Loric

I got a birthday card from my admissions advisor (who is on my adcom). Weirdest thing EVER. Handwritten too. Gah. Gah?!?!?

I am sitting here bawling after opening my mail. Had an awful day and super stressed out over work - and I've mentioned opening the mail is a stressful experience thanks to the school I want to get into sending me constant "stuff" in the mail but not an accept/reject. Today, it was an innocuous tiny envelope. All their other stuff was ultra glossy or came in a big box from UPS. I said their mailed stuffed stressed me out but this tiny envelope - obviously not marketing or info session material.. But not the normal size of a letter caused me pause. My admissions advisor sent me a birthday card! A hand written birthday card! Gah!?!?!? Who are these people and why are they torturing me?!?!?

I think if we stick to the usual IQ definition (ability to solve problems - any type) then I'd say you'll find highs and lows in all areas. Because in the most prestigious places you find those who do what they're told, rote memorize, and repeat without thought or consideration. You can also find those who do think though. One thing I've always noticed is the relationship of IQ to trouble/struggle/unhappiness. It seems to be a standard curve, just offset to peak at a higher IQ than the norm. Low IQ? Blissfully ignorant. Avg? Meh, but can be content. Smart? Things are complicated. Really smart? Always having issues. Super smart? It's complicated. Genius? Content (I think this stems from being smart enough to not follow status quo but also smart enough to know how to make that work for them, play the system). I think we also need to discern conditioning from understanding. Some people can be conditioned to do complex math, like a Pavlovian dog. They don't think about it or understand it conceptually though. With humanities and the lack of clearly correct/incorrect answers the understanding of the base concepts becomes very important. You can't be right no matter the answer you give unless you understand what you're talking about. But that isn't to say the other areas are void of thinkers, rather they combine understanding with conditioned ability to do some great things.

Not specified. Doesn't seem like the online sys would notify it but they email extensively so maybe via email.

If anything, I'd focus SOP on academic and career goals and why you're suited to graduate school. The artistic statement would then be geared toward you work in terms if themes, growth, interests for exploration, etc..

Anyone else regret signing up for mailed info from schools? Every time it see an info/advert mailing I freak out for a second thinking it's "the letter."

Ugh, that's a reply to a Q about selecting which work to show. My internet is being wonky.

Think if it if your work had a grand gallery exhibition. Then someone wrote an article about it. What mr would an editor pick and what would they say? What's important? What would interest people in wanting to see more? You don't have to give them everything. They do have to want you, don't forget that. A little left to the imagination is a good thing. Do not, however, try to show range. Only what's best.

Step back and look at that series from a technical aspect. Does it show strength and skill in every shot? If not, pair it down to the best. Do the same with others. You can label items and are commonly given space for descriptive text. Something like: Frilly Lace: Image 10 of 20 image series entitled Look! Lace! This grouping was meant to evoke..... This particular image emphasize the ... of the series and reflects the theme of ... draws on .. in contrast to .. Juxtaposed with ...

I actively avoid looking at the app materials - can't change it now. But I feel like my life is on pause while waiting. I want a new job, but starting somewhere and quitting for school would burn bridges. I want to move, but doing so means a new lease and that's not good with moving for school. I also put my blog and social media on lockdown. I actively blogged about the field I wanted to go into. I decided to err in the side if not somehow posting an opinion that might piss someone on the adcomm off. My website has been dead since October thanks to that. So much for ad revenue.

I have this suspicion I'll get a rejection letter and invite to an info session in the mail on the same day.

Are you applying to the same place as me? Cuz I get info session postcards, emails, etc at least once a week it seems.

I'm in a similar situation. Sent an email in December. Was told they'd get to my app when they got back from holidays. So, I'm in like week 6 or 7 of "3-4 weeks".

They know who you are and what this is, there is no need for the dance of exposition. Just jump right into it. However, do not jump into "ever since I was a child my love of...." If you do you'll be dancing straight to the reject heap.

I'm not sure a formal class is the best route. Much of well written English is knowing when it's ok to break the rules. Think of of this way - avg "good" Japanese student (which culture dictates is well school - 6 days a week and has a tutor) has at best passable, probably robotic, English skills. Why weren't classes enough..? Because if the lack of cultural immersion. Japan is notoriously disinterested in outside culture. I suggest reading, lots of reading. Not just classic literature but popular and contemporary things too. People don't learn how to construct a sentence. They learn phrases and whole uses. They they spit these out as needed. No one sits around considering if their "tense" agrees, and sometimes it doesn't. In fact, you can have everything "correct" and still be wrong - see that avg Japanese student example again. Every native speaker/writer will be like "nope" but in a textbook it'd be correct. So immersion is key. Learn the culture from the culture - not from someone's idea of the culture passed on through a class.

Seriously, if using reference images is a sin, be sure to burn all work by Vermeer.

Knowing what use, when, and to what extent is a technical aspect of film/drama. This includes the script. Saying something can be technically perfect but not great art says there's what..? Voodoo? Magic? God? No, there are more technical measures than mere hand eye coordination and line weight.

Note: if apps are still pending, you need to convey "eager to learn NEW things." Any prior equivalent training is often seen as bad habits to be broken, not useful knowledge or diversity.

If your a app is actually read and it spells out what you said here concisely, you seem like a more compelling applicant than most of the pool. I'm weird though. I'd interview to make sure you're an old dog who can learn new tricks - but I'd be interested if there was a fit. I'm sure others might be entirely put off by the situation or suspect of your reason for quitting. The problem is that adcomms run the gamut as much as opinions do in the real world. We can say a score over this or a GPA over that is the norm.. We can't say who pissed in who's Cheerios on the adcomms to account for any particular bias on any given day.

"Why did I ever want an orange sofa..?" - something I often ask myself.

I have a crap ton of furniture.. I lugged it clear across the country in a rental truck and paid to have my car shipped... for more than the value of my actual car, because that was cheaper than paying a moving company yo relocate the furniture. Now I've got a "mini SUV" and i don't know what's going to make the trek and what isn't. Thankfully i'm only looking at like a 1-day drive, so maybe in multiple trips or I can con my family into making a "vacation" out of it and helping me relocate. All else fails I'm going to just try and sell it. Much of it has been in storage since I got back here.

Wow.. you just rattled off names and said they were not seen as very good but also had perfect technique.. Wow.

Note: You only get to be elitist about publishing once you've actually written a book and published a book. Let us know when you do.

The relation to "art" - MFA's are typically terminal, so they're done with a bit more pomp and circumstance. The two areas are often linked in office space, faculty, etc.. so they tend to walk in lock step with processes.

The point of crepes is the filling/topping. It's not like a tortilla is depressing bread.