Allie2011

Just wanted to say that I got into UCLA and a handful of other programs (applied to eight schools, got into four, and was interviewed at a fifth) with a pretty pathetic exhibition history and no grants or residencies. And not for lack of trying: I spent my first year out of college (and a small fortune) applying for thing after thing. I've only been in eight group shows, four of which were at my undergraduate institution and a given that I would get into, and another two of which were connected and basically only count as one show. Exhibitions and grants and residencies may help you stand out, but with a solid portfolio you can do well without them and, as someone else said above, you'd be better served putting time into making work than chasing things to put on your CV. I am four years out of college, and I cannot say for sure whether or not knowing I had taken a break made a difference to the schools that accepted me. Some schools care, some schools don't. I CAN say that my work improved big time in those four years, and I would not have gotten into any of those programs with the work I was making when I graduated from college, but people work at different levels so you may do better than I would have. I grew quite a bit as a person between 21 and 25, and I think that the emotional maturity that comes with time spent working crap jobs and trying to make art on the weekends is what attracts certain schools to older students. I suggest that anyone, say, 23 or under make a special effort to demonstrate that they are hard-working adults who are serious about art. If I were on an admissions committee, I think I would suspect anyone coming right out of college of trying use grad school to hide from the real world for a few more years. When you're researching schools, be sure to look carefully at the faculty. Writing about faculty I wanted to work with was probably the most painful part of the statement-writing process for me, but I think that the fact that I was able to say "I want to work with this person because I know and respect their work think I can learn XYZ from them" was definitely a plus. But choose your words well and be sincere--there is a fine line between conveying respect and admiration and looking like a brown-noser. After I wrote the above, I looked at the NYFA list Vermillion linked to. It's great, commit it to memory! I didn't have it when I applied, but I was lucky enough to have had the chance to learn those things through watching my husband apply for MFA programs a few years ago. I would add that, since you're still in school, you should take advantage of the faculty you're working with now and ask them for suggestions as to where you might apply.

Lots and lots of married people go to grad school (in September, I will be one of them), and people quit jobs all the time. Don't be afraid to wait--if you set going to grad school as your goal, you'll do it.

I got an emailed rejection letter last week, as did a few other people in this board. I haven't seen any posts from accepted people, but Riverside takes such a small number of students I'm not surprised we haven't heard from any of them.

Phone calls early last week, follow-up emails.

I got a really great tube from a place that prints large scale photos and banners once. The tube had been used to ship a roll of paper to the company, and they were just going to throw it out. It was enormous and seriously sturdy.

UC Irvine is conducting interviews this coming week.

Ask away! They chose you, they want you there, and the more they talk to you the better they will get to know you. And even if you do get on someone's nerves a little bit, they'll know it's just enthusiasm. They're not going to be staring you down in critique in September thinking "man, I was so mad when that person asked me too many questions that one time." What does make sense is to try to ask the right people the right questions. An administrator in the department might be able to give you a better idea of what your financial aid package would look like than a professor, for example, and a student might be the best person to ask about community. Every school/department is different though.

You're always supposed to bring a pen and paper to job interviews--it demonstrates interest--and I would say the same goes for grad school interviews. Perhaps you could have a pad open and nearby that you could grab to write notes if need be instead of holding it. That way, your hands are free, and you're less likely to write down every word they say out of nervousness/more likely to maintain eye contact.

I've seen people that can easily be connected to their identities through their posts say mean things about schools they want to go to on these boards. Part of the purpose of recommendation letters is to let the schools you're applying to know that you're not a sociopath/will get along with people there, so why even take the risk of doing something that may lower their opinion of you? Try Googling something like Facebook fired: you'll find tons of examples of careless Internet activity getting people into trouble. The fact that people may be looking at what you do online doesn't mean that they're jerks, it just means they're using all the tools available to them to make an informed decision. Anonymity just seems like the smartest choice.

I have some work online, but I'm not comfortable linking to it here. I don't want to make it easy for schools to connect my posts here to my applications, and I don't want to open myself up to "well, I don't think she deserved to get into..." snarkiness. I'm probably overestimating the interest schools take in online forums and underestimating the kind people on this forum, but that's how I feel. I'll PM you. Oh boy, I am. I've had a big stupid grin on my face for days. UCLA is and has always been my top choice--amazing art department faculty, great location, great University as a whole, and student work that I really respond to. UNM seems like a wonderful place, with dedicated faculty and a real sense of community. I'd say it's my second choice. I don't know a whole lot about Davis yet, but I like the little bit I do know. I'm supposed to visit in April.

I've been shy about reporting my results, but my husband insists that I have a responsibility to the people on this forum. He's right. You guys are great, and the discussions here have been really useful to me, so I hope my results are useful to you. I applied to all of the following programs as a photographer. Here goes: UC Davis - Accepted via telephone 2/2/11 Yale - Rejected via website 2/4/11 University of New Mexico - Accepted via email 2/13/11 UC Irvine - Invited to interview via telephone 2/15/11 (interviewing in early March) UC Riverside - Rejected via email 2/17/11 UCLA - Accepted via telephone 2/18/11 (notified that I was a finalist via telephone 2/7/11) UC San Diego - No news yet University of Oregon - No news yet (word on the street is that their letters will go out in early March) Congrats to those of you who have received good news already, and good luck to those of you who are still waiting!

Accepted to the University of New Mexico for photography via an email sent out yesterday.

Haha, also, good luck and don't be nervous. I'm much less self-centered when I'm not freaking out about grad school, I promise.

Ooh, please report on the interview. Questions, how scary it was, etc.

I would LOVE to go to SCAD, but I didn't apply because they don't offer enough funding. As far as I know, there's nothing wrong with the school. I've only heard good things.

Same here. Still waiting to hear from the seven other schools I applied to, of course, but knowing that at least one school wants me is an ENORMOUS relief. My anxiety level went down like 90% as soon as I hung up the phone.

I mailed my application materials before Christmas. I wouldn't be surprised if they just got swamped close to the deadline and misplaced your postcard. I hope that's the case!

Yeah, I got mine back about a week after I put my application in the mail.

Comforting because I worked my butt off, followed all the instructions and submitted a cohesive body of work. Terrifying because the only people who've seen my recent work are friends, and the fact that I feel good about it doesn't mean that it is good. I love this forum because the fact that my apps are out there in the wild and out of my control is all I think about, but I don't like to talk about them with most people I know/people who don't understand how difficult the whole process is. You guys are great, and I hope you're all in that final, "really good" third.

I think the idea is that some people don't have very much work or good work or for some other reason are not ready for grad school, yet apply anyway. If you take out the portfolios that reviewers will see as obvious, immediate nos, the number of people you're actually competing with for a spot is smaller than the total number of people who applied. Also, it's entirely possible for work from beginning classes to be fantastic, but most schools specify that they want to see recent work. People submitting work from classes they took a long time ago may be in trouble, too.

There was a thread last year about possible interview questions: It also may give you an idea of when you might start hearing things from schools.

UCSD. It was on a page that said "additional information" or something like that (it's all a blur now), under the diversity statement that all the UC schools ask for. I'm not even sure whether that section of the application was required, but I need all the funding I can get so I filled everything out. It seemed to me to be something that the University cares about, not the art department, so I don't think missing something like that would really hurt anyone's chances.

Ha, sorry if I freaked you out! Relax! Of the eight applications I submitted, only one had a "hidden" essay, and it wasn't that bad. I'm really good about reading and re-reading requirements and checking things carefully, but somehow I failed to notice, at the very bottom of a page, space for a one-page essay on what I've been doing since I graduated from college, until I was about to submit the application. I was able to put something together in about an hour, but I would have been in trouble if I'd noticed it at 11 pm on deadline day instead of a few days early.

You're fine, most of the people who are saying they're done probably didn't apply to any schools with February deadlines. My earliest deadline was December 15, and my latest was January 18. There is an advantage to turning things in early, though: on deadline day 1) an application website may get overloaded and crash; 2) you may have a last minute question that can't be answered if it arises after business hours; 3) you may notice a hidden essay question or some other unforeseen task to complete at the end of an application or buried in the text on a department's website. I had website trouble, questions, hidden essays, and a number of school-specific quirks to deal with, and I'm very glad I worked on my applications early enough to handle these problems and still meet the deadline. Another advantage is the wonderful feeling of relief that comes when an application is submitted and out of your hands!

I received my BFA almost four years ago. I didn't start feeling ready for grad school until I'd been out of school for two years, and I couldn't apply last year because I was obligated to stay put for the time being.