Björk
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Never heard a thing from Cornell.
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gdhopeful reacted to a post in a topic:
MFA 2026 Freak out Forum
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Björk reacted to a post in a topic:
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What a lineup. Huge congrats!
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Where did you decide?
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Björk reacted to a post in a topic:
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Björk reacted to a post in a topic:
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Hey, you’re not alone! I’m in the same boat. While I understand the reasons behind the program changing are out of faculty’s control, as time has gone on I’ve grown more frustrated that this change wasn’t communicated until after I’d applied and gotten my hopes up. They told me during my interview and in the offer letter they were going down to two years. To me, it’s an indication that their program might be poorly managed or really cash strapped. I fear accepting and then them going back to a three-year model for a class after me, which would really upset me. I think that extra year is what *really* set UCSD apart, along with the full funding + TA salary. Still, it’s a good program rising into the sphere of greatness — seems like lots of folks are paying closer attention to the program. I am struggling because I have a similar offer from a three-year program that, while less buzzed about, seems very good. The UCSD faculty say I shouldn’t consider the other school at all, but idk, they didn’t have the rug pulled out underneath them like I did.
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Yoasianguy reacted to a post in a topic:
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artschoolfrenzy reacted to a post in a topic:
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I'm in the same boat. Don't stress too much, and don't let a program pressure you to make a hasty decision! As long as you're taking whatever time you need to make the right decision for you, the problem of what happens to students on a school's waitlist isn't yours to own.
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Björk reacted to a post in a topic:
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For what it's worth, I interviewed with CalArts in 2022. I got my interview notification on 2/21 and my offer on 3/7. If you're just waiting to hear back after an interview, you'll probably hear something soon unless their process has changed! I didn't have any doubts that I was accepted after interviewing with them though. The staff were quite direct.
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noplace reacted to a post in a topic:
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Thanks for that info. I believe someone else here already interviewed with UCLA, so I'm assuming it's a no for me!
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Björk reacted to a post in a topic:
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So inconsiderate. Still waiting on UCLA to just send a rejection already.
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GregOG reacted to a post in a topic:
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No problem. And to be clear, the faculty member that told me their department is thinking harder about international applicants wasn’t saying they are doing the Trump admin’s bidding. They specifically said the department wants to protect international applicants but is finding that it cannot, so they are being more careful about taking them in. They saw this as a loss. I don’t think there is any new negative sentiment around international students going around at universities among art faculty, especially not towards Canadians.
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GregOG reacted to a post in a topic:
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I'm not Canadian, but I've been told that US universities are indeed being a little more careful about taking international students. If you've had any direct contact with faculty members during this application season, you might want to reach back out and see if anyone will chat with you on the phone. I haven't spoken to faculty in detail this particular issue, but I have had conversations with them about how political winds are affecting things. People are more willing to talk about stuff like that when it's off the record. Maybe frame the conversation around you trying to understand how you can improve your application for the next cycle, and as the conversation unfolds ask them how schools are thinking about international applicants in this era. Sorry if this was all unwanted advice, and sorry this is something you have to think about at all.
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trixienyxie reacted to a post in a topic:
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szarh15 reacted to a post in a topic:
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Yeah, it's a really uncomfortable process. In theory you only get to negotiate once, so it's best to give it your best shot now. You aren't the first one to negotiate, you won't be the last, and staff respect you more for putting in the effort. I also received the advice that if you really want to get into a program and really cannot afford it, consider making it work for the first year and immediately start telling the department you can't afford to continue beyond that. "It looks bad for the department to have students leave because they can't afford to stay" is what someone told me. This person went to one of those very expensive, very reputable programs, and they were able to get more funding for their second year.
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Björk reacted to a post in a topic:
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orangeorangecake reacted to a post in a topic:
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Headlessowl reacted to a post in a topic:
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Björk reacted to a post in a topic:
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Björk reacted to a post in a topic:
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Updates: UCSD - Accepted Carnegie Mellon - Accepted VCU - Had a positive interview, but no news yet. Cornell - Silence UCLA - Silence My discipline is photo, though I applied to interdisciplinary programs. UCSD's program has great reviews, is fully funded, and it flies a bit under the radar, which I appreciate. Due to funding cuts from the federal government, they had to cut what was a three year program down to two. This kind of hobbles the appeal for me. Carnegie Mellon has a three-year, fully-funded program. It's a private university, so theoretically there's less for me to worry about as the feds try to root out whatever integrity is left in higher education. I'm fairly confident I'll be accepted into VCU as well. Unless UCLA comes with a gangbusters offer, I think I know where I'll go. Even if UCLA did make an offer, I have some issues with their administration's politics. They're not as bad as Columbia, but... Cornell can eat my shorts. Their application process was a mess. I don't expect to hear anything.
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Did you have an interview with them? When? I’ve heard nothing. According to this (https://www.art.ucla.edu/assets/uploads/graduate-admissions/2023-faqs.pdf) they don’t send notifications until mid-March. Last time I applied I got rejection on March 8 after no interview.
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Have you heard anything at all from UCLA? A few years ago, their MFA photo program was fully funded. They lost the grad director who fought for that to become real, but I would hope nothing has changed. Then again, who knows. UCLA seems pretty embattled these days. Congrats on Tulane!
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I think I saw people saying they got news from Columbia a few pages back, but it probably depends on the discipline.
