brosenth1984

I am having the hardest time with this one! I am falling in love with every place that i visit (i think i am reverting back into a 16 year old during this process) and i can't make a decision. Hunter's lack of any funding could be problematic for me (i know its cheap, but NY isn't), but it is a hard one to even think of turning down...

me too CD3!! all of us NY hunter accepts should get together sometime for celebratory drinks! on another note here are my updates: New Genres/New Media, NY, NY UIC - Accepted, no funding information yet U of Chicago - Accepted, no funding AT ALL U Illinois, Urbana-Champaign - Accepted, full funding, really liked them a lot, tearing me apart Hunter - Accepted (hell yeah!), but was told they don't really "do" funding...big bummer UC Davis - Accepted, 25K stipend first year and all tuition and fees, second year fuzzy... SMFA, Boston - Accepted, 10K scholarship (no thank you i am not paying 22K plus living) CCA - Accepted, no funding information yet Northwestern - Waitlisted Syracuse - Accepted U Delaware - Accepted, 15K t.a. and full tuition remission Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) - accepted, 11K scholarship UC Berkeley - Rejected UCSD - Rejected USC - Rejected RISD - Nothing, expect rejection UC Irvine - Rejected (thank god!) now i am really torn up, going to see Davis and CCA next week which i think may make it even worse

this is exactly the method of how i decided to apply to schools this time around, which seems to have worked even for the more competitive ones (so part of me is chuckling a bit). Don't drop all the competitive one's from your list next time around, because you may find out they are a lot more interested in you again. I think lowering the standards somehow makes the application stronger these days...

the University of Delaware offers AMAZING funding to almost all their students (and my former advisor from CMU is the graduate coordinator and he is fantastic), and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign is also superb with full funding.

This is a very interesting topic. I have chatted with my former professors, and one of the main things said to me is that they are "hesitant" to become too invested in a student without a commitment of coming, mainly because they don't know if they'll ever see you again, and they don't want to fall head over heels in love with someone they can't have. That said, the overwhelmingly lovely reception I have received from some programs is going to make it extremely hard for me to call the chair and decline. Oddly enough, it is the school that was the least in touch that has given me a ridiculous amount of funding, and will probably get me. I think it comes down to personality types and investment. However, if a professor is ever nasty, then thats when you should be concerned.

I have had multiple friends accepted already into the painting program at SAIC. From what i understand, they have already made their initial acceptances a while back.

i am seriously considering their offer, and probably going to attend for my MFA (they offered 25K a year on top of full tuition and fees coverage). You are a mech e? Ph.D. or MS? I went to Carnegie Mellon so I am looking forward to being around science types again

dear jenmarie, yikes, but don't be embarassed! That is a really unfortunate situation you were put in (and those dang lenders never should have let you get there, plus your undergrad school should have funded you better, how irresponsible of them!). Now i know some people will laugh at me for saying this, but I think you need to send an email to Suze Orman, or talk with a financial planner ASAP. You may also be able to get a job that includes loan forgiveness (e.g. Peace corps or Americorps). Before you reapply to grad school, I would look into these options to seriously reduce your debt-load, and figure out what your options are. You will be A LOT happier if you spend two years in the Americorps program and end up with a quarter of the loan debt, than if you are saddled with this the rest of your life. best of luck with everything,

jenmarie, i was rejected from all the schools i applied to last year, and guess what...this year i was accepted to 9, waitlisted for 1, rejected from 3, and still waiting on others. When you end up re-applying to schools, you will catch all sorts of problems and mistakes in the applications you did, and see programs that you thought you were good fit for were not, and others that you didn't even consider that would be excellent fits for. It is painful, i've been there, but you will learn so much from this experience and you will grow in different ways. I think you need to expand your pool by a lot, and i think you need to get into the studio and make work that reaches far beyond what you did in your undergrad; programs want to see that you have evolved on your own apart from the "institution." I would not suggest "settling" on this point for a program that will cost you a fortune just to satiate your desire to go to school (e.g. Academy of Art), and it is FAR cheaper to take out a loan to get a studio, than to pay 30+K for a cubby hole and disengaged adjunct profs. It is a lot more expensive to do it all over again (I am coming from a visit with someone who will be doing a second MFA because his first was a waste of time), and it is your first time applying--not your tenth. Take the energy you are feeling right now and put it into your work and into advancing your presence in shows across the globe. Apply heavily for residencies that take place during academic semesters (they are less competitive when professor's and grad students can't go) and go to them and challenge yourself. While some of these things may seem expensive, it is cheaper than paying for a school you don't want to go to. sorry, I don't mean to be harsh, but this directness was the only way i pulled myself out of the hole i experienced last year. I wasted so much time myself feeling sorry, instead of making new work, and it set my work behind more than i ever could have expected.

Yeah, i heard acceptances were by phone, which i think is so much nicer.

i saw on the grad cafe a posting that people were notified on the 22nd, which would be the equivalent of tomorrow this year! I am crossing my fingers, is this anybody else's prospective top choice?

to the overall question: It is always too high without funding information. I made the terrible mistake of booking a trip to visit the University of Chicago, to only find out a day before that they have no money for anybody in my program. It could have been a disaster, i could have fallen head over heels in love with the program and no way to attend (120K in debt is not an option, and luckily the credit crunch can prevent me from being a passionate idiot), and i could have been second guessing myself wherever i go. Fortunately, i was not thrilled, and this was not the case, but it could have been. I am visiting UC Davis in early April (they are paying for the trip), but I have just found out that California College of the Arts is having an open house thing the day after i fly out of San Francisco. I have already emailed the Director of Graduate Admissions, and explained my situation and that i cannot change my ticket (it would $150) without knowing funding info. Unless you are prepared to pay for your tuition, don't do it. Figure it this way: $800 spent on a program you can't afford, is less cost-effective than $1200 (a later booked ticket) to visit a place you could definitely go to. i wasted $600, don't make the same mistake!

I would say in this case, make a deposit for your second choice to this school. If you get the scholarship, politely withdraw due to "unforeseen circumstances" it is a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.

i agree, post bacs are a huge waste of money. You are better off applying to tons of less competitive residencies, or taking out a loan to rent a studio full time.

go to Pratt. Cranbrook is a far better education, but you will make better contacts at Pratt and you are in a commercial field. They are all working designers with studios, and you could land a job in NY immediately after you graduate, plus, jobs in NY pay more than anywhere else in the country.

i have done a few interviews so far, and to some success it seems, but the main thing i keep thinking is DON"T BE NERVOUS!!! I think all this overpreparing and thinking of questions psyched me out for my first one (which rejected me), whereas, now i am more confident and relaxed, and have a good time with them. Generally, they are all nice people, and they like you. Yale on the other hand is vicious, but don't play into it. Its all a gimmick... also, dress should depend on the type of work you make and your life experience. I didn't wear a suit, because i have a full-time job which seems to be a turnoff for grad school. I wore nice dark jeans, a silver blazer (people like shiny things) and normal shirt. I think as long as you looked both relaxed and put together they will get you. I LOVE suits (wall street is my favorite movie) but I think it looks to some of these places like you are trying too hard, or that you are not approachable. Then again, if you do commercial animation or photography, maybe this is what they are looking for?

good point. When i applied there as an undergraduate they "misplaced" my materials, and i was thus too late to be considered for the Silas S. Rhodes scholarship (how convenient). SVA is proprietary, meaning, it is not a 501 C3 nonprofit. Its goal is to make income, so funding is not one of their primary goals. That answer is such bullshit (history of photography...very few programs even offer that undergrad, they are lucky you have the background).

well if we both get in then we will be classmates for sure! I am not taking on that kind of debt from anyone.

i know nothing about this program, but 90K + living expenses (at least 60-80 K for the whole thing) is outrageously expensive to go to SVA. you are better off applying for that University of Iowa spot, or another program, they aren't worth it.

In reference to the post earlier. I couldn;t agree more. Names are somewhat important (for connections) but the work is the most important thing. I heard from a friend that the University of Iowa has an opening for a fully funded spot in their MFA new genres/new media track. They are looking for women and candidates of diversity. So if you haven't gotten in anywhere yet for New Media, it might be a good idea to apply there ASAP because they are hungry.

I think I got a pretty bad one from Irvine. First and acceptance letter on letterhead via email, then an email from the department secretary letting me know this was a horrible error (oh my, how horrible that i could possibly be accepted) and that i was actually rejected, with a rejection letter attached. Berkeley's rejection letter was kind of funny too (especially since the Chair's name is Squeaky...literally). It was printed on the cheapest computer paper, but HAND SIGNED! The ink smudged when i moistened it, and the letter was laser printed. Wow, the california budget is lacking. And UCSD sent the same letter as last year, with last year's date. a lot of laziness if you ask me.

yikes, i am completely confused now! I expected to maybe get into 3 or 4, but this is throwing me for a loop. I just got back to NY from visiting University of Chicago, and I was unimpressed with the students, but very into the faculty. I think it is a no though, no money=no me, and i won't pay that much for something that isn't a ticket to stardom or amazing peers (i mean 120K, is out of the question). I am writing off Syracuse, WashU, and University of Delaware. But i think if i get into Hunter, it would be hard to turn it down, its so well respected, and its in my hometown. Although, i never know how i will feel about these other places until i actually visit them and get that "feeling." I feel kind of guilty this year, but then again, flat out rejections last year...i paid my dues...

just an update, to keep y'all in the loop. I am NYC, and New Genres/New Media. Univ. of Chicago - Accepted U Illinois Chicago - Nothing U Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Accepted Northwestern University - Waitlisted, told today by email UC Davis - Accepted RISD - Nothing CCA - Accepted UC Berkeley - Rejected UCSD- Rejected UC Irvine - Rejected (and accepted by accident...) Hunter - Interviewed (hoping oh so bad!!!) University of Delaware - Accepted Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) - Accepted Syracuse - Accepted unofficially American University - Withrdrawn USC - Nothing (expect rejection)

i just found them so approachable, and they really knew who i was. I was coming from a bad experience at Irvine though, where they didn't even read my file. I don;t know if i can give any suggestions, they will guide you, they will not be nasty...which is shocking, because they are really really famous people (at least to us in NY).

yes they do, you get time, a community to work within, and space. Programs really like these, and it helps your work in the long run.