littlenova

@Fluxist: Really? Almost every school I researched when applying had an interdisciplinary focus or some kind of inter-arts offering...and more programs are heading in that direction. I actually would say all the top schools have those offerings and the more traditional discipline-focused programs are becoming the exception. I would definitely do more research...Here are a few standouts: UCLA Interdisciplinary Studio Mount Royal @ MICA CalArts has 2 programs Carnegie Mellon Columbia NYU Bard Columbia College in Chicago Mills College Combined Media @ UPenn Mixed media @ Rutgers Many universities offer an inter-arts option, too... Some Sculpture departments actually house very interdisciplinary studies as well...Like: SAIC VCU There are too many to mention... Don't forget, if a school offers a general Studio MFA, they could very well be interdisciplinary,too. And often times, just because you go in for a particular discipline, does not mean you are confined to it. I am going in to MICA for lens-based work, but will be exploring sound and installation. I think you need to research the curriculum, talk with prospective faculty and see how they will work with you.

@Kewpies: That's awesome.

Aw! That's swell. I am sooo happy for you. What an amazing opportunity. I would love to check out that Houston scene some day. It's really carving a niche for Photography---and you get to be apart of it! Congrats. It sounds like you made the right choice...

Anyone get selected for VCU Photo? I was curious about something.

@mnchick: I left Miami and will be attending school in Baltimore. I live in DC. I still show alot in Miami and consider myself a Miami artist. Just because you go to school in Connecticut doesn't mean you won't still be able to be apart of that MN community. If anything, you are enriching and diversifying that scene with your new experiences. (Maybe even moving back and teaching there like you said...) Luis Gispert lives in Brooklyn and teaches at UPenn I heard, but that guy is straight up Miami. He still shows alot here.

Um...FSU isn't bad. It was just notoriously mediocre for a while. I have heard it's gotten better. The funding there is excellent. They usually pay your full ride. My sculpture teacher in college was an FSU alum and was amazing. (Wendy Wischer) I wouldn't say it's bad, I just think the work coming out of there is not cutting it yet. The grads are not really showing at all in Miami and when I toured the campus and met Lilian Garcia (I think was her name...) about 2 years ago, they were starting to give larger studios to the grads and trying to emphasize a more conceptual vein of study. But, I really care about who I show with and what work is coming out of an institution. These are things that my UG professors used to drill into our heads. Who cares if your CV is short...as long as it's meaningful...etc. It's a great place to go if you want to teach, because the academic facilities are wonderful. They have a bang up Art History department. I don't know anything about UHouston, but Fotofest is ginormous. And I wonder if students have opportunities to hear guest lectures,intern, etc.? Have you seen the work there? I would ask to see alumni work at both places. What did you think of your prospective faculty in both programs? It's a tough decision. When I was accepted to MICA, I turned down working with some other amazing faculty at rivaling programs, because I honestly felt the alumni work was better and the opportunities to show in NYC and DC were a huge selling point.

@atrawickb: About USC; You are sooo right! I keep hearing more and more about that program and other UC schools offering funding, opportunities to show, amazing faculty, etc. My friend is a painter and didn't do so hot applying to schools this year (even though she is insanely talented and has the sickest CV--like ever) and I told her to try her luck with the west coast schools next year, after everything I read on this board. So, thanks to all you folks who shared your experiences.

I PMed you with more "geeking out" over painting. lol.

@Everythingbagel: Arresting work! I can't wait to see where you go with it..

@brianmc: Very loose between programs...At that level, everything is conceptual...You can actually apply to both and see where the dice falls. I applied to both the full-time and summer programs for Photo/Intermedia and I was accepted to both. The interviews were independent of each other. I liked some of the paintings you did at MICA...The Garden painting was nice. It reminded me a bit of Jose Bedia (a great painter who ventures into sculpture) Maybe it's the thick and thin of the line work---almost like primitive drawing---that gets my attention. It seems like you went in an entirely new direction, though, with your most recent work.

Sweet!

OMG!!!!!!!! Did you just say Luis Gispert??!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE his work and have followed him since his Miami days. I've seen so many of his shows when he was still working in still photography. Wow, didn't know he taught at Penn. Yeah, I have been singing UPenn's praises on this board for a while. They are the hot school to watch. I disagree about UNM....but, I explained that on another thread... Here's my inside "gifts" to the 2011 applicants: 1) Research the programs you apply to: Schedule campus visitsLook at alumni work (huge factor)Ask about an institution's history in extending aid/ Examine your financial situation if you attend,etc.Don't rely solely on U.S. News rankings that may change or not relate to your body of work. This is a personal decision. 2) Apply to a few schools...You'll have more variety in your choices especially in a competitive year. 3) Most people need a year or more off after undergrad to really develop a mature body of work. Attend residencies, show, edit for consistency...in preparation for applying. Littlenova's picks (if you haven't already guessed by my other posts...) East Coast/ Hot Schools To Watch (I can't speak for the West Coast as much...) Columbia UPenn MICA (I'm not biased at all...*wink) Carnegie Mellon MIT Bard Way, Way Underrated and Amazing Univ of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Columbia College in Chicago Hunter Maine College of Art (yeah, really.) University of Florida Syracuse University George Mason (cash and facilities, 20 min. from DC.) [There are so many..and you never know until you go in person and see the work and meet the faculty...A bunch of up and coming programs!] Good luck!~

@James: Cranbrook or MICA!!!!! (unless you are looking at a full ride and stipend at any of the others...)

Sorry to crack up over your post, but you are hilarious...I have such a visual picture in my mind of how that dinner went.LOL! Um, yeah...35k is a ton of money. The VCU summer is only 4k. Are all the Post Bacs that expensive? I think it's up to you. How did you fair with your other applications? Do you feel taking a year off and doing a post-bac would improve your work over say a residency or working in a studio? For some, people the answer is yes. I am one to look at dollars and cents. I wouldn't spend 35k a year even if it were towards my MFA. But, that's just me.

Tally is cheap! But, you got into Houston? What a great place to do your MFA in Photo! Fotofest! Good luck. I think you are set.

This is a really good point. My program is 3 years.

@Rama: There are a bunch...Too many to name: Mika Rottenberg, Yola Manakhov (look at her fine art work...not editorial), Fiona Gardner, Nina Berman, Matt Keegan, Christy Gast, Stephen Hilger, Vesna Pavlovic, Catherine Czacki...I'm sure there's more...But, I think you might have the wrong impression... When you are at Columbia, from what I have heard, there is not a strong emphasis on one discipline. You are in a Visual Arts MFA program...You critique with all the disciplines and there is a very small number of photographers. If you want more of a concentration on Photography, MassArt or ICP might be better. I don't want to give out my friends info just yet, but let me shoot her an email and see if she'll talk with you. I think they should provide you with connections to alumni if you ask. Most programs do... (MICA did for me, upon my request and it was really helpful)

I have never heard of Burren...until you just mentioned them. I spent a summer in Ireland and did a study abroad there. But, their academic partners (SAIC, Royal College of Art) are impressive. Maybe that's a better bet...Have you already been accepted? Usually a stateside program will offer post-bac if they feel you need to develop your body of work. Some people feel it's a scam, but some people need that time and direction. Maybe all who have been denied admission, who wish to apply are considered, but I know it isn't offered to everyone. My friend got to the final interview stage at MICA and was denied admission, but was told she was too advanced for post-bac. So....Dunno. She might do the VCU Summer and apply again next year.

Yahoo! That is so great to hear. Best of luck there. I am in the summer program, but I'm sure our paths will cross.

I tend to agree with this. They are not just the top in my opinion...They are far above #2. The quality of work is just legendary. Why wouldn't their own grads cultivate that and try to build that program? It's pretty noble since they could probably make more money showing or giving guest lectures. As far is diversity is concerned, you might have touched on something. I'd like to see more minorities with tenured positions as well. There are some amazing female photographers on full-time staff at Yale, though. I think it is only a matter of time... I do know some of my favorite women in photography have hailed from Yale: Angela Strassheim (delish), Ana Gaskell... I need to stop. I am starting to feel like a groupie. p.s. What I kind of loved about MICA summer over MICA full-time Photo was that most of my advisors were women and they were minorities. I felt like they had a kinship to my work. When I worked with Rineke Dijkstra, I once had a conversation about how differently women see things. So, yeah...I can dig what you are saying about trying to avoid a boy's club and cultivating new points of view.

Congrats on your acceptances.... MassArt and ICP-Bard are both solid programs. I think Columbia, IMHO, is the better choice. My friend graduated from there and they are very interdisciplinary. You are interacting with all the grad faculty (much like MICA) and even though Thomas Roma's work is more traditional, it is not indicative of where the graduates are going with their work. Dana Hoey is also on staff and is fabulous. The biggest selling point for Columbia are their phenomenal visiting artists. (Thomas Struth, Alec Soth, Lorna Simpson, Rineke Dijkstra...) You name it, and they make them available to the grads. If debt is an issue, though, or if you had to choose between MassArt and ICP-Bard...I am afraid that is a personal decision. I wasn't really attracted as much to the ICP program at Bard, because there are alot of commercial photographers working with the program. Not my thing. But, some people think it's an insanely wonderful program and some of the work is pretty fabulous, especially if you are into documentary or portraiture. MassArt's praises have been sung all on this board, too. For me, I would look first and foremost at the grad work coming out of the programs. If I didn't like the work, I didn't apply/accept. That was a huge decision maker. People can say whatever they want about Yale's lack of diversity, but the work coming out of Yale is ridic. Everytime I see someone amazing, they came from there.

Most of my friends worked over the summers and did not work during the school year. My fellowship and teaching assistantships cover about 60% of my tuition. I am going to try to work a part-time job so, I don't have to take on any loans---but, am prepared to take out around 10-15k in loans if I have to for the whole program. My program is across 3 summers only though, so I have more time during the year. If I were full time, I would look at getting work on or near campus... and very little. I would devote most of my time to making work and showing. Where will you be living? If the cost of living is low, you might be in good shape.

I really like the work coming out of SAIC. Something is definitely happening in the midwest...

@Mnchick: Congrats, lovely!!!!!!! What an exciting moment. I love your work and I can believe it. KIT and let us know about all your adventures.

...unless you leave the country! (I just read an article about that...It totally works.)