Jturne12

I just worry because according to past submissions, if one doesn't hear by February they are probably rejected... this year seems really weird though, apparently nobody has heard from them in terms of any of the MFA programs (except in theatre, I think). I'm getting impatient as well. Good luck to you, it's my top choice as well! Keep me notified if you hear anything, I'll do the same! 

I also applied to ASU for photography and haven't heard a peep yet.   I've been ready to pull the trigger on Arizona (my other top choice) since mid February but felt the need to wait it out with ASU...but my patience is wearing thin at this point.  I looked at the forum from last year and it seems like they might notify people via the status in the web portal...just checking it every day and waiting for it to say something besides 'In Review'

It's definitely a great idea to go to grad school closer to where you eventually want to live! Especially if there's substantial funding. 
As a photographer, I think it's especially exciting to move to an area with totally different light -- it always changes the way I see and photograph.... 

Thank you, and $$ makes a difference, especially if you like both schools and are thinking about post-MFA life. Congrats on the funding package at AZ! It would be interesting to make work in such a different geographic environment. One other thing to consider is where you might want to reside after the MFA program––it's nice to keep something continuous with your peers, even if you just stay put for another year or two. Best of luck on your decision!

Good luck at Rutgers!  I'm also from Chicago and love the program at Columbia, however there doesn't appear to be a lot of funding options for me. Regardless, I'm hoping to move out West at some point, so I guess it kind of makes sense to look at the Arizona programs.  AZ offered me a pretty substantial funding package, so it will be hard to pass up.    Hope the interview goes well tomorrow!

I am hoping things work out at Rutgers; I interview tomorrow! I'm from Chicago and am very familiar with Columbia College. It's a great school for photo, especially with the Museum of Contemporary Photography as a resource. Most of the artists coming out of Chicago who work in photo either attended Columbia, SAIC, or UIC. A few people from Northwestern and UofC also, but these schools seem to have more visible painters and sculptors.