3D schools

[RageCage]

I'm a senior in highschool and I'm trying to figure out what school I need to go to.
I have 3 schools on my list:
-Gnomon
-Dave school
-Fullsail

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My problem is that Gnomon, while it is seemingly perfect, is in Hollywood... and living out there would be hard as hell.

Dave school looks like it could be really good, but they use lightwave. Although they do have some quick maya training for graduates, it seems like it would be a better idea to learn on a program that most studios in the industry use.

Fullsail looks great but from searching discussions on cgtalk.com, the school sucks.

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I've been using 3Dsmax for the past 3 years and I would like to do 3D for a career... can anyone help me out?

-Is it going to be as hard as it seems to like in or around hollywood?

-Does it really matter what software I learn on?

-Is fullsail as bad as some people make it seem

-am I missing anything?