hillaryanne

I've been trolling craigslist lately trying to find a reasonably priced place within walking distance, but I get the feeling I won't be able to really get the ball rolling until closer to when I'm planning on moving (end of July). Until then I'm planning on panicking, stressing, and generally being anxiety ridden.

I'm sure all of the schools you listed would provide you with a great education, but I know from experience that VCU, Hunter CUNY and Rutgers have especially great reputations here in the states for their MFA programs. I'm not sure about which of those would be best for a figurative painter (I'd guess Rutgers) but you could take a look at their website to see the work that current students are making. This should give you an idea of where the program is geared towards.

I thought the same thing when I saw the $350 publication fee. An application fee of $30 or $40 is reasonable, but $350 is extortionate.

I'm in pretty much the same boat as you. I only applied to three schools, but MICA was always my dream school. The other two programs turned me down, but miraculously I got into MICA. I was ecstatic, and then immediately terrified by the amount of debt I'd need to go into to make it happen. Ultimately, I decided that the idea of turning down my first choice school was too hard to handle and that the loans would be worth it. Hopefully our gamble pays off! Congrats to you for getting into your dream program!

Yeah, I had wondered about that. I've decided to accept MICA's offer though, so looks like I'll only have to go through this process once!

I am STILL going back and forth (between accepting MICA's offer or reapplying next year) and I have never been so stressed out = /

Got the e-mail today that Hoffberger upped my funding by $2700 per year. That's hardly a fraction of what I was hoping for, but I guess it's $2700 more than I had =/ I'm fairly certain that I'm going to accept the offer, though. Guess I'll be seeing some of you guys in Baltimore come fall! What is everyone planning on doing for housing? I've been looking around a bit at apartments but I honestly don't even know where to start.

Hey, I know Taryn! She used to be an adjunct prof at West Virginia University. She taught my very first printmaking class when I was at WVU! She's great! Didn't realize she was at Kent State now.

Gah, I just e-mailed a request for additional funding! FIngers crossed! I want to badly to make this happen...

Anyone here have experience with writing scholarship essays? I'm applying to a scholarship and the guidelines do not provide a specific word count limitation. I'm wondering how long these essays usually should be...I have a tendency to ramble if not given a cut-off point, and I don't want to bore the selection committee! Since they left it open-ended, I'm guessing it's just up to my discretion, but I'd like to know if anyone on here has some insight on the ideal length. I've seen online that maybe 500 words or so is a good length?

I told myself the same thing, but now that the actual number (aka how much debt I'd be going into) is right in front of my face, it's so hard to pull the trigger! I keep reminding myself that this is why I compromised and went to a fully funded school for undergrad, so that I could go anywhere I wanted for grad school. But it's easier said than done.

Thanks for the info, guys! MICA was my top pick, largely because Baltimore is a really great location for me geographically (proximity to other large east coast cities, plus proximity to my family). Honestly, moving to any city will be a culture shock for me (west virginia girl here) but I think once I get past that I will be fine. I also talked to Chris Harring in the grad department about the city, and he too mentioned how it is really up and coming in regards to the arts. Seems like a cool thing to be a part of!

Unfortunately I don't have any insider info on Baltimore, but I am in the same boat as you! I'm highly considering my offer from MICA- Hoffberger, but I am also uneasy about living in Baltimore. I know cost of living is relatively low for a bigger city, which is awesome. There is a thread in the "City Guide" section of grad cafe about Baltimore, but it seems most of the people on there are John's Hopkins people. My understanding is that JHU is in the same vicinity as MICA, so most of that info is probably pertinent to us. But I'd love to hear if any MICA peeps have opinions/tips about the city!

Yep, I got the same offer. And I'm really unclear on what their GTI opportunities are like. I asked about it in my interview, but they were really vague and made it seem like those positions weren't readily available. Even so, they only offer a stipend of $725 per internship per semester. That's kind of a laughable amount considering the $42,000 price tag.

Got my funding offer from MICA in the mail today. I don't know what I was expecting...maybe something miraculous. Needless to say..it's not miraculous. The thought of saying no to my first choice school because I can't afford it is seriously putting a damper on the excitement of getting in