Emma2003

I'm an undergrad at SAIC, and according to the talking I've heard, (very little though) I think they have made their first round of cuts. I am excited to not have received a rejection yet!

I have applied to four schools. One of the four I am figuring will not be funded, regardless, and I am willing to go there and fund myself , but only if I don't receive offers of funding from anywhere else. Out of the remaining three, only my last choice would I turn down given the scenario presented.

I have not heard anything yet in terms of decisions, but I did get a weird letter from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago saying that they had received my application materials (which I sent in December) and that I should expect to hear from the department within six to eight weeks of the application deadline (January 10th). i just received this letter today. Which means I should hear back sometime after the 21st? I think expecting to wait at least six weeks after the app deadline seems pretty standard. I'm assuming that they wait to see every possible portfolio and compare them against each other.

I'm going after my degree in order to teach, which would be possible with a degree from any of the four. The top tier school offers connections and name recognition which would be invaluable in pursuing a gallery career. But going there is no guarantee that would happen. We could probably do it, with some loans and prayers, but it would be really hard to turn down a package in order to do it. It's taken me almost ten years to get my bachelor's, because of kids, and what not, and I would really like to be able to say, "I got a tuition waiver and an assistantship!" It would make it seem like the sacrifice has been worth it. I think I'm going with the package, if it happens, but I change my mind everyday....It's still wishful thinking at this point...

Hi all! I have applied to 4 schools, all of whom are in my geographical area, i cannot leave because my husband is tied here to a really good job. All four are schools with good general reputations. One is a top tier school, but out of a class size of 150, they only offer total funding to 2 people. If i do not attend the top tier school, i probably will close myself off to an entire avenue of career possibility. However, even if I attend the school, it is not a guarantee of a place. If I get offers from a lesser school with funding (all three are about 50 in the top 100) versus an offer with no funding from the top tier school (one of the top 5 for my discipline) i am not sure what I should do... What would you guys do in a simillar situation?

Wow... I was starting to wonder if organizational skills of the programs were playing into a lot of the acceptances posted on results search being science and math oriented, but I didn't want to stereotype. Why have I been checking my admission status on an almost daily basis?

I just reread your email, and i think I misunderstood it. I thought you had not started applying and were looking for options! I'm so sorry. I definitely think you have ability. All the places you have listed are really top notch, but also very competitive. I have heard a lot of advice and most of it has to do with being in a city with a major art scene. NY, LA, to a lesser extent, Chicago. It seems like you are mainly thinking east coast? The School of the Art Institute is a very good school as well. I am a painter, so my schools aren't necessarily the same. According to US News and World Report rankings list for graduate photography programs, Yale is number one, then SAIC, RISD, Rochester Institute of Technology, University of New Mexico, California Institute of the Arts, San Francisco Art Institute, SVA, UCLA, Arizona State, California College for the arts, and Cranbook. in other words the usual suspects...Good luck on your applications!

After having researched it a little more, it looks like Stafford loans for grads have two types, subsidized and unsubsidized. You can only get subsidized loans if you demonstrate financial need. Unsubsidized loans are available to "any elligible grad student" (not sure what that means?) But you will have to make interest payments to any loans you take out. They list current interest rates at being 6.8%. During undergrad, I applied for and was awarded an aid package based on my family's previous years earnings. This included a mixture of scholarships, private grants, work study and federal loan offers. I would speak with your school's financial advisor. I would think that your elligiblity for unsubsidized Stafford loans might be affected not by your previous years income, but by your current aid package. If you have already received a tuition waiver and a average sized fellowship, I always understood that Stafford loans could only be used for college related expenses, room and board, tuition, books, etc. I think loans for the cost of living beyond aid the school is already supplying, would be more likely to be loans from private institutions.

I'm glad you guys enjoyed it.

That is fantastic.

My understanding with the FAFSFA is that they base your eligibility off of your previous years tax return. So Most likely, you're elligibility for federal aid will be based on that. So if you take a significant paycut, you'll have to wait till next year for the loans. There are fellowships, (like the Javitz) that list financial need as one among many considerations, so you might start looking for your own aid sources if you need to supplement. Some banks have offered personal loans to those who have a good income, so that may be a plus for you. Good luck!

My top choice is not the best school. The best school I applied to only offers full funding to 2 students every year and I am currently attending there for undergrad. it is a large program with decent odds on being accepted, but little or no chance of getting the amount of funding I need. My top choice is a lower tier school in my field but a good school to come out of for teaching, they generally offer funding for those accepted but only accept about 10 students each year. I won't fake it, but i won't tell anyone i didn't get in either.

I posted this link on another forum, but I think it might be of interest so here it is again.... http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmi ... dmissions/ It really gives a good insight to the process from the other side i think. I think that there's always hope until you get a rejection letter!

I have been drawing nonstop since i was a wee one. It is all I ever wanted to do. I decided a long time ago, that i will do whatever is necessary for me to succeed in building a life in which I never have to say, "I used to paint." And one in which I can declare my occupation as "artist" on my tax returns. Realistically, even if i never teach, which I hope to do, this means that I need to hone my craft and there's no place better than school. I want to be a master of my craft, thus grad school.

It's a very nice thought. I wish they were that interested in our future! I found a link that sheds a little light on the process. Here it is, if you're interested! http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmi ... dmissions/ I don't kow if it made me feel better or worse abut my chances! But it will definitely make me feel better about any possible rejections.

LOL... Okay, here's my best guess... 1 acceptance with at least partial funding, hopefully full. 1 no funding 2 rejections Does this mean I'm pessimistic or realistic, i forget.

YES!!!!

Okay, I am not superstitious OR a little stitious so here goes... 4 schools Optimistic: 2 acceptances with full funding 2 no funding Realistic: 1 acceptance with funding 1 acceptance partial funding 1 no funding 1 rejection Mildly pessimistic: 1 partial funding 1 no funding 2 rejections Pessimistic: 1 no funding 3 rejections Very pessimistic: 4 rejections

I will breathe a giant sigh of relief....email my father that his daughter's been accepted to a big ten school. (We're talking best case scenario here, right?) I will buy a nice bottle of pinot noir, a thick steak, the fixin's for a great salad, and a great big deep dark chocolate bar (all from whole foods). Make dinner for my husband and daughters, put the girls to bed and watch cashcab while slightly buzzed from my second glass of wine. Then I'll weep silently into my pillow as I realize i will never have to wait tables again.... (i have to say here, that there is another possiblity beyond the big ten school, but that would mean funding from a school that is known for it's lack of funding. And while i am confident, I am not crazy...but if said school gave ME the funding, I would scream until I couldn't scream anymore. I would book a flight to Minneapolis and throw my hat in the air. Then I would spend days in stunned silence with a stupid grin on my face.)

Well, said Linden! My entire purpose in coming to this forum, is to wonder about a process with which I am only newly familiar. I would assume anyone perusing the "waiting it out" forum is waiting and wondering as well. We're all just a bunch of pots and kettles and should be careful before saying anything unkind. And if you aren't waiting it out like everyone else, why read the forum and disparage? That seems a more pathetic behavior than asking an honest question. Personally, I'm still waiting and am hoping to have at least one acceptance email, although I'll settle for all acceptances snail mail, as well....

I have two girls, almost three and almost six. I have to say, that with the fulltime help of my husband, it has only taken me 9 years to complete my undergrad course work. Each child is different, and you never know what your child is going to be like. You need to be in a place where you can handle things financially and emotionally. Personally, I think you have better chances succeeding as a student and a parent if you wait a little to adopt until you are done with your schooling. Infant care, good infant care, is extremely expensive. I pay almost 800 dollars a month for three days of care per week for my two year old. This doesn't include diapers or formula or clothes. And your little one is going to want your attention every second they are not at daycare, which means that you'll have to find a way to sleep and study whenever they're asleep which is easier said then done. I am sure that it can be done because I have seen people do it, it's just why do it that way if you don't have too?

Hey, I'm a painter, so I'm not super familliar with your medium. I think you maybe coming in a little late for deadlines at this point, so I would advise you to spend the next year shooting like crazy. Take a look at Jeff Wall, if you haven't already, and any other photographers you cn come across, Witkin comes to mind, there is a little theater in what you're doing, also, a time artist you might be interested in is Willie Doherty. He is Irish and his stuff tends to deal with duality and perception and memory. I think there are some nice photographs there, but what is most important is the cohesion of the body of work. It seems to me at this point you have two distinct bodies here, the first about memory, and the second kind of staged portrature with a slightly bizarre narrative. Definitely look at Jeff Wall. Anyway, I don't see why you couldn't get into grad school, but then I truly don't understand the minds of the committees. Good luck!

I think that it's because they have a more subjective process than standard graduate applications for most programs. Most programs have the GPA, the GRE and letters of recommendation, maybe a CV or resume. The most important thing in an art program is the portfolio, and from what i understand, most schools are not only looking at how good your portfolio is, but how it fits in with their program, and with the rest of the applicants. It certainly feels frustrating, although, I don't think most programs have offered decisions at this point.

By the way, that's The School of the Art institute of Chicago. www.saic.edu

Hey, this may be entirely too late for you, but I just found you, so sorry if this doesn't help. I think you should look at the School of the Art Institute's visual and critical studies program. Here is a direct quote fro their website about the program, and it sounds like a pretty good match to what you are talking about... "Critical Studies is designed for students interested in the scholarly and creative investigation of the production, dissemination, and impact of visual images, objects, experiences, and practices. With the visual as a starting point, students use multiple methods of critical investigation to study the interactions between visual phenomena and their historical, disciplinary, and social contexts." Hope that helps!