seeingeyeduck

Lol. I'm in the Bay Area but I only applied to three schools. I think maybe others like CCA and Mills get many more apps? Maybe someone else can speak to that.

Oh and I've been occupying myself by applying to other professional opportunities. Heck, if I don't get into all my schools, maybe I'll get something else - that's gotta be my reasoning, right? Otherwise I'm just signing up for even more rejection!

Approx $225 for 3 schools.

That would still be useful to know if only to not put yourself through it for that school the next year. I think as long as they're not trying to be mean, their feedback can only help you think about your work.

Definitely an academic felon here. I don't even know where to start. Most of you guys seem to be on the science and engineering side - My experience is in arts but I thought I'd share because the take away really is that it's less the number than what you can show that you've done. I ended up with a 2.6 or so (I don't even remember it because it really makes me almost physically ill to look at the transcript) and that was after 1.5 yrs of carrying a 3.8 at the end of undergrad. At one point it was below 2.0. It was years of failing, taking classes over twice and failing those, suspended multiple times, on probation a lot, lots of family and personal issues... Basically years of abject misery because I was not emotionally mature and had been raised to keep problems to yourself and never seek help, so I tried the same stupid things over and over. The main problem for me was a family that that very narrow and high expectations and being confused by what I was interested in - I really love bio but turns out research is not for me even though I actually really liked lab work. I just didn't know what else there was and just kept banging my head on the wall over and over. Then I decided to make a clean break and spent an academic year at a totally different school with a vocational focus. That taught me that I was still academically capable and that a lot of mental baggage was holding me down. Eventually I changed majors and everything suddenly clicked. I earned almost all As and made sure to get to know some of my profs who went in to write my letters this round. I was hoping to pull my GPA up to 3.0 but it just wasn't happening with all the failure on the books. I graduated a couple of years ago and pretty much gave up the idea of grad school. But as a result I worked my butt off on my own because I thought it was either that or I was never going to have a career. I stayed in touch with professors, took on independent projects, networked online and met people who eventually gave me an outlet to publish some writing in small venues, and I got some exhibition opportunities. I think those two years really gave me the confidence to pursue my own ideas and be assertive, so last year, when I started wanting to use media that I had never learned, I decided I wanted to go to school for a second chance to learn it. I asked the MFA programs in my area if I could still apply with a sub 3.0 and they said they are willing to consider extenuating circumstances, so I applied. I explicitly addressed these issues in the personal statement (thank goodness this was an additional document - I would have never properly fit it into the SOP) with mentions of the personal family issues, what I learned, and how it all ultimately strengthens my practice. It was really heartfelt and I had an emotional time writing it. I was very frank about my flaws in the past. I don't know that that would work for all disciplines but I think you could tell it was not excuses, more like hard lessons learned. I think it helped that I had an upwards trend in grades at the end and that my letters were from people I knew had my back because they had helped me advance in the past. I picked people who had recommended me to colleagues in the past, given me opportunities or asked me to work with them. I got involved in local organizations and was lucky enough to get an internship with a collective most people on the scene recognize and like. I have no idea why they picked me for that internship in the first place but thank goodness they did. I feel like it has opened doors because the work has been shown as prominent places. So far I've gotten two interviews and one acceptance to an MFA program. One interviewer asked me to address my record directly and I feel like I was able to explain without being negative. In the other interview they didn't even bring it up, which is sort of encouraging - it seems like they are not overly concerned with it! I think it helped that I did do my failing at a prestigious school and that I was two years out and had continued to do work independent of faculty direction. I do have the benefit of being in a field where the work matters more than the grades, but I think that applies to research too. It's been such a ridiculously long journey but looking back a lot of things make sense and I really doubt I could've gotten to this point without all the pain, which was really the pain of learning the hard way. If you really want to go to grad school, don't let the GPA stop you. Reach out to faculty at the schools you like, keep in touch with people who have a good impression of you and just keep building up experience. If you can show that you have matured and learned and are a thoughtful person with good ideas despite your grades, then I still think you have a good chance. If you can turn your experience into a plus, do it, because sometime certain departments are looking for diversity of experience to round out the incoming class. Anyway, that's my screed! If I can come back from such a huge fail, everyone can!

I have to disagree with the whole idea of safety schools for grad school. It makes sense for undergrad where you might do more exploring but for something as focused as grad school it seems a bad idea to apply to schools that you don't really want to go to. I would think it's be a better strategy to work hard for a year and reapply. At least that's what I would be tempted to do. I applied to three because I wanted to stay in my area and wanted somewhere with almost full funding. There were four more that I was considering but one turned out to be a very expensive degree mill with little funding (as in more expensive than undergrad!), one was completely narrow and not what I was focused on, another was my alma later and I wanted to make new connections elsewhere, and the last is the only one I wonder if I should has applied to. But I'm happy with three. I'd be okay with going to any of them, though of course I'd love to get into my top school. I am felt okay about the number since one of my profs has been very encouraging and believed I was a good candidate, and during my research I spoke with faculty from one of the schools and he confirmed this after looking at my portfolio. I'd encourage anyone who is tempted to apply to so many schools to actually try to get some feedback about what your chances are at certain places. There is no point in spending a grand and you would've gotten into your top choice easy, or if you don't even have a shot. I felt like anything over $400 was too much for me at this point, so I didn't apply to the two schools I was on the fence about. I figured if the lack of funding made it impossible for me to go anyway, why torture myself with the knowledge of what could've been? Plus I think at this point you've gotta have enough perspective on and initiative in your life that you're not lost if you don't get in. I think it's good to think about other options and a back up plan during app season. Life isn't over if you don't get into grad school! You could do self directed research or get into relevant volunteer opportunities or apply to grants even if you don't get into school.

Also, occurs to me that this is a GREAT time for a vacation, except for the part where they want to do phone interviews. Maybe vacations within the country in areas with good cell reception and wifi access.

I was doing fine til last week since I wasn't expecting any news. Now I've heard from some schools, seeing here that others are hearing from schools - now I'm nervous. Part of me wishes they still sent notifications by snail mail, cuz at least with real mail you don't expect it to come every moment of the day! Now I know what time scheme I will hear back from a school by, and actually that has made things worse than not knowing because now I just wish time would pass already!!! I'd rather get rejected outright than wait and wait... and hope and hope... and still get rejected or waitlisted. It's like knowing exactly how much rope you have to hang yourself on... So in the meantime I just keep working on my projects, which are keeping me busy and giving me mild stress at the moment (but I guess it's a good distracting stress??) and checking this forum. My sleep schedule is shot to hell cuz I can't fall asleep with the thinking and thinking about apps... but generally my outlook is good. I'm trying not to twiddle my thumbs while waiting. This is still time to do and learn! If I get into places, then I'd rather have a head start and bring in ideas and work that I'd started early. So far I haven't resorted to checking the app status in the school's systems. They'll come to me if they really want me, right? I've been trying to think about it like even if I get rejected, I'm in a field where it's good to have gotten my work in front of those eyes anyway. Now maybe they know who I am and I can build on that. It's weird knowing I will be really happy or really sad in about two weeks, but... WHICH ONE?! :|

Hi everybody, I just got accepted into Davis for a MFA program, and I'm starting to do some research about transportation. I still have to see where else I get accepted, but I want to figure the numbers out since if the numbers are doable, then Davis would sure start to look better. I live in SF right now and am really not sure whether it would be more cost effective to try to commute (I assume ~3x /wk?) via the Berkeley shuttle or train, to drive/carpool, or to just rent a really cheap room there for the week and go home on the weekend? I'm in a long term relationship with someone who works in the city, so I'm not really considering moving to Davis full time. I'm not sure if I'm getting a stipend at all, and it seems like a lot of money if a one-way ride is $11, plus I'd still have to BART to the city. I'm leaning toward the public transit options since I'm really sick of driving in East Bay traffic and I like being able to do work/read, but it looks like a crazy 2 hrs each way! It seems like most people who carpool or commute do so from the East Bay and not the city? Is it doable at all, or will I go insane? Also, in terms of commuting and grad school - is it inherently a disadvantage, since most people will be living nearby and hanging out together while I go off at the end of each day? I was looking forward to having more camaraderie with a group of folks esp since I had to commute for the last year or so of my undergrad and consequently never really got close to any of my peers even though we were friendly. The program will be small, so I feel like it will be even more pronounced - but then again, do a lot of people have families and other commitments anyway in grad school? I really like the program and professors, but the logistics are a bear!

Over here they usually get 100+ apps for 7-9 spots. Maybe 125 or so?

Unfortunately, not that long. I asked when I met with people from each school I'm applying to and it seems like it differs a little from school to school, but the main gist is that they first sit together and all look at pretty much only the slides and just bust through them. One prof said that you should always start off with strong images because often they don't get through all 20 before they move onto the next app. Pack the beginning of the portfolio, because she says at that stage all it takes is one prof who's interested to mark your app for a second glance. Once they bust through all of them, then they start looking more carefully at the ones they marked, looking at all the images, reading the descriptions, weeding some out and looking at the rest of the app info. They don't necessarily read the descriptions on the first go round and I don't know that ultimately it matters for some type of work, because when I submitted my Davis portfolio, I didn't realize you were supposed to really utilize the description boxes. Still got in! It's really true that you should never even put ONE SINGLE WEAK image in the mix because she says they've eliminated people on that basis - one guy had a super strong photo portfolio and they were leaning towards interviewing him, but there was one random drawing that wasn't so great. Outliers like that make them wonder about the applicant's judgment and at that point, there are so many other strong apps that it's enough to get you canned. That said, I threw a video onto the end of my photo portfolio but it was important because I do think it's strong and I have a lot to say about it. It was important to me to show something that indicated I could make something other than photos. That hasn't seemed to count against me. I think it's all about staying with the really strong stuff. At another school, all the profs look individually on their computers and then they all come together to present who they thought was strong. It sounds like everywhere they pretty much fight for applicants they think are good. It was good to hear someone say that they don't always expect perfection - sometimes they have to remind themselves that these are students who will be taught. They are not judging us by "real art world" standards necessarily. Eventually they come to some sort of consensus on who to shortlist or interview. I have no idea how they decide after interviews, though Berkeley said they have their grad students involved since they will be classmates in close quarters for a year. As for portfolios, I was told by people I met that they wanted to see about 4-5 projects/pieces with 4-5 photos from each series (or for large scale sculpture, different angles and details). They want to see that you can do different things, but that you have some sort of coherent overall look or style or vision. They don't want 20 of the same things, and they don't want things that seem so unrelated that they seem like random school assignments. She said you can usually tell when someone's portfolio is just all school assignments. Anyway, I would really suggest that if anyone is going to apply again that you try to make some sort of contact with a person at each school you are interested in. Sometimes they don't tell you anything, but 2 out of the 3 people I talked to gave me some concrete guidelines about what they think is a good balance for a portfolio. It differs of course, but then you can cater the portfolio in each app to what they said specifically. Don't forget you can also ask your recommenders what they think if they are profs. They have to go through this process all the time too. Maybe all that was more appropriate for three months ago!?

Yeah, me too, though I'm hoping to branch out in the MFA. Good to see some photographers on here tho.

I think the biggest thing is to go over your answers to the common questions a bit before and write them down in bullet points or something. In the moment it's harder to remember all the things you calmly were preparing when there wasn't someone on the other end silently waiting. And remember to say, "let me take a moment to think," if you want to. That's definitely what I forgot to do. It's easier to feel like you need to minimize awkward silences on the phone whereas in person I think they'd easily see that you were thinking. But if you just clearly say that you're thinking, I think it's fine unless you take like, more than 2m! All in all, just good general interview technique, not just for grad school, but any interview. I'm sure if you google phone interview tips you will get a ton.

Yeah, they do sound pretty dreamy. In my research I found out that one of their new faculty is Amy F and she's great. Very energetic and willing to mentor. I hope you get in there!

Oh and by the way - what made you want to apply to Mills? I thought about it, but it seemed like they didn't really offer much in the way of financial support? They seem to be a great place though. If it wasn't for the finances, I would've applied.

Thanks! I'm sure they're aware of it, but on some level it's still gotta count against you if someone else is naming names and being eloquent, right? I'm sure it won't make or break it, but it's just regret rearing it's head. It's like those conversations where you are not sure what to say, then after you go home, you think of a zinger. Fluxus, Oliver Lutz - why didn't I mention those!! I just said, "I don't know as much about that medium, but I do like this guy that works in the medium I'm already working in which is not really what you asked me..." Not quite that bad, but pretty bad!

Today I got an email from Berkeley saying I was "shortlisted" and that they'd like to "follow up" by phone tonight. Just got off the phone and am a little more nervous about this one. They asked about how I presented work in the past, what I want to do in the program and why, and whether there were artists that I admired who do what I want to do. I feel like I kinda bonked that last one because I'm not as informed about the media I want to explore as much as the one I am comfortable with. Should've done more research or just pulled up my blog to remind myself of stuff I've liked in the past, but it's over now! They also asked about an item on the CV and what I am working on now. Wish I had more time, but maybe that's exactly why they do it this way. I got the email confirming the interview time 10m before the interview cuz Google delayed delivery! Argh. Also, maybe it wasn't a good idea to do on it my crappy Ptel phone with the crappy connection where almost half of his sentences were muffled. Skype was better. Yikes. Apparently different faculty are calling different candidates, then they will decide next week. I'm not sure if that means we will hear next week, but soon after that for sure. Nervous about this one.

Residencies! That can be a good way to pad up the resume while waiting to reapply. But you know, let's not put the cart before the horse. It's not over til it's over, and we've still got more than a month to go...

Ok, entered results. I did a couple of searches and looks like notification times for the same program can vary each year - do schools usually do a version of rolling admissions where they accept stronger candidates earlier, then keep debating the rest? Or can we assume they make all the notifications in a batch? It sure looks like we're heading into the heart of notification season. I just hope I don't get rejected on.my birthday!

Thanks everyone! How do we submit results? Not seeing it on mobile...

Got a call from Davis today!!! I am official in! I guess they really meant it when they said "soon." I think I'd be totally happy to go there but because of finances I will wait to see what else happens and what the package is like. I'm not looking forward to the commute but the school that wants you suddenly starts to look a lot better than the schools that don't.... I think would go rather than wait to apply again next year to more places. No more waiting, asking people for recs, distilling your life into a nugget...!

I haven't gotten an offer or anything but when I was speaking to a Davis prof he said that tuition was covered.

Is the point of an MFA to get trained in certain media or to learn a good set of practices that makes you comfortable in undertaking new media all on your own? I'm sincerely asking that. I do want t learn new media during my MFA but it does seem impractical to get two financially and in terms of career progression.

Have any of you guys ever contacted a school that rejected you afterward to get feedback? Is that not kosher? I'm thinking of doing it if I am rejected. A couple of times after I got rejected from grants or residencies I contacted someone to see if they could give me feedback and what they told me was helpful. In one case I was ambitious but my past work wasn't anything like what I proposed so they had no confidence in my ability to carry out the proposal. Another time it turns out they didn't have anything bad to say since I was actually pretty close and they simply went with a different theme that the owner liked. That makes rejection a lot easier! It's a human communicating with you instead of a form letter. But is that creepy? Do schools have a policy to not talk about decisions?

Yeah, I was really excited when I saw them because it seems to indicate that they are very aware of the role process plays and have a similar outlook on failures and happy accidents and all that stuff as I do. For all those who got rejections - hang in there! It ain't over til it's over!! Over the last couple of years of getting rejected to a lot of shows and residencies and what have you, I've learned to not take it personally. I look at it from an outcome based view: if you get rejected the best path for a good outcome in the future is still to keep applying. Stopping gets you the worst possible of all outcomes. It still stings but I've found that making a plan for the future helps. It makes you feel like you can still make something of the rejection. I plan to go ahead and try to make the work I would have made in school anyway if I get rejected everywhere. That's the best way to prep for next year and besides, making art is the whole reason we're all applying in the first place! Besides, as someone pointed out, sometimes they only have less than a handful of slots for any given medium and the odds are just against us in any one cycle. Each prof I got a red from has emphasized that a lot of the time it really comes down to the class they want to construct and not the quality of your work. They told me it's important to build on your portfolio each year since it shows that you are capable of making work regularly in your own. It's bad if you submit the same portfolio over and over. Good luck, everyone!