kwemo

So here are my two cents with my results and observations. 
 
I applied for Photography, this was my first time applying and frankly, I was surprised by a positive response from the programs. 
 
SVA - accepted, no interview. (They called back in February for a “meeting” and told me I got in.) 50 per cent tuition reduction. 
 
Parsons - accepted, 2 interviews. 20 per cent tuition reduction. 
 
USC - accepted, 1 interview. No scholarship. 
 
CalArts - accepted, no interview. 42 per cent tuition reduction. 
 
University of Washington (Seattle) - accepted off the waitlist (I was told I was first person on the waitlist), 2 interviews. Full tuition remission plus teaching opportunities. 
 
University of Texas (Austin) - rejected, no interview. 
 
Tulane University (New Orleans) - rejected, no interview. 
 
I decided to go to University of Washington for the multitude of reasons. 
I think that the biggest deciding factor for me was reaching out to alumni and talking about their experiences. I reached out to recent alumni from 2019, but also to ones from 2017 whose experience is probably a bit more impartial as they graduated earlier. I asked Universities to connect me to some of them, but majority of emailing I did myself — I just cold emailed alumni whom I found through thesis showcase pages on those university webpages. 
I was incredibly lucky with people I met, they were not just talented artists, but also insightful and spoke honestly and seriously about their experiences. I am not going to go into details in order to respect privacy of what was said, but in short — I was astonished, to put it lightly, by the lack of professional encouragement and career tutoring that happens in the course of some of these MFA programs. And if my choice was at first between CalArts (for the faculty whom I absolutely love) and SVA (for their adjunct-faculty structure), knowing that no one actually teaches students the ways to potentially make it in the contemporary art world was a surprise to me. Especially, coupled with the stories about the debt that out of college might be 50k grows to 100k with interest and time was definitely a cold shower moment for me. And then comes a question — how can I make time to make art while I am a full-time student and work two or three jobs to pay off my tuition? Can I afford to make art after graduation with all the debt? Some other things to consider is that a lot of expensive private schools have really large classes (at a point SVA had 60 people in their Photo program) — how much of an intimate and personalized atmosphere can that be? While in a state fully-funded program your professors are more invested in you and your success and the professors actually keep tabs on you after graduation. 
I do not want anyone here to take my comments as an insult on the faculty of some of these bigger institutions -- I met some of them in person and they are lovely people, and work by others has been a formative influence on my visual practice. I am solely pointing at structural and institutional problems that in my opinion come from lack of fresh blood in management, lack of diverse voices amongst the administration and big bucks. 
University of Washington initially was my “bottom choice” school for the lower ranking (I still have no idea if it means anything at all) and how different the body of work of their Photomedia students is from mine. But taking in the factors that my MFA will be paid for, the fact that I will be teaching my own class and creating my own syllabus and how intimate my department is (they accept 3 people a year into the Photo program), I decided to accept.
I do encourage people to look at such factor such as teaching opportunities - as you come out of an MFA with a hirable skill that can somehow help you finance your art practice (you will be paid very little, but knowing that practically no MFA’s in East Coast provide teaching opportunities, teaching a University course is huge). 
 
I am very grateful for this Forum as I met some lovely and talented artists who helped me through these incredibly stressful times. As an international person (I am from Russia where there are more avenues for free higher education) it pains me to see when artists feel bad to ask a giant and wealthy institution for several more thousand dollars in financial aid or when they feel like they are not worthy of it. Because they are. Absolutely everyone is worthy of free education, it is our human right. Unfortunately, a lot of universities are not being honest when they say they can’t give people a full ride or, god forbid, several more thousands dollars for a scholarship. I got my BFA from New York University, where administration would rather buy more property in West Village rather than get new video equipment for students or give them higher scholarship. 
 
I am relocating to Seattle in September with my husband and two cats, Stanley and Peace Walker. Here is a link to my website https://erakhilkina.squarespace.com and my IG handle is @erakhilkina
Though Seattle definitely won’t be my final destination as I am planning to move to Berlin in several years. 
 
I will love to connect to fellow photo or/and queer artists! 

Hi all, 
It seems this application season is coming to an end, before it does I wanted to leave here some pieces of advice that helped me in this application process for those of you who haven't applied yet, or will apply again next year. 
This was a tough year for applying. Even though I have a feeling overall applications were less, most programs were also accepting *significantly* less people. For example, for painting programs I know, Yale accepted two thirds their usual number, that's 12 instead of 18, and UCLA accepted 1 or 2 people instead of 3 or 4 for painting.  So there's a chance that if you got waitlisted somewhere you would have been an admit during a non-covid year. U Wahington I think also accepted less people, Rutgers and Stanford didn't even open admissions this year. 
Anyways, here are my two cents:
-I did my best in interviews when I had a bullet point list of things about my practice (besides my usual elevator pitch) that are unique to me and that enlighten some ways in which I can contribute to the specific program. I tried to weave these points in regardless of what questions were asked. Have questions prepared, and use them as a way of saying something about who you are and what you care about. Best advice I've been given for interviews: be excited and show it. Practice interviewing, the questions they ask tend to be similar across programs, at least some of the questions, such as: why grad school why now? why this program? what faculty do you want to work with? how do you see your work evolving? how are you in communities? what are you reading now? artists your work is in dialogue with? Be yourself, and don't worry about seeming perfect. 
-Do your research really well, apply to schools where you actually see yourself going, research the city, the orgs around, and of course research the courses offered and faculty.
-If you can reach out to current students or alumni, they will be able to give you a clear impression of what things are really like. However, do take these with a grain of salt. At the end of the day I believe an MFA will be what we make of it, someone else's experience is not always indicative of how things will be like for YOU. Ask if they would be willing to share a syllabus with you, or at least describe the kind of material they are studying. Talking to students may also give you a chance to speak more honestly, don't be afraid to reach out to people you don't know, via email, politely. A lot of schools have public lists of current students.
-Remember at the end of the day for many schools it comes down to forming a cohort that will work well together. So, have in mind sometimes rejections are due to that.
That's all, if I think of something else I will respond here! :):)

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. 

Hi!
I'm still waiting to hear admission decisions from the following 3 schools, please let me know if you've already been notified from these programs:
The University of Columbia The University of Connecticut The University of Delaware  
These are the programs I got accepted to and when:
The University of South Dakota, accepted February 2020 (deferred) Brooklyn College, accepted 3/15/2021 (declined because of cost) The University of South Florida, accepted 3/19/2021. I got a full tuition Waiver and a 10K stipend.   
These are the programs I was waitlisted for:
--University of Arkansas, waitlisted on 2/16/2021
 
These are the programs I was rejected from:
Yale, notified 2/7/2021 Saic, notified 2/2/2021 IU Bloomington 3/12/2021 The University of Louisiana, Tulane, notified 3/24/2021 

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.

GUYS
 
I got accepted to CALARTS for Photography. What the fuck. I did not even have an interview. I got a notification and I thought it was a rejection. I definitely won't be able to go because of the finances, but the acceptance warms my heart. 

Just got 50 per cent tuition reduction (through departmental assistantship) for SVA’s photography MFA! 
 
very nice and grateful. I still probably can not afford to go there, but I am glad they gave it to me. 

HI! I've been away from the board, and pretty much everything for a couple weeks. 
I got SUPER sick and literally thought I was going to die. I thought I had COVID, but my doctor confirmed that I did not. I did have COVID last year, and thought I had it again. Nah, just a gnarly flu that came and went, over and over. One day I was sick, the next felt okay, then sick again, which is weird because almost no one had the flu this year. Anyway, I'm doing well now.  Hope to get the COVID vaccine in April.
Just wanted to let people know I haven't heard anything from USC, and at this late stage in the game, I really don't expect to. So unless I get some magic acceptance letter from USC, I won't be coming back to the boards after today.
It's important that no matter what, we are artists, and that is everything. I know that getting into the school we want is SUCH a big deal, but don't let it discourage you if you don't. Artists suffer, its part of who we are. I never meet artists who do this to get rich, or even upper middle class. We do this because of an extreme love of humanity, desire to see social justice for all marginalized people in our lifetimes, and because creation is in our BLOOD and muscles and bones.
My father, as an artist, never gave much art advice. He mainly led by example and DOING. As an artist, myself, I think that his best advice, (and he reiterated this often), was "produce produce produce." Dad was also a former United States Marine, and the life advice he took from the Marine Corps that he utilized every day was, "Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome," and he also offered this advice often. I found in my life that these two simple sets of life choices have elevated me into situations that I never would have achieved if I had just stood aside and hoped that someone else would make things happen for me, or if I was feeling entitled and selfish.
I wanted to share some sculpture I've got going on right now. I'm working on a 14' foot steel public art sculpture of an eagle and pillar, from the Chicano perspective in art, for installation early this summer. I finally got some of the steel for it a couple days ago. It's been lagging because of COVID and steel distribution, by MONTHS! I was supposed to be done with it by now, actually by last November. But the grant is still alive and still going and I feel lucky to have good backers and art attorney representation.
Fam, you are all wonderful people, and real artists are truly rare. I have seen so much of your art on this board, and can safely say that you all deserve to go to the schools you desire.
 

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. 

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!

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler

Thank you! Funny I hadn't thought of that, just emailed her myself.

Thank you! Yeah I totally agree. I feel great about moving forward with MCAD.
I emailed Jesse McLean about a week ago asking where they were in the process. She then emailed me back informing me of the rejection. I'm sure you could email her to get a decision sooner rather than later.

Congratulations on your acceptance to MCAD! I hear you on the emotions of the process, but you should feel good about having found a program that responds so strongly to your work (great scholarship!). Funding like that really portends well for the relationships you'll have with faculty! I feel like some of these more "competitive" programs offer less support to their students.
Can I ask when and how you heard back from Milwaukee? I also applied to their Cinematic Arts program but haven't heard anything yet (although I saw many hits on my portfolio from them).

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler

So, here's the final tally.
 
George Washington U (Fine Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of Kansas (Expanded Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of W Milwaukee (Cinematic Arts) - Rejected w/ no interview
RISD (Digital + Media) - Rejected w/ no interview
U of M Ann Arbor (Art) - Rejected w/ no interview (though kind words followed)
U of W Madison (4-D Video & Performance) - Rejected after interview
MCAD (Visual Studies) - Accepted(!) w/ no interview (2/3rd tuition covered w/ merit scholarship)
VCU (Kinetic Imaging) - No word so assumed rejection
 
Needless to say, I'm extremely grateful but a little disheartened. On one hand, as a self taught artist who studied art history and theory in their own unguided way, its fulfilling to take such a large step to what I believe to be my path and to be going to a school (MCAD) that I feel is an excellent fit for me. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said this was a perfect situation. I'd like more of a choice and despite my feelings about the school, it was my only acceptance and it seems the general consensus in the world I don't know much about is that it's not the most competitive program.
But with all this being said, I'm very excited to be going to MCAD. It's been fun and stress-relieving to have this forum as support and information. Thank you to everyone posting their thoughts, feelings, words of wisdom, and their success! I'm happy for all of you and those who posted their work, it's all very exciting and you're super talented.
Here's my website and Instagram. I'd love to keep up with any of you and your work so if you post your Instagram around in the forum I'll be sure to give you a follow.
ericdbutler.com
@ericedanielbutler