Spaced Out
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Posts posted by Spaced Out
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Thanks so much for the input, thats very helpful. Most folks here at VSC seem to say its a no brainer: Cranbrook. I visit Monday, hopefully it will be obvious. They are two extremely different programs, but I feel either could suit me well. Why am I always so damned polarized? alwways one extreme or another and generally both.
@lilnova: thanks also for having a an opinion, and for being such an active member of our little community. Ive enjoyed your posts throughout.
PAFA just uped the ante, I pretty sure I being offered as much as theyve ever offered anyone. This is amazing. My advice to all: ASK FOR MORE MONEY!! Really cant hurt and it works! its a lot easier than I thought. every school Ive asked has increased their award and the programs I tried to decline have also come back with revised financial packages and asked me to reconsider. If anyone wants help in how to approach/word this stuff, I will be happy to fwd emails along, apparently Im doing ok at it.
Anybody else? PAFA or Cranbrook for painting?
Yes I would love some advice on how to do this. I really really want to attend CCA but I really need MORE funding. What is a tactful way of going about this? I am about to write an honest and heartfelt letter explaining my financial disposition. The deadline for INtent to Enroll is the 15th of April and The deadline to accept the financial aid package is May 1st. Any advice would help. Thanks and Congrats on your successes!
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(seemingly) final results:
yale: interview, rejected
saic: interview, rejected
risd: interview, (haven't heard back, assuming rejected)
--must be doing something wrong in these interviews...
ucsd, cornell, usc--simply rejected
cca: accepted, with some funding
penndesign: accepted, with some funding
all torn up and on the fence about it. east coast/west coast, major university versus pure art school. anybody with any thoughts or ideas about it, i'm all ears. thanks.
Honestly, I would follow your gut. Go where( school/ City) you feel the best vibe and are more inspired. Thats just my 2 cents. good luck!
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I'm looking to stay under 700 as well if I'm going back to SF- I'll get in touch if I do end up attending. You should be able to find something in your price range, especially since we'll have studios so the rent is pretty much just for a place to sleep. Cheap rents are most plentiful on the west side of the city, in the Sunset and Ingleside neighborhoods, but you're looking at quiet neighborhoods and residential type places and the commute can be a drag. You should be able to find something within your price range anywhere though, it's just a matter of digging hard enough. Rent control and karma are major factors in this. Convenience-wise I would personally recommend the eastern part of the city but the whole Bay Area is so awesome that no matter where you live the weather is great, the people are nice, and you will be at home with millions of other artists and rad people.
I am likely going to be attending CCA, so as I begin to look at apts. I will post my findings. I really love SF and I felt amazing while I was there this weekend. It really does seem like a great place!
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After visiting SF and the CCA campus I must say I am quite enamored by both the facilities and the work coming out of there. I loved the huge open expanse of the main building and also liked the village like feel of the fine art MFA studios. I felt like I was in an artist collective as opposed to an art school. I didnt get the feeling from any of the students that they were particularly unhappy with the program either. The only thing im a little bummed/ worried about is the funding. I didnt get as much as I was hoping but I also feel like I know what Im getting into and feel its worth it. This is opposed to going to a good school in the midwest where I would not be surrounded by a vibrant street art culture and ind. art culture like I imagine I would in SF. It just felt right I guess is the bottom line. I have pretty much made up my mind. just need to send some $ to make it official
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I hear most programs will allow you to defer admission for one year if you have unforeseen issues/ circumstances. But, some competitive programs may not and they are not obligated to. I would just ask. It should be fine.
Right on thanks!
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Glad you're checking it out. what I would ask:
What kind of access to faculty? are they doing regular studio visits.
I would ask them to explain more about the written thesis that accompanies the exhibition. most schools don't do this and CCA feels very strongly about it. I think its a great idea, getting a chance to have a critical focus on artists writing about their work...most artists don't know shit about writing. I think getting more info from them on their thoughts about the written thesis would be important.
ask about access to facilities...I found out that some of the schools I visited had very limited access (super strict about interdisciplinary facility policy), while others encouraged you to learn every trade, trick, and machine in the school. when I visited, I think they told me that they support the interdisciplinary thing.
also ask about the SF art scene. It's still a big mystery to me. I know its strong and people are really into it but what interests me is the super close knit community. some of the artists that work at both SFAI and CCA are super rockstars in SF but don't really go outside of the scene. its definitely different than LA or NY...but maybe in a good way.
How are the studios selected? some schools have a lottery, some just figure it out (lord of the flies), etc...
and of course the usual suspects of : teaching assistantships? connection of the school to the art scene?
hope that helps. good luck and have fun...
Yes that does help Thanks! I think I do recall during my interview that he said they were really open about students working in other disciplines.
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Anyone know anything about the process of deferring? Its in the back of my mind as an option but I'm unsure exactly what it entails. Any feedback would be helpful.
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Having toured both campuses I would say that CCA is a little more equipped to handle MFA students (and ranked higher, for what thats worth.) The facilities are new and the studios are very nice (and pretty good size, I've been on a lot of tours and those are one of the best). most of your life/campus/ etc will be in SF as opposed to oakland...which is nice. I LOVED SFAI's russian hill campus....its a great place BUT then you realize that maybe SFAI is a great school for undergraduates and not grads...kind of like Otis in LA. Their undergrad is great but the grad is a little on the so-so side. I did the same thing as you... visited the main campus but then was over seeing the rest, from what I've heard on this forum, I think the curtain/no door thing plus it being in oakland is a bit amateurish, but guess I can't judge too much without seeing them. if you are deciding between the east coast or the west coast, I am biased...the west coast is the best coast! I think our art scene (LA and SF) is more on the radar recently than the obvious favorite NY. I am from LA and even with the norcal/socal rivalry I can say that San Francisco is an amazing city. some of the best food in the country...again, I love LA but have to admit the SF food is better. Ok, enough ranting. Good luck with your decision and congrats, both GREAT schools!
Good to hear about CCA facilities! Excited to check it out. What kind of questions did you ask? Im trying to run some through my head but feel like Im going to leave and realize I should have asked more. Im accepted for Painting/drwng
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where are you located? because you should have received it by now. I would call them. It seems pretty irresponsible of them to just leave you hanging like that especially when the letter of intent in coming up.
I still have yet to receive my aid either. going out there sat. hopefully clear things up. Really want to go and hope I can get some dough
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I was just wondering... what are some things people are thinking about / considering as you approach your final decision? what issues do you think will influence you most in the end?
Also, what are some questions you are asking of your programs? I've got about two weeks left to make a decision, and I'm trying to think of questions to ask of faculty, administration, current students etc before my time is up.
Some issues that have been stewing in my brain:
* taking on loans/finances
* relocating (my family is west coast, close friends are east coast)
* weather
* school reputation
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Owe a lot-don't have a lot-need a lot
Also if the place and or school I go to is an area I can chill in for a bit and either show or work instead of having to up and move after 2yrs.
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Still haven't received my award letter from CCA. Annoying
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MY Final UPDATED LIST
ACCEPTED
UW MADISON-Didnt get TA position-No other funding available for this year that I know about
CCA-Still Waiting on Funding Info
REJECTED
PRATT
HUNTER
VCU
BERKELEY
SAIC
RISD
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Anyone recieved an aid letter from CCA yet?
Nope. Still nothing. I wonder if it has something to do with my FAFSA form. I was part of a small percentage of people that filled out the online form and there was some sort of glitch so I filled out 2009-2010 instead of 2010-2011
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I got rejected to VCU and Im pretty sure they mentioned something about the summer program(they sent the letter to my parents address)
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MY UPDATED LIST
ACCEPTED
UW MADISON
CCA
REJECTED
PRATT
HUNTER
VCU
BERKELEY
SAIC
WAITING
RISD
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The Income Based Repayment plan you linked to is only for federally subsidized loans, aka NOT private loans. And if you're taking out 70K in loans, I'm relatively sure a lot of that will be private and thus not eligible. And as I'm sure you've heard over and over again it is generally recommended to take out MAX the amount you expect to earn in your post-grad entry year. I personally think 20K is about the max I'd be willing to take on for an MFA, and that's not just tuition-based debt but living expenses/health insurance/etc. debt too. Even with a tuition waiver and TA stipend I anticipate pessimistically I may end up with a few thousand in debt upon graduation.
I completely understand your desire to go this year. Before I knew how acceptances were going to go I kept panicking and promising myself it didn't matter how much debt I'd have to take on if I could just go this year. But I advise you to wait. This year was the MOST competitive year in a long time due to the economy, so next year should reap better rewards and will give you another year to work on your portfolio. Applying next year with an improved portfolio and a wiser selection of programs seems like the best call.
Additionally if you're straight out of undergrad this additional year will give you a much needed "real world" glimpse, and if you've been out for a while it'll be one more year for you to save up so that you can better afford an MFA.
What exactly is the rule for deferring your acceptance to a school? Do you have to go after a year or else be subject to some penalty? I guess I dont quite understand it. Im thinking about the possibility of deferring at CCA and getting residency in California. Anybody have thoughts on this matter?
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crey01, on 25 March 2010 - 07:20 AM, said:
Just received my Funding package in the mail from CCA. They gave me 9K each year in scholarship. is that alot...considering these are expensive schools it seems like that is not very much. wasn't impressed. If they gave me more, I might give the SF schools a little more attention. any thoughts?
@sophiab
Mine is even less than that. I got confused when I was at the financial aid office and thought I got more...then when I actually got my letter, I was sad. I haven't received mine yet, I really hope its a decent amount but Im worried it will be small because there are so many students
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REJECTED
SAIC
BERKELEY
HUNTER
PRATT
ACCEPTED
CCA
UW MADISON
WAITING
VCU
RISD
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i'm into cca too. have you heard anything about funding?
do you think you're going to go? --and if so, why?
i love the bay area, though i'm not convinced that cca's program is all that strong after visiting...
Nope nothing about funding yet. At this point Im pretty into going but I have yet to visit CCA or Madison. I guess I kind of reall like the idea of being in a more metropolitan center and I like SF aloit. I like CCA (from what I can tell) because they seem very open to students employing whatever medium they choose. I dont like feeling like I have to only paint or be careful about keeping a painting language if you will.
What made you feel it wasnt very strong?
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I went to the financial aid office and asked, but they told me that the packet was already mailed out. We should be getting them any day now. I thought the studios were really nice! They all seemed to have lots of light, and the seemed big to me (but I haven't seen a lot of schools yet). They don't have doors but rather curtains, which someone mentioned. I didn't get a chance to get any good photos today. The tour group I was with was huge. I will try to get some good pictures on the grad open studios day on the 4th.
I got a good feeling from everything I saw today, and I really liked the school overall.
Thats good to hear, good vibes are always..well good. Lots of light is a def plus too. I will be visiting CCA on the 4th
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I found out today I got a scholarship to CCA, which makes me feel a lot better about the cost. I went on a tour there today, and I really liked it! I am still waiting for other responses, but I think that is where I am going to go!
Congrats on your scholarship! Did you get a letter in the mail or did they call or email you? Im still waiting on funding and biting my nails off. I really need something in order to feel a little less stressed about all the other money I would be spending in SF
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Updated list
ACCEPTED
CCA
UW Madison
REJECTED
BERKELEY
HUNTER
SAIC
PRATT
WAITING
VCU
RISD
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I received a one line letter saying I was waitlisted, and would be notified of the results in mid - May.
Cool thanks. i just received my rejection letter from Pratt..and I laughed out loud. It read "It is with regret that we are unable to act favorably upon your application for admission to Pratt. In making our decision, we weighed carefully all of the application materials which you submitted to us. In comparison with other applicants we have had this year, your record is not quite strong enough to be given favorable consideration. We sincerely hope that you will be successful in making alternate plans to continue your education."
Maybe more info than you care to know but it makes me laugh and I felt I needed to share it. Good luck to you! I wish you the best!
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I have been thinking about this a little bit and noticed this coversation was brought up on a different thread so I thought I would start a new one.
@Copperdoes anyone have any experience countering a financial aid offer?
@ littlenova I'm thinking the counter offer you make should probably be aid offered from a similarly ranked or esteemed institution. I can't see myself asking MICA for a full ride, because Maine College of Art offered it to me. But, if VCU had offered something hefty...I might have had more leverage. I probably would have said something like...
I am really having a hard time deciding between two programs...Does your institution match offers, because unfortunately my decision may come down to funding. I was offered X...
I'm curious to hear what other people have to say about this, too. I may find myself in a similar position.
2010 MFA Painting/Drawing/Printmaking Admission Notifications
in Visual
Posted · Edited by Spaced Out
I was very impressed by CCA and I am in love with the campus as well as SF's Art Scene. Any attempt I have made to deny or ignore this gut feeling has just felt so forced and wrong.