sunflowerlemon

Thanks so much for these details (esp about your experience with the social dynamics + the spending expectations!) The idea of having two months of MFA-prep and art community, even if potentially cliquey, is tempting. But I think where I am at right now, it is better for me to work on my local network work (which tbh I haven't put enough effort into) and save the money. But I'll keep it in my mind, haven't gotten into any schools yet so ~

Ah, me too. Do you have any thoughts on their summer studio program? I hadn't considered it that seriously before but my rejection email came with the encouragement to apply for it / fee waiver, so am vaguely thinking about it.

When I've checked here: http://appstatus.grad.ucla.edu/Account/AppStatus.aspx it says March or April so....it might be a while I guess ?

rejected too but was not expecting much tbh. how many of you all are planning to apply again/do another round next year?

Just got an email notifying me of my rejection from Carnegie Melon ? Good luck to the rest who applied, hope you get better news!

lol yes!!! I took a very long candlelit bath the other day and it was the best. Recently took a dance class, and rode my bike all the things that make my body / me happy and take my mind of the waiting. Also if you're in California like me and have coastal access: take yourself to the BEACH (or any form of nature) for me is so stress relieving!

I've now done 6/9 so I'm feeling a lot better than before! Hope you're doing well too @MjamesPDX When I could, I filled out that description section to the maximum word limit. Hahaha. I got that advice from a grant writing workshop, where they said the more information you can stuff in, the better. I did vary this a bit school to school - CMU's administration person said not to put a description in, and some other schools (i.e. UCI) specifically asked for a description. That said, when I presented my work to a professor at a portfolio review day, I got a better understanding of what the review process is like for MFA programs - I think they go through your work crazy fast, like a few seconds per image. So, is it actually worth it?! Maybe if you're in the final round they might bother to read it?

Another thought to add to the mix - I've heard that it is fine to include the names but don't try to draw connections between the professor's art and your work b/c they might not agree.

Hello everyone! I'm doing my first (and hopefully final...) round of apps for the MFA. I'm applying to Stanford, San Francisco State, San Jose State, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UCLA, Yale, Carnegie Melon, and Virginia Commonwealth University (Sculpture). Random bits of info from what I've heard or seen: UCI: More equitable in terms of funding being more evenly distributed than other places. Irvine is a weird place to live though, warning if you haven't been there! Around half the students live in LA and commute (which can be pretty intense but I think this is more for people who already have a practice/connections in LA) Personally I would want to stay on campus, they do guarantee on campus housing for everyone in the program. The single studio that I saw didn't have a window/which made me a little sad, but after the first year, you can share studios and imo those were better (higher ceilings, more light) UCLA: The studios are temporary until their fancy amazing looking new ones are built (projected for Fall 2019 but...when does construction ever finish on time???) The temporary studios are not great, they are located in an old grocery stores. Of course the faculty is *amazing* and I'm still applying! But if you want to do projections it isn't great as there is one main light switch for all the lights. I think the degree to which the studios work for you or not would depend on what you're doing. I'm not sure how equitably the funding is distributed, I've heard mixed things. VCU: I've been told it is an up and comping program, great work coming out, the Sculpture section is fully funded but they keep it under wraps b/c they don't want too many people applying, I guess? SF State: I really like the people and faculty that I've spoken to here. You have to pay but it is a state school so it is cheaper, and they have a lot more professional development than I've seen elsewhere, which is something I would like. It's not a school that is going to be on many people's radars but since I'm from the Bay Stanford: If you apply multiple times, I have heard that you should not submit any of the same work. I guess that's obv but just FYI. For the recommendations, they aren't looking so much to learn about you as a person/your character, but instead about your art, so pick people that can write well about your work. Their interviews are very long compared to other schools and they expect you to talk a lot about your work. Their studios are really large and lovely, faculty studios are in the same area which is great. Hope that is helpful! I have done 3 applications and to be honest am already feeling a bit done. But pushing for the next 6 and trying to make a little bit more work for them too. Good luck everyone!