mnchick
-
Posts
46 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by mnchick
-
-
-
the photo program at yale is great. About 90 percent of all Yale photo graduates are still practicing artists and that really says a lot about the programs reputation and students coming out of the program. i don't know why you wouldn't consider it.
-
I'm in the program now and I LOVE it! I think that if I would have gone anywhere else, I would have regretted it. There are days when I question the program and my place in the program but who doesn't question themselves in any program.
to say that Yale is no longer relevant in the art world is a little blanketed, don't you think?
-
where are you applying to?
-
yale base their funding on a need base. they don't give out merit scholarships. i would say most of my tuition is paid for base on their need base financial aid.
-
It's so hard to just focus on the work right now. I have enough work for my portfolio but am still working on some more pieces so I can pick the strongest. Not only does the work have to be strong enough to get in, but to get a scholarship(s) as well. I'm not too nervous about the SOP. I have a strong artist statement and am clear about what I want to do and why. And I write well. I'm nervous about interviews. I know.... I haven't even applied and I'm nervous about interviews... So I'm trying to push it all out of my mind and just concentrate on finishing my work in the studio. It's hard.
That's a great idea about giving all the info to my mentors. I didn't think of it. Thanks for the tip!
i'm going share my experience with you.
before entering my senior year in my undergrad, i knew i was going to apply to graduate school, because i had already knew, i started making tons and tons of photos. i think i shot more my senior year than any other year i was at school. i had casually done my research, talked with professors about schools that would fit with the current direction my work was heading prior to school beginning. i had a list of about 10 schools and after realizing how much money it would cost me to apply to all off them, i narrowed it down to 4 schools. yale, saic, cca, and uofmn. they were all over country, and they were all doing wonderful things with photography that i admired. i also paid really close attention to the faculty, the work that was coming out, and geography (as it plays a big role in the type of work i make). this was all before my last semester.
so with that in the back of my head, i continue with my undergraduate work. 2 months before applications were due, i notify 4 of my professors and told them that deadline was coming up and gave all the required information to write the proper letter of recommendation. i also think it's important to choose who will write for you. you want artists whose LOR are going to get recognized. (at least that's what i think) for me it was a yale alum, director of my school's photo dept, and a local but widely known photographer, who i happen to work for.
again like i've stated, my statement of purpose was the hardest simply because i'm a horrible writer and english isn't my first language. for a whole month, right up to the couple of days before the applications were due, i was still revising my SOP. I think i would have still revised it, if it weren't for the due dates. i had countless people look my statement. my professors, editors, friends, strangers...etc... etc.. and took everything everyone said into consideration.
like you i was pretty confident about my body of work so it was simply a matter of arranging it in a sequence that made sense. (told a story) this was important to me because i see myself as a story teller.
first week of January, i sent everything off. not knowing what the future had in store for me. there was a flood of emotions that came for me. i knew that my was the best it could have been but i was still nervous about others thought of my work because i had never shared with the outside world.
i heard from uofmn first, they called me within the first week of receiving my application and informed me that i had been accepted and would be offered a full scholarship with stipend. i was excited and at the same time terribly afraid because if i didn't get into the other schools that would mean i would go to my backup backup school. (something i really didn't want to do.)
a couple of weeks later, all the other schools sent their requests for interview. (this started a whole new flood of different emotions for me.) i was mortified at the thought having to speak.
cca was first and was a really short notice. they email me in the morning and said they would calling in the afternoon for a phone interview. i thought it would be the easiest but it actually was the hardest. i think i wasn't really prepared for the interview and hence the reason why it was hard.
saic, was second and it was sort off a prelude to what was to come with yale. i must say i had really good interview with the faculty at saic. i really liked it there. we mostly talked about my work, the direction it was heading, what i was thinking about in terms of new work, why saic, what i can contribute... etc..etc.. what i've realize is, sure there are questions that they must ask all interviewee but mostly the conversations are really lucid in that you are sort of in the driver seat.
before going to new haven, i met with my mentor and other professors for a mock up interview. ( i highly suggest this) and i really think this prepared me for the yale interview. at least i wasn't as nervous as other interviewee. though i really wished i did this before i had any interview. i must admit my interview at yale was weird, in the sense that, i was asked to make a fargo accent and the professor sitting next to me had his fly down during the whole interview. we talked a bit about my background and where i was from and then looked at my work and talked about my work and the direction it was moving. I thought i was horrible in the interview. i mean i was literally sick to my stomach. after my interview i wanted to get as far away from new haven as possible. i thought for sure that i had bombed the interview and was going to get rejected for sureeee.
by the time i went to the yale interview, i had found out i was accepted into the programs at cca and saic. and that i was granted scholarships that would cover 95% of my tuition at cca and 50% at saic. still i wasn't happy. (i've now realize how selfish i was) finally on my birthday, when i came back from my birthday celebration i checked and there it was. i read the fist 5 words and screamed.
after floating on cloud nine all night, i came down to earth and finally realize the choices that were in front of me. it was hard but i knew that i wasn't going to the uofmn so i told them first and then cca.
saic called and when i told them that i was accepted to yale, they offer to bump up the scholarship. at the end the way they were pursuing me was such a turn off because one of the professors would call me constantly and in the end i declined their offer.
i visited all 4 schools and sat in on critiques with all them and realize that i would more from yale than any of the other schools, plus yale just felt right.
this was my first time ever applying so i don't know or understand how hard and draining it must have been for the folks that have done it more than once but i must say that this was a wonderful experience for me as artists and a person.
great i've written a whole damn book about myself. sorry!! but i do hope that my experiences will help you in your adventure.
I think it's a great thing that you and others are thinking this far ahead and are beyond prepared for this. be honest with yourself, be humble and everything will fall into place. i wish you luck.
best, PHH
-
Schools usually wait to review your application until they're all in, after the deadline - so there's really no point (from what I've seen - YMMV) in applying extra early. Though this will differ for schools with rolling admissions.
In my (very humble) opinion, this is what you should focus on right now:
-Work to make sure your portfolio is strong and cohesive. Decide the best way of representing your images in your portfolio, ie documentation. Will you be taking pictures of your paintings yourself? Do you have a photographer who'll do that for you?
-Research faculty at your choice schools and their work. Decide exactly why you want to work with them, and what you'll contribute to them.
-Line up your letters of recommendation writers. Meet regularly with them, and prepare the materials they will need to write your letters (this should include a current CV, transcripts, statement of purpose, images of your work, lists of the schools' various deadlines, and all the forms, addresses, stamps and envelopes they'll need. Even if they can do everything online, the hard materials should still be provided. I had one letter writer who, just before the deadline, emailed me and said, "I can't figure out this online letter submission thing. Tell me where to send hard-copy letters" and I had to scramble to get her all the information and appropriate forms).
-Start drafting your statement of purpose. Make sure to consult all of the disparate statement requirements at all your desired schools, and tailor your statements accordingly.
Interviews are a long way down the road. If you focus on what you can accomplish now, that will reduce some of the anxiety over what you cannot yet control. Though, of course, your meetings with your mentors can act as rehearsals for the interviews.
i completely agree.
for me, writing my statement of purpose was the hardest. i probably spent a good month on it. I started out with the hardest (or what i thought to be the hardest) school to get into and worked my way down.
ultimately, it's all about your work so focus on that.
good luck with everyone applying.
-
That's weird they counted your parents' income to calculate your EIC. Are you 23 or older? If so, there's a section on the FAFSA where it says something like, "according to your reported information, it is not required for you to report your parents' income. Would you like to do so anyway?" Make sure you answered NO. Once you check that box in the online form, the entire "parents' assets" section disappears.
i was confuse too but apparently Yale does that regardless of age because they give aid base on need and not merit. there was another form i had to fill out aside from the fafsa that asked for my parents income and their expected income.
-
Hi mnchick, I am greatly underwhelmed and disappointed when I received my financial aid packet. If I hadn't known it's a need-based aid instead of a merit-based one, I would have thought they don't really want me that much in the program. Even Calarts' looks more generous!
I guess I haven't demonstrated well my need for fundings in my application. Anyway, I talked to the lady who's in charge. She said she'll look over my case once I send in more information. Fingers and toes crossed!
How's your looking for you?
I felt the same way you did. I received more funding from the other schools then I did this one. I was a little disappointed. I am actually going to call the Susan and talk to her again. I was really hoping not to pay much cause I fall well below the poverty line in terms of income but it doesn't seem so cause my parent's income are a factor in my financial aid packet too. (weird)
Are you living in the graduate halls or you living off campus?
-
I also sent in my deposit for Yale via delivery service today. Have you got the admission packet?
See you at Yale!
Hi Jestem!
I haven't gotten my admission packet yet. how is financial aid looking for you? '
-
i just sent in my acceptance letter for yale. YIKES!!!
-
@kmc88: People are telling me I would be a fool if I didn't attend Yale. I think ultimately I will come back to MN, I love both Chicago and NYC but home is in MN and we have a great artist community (amazingball photographers i.e. Alec Soth, David Goldes, Katherine Turczan) here that I would really love to be apart of.
@michaelwesbester: is SAIC calling you?
@james: Thank you for the advice. I'm going to do that first thing Monday morning.
-
I have somewhat of a similar situation. I've gotten accepted into the programs I've applied too, which is great. I have decided on two programs (Yale and SAIC) and have been going back and fourth on them but am leaning towards Yale. Well, yesterday a professor from SAIC called me to asked about my graduate school application. He then proceeded to tell me that he heard I was accepted into Yale and wanted to know my thoughts about where I want to go. I told him, that I had a wonderful time at SAIC and am having hard time deciding where to attend. He then proceeded to ask me if I received the scholarship letter that was sent to me. I said yes and he said he talked to the dean of the school and was prepare to get me more funding and that about 95% of my funding would be paid for if I decide to go to SAIC. I was a bit annoyed that he knew I got accepted to Yale and that he didn't remember where we met but found the gesture quite flattering.
My question is, can I go to Yale to subtly ask them to match the funding I got from SAIC.
I really do wish Yale would come after me as hard as SAIC has. It would make the decision all that much easier.
-
@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.thank you soooooOOO much. It's all so surreal right now.
-
I just realized that what I wrote made no sense.
what I was trying to get at was that the faculty was amazing and the facility was lacking.
-
@rama: I found out this past Saturday. THANKS!!
-
It looks like my decision will be between SAIC or RISD for photography. (yay!
) I know a bit about SAIC but not as much about RISD. Costs are pretty much the same though living is less expensive in RI. Does anyone have info they can offer? Do you know someone who went to either school? Trying to weigh all the factors and want to get a second opinion...I really liked SAIC's faulty members and current students. All the current students that I talked too seem to really like the program. I wasn't too excited about the faculty but Chicago and the Museum makes up for it. When I interviewed there, it just felt right.
-
OMG, I can't believe I got into Yale. I thought for sure I was rejected.
here's my list;
CCA: accepted with funding
SAIC: accepted with funding
U of MN: accepted with funding
Yale: accepted
-
@ElizabethBrown: i don't know if it's for every department but for photo it seems to be. seeing that jestem, received an email from the department chair, i wonder if all the rejects are getting their letters on thursday. i knew it was too good to be true. i'm planning a pity party and you all are invited.
-
I just called Yale's photo dept. and they informed that decisions were going to be made this thursday. i'm freaking out because i didn't have a good interview like i did at SAIC. Is anybody feeling the same way? I was also told that they are going paperless this year and there will be no snail mail.
-
interviews
in Visual
@atrawickb: yikes! now i'm super nervous.LOL
can someone tell me how the interviews for yale is different from the interviews for saic, if are any differences?
-
here is my list so far.
U of MN, accepted with full funding.
CCA, accepted with good size funding.
SAIC, accepted with funding.
Yale, interview 3/24
i am completely nervous about the yale interview.
-
I interviewed with CCA, my focus is drawing and painting, but haven't heard anything from them since the interview. Like others I logged into the web advisor thing and it said that I had been admitted. I'm a bit confused, did other people receive email notifications? mnchick and michaelwebster how did you hear about them wanting people to visit? I emailed them last week and all they told me was that the web advisor was correct and that they would be sending out packet this week.
The director of the MFA program called me 2 weeks after my interview and congratulated me and told me that they were having an open house for the graduated students who were granted admissions the weekend of april 4 and such.
-
michaelwebster, nothing about flying but hotel and food was going to get taken care off. did you hear anything about scholarships?
what's with all the YALE HATE?
in Visual
Posted
@loosemygrip, you're basing your opinion on that work and that work alone? hmm, i see.
@thestranger, have you talked to the current students in the program about their experiences?