For developing skills on the 3D side, some programs you might consider familiarizing yourself are Autodesk Maya, Adobe Photoshop, and perhaps Zbrush. All Autodesk programs may be downloaded for free as a student license on the Autodesk website. Photoshop, along with all other Adobe Products, may be purchased at a monthly discounted student rate via Adobe Creative Cloud. However, out of all the programs one can learn before entering the program, Photoshop and Maya will get you the furthest, and we recommend you stick to those at first. There are plenty of tutorials, forums, and videos available on the internet for pretty much anything you would want to do in either Photoshop or Maya, and physically being in the animation lab to ask other students for help will be extremely useful for you. If you are interested, Pluralsight is a tutorial database that has great, in-depth tutorial videos on nearly every topic you would need. Upon entrance to the program, you will receive a Pluralsight account for free provided by the BYU Center For Animation.
For developing skills on the 2D side, we strongly recommend that you practice drawing as much as you can. Gesture drawing, as well as the ability to draw in multiple styles, will be an essential skill no matter what field of animation you choose to pursue. One of the best ways you can improve your drawing skills is by doing style emulations of professional artists in the industry. (Some recommendations include Cory Loftis, Borja Montoro, Maxime Mary, Pierre Alary, Nico Marlet, Claire Wendling, Shiyoon Kim, or any other professional industry artist.) Familiarity with Photoshop and After Effects will also help you immensely as students in the program use these frequently. Storyboard artists and animators also use Toon Boom Storyboard Pro and Toon Boom Harmony, programs which can be accessed in the WCCB animation lab.
