theundoing

Hey, If you want to submit higher dpi for other schools that allow it ...it might be better? But it depends on your images and if detail is super important. I think 72 dpi should be fine but some advice websites say 240 dpi. You could save your original file as both 72 and 240 and submit 240 to the places that allow it. Just don't try to go from 72 to 240 because it will mess up the image (which you may already know but I've just had a steep learning curve with documentation of my work)

thank you! and thanks for your time yesterday

thank you so much! I will message you. It is such a pain. I really can't tell if they should be brighter/more saturated or if they are too bright/over saturated .

Hey, Would anyone be willing to look at a few of my images to let me know if they look too edited? I'm using adobe lightroom to color correct (I don't have professional lighting in my studio). I think I've adjusted the colors to be true but it is also hard for me to asses if I'm making them look fake? I can trade you my eyes for another task (looking over your statement, looking over your photos etc.)

In the Q&A session for Yale they implied that it should be one body of work that concentrates on a focused set of ideas. That said if your focus or conceptual interest is somehow tied to exploration of different mediums you could probably make what you have cohesive. It seemed in the Q&A that they would rather have a page from your studio notebook that demonstrates how you are working through your conceptual framework than a random unrelated painting.

I would call the schools you are applying to. Some schools really do only want letters from people who can speak directly to your art practice. Other schools might be more open. Usually the admissions office will happily answer this type of question for you.

Yes, I am applying. Also applying to Hunter, Bard, and maybe UCLA.

it is so small. but maybe far fewer students will apply this year. It seems possible from the low activity on this forum compared to previous years.

In the painting info session they said 1 person from sculpture . But the sculpture info session would be more accurate re: sculpture. And yeah in that video above that SocialKonstruct posted the slide says 4 from sculpture.

Yale Sculpture will only accept 1 student. Yale painting will only except 10 (versus the normal 16)

Yeah, it is a really good program (imo). It will be interesting. I definitely expect funded programs to become more competitive but I really wonder if low funding schools like Columbia and SAIC will start to become less competitive --if the economy continues to tank. But who knows. Yeah, I'm going to tailor part of my statement to each school and some schools require a somewhat different statement. Like in the Yale Painting info session they said, "no jargon" vs. a school like MIT which is highly theoretical. But yeah, 500 words or some schools say 1 page. Include a what, how, and why. The reviewers should not be confused about why your work and your statement seem unrelated. One prof of mine said that they literally put the statement up on the screen while they look through your work in order to understand your work. My undergrad had us do a couple artist statement exercises which were very helpful but I still find it incredibly challenging to write about work in a concrete way. Another tip I received from my undergrad profs is to make sure to always use the description space that many schools have in your portfolio. Usually you get 200 words per description. Many applicants ignore that space but actually it is a great way to get in a lot more information.

I would call the office and double check just in case students' understanding is wrong. But yeah...I think Rutgers is a really amazing program. Thanks and good luck to you next year!

Yeah, Rutgers let their 2nd years stay an extra year and since the tuition is funded (through your work as a TA) they couldn't take on a new class. I also wanted to apply to Rutgers so it is disappointing. I know someone at Bard. And I asked for the scoop on painting. Some things are unknown but basically when Bard went online they offered a full time or part-time track. All students who did part time will enter into Bard in the same year that they were last year. Everyone in painting opted to do the part time track. That means that the 3 students accepted last year will be first years this summer. Apparently class size can be up to 5 or 6 at Bard. I imagine that funding will be impacted but that's just speculation on my part. From speaking to a bunch of friends who went through the MFA app process many people get into the place they really want to go the second time that they apply. And you also learn a lot from the process itself. So might make sense to convince yourself to apply just to learn from the process? The problem is...if you apply to Bard and you get in they do not allow deferral. Some schools allowed deferral last year but most typically don't offer that. I asked my friend about this and Bard wouldn't even offer deferral to accepted students for pandemic reasons. The only option was to reapply. So I feel like if Bard is your #1 choice it might be worth it to apply? But if you want to potentially have the option to choose between Rutgers and Bard you should wait. My friend said Bard is kind of a mess right now (as are a lot of schools) But if it is your #1 choice it is a 3 year program so things will even out eventually.

I didn't have any trouble making work but finding the motivation to write the artist's statement is much harder.

-yes! many of my friends got into their dream programs on the second (or third ) time applying. Additionally, Yale has gone through some changes very recently. Painting just appointed two new co-chairs (I think Rochelle Feinstein left last year or the year before) and Photo has AL Steiner as some sort of dean. You may also fit in better with a cohort this year. who knows. -this one really depends. A famous artist who really knows you and your work is the best option but a non-star artist who knows you and your work well is better than a star artist who will give you a template letter. ...non famous artists who are friends with the current faculty is also a pretty good option lol

I'm guessing it depends on the school? Some schools will have an extra large class size due to their response to 2020. At Rutgers I know that the reason they are not accepting a new class is that they allowed the class of 2020 to stay an extra year so there is no space for a new class. Versus at Bard they let students stay an extra year but will also accept a new class. It seems that some of the schools who are accepting a new class will be extra crowded. (although I don't know too many specifics about schools where I don't have friends in attendance).

It is nice they are so supportive of their current students. My friend at Bard told me that the Bard director said they will put some students in tent studios next year as they don't have enough space to meet covid requirements. ....

Hi Hannah, I've never heard of the possibility of an early decision. I have had a few professor's who also work on the admissions committee at various MFA programs and my understanding of the process is that they meet as a group to go over all the applications and select people for interviews, then they interview people over a few days (sometimes one day), then they meet as a group to discuss who they will offer a spot to. The decision is typically made holistically where they consider the applicants both individually and as a cohort so it isn't possible for an early decision to be made. Many MFA apps are due in January and final decisions don't roll out until March-ish. The process can be longer if you are waitlisted. Most people I know who have been in this situation with a partner have selected a few cities that have numerous programs (like NYC or LA) and kind of focus in on those cities. I can see it being easier for your bf to request an extension but.....an extension until March sounds like it will be tough. I think interview decisions usually come out in February so maybe he could get them to hold out until then...but even in that case if you have interviews you won't know. Happy applying.

this may be widely known but ...the most helpful advice that I received from a prof about an artist statement for applications is that it should have a : What, How, and Why. Most people write too much about the Why and forget about the What and the How.

cool, I'm living in Brooklyn now. I think most of the artists that I know who still want to be connected to the nyc scene but want a more relaxed life live upstate. But hopefully it works out for you to have a split nyc & utah life --sounds awesome. Yeah, Yale is impossible. No one should plan around going to yale lol. I would add Bard to your list of kingmakers esp. because the painting mafia is strong at bard lol

Hi, I asked my friend who is in Bard Photo. Bard is kinda weird right now because they allowed students to be part time and return in the same year. So it really depends on the discipline...is what my friend thinks. I asked them and they said that Bard will be accepting 3 new people in photo which is a pretty normal class size bc apparently most Bard photo people did not chose the part time option.

A lot of my information comes from conversations with friends who have recently gone through MFA applications/MFA programs so it could be somewhat inaccurate. And I live in nyc so I am biased but.... Rutgers (currently not accepting applications but definitely funded however you have to TA) VCU (allegedly for sculpture the funding is very good. However, you don't really want to go to VCU for anything besides sculpture) Columbia (allegedly for printmaking the funding is very good --all other disciplines have trash funding just because the tuition is very high) If you are a New York State resident Hunter is not funded but it is relatively affordable. If you are a California resident/attended high school in California UCLA is not funded but it is relatively affordable. CMU is fully funded. (I'm pretty sure?) A lot of good schools have okay financial aid. Yale has a good rep for financial aid although, of course, there is still debt. RISD, SAIC, SVA, Columbia, from what I have heard have pretty terrible aid. A lot more schools could be added to the terrible list with the COVID budget crunch, who knows If you want to go to a good school that is connected to the art world in nyc (which honestly means less and less these days) and pay $0 in tuition basically you have to wait to apply to Rutgers (imo).

That makes sense. I was rejected last year from Yale but I was asked to reapply by the faculty ...I suppose it will be slightly more competitive this year due to deferrals.

All I know about it is that they don't do interviews. The pick you from your statement and portfolio alone. Also if you are applying straight from undergrad you can get your application fee waived if you are on financial aid (I did this last year when I applied). Also, I've heard the studios are super nice. There is more info on UCLA in past years' MFA forums.

interesting. The MFA website states they don't so this is good info to know. thanks