paintlayer

Has anyone been accepted to the Hoffberger program yet? I got a 2nd "hang in there" emails but no word on my status, and I'm curious if anyone else has been accepted already.

I applied to Painting and Printmaking and haven't heard back after my interview 2 weeks ago.

Hello everyone! I too have been a long time lurker of these forums but have not posted until now. This post might be a bit of a journey, but I feel all of you understand this process better than most anyone. I am a painter that applied to 4 programs; CMU- rejected VCU Painting and Printmaking- interviewed MICA Hoffberger- no response UT Austin Painting- no response My two top programs are VCU and MICA Hoffberger (it sounds like UT Austin is out, since no interview and someone else said they are only taking 1 person, which also sounds insane.) From what I have heard, they are vastly different programs; VCU is more traditional in that it is rigorous, challenging, with more focus on theory and possibly teaching while Hoffberger is essentially all studio time with studio visits and critiques. VCU has several faculty members with some visiting critics and artists, while Hoffberger is completely with the director and lots of visiting artists doing studio visits. And yes, the funding is completely different; VCU is supposed to be generous, while MICA can be expensive. My interview with VCU went "well" by which I mean I didn't make any huge mistakes (to my knowledge) but the interviewers were hard to read (especially over zoom.) I would not be surprised if I am accepted, waitlisted, or rejected. It was with the chair of the department who led the discussion, another member of faculty, and a current student. It was mostly conversational but maybe a bit more directed and formal than just a chat. Again, I was not given any indication if my answers were what they were looking for. The questions were pretty typical; why VCU, talk about your work, why an MFA, what are you reading? I know someone who just finished the program, who said it was challenging but well worth it. I was told they would get back as soon as they could without a clear timeline when that would be. I have applied two times previously; rejected very quickly the first year in late Feb, and last year in late March. My interview was just about 2 weeks ago, so who know when I will have any word back. Additionally, I am curious about hearing back from MICA Hoffberger. So, yes, you might be saying "you haven't heard back about an interview, you're probably rejected" which is true probably, but the wrinkle in that is that (this may be completely inconsequential) the Hoffberger instagram account started following me a few weeks ago and they only follow a little over a hundred people, mostly artists from the program. I have no idea who runs the account, or why they would start following me from the official account, and it may be nothing. I could be reading too much into it, but when all be have is time to wait it's hard not to try to look for clues. I applied to the program last year, and WAS given an interview but was ultimately waitlisted. Then the pandemic really hit, and I declined to pursue it further because I didn't want my first year of grad school to be remote (no regrets.) Except now I don't know if I am just rejected completely because I didn't move forward during a worldwide health crisis and missed my chance. I do feel sorry for the poster who had such a terrible interview with the director, who seemed lovely during my 2020 interview but it was also with other students and not one on one. All together, I probably will be back next year (this was my 3rd year) It does seem hard to find information about the different programs that isn't propaganda from the institutions themselves, or from the rank listings. I wish there was more anonymous transparency from former grad students that could give insight into how the program actually works, how they managed to work within them, and ultimately their overall satisfaction with their program. I know they don't have much to compare to (except apparently some people are getting multiple MFAs??) but I have heard some people regret going to their program if they feel they aren't getting much out of them with their faculty. Though I can also imagine people not wanting to expose their program, even if they do have grievances, for fear of tarnishing the prestige of the institution with which they are affiliated as so much seems to rest on reputation. A huge "Thank You!" to all of you who post frequently. It's been a comfort to read that I'm not alone in worrying, obsessing, and constantly refreshing. If anyone else applied to either VCU or MICA Hoffberger wants to chat, let me know. I'd also appreciate if you post if you are accepted, rejected, or waitlisted, just to give me some indication of when that is happening.