2D heavier Animation Colleges in US

[RyanCO]

What are some good colleges in the US (preferably around North Carolina or New England) that are 2D heavy with 3D specialization the last year or so? Basically, Seneca college but not $12,000 a year and in the US (there is an off chance that I could go there, but probably not due to the cost). I want a college like this because 2D/traditional animation not only builds an extremely sound foundation but it is also totally awesome and fun to make (my animation experience only recently dove into traditional animation). My dream job would be a 2D character animator, but I realize that most of the jobs are in 3D so it seems extremely important to learn it.

Also, I would think that it would be best to go to a fine arts college first for obvious reasons. Is this recommended or would the animation college be all I need to get into the industry?

Oh, and another random question: Would it be better practice to make your own characters and animate them or animate someone else's character? If I do find a 2D job, I would most likely not animate my character so it seems more logical to animate some one else's... and the creator would be pleased.

[yaustar]

Oh, and another random question: Would it be better practice to make your own characters and animate them or animate someone else's character? If I do find a 2D job, I would most likely not animate my character so it seems more logical to animate some one else's... and the creator would be pleased.

This will vary from company to company but you can end up doing both or either. Knowing how to rig and animate your own character and how to work with someone else's setup will be useful.