday, followed by eight hours on Saturday and seven on Sunday respectively. Needless to say I will be a very busy guy. I know that this is what I want to do in life career-wise. It's going to be a very strenuous, difficult path ahead of me but as long as I can keep a good attitude and pace myself I should be fine.
This is not the issue however. My concern is whether or not i'll be able to function on my own three thousand miles away from the homestead.
You see, if there's anything i've learned in my year break in the real world outside of high school is that i'm very naive. More so than the average joe. I can't really explain why, but I seem to be very gullible in a lot of situations, and it was only until just recently that I connected the dots. There is a lot of shit I don't know how to do. Not a single clue.
Long story short, I don't want to be fighting a war on two fronts here; whatever I do regarding taking care of myself will directly affect my class work, and I really can't afford to be getting sick/running late (they lock you out of the building after 5 minutes of starting!)/starving/etc.
I've got about four months until the big send-off. As soon as class ends this may, I have a six-week open window before i'm going to school in the morning, then working in the evening (i'll be taking a Summer Session II Life Drawing Class you see). I'd like to use this small art hiatus to brush up on basic life skills so I don't get overwhelmed when I leave for Toronto this August.
Tips? Suggestions? Any help is more than welcome.
TL: DR - Going to school with jam-packed curriculum 3000 miles away. No idea how to live by myself. Help.
Around December of last year I got accepted to an incredible animation school in Toronto, Canada for the Fall '08/Spring '09 school year. It's right smack in the middle of the city, the student-teacher ratio is 16 to 1, with every teacher there currently working in the industry, and the people there couldn't be nicer. I'm very fortunate to be able to attend this school, and so long as my visa checks out, i'm good to go. However, this school isn't like other college campuses. Instead of taking bullcrap basic core classes like other colleges do, every class you take focuses strictly on your major; no time is wasted here.
In fact, it seems i'll barely have any time to myself at all. After counting up the hours, i'll be clocking in around 75 hours of class a week; That's twelve hours each weekday, followed by eight hours on Saturday and seven on Sunday respectively. Needless to say I will be a very busy guy. I know that this is what I want to do in life career-wise. It's going to be a very strenuous, difficult path ahead of me but as long as I can keep a good attitude and pace myself I should be fine.
This is not the issue however. My concern is whether or not i'll be able to function on my own three thousand miles away from the homestead.
You see, if there's anything i've learned in my year break in the real world outside of high school is that i'm very naive. More so than the average joe. I can't really explain why, but I seem to be very gullible in a lot of situations, and it was only until just recently that I connected the dots. There is a lot of shit I don't know how to do. Not a single clue.
Long story short, I don't want to be fighting a war on two fronts here; whatever I do regarding taking care of myself will directly affect my class work, and I really can't afford to be getting sick/running late (they lock you out of the building after 5 minutes of starting!)/starving/etc.
I've got about four months until the big send-off. As soon as class ends this may, I have a six-week open window before i'm going to school in the morning, then working in the evening (i'll be taking a Summer Session II Life Drawing Class you see). I'd like to use this small art hiatus to brush up on basic life skills so I don't get overwhelmed when I leave for Toronto this August.
Tips? Suggestions? Any help is more than welcome.
TL: DR - Going to school with jam-packed curriculum 3000 miles away. No idea how to live by myself. Help.
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Best thing in the world you can do.
Par example: I have a twin brother, and up until college we were really similar. I decided to leave my comfort zone of Texas and head north to Cincinnati for acting school. He stayed in Dallas, not even 45 minutes away.
Fast forward to four years later. I have begun to setup my own new network in LA, I am experienced in how to live alone, what it means to pay bills and take care of myself. I know a scm when I see it, but I also know I can trust people overall.
In other words, it is beneficial to take the hard, trying road, because that's how we learn, and that's how we learn to truly live.
As a great philosopher once said, "Life is not tried, it is merely survived if you're standing outside the fire."
That's good to hear.
Electronic composer for hire.
It's the equivalent of nine years of fine arts training compacted into three years. Think of it like the atelier that the boys at Conceptart.org run.
Yeah it's a big excessive, but man can those kids draw. Quite a few of those students, who prior to taking the school never touched a paint brush in their life, end up with better paint skills their first year alone compared to some graduates of a regular four year art degree at another school. Whatever it takes to get the technical skills I say.
Also I don't think I can work when going to school. It's why i'm working now.
EDIT: Shower curtains. Got it.
That one.
Electronic composer for hire.
Ah, I see. I feel dumb now.
Every shower I have ever owned has a glass door that you close, or a sliding glass door.
Find out what they allow in the way of cooking gear. You're going to get burned out on cafeteria food very quickly and with that schedule you likely won't have time to go out for real food (IE not fast food). Focus on learning some quick, easy recipes (search for food threads in H/A, great ideas). If they will allow it (assuming it's a dorm), get a rice cooker and a george foreman style grill. Lots of good food to be had off of those quickly.
I've heard of majors or courses that say that you'll spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every credit you're taking, is that where you're getting these numbers? Those are almost always wrong.
I'm not trying to discredit your program, it actually sounds really cool, but those kinds of hours will burn you out so quickly...
As for getting ready to live on your own, its actually easier than most people make it. Tomorrow morning, think about how you live your life, in detail. Then write things down, all day long.
A few examples...you wake up (alarm clock)...you want to take a shower (towels, soap, shampoo)...now you want to make breakfast (toaster/toaster oven, cutlery, pots and pans, spatula, misc. cooking supplies)...now you need to get dressed so you need clean clothes (detergent, fabric softner, ironing board, iron, etc)...
Do this for a few days and you'll think of everything you need to buy/bring with you. I don't really know your specific situation there (dorm or apartment), but once you find out, this method works really well.
No no, it's fine.
We do get a 30 minute break in between the day to go outside and do whatever, but afterwards it's back into the cave for more drawing.
I think I may have goofed up regarding the hours. True, I will be there a grand total of 75 hours, but actual class time will be between 40 to 50 hours. I think it will at least.
But regardless i'm in the building for 75 hours a week.
EDIT: The living situation is unknown at this point. We're not sure if we'll be going for a dorm or renting out a room. My parents made it clear that they don't want me to have a room mate for some reason, so hopefully i'll find something with a bathroom in it instead of having to share (that is if I don't go the dorm route).
I also firmly support dorm living... at least for a year to see if you like it. There's no easier place to meet friends, develop study groups, chill out with peers and form side projects. It's generally just plain fun, as long as you have a good roommate. Plus your commute consists of you walking to class instead of driving, struggling to find a parking spot, and THEN walking to class.
Consider it... I lived in various residence halls (dorms) for three years of my life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's a blast if you go into it knowing that everyone's in the same situation as you are (new, not quite knowing what's going on, and eager to make friends and alliances).
Also, having a roommate can be a little tricky in the dorms if you don't get along with people who may be different from you... but it can also be rewarding as well. Even the worst roommates can teach a person a lot about interpersonal relationships and meeting half-way. The best roommates can help you form a tight-knit community of friends, party all weekend long, or study all weekend long if it's time to buckle down. If you get a room on your own, try to hang out in the lounge area to make friends... being a shut-in in a dorm is like going to a chinese buffet for the onion rings.
Well, it sounds like you'll need to prepare for long days. Make sure to stock up on tupperware, and tons of ziplock bags. You can save a ton of money if you prep all of your snacks and food at home, not to mention its a lot more healthy.
Make your sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, chips, etc at home...pack them up and bring them with you.
Otherwise, maybe stock up on liquor? Those are long days
The worst thing you can do is not eat enough. It'll run you down and you'll end up sick. Try to eat fruit and veggies. If you find you aren't getting as many vegetables as you probably should be, it might be a good idea to start taking a multivitamin once a day (something like Centrum that covers just about everything).
Learn how to do your laundry. Have your parents/someone help you out. Learn how to separate the clothes, which cycles and settings to use, and how to fold.
Learn how to cook. If you're vegetarian, this obviously won't apply, but learn how to cook steak/fish/chicken on a small propane grille. If possible, buy your propane grille now, and learn how to use it for the next few months. This is vital.
Learn how to grocery shop. Figure out what you normally like to eat, what you normally like to snack on, and how much it costs on average. How often will you end up going to the store? Once a week? Twice a month? Small supermarkets or Costco? How to pick fresh ingredients (veggies, meats) is very important if you want to cook.
You're going to be spending a lot of time at school. When you get home, you're going to want to relax. I use the term "home" purposely - there is a difference between having a place where you sleep and keep your shit vs. a house. Make it yours, make it personal. Decorate, etc. etc. All to your liking. With the hours you're going to be working this is important. Comfort!
Get all of your important documents organized. Figure out what you want to be sent home (mail wise) and sent to you up in Canada-land.
Also worth mentioning is that Canadian winters are cold. Maybe that's obvious and I guess it is just Toronto we're talking about, but do make sure you get yourself a half-decent winter coat. Don't go overboard though. You're not scaling Everest so you don't need the fanciest new thing from Mountain Equipment Co-op.
i've lived here for the majority of my life and like what Grid System said, we get COLD winters. It'll probably be unlike anything you've ever experienced, if you've never been to a climate as cold as here. We get fucked in terms of the amount of snow, too. We just had our record snowfall broken this past winter, and it was snowing pretty consistiently from november to march. so definitely bring some money to buy a decent jacket along with a toque (you'll learn what this is when you come here) and gloves.
i have several family members who've recently begun living on their own far away, and it is sound advice to travel light. can you survive without a TV? Don't bring one you'll have to lug around everywhere. invest in a PC tuner if you need your fix of seinfeld, don't bring a big stereo blah blah. also a good idea to now try to become independent at home. clean your own clothes, try keeping your bedroom and such as tidy as possible, leanr how to clean a bathroom (big one here) and just try to improve your self-management skills as much as you possibly can. it's a big step living on your own, and its quite overwhelming but as long as you just prepare yourself as best you can it won't be all bad, in fact i'm sure it will be incredibly awesome!
i wish you luck in your big move!
EDIT: and if you have any questions about the city, how to get around, great places to hang out/buy stuff, what not feel free to PM!
don't forget to eat your colours. ie, don't go with only white, beige and yellow foods. More colours in your diet generally means a healthier diet (jujubes don't count)
Find something that will de-stress you. Even if it's reading a book on your breaks, or doing yoga before bed, or playing half an hour of video games most nights.... something that will let you get your mind off of things before you start going crazy... de-stressors are critical to succeeding in post-secondary (or so I've found)
I agree on traveling light; I just have way too much stuff in my room, and it might be easier to just bring a few things and start anew, wardrobe and all.
About the dorm situation; it's really more of a parents thing than it being my choice. Their theory is that since i'll be seeing the same 20-something people every day, i'm going to want those few hours alone to myself. Although i'm not too sure I agree with them, i'll be heading down there with my mom in june to look for places to live.
Something i'd like to point out is that this school is tiny. Around 300 students max in size, for the whole student body. Also, this school will probably have a wide diversity of age groups (since some people finish a traditional 4 year degree college and then treat this school as a finishing school of sorts). I believe the oldest student there was around 65 years of age. Chances are i'll be seeing a lot of the same people quite frequently on a daily basis.
Thanks for your help so far guys, it's really opening my eyes.
The winters are cold, yeah, but if you don't have to drive or walk very far, it's not a huge deal. Pick up some good boots along with the jacket/gloves/etc at some point. (Then again, I did formerly live in Amarillo, which does actually get some snow most winters, and things were kind of crazy this year so we ended up not having to deal with a large part of the snow here.) The main thing that I've had to get used to is that it cools down earlier and takes a lot longer to warm up. We're just now barely cracking 70 F up here.
Get used to taking public transit and/or walking a lot more than you're used to. There's less sprawl, there are actually sidewalks and things up here, so you can walk to various places, and a lot of people do. You might check out the TTC maps to see what will be running in the area you're going to be in.
Relatedly, learn how much you're willing to carry around. Nothing sucks more than bagging your groceries and realizing that it's really heavy and you have to carry it all home.
I'm calling bullshit on this idea. Welcome to college - you'll be hanging out with the same core group of people for a few years, why would you want to spend the only time you're not working alone? If you're moving to a completely new and different place you're going to want all the friends you can get (unless you're a misanthrope) and you're not going to want to live alone. You can have alone time in a dorm room/apartment - it's possible. But I think living alone (and off-campus) when you're trying to adjust to a completely new and different situation is a bad idea. There's a huge opportunity there for you to just be lonely and depressed. I'm not sure what type of person you are, but for me I love having roommates/housemates - you just have to be flexible and forgiving. But I think that coming home to having to cook in an empty apartment that you live in by yourself is going to get real old real fast.
Or hey, maybe even some Full Sail students. They have schedules just as intense and they manage to do it.
On another note, how's the music scene in Toronto? Like I previously stated in another post, I play a little bit of classical guitar, and although i've been playing for not even a year, I find it to be an extremely rewarding experience. It would be pretty cool to find a buddy who could show me the ropes regarding guitar, or music in general.
Everybody is different, but you're taking up a highly competitive field, and so I would skip on the extraneous peoples, and learn how to socialize within the Shop. If you can get the hang of productive shmoozing, rather than going out with friends and 'blowing off steam' and whatever the hell other people will want to do that isn't a career focus, you'll will be nine steps ahaead of the game.
Truth is, if you're passionate about what you do, than your work becomes your play, and you don't need much 'downtime'. The big boys are in the show from the minute they wake up until their head hits the pillow; socializing, relaxing, even going out and drinking beers all has a higher purpose to it. Everything in that lifestyle moves towards an end.
If you start getting trapped into a double-life (this is my job and it is work, this is my life out of my job and it is play) then you will always be balancing one against the other. When your work and your play is one complete life, you can go as hard as you want all the time, succeed, have a rich social life,and have an absolute blast while you do it.
Move into the dorms.
You can rent out a room per se, but unless it's an apartment complex it's one person to a room
HOWEVER
I believe there is a housing complex strictly for the students at my school alone. This might be the best option for me. Sarcasto's right, I definitely don't want to be hanging around some late-night party monkeys, and with this kind of schedule sticking around students with the same kind of mindset would be the best choice.
On a side note, there is very little to no homework whatsoever from this school (at least the first year). This is part of the reason why the hours are so long. They take a very hands-on approach to teaching, which I prefer.
Statistically speaking, you're way more likely to end up with someone you get along with than with a meth dealer.
Very true.
Electronic composer for hire.
The problem is that the very few and far between bad experiences usually cause the people who have them to be more vocal about it (understandably, because when you have a bad roommate experience you have to live with it every day). But remember that for every bad roommate experience you hear there's dozens of people who you're not hearing from that had a great (or at least neutral) time.
Basically, what I've seen is that most residence halls (dorms) have one set of roommates that hate each other per floor, 2-3 who are neutral to each other (don't mind each other, but don't actively hang out), and the rest enjoy each others' company and become friends. Maybe I happened to have good floors, but in my two years as an RA I was in charge of a total of four floors and they all fell into this range with surprising accuracy.
The trick if you do end up with a bad roommate is to attempt meeting halfway first. If you insist that things have to always go your way (or the way you're used to), you'll never get along with anyone. A vast majority of roommate conflicts are because one roommate or another (or both) wants the rules and living conditions to cater entirely to their own style. Don't be that person.
The small minority of remaining roommate conflicts come from deeper issues (such as the meth seller issue above). They should be reported immediately, so that they can be summarily dismissed from campus: that behavior has no place in the halls of higher learning, and any reasonable Hall Director will see to it that they're at least removed from the dorms if they don't move it up the chain to get them expelled outright. Often, people just "deal with" these kinds of situations and they just become worse. If your roommate is a drug dealer/has sex on your bed/steals your shit, don't deal with it. Report it, and allow the removal process that's there for your protection to work its course.
Don't look at it like that. It's actually a great way to make friends given the circumstances. And it doesn't mean that i'll be isolated or anything, i'll just be spending most of my time working towards a common goal among many others.
When you think about it, this is the exact same work schedule that most successful animators/concept artists/environmental creators deal with on a daily basis. Take a look at the God of War 2 documentary that Sony Santa Monica California studios filmed; those people practically live there day in and day out, but they love what they're doing, and it's what keeps them going.
Yeah it's going to be difficult, but if I really want a shot in getting into this industry, well, this is the kind of effort it's going to take to get a comfortable and secure art job. That's why there's such a high hiring rate at this school; by the time you graduate, you've already been through the motions of what it takes to keep up and studios love that.
Sorry to derail my own thread, I just wanted to clarify that real quickly.
I would have thought, if you're spending that much time at school, that living alone would have been okay. Living alone doesn't necessarily mean being alone, you can invite people over or go places with people, but having space to deflate, relax, listen to your music loudly, walk around in your underpants and not have to deal with other peoples shit can be pretty god damn necessary.
I'd live alone if I had the option. Not because I'm misanthropic, but mostly because other people are very frequently irritating. Not what you need if your under the pump all the time.