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technotronic

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Posts posted by technotronic

  1. 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.

  2. I see that a few of you have participated in Yale interviews,  but have included very little details regarding the interview process and experience, this is the opposite from other Yale related forums from the previous years. Hope you guys find the time to let us in on what went on during this years Yale interviews, as Yale has a very unique interview process. 

     

    Anyhow, I have taken the time too look over Yale student work, and was disappointed. The quality of work was not exciting, and seemed rather primitive compared to many top MFA programs student work I have looked at. I mainly viewed Yales first and second years painting and printmaking students; which supposedly be the most competitive for admissions. 

     

    Maybe it's me, but does anyone feel the same way, I know it's  my opinion--just was wondering what others felt. 

     

     

    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.

  3. He's an artist?

     

    I don't know...his music videos do get pretty artsy  in some cases so maybe as a performance artist? I don't thnk he's really deserved a doctorate though.......

     

     

    Wow. I'd be pissed if they gave him an honorary doctorate and I was one of the people who had to pay $44k/year...

     

     

    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.

  4. I didn't do either option. I went to the Vermont Studio Center residency, worked my butt off in the studio, revamped my practice, made more of an effort to reach out to other artists. Last year my grad apps didn't work out-- but this year I ended up getting into my first choice school with a full ride, so....my recc to you is to try to do a free/cheap residency, keep making work and talking to your peers, and most importantly, stay posi/confident!

     

    Two years later I'm more jaded and wary of the SVA program; for how short it is it's really expensive (no grants available), PLUS the cost of living in NYC even for a short period. There are other residencies that are less expensive than the SVA program and include room and board!

     

    If you're looking for the instruction and classroom setting -- look into community college/extension school courses. If you don't have a BFA you will inevitably have to play a little catch up, but remember that your BA will be an asset to your work in the long term.

     

     

    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.

  5. I still haven't heard back from Parsons, SVA, or RISD regarding their MFA design program. Should I call it rejection all around now?

     

    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.

  6. From what I've heard about SAIC, you'll know if you're selected for the only one or two merit tuition scholarship for each department from the acceptance letter. If the letter doesn't mention anything about scholarship, then it means the money is going to someone else... The financial information that goes out latter will probably be only loans or some other school-wide scholarship.

     

    I might have misinterpret what they told me though.

  7. I'm freaking out!! Can anyone help me with this, I'm technically challenged:

    I have a Skype interview coming up this Monday so I created a Skype account and installed Skype. I don't understand though:

    how does the school know how to contact me if they don't know my username? I never gave it to them because it was never asked for. My phone number wasn't included in my slideroom application either, but it is part of my slideroom account (maybe they can see it and they call people through Skype through the phone number).

    Also, I went to create the school as a contact and it asked for a phone number which they never gave me, just a username and a bunch of emails.But, I think they call me, I don't call them...

    This is making me really frustrated and nervous! Can anyone enlighten me? I'm sure I'm just being stupid/ridiculous.

     

    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.

  8. Accepted to SVA's three-year program by e-mail. No interview.

     

    The three-year seems appropriate since I haven't taken any classes on art history. 

     

    Congrats!  That sounds like a great option!

  9. 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.

  10. I asked my interviewer -- "What makes ___ stand out from other MFA programs? What do you enjoy most about the community here? " Since I have a medical history that messed up my grades so If they didn't ask me anything about it I had the question " Is there anything on my application you'd like some further clarification about? "

     

    BTW My SVA interview was wonderful! Fingers Crossed! 

     

     

    I can't seem to find anything regarding their interview process. Is it a panel or one on one? Any information helps!

     

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

  11. I've got an e-mail today from UCLA and they told me that DMA department has decided to rescind their offer to interview me and they won't be considering my application for admissions.

     

    Wow, I wasn't expecting this! 

     

    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

  12. it's still not too late to apply, the post bac deadline for saic is April 1st if I remember correctly

     

    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.

  13. 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!

  14. That's good to hear. Enjoy your visit! Is it with JP? If so, he is wonderful! The studios are amazing. And the atmosphere is fantastic. Seriously an amazing school. Enjoy it and good luck with your interview. 

     

    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!

  15. Did you apply for their Fine Arts program or Art Practice? That's one of my top schools. Just checked my mail and I haven't received anything (MFA Fine Arts) ... :(

     

    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!

  16. Hi David, 

    With all do respect, could I ask why you are on this forum (and was last year) when you were accepted to UCLA a while ago.

    Are you working in admissions at UCLA? 

     

    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.

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