Ex’pression College for Digital Arts

If you are interested in the animation, or game art design programs, don’t do it. Just don’t. Incompetent staff, incredibly expensive, Save yourself $ 80k and check out Gnomon and digital tutors.
«But their placement rates are high!» you say? Recent graduates are encouraged to take the first job offered (by their woefully inert career services department) almost always outside of their chosen field of study and frequently no more than $ 2 above minimum wage. There they languish in an eternal cycle of barely making enough to pay off student loans
«But the people seem so nice at the open house!» you say? Yea, they may be nice, but think back on their vacant stare and realize the representative knows nothing about what they are telling you. One adviser literally asked «Are these Dells, or are they PC’s?» while giving a tour, trying to glean what little leverage she could over her new preys pocketbook and starry eyed naïveté.
Don’t.
Do.
It.

This digtal art school did take money two times from me, and I can not get in I wAnt cash back for both times .I had for a application fee 2005 $ 100 and 2015 $ 60. .
I did pay cash. Why can’t It have. The money back, I thought what. a super cheap ass school. Stealing application money from me.

Before I wrote this review I read others. My nephew graduated from this school but he has since passed away. My advice to you, is be VERY careful if you take student loans with them. Make sure the loans have a feature that permits them to be forgiven should anything serious happen. My nephew was saddled with exhorbitant student loan debt and now his mother is paying those loans.
Let me say initially, that my nephew very much enjoyed the school. He met wonderful friends and was learning material that he loved. But I don’t know that the school gave everything it promised.
My nephew was very bitter after he graduated. He did extremely well at school but found he was competing with his teachers for jobs once he graduated. That job was the only one «suggested» by the school. Jobs in his area were very few and far between and the school did not have a placement program at all. Remember they are touting this school as a technical school, one that supports digital industries.
I remember some of his complaints. For example, the classes were scheduled so strangely that he was unable to work part time to supplement his income. As a consequence, he continued to take out loans for living expenses.
The school was not helpful with obtaining his undergraduate class completions from another school. As a consequence, he retook and paid for classes that he had already completed at an out of state college.
I don’t think most people are savvy about the financial end of college until after they are saddled with loans and no credible job. My advice… be very wary. I tend to agree with some of the reviewers, this school might be more of a business than a preparatory
educator.

Nearer to grad date, what did i say, the average pay scale of jobs, I’ve interviewed for 65−135k, interviewing for project management at an AV company tomorrow, It prepared me for electronic jobs most can’t pass, Loans minimized to about 30k and pursuing masters next year… don’t let people fool you, you can get a masters degree after the school. Cal State east bay… here I come. Exposed to so much multimedia i found i was interested if not above average at a lot of things not Audio related that was the best feeling.

Ex’pression was such a great experience for me! It gave me the confidence to step into any job position and know what I’m doing or figure out what I’m doing quickly.
I also developed a great network of awesome friends and professionals that I am still in touch with today. Here are a few tips.
1. Get to know your instructors and staff: They are all accomplished pro’s in their respective fields and you can learn a lot.
2. Participate: Get involved in every program that you hear of. Take full advantage of the networking opportunities that are presented. This is part of what you are paying for when going to this school, and they are opportunities that most people in our industries would kill for.
3. Get in the studio: Book as much time as you can in the studio. Use up all your hours and then some. The more comfortable you can get with your gear and the more mistakes you make in a learning environment, the more prepared you will be in the real world.
4. Communicate with your career advisors: Keep them in the loop and stay in contact with them as much as possible. If they know you and what you are looking for, they can recommend the best jobs for you and also put in a good word.
5. Don’t limit yourself: You can’t have the attitude that you only came to this school for one thing, and that’s all your going to pay attention to. For example, if you are a studio guy, you should still pay attention during Live Sound classes and Game Design, etc. You never know what opportunity will be presented to you after graduating so you need to have a well-​rounded skill set.
6. Take all the work you can get: After you graduate, all the zeros on your loan can be pretty intimidating. Work as much as you can. I was working 2 jobs after graduating plus volunteering at a third one. The volunteer job I did turned out to be a paid gig. You will have to work extremely hard, but if you are not willing to do that, a creative industry is probably not for you anyways.
Ex’pression was such a great experience for me, and if you follow the steps above and create some of your own, it will be an unforgettable experience for you too!

I’m currently a Motion Graphic Student and I’m actually graduating in 7 months. I think it’s important for me to say that I really enjoyed my journey here at Ex’pression. I’m a self-​taught graphic designer that wanted to pursue so much more. This college allowed me to hone my skills and challenge me to become a better artist.
The program is accelerated and intense. At the same time, it’s trains you to be able to work under pressure and produce projects that. I can say that the school allowed me to be able to develop great relationship with students and staff. So I feel like I have a community.
I think it’s important to really weigh your option before going to this college. If you want your education to be spoon fed, then this is probably not a place for you. However, if you’re driven and understand the power of owning your own education then check it out. You’ll get tired and maybe burned out, but you definitely gotta stay positive and know that you gotta make the best of out whatever situation you’re in.

You REALLY need to be committed to attend here.
The alternating schedule, session to session is challenging to manage.
And the hourly requirements on certain days can be VERY demanding.
But the opportunities CAN be awesome, IF you work hard, network with the instructors and give your best.
This program is NOT for slackers.. .

I came here to check out an open house since I am intrigued by the music and entertainment business. The programs they offered were pretty good for the most part. I enjoyed the music studio and how they make sounds for the movies. I was not too fond of the video game and graphic design portions. Over I give the school a B rating.

Do not go to school here. It’s expensive and not worth the price. Their curriculum for Motion Graphics desperately needs to be changed to reflect the current demands in the motion graphics industry today.
For instance, they should drop the classes in web (ISD1 and 2) Flash, InDesign (Magazine class), Music Video 1 & 2, and hopefully they have dropped DVD Studio Pro years ago. Unless you want to be doing user interface (UI/​web design) and want to work as a ‘Visual Designer’, then go to a different school and major in that because a UI/​Web or Visual Designer is also expected in the ‘real world’ to know how to code in HTML and CSS, and design the user interface for mobile [OSes — iOS, Android, BlackBerry, etc.], and very well too, and there are 4 year colleges for this. You’re in the wrong school.
But you’re looking to learn to be a Motion Graphics designer, right? So then this school’s useless general ‘filler’ classes [i.e. the classes above plus ‘Living in the Media’ 1 & 2, ‘Media Sound & Visual’ 1 & 2, ‘Social Media’, ‘Advertising Concept & Strategy’, ‘Concept and Imaging’] should really be replaced by 3dsMax, Nuke, Lightwave, Première, ProTools, Avid, Apple Motion, Modo, Mudbox, Flame, Smoke, advanced classes in C4D to cover Xpresso, ZBrush, sculpting, etc and rendering classes using VRay, Mental Ray (these in addition to the AE, C4D, PSD, AI that they already offer). They should cut the crap in their curriculum and offer classes that really count. Until this happens, my suggestion is to look for a different school for motion graphics, or you will have a hard time competing in the real world for a job when you get out. This coming from an alum.

The bad outweigh the good…
The good.
My experience at Expression was really great. Got into the Sound Arts program around 05. Met allot of people in both the Sound and Visual program. Great place to start networking. If you really apply yourself and put yourself around serious students and not around the ones that fuck around then you will learn a lot of shit in a short period of time. Your there all hours of the day and night and being tardy or absent will go against you. just like the real world. Not only do you learn from the instructors but from the students too.
The bad.
If you didn’t take your GE classes elsewhere then you have to start off at Expression taking GE classes. If I remember it right that’s about 3k+ per class for a 6 week class. And the credit Dont transfer out!
From the start they do everything to help you get in the school no matter your financial situation is. Of course student dont make much but all you needed is a legit cosigner for your loans and your in. I was a year and a half into the program and ran out of funding and was asked to take out another loan. I thought I borrowed enough to finish the program but I guess I was wrong. This time I could not use the first cosigner cause she wasn’t approved anymore. So I got the Boot! In the beginning of the course we were paired off in groups of 6 to make a short film. 5 of us got the boot for the same reason at different times. At this school they start off with a shit load of new students every 6 weeks or so but by graduation there is only about 17 or so graduates. Student drop like flies through the course and I wonder why. Last I checked I owe around 27k and didn’t even finish the course…
Were at a time where school can get in the way of your education and your life.

I graduated out of Ex’pression in 2010 and am doing well for myself. When I say «for myself,» I meant that I did everything without Ex’pression. Let’s just say that once you graduate, this school will care close to none about you. One thing they do is try to keep in contact with you in case you do find a job, and then take credit for your hunt.
Pros:
1) The learning system they have is good. I learned some cool stuff and got to use high end gear. Most of the instructors were really knowledgable and some of them actually cared.
Costs:
1) EXPENSE: When you sign up for a loan, you should know that you are paying a good $ 25-​$ 50k added onto your tuition. This school is not worth it! The program is not accredited so none of your class credits will ever transfer to a real college (city, state, university, or post-​grad schools).
2) TRUTH: You reach the last few classes in the program (close to graduation) and the teachers really lay it thick on how hard the industry will be. This is really a good thing that they do this, but don’t you think this kind of stuff would be useful information at the beginning? Or maybe even before signing a loan?
3) NO PLACEMENT: You graduate, you’re done. Goodbye. In actuality, the school will try to help you find a job. They will try to coordinate with you weekly, because they do care about their «placement percentage.» In my experience, the school found me one gig. I freelanced an event in Oakland, but it was never a position working for a company. I got my $ 150 for the day, the school took credit, and NEVER called me again about job help.
I cannot describe how much of a hassle my life has been after graduating from Ex’pression. After a few years barely making it paycheck to paycheck, I am finally close to paying off my tuition fees. If it wasn’t for my DJ career already being established, I never would have the money to pay my loans.
Now I’m in LA and landing sweet jobs, but I really cannot give ANY credit to Ex’pression. Most jobs now days will TRAIN you exactly what I learned in Ex’pression. So to any prospecting students who want to enroll, be warned!

THIS IS THE SCHOOL FOR ME!
this School is so up to date with all of the technology!
if you love film and digital arts, this is the place for you too
I highly recommend this School
every thing’s clean
every thing’s new
the staff is super friendly
My Goal is the Be in rolled by 2014
Shot Outs To Karen She So Happy Go Lucky! She Rocks!

Just make sure you understand the ENTIRE cost of attending this school. If you’re not upper class, you’ll graduate with some serious debt. I also strongly advise doing your own research on the Music, Game, and Film industries… They are not what you think.
I constantly meet/​interview graduates who are under-​qualified for entry level positions. On the flip-​side of that, I’ve met and worked with graduates who were talented engineers. Just depends on who takes the program seriously; at least from my experience. Be smart and do your own research. Good luck.

I feel duped and deceived.
After taking my first tour in 2006 by Jennifer Grosch (now Arvai) with my parents who cosigned my loans, I decided that this might be a good fit for an aspiring musician and amateur sound engineer like myself. We were assured the school was accredited and that the career «placement» was around 85%. All lies. They even tried to tell me later that they never said that about placement.
I enrolled, met friends and became comfortable in the program. Soon after, when Shiloh (i know) Hobel started showing up in our classes during the market collapse assuring us that we would be fine, I knew something was wrong. What college needs a career developer to come in and assure it’s students? Perhaps this was a plea to maintain her paycheck?
I quickly became frustrated with the program as I saw many of my associates being kicked out of school. You’d expect people to get kicked out for poor grades or probation, no, my friends were let go because their funding ran out. Where the school bent over backwards to make sure you qualify for any type of loan out there, they left more than one of my friends to rot ONE TERM AWAY FROM COMPLETION with a swift kick in the ass.
I got bitter. I organized a protest called «where’s my job.» I got potential media coverage, and I spoke out on facebook, like a angsty college kid. I said something along the lines of… «decent school? yea right, Shiloh, you can S my D.»
And you know what happened? Apparently they were keeping track and spying on my profiles because I was called into the office, and sure enough Big Shiloh had print outs and threatened that if I didn’t write a formal apology, she was going to call my parents and humiliate me. Also she said she could «squash me» in this industry if she wanted to. Great way to develop PR with your enrolled students, huh?
Fortunately the former president, Spencer N, had enough common sense to tell her to calm down, that I was just a student venting valid frustrations. I reluctantly wrote the apology letter but my experience at the school was never the same.
The school is responsible for letting so many people I know down. It’s inflating the population on a crumbled industry and expanding as such. These guys buy likes and positive comments online and I can’t just sit here and watch all my friends in the industry work so hard for nothing, just to validate their choice in a school. I understand we all chose to complete this program, but there is also a lot of fault at the wool that was dragged over our eyes. The avg salary information they fed us was false. The placement info was false. The education? outdated and clunky.
I, as well as many I know, am sorely disappointed with the education. I am glad to have met the people I did and during the time I was enrolled, the teachers were great. However, don’t see this as the light to my story, as many of them have since departed including the former president I had mentioned earlier.
I made my own jobs in the industry and the school even tried to claim that. I remember on my exit interview hearing from my counselor, Georgina, that I had to report any jobs I get to the school, even if they were not responsible. I assumed this is how they get their «placement» numbers. I couldn’t believe this so I brought it up to Shiloh. Georgina looked bereft and said she had never mentioned this to me, right in front of me. I could not believe my ears.
This school was a let down. I chose the wrong industry. My fault. Fortunately I’m making four times what I ever made in audio by breaking concrete. And I actually have a chance towards retirement, lucky me. I hope to see the school shut down in the near future. The school is now just DJ daycare.

The accreditation is bullshit, might as well be worth nothing.
EXPRESSION IS NOT REGIONALLY ACCREDITED!!!
this means if you want to get any sort of degree after at a normal school NONE of your credits will transfer.
I tried to apply for a Post-​Bac at another school after receiving my bachelors at expression because my degree was already not doing anything for me. I received a call basically saying that Expression might as well not be accredited.
Do not go here unless this is your second degree, you will be screwed if you want to enter into a post-​bac or masters program anywhere else!!!

Ex’pression College for Digital Arts is helping me satiate my obsession with Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and because they have graciously allowed use of their screening room twice a month for those of us who love the show to watch some episodes, they get four stars from me.
Since I’m not a student, I can’t rate them on their school, but as a former filmmaker, their screening facilities are top-​notch. Great sound/​picture quality and an inviting environment. If I were going to hold a screening of any kind in the East Bay area, it would likely be at Ex’pression.

Ex’pression College for Digital Arts is not a school for people with weak work habits. If you decide to come here expect to put in more hours than the 8 hour classes you may have. If you don’t get involved in networking clubs and school clubs and check the student website for opportunities don’t cry about not having opportunities while in school. Be happy that you had the opportunity to get an education instead of crying because you wasted your time, because you didn’t take advantage of all the resources that were in front of your face.

Biggest Mistake of my life. :(
I graduated from the Sound Arts program in 2007 with their Bachelor Degree. I attended Ex’pression right out of high school, while my other HS classmates went to Junior Colleges, and 4-​year universities. I was 17 at the time, and I signed my life away for a $ 60,000 loan to attend Ex’pression.
It’s now 3 years after graduating from Ex’pression, and I am not working in Audio, or the Music Business at all. Why? Because those jobs don’t pay! In an industry where large studios are becoming obsolete and going out of business left-​and-​right, they cannot and will not pay you a livable wage. Most of the places are looking for «interns only», which means they pay literally nothing, and you can only take that «job» if you are in school.
Sure, there are a few audio jobs out there that pay, but is it enough to make payments on that $ 60k+ school loan?! NOPE! Especially when you’ve got all of your other normal living expenses. (House, car, insurance, gas, utilities, etc!) The outlook of this overcrowded industry seems to be «if you’re not willing to take minimum wage or work for free, there are plenty of other people who are». (Even if you are willing to take min. wage, you’ll still have a hard time due to the enormous amount of people trying to get into this industry.) You can literally make more working in Fast Food without going to Expression! That’s just not acceptable after you’ve paid $ 60k, and studied for 3+ years, and I’m sure many other people would agree.
Which leads me to my next point: This school is WAY overpriced! Even when I attended it was about $ 60,000 for the Bachelor Degree which is ridiculous, but now I hear it’s much more than that. And why? It’s not like you’re becoming a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. Those are degrees that come with valuable skill-​sets in the eyes of the world. The eyes of the world are important, because that’s how you make money! This audio engineering degree does not offer anything valuable to the world outside of audio, and even IN audio it doesn’t mean much because you are so expendable thus you carry very little value. Which leads me to my final point…
My final point is that credits from this Bachelor Degree from Expression «College» are not transferable to any other college or university. Which makes me start to question the merits and validity of this degree. After 3.5 years of my life, and $ 60,000 of tuition, (plus gas, bridge toll, and parking permits, etc), you’re telling me that NONE of this counts for ANYTHING?! All I wanted to do was use my General Education credits from Expression and apply them towards a transfer to an actual 4-​year college to get a degree in something else, something valuable and livable! Well, as it turns out… I am unable to do this. I will actually have to start from square one. Thanks Ex’pression!
Attending Ex’pression College was the biggest mistake of my life. It is such a paramount mistake that it makes me sick to think about. I wasted all of that time and money, and now I basically have nothing to show for it. Things are easier right out of high school, you’ve got less bills and less responsibility. Now it’s been 6 years since High School and things have changed a lot. I’ve got WAY more responsibility, and a full-​time job to go along with it. Going back to get a usable Bachelor Degree when you’ve got a household to take care of and a full time job is an extremely daunting task. (Especially when you’re forced to start at square one, because Ex’pression didn’t count!) Sure, it can be done, but it’s not just a 4 – 5 year process now. Double that, because 4 – 5 years is only if you go full time.
I hope my story can help save others from doing the same thing. Don’t throw away those years, and don’t throw away the money. Now every month I am essentially throwing $ 1,000 down the toilet, because that’s my school loan payment, which means nothing to me because I don’t even work in Audio! Take it from me, you’ll be better off 5 – 10 years down the line if you go to a legitimate Junior College or 4-​year University.
Note: This review applies for the Sound Arts program only. I don’t know anything about the Animation or other programs. It sounds like there are better opportunities for those graduates, though Ex’pression still remains a very expensive option, and should you decide to change careers down the road, your degree will count for nothing.
Note: If you are okay with making less than Fast Food or Walmart employees when you get out of school, then this review does not apply to you.
–David

I came into this guns blazing to kill them on their Kid’s Birthday Parties bc there was no indication wtf building I was supposed to go in, where the bathrooms were (important for a 4.5 year old) and why I can’t get back in the building after the Party Host said «Sure, take some time away, we got your kids!»
Until I realized, umm, this is not what they do. At all. Not even close. But yet, it just so happened that’s exactly why me and my two kids were here today. Still, not Ex’pression’s fault. Since this isn’t what they do. At all.
Tail between my legs.
A classmate of Cinzia apparently has *people* who know *people* who were able to secure a sound room here for her 6^th birthday party, themed, of course, «Rock n’ Roll Birthday.» Serious sound equipment, stage, stage lighting, and other things I won’t try to name accurately were the most awesome setting for a birthday party — the kids all thought they were rockstars from the minute they got there.
Ex’pression should consider this as a sure money maker, and really, something that gets their name out there. Afterall, I hadn’t heard of them until I got the invitation for this party. Obviously.

Ex’pression has a great recording studio deal for budding bands. Basically, you get 2 free days of recording for Free! Yes Free!
Students supervised and assisted by the professors give you 16 hours of recording time which is plenty enough to cut a demo or whatever you need.
I spent 5 hours here today and we cut 10 songs. Everyone involved was great, into the process and the studios are top notch. Meyer sound with Neve boards. For Free?
Amazing…