pulpandink

Khromer- I applied to UT-Austin for Printmedia and haven't heard anything-- assuming no news is bad news. Czarina-did you hear from Michigan via phone, email, snail mail, or on your online application?

I applied to Northwestern as well, but haven't heard anything yet. I won't be surprised if I don't get an interview, as I think I'm more practice-based than they are looking for. For fellow University of Michigan applicants...has anyone been contacted for an interview yet?

Thanks for the info, Shebasic!

I am curious if anyone's heard from the SAIC Fibers Department about interviews.

I am thinking Tyler works departmentally. My application status says 'complete, ready for review' and I applied for Fibers.

I think we all just need to keep believing in our art. I'm an artist and my sister is an actress. As two creatives, we deal with rejection time after time. The only way to forge ahead is knowing in your heart that the work you're doing is meaningful. I could end with a Journey quote, but I will stop now.

Are there any current UW-Madison MFA students reading this forum? If so, do you have any thoughts about school culture, funding availability, and program structure? I won't get to visit until the end of March, so I'd appreciate any info people have to offer.

Bandito, as far as I know, each department at SAIC conducts its own interviews. So, I assume that Fibers will contact me if they are interested in interviewing me.

Bandito, as far as I know, each department at SAIC conducts its own interviews. So, I assume that Fibers will contact me if they are interested in interviewing me.

Meese and Bandito, I don't think you have to worry about SAIC/interviews yet. I also applied to the Fibers/Materials department and haven't heard anything yet.

I just got a call for an SAIC Printmedia Interview on 3/2, too! Has anyone been to this all-day event? Does anyone know how many people they interview vs. how many they admit? Also, sent in my electronic transcripts to Indiana and hope that silence means the graduate coordinator got the email.

Indiana contacted me to say that they're missing my transcripts-- I sent them via priority mail at the end of November and received delivery confirmation from the U.S. Post Office-- argh. I had to email them unofficial copies and am going to try to overnight official copies tomorrow, if this Chicago cold spell lets up.

Thanks so much!

I received an acceptance letter from UW-Madison (Printmaking) this morning! They notified me via email-- funding application is separate and due March 1st. I'm floored I heard so early! Sending good thoughts to everyone playing the waiting game.

For fellow Indiana University-Bloomington applicants… has anyone been able to check the status of their application materials? I never received an email with a University ID # and the Graduate School assistant told me to contact the Fine Arts Department Office in order to confirm the receipt of my transcripts. I emailed the Fine Arts Department a little over a week ago and still haven't heard anything.

It's encouraging to hear that people on the forum are being invited to interview--congrats! Only 4 of my schools interview, so it's going to be a long, mostly silent couple of months. I am trying not go completely mad.

Loric-- I employ printmaking, papermaking, encaustic painting, and fibers techniques in my mixed-media work. Most of the programs I applied to seem to welcome interdisciplinary work, even when applicants must chose an area to apply to. Still, I can't help but wonder if my work is not "printmaker-y" or "fiber-y" enough for the schools requiring designation. I guess only time will tell.

I hear you on feeling relieved about being done with the application process, but anxious about the results. I applied to University of Michigan, Indiana-Bloomington (Printmaking), SAIC (Fibers and Printmaking), Tyler (Fibers), University of Wisconsin-Madison (Printmaking), Northwestern, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Texas-Austin (Printmaking), and Columbia College Chicago (Interdisciplinary Book and Paper). I'm worried that my work may not be media-specific enough for the dedicated Printmaking and Fibers programs, since I kind of hover between both areas. At this point, I'm just hoping that I make it far enough in the pool to get an interview at one or two of my schools.

I applied to 9 schools and 10 programs: some required both an Artist's Statement and an SOP/Statement of Intent, some required only an Artist's Statement, a few only wanted an SOP, and one required a "Creative Work Statement" and a" Personal Statement." I created a hybrid Statement/SOP for the schools requiring just an SOP because I felt that it was necessary to describe my practice in some detail, as it will no doubt influence the direction my work will take in graduate school. Whether or not this was a smart choice remains to be seen. Only a few months before the decisions roll in.

I just submitted my last application! 9 schools and 10 programs... hoping that one of them will have me. Now the tortuous waiting game begins...

Thanks, kafrala. I agree that anyone looking at my CV will see my trajectory as a teacher, so I will most likely leave that out of any Statements of Purpose. I've created art in isolation up until the past few years and I worry about my limited exhibition exposure, but that is what it is.

Thank you for the above advice and letter of recommendation insight! Any thoughts about mentioning the desire to teach in a Statement of Purpose/ Intent? I have read arguments on both sides--"yes," because it puts you in the radar for TA positions, and" no," because it may paint you as someone who's more committed to teaching than serious art-making. I have been teaching preschool and children's art classes for the past five years, in addition to leading teacher trainings on art-for-preschoolers. I feel that my teaching practice informs my art-making and vice versa, so I feel it is something I SHOULD mention. However, I don't want to be labeled as strictly an "educator" and not taken seriously during the application process as an artist.

Thanks so much!

Does anyone have any advice for someone in their Mid-30s applying for the 2014 Fall Admissions Cycle? While I have kept my practice current, the only potential recommenders I have are those who have taught summer courses at Ox-Bow and community art classes at LillStreet Art Center in Chicago. I am relatively certain that my undergraduate professors have probably forgotten me and my work today has little resemblance to what I did as an undergraduate Studio Art major (thank God!). If the Ox-Bow and LillStreet folks are unable to provide me with recommendations, I'm not sure where to turn--thoughts? Also, I'm currently looking at UT-Austin, Indiana University, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and UW-Madison. Some of these programs require one to apply to a specific area, but my current work doesn't really fall into one particular category, though I feel it is most closely aligned with Printmaking (I create marbled paper collages, marbled canvas pieces, and recently have been creating marbled monoprint/ collages using acetate)--I am wondering if it will hurt my chances if apply to Printmaking departments, because my work doesn't read as print media, per se.