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I'm in RTF, and I've taken both classes the department offers in 2D animation, so hopefully I can help you out.

The first class, Intro to 2D animation, is really simple. You begin with assignments like some drawing exercises to get you acquainted with 1, 2, and 3 point perspective, making a character sheet, animating a single second in Flash, [animating a bouncing ball] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoR2k3B0ifk), [animating a flour sack] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGPtMvIsjMY) (both of these are really standard animation exercises that basically everybody has to do when learning 2D animation). From there you work up to doing a walk cycle, doing lip sync in Flash, and then for your final project you begin with an animatic, and work from there up to a whole minute of conversational video between two characters.

Advanced 2D Animation is meant to be a direct continuation of the content from the Intro class, but I'd say this class is split into two parts: production readiness and the final project. "Production readiness" is my name for it, but basically the professor, Lance Myers, has you do certain assignments in order to acquaint you with the roles different people would have in a normal 2D animation production pipeline. For example, you do key animation, cleanup, assistant animation, and ink & paint. You also learn to read animation charts, and do a basic exercise where you make a character interact with a heavy object. Once you get into the final project portion, it's kind of the process you'd go through if you went to pitch an original short and develop it through production. You begin with a pitch document, with concept sketches, character designs, and the plot you'll include in your final short. From there you make an animatic, and then you'll proceed onto the final short. These are about 1-2 minutes in length, and can vary greatly in quality. With the pitch document, the animatic, and when working on your final project, you'll have the opportunity to get Lance's and your class mates' input on your stuff because you can share as much or as little with the class as you want.

They're good classes, but I'm a bit overambitious with my final projects, and this usually comes back to bite me in the end.

Now, what I don't like about the 2D classes is that you're taught Flash exclusively. In any creative discipline, I like to know what the cutting edge is, and I can tell you that Flash is not it. In Lance's own words, Flash has barely changed in ten years (he sticks with an older version that's basically identical to Adobe Animate CC), and in my research, I haven't run across a single studio using Flash/Animate in large scale 2D animation production in a long time. ToonBoom Harmony is basically the standard for 2D animation software now, and in Europe a number of studios use a piece of software called TVPaint. After Effects is really popular for motion graphics, and likewise DragonFrame is a helpful piece of software to know if you want to do stop-motion. There was one day when Ben Bays, another RTF professor, came and introduced us to DragonFrame, but by and large, we still stick with Flash. I know it might be a question of departmental resources, but I wish we could get our hands on some other software so we could use what professionals are actually using.

Also, I wish we had a chance to do real, traditional, hand-drawn animation on paper. Throughout both courses, all the animation we did was in software, and the only time someone did hand-drawn was because they decided to do it for a portion of their final short. It would have been a cool thing for us all to at least try.

On the whole, though, I think I've got a solid understanding of basically every aspect of 2D animation because of my time in these courses.

I'd REALLY recommend picking up [The Animator's Survival Kit] (https://www.amazon.com/Animators-Survival-Kit-Richard-Williams/dp/0571202284), which serves as the optional textbook for both courses. It's not required, but this really helped me in my animation, both in 2D and in the 3D stuff I'm doing now. It's written by Richard Williams, who is basically the god of 2D animation, who gifted the world with this book so that they could become enlightened (or at least semi-enlightened) animators like him.

Also, another thing to consider is that some of my classmates started the Animators Club this semester, which is a student org devoted just to learning animation and sharing it with one another. They've had two meetings so far, but I'd say definitely look into it. Some of their meetings will even cover basic techniques and exercises for someone trying to get into animation.

Also, if you felt so inclined, you can access the course website for my Intro course [here] (http://intro2danimationfall2016.blogspot.com). It's got all the lectures up there for you to view if you wanted.

I hope this helps. If you want to talk about it more either online or in person just PM me. Cheers!

My credentials: Exactly 1 year ago, I was in your position. I transferred into UTCS for Fall 2016. I think I wrote great essays.
Here is my advice:
Topic A:
-The first paragraph comes off as a bit pretentious. I get what you are trying to say, but telling the admissions people that you are the best of the best isn’t going to help you.
-I noticed on your GitHub that you made a flappy bird clone meant to be used with NEAT. I assume you are familiar with the professors who developed NEAT, so mention it. Find a way to tell the admissions people that you are familiar with certain professors’ work. Mention them and their papers by name. The whole point of this essay is to show why you want to be here, and being specific on this will show it.
-Read this guide about what to put in your statement of purpose. I used it and I think it worked well for me.
Topic C:
This one is a bit harder because you can take this essay in many different directions. For my essay, I wrote a personal statement that had absolutely nothing to do with computer science or academics at all. It was a story about me that was so personal that I didn’t show it to anyone, not even my parents. I've talked to others in CS about this, and their essay topics vary wildly. The point is that you can be a bit riskier with this one. If I were you I would leave all the CS credentials for the statement of purpose, and be bold with Topic C. Then again, your background is pretty impressive so what you have done might be good enough. If you are interested, I cannot recommend this book enough. Seriously, this book enabled me to write a powerful Topic C.
Topic E:
-Leave out: “(confirmation bias)”. These people read a lot, you know.
Conclusion:
Overall, pretty decent. Make sure to proofread. I saw plenty of areas where there should have been a comma or the sentence structure was strange. That isn’t as important as the substance though. Feel free to ask any other questions.

I am fortunate enough to say that I was accepted to transfer to UT CS for Fall 2016 as a sophomore. I think the two biggest things that got me in were my grades and my essays.



I had a 4.0 at my previous institution, which is another 4-year university in Texas, and that included several technical classes like Calculus, Physics, CS, etc. Keep in mind UT is very focused on making sure you graduate on time and getting the hell out to make room for others so take classes that would fill in your degree plan if you were to get accepted. CS 312 transfers pretty easily but UT may want you to take other core CS classes at UT, so maybe focus on basics like Calculus. [Sample Degree Plan]



As for my essays, I spent several weeks writing those and I put an enormous amount of time and attention into them. I was constantly browsing the internet for tips and advice about how to write each one. I even read a whole book just to help me with the personal statement essay [book]. Here is another link to get you started with the statement of purpose.
Note: Do not BS college essays. I meant every word of my essays, and it showed.


I was involved in a couple organizations. UT likes diversity so maybe consider something that will make you look more dynamic. I didn't have much community service, but it definitely won't hurt.



Overall the most important thing you can do is get a 4.0 or as close to it as possible. You must demonstrate that you can succeed in a college environment. The second most important thing you need to do is write the best essays you have ever written. Start early, take your time, do your research. Good luck.

I hear you. Remember, though, that a gun is a tool like any other, and there are only certain situations it can help you out of.*

The single most important and effective defense mechanism to keep you safe is your brain. Your behaviors, your situational awareness, and your body language all contribute to your likelihood of making yourself a target. Some things are obvious—don't walk alone at night; favor well-lit, busy areas; don't walk while using a phone or while using headphones—but there are plenty of smaller, subtler actions you can take that add up to you being more challenging prey.

Some examples:

• Have your house keys in hand before you get out of the car to minimize the amount of time you're outside and distracted.
  
• Develop good relationships with your neighbors and learn their habits and patterns (they'll look out for you, and you'll notice more quickly when something's out of place).
  
• Walk confidently and acknowledge other people without staring.
  
• Whenever entering a new environment, learn to quickly get the lay of the land: What kind of people are here? Where are the exits? What obstacles would I encounter if I had to get out or take shelter?
  
  The most essential thing you can do to protect yourself—and your friends, and your girlfriend, and your family, and whomever—is cultivate an incredibly strong sense of situational awareness. When you can see and feel what is happening around you, when you notice subtle shifts in behavior, when the energy in a room suddenly changes, you can anticipate things and react before they happen. That's how you save yourself from bad situations: by not getting into them in the first place. Train your gut and listen to it. If the current situation feels bad, get out. Worst case is you're wrong, but you're no longer suffering in a situation that feels uncomfortable; best case is your gut was right and that you're not dead.
  
  There's a whole host of interesting books—many written in response to lessons learned after almost two decades of combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan—that can help you develop that mindset.
  
  *Side note: there are other tools you can use, too, to make yourself a more difficult target. My favorite is a really bright flashlight. Few criminals want to be easily identified, and getting a face full of bright, white light is a big (and painful) deterrent, especially at night. There are even some—like the Surefire E1D and E2D—that have serrations to make them more effective for striking. I carry a Surefire EB1 in my pocket and a G2X LE in my bag every day. You wouldn't believe how handy a flashlight is day-to-day ("shit, dropped my phone under the car seat again"), and having the ability to check a dark alley or the space between my car and the one next to mine is great for maintaining that situational awareness.

How cheap? You can buy a mattress on Amazon for $189. They're pretty great and comfortable! Plus, they're super fun to open because they come in a tube and then expand magically.

Best way to maximize the space is to deck the bed on the highest level and put the desk and dresser underneath. If you are short, you might want a storage trunk or maybe a storage ottoman (double duty as storage and seating) at the bottom of the bed to help climb up.

The shelf on the top of the closet has a lot of vertical space so you can use that by stacking plastic tubs maybe with things you use less often? For example, if you bring winter clothes in August, put them in a plastic tub on that shelf and stack them up high.

We tried to use one of those closet rod extenders that hangs down from the top rod (like these: https://www.amazon.com/DecoBros-Adjustable-Hanging-Closet-Chrome/dp/B00HLSWPWU/ref=sr_1_8?crid=1G3Z725Q7LBV4&keywords=closet+rod+extender&qid=1564489544&s=gateway&sprefix=closet+rod+ex%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-8) BUT it did not work. The vertical spacing overall was too short and the clothes at the top hit the lower rod.

On the clothes: you really should pare down what you bring. The more you bring in, the more you will have to bring out. Are you really going to wear all of the things you want to bring or are you going to end up like most students in the "student wardrobe" of shorts/sweats and the free t-shirts you will accumulate.

We waited until we moved in to make "decisions" about what other things to buy and then made a run to Target (not the one on campus) to pick up things like command hooks, storage do-dads, etc.

Hey I am a CS major who is graduating May 2015 and honestly I can tell you not to worry and dont feel rushed in taking as many hours as possible. Now that I am entering my last year I feel I rushed through classes so fast trying to take as many as possible that I didnt get as much as I should have from them. I couldnt devote more time to them since I had other classes to worry about and it reflected on my grade by getting a B instead of an A. So take your time, find whats right for you and go with it.

312 is all about basic Java. So you learn for loops, if statements, classes, polymorphism, and other stuff. I had no prier experience with programming till I took that class and I got an A in it without working to much. If you want to work on your java, go to sites like http://codingbat.com/ and go through all the java exercises. Those were homeworks I had when I took 312.

If you want to get ahead of your class learn C!! Seriously after 312 and 314(data structure) you will be programming a lot in C (and while your at it learn c++ as well). I recommend writing all the programs you did in java in C. This book is an excellent source to learn C

Finally I recommend reading these two articles 1 2 They were assigned to me in a previous class and I wish I had read them as a freshman.

TLDR: Dont worry, find the right pace for you and check out the links I supplied as they can give you more information.

There's a common saying that if you read 3 books on a topic, you will know more about it than ~ 99% of people. I recommend starting with I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Despite its corny name, this is a fantastic intro to personal finance for beginners. A more advanced and in-depth book would be something like Wealth by Virtue which I plan to read soon because people have been singing praises about this book. There's a million books out there about stuff like this and if you just read a few, you will be lightyears ahead of everyone else.

One day I had to get to campus fairly early to print something out before a morning class. I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty hungover that day so I was definitely glad that it was somewhat quiet and empty, however that changed suddenly when I heard several people yelling "whippee!" and other things which sounded like something from those Super Mario games.

​

So I look over, and there are 4-5 people on those larger adult tricycle things where you're pretty much sitting down really low to the ground racing down speedway. Each one had 3 balloons attached to the back, with each cyclist having a different color. I also realized that they the cyclist of the red balloon tricycle had a red hat, and one of the other drivers who had the green balloons had a green hat on. And that's when it dawned on me:

​

They were playing live action Mario Kart.

​

It was like some hybrid between a race and the balloon battle mode. I only caught a short glimpse of them as they were actually hauling ass, but I believe that "Mario", "Luigi", and "Princess Peach" were in the race for sure, and I swear that someone was wearing one of those rubber lizard masks that cover your entire head, so "Yoshi" may have also been involved.

​

I'm usually on campus fairly early now, though I haven't seen the Mario Kart club since then, but you can't make this shit up. I'm a little hazy on which semester it was (due to it being early and me being hungover), but it was either spring 2018 or summer 2018. So yeah, that was the weirdest thing I've ever seen on Speedway.

​

edit:

I just realized why they chose Speedway as the location of the race/battle.

Would something like this be fine: http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-NSCAS-PWB-1L1/dp/B000QSX9EK/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&qid=1343931357&sr=8-24&keywords=ti84
It seems like the best price at the moment.

As someone who has gotten a bike stolen I cannot recommend this u-lock strong enough. I have a pretty expensive road bike, and using two of these has keep me safe ALL this semester. HIGHLY recommend. The only con is that these u locks are heavy--they're built like bricks though. Don't skimp out on the locks--you'll regret it. Also, remember to lock your wheel and frame to the bike stand, and to lock your back wheel to the frame. Sometimes they'll simply take your wheel so don't risk it!

Amazon has some good deals! For simplicity sake you can get a router and modem combo, this one seems pretty okay https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01EO5A3RQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501806538&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=router+and+modem&dpPl=1&dpID=51tRawakrdL&ref=plSrch

I would avoid the cable locks at all costs. U-lock, or a chain. To secure your seat and wheels, this is a good idea. I prefer Pitlocks, but the Zefal is better than nothing. Of course, it doesn't hurt to use a U-lock for the frame, and a cable lock for the wheels... but I've seen more than my share of cable locks cut off near bike racks.

Yeah, just lay the groundwork to get them later.

The book Getting What You Came For will give you a timeline if you're concerned about hitting all of the requisite benchmarks for graduate school applications. Good luck!

CS doesn't require super high specs. I'd recommend an older business-class PC.

Lenovo, HP, Dell. 8gb+ memory, i5 CPU, SSD drive of 200gb or higher. That's all you need. Wipe whatever OS comes on it and setup Windows 7 and Linux in a dual boot config. (or Win 10 if you HAVE to have it)


This would be my choice for an optimal laptop to last many years.

Tell her to watch these videos. The first is a concerto with the clarinet professor, the second has an amazing clarinet solo by a current student in the second movement.

If she is interested in the education program tell her to read Intelligent Music Teaching written by the head of Music Education.

Instead of burning a candle what about one of those “candle heaters”? You put the candle on it and it heats it to the point if releasing the scent but there is no flame

Darice Large Candle Warmer – Candle Plate Safely Releases Scents without a Flame, Keeps Drinks and Soups Warm, 1199-15 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DHQXX2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_oGWVCbMDMRCQX

Go here. Select rent and rent the book. It's something like 20 dollars. Then find the .awz file (kindle file) and pm me a dropbox/google docs link to it. I can send you back a pdf that you can open/read and share freely. Immediately after renting/sending me the .awz file, see if you can refund the rental saying you meant to get the actual book instead or something.

The books they make you use are written by the faculty themselves, which is probably why it's difficult to find because I don't think any other school uses them. Since you asked, I believe this is it but it's been a few years since I've taken that class. The other book is just a workbook used for sketching things by hand, which was painfully tedious.

https://www.amazon.com/Engineering-Computer-Graphics-Workbook-SOLIDWORKS/dp/1630571423

But if you ask me, I wouldn't waste your summer pre-teaching yourself that stuff. The book pretty much tells you step by step how to do everything.

This book is quite good and gives an indepth look into C. The price is pretty steep but I imangine that you could find a PDF somewhere online.