tomberry

Haha yes April Fools Day rejection felt less than good but at that time I had actually already signed a work contract for the following year so wouldn't have been able to go anyway. Hey everyone, I'm not sure how many of you watch TED talks but here is a great one about being limited or having something not go your way: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tedtalks/phil-hansen-ted-embrace-the-shake_b_4744768.html

Yeah Yellow Magnet, that is a bummer that they don't even give you any reason why you get rejected. I really dispise that part about the process most. The value of criticism is that you can consider it and make adjustments as you like. But with a two-word rejection, not anything to be interpreted there. I think the application fee we all pay deserves at least a simple explanation.

D'oh! PS Sorry for the multiple posts. I don't know how to quote across multiple pages. :{

Hey Ralpho, I definitely understand your sentament here. I think the common thread, and point of having these kinds of forums is to comiserate with people that are in roughly similar situations. It's nerve-racking to apply to MFA programs! But, I was only interested in going to a school in Philadelphia, so my options were extremely limited. Note that Penn was not included there because, unlike most other departments at that school, the sculpture facilities are like suburban dad's garage level. My reasons for limiting my search to Philadelphia are that I have been in Japan for four years and want to be back in my home area near my friends and family. I manage risk by limiting variables and having a long established network through which to get work and be supported will help me maintain focus on my studies.

Sorry to see, but it looks like you might turn out to have some other good options there! I'm a northeast Philadelphian, that stretch of Broad st. looks normal during the daylight our, but when the sun goes down, the crack-heads and prostitute come out in surprising number. Some intersections at literally packed with nothing but such troubled foulks. Especially Broad and Eerie (named after the lake), which is funny because from a car, it certainly is an eerie site.

Sorry to hear foulks. :{ Come to think of it, a ceremonious rejection wouldn't be too fun either. I immediately imagined the Price Is Right wrong answer horn sound (easily found on youtube) when I saw my Decision: Applicant Denied.

No problem. Sadly I see that a lot of the kind folks here are getting some bad news with regard to Tyler. If you want to find a reason for actually not really wanting to have gone there retroactively, just consider that it (Temple) is in on of the most dangerous areas of the city, and is a top 10er for any most dangerous college in the US list. My wife was not so secretly happy that I didn't have a choice to go to a school where there's a reasonable chance to get into some of the not too good extra-curriculars. Yes, I have decided on PAFA. The schools are similar in terms of finances (which I hate to admit as important but it is), location, curriculum, facilities*, and such, but what really is a detractor of UArts is that it is a low residency program. "Low Res" is touted as aiming to promote professional development through independent study, what it really means is that you don't get the access to a studio and facilities that you pay for year round. I was only drawn in a little because they offered a nice scholarship, but then PAFA did too so it wasn't to hard to make that choice. Also to PAFA's credit, their ASE is huge, it typically breaks the $250k mark in sales.

Everyone that applied to Tyler for sculpture might check the portal, I just noticed my denial on there. That's two time turned away. :{ However, I'm happy to at least have a choice and some clarity as to the future. Thanks everyone, good luck! I'll still keep an eye on the forums here for the next few weeks to see how everyone turns out.

Thanks! I know it doesn't seem as valid when it's coming from somebody who seems to be having a good run of it. I was watching the "news" and some writer was on plugging for her new book The Up Side of Down: Why Failing is the Key to Success and I just thought, what a funny coincidence. It's kind of in line with Malcolm Gladwell's work on advantageous disadvantages. In my personal experience, I find that people with more varied/deep experiences tend to be much more driven and interesting. I think you could find a lot of artists, politicians, and other famous people that support that concept.

Definitely agree with tofutuesday here. Meese, last year Tyler posted my rejected on April 1st. The next day I started a big sculpture project that surely was the single work that got me into the two schools I have this year. We'll see about Tyler this second time around, but the bottom line is that rejection is like wind in your face, you work against it and your legs get stronger.

And I think back to high school, dreading trying to fill out page requirements.

Yes I did. Actually, I sent an email to the head of the sculpture department, who then kindly forwarded my email to the head of graduate studies sculpture department. Then I had a brief but informative email Q&A with that professor. Nothing too formal. Again, and I'm most certainly just projecting my preferences on the world, I think people appreciate conciseness. In fact, I'm sure most people had trouble writing a statement of purpose with like 2-3 page limitations. I know I did. I'm like Bill Clinton when it comes to essays, entertaining, plagued with tangents, probably a little foot in the mouth. Fortunately, I have to good friends and family to help me with my poor writing habits. On an entirely different note, I received an acceptance letter from PAFA. It seems like very few if anyone here applied there. I guess it's not too highly regard at the moment, but in terms of facilities (foundry, metal/wood shops, private studios, casting rooms, etc.) and location, it's a fine school. Plus, the Annual Student Exhibition is always huge. Any people with no luck this year, might consider it next time around.

I agree in part with ismewilde. I can say that my own experience is that I once emailed a faculty member to ask a few things about portfolio composition. I tried to make it concise as possible without being frank. I imagine that if I were a teacher, I wouldn't want a whole bunch of essays that take more time to respond too. Also, I was advised at some point by my undergrad professors (that wrote letters of recommendation for me) before applying, to not ask questions to which the answers can be somewhat easily found, and also not to ask questions which are likely to have no effect on anything (or in other words, superfluous-I'm-anxious-help-me-deal questions). I get a new gray hair in my beard every day I wait for responses.

Just in case other people are waiting on PAFA, your status in the website might have some new stuff if you haven't noticed already. Mine now includes the following under everything else: ..... Resume Complete ........1/13/2014 Decision Letter Sent .......Pending Tuition Deposit ..........Pending Tuition Deposit #2 .......Pending Candidate Reply Form ......Pending New Student Information Form ........Pending The decision letter has been sent, so I guess I'll have something physical some time soon. I find it peculiar that below the "Decision Letter Sent" line, there are "Tuition Deposit" "Candidate Reply Form" and "New Student Information Form" lines. I assume it shows up that way for everyone, but does anyone else have that? (Sorry this is also more or less on the Sculpture page)

Thanks! This gives me a lot of relief to see. Maybe I can expect to have an idea next week!