nonsenseisnowheretobefound

Thank you for your reply. My ultimate goal is to be an contemporary artist. I wish I could stay in the US for some time after graduation but as an international student, I have to get a stable job that meets the minimum salary required by USCIS to continue my legal residence. So a well-paid job is also what I need to consider when choosing a school before I mature as an artist.

Thanks!

Maybe I should reconsider Parsons? From all the reviews and rankings I’ve read, I feel Parsons is in general more reputed but its MFA Photo is not as good as SVA’s. Many think of SVA MFA photo is the best in east coast while Parsons MFA Photo is just also good. Specifically, SVA is more conceptual (MFA students don’t even have full access to dark room) while Parsons is slightly more traditional. I don’t know how they come to this conclusion. But from their official program introduction page, Parsons MFA is actually quite intense and small-grouped, which I actually prefer. SVA has a diverse photo faculty and visiting artists, a complex curriculum, and helpful connections but the student body is mainly white and Asian and each graduate program have double or triple the number of students compared to other art schools. I do see what you mean by not intimate enough. That’s what I’m worried too.

Thanks! I’ll definitely ask SVA about it. I don’t have a website either, sorry. I wasn’t photography or fine art major before and haven’t had enough series of photos to put up a website. Btw, congrats on your acceptance to CalArts too (just saw your new post)! I don’t know if you know much about Parsons MFA photography, what do you think of it compared to SVA? It seems to me that SVA may have better connections, reputation and stuff so I didn’t consider Parsons in the first place. But I learned that Parsons will maintain a relatively small group of MFA students (about 12-15) but SVA seems to have 25-35 each year and the diversity is less at SVA. What do you think?

Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Lacking info about SVA still got me debating. But I’m leaning towards CalArts now.

Thank you! I appreciate it. I don’t run an Instagram account though. I’ve talked to some CalArts faculty before but haven’t got in touch with any SVA faculty/alumni. Do you know a good way to maybe chat with some current student?

I got into CalArts's and SVA's MFA Photography program this year, but I'm struggling with the final decision. To me, New York seems to be a better place to study contemporary photography and has more chances to find a job, but overall CalArts has a better reputation on this program but is located in a relatively poor location (Valencia, 30mi away from center of LA) to develop photography as an art, have a lively social life and find a well-paid job after graduation (I could be wrong about CalArts, though). P.S., SVA offers me 3-year admission and CalArts is regular 2-year. And neither provides any scholarships, tuitions are quite similar but living in New York cost about 1/3 more and needs an extra half a year to a year. Any additional information or suggestion will be appreciated! Thanks.

SVA or CalArts?? I got into CalArts's and SVA's MFA Photography program this year, but I'm struggling with the final decision. To me, New York seems to be a better place to study contemporary photography and has more chances to find a job, but overall CalArts has a better reputation on this program but is located in a relatively poor location (Valencia, 30mi away from center of LA) to develop photography as an art, have a lively social life and find a well-paid job after graduation (I could be wrong about CalArts, though). P.S., SVA offers me 3-year admission and CalArts is regular 2-year. And neither provides any scholarships, tuitions are quite similar but living in New York cost about 1/3 more and needs an extra half a year to a year. Any additional information or suggestion will be appreciated!

I got into CalArts's and SVA's MFA Photography program this year, but I'm struggling with the final decision. To me, New York seems to be a better place to study contemporary photography and has more chances to find a job, but overall CalArts has a better reputation on this program but is located in a relatively poor location (Valencia, 30mi away from center of LA) to develop photography as an art, have a lively social life and find a well-paid job after graduation (I could be wrong about CalArts, though). P.S., SVA offers me 3-year admission and CalArts is regular 2-year. And neither provides any scholarships, tuitions are quite similar but living in New York cost about 1/3 more and needs an extra half a year to a year. Any additional information or suggestion will be appreciated!