MIQI

That's not what I meant. I meant if your practice changes drastically then the ideal program for YOU may change as well.

I don't think it's a bad thing that you're compiling your list so early. I do think that your practice will likely change drastically in the next few years and so will your ideal MFA program. The advice that I've gotten from mentors regarding MFA programs that are conductive to producing teachers is to look for academically rigorous programs (you can tell from the curriculum,) and schools whose alums tend to land full-time faculty positions. A more roundabout way to identify schools that produce teachers is to look at the faculty list of every single university that you can think of, look at where their faculty received their MFAs, and WHEN. Some MFA faculty are known for advocating for their students in pursuit of faculty positions. Those individuals may be responsible for spikes in faculty outputs.

This is arguably the part that annoys me the most. If you have to forcefully insert your unsolicited opinions here and hijack this forum as your personal outlet, at least have something new to say... For someone who wants to convince us that we ain’t as “special” as we think, they sure think they’re special enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Look, I'm sorry for whatever happened in the intervening years between your MFA and now that makes you so resentful. Your patronizing is not welcome here. It is one thing to say that "it is exceedingly difficult (and will be even more so) to get a full-time job in art academia." That is just a fact. It is another thing to mock aspirations to do so.

I believe those people have good intentions but I agree with you that some projecting is going on... My impression is that a sizable portion of folks on this forum are gunning for fully funded programs that not only cost close to nothing but also pay somewhat livable stipends. I guess I agree with the kernel of what they've been trying to convey, namely that a MFA isn't necessary for you to become an artist. We all already are. Again, my impression is that a fair portion of us have been been aware of this. My intention of getting such a degree (and I know many others who share my goal) is very much related to my desire to be a full-time faculty. Otherwise I wouldn't need a MFA degree.

My "journey" was somewhat similar to yours I guess? I came to really like and eventually commit to a program that wasn't initially on the top of my list. There were periods (before I committed) when I felt a bit shaky as you said, but I now firmly believe I made the right choice. Another thing is, I would personally prefer a program that loves me to begin with, rather than one that places me on a waitlist. It's a bit like dating in my mind. I want to go to a program that is passionate about me.

Does seem unusual... My professors had told me in the past that schools may want to know my other options but they typically wouldn't (and shouldn't) ask outright. However, if Hunter is indeed your number one pick I think it wouldn't hurt to say so.

I've committed to UTK and declined everywhere else in the past two weeks but has continued to creep on this forum. Posting my stats below for future reference. I'm glad that I visited UTK back in February and really liked it. Most of my other acceptances either didn't accept me until March or planned visit days in late March, which are all moved online because of COVID-19. I can only imagine the difficulty of trying to commit to a school without physically being there... good luck to all! UTK (Printmaking; fully funded) interview invite 01/21, acceptance 01/31***going U of Minnesota (Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking; fully funded) interview invite 01/26, acceptance 02/04***declined Yale (Painting & Printmaking) rejection 01/28 Tyler (Printmaking; full funding for one semester) no interview, acceptance 01/28***declined U of Michigan Stamps (Art; 75% tuition remission and some stipend) interview invite 02/03, acceptance 02/28***declined Rutgers (Visual Arts) rejection 02/05 University at Buffalo (Studio Art; fully funded) interview invite 02/24, acceptance 03/05***declined WUSTL (Visual Art; half scholarship and some TA stipend) interview invite 02/29, acceptance 03/13***declined UCLA (Interdisciplinary Studio) rejection 03/18 CMU (Art) rejection 03/19

Congrats on your acceptances! For me, the low chance of getting good funding from these programs (and private art schools in general) discourages me from applying to most of them. I'd rather not pay for MFA. I don't feel qualified to answer whether these programs are worth their money, which seems to be what you're asking? I think it may be best to ask your mentors, be it your undergrad faculty, or just artists at an later stage of their career. If money isn't an issue for you though, perhaps focus on what kind of program may produce the best outcome for you? That would depend on what you want to do. From what I've been told, there are certain programs that are more academic than others, and certain programs that are more about the gallery scene, etc. I want to eventually teach at a college level, and so I applied to programs that (mostly) are academic and/or are designed in such a way as to maximize academic placement.

I think someone has asked this question before but received no answers and so I want to ask again: can someone speak to University of Michigan Stamps’ MFA in Art program?

Can someone speak to University at Buffao’s MFA in Studio Art program? Both in general and about its reputation in particular. I like the program on paper but most of my undergrad mentors don’t have UB on their radar.

I applied to their MFA in Visual Art program. Good luck!

Thank you for elaborating—it's very helpful! According to the phone call, I will receive formal acceptance next week, and the funding details the week after. There will be a short Skype interview early next week, and may have some bearing on the funding. Which brings me to another issue... Can you speak to your impression/your friends' experience with their funding there? Judging from what they have online, my impression is that they offer full tuition remission in the best case scenario? But then again, I didn't apply to any of the University-wide fellowships.

Thank you for your input! I was also curious about WUSTL. I was notified acceptance through phone call yesterday. Could you elaborate on the part about not getting attention? Is it because of their large class size? (Judging from their 2013–2015 graduate classes, seems like there're 20+ people each class year.) Or is it more about their faculty being not very accessible and approachable in general? Thank you!!

They interviewed some candidates this Thursday and Friday (today.) The impression I got from my interview was that they wanna determine what classes I'd be comfortable teaching. So... I think there's a chance that this round of interviews is only for the potential Teaching Assistants, independent of the larger pool that they may accept.