DigiPen Singapore

[neutralph]

I am so happy to have found this thread!! Got so many questions to ask...

Currently I am taking my A levels in a junior college, and my results are not going to stellar... Okay, I think they suck. Just took my Math paper a few days ago and I think I can only secure an E, if they moderate down. Probably get a 49 for math, which is usually an S. I read here that minimum need 3 A level pass to be eligible for admssion. That sounds a little to easy to be true, if Project Work is considered A level subject. Long story cut short, i take Math, Physics, Computing, Econs and GP. If i get an E for all subjects, do i stand a good chance to be accepted?

https://singapore.digipen.edu/admissions/frequently-asked-questions

I am highly interested in the Game Design (Science) degree, but I can't draw for nuts, does that mean that I cannot take that course? I will just have to settle for RTIS if I am not eligible i guess...

All right, last question... Many people have been talking about the steep costs. I read somewhere that it costs around $70000 for four years. Is that true? My sister is in NUS now and if I am not wrong, her total university fees, including hostel fees, hover around that price range too. How much is the price difference between government university fees and digipen?

thanks in advance for reading through and answering my queries!!

nope, it cost you almost 80k or 79k++ locally (u muz include the 7% gst, it is a significant amount!!!). I was an ex-applicant for digipen for last year nov intake. I gave because of the hefty price tag. Not trying to discourage you, but too be realistic, if your family financial income is not above the average kind, it is very hard for you to sustain your daily expenditure and other expenses (let alone the monthly bank loan). Worrying about money and studies work load will break you down in the end.

I seek alternative and now studying com sci at uni of adelaide (singapore). Since you are doing A levels, maybe can try your luck in nus com sci or ntu one.

your sister local uni fees around 70k!!!!? i tot local uni 4 years deg is only around 24-32k only?

Btw, juz to let you know if you don't know about it. Digipen admission criteria is sort of different from the way our local unis. Our local unis goes generally by your GPA, but for digipen, whether you can gained entry is through your PERSONAL STATEMENT (it is the main deciding factor). GPA is not the main course. If you ask me izzit even true? YES! When i apply for it, my poly gpa is only 2.1, although i pass my engineering maths, but it is sub paper results. . But I did quite well for my game programming projects and fyp too, A's and distinction + 2 letters of recommendation from companies.

 

[wcyouwcyou]

Congrats to Poly student who are entering Digipen this year.. Seem like your cost may be reduced by a factor of 2/3..
And it will only take 2 years..
http://www.singaporetech.edu.sg/?p=73

$27,000 for full degree and only 2 years.
and 19,000 for Fine Arts degree

Anyway for those interested, you still need to finish as many credits as those of us taking the 4 years.

Would mean cramping even more schedule, and no summer break definitely.

For JC student I don't know what's gonna happen.. Maybe the only way to attend is to fly to US to attend the school, since future Digipen Singapore students will be under SIT, and SIT is purely for Poly students.. Guess we need t wait for update!

 

[AeroniX]

Yea there is apparently no more JC intake according to SIT, the institute which is supposed to help poly grads get their certs, so probably yea for jc students the only way to get into digipen is to try and apply for the US campus.

I'm a current Bachelor of Science (Game Design) student in digipen now, and I came from a jc, guess I'm lucky to get in. This course is more focus on analyzing game mechanics and understanding what makes a game fun while gaining certain amount of proficiency in programming(C++), which the RTIS will be heavily train on. Art, on the other hand, is a way to expose to you the art world, which will be critical as a game designer since you will be working with many programmers and artists in the future. So don't be afraid if you can't draw, there are good teachers here to teach you how to.

All in all, i'm gonna say that it is not meant to be easy, the current students here are all working very hard, regardless of modules and students' background(be it poly/jc and even some uni grads). It is very common to see us in school before 9am and leaves around 10-11pm, so with the length of the degree shortened to 2 years, things should get even more hectic, unless the standard drops which i doubt it will and hope it does not happen.

Anyway, things are still uncertain now, waiting for more updates, good luck to everyone.

 

[walterlow]

Hah, stumbled onto this thread by accident. I'm from BAGD here, will help out with any questions.

hi, so what do you all start off with in BAGD? how different is BAGD compared to BFA? Hows the workload like? can quote some examples?

 

[darkchamber]

^I will answer it for you in case he doesn't come back anytime sooner lol

now.. just touching on the surface....

BAGD focuses on the art aspect of game development, get to work on game projects with the programming side, while BFA focuses on animation and the art of it.
Both BAGD and BFA have its share of insane workload, so unless you have excercised some form of discipline for your own studies, you will find yourself struggling. There are tons of sleepless nights too. It's not a matter of last-minute work or not bc every week you have something to submit for each module, and every week you will get something new out of them.

With the whole thing with the SIT, I think the curriculum for the 2-year BAGD might be different from the current 4-year one.

 

[visuallin]

hi, so what do you all start off with in BAGD? how different is BAGD compared to BFA? Hows the workload like? can quote some examples?

The reason I chose BAGD is because I wanted an education that is industry specific (game industry of course) and because of my interest in the creative/visual aspect of it.

The workload for any course in Digipen is crazy, for BAGD you'll not only be bombarded with most of the same modules (animation/illustration etc) as the BFA Animation degree but also game-eccentric modules like Game Mechanics and Game History.

On top of that, in BAGD you are required to learn and understand subjects like physics, calculus and programming although not to the level of the RTIS and BSGD students. (I nearly got killed by this haha)

As a game designer, you can act like a middleman between the artist/animators etc and the programmers because you practically understand where both sides are coming from. You may also start in the Art/Creative Department if your company requires that which is most often the case.

 

[alinawyx]

i wanna ask if anyone knows what BSGD is actually teaching? as in terms of the degree itself, what does it comprise of? like modules, cores etc.. i went through the course schedule, but i dont really understand much..

P.S. : sry to dig up old thread =X

 

[slqslq]

i wanna ask if anyone knows what BSGD is actually teaching? as in terms of the degree itself, what does it comprise of? like modules, cores etc.. i went through the course schedule, but i dont really understand much..

P.S. : sry to dig up old thread =X

Teach you how to be Will Wright

 

[alinawyx]

Teach you how to be Will Wright

i know game designer is one of the career path =o.. i was referring to the modules taught.. i went for an interview, the interviewer told me game designer designs the shape of the game, add in levels, difficulty to make the game more attractive.. but i wanna know more in specific what will be taught.. such as the skills, applications, implementations..

 

[joseyzheng]

Hello, I'm planning to enter DigiPen (gonna apply for BFA), anyone here can give any testimonials about the system and the studying experience there? Any kind of information about its pros and cons would help a lot for me.

 

[xiaobaizhu]

Anybody enrolled under SIT in the BAGD course? Have time to share your experience in the course

 

[drnlwj]

I've applied for Digipen BFA programme, does anyone knows?

1) rough estimate cost of Digipen's BFA full programme?
(It states S$9,830 for AY2011/2012, but thats for only an academic year)

2) Course duration of the programme?
(Semesters per year? Entire duration of programme)

Your replies would be greatly much appreciated! thank you!

 

[puppeteer7]

Digipen Singapore acceptance rate

how good one must be to be accepted into Digipen?

i applied BA in Game Design, BFA in Digital Art and Animation and BSc in Computer Science and Game Design.

can anyone here show me roughly how well one must be to be accepted into Digipen? drawing skill, essays, academic results etc etc..

thank you very much in advance!

 

[shock8]

BS in Computer Science and Game Design

Hello ! sorry to bump thread, any seniors currently in BS in Computer Science and Game Design or is anyone starting sch this year too?? Mind sharing to me how is the course like? Thank you!

 

[wargoku]

How come I call 6592 1136 nobody pick up the phone?

Isn't it the admission hotline?

 

[iridiot]

Hello ! sorry to bump thread, any seniors currently in BS in Computer Science and Game Design or is anyone starting sch this year too?? Mind sharing to me how is the course like? Thank you!

I am starting BSGD this year too.

 

[iridiot]

Anyone here have personal experience with Digipen's RTIS Degree Program? : gamedev

any thoughts anyone ?

 

[Pointytoed_koala]

Sorry to hijack the thread but I was looking for something else, came across this and thought I'd share a bit.

To any of you at Digipen and who're looking to enter the games industry, whatever your grades and whatever you're studying, make the best use of your time to bulk up your portfolio, you'll need it. If there's any chance at work experience, grab it. All of that would be heaps more important than the grades you'll be getting.

 

[iridiot]

Sorry to hijack the thread but I was looking for something else, came across this and thought I'd share a bit.

To any of you at Digipen and who're looking to enter the games industry, whatever your grades and whatever you're studying, make the best use of your time to bulk up your portfolio, you'll need it. If there's any chance at work experience, grab it. All of that would be heaps more important than the grades you'll be getting.

So , you think that the portfolio is the most important thing ?

 

[Pointytoed_koala]

Well, look up job sites and look at what requirements for what you want to do usually states. That's probably the best way to get a gauge of what you need. I'm assuming you would get a degree at the end of it so qualifications aren't a problem. Regardless you'll realise that a lot of game developers around aren't degree holders.

Another way to think of it is this and I hope you guys realise how small an industry gaming is locally and have alternative plans if this doesn't pan out. Hiring people are people too and if you have something visual that stands out, people will take notice. Not all jobs go on job sites and in fact, very few do. Say you meet someone at an industry event and you have something kickass to show. You'll be remembered way better than a piece of paper.