Fool4nine

I somewhat disagree. Your location CAN have an large impact on your inspiration. Being in a place with music, theater, a strong visual arts scene, and nearby cityscape/landscape areas that inspire you, can have a large impact on your growth and development as an artist. But of course, artists can be inspired internally and be successful anywhere they live. This is an individual characteristic. I personally, am inspired when I visit big cities. Being that I currently live in a rural town, getting somewhere else will likely be a good thing.

All the schools had different requirements. Being smaller than the max size is not a good thing in my opinion. I used Lightroom to just export my portfolio into a folder with the school's name on it, at the max size that they allowed, specific to that particular school.

I wish all schools used slideroom for applications, essays, transcripts, letters of rec, and portfolios. And I wish that all allowed a unofficial transcript upload until such time as they make you an offer (which is how Yale and Cranbrook do it). Why make you pay to have transcripts sent if you are not accepted. That's stupid, expensive, and very inconvenient. Also, it would be great if they all allowed standard pdf uploads of 1) Statement of Purpose (of 500-1500 words - your choice); 2) Artists CV; and, 3) Artists Statement for portfolio. The above would sure make applications considerably easier.

Just a suggestion for any future admissions for 3D works, but perhaps you could include the detail shots as an inset in a corner of the overall photograph. That way you have room for more actual works. Or you could have a composite photo that included labeled details from four areas/works on one photo.

The list would be very long. The majority of schools have some sort of online upload. Most of the rest have you send a CD or DVD (which is also a digital format of course). I had only one school, SFAI, that wanted actual prints for photography MFA application.

That is not a normal section on a CV. I think it would be a bit odd located there. I suggest a brief paragraph in the statement of purpose instead if you really feel the need to discuss other work. But I think it is a bit pointless to do so if the work is not in the portfolio where it can be seen. If you have a website, then you could mention it and the website location if you really want them to look at it.

If you can speak with them via email or phone right after new years, then I would do that first before sending out online reminders from the application websites. It is possible that they just missed them in their inbox. By speaking with them, they can tell you to resend the emails and they will know to watch for them. I would not wait till the 7th.

That's kind of insane. I started writing my personal statement four months ago. Started submitting applications three months ago and used nearly every bit of that time to get everything complete. Of course I had classes and home work but it was still a very time consuming venture. I guess you have enough time if you are only applying to a couple of schools. But with acceptance rates being in the 2-10% range for many programs, it is wise to apply to as many as you can afford and have time to do. It is also tough getting the reference letters complete as it is out of your hands. All I can say is ... good luck!

Yea that sucks. I had three people lined up four months ago. They all waited till the semester was over and only a few days before Christmas. One professor who retired last semester, flaked out and has been out of town for the last 6 weeks so I had to ask my department chair at the last minute. He said he was happy to do it, then was kind of irritated that I applied to more schools than he was expecting. He let me know that he was a bit put out by the short time to get them done. It was the most stressful part of the whole application experience as it is the one part that is totally out of my hands. I'm with you starling. I'm headed to the post office tomorrow to mail two last minute applications. Then I'm all done. It's going to be tough waiting for the next few months.

Your post is kind of mysterious to me. What do you mean specifically by she in interested in Body Art? She has performed in what exactly; singing, acting, dance, etc.? How does having a scientific publication have anything to do with art or performing? What kind of masters course are you talking about as there are lots of them? I think you need to be more specific to get any relevant responses.

Twas the night before apps were due, when all through the land Not a student was stirring, not even a painter The applications were stacked by the chimney with care In hopes that USPS soon would be there The students were nestled, all snug in their beds While visions of Yale danced in their heads And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap sigh... March feels a long way off.

This isn't scientific or anything, but I find it a little interesting that the thread with the same name as this one except for the year being 2011, was starting in January of that year, had a quarter million views, and 2251 posts. The current numbers on this thread are much smaller by comparison. I can't help but wonder if the pool of applicants is way down this year. I know undergraduate enrollment numbers are way up and I would except graduate applications to be at record levels too since there are no jobs. Just wondering out loud if the cost of graduate school coupled with a terrible economy is causing people to wait on grad school. Your thoughts? Does anybody have inside information on how stiff the competition will be this year?

sympatico, the original poster said his statement of purpose, not his artist's statement. Best to avoid confusing them. My artist's statement was easily under 500. My statement of purpose was 750, which I had to edit heavily for several schools that only wanted 500 words.

I \ I've applied to many of the top art schools for photography programs. It was very clear that they asked for Statement of Purpose. The statement should include the reasons you chose your medium. A little about your history, background, and accomplishments. I general artist statement about your current work and direction. The reasons why you want to pursue further studies and how you see your work evolving. None of the schools used ambiguous language. The two schools I mentioned, also asked for an artist statement with the portfolio separate and in addition to the Statement of Purpose. Now, I need to stress that my applications were for photography. Many departments have different requirements. It is possible that some painting or sculpture or other programs, are asking for different things. However, most of the schools I looked at, had Statement of Purpose requirements for ALL MFA applicants. Many schools then had unique portfolio requirements for different emphasis areas such as photography or painting or scupture. Make sure you read the general art department application requirements, then the specific requirements for your emphasis. You have to be sure you are meeting both sets of requirements.

680 is quite a bit more than 500. See if you can rephrase passages into fewer words. Many times one word can replace three.

Correct. Most schools now just want the statement of purpose which should include a mini general artist statement within the body. A few schools (RISD, SFAI) also require a specific artist statement to go with the portfolio.

I was talking about the personal statement of purpose. Not the artists statement. I would not mention schools or faculty in an artists statement.

I did in my statements to many schools but not all. I mentioned their names and the names of some of their portfolio's and/or works of art that I most appreciated. Some people have said to avoid name dropping. From other things I've read, what comes after the mention of the faculty member is of most importance to indicate that you are not just dropping names. If you do mention names, then add a sentence or two to indicate that you are familier with their work. Avoid any language, good or bad, that indicates any sort of judgement or analysis of their work. But I think it is fine to say that you admire the work of "Jane Doe" and their "x" portfolio or "y" work. I think this indicates that you have done some homework on the school and that you really have a desire to work there. Just make sure that it is honest and from the heart. If their work is 180 degrees different than your work, they may or may not buy it.

Very funny. I hardly even remember being 27. I'll turn 52 shortly after accepting at one of the schools I'm applying to. It's never too late to pursue your dreams. I've raised six kids and had two other long term careers before returning to study art by getting a BFA in photography. Will I be discriminated against by some schools due to age? Likely at some. However, some schools may also appreciate the artistic maturity that comes with age and the potentially improved ability to mentor undergrads. My current BFA professor (who is 10 years my junior) told me I shouldn't worry about my age. He said that maturity is very beneficial to an artist and that it shows favorably in my work.

Getting into a top school is desirable for many reasons, but it is more important to go where you are wanted "as you are" rather than trying to confirm to what you think they want. All schools know that your work will change as you grow as an artists, particularly with their help. You really don't want to go to a school where the real you would not be appreciated. That would just make for an uncomfortable 2-3 years. I went to grad portfolio days with my photography portfolio. The representatives at several schools were rather cool to my portfolio (RIT, SAIC). The guy at SAIC hardly even looked at it. He just wanted to know how well I could talk about it. It was as if the work didn't matter as long as I could discuss it at length. Contrast those two schools with the two photo professors at SFAI. They were practically drooling over the work and said they wanted me at their school. Their appreciation made me much more interested in studying there.

junho871, are you serious? Didn't you talk to any grad students while an undergrad? No, grad school is not the same as undergrad. No, the application process is not the same at all. Of course the courses you took matter, but perhaps not as much as your portfolio. Your GPA isn't as important as the portfolio unless your gpa is really low. What do schools look for? Students how know how to learn. Students who are at a professional level of producing art or close to it. Students with a kick ass portfolio. Students that know something about art history and contemporary art theory. I'm not trying to be mean, but asking those questions tells me that you are not ready for graduate school. Perhaps you should consider taking a few years to work on your art before you apply. Perhaps a post-bac program would work well for you.

The English professor is looking for WRITING that inspires the reader, however, you are a VISUAL artist who, hopefully, has paintings that will inspire the reader. I wouldn't worry so much about it. See if you can incorporate some of the ideas from the English professor without totally revamping it. If parts are a bit dry, perhaps you can work a bit on those paragraphs. But do remember that you are not applying to a writing MFA program. If the UCLA MFA guy said it sounded good, then you are likely 90-95% there. I tried to make mine really memorable. But it is perhaps has too much narrative and not enough of a focus on the work. But too late as all apps are in. Personally, I believe that the portfolio is what really counts.

Dry and not creative? I don't know. Aren't the people reading these things creative people? The work is most important of course. I believe the statement is just so they get a sense of your intellectual development and creative process and that you are not a total moron. I think being memorable and creative is better than being dry and focused. I hope you are having it reviewed by an art historian. They tend to be the best writers in the art department.

Here's my photography website. http://www.paulscottpage.com

Why not go to Yale or Columbia at the age of 68. There's a good chance you won't have to pay back those enormous student loans.