Well, no one invited me to art school. My animation teacher taught at the Disney Institute until it closed down at Disney World, and was promoted to administrator at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale for a time, and because I was his best friend at the time, he really wanted me to attend his school instead of the competing schools on my application list. So I did. They had so much faith in my abilities they didn't even look much at my portfolio. Just a little bit.
It was more of an opportunity and offer between friends and allies than an invitation.