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@sarah_dee -- You're very welcome! Hopefully we didn't run you off. A lot of us on the board tend to make such lists because we want to share everything that we wished someone would have told us before we got started with the application process. Just whack us with a newspaper if we're a little hyper. It's not the process itself (mostly waiting), but the varying and specific requirements that make it complicated. If you keep files or a checklist of things needed from each school and deadlines, it will be much easier. What is most important is that you are comfortable. Who wouldn't be on that gorgeous campus? Wow CT. I also returned to studio coursework after 10 years and it took a few months to a year to get (solidly) back into creating art/discourse in an academic setting, so a program like yours will likely be beneficial for your particular goals of an MFA. Also, look into some residencies if you're game. Good luck to you! @johnrarch: Congratulations on your accomplishments! You should be very proud of yourself for what you have done. I'm proud of you and don't even know you. I understand what it means to prove yourself, as I am 2/3 of the categories that you listed and challenged about one ridiculous thing or another on a daily basis. Not to mention exaggerated purse clutchings [and I'm a petite female w/Muppet features (Lemur eyes. Hmm. Actually that could be a little scary.)]. As annoying as it can be, it's a person's right not to love us all (non-abusively). That's life. I consider myself blessed to have been exposed to a variety of nationalities, political leanings, and economic strata since birth; meaningful relationships with people who are different from yourself is often insurance that these situations don't weigh you down so heavily when they come. (big hug) Sorry, I had Pollyanna-cil with my juice this morning.... @anyone else considering returning to school: Do it! I don't know anyone who's regretted going back for complete personal fulfillment or goals.

Been hit. Go on...without...me.... So close. Twice. Rrr. Anyone waiting on Mount Royal that hasn't heard from them yet might want to make other plans. Everyone who has been offered a spot has accepted. Via email this afternoon. There might be openings if someone withdraws, so admissions isn't officially "closed", but it's a bit of a lottery situation and a quick relocation. Record # of applicants and all that; hopefully, there will be more gainfully employed artists next year. Good luck to anyone still waiting. We've been at this for at least 1/2 a year and anyone who hasn't torn the rest of their hair out is aces in my book. Also, hats off to those of you doing this for an exhausting second or third time. No idea how you did it. If I find anything out from my painting/photog friends, I'll pass it on. 1st some cheesecake therapy, then back to the studio....

Hi there – Although GPA is a factor, it doesn’t necessarily hold the most weight for your MFA. If it is a weak spot, you will be provided with opportunities to explain what you've done since then. What they really pay attention to (from interviews/correspondence) is your work, vision, references, and statement. They look for things that they feel you could add to the class that they don’t already have or might help balance/be compatible with/contrast. A lot of programs focus on building a class and choose candidates that round it out; this might differ between small, experimental programs and larger, more traditional ones. Focus on refreshing your portfolio and arranging a consistent body to submit. The average amount of images is 15-20; send at least the minimum, but don’t send the max unless you believe in those pieces. Also, if you can…go to open houses (or online) and visit schools to get a better idea of what students are doing to see if the programs are right. 1) GRE: Most of the MFA programs researched or applied to didn’t require GRE scores, HOWEVER, a few of them do. Those tend to be the programs located in university settings, rather than independent art schools. Just check early so that you have time to prepare as johnrarch wisely suggested. 2) Tip: When researching, check two sections (if applicable) for application requirements. The first is the general graduate admissions section of the college or university; the second is the department. Try to find a page for your department and see if they have specific requirements. If you post images online, most schools charge and the fee is not always upfront so budget an extra $30 – 60 for emergency fees ($10-15 per department). 3) Printmaking: The graduate printmaking course sounds like an excellent idea! You’ll have an opportunity to be advised by a new face and get a nice trial run in critiques. Sometimes (and I use this lightly, because not all that many programs allow outside courses), you get to receive credit for the course if your program has electives. I’m considering doing this myself if I don’t get in this year. 4) Art History: Hmm. This is trickier. Many art history departments are stingy with their graduate courses going to “outsiders”, which might limit you to intro courses which won’t transfer as graduate electives. If you just want to refresh, I would suggest going to a used bookstore/library and getting the latest copy of a general art history book, another on the latest techniques in your specialization, and check out some books on theory and current artists that interest you. Get reading lists or ask graduate students for their lists/syllabi. Sit in on some lectures. That will save you $. If it’s just something that you want to do, then by all means take an art history course. Take it easy though, since there’s a lot of writing involved and you’re just heading back. I understand your insecurity! I was enrolled at 16, got chicken pox (seriously), burned out, married/divorced, worked 70 hr weeks, took a class here and there and finally graduated last December at 32. Annoying…yes. Embarrasing…sometimes -- but I left wiser and with an extra degree dammit. It can be intimidating when you’ve outlived many of your peers, but still feel a little behind. You can do this though. Some of the best graduate students that I’ve met were returning students.

Hi again and thanks for participating you guys. I can see from the # of views that inquiring minds want to know. Okay, via email about an hour ago: MICA Rinehart: all spaces have commitment; something may open in the future, but for now you can read that as "all positions accepted". Record # of applicants. :/ MICA Mount Royal: there are still spaces available and an additional update will be made by May 5th from the waitlist. There was also a light request from the school to let them know if you are no longer interested in being on the waitlist. If it makes a difference to any of you, the alternates were not ranked. I'm sure that they had a couple of people that they couldn't do without, but from what I was told when I spoke to them, they like to form classes according to the types of artists in the group and not necessarily on talent alone. So, alternates were chosen according to what the projected class looked like. Wow this is stressful. Congrats to the Mount Royal person and fingers/eyes/toes crossed for the rest of you! One of us has to get in dammit!

Hi, starting this topic to help Visual/Inter/Multi waitlisters track the last leg of this round. One of the major final acceptance weeks has passed (between April 15th-19th), so many should be hearing something soon. If you are/were on a waitlist and have heard back from any of your schools (in terms of acceptance, # of others on list) would you post as you discover? The other major thread is mostly at the stage of deciding which programs to accept and financial info., so didn't want to get lost in there. Doesn't matter which program as long as this potentially helps someone get the answers that they need to stop stressing and move on. Good luck! I'll start: MICA Mount Royal and Rinehart according to the original waitlist notifications will notify April 21st. I got those first letters 2 days after mailing, so we might find out by Friday, Saturday, early next week? Thanks!

Thank you! This is awesome information and will return the favor if I hear of anything that might benefit you as well.

@john2dc: You know, making a transition into MFA from another field can be a very good thing in applying. Your career as an artist is usually considered from the point at which they consider you to have begun "training" or having serious interest in art. I have dual degrees (one in a different field) and am always asked about the other and how I might like to explore it in terms of my work. Integration of ideas or techniques from something else can definitely work in your favor. Good luck, sounds interesting!

(cont’d 2/2) My mother is a painter, who got back into the professional practice in her late 50s (now early 70s), so ABSOLUTELY I believe that it is possible to have fresh ideas and potential to offer the art world. She continually gets shows and invites and just got published in a collection last year. However, I worry that it is a foot in the door situation: meeting in person + portfolio might work, but age on paper might not float. Possible concerns of schools: 1) promoting phenoms; “Best under 30” lists; it pays to exceed expectations for your age because you have longer to develop and produce, and be somewhat of a darling in the meanwhile. 2) As I learned from a former boss who was pres of a Young Entrepreneur’s org at 40, you are still considered young at 40(ish) in business and careers with long-term goals (lengthy training, mastery, degree plans are considered), so accepting early 30-somethings, may ensure that you graduate an emerging artist under 40 in time to be under that umbrella. Example: Accept 30-something into three-year program: 31 + 3 = 34 at grad. 34 + 2 = 36 after putzing around/discovering/getting job/body of work 36 + 4 = 40 having dedicated showings for about 4 years as a young artist Get it, but don't like it. Fortunately, most programs don't appear to work that way and seem to choose according to potential/portfolio. People don't match up to their ages the way that they used to, so it's not so easy to forecast viability. Dunno, what do you guys think? I love this forum; I always laugh when casual acquaintances remark that artists have it “so easy”. Ha! Try being creative + professional + accountant + philosopher + researcher + concise. Yeah, that equals artist.

Hi all (hi john2dc, happy belated bday littlenova)! So many perspectives! Thanks for continuing this: Let me clarify to all. I am not saying that the artist can not be successful on his/her own at a certain age, or not find representation; this is specifically in the context of graduate program admission. Was discussing this with a friend of mine during her first semester at grad school. She is 36 and was admitted at 34. I’m 32. She went local (4 hr drive) because she has a 5yo, husband, and a home. During her app process she discovered that there was somewhat of an issue at some of the schools. It wasn’t official, just person to person. I’d never focused on that until something caught my eye in a brochure that I sent for last year (don’t want to mention the school because I haven’t found it yet, and don’t like putting things out there without evidence). It concerned me, but at the same time made sense. The way that I see it is: It depends on the goals of the school. A school focusing on traditional/craft may not want the same max. age that a school competing for young entrants to art fairs/new artist lists would. The more traditional may feel that older students have more to offer in terms of experience and stability. From the MFA grad students that I have met, I would definitely say that the most dedicated were older. They socialized, weren’t afraid to push boundaries, etc., but were very “together” human beings. No drama, no hangovers, just work. The standout was nearly 60 years old, published in Sculpture mag in 2008, went on the MICA summer trip, got raves in columns, and has exhibits consistently; he also had a pro career before earning his MFA. To michaelwebster, I’m not leaving you out because one of the most dedicated artists that I have met was also the youngest! (to be cont’d 1/2)

Congratulations everyone -- You're all so enthused that I can't wait to see how that gets manifested in your work! Let's have an exciting decade!

Wow -- what great responses! Thanks everyone. The program sounds great; the only thing that I'm thinking now is that with that 6k I could travel, invest in better shop tools, and add to my graduate account. That's why I was wanting to hear of experiences in the SSP and whether it might add that extra "ummph" that I could justify attending over applying to residencies or workshops. I just finished a program in December that had frequent guest critics/lecturers and was run somewhat like a graduate program including professional practices, so you're right in saying that it might be more of the same for someone like me that hasn't been removed from the routine for long enough. On the other hand -- there was a very convincing argument for attending because of the acceptance results, new faces and feedback, and (my god) the shops. I get the impression that the invite to apply is a suggestion that the work needs to mature or be presented more cohesively in comparison to that of the accepted candidates. In other words, they might think that you are good enough to continue as an artist, but need to get rid of a few rough edges. So acceptances increase, because attendees are seen as polished and willing to take the next step. Although this is not quite the same thing my former professor was rejected at MICA, attended post-bac at MICA, and was accepted the following year, so I wouldn't discount these programs and post-bacs as a waste of time. However, no guarantee and a lot of money. Sigh. Decisions. Side: I applied not because of the rankings, but because the school seems to be the perfect blend for someone like me (part fluid/conceptual/experimental; part craftsmanship/crossed t's-dotted i's + affordable) that I don't see in a lot of programs at the moment. The VCU rejections were awesome! Two separate mailed out in the same week for the same application! Personally, I preferred the first letter....

Hi littlenova (loved your work) Oh yes -- I'm absolutely honored to be considered for the waitlist and don't care about the order of pics at all. MICA was my dream choice (as in not expecting to go this far) -- but I just can't imagine that many people turning them down. I'm just trying to continue with my plans B and C just in case since I'm already 32. I would like to have a child and have two senior parents, so if I don't get my chance by next year, I'll have to wait and try again in 4 or 5 years and some schools have cut-off points as far as age goes. What I mean by "revenge art" is getting down to business and putting out work so good that people go "whoa, how did we miss that one?" But no, I won't be that silly about it! Thanks!