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sylviecerise

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Everything posted by sylviecerise

  1. sylviecerise
    Holy shit, that's really awful that they weren't more careful... :\ I don't know any of the painting applicants this year, but as I find out who they are I'll ask around for you. Really hope that it's returned to you!
  2. sylviecerise
    Finally got my financial aid letter for Yale! Wanted to give an update because there are so few accounts of Yale's aid on the board & also want to destress a little. I ended up getting quite a lot less than expected—24k for this year in scholarship + work study. My parent's financial contribution number was way higher than I thought it would be. I felt pretty panicked at first, but I have been reminding myself that in the scheme of MFA programs, 24k is a relatively high offer. I'm really lucky that my mum is able to help out some (though she can't meet the number Yale gave by a mile) and my partner is also going to provide some financial support. After some spreadsheets of calculating living expenses, how much I can save in the next 4 months by moving out of my studio early, taking into consideration their support, etc, the number is a lot less scary. Supposedly the 2nd year awards are better, though I'll have burnt through my savings by that point. Hopefully I will be able to only take out 20k for the two years. I feel uncomfortable and a little ashamed to ask my loved ones to help me get a degree that might not pay itself off. :\ It can feel indulgent. The prospect of floundering as an artist after receiving that generosity is scarier than paying $400-500/month for ten years after graduation. Still, I know that Yale will both personally give me the best chance to succeed & the best environment to push my practice—I just need to take the leap. Sorry for a bit of a directionless rant, I wanted to get it off my chest & I'm sure there are others going through similar things.
  3. sylviecerise
    I've been in contact with David—I applied for a non-custodial parent CSS form waiver, they're just taking forever to process it. ~__~
  4. sylviecerise
    To also add another dimension: some of these people may have been waiting on financial aid packages / other schools' results. I still haven't heard back from Yale with my financial aid package, and I know of others who are in similar situations with other schools. I don't think it's productive to say it's as simple as knowing what you want & picking a single school that you are sure is perfect for you. There are so many variables that's it's impossible to pick a program that meets 100% of your needs; even 75% of your needs is pretty tough. Understanding of MFA programs also changes over time. If I had chosen one school to apply to a year ago it probably would have been Tyler. Six months ago, it would have been Rutgers. Two months ago, it would have been Yale. As I collected more and more information, my attachment to programs pretty wildly fluctuated. There are certain things that are impossible to find out about a school without going through the whole application process. I'd love a system where schools are completely transparent about what their programs are like, but as it is now it's a bit of a courtship dance between the program & applicant. Hoping that you get off the waitlist!!
  5. sylviecerise
    For sure!!! I just got mine today as well—I'm really impressed they put so much time into it. It's really generous of their faculty. And the way they wrote the critiques was really positive, but specific enough to feel helpful & meaningful. The feedback they gave me focused on my work, but a lot of what they talked about felt very directed by my artist statement. They mentioned an essay (Cyborg Manifesto) and several artists (all very canonical) which they felt were relevant to my work.
  6. sylviecerise
    Yup looks like Tyler decisions are up on the portal. Did indeed end up only getting into Yale. ?
  7. sylviecerise
    So ... what's the over-under for Tyler releasing decisions by the end of this week? ?
  8. sylviecerise
    SAIC is lucky to have you!!!!! You're going to love living in Chicago!
  9. sylviecerise
    Congratulations!!!
  10. sylviecerise
    Your work is already ? ? ? some awesome school is going to be lucky to have you whenever you reapply!!
  11. sylviecerise
    Damn, that's surprising about UCLA—always thought they had good funding. Guess things might have changed this year. :\ You're gonna dominate whatever scene you go into!!! Columbia vs SAIC with full ride is a seriously tough choice, but you're have an incredible experience either way!
  12. sylviecerise
    Haha, just as I was typing a response I got a similar email; though it didn't have that line about the merits of the application & didn't mention formal diversity. Based on what current students said I'm guessing that it's definitely based on demographics & type of work. But my guess would be that there's some sort of ranking within mediums. Yale aid letters are supposed to come out this week. Assuming it's not terrible, I'll be declining my waitlist spot for Rutgers. Really really hope a spot opens up for you!!! Based on the language of your email, I would guess you are a top pick on the waitlist.
  13. sylviecerise
    Got an email this morning from Rutgers asking for my transcript so that I can be placed on the official waitlist. Was kind of weird, it made it seem as though they had already informed me that I had been waitlisted. And someone from Mason Gross admissions told me in January that they had my transcript. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Ah well, luckily my undergrad lets us send out transcripts for free ...
  14. sylviecerise
    Hey, I know a bunch of people (particuarilly those who didn't come from a BFA program) have talked about the difficulties of getting feedback on your work outside of academia. Vermont College of Fine Arts is offering a free portfolio review for any artist. It's probably honestly marketing for their MFA program, but their faculty list seems solid & it's quite rare that artists/schools are this generous with providing critique. Link for anyone who would be interested: http://hyperallergic.com/363379/vcfas-mfa-in-visual-art-offers-free-portfolio-reviews-for-artists/ The deadline is tomorrow.
  15. sylviecerise
    I don't know that much about VCU, but the huge pluses for Tyler would be 1. you have a full ride so absolutely no debt after school 2. Philly has a very vibrant scene of its own 3. Tyler is also super close to NYC. I have a friend (non artist) who is living in Richmond now, and while he says its okay and there is definitely a scene there, it is quite isolated. You're close to DC and Baltimore, but the former isn't really an arts town and the latter I imagine is dominated by MICA. So my 0.02 cents is on Tyler! But you should visit both schools if you can to decide what each has to offer you in terms of pedagogy & other things that are important to you.
  16. sylviecerise
    Congratulations!!!
  17. sylviecerise
    It seems like in years past, they have mailed out hard copies of rejection letters. Not sure how they notify acceptances though (guessing email?)
  18. sylviecerise
    The letter said that we'd hear back about financial aid within the next two weeks and need to matriculate by April 10. Fingers crossed for you!!!! ?
  19. sylviecerise
    Yay, congratulations @Poodle-Doodle @Causofit @peanutbutterjelly and @Dreaminghigh !!!!!!!! Btw Tyler people: I got a not-very-helpful response that graduate departments are still reviewing applications and we should hear back "soon." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  20. sylviecerise
    Just sent it to you! Rutgers and SUNY Purchase both have really strong teaching positions. For Rutgers, you shadow a professor first semester and then are assigned 2-3 teaching positions throughout the 2 years. You're not TA'ing; you're teaching the undergrads directly. They give you a rough syllabus to follow, but it gives you very very strong teaching experience. It also pays really well as Rutgers has a very strong adjunct & grad student union. Their teaching positions pay the best in the country ($7k/course). If I remember correctly, Purchase has you take a pedagogy class your first semester and then you also start to teach undergrads. UChicago has its MFAs TA courses. Almost everyone gets a teaching fellowship at the end of the MFA program, though it's not guaranteed. You could be assigned fall, winter, or spring quarter of the year after you graduate, which means you have to figure out what to do in between.
  21. sylviecerise
    Yeah, I'm 99.99999% sure I'm going to Yale (just waiting on aid to officially matriculate), mostly figured I don't mind being the person to shake their admissions for some concrete dates And on less serious notes—I want to know if I get rejected from everywhere but Yale bc that would be pretty amusing & showcase how getting into school a doesn't guarantee you get into schools b and c. And my partner's name is Tyler and I'm at the emotional point now where I'm ready to crack "you rejected me!!!!" jokes. Rutgers is supposedly similar—they accept people as late as May.
  22. sylviecerise
    Hey Chris!! Right off the bat some programs that might be a good fit for you: UChicago, Northwestern, Rutgers, UCI, UMichigan. For that sort of direct attention, you would likely be best served in a smaller program. Do you want to be having a painting-focused discourse? Or do you want something interdisciplinary? The programs I listed above all are small (12-30 students) & interdisciplinary. UChicago, Northwestern, UMich, and UCI lets you take classes outside the school of art; UCI has sort of theory "minors" that you can do. Yale—not interdisciplinary—also has you take classes outside of art. The process I went through to research schools was deciding upon a list of priorities for my ideal program—interdisciplinary or a sculpture program with the openness to experiment in other media, not huge, a good sense of community within students, close to either NYC or LA, good funding, large studios. Be honest with yourself for what environment is best for you. Know that you will likely stay in the area where you get your MFA bc that is where your connections will be built. Reading through past freak out forums was really helpful in starting to build a list of schools. I put down some that didn't necessarily match my list at first. From that list, I picked 10 to focus on. Most schools are quite open about you talking to current students about their experiences; reach out to the school's department coordinator & see if you can do a phone call with a student. The people I talked to were all very honest and told me both the ups & downs of their school. Visit if you can!!! This is absolutely the best way to get a sense of what the program is like. Obviously it is cost prohibitive, but it might save you money in the end by culling your list. There were some programs I visited & instantly knew I'd be unhappy with. There were others that I wasn't certain about initially that I fell in love with. It also helped me enormously in writing my statements. Try to not just get facetime with faculty & staff—hang out with the students. Sit in a class if you can. Open houses generally aren't the best way to see the program, so I'd email ahead and see if you can schedule time outside the open house. I still have a google doc saved with my initial list—I'm happy to PM it to you if you'd like.
  23. sylviecerise
    @leekrasner @wompwompwomp I haven't heard back from sculpture either. Just emailed them asking about both painting & sculpture; will post here when I hear back!
  24. sylviecerise
    You in the MFA game:
  25. sylviecerise
    Wow, that is seriously remarkable!!!! Definitely going to have to check this book out—it is such a confusing world and reading the varied experiences others is so helpful. Thank you for the recommendation!!
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