Rosebud510

Oh man that's tough. Is the 100k just for tuition? There is also the cost of living in New York City to consider (maybe you already live here, but if not, its brutal!). I am sure you're paying attention to what's going on at Columbia right now, there is a lot of tension in leadership and according to Democracy Now the percentage of students accepting their admissions offer is down this year. Thats likely for undergrad and may not be relevant to the MFA program - but if Columbia is what you want, you may have more leverage than you think. If you haven't already, maybe just be aggressive in asking for money letting them know you can't otherwise accept, which sucks, but the worst they can do is say no. (I have a friend who negotiated a full ride at UPENN after not being offered anything - its definitely worth a try!). And who knows, if they say no and you decline, maybe next year you get into a fully funded program - go with your gut!

There is an agreement between most grad schools to allow students until April 15th to put down deposits and officially accept. Not all schools go by this, but most do. That being said, for waitlisted folks, I would imagine you should expect to hear shortly after April 15th. If you're top of the list, maybe earlier.

Hey! I don't think there's any harm in being very prepared, in fact, I think thats the thing that keeps you from being nervous - prepare some answers and be ready to pivot. The main thing to remember is if you've gotten to the interview stage, they're already interested. Your only job is to be confident and show them you're ready. Think about it this way, they are who you could be in 10 years (or 5! or 2!) - how do you impress yourself? Confidence and really knowing who you are is all that matters. And you know those answers. You're you! They're just people who were once on your side of things, no need to be afraid of them.

@Cowbot Okay thanks! Good to know!

Just getting an interview is huge! Someone else mentioned that their waitlist is very minimal - reapply! Everyone I spoke to said to be prepared to apply more than once for the top tier programs.

Hello - new to posting but have been following along! This was my first year applying and its looking like I will have to apply again (waitlisted, so we'll see!). I am just curious, for those who were accepted into Yale or Columbia - what is your exhibition history like? I have a very strong arts admin resume, but have not shown my work very much. I am trying to figure out if its worth it to apply again. Also I got waitlisted from RISD painting today, if that is helpful to anyone!