I'm planning on moving to California from Houston, Texas this summer in order to attend a film school. I have the full support ($) of my parents and plan on choosing a school this summer. I'm currently visiting family in the Bay Area and decided to check out different schools in the area. I just have a few questions that would really help me decide where to look. Any answers will be appreciated.

What's better? A UC or CSU film school, or a film institute such as Berkeley Digital?

I always leaned toward a UC or CSU, but the problem with that is I have to do two years of community college in order to transfer into one. I currently have 12 credit units that I've done in Texas and I guess the plan would be to spend 3-4 more semesters in a community college, complete 60 credit units and then transfer into a UC or CSU. If attending a film school at one of those colleges is really worth it, I wouldn't have a problem taking two years of basic classes, but I don't want to be stuck in Government and Algebra classes for two years when I can be getting a film education at the same time.

My other option would be go to straight into a film institute like Berkeley Digital, Academy of Art San Francisco or another film institute in Los Angeles.

Which path should I take? If the state college path, which particular school should I look for? Which community college should I attend?

Is the film institute as fulfilling as a state college? Will I get the same quality of education and job opportunities afterwards? If so, which institute should I be looking to attend?

Any help would be greatly appreciated because I'm flipping over backwards trying to figure this all out. Thank you.