seeingeyeduck

Thanks! It almost sounds like there's no real point to contacting them since they will offer what they offer if it's not need based and they will base it on the FAFSA if it is. In either case it doesn't seem like I can do anything except wait for the offer!

I don't think you can count on an MFA to get you a job. I did art in undergrad and watched the MFA grads either get adjunct part time positions or continue to work day jobs. The two I can think of who did eventually get professorships did so many years out of school and frankly had stellar records before they even went to grad school. You can assume that pretty much every where you go, people who have teaching jobs in art will hang on for dear life until they move or retire. Have a plan that isn't just "get my MFA and then land a teaching job!" That said, I think there is something to be said for teaching at a CC. It's not as competitive and you still get to be a mentor.

To answer your actual question - I hate SoCal, having grown up there, and I need to stay where I am right now. I'm sure I would have looked at the program if I was open to moving. All the UCs look like pretty decent programs. I will say though that your posts are kind of an anti-recruitment. You seem to have good reasons for the word you used but damn, it's called respect. If that's what crits are like there, I don't want to go! I came from a place where we chose our words with care. Dismal is an interesting choice even for careless applicants. If there were 7-9 good applicants then that is enough, no? To say they're dismal is an implied insult to those who do eventually get in. "You only got in because you were a notch above dismal!" Doesn't really successfully promote your school. Also, I'd assume that most MFA apps, like any type of apps, are fairly uncompetitive, and that it's really only 20% of applicants who are ever really in the running at selective school programs. People don't necessarily have an accurate grasp of where they stand, but that's how it is and ever will be.

One last question I had - when schools say they offer full funding is it implied that it's still need based, or do they usually cover tuition even in cases where your spouse makes more money? For example, would whatever offer I get really only be for this year, and when my marital status changes next year, funding would not be offered?

I might be wrong, but I hear Stanford is making decisions this week through the weekend. Assuming you'd hear shortly thereafter. Good luck!!

My interviews were on weekdays but actually my notifications have been weekends. One call and one email both on Sundays, with the emails about recruit days on Friday evening and Saturday morning. I've been surprised. But maybe it's easy so easy to send emails now anyway. Or maybe they know we are all clutching our seats and wouldn't really mind hearing on weekends!

I actually found that Skype was a better quality call than my crappy prepaid cell service. And if the interview is short, then it does save on having to go all that way just for a 10-20m chat. Plus this way you get to be in your PJs. I didn't have a video call though. That would have been more stressful! Definitely wear headphones. They don't have to have a mic too but it helps prevent that tinny, "digital" feedbacky quality to the sound.

It's kinda funny. It literally goes to a page that says, do you intend to come? With two radio buttons for yes and no. It's like one of those "do you like me?" notes, lol. Nothing else on the page!

Location matters but mostly in terms of commute time. It helps that Berkeley is more bustling but that's not a deal breaker either. I think how you get along with the profs and other students is more important. I wouldn't go if everyone in my cohort somehow shuns me or something (doubt that will happen... Hopefully). Anyone have any experience of why certain profs interview you? As in, is the person you hear from the prof who wants to work with you? I ask cuz neither of the people I contacted beforehand while applying were part of this process and I wonder if that means I misgauged if they'd be a good fit?

Wait, so is/are the prof(s) who interviewed you considered your POI automatically? Does that mean they are the ones who want to work with you? I'm wondering what it means that the profs I spoke to while assembling the app are not involved in the contacting at all.

What freaks me out is the thought that maybe it isn't a unanimous decision, and that some of the profs don't actually like my work or want me there and that I'll be stepping into a political situation...

Just got an of foal email from one of them after a week. So strange - I keep getting informed on the weekend from them. The letter has a link at the bottom to mark my intention to attend but there's no deadline. Is it 4/15 by default or should I check?

Oh and is it the nice thing to do to withdraw my State app? I kinda wanna know but it would be rather insane to go there over a UC at this point.

Lol. Thanks, you guys. You sleuths! I didn't want to gloat or anything. Celebrating... Sort of... Helping put on 24 straight hours of live noise music on college radio, so haven't really had time to stop and think, but really excited! I will do my due diligence on both UCs and weigh the finances, commute, people, etc. I don't want to make a rash choice on prestige alone. The finances will really make things clear I think. Good luck everyone!

Oh cool! What was the timing like? Sounds like with email now it's just more work for them!

I got one acceptance through email and one through the phone. It's early yet but I was wondering if that is as official as it gets or should we still expect the real deal by mail? Does anyone know if the financial offer also tends to be mailed or if they just email that now? Thanks!

Good to know! Thanks!

Thanks! You have both been very helpful!

Do you still need to dubmit it if you don't need loans or work-study? Or do they always need it to give any kind of funding? Ie would it delay your funding offer the longer you wait? My status will change because I'm getting married this month so would it be better to wait til after? Our priority deadline is in march.

Is this true even for state schools? I got into a UC and am only now figuring out the financial info since they all told me the tuition would be covered. In hindsight that was pretty stupid of me. But I'd like to figure it out before the priority deadline. Unfortunately the recruitment day is after the deadline. I'm in a weird situation where my boyfriend has been helping support me, so I can make art, and I don't make much. However we are planning to get married this month, so then technically I would be his dependent? Should I wait til after the marriage to file the paperworks so I don't have to send updates? I didn't even know if I will file taxes this year since I made so little last year. Will this affect my prospects for funding next year, or do packages tend to cover both years (MFA)?

How long does it take to hear about funding normally? Is it a matter of weeks or a matter of months? Also, is a FAFSA required for every type of funding? I was confused since I thought that was for federal aid and that funding wasn't necessarily need based either?

Two interviews within four days of each other. One I interviewed on a Friday, they called on Sun. Still waiting on the other one but they said one week for decisions to be made and "you'll hear soon after that."

Yeah, I'm okay. I'm glad I have a safety net. But I just wanted to say it because so many people seem freaked out! I looked around the forums and we're the only ones with this huge long freak out thread, lol....

I was scouring the results and realized that there is no acceptance from Berkeley in the results at all for MFA. Not a single instance; the acceptances are all art history PhDs. Thinking back on the interview, it makes sense that they are much more theory-oriented. They asked about artists that I admire. Oh and they also talked about a couple of items on my CV, so if anyone of you still have to interview, think about how what you've done has changed your practice and process. Good luck, everyone! Don't feel too bad if you get rejected. It's early, and we are lucky in art to be able to do work on our own, independent of labs and institutions, though I suppose that's less true for large scale sculptors. I really feel for cell bio people who can't just do it from their homes or anything. At least we can work on portfolios and try to apply for residencies and grants. To give you some perspective, I'm going on 31, so if you are in your mid-20s, there's still a lot of time. Maybe it's also good to think whether you want to apply years in a row. It's a lot of money if your app hasn't necessarily changed much over a year. Maybe it'd be a good turn of events to live life a little and gain some experience that you can then turn into a plus on the app. Even if you make technical progress, it tends to take more item to develop ideas and get into a groove there, so maybe exposing yourself to new experiences might be a good way to get interested in the world. Your profs can teach you technique, but they can't give you your ideas, so I'd say working on that is super important in addition to simply churning out work. For all the people waiting anxiously - take the time to make new work! That's why we're all here, right? And life really does go on without an MFA. One of my lecturers in UG drove a cab and shot on his own til he secured the teaching job. He doesn't have an MFA, just a BFA, and this is at a damn good school, so it really isn't the end of the world! You just gotta focus on the work because in the end that is ALL that matters and you need to learn how to propel yourself through making work even if there is no prospect of school, because after all, that is what will happen after school. I've had a LOT of ups and downs - a long stretch of downs! - so if I can get interviews, then there's hope for all of us. Now if they would just let us know already!

Thanks! Did you just get accepted this year too? I just wondered if people hang out at the studios and end up talking. But maybe people would be working in their studios rather. I will have to figure out how to make work if I'm going to commute. That's the part I don't know. It will take time out of class so it's not like I can just hop back on the shuttle right after class ends, I don't think. They told me recruitment day was 3/6 so maybe I will have a chance to dig around....