Beladinah

The agony of uncertainty..... I'm waitlisted at MICA (my top choice), so I know how you feel, but I would not let a different opportunity go by hoping to get an acceptance from another school (provided that the opportunity is also one that you'd be happy about and is a good fit even if not your top choice). I don't think it's unreasonable to call the school where you are waitlisted and ask a few questions (such as how high you are sitting on the list, what percentage of students have responded so far to the admittance offers, what are the historical admittance rates for waitlisted students in previous years). Perhaps they will give you some additional information that will help you decide if it's worth risking a place at the other school. Also, perhaps the other school will let you wait a few more days before giving them an answer? I don't know how often programs do that, but can it hurt to ask? Anyone out there with more insight into waitlist acceptances? Is being on a waitlist about the same as getting rejected or do we stand a decent chance of being admitted in the end? I'm sure it will vary by school, but perhaps someone has some insights or experience they can share with those of us dealing with this.

Waitlisted at MICA low-res via snail mail.

Sorry to hear. Hope you have some good news coming up soon.

Love your work!!

@truthbetold - Thanks for posting the link to the rankings (you used to have to pay for this info). I took a look around the site and found some rather interesting tidbits. Firstly, USN gives some insight of its own on how to use their rankings: 'The U.S. News 2012 Best Graduate Schools rankings spotlight the country's academically excellent graduate programs and can start you on the track toward picking the right school for you. But many other factors that cannot be measured also should figure in your decision, including the course offerings and culture of departments that interest you, the advising or mentoring you can expect to receive, career opportunities, cost of attendance, and the location and campus life. So, why study our data at all? Because, for instance, you can see at a glance where your undergraduate academic record and admissions test scores might take you and where you would rise to the top of the applicant pool. You can look up GMATs, MCATs, LSATs, and GRE test scores and compare them between schools. You also can see how deans rate the schools in terms of academic excellence, which may matter to job recruiters. The data in the ranking tables allow you to compare medical, law, engineering, business, andeducation schools on many other key characteristics and will almost certainly open up further lines of investigation. Someone interested in law, for example, can examine how successful the schools are at preparing graduates for the bar exam. Applicants to M.B.A. programs can see how diplomas from various schools will affect their earning power. Future engineers can get a sense from a school's research expenditures of how cutting-edge their experience there might be. You might even discover possible choices that were not on your radar screen before. The rankings can inform your thinking—but they won't hand you an easy answer. The rankings should only be used as one tool in finding the right graduate school or program. You need to consider many factors. The rankings should not be used as the sole criteria in deciding where to go to graduate school. We urge you to use them wisely.—The Editors" Additionally, some of the rankings of other programs take many variables into account in creating rankings. For example, the business school rankings include input from corporate recruiters, acceptance rate data, GMAT scores, and post-graduate employment data as some of the additional variables. Granted, a fine arts career can take many forms, and it is not as simple a question of "employed or not" and "starting salary upon employment." But no where in the rankings does USN attempt to judge the career success of MFA graduates. (How about a question related to the percentage of graduates earning a living from their art five years after graduating?) Nor does USN ask anyone outside academia to rank the various programs. I think we as the consumers of this "ranking" product are being shortchanged. That being said, you and twentyeleven were spot-on when stating how important it is to visit a school before making a decision. I found it invaluable in deciding where to go for my BFA and will no doubt be traveling prior to May 1st this year as well. If it comes down to everything else being equal (and I think it's probably rare that that is the case), I'd spend more for the better school, but I'll think long and hard before spending a TON more. I know I'll be in this situation, because at this point I have a choice between a higher and lower ranked program. (Still don't have all the variables - don't know funding potential for SFAI, haven't visited it yet). I'm hoping to have a third choice - I'll know soon enough if that's the case. The hardest part will be if I have to sacrifice the best fit and best learning opportunity because of financial issues.

@Sarah I agree with all your points especially the idea that art is a marathon and not a sprint. To the group: I think it would be a great service to the discussion if someone could post how the rankings are set (I don't have the publication-I've just seen the lists). How do schools get top rankings? What are the elements of the measurement? Who ranks? How often do schools go up and down on the rankings? Also, I wonder who cares the most about the rankings - us as prospective students or others (gallerists, academic institutions, curators, collectors)?

Received acceptance letter dated 3/8 from SFAI in mail today - 3/15. SFAI still reviewing applicants, so others who have applied may still be in the running. MICA said they would send out notices via email on Friday, 3/18.

A few years ago, I read Donald Thompson's book "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art" in which he, as an economist, looks at the art market and tries to understand how it works. (I'm sure many of you have already read this one too.) How do people come to put a monetary value on a work of art? It basically came down to values being based on intangibles as opposed to the intrinsic quality of the work. For contemporary artists (as opposed to modern artists and those that have come before, where time has proven the worthiness of the work) value in contemporary art is lifted by certain things, among which the school the artist attended plays a role. It's not the most important role, but the right school certainly helps. Personally, I think so much of contemporary art is so confusing to the general public that they look to others to identify what's good (they don't trust their own eyes). They look to the gallerists and buy from reputable galleries. They look to the schools the person attended and assume that since the school is a top school, the artist's work is top quality too. Do I think this is actually the case? No. But the school you attend will definitely be a part of whatever "brand" you can build for yourself. If the reputation of one school far surpasses the reputation of another school and you have a chance to go to the "better" school, don't discount the value of that. I haven't come across anything that quantifies how much value you get from the school - wouldn't it be great if there was an equation you could use to make these decisions easier? Is it worth going into mountains of debt? I'd be hard pressed to argue that going into mountains of debt to attend any art school is a good economic investment. I mean really, can we find a way to spend $40-50 grand on an education with less of a guarantee of financial success than with a fine art MFA? Maybe an MFA in creative writing is an equally idiotic way to throw money away. And to those of you who have been given $$$ so that you DON'T have to spend this much - congratulations - you've got the best deal out there!! But we do it. Why? Because it's NECESSARY. We love what we do. It gives meaning and purpose to our lives. We can't imagine doing anything else. If we could, perhaps we should. And we all harbor the hope that what we do might actually pay the bills eventually. Just go into it knowing what your monthly loan payments will be..... Good luck everyone!!!

Just heard from SFAI-accepted to their low-res program! Waiting on MICA now.

48 - married with two kids, an elderly mom, and an ancient dog (she turns 16 in April!). So by the time I finish a program I'll be 50 or 51 - but the way I figure it - in two-three years I'll be 50-51 anyway, with or without a degree - so I'd rather be 51 with a degree than without!

Applied to low-residency program at MICA - interviewed, still waiting. Same with SFAI - interviewed, still waiting. Bard - rejected 2/22 SCAD - accepted 1/31 All these were for MFA Painting. I've got a note on my calendar that says that MICA will start sending out notices around 3/18. Couldn't find any date for decision notices on SFAI website.

Great info - thanks for posting. Sorry to ask, but how about SCAD?

I've had two phone interviews, so I don't know if they will apply to in-person interviews, but here's some food for thought: - be able to place your own work within an art-historical framework (where do you see your work fitting-how have you been influenced, etc.) - know something about critical theory (I have a personal beef about this since you don't generally study critical theory as an undergrad - it's more a graduate level issue). But both interviewers asked me about my take on critical theory, so I would definitely start reading up on it so you are not caught unaware. - be able to talk intelligently about some contemporary artists whose work you are following - practice presenting your work with friends familiar with fine art - be yourself - if you're reading other things besides art-related that are influencing your thinking then they want to know about it too -- they really want to understand who you are and what you're thinking about. - be confident - you got this far, right!! Good luck!!

Now that all my application materials are in, I can browse the forum without that anxious feeling that I'm wasting my time and should instead be working on my artist statement.... Anyway, ran across this and wanted to ask you what you thought specifically of MICA and SFAI. I'm looking at their low-residency programs. Thanks! Just to offer a hand to people... I attended UC Davis for my undergrad, so I can answer most any questions about that program. In researching my MFA I have visited the following schools: Tyler, MICA, Hunter, NYU, U Penn, SFAI, SF State, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Cal Long Beach. If you have any questions about the funding/studios/programs at those schools, I will try to help as much as possible. It will also serve as a distraction from this mess that is my personal statement. MUCH harder that I thought to sum myself up on paper. Again, good luck to you.

Don't be discouraged by your age. I'm closing in on 48 and applying for my painting MFA. Yes, you'll be older than many of the other students, but I doubt you'll be the only non-traditional student. Your life experience adds to your work and what you'll be able to bring to the classes. Plus, you'll be 42 in two years with or without a degree. Which is better? Good luck!!