pearspears

Two hours one way, three days a week? This would save you thousands of dollars.

I lived in Pittsburgh two years....I'd make sure you can deal with winters...the winters there are not pretty like you'd imagine, because it's urban... So better have some hobbies because you'll go crazy otherwise... Oh yeah, and everyone telling you not to have a car? DON'T LISTEN. I have been stranded during winter because sometimes the buses don't run due to inclement weather, and it can get so cold out you can literally die from exposure. One year 911 shut down and a dude died because there were no ambulances. This is no joke. If you don't have a car prepared to be very immobile in the winter. Don't trust the buses!!!

There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to date in graduate school...what is the problem exactly? You can also online date while you are taking classes.

SUNY Purchase I hear is pretty open.

"I was straight up told by the head of graduate admissions at an art school that they give you "20 slots" but have no desire to see anything that's not your best work. They're happy with 10 or even less if that's what it takes, because they grade everything as a whole and any weak piece will bring down your score" I agree that you should not have 20 pieces if 5 of those pieces are bad, but if you think it doesn't look....well, weak to have 15 strong pieces versus 18 strong pieces, you are wrong. 3 pieces may not seem like a big deal to you, but those 3 pieces could mean a slot in a program you want when another applicant has a portfolio that is equally as strong, but with more pieces. They will look more ambitious.

The main reason most people wait to apply is because you need to have 20 pieces of strong, cohesive work with which to apply. If you are 21, all you have to apply with are your school assignments, which of course will not be cohesive, because each assignment was different, and probably not strong, because it would have been your first time using that medium probably. Most artwork takes a long time to do. This puts most applicants in their late twenties when they apply. There are threads on here listing average ages, and most of them are around 28. This is of course including the odd very young student and the odd mid life one. If you throw out the outliers, I'd bet the mean is closer to 30 or 31. Don't worry- I really sweated the age thing too, and I realize now that it was stupid. I might be over 30 even when I start because I've realized I'd rather travel than be in school again, and honestly I'm not really worried about it. I think in a way you might actually suffer from starting too soon. I had a friend that went straight through to graduate school because she had a full scholarship, which is great. But when I see her work now versus what she did in undergrad, I don't see much of a difference. Plus it put her at a disadvantage, being so young, for jobs, whether that is legal or not. Most people want mature artists teaching their adjunct classes. Now I'm not talking TOO old- but an applicant with an MFA from say Indiana Bloomington that is 31 will probably be hired over a 25 year old. They are afraid students will not respect a very young instructor (and 25 is one year removed from the 16-24 age bracket denominating "youth"). So at 25 you are one year away from being lumped in statistically with a group that includes teenagers. I'm not saying this is right or fair but I have contacts on boards at universities, and this is a legitimate thing. Another factor to consider is the economy. It's not getting any better, but if it were, dragging it out as long as possible buys you time to hope that the market you enter isn't like it is now.

Where and what is this if you don't mind me asking?

I am considering a low-res program because of social anxiety. I'm afraid I may regret this in the future b/c I want have any TAing or the typical "grad school experience". Is this something you have noticed going away by just DOING it....like baptism by hellfire. Should I try taking medicine and just going through with it?

This happened to me and what I had to do was put it all on a credit card, and then use my NEXT refund check to pay off the credit card in full. It sucks but there's really nothing you can do If you can explain what happened to a credit union you might be able to get a signature loan if you have a job, or borrow against your car or house.

Lol, I do this. I think it is kind of curt, but not in a dismissive way. It's sort of like a digital "ta-ta~"

So....I've heard some pretty not good stuff ;/ It also seems like people here don't take it seriously....one said you would look like a fool going there, 'like you were buying your degree". Whether that's true or not that's a pretty bad reputation it seems like.

Thanks for the replies. I had someone tell me (that graduated from Yale, actually) that graduating from a top tier school helps you for about a year after graduation, and that's about it. Your work is what really matters, because once you begin applying to shows they're just looking at images, and won't know where you applied from anyway.

Yeah, an artist wouldn't be asking this...making art is compulsive, not a hobby, for those that truly should be making it

I got into SFAI with 20 K a year, leaving me to borrow app. 40K to get through. This is living in SF so realistically it is more. I also got accepted to a state school (not UPenn, unfor., but a SSHE one) that gave me a free ride, a stipend, plus 3 years guaranteed of TAing. I also know this school has good facilities but small program, plus a 24 hour studio, so as long as I go at night I'd have the whole place to myself! Would it be nuts to take the 2nd offer? I just don't know if I can enjoy my time at SFAI knowing what hustle it is (I've lived there before). Id also be closer to my fam at the state school. I wish I was the sole heir of a sultan but I'm not Would I be ruining my future? I mean, the work is what counts, right? I'm looking to be a professor and keep making art. I'm not really as concerned with obtaining huge recognition and all that.

Thanks for your replies. I think I may even wait a year until 29 because I want to do the JETT Programme now, haha.

Honestly, she is probably intimidated by you. As an undergraduate I knew of many of my friends (I, somehow, avoided this by acting somewhat anti-social, but then everyone thought I was a bitch, but pick your battles I guess...) who were very talented, some of them noticeably more so than the graduates that were "above" them in the program. I can only guess that this instilled in them a sense of inferiority that they then proceeded to take out on the more-talented undergraduates. Unfortunately, unless you are willing to get bad grades to make this person like you, I would just try to steer clear until you or they graduate.

Also Notre Dame being Christian is good but not necessary. I come from a pretty conservative area though, so it is a factor.

Thank you for the thoughtful replies. I am not bothered by being with younger graduate students, I would just hope there would be a "graduate school" feel, not undergrad 2.0. At my old undergrad it was mostly late twenties early thirties but I'm not sure if that's typical.

no replies? seriously? I can't be the only one applying at this age....

In a three year program, if I began at 28 I'd be finishing at 30 (28/29, 29/30, 30/31) and age 32 if beginning at 29. Now, I know top-tier programs tend to state their AVERAGE age is late twenties, maybe 30. But what are BEGINNING ages? Because starting school at age 29 and being surrounded by 23 year olds is very different than starting school surrounded by 29 year olds. It may sound like splitting hairs, but there is sooo much development going on in the 20s that 5 or 6 years really does make a really big difference. Especially when coming from a place where you are only one year removed from your undergraduate assignments (say 23 or 24) and 4 or 5 years of grinding it out at shitty entry level jobs and internships and trying to continue making art when you come home at night tired. THOSE I think are the most formative years of art making, even more than graduate school, because I think those are the years most people quit making art. But, I don't want this to sound like a screed against those going straight through. Some people really do just have a vision early on and follow that trajectory- in creative writing for whatever reason this seems much more prevalent. In the 2-D fine arts I've seen it take a bit longer to develop a personal language. Now the other unspoken (but perhaps obvious) reason is that for a young woman there are personal obligations that I would be perhaps ignoring/ putting on hold to obtain an MFA, perhaps postponing them to the point where they may make the obtainment of them more difficult. Is it very difficult to date and perhaps marry in graduate school? Does the less-structured environment help or hinder dating? I know people that have married and even had children in graduate school (I would not wish that kind of stress on anyone...) but does it actually happen a lot or was I just noticing it a lot in my particular group of friends? If it's not obvious I'm kind or religious and may be attending a Catholic university, or a Christian one. I'm not sure if this would change the dynamics.

Seriously....what is the deal on this place? I mean, honestly, in terms of reputation and the work being produced? Yes, I know they are for profit, but so is Ringling. And I've already heard the real estate thing and the writing student thing. What I'm interested in is the kinds of students graduating, and what your MFA will mean as far as job hunting goes when you are done. All I'm getting on other sites are shills. So...opine please

I have done this, and I will say: you are not obligated to report that you were EVER a student at UD. In fact, unless you tell American, they won't ever know. I attended a low-tier school as a sort of last minute post bac, and have now been accepted to a school I really want to go to with the work I produced there. Don't listen to everyone on here- everyone has a different path and people on here can be really negative. And you might not be accepted at either and REALLY like UD. So I say go.