atinyspark
-
Posts
12 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by atinyspark
-
-
-
Congratulations! For real - having gone through this process once means that you are at a great advantage for next year.
The important thing to remember is that schools are not looking for the best artists, they are looking for people who will most benefit from their program. If you didn't get in this year, it is because your schools thought they couldn't help you as much as they can help other applicants. Maybe it's too early in your career, maybe your work doesn't fit with the kind of work that usually comes out of their program. Being a good applicant means making a case for yourself as a student, not a superstar artist. As a repeater, this is the best advice I can give you:
Start making new work now: If you are planning on reapplying to the schools that rejected you, you must present new work. Finish up whatever you have in progress now, so that you can re-present it as a finished project. Work all year - hard. Show them what a year's worth of progress looks like for you. Your portfolio should be almost entirely new work - schools are rarely interested in seeing work that is two years old or older.
Revise your list of schools: Hopefully you did some research on your schools before applying - did you visit them? Do you feel differently about any of them now that you've gone through the application process? Ask people on this forum what other schools you should apply to if you are primarily attracted to aspects of school X, etc. Think hard about why you chose those schools and what about them is interesting to you - you may have overlooked some. Do not apply to so many schools that your applications suffer a result.
Talk to as many artists as you can about their grad school experiences: After I wrapped my first year, I was surprised that I actually had multiple friends of friends who were alumni of the schools I had applied to - you probably do too! Invite these people over for a studio visit, just to chat. It will help you build confidence talking about your work, and they may help you refine your portfolio or offer insight as to what a particular school looks for. Ask them about their interview experiences, how they decided it was time to go to grad school, what they got out of it. People generally respond very positively to being asked advice, and you will grow your network.
Ask yourself if it's the right time for you: It may be too early in your career for grad school. Personally, I think grad school is a complete waste of time for those younger than 25. Give yourself time to develop your work, find out what you are interested in, and meet other artists. Spend more time in your artistic community, then apply. Do not use grad school as a way to delay adulthood.
Rewrite your statement: This forum has a VERY BAD tendency of underplaying the importance of your artist statement. Consider this part of your portfolio - if you cannot write about your work in an effective manner, it is a big red flag to admissions committees that you cannot contextualize your work within the scope of the contemporary art world. If you do not know how to do this, go to a major museum website and look up a handful of artists that influence you. Read how the museum writes about this work. Go to major gallery websites and read how they write about their artists. Once you've written your statement, have someone who writes about art read it and give you feedback. Seriously, no one understands arts writing except artists, gallerists and art historians. Your english major roommate will be no help here. Additionally, to be competitive, you MUST write about what, specifically, attracts you to this school. Mention faculty members by name, research their facilities, namedrop influential alumni - anything. The school wants to know that you want to go there, not that you are spraying a bunch of applications into the world and waiting to see what happens.
-
Has anyone heard any gossip about USC? I didn't apply, but I'm curious to know how their recruitment efforts went this year.
-
13 minutes ago, 09welshs said:
Hey y'all I have been reading this thread along with the yale one and I've seen a lot of people talking about shipping their portfolios to the interview, flying with them, or driving them, but it seems like lots of this talk is by the people applying for painting. This leads me to ask: DO I HAVE TO BRING MY WORK TO MY INTERVIEW???? (because I had no idea!)
I'm applying for sculpture and could straight up not physically carry my portfolio to my interviews.
I know this is a stupid question but any imput would be amazing as I'm really freaking out about it!
When you receive a notification that you are being invited for an interview, the school will provide details about what you should bring. Painting and Photography students are sometimes asked to bring prints or samples of artworks. Sculpture students might be asked to being small pieces, or samples of materials - you are definitely not expected to get on a plane with large artworks that don't travel easily!
However, it might be a good idea to make some larger prints of your documentation and bring them in a simple plastic portfolio. That way your interviewers have something to easily flip through while they talk to you and don't have to fuss with slideroom or digital images.
-
Is it my imagination, or are far fewer people applying to Hunter, Bard and Carnegie Mellon this year?
-
Is anyone giving up their spot at USC?
-
Hi guys, I've been lurking the last few weeks but am at the point where I would love your input for my situation!
Accepted to Bard and USC.
USC is offering 15k, first and second yr. Tuition is 39k/yr. There is the possibility of a TA ship, which covers tuition + 11k stipend (must apply, I think it's competitive - every other mfa student receives one). So that means at the very least a 30k loan and the most an 80k loan. Administration at USC isn't particularly nice or flexible about funding currently. They are also known to have a terrible rapport w students and faculty, but the program does have amazing facilities in an amazing city, and they have some great grants for alum to teach at USC and travel/research. Oh and classes you can take in other esteemed depts.
Bard is offering 11k and their tuition total for summer and spring is 19k. That's 24k for school which does not include the studio I would have to rent during my time in LA (where I live) and pay for access to the facilities I would like to use. Super nice administration and generous and thoughtful photo faculty. The program is in beautiful Upstate NY, but I do not see myself living on the east coast or moving to NYC. I'm currently in LA and have more of a community hear already so I question how I would nurture these east coast connections. The program is super intense but they say you get more FaceTime w faculty than a traditional school. You have studio visits nearly every other day during those 8 weeks. I'd have to figure out how to operate in a completely different place to achieve what I'm evolving in my work. Could be a great limitation and/or a pain in the butt since I'm moving towards sculpture.
Both have amazing intimate student communities and great faculty. What would you do?
I think there are many things to consider here beyond straight funding - you already live in LA, which means you won't incur the costs of moving, transporting artwork, storing your car, etc. You have a network in place, so it won't be as hard to find a job and maintain your connections after school. A TA-ship means you would have the possibility to find a teaching job at USC or elsewhere, which it sounds like Bard doesn't offer?
I think the whole "go where the money is" attitude is pretty shortsighted given how many variables there are when choosing a school. Don't discount the advantage you have by already being familiar with the LA art scene.
-
Hooraypublic, I think it's just that I'm losing it a little, having to make this decision. And I really miss NY, or want to at least be in a lovely place. CMU education seems excellent, but fears of not liking Pittsburgh and living there for 3 years are arising. I will probably end up going anyway LOL. Money is an issue for me, and the other schools haven't offered anything to cheer about. I feel like if I'm going to pay a lot I'd want to come out mega-connected with a top ranked school on my resumé. What about you? You're in some great programs too. Are you thinking of attending CMU?
Pittsburgh is a great town. There's decidedly no art market there, but that doesn't mean there's nothing going on. I know of more and more artists that are moving to Pittsburgh from NYC since it's pretty easy to get public funding for projects and rent is CHEAP. The city is actively trying to attract artists.
-
Hi- Yes, a friend interviewing with Film/Video received her informal acceptance email the following day. Not sure about the other departments.
Did you get your result yet for sculpture?
MFA 2016 All Art ADMISSIONS freak-out forum!!!!!!!!
in Visual
Posted
Has anyone been accepted to Bard yet?