everyonelikesbubbles

Hey! Thanks everyone for the support. Accepted my place at MIT, so at least 1 spot will be opening up in Columbia and RISD sculpture.

Maybe try Europe next year?The price ranges from FREE up to 10 K USD...

Yale reported that 'significantly less' students applied to their grad MFA program this year, so I doubt there's an excess of applications. MFA programs are typically seen as a money-maker for universities and many top schools (like CalArts & VCU) offered "rolling" or "extended" deadlines this year--and as we all know, most schools are looking at budget shortfalls for the near future. I wouldn't be concerned about Pratt.

QS Rankings are actually from UK. I used to think it was Chinese, too, for some reason. It's sort of the benchmark ranking, as US News and World Report is not so relevant outside of the US. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, when they give scholarships to students to study abroad, the target university has to rank higher than a cut-off on the QS list--so this list is hardly obscure. The ranking you posted is for Art & DESIGN--which explains a lot of that ranking. It's not a"MFA" list. MIT, for instance, has the most famous architecture school in the world (and the oldest in the US), while Parsons is obviously a fashion powerhouse--hence they rank highly. QS also has a hard-on for research / publishing to generate their lists. It's hard to do but you have to take all of these rankings with a grain of salt.

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!

Since I've been posting here a lot, thought I'd share the final tally: Columbia - sculpture - accepted MIT - art, culture & technology - accepted RISD - sculpture - accepted Goldsmiths - fine art - accepted Bard - sculpture - interviewed / waitlisted UCLA - sculpture -rejected (no interview, requested info from my recommenders) Yale - sculpture -rejected Having difficulty making the final decision! Let's see! Hearing so much drama from Columbia definitely doesn't inspire confidence there.

From what I understand CalArts is super interdisciplinary, so I think you'd come out of that program a more interesting photographer. Do you want to be a grad student for 2 years or 3? Or live in NY or LA? Those are 2 huge things that may be easy to answer. I'm curious that you said one of your goals is to get a "well-paid job after graduation." Getting a Photo MFA is an interesting way to go about that. It's certainly possible to blow-up, get an agent, and make it as a fashion photographer but not sure an MFA is required for that. What sort of job do you mean? Congrats on the acceptances!

25-35 people in the same discipline sounds like a lot. I don't know about these programs specifically, but any difference in alleged "prestige" would seem negligible in these 2 schools. I'd choose based on price and which school has cooler faculty and more student support. I'd assume the connections would be the same, as they likely recruit/compete for the same teachers (unless they have a specific structure for studio visits that makes them unique). Also you're in NY--make your own connections.

RCA is an excellent program! Congratulations! As for making your decision, I think the biggest concern would be that RCA’s program is a MA and not a MFA, so I’m not sure if it’s terminal equivalent, although the teaching hours are the same as a 2-year program. Might have trouble getting on tenure track if you are ultimately trying to be US-based. Definitely worth checking into if you care about such things...

Hey! I'm not sure any program is worth going into debt for. But RISD painting is an excellent program with awesome faculty who are all quite prominent and active (and mostly live in NY). I think Providence is such a cute college town. You could likely live downtown and walk to class/your studio. Lots of cool gay bars. You have constituent access to Brown, if you want to do research. RISD has a cool little research center for biomorphic design with animal specimen called the Natural Lab, a good museum, and a nice art library. You can take lots of classes outside the department, which is nice if your work is interdisciplinary. RISD definitely has some of the nicest and largest maker spaces out there. The painting department has their final show in the city's exhibition center and another final show is organized in NYC.

For sure still ask for more.

Good luck! I think sometimes the long process after-interview may be because they are applying for funding for you, and want to give you their funding offer with their acceptance. That’s what happened with me and MIT.

I think this would be a good indication to not attend there...

My sculpture interview with Columbia is tomorrow. Invites went out a month ago.

I submitted mostly installation and video work. I think it helped that my work was on a website, which allowed me to add lots of installation shots as well as reference and research images, so they had plenty of context. The program is quite research-heavy so I think it's important for them to see where that comes in. As for financial aid, I think it hovers between 25-75% depending on the year. There's only 3-5 people in the program every year so I'm assuming everyone is automatically subsidized at least partially by the department--maybe at the same amount?

Hey guys. Just wanted to share that I’ve been admitted into RISD sculpture and MIT’s ACT program if you’re waiting to hear from those. Goldsmiths is giving acceptances on a rolling basis with a 1 month reply period. Out of UK universities, looks like they really prioritize offering ample face time with your tutor.

Bard - Annandale-on-Hudson or w/e it’s called

Yes my letter said waitlisted, too. And that it’s unranked, so they choose candidates based on creating a complementary class. From what I understand, Bard photo department will have a class of 3. That said, some of the deferrals from last year may pull out, their commit deadline is 22nd. Commit deadline for those admitted this year firs-round is 23rd. So if you are waitlisted, you have a pretty okay chance I think. Not sure what undoing means by hybrid instruction exactly...Bard said they expect instruction to be in-person but students can choose if they want to be remote. Sounds like they have a good plan.

In my interview I was told that for those who deferred last year, their deadline to commit is Mar 22. That’d suggest after that date they’d be a tranche of waitlistees admitted.

Glad someone else here took the red pill, too, unlike these sheeple. Everyone has to do the research and follow the breadcrumbs. Don’t let yourself be ruled by fear. The great awakening is coming. The storm is coming, enjoy the show.

Anyone hear back from MIT ACT ?

If you know 100% that you won’t attend a school that offered you placement, you should let them know immediately and politely. They have cohorts to fill, potential waitlistees to accept, and funding to re-allocate. It’s stressful for them, too.

As prospective MFA students and/or recent BFA grads, we represent the next generation of artists. It’s our responsibility then to reconsider existing hierarchies and ideas of merit—and stay with me—imagine an art world without the need for MFAs. The discourse here about alleged top schools is oppressive, disheartening and frankly boring. It’s also very American to give value to rankings of dubious quality. Some of us here will be spending $100,000+ on programs like Columbia—which is great—but we should be careful about enforcing the logic of our choices to others. The sunk cost principle would dictate that those who get a prestigious MFA would naturally re-enforce the system on others to justify the cost and labor, but I think we should be able to see past that. I’ll be going to a “top school” this Fall but its value is really about my practice and how I can utilize the school’s resources. I mean, look at any good mid-tier gallery (which feed into the blue chip galleries once sales are proven) in NY and LA and you will see plenty of people from schools outside of the top 10 (US News has no idea about the art world) and lots of people without MFAs, too. Art schools don’t make their artists hot, artists make their art schools hot. So don’t put so much pressure on yourself or others about this myth of a top school. I think we’re all trying to navigate our interests, faculty, price, where we’d like to live, and perceived prestige as we look at our next steps, but instead of using received wisdom, imagine your own path instead of relying on what has worked for others. Get in where you fit in, et al.

It’s a known fact that international students are considered a big source of income in American and British higher-ed. Statistically, the majority of international students come from China—which has a large educated population and is a prosperous country. This means qualified students who are generally asked to pay full tuition. At this point, many institutions are so reliant on Chinese students that they wouldn’t meet their budget targets otherwise. This is less obfuscated in the UK where grant aid is minimal and international students must pay twice as much. This makes recruiting international students imperative, esp since budget cuts have been so drastic. I’m American and hyper aware that I am valuable to the UK schools I applied to.

Hey wambam, Anecdotally, it is possible to get into Yale off of the waitlist--I believe in their zoom, they said they've let someone in off the waitlist as late as August before. That said, it may be helpful to check out the yield rate of each program, which calculates [people accepted / people enrolled]. Since Yale is often considered the top program and offers good funding, their yield rate is 95% (1003 applied / 64 were admitted / 61 attended). This might just be the highest in the US across any type of graduate program. It's stunning. Virtually everyone who is accepted decides to attend. Because the next best school is more debatable, changes every year in rankings, and is generally a more personal choice, the yield rate is much lower. Essentially, there is more elasticity because a top art school candidate will have several options of elite schools. For example, look at RISD sculpture (68 applied / 18 were admitted / 5 enrolled). So for RISD sculpture to generate a full class of 5 students, they must strategically admit 18 people, likely in phases using an algorithm and through admitting people from their waitlist. So if you are on a waitlist for RISD sculpture at least, you have a good chance! Check out Peterson's to see more schools / programs (note most schools don't report): https://www.petersons.com/graduate-schools/rhode-island-school-of-design-division-of-fine-arts-department-of-sculpture-000_10027882.aspx