Milkyways

Carter, I am not entirely sure yet, but I'm thinking Northwestern for now. I was waitig for USCroski but got waitlisted, and Carnegie Mellon is absolutely wonderful but I honestly don't think I'll be chosen (I said "this is why I applied to Cornell" (!!!) during the interview LOL). Plus it's not free. What do you think? What about you?

I escaped from the grad cafe for a whole day after reading your post

Congrats dude. I was waitlisted :/ , but I had already made up my mind about where I'm going so I don't feel too bad. I don't think the Dr Dre thing will be too bad at the end of the day. Cheers!

I agree on the fact that the decision should not be made solely on financial matters, but that decision should have been made before you applied. Nobody should apply to a program just because it's free. Now the hard part is to decide from a pool of programs that you actually like, but where the ideal one (from the academic point of view) doesn't offer as much funding as the "less ideal one" . At this point you need to see if taking up a loan, or having a job while you study might affect your performance during the MFA or your career after it.

That's great news! I never had the chance to visit, but I've heard from several Alfred BFAs that the facilities are top notch. If your work involves ceramics/glass/foundry it's the way to go. Another thing to consider is the distance between Alfred and other places. For me this was a good thing since I love to lock myself in the studio to work and concentrate in my stuff, but other people don't work like that. Alfred has some really cool teachers (ak Sarah Blood ---drool) and is prestigious enough to hit top 20 in the lists .

Last year I was waitlisted too. At the end nothing worked out. It was devastating, but I gained a lot from the wholr process. First, as artists there will be a ton of times when we will have to face rejections. Open calls, residencies, etc. If we intend to go through this path, we need to learn not to be discouraged by rejection. I learned a lot about my work and myself this past year and at the end I am even happy that I had that chance. Grow stronger guys, and your work will too. If you are waitlisted, there's not much you can do to accelerate the process. If you don't get in, well so be it. You will know how to do it better next time.

I got into Alfred sculpture (interviews were in early february) and I had to make a decision before March 4th. Initially I was going to attend but in the end I had to decline because of money issues (tuition is free but you still have to pay for living expenses, and finding a job in such a small town is not particularly easy). I believe that Alfred asks for decisions so early so they can call people on their lists in case others decline.

Well if you like the program and it's a good deal, go for it.

I guess those rankings make much more sense for programs where students can be assessed by their numbers. I only applied to schools that would cover tuition. Cornell, Alfred and Maryland University-college park all have offered to cover tuition and you even end up getting an extra stipend of 5000/year for your G.A. or T.A (6 to 10 hours a week depending on the school). , which is great. But Northwestern's financial offer -full tuition + 1900 /month coming from a Fellowship first year then from T.A.s and G.A.s in the second year- is so good I wouldn't have to worry about money for expenses. I have heard about the studios and the facilities , I am planning to visit before I make a decision. Right now my work doesn't really need much of a studio, but you never know what turn it may take.

Accepted to Northwestern's art theory and practice. This program has such a great faculty, and it's the best funding offer so far. I can't understand why it's ranked so low in us news. Considering it very seriously.

I don't know if I can be as patient as you are... this process is extenuating for me. Too much stress. I was in love with the idea of USCRoski as it was but this is my second round and I wouldn't stand another :/ I know that Dr Dre thing smells bad, but it doesn't mean it will be a disaster. They might bring really good faculty. I don't know the details but ...L.A...

Vinny51 Decaf Members 13 posts LocationNevada City, CA Application Season:2015 Fall Program:MFA Studio Art Posted Today, 06:38 PM Vinny51, on 02 Mar 2015 - 4:26 PM, said: thepictureisstill, on 02 Mar 2015 - 4:41 PM, said: lgrcwest, on 02 Mar 2015 - 4:50 PM, said: Thanks lgrcwest & thepictureisstill for encouraging me to try this. It turns out negotiating with schools actually works! Last week I spoke with SFAI and mentioned that I received better financial packages from a few other schools and that I was seriously considering them. The graduate recruiter asked me what these offers were, so I told her the breakdown of scholarships, fellowships, etc. Then she asked me to put all of the offers in writing for her, and she would run it by her department. In the end, it turns out they couldn't do much to match the other offers, but they ended up offering me an extra $7k a few days later. Not the best offer, but it was at least something. Today, after a ton of thinking, I decided to formally decline the offer from SFAI, so I gave them a call to inform them of my decision and to thank them, out of respect. I gotta say it was kinda painful and awkward, like breaking up with someone... Anyway, as soon as I told them that I was going with a school that made me a better offer, the grad recruiter immediately asked me if another $3,000 would help. I said no, thanked her, and that was that. I mention this because I know a lot of you will be receiving funding packages soon, and we definitely have the power to negotiate these deals. If I hadn't said anything at all, I wouldn't have received any additional money. And i'm sure if I wanted to really press the issue with SFAI, I could've easily negotiated that last-second $3k offer into $5k, or possibly an extra $10k. I know people are still interviewing and all that, but if you find yourself in a similar situation down the road, i'd strongly recommend pitting these schools against each other for a better deal. We have a bit more power than we think. Especially at these private art schools.

Vinny this is great info. I'm going to post it on the fundings forum.

yuck this whole thing is getting really weird ...Dr Dre??? I thought you were pulling my leg until... https://news.usc.edu/50816/jimmy-iovine-and-dr-dre-give-70-million-to-create-new-academy-at-usc/ O_o It would be extremely,absurdly,funny. Now I really want to go haha. Thanks for sharing btw!

I sense there must have been a very serious conflict within the program... maybe it's too much imagination, but all these people leaving the mfa could be a result of a discussion? Do you still have the contact info of the grad coordinator who left? I agree, if this is the case we could end up being artsy guinea pigs.

Thanks Leah, good luck to you too! It could be nice if we did, we would have a funny grad cafe story to tell our children lol I was referring to jobs in the textile or fashion industry. Yeah, scenery/costumes for theatre too. It's a field that could be in the contemporary art circuit and in practices more often associated with design. I don't see why it can't be both at the same time, but I imagine this would demand more from you. Depends on how you work.

This happened to me as well. I emailed them with a time range that was good for me, and had no confirmation. I missed a call when I was on my way home, believing they wouldn't call. Then I called them back. The first time it went to voice mail and I hung up, then I tried again and they actually answered as I was leaving a message. The "interview" took place at that moment (7 pm LA time) I did get a weird feeling from the interview format. I mean, done by the vice dean herself and in such a rush, asking more questions about the changes than about your work. Very odd. I imagine this change must have come as a surprise for them too, and thus all these improvised sudden requests. But I can't complain since I wasn't expecting the chance to go anymore. I am still motivated by the program, but it will end up depending on the funding they offer.

Hello Leah. I believe that fibers is a different monster, as it might probably end up offering you a different, more stable kind of job. If the loan is payable in your case and you have your parents' support, I would still consider it. Specially if you want your practice to head that way. That's the big heavy reason (ok and maybe prestige) I see to stick with SAIC. In my current economic situation, I would not even dream about going into a 60k loan (my parents are more the kind that will probably ask me to lend them some cash). A full ride at Penn is a great offer, it is pretty prestigious. But wait for RISD and CMU's proposals. I believe CMU offers excellent funding. Maybe not a full ride but enough for you to save more than half what you need to ask for SAIC . I am waiting for CMU as well, and in my case funding is a determinant factor.

46k including living expenses? 14/46 is not the highest funding around, but if you like the program and can pay, why not?

Ok I see. You're right about Rutgers' not being as popular as Hunter. However being a Hunter alumni, I'm unsure about how many new contacts you will actually be making if you go back there. The contacts you will make at Hunter would come from showing here, but Rutgers is not that far from NYC and I imagine they must run exhibits here too. Plus Rutgers is on this new "the most bang for your buck" list... I would say it's pretty popular too. As for your job, teaching, even if it's not art stuff, seems pretty cool to me. Anyways, choice. Both of the programs are really good.

Thanks for letting us know about this. It's a shame. The 3 reasons I applied to USC were Madani/lockhart as teachers, Full funding opportunities, and living in LA. I had noticed there was a change in the website, but none of this is mentioned. maybe too many students withdrew their applications because of the changes and other people were called as a filler XD. Was your interview as short as mine? Were more faculty members there? The faculty is still pretty good. We'll see what the funding offer is (the vice dean said they would make decisions really soon)

what!? they didn't mention this! who is leaving? No full funding? Can you give us more details please? :/

And the questions were not much about my work, but more about some changes they are planning to do in the program ( more electives and more writing). She also asked me if I had any issues with the program being so small ( 16 students total). Good luck!

I am. So no connection... maybe they did it in batches...I haven't heard of/read about acceptances, but someone had posted an interview request. Yikes!