gtakaoka

Oh hellfire. Woke up this morning to an email from UPenn reminding me to send a second set of transcripts. Now fumbling through multiple transcript-ordering processes during morning coffee, using an internet connection that has decided not to load properly unless I stare at each browser window, concentrating furiously.

I'm totally fascinated by how many people have viewed this thread but how few have responded to it (including me). This has all the makings of a social experiment. Schools Applied To (in no particular order): The Ohio State University, University of Minnesota (Twin Cities), Rutgers, UPenn, Northwestern, and University of Maryland (College Park). My website is still a work in progress--with many small adjustments still needed--but I have a short version of my artist statement and a smallish sampling of my artwork on there. I am applying with a combination of drawings and installations which center around the ideas of history and memory. http://www.ginatakaoka.com

Just added Rutgers to my list after much contemplation, combined with finding out that I am not in the running for the Fulbright I applied for (expected this, but still a little sad) so I may as well withdraw my application for The Slade. Now that everything is mostly submitted I have been hit with the low-grade anxiety/fear of failure that will probably last 'til early April. Thank gawd applications are done and I can start making work again...at least that'll keep my brain at bay.

Just got my rejection. I was kind of expecting it, so I am not feeling too horrible!

Am I crazy, or is it 12:45pm central time now with no response? I have been lurking on the MFA art forums so I have not followed/participated in this thread, but I applied for a Partner Award in the UK in conjunction with University College London. I am prepared for an outright rejection because I am sure that's a widely applied-to award, but you can't win if you don't play! I wonder if the response timeline will be the same...anyways, best wishes to you all!

I think I am going to have a heart attack but I just finished a ten-minute phone interview with OSU. I think I did okay, and hopefully I did not sound like I was going to cry. There's no vomiting emoji on this message board or I would post it here. They said their process is pretty quick and that I would head "something" fairly soon. So now to wait and panic while wrapping up my final few applications.

Holy hellfire, 150-200?! Well, I feel a bit better now. The dimension differences, in most cases, things that they would recognize as mistakes because they make absolutely no sense when compared to the image (like, a shot of an installation that spans an entire gallery, but the dimensions say that it's one foot tall instead of eleven :-0). I will see what they say and clarify if needed. Maybe they didn't even notice...Thankfully I did two installations in that gallery and put the correct dimensions on at least one set of the images. Oy vey and lesson learned: quadruple check them numbers!

I guess I got my weird impression of their funding when I toured the school. Two current grads showed me around and when I asked about the funding situation, their response was "not good", which was of course unsettling since without funding the annual tuition is astronomical. Maybe I misunderstood, or they didn't get a great funding offer :-0.

Thank you!! Honestly though, my brain is trying to tell me that it's too good to be true and it's probably just a formality that happens with everyone, or they're just calling me up to tell me I'm an idiot. I went back through the dimensions/descriptions that I wrote when I posted everything to Slideroom (I just copied all of the info into a separate document for quick reference on later apps) and I had a LOT of stupid little mistakes in the dimensions. I couldn't decide whether to email about it or not, because it could either solve the problem or draw unnecessary attention to the errors...so I did not email and now I'm a little nervous. We'll see, though! I'll report back after the interview, haha.

Well, it's a little late in the game to be replying to this, but I really liked Penn and after hearing some slightly improved news about their funding prospects, I will be applying. The campus is beautiful, the studios are pretty communal but most of them have nice lighting and enough space to work without feeling too cramped (unless you are making multi-story sculptures/installations or something). The gallery spaces are pretty durn nice and the grad trip/study abroad opportunities seem fairly plentiful. The MFA shows are often held internationally in places like Berlin, etc. Crazy! UChicago was a nice school; I didn't check out a lot of the campus but the Logan Center is brand-new and super-spiffy with crazy facilities, especially for sculpture. Their funding was around 75% if I remember correctly. I have decided not to apply, but it is definitely a good program to consider. On a side note, heard from OSU today for a phone interview and I'm terrified! I thought I had at least a month of worrying before starting to hear back from any places. Hope everyone's applications are going well!

Hi All, Thought I'd introduce myself since I'm applying for the MFA Fall 2016 season as well. I've lurked on this forum for a couple of years now and application time is finally here! I'm currently based in Southern California, wrapping up my final semester of my BFA in Drawing and Painting. In terms of where I'm applying, I'm looking toward the East Coast, and a couple of Midwestern areas. My focus is on programs that are fairly interdisciplinary, as I work in drawing, painting, and installation and I tend to delve into whatever medium will best convey my concept. Funding is a big deal for me; my dream would be to emerge from both undergrad and grad school with zero student debt (or as little as possible!). I'm also sticking mostly to research institutions, rather than art institute/academy-type schools, partially due to improved funding opportunities and also because my work has become fairly cross-disciplinary and I want to be able to consult faculty outside of art+design if need be. Lastly, I want to be in an urban/semi-urban area, although I'd prefer a place that's cheaper than the OC/LA area. My list is not final/set in stone, but here's what I'm thinking so far (in no particular order): -University of Minnesota- Twin Cities -University of Maryland- College Park -Northwestern -Temple Some "Maybe" Schools: -UT Austin -University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee I am still looking into some other schools in areas I might not have previously checked. Honestly, my knowledge of the Midwest/East Coast is so limited that it's been a bit of a handicap, so if anyone has suggestions for other schools I would appreciate it tremendously. There are a couple of schools whose funding information I'm unsure about. Does anyone know offhand about University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's funding? Their website is kind of unclear... Also, I took some trips this summer and checked out UChicago, Northwestern, University of Maryland, UPenn, and University of Delaware while I was on that side of the country. I'd be happy to share any info/experiences about my trip if anyone has questions. Also, I can give some info about the Southern California area if anyone is curious, since I live here and all :}. Best of luck to everyone who is applying right now. I am sure I will be around a lot more since it's getting to be crunch time.