raverlax

Does anyone know anything about the Post-Bacc Program at Berkeley? Also looking at Brandeis...

FYI for anyone applying to USC: I started an application there and decided not to go through with it. I got an email a few nights ago saying they were about to review materials and I still had time to complete my application...

I don't want to jinx anyone but I'm a planner and would love to compare plan B's. Suppose you don't get into a school that you want, don't get the funding you want, or just decide to wait a year? What will you do in the meantime? I decided about a week ago to withdraw my applications for MFA this year. I didn't feel like I was ready and I knew my work would be in a much better place with a little more time. You only get out of it what you put in, and I would hate to waste my time in MFA fumbling around with new ideas and direction. As my post-bac professor put it the other day (the best explanation of MFA I've heard thus far)- ' it is a time to break down ideas and build them back up. If you don't enter with a plan, identity, and focused body of work, there is nothing to analyze and nothing to gain from it'. So that leads into my plan B. I am doing a post-bac certificate, slowly but surely. If I don't finish it, no big deal. Right now it is more about making the courses work for me and my work. I also was offered a residency at a local gallery. Well, we sort of negotiated a residency, but it will again allow me to make of it what I will. All this talk about my work, I guess I should get back to it... Anyone else going with plan B? Or have you thought about what it might be if you aren't happy with your acceptances?

I replied to a post under MFA painting safety schools but thought I should mention it here as well- USC gives full-funding to half of its MFAs and a stipend to the rest. But I guess when you only admit 8 per year you can afford to do that...

www.reganboschstudio.com To be updated soon with some exciting new stuff, so bear with me. Wanted to apply for 2011 but decided last minute to wait a year. It was a tough realization, but I have some new work in development and want to be totally focused and confident when I do enter MFA. So looking to apply for 2012 (which seems ages away). I'd love to trade shots of work in development if anyone is bored and looking to kill time while waiting for their apps to come back! Good luck to everyone applying this year!

I just visited USC and was surprised to hear that nearly every MFA student receives major aid. I think it was something along the lines of 8 TAships with full tuition (there are only 8 MFA candidates per class). This full tuition included a ~$1000/month stipend (it may have been 900, can't remember). The remaining students received Studio Assistantships. In exchange for 6 hours a week, the students receive $1000/month stipend and no tuition assistance. After completing a Studio Assistantship, you would be moved up to a TA with full tuition. So all 16 MFA candidates receive some sort of funding upon admittance. I guess that's one of the benefits of getting into such a small interdisciplinary program. They may admit 3 painters max in any given year so I probably have a better chance of winning the lottery...

Tenured professor in Art?

Applying to USC, CalArts, and Otis this year; will be finishing up a year of Advanced Certificate in May. Does anyone know much about their styles? USC is my top choice, but I haven't found a professor there that I would connect with. My work is post-graffiti pop art with a background in oils. Has anyone been rejected/accepted/had an interview at any of these schools? Any advice is much appreciated! Feeling a little overwhelmed at this point!