Choosing a Right 3D Animation School
If you go to a top quality and reputable school your chances of getting your foot in the door for an interview increase ten-fold. The recruiters know what is taught at these schools and can assume that you are versed in a lot of things that most other candidates are not, but not always though. It's called framing a scene. Every scene or shot is framed so that it has the maximum impact on the audience in other woods, it tells a compelling story. Yes, you may be able to technically copy something, but without the original there for you to work from, would you be able to paint it on your own? There are a lot of choices to be made...what canvas to use, what medium, what hues, what pose a lot of questions.
Animation Schools and Colleges:
School is very expensive. You can expect to spend about 6K for a crash course in animation as well, but I highly advise against attending such programs for the above-mentioned reasons. You get what you pay for. Private schools such as Ringling, Sheridan, etc. will cost you a lot more than state run schools. They're a bit more picky about who they accept and pride themselves in producing top quality graduates. They not in the business of making sure "X" number of students graduate each year, they have their reputations to uphold...hence the dramatic increase in the quality of the education. You will most likely be paying out of state tuition at one of these schools, but federal aid is available to you at most accredited institutions, so always look into that before you choose school "A" over school "B".
There are no guarantees in this business. It's one part talent and two parts part luck. The old axiom "It's not what you know, but who you know" rings true here. Once you get into the biz, you're over the biggest hump. From then on, you're one of the players who move from one studio to the next, looking for a better job opportunity. But you have to survive that first spring cut to do it. Some people find work but can't keep up with the pace. They end up burning out or getting fired. These companies are looking for the best, and you'll have to stay on top if you want to work for the big boys like ILM, Disney, or Pixar.
Best Animation Schools: a list of the best schools for 2D Animation, 3D Animation and Video Game Design. The following is a list of colleges, universities and tech schools with programs that would help someone in their pursuit of a career in the technical direction of the animation industry or the creative side of animation.
Westwood College Online offers a diverse curriculum that focuses primarily on the chosen degree field and is enhanced by general education courses.
DeVry University DeVry's Game and Simulation Programming curriculum prepares graduates to join the private and public sector game software industry in a variety of software.
ITT Technical Institute can help graduates prepare for career opportunities in a variety of entry-level positions involving the technology associated with the design and development.
The Art Institute Online Graduates are prepared to enter the Game Art and Design field as modelers, storyboard artists, animation artists, 3-D illustrators, digital artists. 
