Need help choosing a college and degree.

I am very interested in computers and mostly programming. However I have found it very difficult to learn by myself. I was looking into colleges and I have come up with Full Sail looking very very interesting. They over a B.S. in Game Development and their labs and everything look absolutely amazing. This is the exact thing I want to do. However, I was wondering, what is the difference between this degree and one in Computer Science? Which has more of a field to get into (as, which degree would be more easily to get into a career with?). Also, I am a gamer of course, and I want to create games for a living. Full Sail has a 83% success rate with their placement for a B.S. in Game Development and this is amazing. I would love starting as a Junior Programmer and eventually moving up. Full Sail also allows you to go back and further education in that degree if new technology comes along, free of charge. This is amazing. Does this sound like a good college choice?

Have you been to college at all? If not, I strongly recommend taking some courses at your local community college, junior college, or whatever they are called in your area.

Full Sail offers courses in many fun areas, such as recording studio engineering.

You can get the answers yourself, pick a public college that you've heard of, go to their website, and look up the requirements for a Computer Science degree. Nearly every "land grant" university offers Computer Science as a major (land grants are typically "tech" names, such as Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Cal Tech, etc.)

You really need to take all the courses to get a BS or a BA, including the math, English, history, etc.

All IHMO, of course.

Basically from my new understanding, Full Sail is a good school for Game Development, however with the frailty of the positions availible for Game Programmers, it would be better to get a CS Major for something to fall back on.

Now I have a few more questions, Is it still possible to get into the game industry with a CS Major? More or less likely than if I attended Full Sail?

Also, my school (Im a senior this year) just started offering dual enrollment at the local campus (Branch of Penn State) for classes like Calc 2, English 15, Bio 3, stuff like that. Basic freshman college courses. And I get the credits for completing them and the cost is only $325 for three credits. I think this is a great opportunity. However I have some problems with finances.
The last few years in which my father left us with no credit, no home (now renting), and no money. We get no child support or anything, we are basically on our own and I am having a hard time finding something right for me, my grades suffered last year, I still passed every class, but with C's as opposed to A's and B's before. I am going to have to attempt to get grants and scholoarships, not to mention that loans will probably have to cover most of my fees.
So what should I start looking for in financial aid?

On the career angle, you should try to think long-term regarding your degree. Where you came from, the degree, and grades are usually meaningless after your first few years working. However, a non-traditional degree like "Game Programming" will carry a stigma for a while longer. If you decide change paths, it will make it harder without ample experience and impressive results. You'll also find that the majority of those in the gaming industry don't have a gaming degree, since its so new that opinions vary even in that industry.

Academically, you should ideally balance breadth and depth in your subjects. Your education shouldn't stop in college. By this I don't mean you'll "learn more on the job than in school", which could be true, but that school teaches you how to learn. You'll need to continue reading and understanding more complex subjects, which could definately include high-level math for graphics or computer engineering for console development. You may want to consider a traditional degree at a school which allows specialization in gaming related subjects. Also, while a non-accredited school may be good it is a riskier bet.

Financially, I really wish I could offer some good advise. Some schools/districts/states will help cover the bill for college-level courses. There are a lot of opportunities for financial aid for college, but they may only apply to accredited schools. There are also government-backed student loan programs, etc. You could try talking to someone in administrations at your school, at a local university, and perhaps a state agency that handles adult education (they may know programs you could apply for or a better agency to talk with).

You just need to realize that a "Game Programming" degree is risky. That industry is extremely competitive and many wanna-be developers are only offered testing jobs, which they rarely can dig out of. That said, most have (safe) traditional degrees which offer little game-specifc courses and industry connections. It could easily pay off for you to attend that school. Just be aware of the risk, which should make you even more determined and thus more likely to succeed.

I agree with NovaX, getting a Game Programming degree from Full Sail is going to be very risky. The field is extremely competitive. You are not going to be considered with tons of C grades, you need to be top few percent of the class, with glowing recommendations from your faculty, and then you are still likely to be stuck as a tester.

You should get a good degree and try to intern with gaming companies, at least write great games when your class assignments allow. You will need to understand physics, which means getting As in physics courses. You will need to understand animation, 3D visualization, artificial intelligence, etc.

Financial aid is available everywhere. I think you would be much better off going to your local state college, or the in-state school that offers you the best aid package.

I think a degree course in computer science may interest you, that have good scope in IT sectors.