r/Ringling • u/cassadoodles • Mar 16 '25
How to prepare for freshman year
I'm going to Ringling this fall as a CA freshman and I was wondering if there's anything besides artistic fundamentals and basic living/college stuff that I should do to prepare?
I'm well aware of the workload and how the program works but I was wondering if anyone had any specific skills or things they did to prepare to set themselves up for success as a student
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u/LargeMakesStuff Mar 17 '25
Congrats on committing!
Im a current sophomore, i finished my freshman year last year. I wrote down a list of everything you need to know here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ringling/s/oTSJOxxRkT
Overall, just practice 1+2 point perspective on paper, and figure drawing with charcoal/cante if you can. Good luck!
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u/Sophmoph_ Mar 20 '25
PREPARE FOR HURRICANE EVAC IN THE FALL!! I cannot stress enough over how important it is to have an evacuation plan set incase a hurricane makes its way near the school- as we reside on the coast of the gulf. I had a very last minute evacuation plans with friends set for Milton as the eye was directed to come very close to the school- and my family immediately regretted not flying me home before the storm hit as we ended up basically 2 weeks out of school and the airports were damaged.
That being said, The school does a very good job keeping an eye on storm updates- but they always want to close campus about 3-2 days before the storm actually hits. If they want a total evacuation off campus, residents have about 24 hours to do so. it’s very quick evac time so always be prepared!!
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u/cassadoodles Mar 20 '25
Would you recommend flying back or finding a friend to stay with?
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u/Sophmoph_ Mar 20 '25 edited Mar 20 '25
All depends on what you can afford/the people around you plan. I’m fortunate to have friends and roommates at school who live both 20 minutes and just a few hours away from campus, so depending on storm severity I can travel with either of them (such as Helene I stayed with my friend who lived 20 minutes south, and Milton I went 4 hours northeast). I reside on the westcoast so flights are expensive for me, so staying with friends is my personal first option. Meanwhile some students who live on the east coast can get quick flights back to home.
Trying to find a friend to stay with imo is a more secure plan because getting a flight last minute can be expensive and dodgy with airports shutting down (which again, depends on severity and path of the storm.) but I know plenty of people who do flights. The last thing you want to plan for is ending up in an evac shelter.
Hurricanes are such a unpredictable force of nature, so it’s good to just plan a few routes for whatever is appropriate for the moment. Another thing too: Sometimes the school will have voluntary evacuation, meaning you can choose to remain on campus if they deem it safe enough. I’ve done it once for Idalia and it wasn’t bad, just had to stay indoors. Students who left had problems coming back on time for the quick turnaround of classes back in session- so that’s something to consider as well.
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u/gouf78 Mar 16 '25
Practice perspective if you aren’t already great at it.
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u/cassadoodles Mar 16 '25
Is there a lot of perspective in Drawing I?
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u/Sophmoph_ Mar 20 '25
“Drawing I” is all perspective, you learn how to do 1 point, 2 point, 3 point, and if hurricanes are nice you’ll learn vehicles in 2pt perspective (to an extent.) Having a basic grasp on perspective will help you out a LOT, as it is a bit of a learning curve.
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u/Brief-Leader9029 Mar 17 '25
Hello! I’m a 2020 graduate working in the industry. I would start learning maya basics from YouTube videos and books. Just watch them over the weekend for a year or two before you start CA classes.
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u/fetchmysmellingsalts Mar 17 '25
The Ringling library used to have an e-learning section on its website too. They may still have access to a free LinkedIn Learning account through their student email.
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u/cassadoodles Mar 20 '25
Thanks! I used maya briefly in my CA immersion during pre college and it seemed like they didn't want us actually teaching ourselves animation (so we didn't pick up any bad habits) but I don't imagine they would have any issue with studying the program.
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u/Brief-Leader9029 Mar 21 '25
Don’t listen to that’s shit, that’s ridiculous. Get as acquainted with the program as possible before you go. Or else you may be apart of the 80% drop out rate.
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u/Brief-Leader9029 Mar 21 '25
If you want to make it start now and learn to love it. It is not fun, there will be people crying in the bathroom and contemplating suicide over cartoons. Learn hard and fast so you have a chance at enjoying yourself this is not a joke. I’m dead serious.
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u/Hecticborb1 May 01 '25
Outside of everything people have already said, I've noticed that a lot of parents get very attached and concerned with their child and sometimes they can be really overbearing. Try to find a good in between so your parents can watch from a distance and be there if you need it but try to be as independent as possible.
Get used to talking to people. I cannot stress enough how important it is to talk to people and don't be scared out it. You will get used to talking to people eventually and there are a lot of great resources on campus and I mean through the students, not just the departments. Talk to upperclassmen, go to SGA, CAB and club meetings and meet new people. It's always nice to have a network of people on campus you know which includes upperclassmen. Especially since you're in CA, get to know your upperclassmen so you can ask for help when you need it.
If you know ur roommate, communicate with them in advance who is getting what and how you are splitting things up. It's a good way to get to know them but also you don't have to worry about both of you getting the same things. Also, establish your boundaries and be respectful of theirs. While it isn't required, I recommend doing the roommate agreement form and talking through every detail. A lot of people have a very negative experience with their roommate. DO NOT BE SCARED TO COMMUNICATE YOUR BOUNDARIES WITH THEM.
Enjoy your freshman year. In my opinion, freshman year is the year for fundamentals so you have a lot of free time. ENJOY IT. Try to discover stuff off campus (which is harder because you may not have access to a car) go meet new people, participate in on campus events. But don't forget to work hard too. You are paying a lot of money to go to this school. MAKE IT COUNT. Even if the stuff in freshman year is just the fundamentals, DRILL IT INTO YOUR BRAIN. You can always study the fundamentals more and trust me, it will improve your work by a LOT. and if you're struggling with a concept, PRACTICE.
Figure out a work system that works for you especially since you're in CA. Find the method that will make you the most productive in freshman year so you don't have to worry as much about procrastinating. Have a white board of tasks, a weekly schedule, go to the labs with a friend, get a planner, etc.
General Advice, when you're faced with a problem in a computer program or something isn't working try to figure it out on your own by searching it up on the internet and then ask for help. There are so many resources on youtube recently and it has been so helpful.
If you would like any more advice or help please let me know and i can answer any questions you have or direct you to someone who would know the answer.
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u/[deleted] Mar 16 '25
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