theyuck

Although I am coming directly out undergrad, I am a somewhat unusual case in that I am 29. I will be going to SUNY Purchase for my MFA in the fall (yay!). I do think that being a little bit older (can't believe I'm saying this) helped me get into more programs as well as get more funding.

3 weeks ago I called cranbrook to ask what the status of my application was (i applied for sculpture). The Dean of admissions said that the department still had my file, which according to her meant that I was still in the running. She said that she would push for their answer and get back to me that day. A week passed with no word, so I called again and got the same answer. I asked if this meant that I was on the waiting list, and she replied that I wasn't on the waitlist, and then said something to the affect of 'ho hum, that crazy sculpture department'. I have no idea what that actually means. I told her that I have other schools asking me to make a decision, and that I needed to know one way or the other by April 15. She seemed genuinely sympathetic to my plight, and even said, "they really have been taking too long." She told me that she would pressure the faculty for an answer and get back to me by the 15th. Now it's the 26th- 11 days later and still nothing, no word. What the hell? I'm wondering if it's worth it for me to just show up there for a visit acting like I've been accepted and say " hi, nice to meet you guys, so what's my funding package like?" Ha ha. I need to tell the other schools what my decision is by friday. Is waiting to hear, or even caring about getting into cranbrook even worth all this trouble?

Ok so, I am down to a tricky choice here. I got into Ohio University, University of Iowa, SUNY Purchase, and SUNY Newpaltz. First off, I am so thrilled to have been accepted into so many schools, but now I feel really stumped on where to go. When I applied to the University of Iowa and Ohio University, I didn't realize that they were 3 year programs. 3 years seems like a long time. I am a sculptor, doing somewhat large installation pieces that generally require access to welding and woodworking equipment- and space of course. I am from NYC and have pretty much lived here the whole 29 years of my life. My boyfriend and I have been together for 5 years and for all intents and purposes are pretty much married (except for the fact that we don't currently live together). He says he will move with me, but obviously this would require him to find a job. He's lucky (and smart for not choosing art, ha ha) to have the work experience he has as well as an MBA which means that he is very hireable, however, who knows what the job market for market branding is like in Iowa or Ohio. Also we have a dog, which means that when we go anywhere for visits we have to drive- and there are things and people in NY that we have very strong ties to. That said, I'm kind of sick of NYC- super competitive, Chelsea obsessed, a hassle to get around, and expensive. I'm wondering if it's time for me to get out of my element and be in a completely new place. Basically my choice has boiled down to 3 years in far away places, or 2 years staying relatively close to home. I have visited all 4 schools and I like them all for different reasons. Here's my pros and cons: U of Iowa pros: Amazing facilities... seriously amazing. Nice people, LOVED one of the professors. Nice town. Great school all around. CHEAP rents. cons: No funding the first year- with no explicit promise of future funding. 3 years, which seems like a long time. It's too far away to drive to NYC. Not a lot of character. Ohio U pros: Nice facilities. Great people, like a big family. Wonderful town, has character. Somewhat drivable to NYC. FULL FUNDING! Good TA opportunities. Pretty affordable rents. cons: My actual studio would not be in the art building, and would therefore serve as a kind of storage space rather than a working space perhaps. 3 years. Isn't close to any bigger cities- Athens is a nice town, but it's smack dab in the middle of nowhere. SUNY Purchase pros: Great facilities. Great people. Has character, and seems very active. Pretty cheap (for a NY resident). Has a reputation in "the scene" (maybe?). 2 years. Close to the folks I love. My boyfriend can keep his job, and I don't have to deal with the stress of him having to uproot his life. cons: A bit too obsessed with NYC. Maybe a little too close to home. No nice college town surrounding it and therefore less of a community feel. Also, more expensive living costs. SUNY Newpaltz pros: Ok facilities. Super nice people, nice community. Great town. Not too far from home, but comfortably far enough away that it isn't NYC obsessed. 2 years. Near full funding and therefore extremely cheap. cons: The facilities seemed meager in comparison to the other schools. The departments seemed very separate, and not really interdisciplinary- no real mingling between the sculpture MFAs and other MFAs, which could be limiting. Doesn't have much of a reputation. Doesn't seem very active- there were only 3 sculpture MFA students. Anyway, I could go on, but I've already written a book, so basically I'm just wondering what others know about these schools and the art communities around them, and also if a 3 year MFA is any better than a 2 year MFA. I'm so confused about the whole issue. On top of that I still haven't heard from cranbrook. I seemingly haven't been rejected, as I was told that they still have my file, but they haven't notified me of any waitlist or acceptance either.

I agree that it very subjective. One thing that I've noticed about the places that I got into, is that there is somewhat of a similarity in the aesthetic between the faculty's work and mine. Maybe it's not something that's said or even consciously noticed, but I think there's something there. And honestly, isn't that how art often works? We connect most to work that relates with whatever is rolling around in our minds at a given moment- it can be very subjective and very personal. Which is why we really shouldn't take it too personally when we don't get in somewhere. I know that not everyone is going to get my work, and that's too bad, but I'm definitely not going to let that be a deterrent, if anything it makes me work harder. My point is, don't let it get you down- just keep working, and try to find and surround yourself with people who get your work (easier said than done, I know).

Ah well, rejection letter today from RISD. I was kind of expecting it, and besides, in a way this really makes my decision easier. If I had gotten in I would've gone in a heartbeat, but then I'd also have to take on way more debt then I really think is necessary. See, I can reason away my disappointment. Ha! :|

That's awful! You should definitely call the dean. I'm from NYC too, so I love your sentence to John Maeda; I wrote some boring sentence about community.

So I called Cranbrook today and they said that most of the departments are still knee deep in the process of looking at portfolios, and that they wouldn't likely be letting folks know anytime soon. She said it could be anywhere from 2 weeks from now til mid April depending on the department. Sigh. I still have my fingers crossed for them and RISD... I'm aware of the fact that it would take more time and effort to do this, but I really think that schools should contact people as soon as their application lands in the rejection pile instead of waiting til they've gone through all the applications. Here's hoping that no news yet is a good thing. :roll:

czn, if you don't mind me asking, what department did you get accepted into at RISD and Cranbrook? I ask because I'm *anxiously* waiting to hear from them of course. I'm about to send emails to the schools that I've been accepted into, politely asking them to give me more time to decide.

I applied for an MFA in Sculpture. I live in NYC Here's my list: Uni of Kansas: Rejected via email, 2/24 WUSTL: Rejected via email, 2/26 Bard: Rejected via email, 2/27 SUNY New Paltz: Accepted! via phone, 2/12 University of Iowa: Accepted! via email, 2/19 Ohio University: Accepted! via email, 3/5 Purchase College: Interview on 4/1, notification via phone RISD: Still waiting Cranbrook: Still waiting I've almost just written RISD and Cranbrook off considering how difficult it seems to get into them. Whew. My issue now is that one school is pressuring me to decide by March 15 and another by March 28, yet my interview at Purchase isn't even until April first. I have no clue yet where I want to go!