Relm

Did anyone else just get an out-of-the-blue email acceptance to SVA's visual narrative MFA? I did -- twice (one to my artist email, one to gmail) -- and I NEVER APPLIED THERE. Either this is a huge-ass mistake... or else they're really, really desperate ?

congrats, your work is solid. hope you get what you need from them.

SAIC offered me $16k per year (which I believe was need-based; also had 0 estimated contribution); got the letter this week. Personally, for me, that's not enough, because tuition alone is ~$48k, not to mention living expenses, so loans on the order of $40k/year would have to make up the difference -- totally beyond my comfort zone. But I hope they give you what you need!

I've said it before, I'll say it again. LOL @ methodology: "The rankings of Master of Fine Arts programs, completed in 2016, are based solely on the results of a peer assessment survey. Deans and other top academics at 229 Master of Fine Arts programs in art and design were surveyed in fall 2015 by Ipsos Public Affairs. "Survey recipients – one per school – were asked to rate the academic quality of fine arts programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). Scores for each school were totaled and divided by the number of respondents who rated that school. The response rate was 29 percent." But you're right -- it is really interesting. There are some big changes represented. I'm also fascinated by how some schools seem to stick in their rankings. Curious what people's biggest surprises are in that regard -- are there schools you think don't really deserve the rank they have (whether that's for being over- or underrated)? I'm also really interested in the psychological impact that these rankings have on perceived school prestige, but that's another matter altogether.

Congrats! I'll cross my fingers for you. I know a few people who went there and have done quite well for themselves in the NY art scene after graduating, including a former studiomate who was incredibly instrumental in making me decide to go for an MFA. (:

Got a call with an acceptance from SAIC's performance department this morning! So excited about SAIC. I absolutely loved interviewing there; the department organized open studios on the eve of interviewing as well as a full day of events for us on the interview day. It certainly wasn't "show up for your appointed half hour, then leave." Really fantastic people all around (including my fellow interviewees, some of whom were incredibly impressive people). No word on funding, though. I'm assuming that if I were the lucky one in the department to get the full ride, they would've said so. :|

Congratulations!! So excited for you!

Yup. Finished it last year. It was a very good experience overall. Perhaps not the rigor of going to a one-year full-time program at SFAI or SAIC or whatnot, but it's a fraction of the cost, and some of the teachers at UCBX are stellar. Send me a PM with any particular questions you may have.

Aw, you're sweet. (: Fingers crossed for both of us! How's everything else going for you? Are you actually heading on over to Oxford?

Got an email telling me I'm on Cornell's waitlist. Which, admittedly, is a bit better than I thought I'd do, heh.

Ha, no, haven't been to Champaign-Urbana since I made it to the state science fair in eighth grade. I did chat with a couple of the people from UIUC at SAIC's portfolio day in November, though.

Congratulations, lady!!

Wowow!! Love her work! Cornell and Notre Dame are the only two that I can think of that no one's heard from thus far this cycle.

ha, seriously, I was starting to think I'd have to wait another year. How's Vermont?

That's really odd, but hey, at least you're not out the application fee. Maybe we'll cross paths in Urbana?!

Just got an offer letter from UIUC! I applied to the new media concentration. Funding not guaranteed at this point (which may change). Woohoo!

Congratulations! Thanks for the heads up and good luck.

Stanford winnows it down to a shortlist, and if you make it that far, it's mandatory to come to the farm for interviews. I suppose it's theoretically possible that they could notify shortlist candidates now for an in-person interview in a couple of weeks, and then they'd make a really fast decision by that date. But, let's be honest, the odds of that are close to nil. Friend of mine who attended an open house in the fall mentioned they said the committee would review and pick their shortlist in mid- to late January. If you haven't heard yet, it's most probably a lost cause.

I haven't seen anyone on the forum get an interview this go-round, but the committee met in January -- I've been assuming rejection since early February.

Just a heads up to people about WashU in St. Louis. I started an application way back when in Slideroom, and when I log in to Slideroom it's still available to edit and submit. There's a grace period for the next several days. So, if you're thinking about fitting in one more school, that might be an option!

wow, congratulations! in-person?

That was blank in my form too, for some reason.

nothing from Cornell yet, but I'm not holding my breath -- looking at my application proof, I had something really generic sounding in that field instead of something like sculpture or whatever. I can't remember them specifying what to choose from. Well, crap.

I didn't end up applying there, but I did notice that their Slideroom is apparently still taking applications till midnight their time tonight.

Sorry to hear that. I've never lived in a small town and can't really appreciate the social difficulties it must pose. I'm kind of floored that those people (who also know everyone else) would think it's perfectly OK to fleece you like that. Can't agree with BICEO enough about requiring partial payment up front for any future freelance work. If you can't find good contract templates online, see if your closest library has (or can get through interlibrary loan) any relevant Nolo books, which are fairly well written legal guides for non-lawyers. You don't necessarily need one that's written specifically for artists/designers, but one about basics to include in contracts is a good place to start. And again, see if there's a nonprofit or organization in your state for lawyers doing volunteer work for the arts. There absolutely are resources out there, law-wise; finding them can be tricky, but they're there. Sending you good thoughts and encouragement!