bouef

RISD painting is a super strong department. they have great faculty, resources, conncections. it's a rigorous and effective program. also it's fairly interdisciplinary, despite the stereotype; tons of painters this year are making sculpture & projection-based pieces. the discourse is definitely rooted in the traditional painting lineage style, but you can do basically whatever you want. (i'm in sculpture at risd, but we all hang out, take classes together, etc.)

finish it out! you're so close to the end. a shitty MFA is better than nothing, and two MFAs is even better than that. plus, its literally free. graduate and use it to get higher paying teaching/studio assistant jobs while you hone your portfolio for your next application season. but don't drop out now-- then the last two years have been a total waste.

nobody in my current mfa sculpture program has a BFA, and while most of us studied art in some capacity in undergrad, we all come from diverse academic backgrounds that didn't explicitly privilege artmaking over a liberal arts or generally well-rounded education. i think a science background is a huge plus for the top schools; they are interested in gathering a diverse and intellectual group of students who will bring new information and perspectives to the table.

was this by any chance at RISD?

tell me about it, i got that exact rejection statement AFTER having actually done their SSP the previous summer. ughhh

i went there two years ago; if you need motivation to get your studio practice in shape then it's a great program. it got me into grad school, but you only get out what you put in. they do give out one full scholarship each summer though..