brosenth1984

so i interviewed last week since i am stuck in chicago this weekend. LOVED them, really loved them. They are super-fantastic. If i get in i will probably go, i would go there over Yale any day.

Yeah, what is up with RISD? If other schools require acceptances by April 15th, they are not really giving anybody much time to make their decisions! I am still awaiting a response from them in digital and media, but i expect a big fat nay. although i did think my "sentence" to john maeda was good, they need a real new yorker to weed out the bad pizza and bagels in providence!

thought you would all enjoy this... so I received an acceptance email with PDF letter from UC Irvine, only to be told 45 minutes later in another letter with a corrected PDF that I was rejected and that the first one was a mistake. Luckily I have no respect for them (had a terrible interview), and i could care less, although by law I am entitled to the acceptance. I am thinking of calling the Dean of the division to get my application money back! I now have some legs to stand on. also got into CCA yesterday, awaiting funding though...

I think a lot of you are out of your minds. The answer should be NO! In order to pay that 150K loan, you need to make at least 85-95K in order to just get by (remember, they are variable right now, and rates will rise before you graduate). How many artists are going to make that their first year out! Money does not buy happiness, but insane debt does buy severe depression. My top choice (which is not even near the most competitive of my acceptances) offered nothing, and me they will certainly not get. Artists need funding, more than they need an MFA, i would be better off taking out loans and working in a studio for 5 years, than accruing that kind of debt in a program. yes, passions are important, and if your mom or dad can help you fine (although i might kill you and convince them to give the money to me), but if you have no other funding source than loans, screw em. In this extremely competitive year, if you even just made it, you would be a top choice any other year, so they owe you the funding you deserve...

Congrats. Who did you interview with at UC Irvine? Just curious about the contrast in experience. When i went it was clear my interviewers (Bruce, Kevin, and Monica) didn't even read my file, they weren't aware I went to Carnegie Mellon, even though it is all over my package. I hope you get into Carnegie Mellon, i don't think they have finalized their decisions yet. I personally (no bias of course ) think it is a superb program, and there are an amazing amount of interdisciplinary opportunities available at your fingertips.

What kind of work do you do? I will be visiting Urbana-Champaign in two weeks, and i am curious about what is going on there. They are mighty generous, aren't they?

I will start this by saying I am definitely not a statistics person, but I am currently accepted to the University of Chicago in Visual arts and awaiting funding info...which is tremendously important. I also applied to the University of Delaware (which I will turn down if accepted) but that is a unique situation and it would be a really weak program for me. I understand the complex situation you are in (and I am negotiating this prestige vs. $$$$ issue myself), but i do not think a masters degree is worth that kind of debt load. If you are a strong, independently-motivated candidate (which you must be if you were accepted to the U of Chicago), and have opportunities at Delaware that Chicago won't offer, then I say go with the funding! And since you are so good in the statistical Arena, you know, that in this economy the chance of paying those loans off and that tuition being worthwhile is slim at best. I work in a school that grants Ph.D.'s, and while we are keen on fancy name degrees (and there are some schools we have little respect for and will not accept students from) we always look and interview very strong candidates from less "presitigious" schools. If you are smart and talented in your area, you will do well REGARDLESS of where you go to. Lets be honest here, it isn't exactly a community college you are considering, its also an excellent school. now maybe someone else can knock some sense into me and make me choose the better financial situation myself!

Just to update the insane list (I am applying in New Genres/video): University of Chicago: Accepted University of Illinois, Chicago: Nothing (But i know people were accepted, and were asked to say yes by March 15th, so if not contacted we are probably in a later pool, but not yet rejects ) University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: Accepted, funding announced School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: Accepted today Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL): Accepted and funding decisions sent out. Great school. Syracuse: Unofficial Acceptance during phone interview American U: Withdrawn, but I heard they accepted people and a friend of mine is on the waitlist, don't know about rejections though CCA: Phone interview, then nothing, probably rejected because i screwed it up UC Davis: Accepted, early UC Irvine: Interviewed, nothing...hated them and they hated me too...not planning on ever going back to this one UCSD: Rejected ...very sad UC Berkeley: Rejected Hunter: Interviewed, they were pretty nice and sassy...in a good way RISD: Nothing University of Delaware: Nothing Northwestern: Phone Interview tomorrow USC: Nothing (expect rejection) has anybody visited U of C? I will be there on Friday, and I am curious about impressions? oh, and to answer below question (because i work for a grad school). Technically a school is supposed to allow you to make a decision until April 15th. But if you are not sure, and have a top choice amongst them (without purchase), especially if funding is attached to it. There is no reason why you can't (other than financially) give them deposit, and withdraw later before the start. Although, it is really unethical for them to make you do this. Washington University expects a decision by April 1st, and I will be visiting another school on the 2nd.

Yeah, I'm not so sure my boss will let me off either, i have to fly to see a bunch of schools and they are getting a little annoyed... I think WashU's painting is also really strong, and they have a really top-notch museum there. Good luck with Yale, I am not worrying about UCSD, i clearly don't fit their profile.

I am an alumni of CMU's undergraduate BFA, and I do not believe that they have notified anybody yet (from what i have heard on the grapevine). They tend to get through a few rounds, because people would rather be in NY or LA (although I must say, it really is the best and most truly interdisciplinary, i would so do my MFA there if the policy allowed, and Pittsburgh is a really great place to be a student and live cheaply). So no news is good news in my book, and even if you are not in the first cut, if you are getting strong responses from other places (and are thus high in the pool) you may get a call anyways.

I think USC has sent everything out (and i am not one of them myself either ). BTW, is anybody else here interviewing at Irvine? I just had the worst interview yesterday, and they flew me all the way out from NY and didn't read my damn file. Personally, I think that the committee i interviewed with had no interest in my work, and i was clearly the choice of faculty not in attendance (e.g. I am a person working in the intersection of theory and new media, i interviewed with two painters and a very non-academic video person). Has anybody else had negative interview experiences like this?

don't feel worthless. I just found out that a former student of mine (when i was T.A.'ing) beat me in the pool for UIC, and I am shocked (I mean he really sucks). Maybe they thought you would turn them down, because they thought so highly of your work (this almost happened to me with Syracuse). Keep your hopes up.

what kind of work do you do, and will you be attending the admitted students day on the 16th at WashU? I am new media, video, film, performance. If so, maybe i will see you there (i am still not sure if i can get off of work). Just got the painful rejection from UCSD, made it way further in the pool last year so i don't really get it...

really? Maybe i am thinking of the post-bacc program? I remember it being free...or i could just be quite delirious...which is a very real possibility these days.

I think the Royal College of Art is the only british school that one could go to, because its free! I wish I was organized enough to apply there myself... Apparently (even if you are incredibly awesome, and i am not saying i am by any means) none of the british schools will offer funding to non british or non-Eu people at all. Its interesting that we give any student funding, and they don't give us anything. on another note, i just got off of a phone interview with Syracuse, and he mentioned what was in my recommendation letters (which was AWESOME to use for my next interviews). Since a lot of people on this board are interviewing, it might be a good idea to find out what is in those letters (I only knew one of them, because I had to print them out for her when she was abroad). Is this bad etiquette? I mean, obviously they aren't negative if you are getting an interview...

It is really expensive to bring in an International Student (there are a lot of funding restrictions), especially in these economic times (which could explain some of the rejections). All of the schools you applied to are very competitive, if you are set on going, i would suggest popping in a few that are less competitive in the next cycle. Also, you should ask why you were rejected, it may help in your next rounds.

Yeah, its strange isn't it? I work in an admissions office (for Dec. Arts History) and we expected applications to be down, but they are up a lot (i mean dec arts aint gonna get you a job). Frankly, I think it is mainly a rise in people coming straight from undergrad because there are no jobs and they figure they are better off postponing living in the "real world" until things pick up. also, what is up with schools informing people on multiple days? WashU called and accepted me today, but I had seen another posting of an acceptance by them, so i assumed i was already rejected? These programs are all really small, so how hard is it to call 10 people in a day?

my understanding (from the Open House) was that Columbia interviews would be mid march, however all schools seem to have a lot of applicants this year, and maybe it is taking them longer than expected to get through the first rounds. No news is good news.

Thanks, I'm not holding my breath. I am moving image, and my recommender got a call from them saying that they didn't "get" me... apparently a few others did, so whatever

sorry to make you go through it again...but which program did you hear from?

i didn't apply myself, but I heard from a lot of my friends (who have been rejected) that rejection letters have gone out. I say no news is good news... they have also conducted interviews, but i do not think that they interview everyone they accept.

I keep seeing all this mention of brooklyn, but hardly any love for Queens. I am a born and raised New Yorker, who lives in Astoria, and I still find it the best place to live. The rent is cheaper than the "ghetto" areas of brooklyn (come on, be honest, you know it is...), and you can't beat the food (unless you hate greek). I mean, I pay $700 a month all-inclusive for a studio that would cost me $900 in Bed-Stuy, and its safe!!! While i know that is undermarket (studios tend to go for $850...my landlady is just a really nice greek lady who likes young professional men around...), I think it is really the best neighborhood to be in as a student. If you go to columbia (and are in walking distance to astoria Blvd.) you can take the M60 directly to school, if you are at NYU its 25 minutes on the train, and if you are at the IFA you can easily transfer to the 6 and get there in 30 minutes tops. There is also Sunnyside, which is pretty affordable and really safe, and Jackson Heights.

I think it depends on the scale of the school. I was looking into the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I was VERY turned off by the lack of knowledge their admissions people had, and they diverted important questions that I had asked them (hence, I did not apply). If you are applying to a large degree mill, chances are that the person you dealt with is just a secretary in a department, not somebody influential in your academic career (although since I work in an admissions office, I am hesitant to downgrade the importance of these people, we make this stuff actually happen, and work a heck of a lot harder than professors). However, if you have been mistreated by a small department, chances are it dowes reflect the values of that particular program, and you can bet that it will affect your lifestule while studying. I have been treated wo nicely by two chairs in departments i have been accepted to, but in another program i have been accepted to the chair has yet to contact me (I mean, they admit 8 people!!, how hard is it to pick up a phone 8 times...). I will probably not attend the latter school because I do not see their committment to me.

Has anybody heard anything yet about Berkeley? The have been sooo flaky in all communication I have had with them (maybe its a bad sign...). As for Hunter, they are really "touchy" about the interviews. I will be out of town (at U Chicago) during the interview, and they are being really difficult about giving me a phone interview (I even offered to come in earlier, since I live here...). Has anybody else experienced this when trying to get a phone interview? I mean, it is really expensive to fly around to these places, what do they think, artists are made of money!

i think the most important thing is to make sure you know their school well, the faculty's work, and the philosophy. I did not know much about CCA when they called me, and i doubt they will let me in after that...oops! I got asked questions about what artist's i like, but I find that that is a really easy trap to fall into, and it can verge on namedropping. I would divert into what things interest you in general, culturally, politically, etc. The person from CCA did ask me a very good question: "What for you constitutes a good work of art, what draws you to a piece of work?" sounds easy, but it can be sooo confusing to define.