dude speaking as someone who has dealt with ai and other psueado schools, you will get no where with these programs. anybody who went to ai or smc prove me wrong. in order to break into the field you need a badder then bad ass demo reel or be related to someone who is industry. post a pic and i will be happy to tell you what i mean. any reels of well known characters will and are tossed, it's all about style and what you can offer and not sporting the atypical ai portfolio and give you nothing but debt. to hell with ai and smc if you are 26 and trying to break into the industry you really need something that will make people say "damn" anything else will just be a waste of time.
time factor: if you grad in 3-4 years you will be 29-30 trying toi compete with 19-20 yr olds who will eat you alive, that is a fact, software is a cruel mistress and going against kids raised on this stuff is a very bad idea. save your cash and develop your portfoilio on your own or hook up with people from otis or art center, what they are doing will shock and amaze you...makes ai look like pre-k.