SpillToBuilt

Tough call. If you are interested in all eight of those schools, maybe just apply to all of them? It certainly increases your odds of getting into a program. Of course, this depends on how much time/money you want to spend on applications as well. It seems like a lot of people apply to their dream school(s) and then some backups. For me, I only had one school that worked due to location and funding, so I put all of my energy into that single application (and got in). Not applying elsewhere would be risky if you have more options though!

You should look at current grad faculty and current/past students. Also peruse their website.

Everyone here should totally heed that advice in bold. So important!

Have you been making lots of work? Does your practice have a conceptual background? Do you know where you sit within your medium(s) history and the current discussions going on in the art world? That’s probably a lot more important than recently showing it in galleries, plus your other experiences should help.

Notable is subjective, so I won’t speak to that. Tons of funded programs are out there; just google something like funded mfa art programs—a few lists will come up. One program I know that is funded and likely a solid option is Rutgers New Brunswick in NJ, due to its proximity to NYC. My suggestion is to find a funded program that has faculty you really want to work with—of course, the program should also fit other personal criteria needs such as location.

My two cents: if the exhibition does not have a title, then it is probably not an exhibition. From what you said, I would not call that an exhibition, though it would certainly fit in your bio or statement of purpose though.

I would google “funded MFA art programs” and look for schools that are in a suitable climate. There are at least a few different lists of funded programs that should pop up. edit: Also, what you talk about in the “This forum has been so helpful” paragraph is really interesting. You could definitely build upon those ideas for your portfolio to submit for applications. I would also say you definitely want to submit a body of work separate from your commercial work.

Going into my second year here. Full speed ahead—not much else one can do in these times. At least the studios are quiet.

@moon_whale The MFA is really helpful if you want to better conceptualize your artistic practice/teach art. Otherwise it is not very useful. I am curious why you are now “anti-MFA?”

Nevermind. ?

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you—things have been crazy. I feel like this is all an excellent start. You definitely have the thought process down, just need to keep refining it and let the work grow. I think some time off of school will be great for your practice. Maybe consider writing about why you continually come back to masculinity as an issue for your work. I feel like your writing could be more personal and less generalized too. For example, you use yourself as the subject in some of these projects but you could use anyone, so why you? Also, I saw on the main thread that you were accepted to at least one MFA though? Any reason you didn’t go? Regardless, I would try to stay in touch with your art people—instructors, classmates, etc.—try to keep getting feedback on your work from time to time. Maybe a good idea to reach out to grads/faculty of interest at schools you want to go to.

Just my two cents. MFA from home is kind of great. Way more time to focus on making work, and Zoom meetings for classes and advisor meetings go surprisingly well. The only downside is critique class kind of sucks. Oh, and the work you make is obviously limited to what you have access to outside of school, but this is forcing me way outside of my comfort zone, in a great way. So if it were me, I would start this year if you can, unless maybe if you have something better to do?

Well, there is a pandemic happening right now...

@OliveTree1018 I would post in the writing forum. This is for MFA visual arts.

Don’t worry about grad school for now. Figure out how to make work without the structure of college. It will help your portfolio and chances for MFA acceptances. A lot of schools don’t want people right out of undergrad, ya know? Take the time off from school. Then later in the year decide if you are ready for grad school or not. And definitely trim that website down. Way too much going on. Only show your best, cohesive projects. This is probably going to be your most recent work, since you are still in undergrad. But get rid of anything that just feels like a miscellaneous collection of works in a certain medium or 101-type stuff (it looks like you even have high school work there?). Your CV looks good—keep building it up. But more importantly, keep making lots of work after undergrad. If funding is important, only apply to well-funded schools. Maybe do a few schools where funding is more competitive if you like the schools, but there are so many fully funded programs as-is. If you want, link your three best projects from your website and corresponding statements if you have them. That would be a lot more helpful in regards to advising you.

Location and name aren’t everything. What about faculty? Alumnus? Have you visited the campuses? Funding?

At the graduate level, the FAFSA is for unsubsidized loan eligibility, and some schools may also use the FAFSA info in determining your aid package. Either way, you should fill it out.

No studio access at my school indefinitely, but it is possible that we will be allowed back mid-semester. I won’t hold my breath though. No talk of compensation, nor had that thought even crossed my mind—it is not like the colleges are at fault. Demands? I am instead thrilled to have extra time off. Sure, I hope I can get back into the studio soon, but there are other things I can be doing too. We are artists—we are supposed to be resourceful, ya know? But I take it UPenn is not fully funded with stipend, so your perspective would be different from mine. Still, it is just an all around difficult time for everyone. Everyone everywhere is taking a big hit in some way, NY mayor says we are headed to second great depression, and even Prez T seems concerned. My plans—enjoy the extended break and do lots of reading. Also, work around the house and yard. I can’t make my work completely without the studios, so there is not much else I can do. Maybe I will switch to a medium that I can do at home. We will get through this!

You should check Hunter’s homepage. Or, to save you a trip, the campus is closed today except for essential personnel. Must explain the no-show. Sucks that they didn’t let you know. Maybe it was last minute? Still not cool.

Probably harder to get into “top tier” as more people want to get in.

? Good luck all.

Free tuition, a stipend, and teaching experience is a great way to go. The only reason I might consider otherwise is if there are faculty members that I really wanted to work with. I feel like I lucked out though and ended up with excellent advisors, but that is not always the case. Not to mention successful advisors may need to go on sabbatical/leave to work on shows, leaving you with someone else who may not be as helpful.

@eggplant — It’s not over until it’s over.

They want you to visit in person and speak with faculty—that should be a very good sign. If the interviews were formal, they probably would have said interview. I would guess these are meant to be slightly more casual conversations.

I remember that person was photo.