XSX

Kinetic Imaging. VCU has produced some talented and successful artists but it felt to me like the structure and small cohort had the potential to be either very rewarding or frustrating and unproductive. In the end I wasn't ready to take that risk, and went with a safer program. Still not sure I made the right call, but hearing that you had a similar experience makes me feel better about that decision

What department? I turned down my offer for painting because I too felt that the program seemed unstable compared to what I did end up going with. 

Hope everyone on here had a successful application season. I ended up committing to CalArts, and on the day of the deadline I got an email from VCU about a spot on the waitlist opening up. I was very torn, because their program only accepts 3 students and feels maybe more contemporary (but also maybe less stable) than CalArts. I stuck with my decision because I had already put down a deposit but it's given me a lot of stress. Anyone else on here face challenging choices this year?

Just got into UW in Seattle for Photo (got a call from the faculty). I was the first one on their waitlist, and I assumed someone said “no”. 
 
now I am waiting to know what is the financial side of things. 
 
if someone knows anyone who goes or went to UW - please hit me up. 

Congratulations! Personally, as a fellow poor person who went into vast debts for undergrad, I would recommend VCU. It is still one of the better state universities and its name does carry a good bit of weight, and combined with the financial aid package, it’s pretty enticing; you can make waves wherever you go.
HOWEVER. If you really have your heart set on Boston, you might be able to negotiate a full tuition waiver. You won’t have a stipend to help with housing, but at least tuition will be covered. 
I’m selecting my schools exclusively on financial aid. I really wanted to go to Brooklyn College for painting, but after getting accepted, I found out they lied about offering incoming graduate students scholarships. I turned them down for USF, which offered a tuition waiver and stipend. I doubt USF has much weight in the national art community, but it’s facilities and funding are really good. 

Painting people: Here's where I'm at, and I would appreciate any advice. Trying to decide between Boston University and VCU at the moment. VCU offered me both years of tuition covered plus a TAship/stipend each year. Boston U offered me 80% scholarship, which means I would pay $5,700 per year attend. Obviously, VCU is the better deal financially. What excites me most about Boston U is the faculty and how well connected they seem to be. Also, moving to a faster-paced, bigger city is appealing. I'm currently based in the Midwest, and Richmond seems real similar to the city I currently live in.
I've spoken with students from each school and I still can't really gauge what the difference is regarding each program. I know VCU was hot back in the early 2000s back when Richard Roth was still there. I can't really tell what the vibe there is now though. 
Anyone have thoughts on this? The VCU deal is hard to ignore, but I saw someone on here turned down all of their fully-funded packages to go to Goldsmith's, so like, money doesn't really matter. I'm so used to being poor that it doesn't matter. Many thanks ya'll!
 

Here's how my list played out:
Boston University (accepted - 80% percent tuition reduction)
VCU (accepted - full ride plus $10k teaching stipend)
Tyler (accepted - renegotiating funding offer)
UW Seattle (accepted - declined offer)
UC Riverside (accepted - declined offer)
UC Berkeley (waitlisted)
UC San Diego (waitlisted)
UCLA - rejected
Yale - rejected 
Still trying to make a decision. Heavily leaning towards Boston U despite the funding offer from VCU. 

Here's how my list played out:
Boston University (accepted - 80% percent tuition reduction)
VCU (accepted - full ride plus $10k teaching stipend)
Tyler (accepted - renegotiating funding offer)
UW Seattle (accepted - declined offer)
UC Riverside (accepted - declined offer)
UC Berkeley (waitlisted)
UC San Diego (waitlisted)
UCLA - rejected
Yale - rejected 
Still trying to make a decision. Heavily leaning towards Boston U despite the funding offer from VCU. 

It's a partially funded offer with teaching assistantships throughout the two years to offset what you would end up having to pay for tuition. It's really narrowing down to faculty for me. I would love to live in Seattle, but I didn't see my work benefitting from what the painting faculty at UW had to offer. 

Here's how my list played out:
Boston University (accepted - 80% percent tuition reduction)
VCU (accepted - full ride plus $10k teaching stipend)
Tyler (accepted - renegotiating funding offer)
UW Seattle (accepted - declined offer)
UC Riverside (accepted - declined offer)
UC Berkeley (waitlisted)
UC San Diego (waitlisted)
UCLA - rejected
Yale - rejected 
Still trying to make a decision. Heavily leaning towards Boston U despite the funding offer from VCU. 

Here's how my list played out:
Boston University (accepted - 80% percent tuition reduction)
VCU (accepted - full ride plus $10k teaching stipend)
Tyler (accepted - renegotiating funding offer)
UW Seattle (accepted - declined offer)
UC Riverside (accepted - declined offer)
UC Berkeley (waitlisted)
UC San Diego (waitlisted)
UCLA - rejected
Yale - rejected 
Still trying to make a decision. Heavily leaning towards Boston U despite the funding offer from VCU. 

One more thing! I had a really interesting call with a rad curatorial team. They've worked as head curators for several biennials, as well as pavilions for Venice. I was asking for advice on what school I should choose. This is a paraphrasing of what they said:
"Don't think about prestige. Go with where you want to live and what will benefit you to learn. No one cares about where you went to grad school or even if you went to grad school. They care about the practice. Artists these days can come from anywhere."
That doesn't mean prestige doesn't matter for teaching or for your personal sense of self-worth--that's surely a thing, for better or worse! Anyway, not everyone is brainwashed and don't let the people on this forum brainwash you!

Painting people: Here's where I'm at, and I would appreciate any advice. Trying to decide between Boston University and VCU at the moment. VCU offered me both years of tuition covered plus a TAship/stipend each year. Boston U offered me 80% scholarship, which means I would pay $5,700 per year attend. Obviously, VCU is the better deal financially. What excites me most about Boston U is the faculty and how well connected they seem to be. Also, moving to a faster-paced, bigger city is appealing. I'm currently based in the Midwest, and Richmond seems real similar to the city I currently live in.
I've spoken with students from each school and I still can't really gauge what the difference is regarding each program. I know VCU was hot back in the early 2000s back when Richard Roth was still there. I can't really tell what the vibe there is now though. 
Anyone have thoughts on this? The VCU deal is hard to ignore, but I saw someone on here turned down all of their fully-funded packages to go to Goldsmith's, so like, money doesn't really matter. I'm so used to being poor that it doesn't matter. Many thanks ya'll!
 

Sent in my email to accept a fully funded offer from ASU today. I am so incredibly excited! For those on waitlists, don't give up hope! (And also, for those who find themselves in the same position I found myself in last year with acceptances I couldn't afford, don't be afraid of trying again. I'm so happy I did.)

This forum has been pretty helpful, and I just want to wish you all the best of luck! 

Hi, so I am basically in the same situation. My understanding is that RCA, Slade, and Goldsmiths are the top U.K. schools. They may be slightly less known in the US but most academic and gallery people will be impressed and in Europe they are THE Columbia, SAIC, etc.  So that’s the prestige aspect. Obviously we all know that’s important but not necessary for success. We also all know that collectively, hundreds of students come out of these programs every goddamn year and very few reach the upper levels of success in the art world. All things to consider. 
 
That said, try not to get too caught up in the funding vs prestige debate because in my experience it’s a dead end. Try to think more holistically. For example, what’s the value to you of London as a city? What does financial stability mean to you as a person? Do you see yourself buying a house?  How scrappy do you feel? How fragile do you feel? How does the worst time of your life apply to this decision? How does the best time in your life apply to this decision? How much would you like to change who you are? I had three fully funded offers in the US and I chose Goldsmiths. To make my decision, I tried to think holistically. I’m ready for an adventure! Student debt doesn’t scare me because I’m marrying a shit ton of it lol. I want to take a shot at those upper tiers! Maybe I can teach at a great program or show in the Whitney when I’m 50! Or maybe not. Maybe it will just be two amazing years in London with amazing museums. And I’ll have debt forever. I can accept that.   I even thought of stuff like do I like British food? Is the idea of not driving a plus or a negative? Do you see yourself as a risk-taker? Why or why not? Does anything matter to you more than art? Why or why not?  I’m not telling you to choose RCA, I’m just sharing my process because I know it’s a really hard decision. 
TED talks are stupid but I’m going to share one below because it changed how I thought about this whole process and made me a lot more positive about my decision. 
You have two great options and this is a GOLDEN opportunity to define yourself as a person. What you want, what you are comfortable with, and everything else. Neither choice is wrong. What will make you happy is sticking up for whichever decision you make. Don’t question yourself, but adapt to your choice. Best of luck. 

Still crickets over here 

I am so excited to announce that I was accepted into UCI Tuesday evening! Some of you might know I was originally waitlisted, but I received an email that funding has changed and they were able to add another spot for their incoming cohort! I still cannot believe this is real! Look forward to seeing some of y’all in California!

I would like to propose that everyone’s opinion on here is very valid and there is no need for hard feelings!  Never mind bots or duplicate accounts, I find the main camps on here are mostly arguing wether prestige or funding are more important. Because I have to personally make that decision, after meditating, making pros and cons list, drinking heavily, talking to everyone I know for days about it, and regularly waking in the middle of the night to nervous vomit, I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT I DON’T KNOW. ❤️❤️❤️ And I thank you for ALL your opinions and lovely support. Sending my support right back your way. 

There isn’t a right answer to this. We’d all need a crystal ball for and it’s different for different people. Please proceed with love and respect ✊ 

Just got accepted into CCA

Accepted to UMass Amherst (3 year program)!! They waved tuition and offered me a teaching assistantship with a stipend and health/dental insurance covered  

Same for me as well! Congrats

Same for me as well! Congrats

Same for me as well! Congrats

Same for me as well! Congrats

I got Boston University Painting acceptance about an hour ago! I got 35% of tuition waived on top of the half of tuition waived for mfa students