cornchip

This forum has been so helpful in making my decision and also remaining sane during the process. I wanted to make a post summarizing my experience. For context: This is my first year applying. I am 4 years from my undergrad degree in art/art history from a liberal arts school. My work is in fiber, installation, and sculpture. Since graduating I have had a few shows here and there but nothing high profile by any means. I work as a barista and a studio assistant to two different artists while I maintain my artistic practice. My goals for grad school are to make a ton of work, to expand my material vocabulary, plant conceptual seeds for the future, become a part of an art community, and give and receive critical feedback. I applied to nine programs. This was too many in my opinion, but oh well. The offers below are just the scholarships/stipends that were offered and do not include how FAFSA may have contributed to lowering my cost of attendance. MassArt Sculpture - accepted (10k scholarship) Tyler Fibers - interview/accepted (full tuition and 34k stipend first year, 26k stipend second year while TAing) SAIC Fiber - interview/accepted (8k scholarship over two years) VCU Fiber - interview/accepted (full tuition and stipend of about 7.5k/yr) Hunter Sculpture - interview/accepted MICA Rinehart - interview/accepted (30k/yr merit scholarship) Cranbrook - accepted (25k/yr scholarship) VCU Sculpture - rejected Yale Sculpture - interview/rejected Skowhegan summer program - rejected Going into this I knew a huge factor was going to be money. There were also some unexpected developments that had some influence on my decision. In short, it became clear that I need to remain in the general east coast region. If I knew this ahead of time I would not have applied to some of the schools I applied to. I am going to Tyler in the fall! This is obviously the best choice financially and in terms of location. The program is solid and the students and professors I met while visiting were so kind and clearly had fostered a supportive environment where they all felt comfortable taking risks and being open about their practice. I will not be taking out any loans and the stipend will entirely cover my cost of living in Philly - which is more than I could have asked for and I am so grateful. For the people looking at this forum applying next year - there is money out there for your art degree!!!!

No, I'm feeling torn and disillusioned lol. I feel like I've been conditioned to think the next step to get to where I want to be is getting a degree, then another degree...but I'm beginning to wonder how different my life would be after the program. It feels like a gamble and I wonder if the things that I'm looking for in a program (critique, community, connections) I can simply find for myself where I am now. That being said though I have a very good offer from Tyler, and if I go, it would probably be there.

yes! really anxious to hear back. should be next month according to their FAQ. There was no essay to apply and not letters of recommendation so this process feels even more mysterious than the MFA process!! I remember stalking their 2022 cohort and it looks like I a lot of the people they accept are in the middle of their MFA or have already completed one...

Did anyone apply to Skowhegan?

Good to hear! It was so hard to get a vibe for the entire city after only being there for a few days and in a specific area.

I received an acceptance on March 15! I got an email to check my portal and the decision was there.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I think there are unsafe parts in any city so I know I'll have to take precautions wherever I go (I live in a very safe small town rn). Glad to hear there is a solid artist community in Philly!

Does anyone have insight into Tyler they want to share? This is looking like my best option right now. I so appreciate that they are a funded program and can provide stipends as well. I'm just not sure it's the right fit for me. I was accepted into the Fiber program, but I'm curious to hear any opinions on Tyler and Philly in general!

I emailed the head of the department and found out I was rejected a few days ago

Has anyone heard from VCU sculpture?? It's getting really late to not have heard anything at all

congrats! I just got into MICA sculpture. My award is a 30k/yr merit scholarship which is so nice.

I also just got accepted. It's a little odd they are asking us to accept the offer within two weeks, but they seem unsure if they'll have a new fiber chair by then. Also, if you don't mind me asking, what does your finaid look like? I knew Cranbrook was expensive but omg. I'd be paying 50k a year, and that's with scholarship. Reality is setting in. Cranbrook was one of my top choices but it's looking unrealistic

This is so helpful, thank you!

Thank you! I might try to go there next week actually. This will be my first visit to a grad program. Do you have any suggestions about what kinds of things to talk with students about and what to look for?

I was just rejected from Yale, so this narrows down my list a little. My best offer is from Tyler (full tuition for both years and livable stipend the first year, TA the second year) I also got into SAIC but the financial aid does not look promising. I'm waiting to hear back from VCU about financial aid and I'm hopeful it could be comparable to Tyler. Is anyone going to visit the schools they got into to speak to students, see the facilities, and get a sense of the place to help make the decision?

If you got offers from other schools you should use them as leverage with SAIC to potentially get more funding if it is your top choice. I also got a scholarship from SAIC that amounts to less than $10k total. Granted I don't know what finaid will look like but this is not enough to live off especially in Chicago. I kind of thought SAIC would be better with funding because they're so big and established but maybe not.

Honestly I refuse to go into debt for an MFA. I will wait and reapply if I don't get a fully funded/mostly funded offer. I don't think it's wise to pay full price for an MFA. As for life after...no clue lol but it's a great question to ask professors once you're in a program!

I'm also curious about this. I graduated with my BA in Art/History of Art in 2019. When I graduated I wanted to prove to myself that I could still have a somewhat rigorous practice outside of an institution. Some of my best work has been in the last couple of years. This is my first time applying for my MFA and this is how it's looking: MassArt - 3D Fine Arts - nothing so far Tyler - FMS - Accepted! Yale - Sculpture - Interview SAIC - FMS - Accepted! VCU - Fiber - Accepted! Hunter - Fine Art - Interview MICA - Sculpture - Interview Cranbrook Academy - Fiber - nothing so far VCU - Sculpture - nothing so far

I have not heard anything yet

got an interview request for Hunter yesterday

I've gotten this question a few times already in interviews. I'm not sure exactly what it means. I've always answered truthfully. It might be that they are just trying to get a sense of you as a grad applicant, but also the school's competition? In any case it's a good reminder that as much as we are trying to get accepted by these places, they are also vying for our acceptance!

I'm still waiting to hear back from VCU Sculpture, Cranbrook Fiber, MassArt 3D, and Hunter. Anyone hear back from these places? I'm happy to hear all the good news in the forum!!

I can't imagine that your GPA would have a huge impact on your application. I suppose if your GPA is really low they might ask you to explain it. Some people take a huge gap between undergrad and the MFA, or their undergrad was in something other than art, so undergrad GPA isn't very telling about the person and their artwork. The thing I have heard consistently through this process is that your portfolio, letters of rec, and statement are the most important parts of the application.

just got an interview with Yale sculpture! ?

I know it's Saturday and no one is sending emails but I can't stop refreshing lol. I also keep looking at my website analytics and seeing that people are viewing in the cities where I applied to school!! AH!