technotronic

Congratulations!!!! Glad Columbia worked out!

I wish they'd sent out their acceptances earlier - I just received a great scholarship offer from SMFA right after accepting elsewhere. They definitely have strong alumni who come out of their program, and I think they're quite well respected and offer great opportunities for showing your work. I didn't feel strong connections to the current faculty, so that would be my reason to hesitate, but if there are people there that you're interested in working with, I think it could be a great program. I do hear that they're separating from their affiliation with Tufts, though I don't know what the timeline is for this move.

I personally was really impressed with the sculpture student work, both first and second year. Really into it actually. This was a big reason I was so interested in the program. Haven't reviewed painting / printmaking as thoroughly though. Interview process for sculpture was different than for painting, and I imagine all of the other departments. We had to prepare a 15 minute presentation which was given to both faculty and first year students. And then the students left, and it was just you and the faculty for the remaining 25 minutes. There were some basic questions - why grad school, why Yale?, same as anywhere else. And then it got into pretty involved conceptual conversations about your work. I also had some practicality questions in terms of how is this program going to work for you life-wise, and in terms of the nature of your practice. This was specific to my background, and the fact that my work is context specific. So basically it was a very individual and specific conversation. There were six full-time faculty members present in the room. As far as the format, all this info came with the invitation to interview letter that we all received, so no surprises really.

has anyone received a funding offer from SAIC sculpture?

Kanye crosses over between art / performance and design, and is a GREAT fit for an SAIC honorary degree. They'd do well to have him as an alum, and it's great positioning for him to negotiate the directions he's pushing in his body of work.

What program are you looking at rooroo? I visited UT Austin and saw many good things about it, and the students definitely receive a lot of support. But I'd also love to know about the program's reputation if anyone has any insight to share.

I'd love to hear from anyone who attended the CalArts interview day. Any impressions re facilities, studios, etc?

I also come from a non-arts background. This is my first year applying, but I started focusing on building my portfolio for application about a year ago. That included doing a ton of research into programs and the quality/nature of current student work, alongside doing a residency and organizing a series of studio visits to get outside perspective on my work. I also attended a portfolio review day which was a huge help in deciphering how to talk about my work, and what schools are looking for in our app materials. So far my results have been quite good, getting interviews at all of the schools I applied to, and some good funding options among my acceptances. I agree with Czarina - I think it's very possible to diy your way into a good program if you're able to take the time and make the commitment to it.

I would give the admissions offices of your schools a quick call. I don't think they mind answering questions about dates, and whether notices have been sent out, etc, if they have this information available. And it's better than feeling stressed out with not knowing since design program dates and admissions processes may be pretty different than the fine arts departments that most on here are applying to.

Has anyone received any funding info from SAIC?

And re contacting the school - you can just search for contacts (enter their username) in Skype, and once you find them, just click on it and send them a contact request. And then as Vinny51 said, send them your username by email.

Congrats! That sounds like a great option!

Is anyone else doing a Skype interview for CalArts?

So how did everyone's interviews go? Sculpture faculty and students were great. Challenging interview questions that were really engaged with the work, but only in an open and generous way - my perspective / experience. So many things I wish I'd said in hindsight, but otherwise felt ok (I hope!). It was definitely my most challenging interview so far, but also solidified my interest in the program.

Thanks! That's helpful. And congrats on the SVA interview! Mine is coming up soon.

Anyone have any thoughts on good questions to ask about the school at the end of the interview?

what a nightmare. Could there be anything that happened? The language that they 'won't be considering your application for admissions' is really specific - ie. they could have said 'we've considered your application and your work isn't strong enough', etc. Could there be some transcript or reference mix-up or issue? I feel like you definitely deserve an explanation from the school. You paid your fee and completed the process, so it seems as though they're obliged to 'consider your application'. hope you're able to get some info / resolution on this

If you haven't missed the deadlines, you should definitely consider it. I remember hearing someone say that the post-bacc was useful both for further cultivating your skills and body of work, but also gives you a great leg up in the MFA application process. Since you're already in the system, you'll have access to faculty who can offer guidance and support, including with letters of recommendation that I imagine would carry solid weight with review committees.

SAIC and some other programs (SMFA also I believe) have a post-Bacc program that might be a good fit if you're in between the BFA and MFA. I think it really depends on your skill level and experience in your chosen medium. I'm applying to MFAs now without a BFA or traditional arts training background. For me this feels like a comfortable fit because I have pretty extensive experience in making (I'm pursuing sculpture), and I'm looking to work through the conceptual questions at stake in my practice as opposed to a focus on becoming more competent at the level of craft. And I still feel like the opportunity to be in art school will allow me to work on and pick up new craft and production skills along the way. It's probably useful that you've applied to both BFA and MFA programs. It could be that the decision will be made for you through the process. If you end up being accepted into an MFA program, that probably means you're ready for it - and if I were you I'd definitely go for it if that's the case. good luck!

Thanks! Not sure who the visit is with, but definitely looking forward to it. And great to hear good things about the studios. Best of luck to you too!

I applied to fine arts too. But I arranged from a couple weeks back to visit the school next week, and then tonight they contacted me to let me know that I've been selected for an interview, and offered to let me schedule it at the same time as my visit. So it's possible that they haven't reached out to everyone - ie. my email might be early because of these circumstances. So definitely don't count yourself out yet!

Just received an interview invite from SVA (sculpture) this evening by email.

I think it's SO nice when people who have been admitted in the past come on here to share insight with current applicants. Once you go through the stress of getting caught up in this process, it's uber generous to remember and revisit this site to offer your two cents when you can. One of my recommenders is a graduate of one of my top programs, and he's been so extraordinarily helpful to me throughout the process. Part of this is that he's a generous person, but also I see more and more that this is because he knows how hard and stressful and anxiety inducing all of this is, and knows how much it means to have any support/insight possible.