Software Differences

To the Pros out there

first if I posted this in the wrong place, please let me know and I'll repost it correctly

I'm currently a student, and because I'm part of the Autodesk design community I have over 25 different Autodesk products available to me. however, that seems a tad overwhelming. My difficulty comes in finding the differences between the different softwares. Should I choose 3Ds Max, Maya, or Mudbox? They all seem to do the same thing, but I feel like there is a deeper difference. Some of the programs I have to choose from are:
3ds Max
Maya
Mudbox
Showcase
Sketchbook
3Ds Max Design (different from just 3ds Max?)
Motion Builder

among others. I'm primarily an animator for the annual FIRST Robotics Visualization Challenge (basically, create a 30 sec animation that demonstrates the solution to a given problem, ie use biomimicry to solve a current problem). I'm also interested in pursuing CS as my major, and perhaps going into Film or Game Design.

so the question is basically, what are the differences, which are easier to learn/use, and any other information about the topic you care to share

cheers!
~Devon Peet