Multiple_Realisms

Thank you, and also for the tip about where to post 😇 oops!

Hi, I'm pretty new here, so I hope I'm posting in the right place. I got an email Friday (9. March) from my top choice of the MFA studio art programs I applied to. I applied to very few programs, which in retrospect was probably unwise. Anyway the email said I am on the waitlist, but the professor who sent it also wrote "If you are contemplating accepting an offer elsewhere, I urge you to be in touch so we can discuss your options at Adventure Time University" (not the real name, should I just say it? I don't know). I am not used to US-American academic politics, after living and making art in Austria for a few years now (and before that, was not in the arts in the US but in another career field). My question is, how detailed should I be in what I reply with? The fact of the matter is that I don't have many other offers, and applied to few schools. I have one offer also from a US institution with full funding and a 3-year scholarship, which I know sounds amazing, but it is not the most ideal town to be a queer person in, or to have a lot of access to off-spaces and other art-community resources. It is a great program (not as in prestigious, just, I like the faculty and what other students are doing there), which is why I applied. But I'm not sure. So, that said, I am of course considering the offer I do have, but I'd rather go to Adventure Time University and want to reply to their waitlist email in a way that is appropriate. Should I simply mention that I have another offer I'm considering? Should I provide documentation of the acceptance? They will know it's not a prestigious program if I do, but I think that's okay with me. Just looking for advice. Thank you and sending happy thoughts to everyone as you navigate this application season.

Hello, I got an email on March 8 from my top choice program I applied to for a studio art MFA informing me that I am on the waitlist. In their email they did not give specific information about the waitlist (e.g., how many people waitlisted, if it is ranked, etc.), but they said I could ask follow-up questions, which I plan to. The person who sent the email said that if I am considering other offers, to reach out to them (the program that waitlisted me) so that we can discuss "my options at the (program that waitlisted me)". My question is, how detailed should I be in the information I share with them about other offers I might be considering? Do I send documentation of other offer letters/scholarship offers? Or simply say something like "yes, I am considering other programs but am still interested in yours..."? I do have an offer of admission with a 3-year scholarship that I deferred from last year, and I already feel bad at the thought of changing my mind about it, but I think the program that waitlisted me has more opportunities for artistic community, especially in terms of the city it is in. I would definitely want to inform that program (that offered me a scholarship) before April 15 if I decide not to go, so I don't further inconvenience them. Should I tell the waitlist program that I need to hear by then? Or is that too pushy? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Sorry! I meant to post this in the MFA freakout forum. I'm not doing well at computering today.

Has anyone who interviewed with ASU gotten a decision? (I applied to intermedia and sculpture). Thanks and cheers!

Sorry I'm new here and I think I'm accidentally replying to a reply to the original post. At any rate, I am applying to MFAs this year as a career change without an undergraduate degree in the arts, and so I had a lot of nerves about not having practicing art professors as references. I sent a portfolio to my home university's MFA program and when we did a brief Zoom meeting (for which I had to be really persistent to get), they ended up saying that I could use anyone who could provide a past professional or current "character"-type reference. I ended up with one professor of sculpture whom I'd taken a class with in the past, one community college professor where I took a welding class, and my former teaching assistant supervisor where I did some PhD studies in the social sciences. So, a total hodge-podge. I guess my point is, there are definitely folks out there without the tidy resume or reference list, and for me it has been a conversation point rather than a limitation. Good luck to you!

Hi! Just wondering how it went/is going with ASU? I applied to their intermedia and sculpture programs and had some pretty intimidating (but good? I hope?) interviews with about 5 members of each faculty, and am now waiting to hear. Have you interviewed or heard anything? Best of luck to you with your applications.