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OK, so looks very likely that I'll be doing a second round of applications (the one school I got into is not giving enough financial love and I've been struggling in the "real world" for far too long to ever take on that much debt). I'll definitely be applying to much more schools and places that offer more funding, but of course these are generally University-type places and therefore more competitive for their very few spots. I'll make a few new pieces this year that I think will make my portfolio stronger overall, rewrite my essay, try to add onto my resume with at least one more show and hopefully a residency, etc. I was hoping that those of you who got lucky on their second try this year can offer up some specific advice from your recipe for better success (something you actually did or changed that worked).. sort of as a parting gift for those of us who will still be on this forum. Your generous sharing will be greatly appreciated. For those also applying for next year, if you are in the SF Bay Area we should get together for a critique/info sharing session. Write me privately if interested...

Which discipline do you work in again? And was this your first time applying?

I don't think that the government offers need-based grants at the graduate level. I believe the schools use the FAFSA info to determine any need-based grant/scholarship offered from the schools themselves; and of course filling it out will make you eligible for government loans (stafford, etc.)

Was that for the Summer or the Fall program?

man, I hear that! I also got into only one school (CCA) out of the four I applied to, and for me it's a local school as I'm a long-time SF bay area resident. So I'm feeling a bit of lameness even though i should be grateful that at least that school accepted me. It's not as exciting thinking about living in the same exact house when the first day of school rolls around... Plus I feel like the other people rejected me but this school wants me... ah ha, they must have lower standards! Bizarre self-bashing psychology, I mean I woudn't have applied there in the first place if I had actually thought that it was a crappy program. As for your situation Muffin, SFAI may be sliding down hills, but I know that their photo department is still respected so I wouldn't be too down about it. good luck!

brosenth1984 (or anyone else with similar experience), What did you differently from last year to have such a dramatic difference in results. Applied to many more schools, different schools? Presented different kind of work or more of the same work? Made more contacts? Voodoo spells? Any info will help as I await financial offer from CCA and think about if I want to do this process again in a few months. For all my fellow UCLA applicants - I just got my email from them this morning, directing me to their online system, where I finally got to see my rejection letter (like I didn't see it coming). I guess it's good to save trees by not mailing something out...

So which school(s) are you considering?

my god! You got interviews at all those top schools, I don't know that you need to be nervous. :wink: So envious, but your work must be top notch. There is another topic already that runs through the interview questions so check it out if you haven't already. best of luck to you.

cmlar & WvOvMut..., did the SAIC Fibers dept contact you through snail mail to schedule the interview or another method? This is heart-breaking news, that dept was my #1 choice and I'd put in so much time meeting various people there and conversing with them for the last three years. :cry: I'd even shown my work to Joan Linvingston in the fall and she gave me so much positive feedback and said that she'd personally like to work with me... what gives? A heavy sigh. Did they indicate that it was also an overwhelmingly competitive year for their dept? thx.

Just two questions for all: 1. Has anyone applied to/heard from the Fibers & Materials Studies dept. at SAIC? 2. For those who have applied for MFA for the second time, what is your reason? (didn't get the desired school, didn't get enough funding, etc.) And, are the results much better the second time around? your replies are much appreciated, thx!

hey brosenth1984, congrats on all those acceptances and interviews. I visited U of Chicago this past October on my tour to get my name out there before applying. I met about three of the faculty and sat in on a crit session. The faculty members that I met were all pretty nice and helpful; young, energetic and very involved. I believe the program leans towards the intellectual/cerebral side quite a bit which might be a perfect fit for you as a new genres person. I think the program is in a period of growth as well so might be an exciting time to hop on that train. You get private studios and it is a small body of peers. Despite my efforts, I've not even heard a peep from them yet so I expect a slow rejection in the mail. I don't think my work fits with them anyways. cheers!

I know CCA is recognized for the photo program. I live around the school and have seen their MFA studio program become much stronger through the last few years, but I'm wondering how it compares to the top ten programs, especially in sculpture. I'm trying to gauge if it'll be worth it to go to an expensive art school as opposed to try again next year for a University program that comes with more funding. The Sculpture Chair emailed me over the weekend, but she said that the formal acceptance letters have not gone out yet so I'm sure you are still in the running. Good luck!

Manugonza, What medium/department did you apply for again? I see that you applied to CCA as well as some top-most schools. I'm wondering what the general consensus is regarding CCA's program. It's the only place I've received an acceptance to so far and I work in the sculptural realm (although CCA is very interdisciplinary). Anybody have an opinion? Thanks!

I believe there's some sort of universal agreement for grad schools that allow students until mid-April to make a final decision. I would advise you to keep expressing your interest to those two schools but firmly let them know that you still have one more interview to do. You might even be able to use this opportunity to negotiate some more funding from them if available. They obviously want you and won't be retracting their offer or anything so don't feel pressured! Good luck to everyone of us on this forum. my news: I just got my acceptance to CCA but have not heard a peep from three of the other programs (UCLA, Uof Chi, SAIC) Sigh.

Yeah, I still haven't heard from UCLA either. Does anyone know if they call you only to clarify something or only if they are super interested in you? Has anyone actually gotten a phone call from UCLA this season? Do you know how many sculpture students they take each year? Sounds like this year is a tough one with everyone trying to go back to school. I'm wondering what kind of work everyone is submitting with. If anybody has a website with work on it, maybe you can share with the group if you don't mind? I'm still working on getting my images online. thanks and good luck. UCLA - no news UofChi - no news SAIC (sculpture) - rejected SAIC (fibers & materials) - no news CCA - interview in feb, no final news yet

As I recall from my year abroad in England as an undergrad, usually UK schools are tuition-free/tuition-cheap for UK citizens. Foreign students pay an arm and a leg. In fact, UK schools make a bulk of their money through foreign students (at least that's the popular myth). Perhaps you saw the tuition prices for the UK students? Anyways, good luck to both of you, and especially me.

I applied to two departments at SAIC. I got a rejection letter from one last week, but it was dated from the beginning of the month. I called the school to make sure the other one didn't get lost in the mail and the guy told me that that particular department was still getting their replies together. Not all the departments do interviews but it is stated on their catalog which ones do. Good luck to you and me!

So I applied only to four schools cause that was all I could handle and I wanted to give each special attention (including visiting and getting my face/name out there, etc.). Man, I wish I would have applied to three times as many, this is brutal. I did an interview with CCA two weeks ago and they'll send out final notification by next week. But this was my last choice school. I got a rejection letter from the sculpture dept at SAIC although I applied to another dept there too. Should I think that the rejection letter was for all the depts? I certainly have not heard any news from the other two schools even though sounds like everyone's been hearing back from UofChi... maybe they forgot about me, haha. I'm beginning to think that I just need to try again next year, with stronger work and more streamlined applications. Anybody else planning to do a second round? Also, is anyone who's been getting rejections from their top choices (and who, like me, does not have a BFA) considering one of the Post-Bac programs? Is it just a ploy to get student's money? I think it's supposed to be like the 4th year of a BFA program and it's what's been offered to me by SAIC. But surely my work isn't at the level of a 3rd year undergrad, that's really insulting! More confusing is that one of their key faculty, to whom I showed work to last Fall, had really liked both me and my work and wanted me to apply so what gives with the rejection? I guess you never know who the competition's going to be. Sigh. SAIC (sculpture) - rejected SAIC (fibers & materials) - no answer UCLA - no answer Uof Chicago - no answer CCA - interview, waiting for final answr