sculptor

nfrog, I really hope things work out for you and that you get to attend graduate school in 2012. That being said... I think you're in a really unique and exciting position. You seem to have a lot of experience in one area but are open-minded and excited to develop new skills. If you apply again next year, it might be cool to consider schools with truly interdisciplinary programs. You can be accepted based on the strength of your work and ideas, but will not be confined to the medium of your "expertise" once you get there. Definitely think about Washington University in St. Louis. That's one of the things I like the most about their program. They say a lot of times people come in with a strong portfolio in one discipline, but then (while working in their interdisciplinary program) they end up making work in another discipline. This means the idea comes first, then you make the art necessary to reflect the idea--regardless of medium or format. Anyway... that's just a thought. There are other programs out there like that (UIC I believe focuses on an interdisciplinary approach, and many other schools that I know less about). Plus, that means that you could still work on animation a little if you wanted to, while still developing your painting portfolio. In the meantime, if you need technical development for your painting, it could be cool to take a post-bac class in painting at your local university or art center. It's manageable to take one class while working full-time. I've done it before. You can save up money for grad school while working on those painting skills. Who knows--you might add to your portfolio in the process. I know you're feeling down and low right now. I don't blame you. This process is tough and rejections SUCK. But grad school is an opportunity to learn and grow. It sounds like that's what you want to do, so I wouldn't give up on it if I were you. May the force be with you!!

Does anybody know if VCU's Craft/Material Studies programs conducted interviews? I'm curious about the furniture program in particular, but would love to hear if you know about any other Craft/Mat Stud discipline such as ceramics, etc. Trying to figure out if I'm in the running at all. I emailed them to ask when we might hear admissions decisions from Craft/Material Studies, but I haven't heard back from them.

Finally got my rejection letter from OSU.

Hey hey VCU (sculpture) rejection by snail mail.

Congrats, ol'spice!! That is great news. The silence definitely needs to come to an end, it's decision time. sympatico, I absolutely want to teach for a number of reasons. Send me a private message if you want to chat about it. I know it's a lofty goal and I'm not expecting to land an awesome teaching job right away. I'll take opportunities as they come to me. Residencies, adjunct teaching positions, etc. Most importantly, I'm going to make sure I have some studio space after I finish grad school so that I can keep my studio practice going strong. What's causing your cynicism?

Regarding the new grad school rankings: Things haven't changed that much, have they? I'm happy to see that "my" schools have held their ground or moved up a little (except for poor SMU); however, I have a hard time taking the rankings that seriously. They are an excellent gauge of reputation among academic artists (which is important), but that is all. Look at the rankings methodology. Do you ever wonder if it's more about the relationships that academic artists have with their peers at other schools? Or perhaps what they know/remember about the schools, regardless of whether their knowledge of the schools is accurate or current? It would be pretty great if the methodology also took into consideration the rate of job placements among graduates, etc. I'm not trying to poo poo on the rankings completely--don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not going to pretend like they didn't influence my choice of grad programs to apply to, because they did. It just seems like the rankings are regarded so highly by us applicants during this process, and I wonder if that is healthy or good. I hope that we all choose to attend the schools that are the best fit for us.

Well... my grad school application prep was a little weird. I thought (due to personal reasons) that I would be restricted geographically, but that situation changed mid-December (thankfully), so I very quickly generated a new list of schools. My research of the programs and their deadlines was rushed and crazy. There were a few that I already knew I wanted to apply to, but the rest (UIC included) were additions that I hadn't yet looked into. I decided to apply to UIC on the day the app was due for the 'priority' deadline (Dec 15). Most of my best work (sculpture) was not yet documented properly, so I simply didn't include a lot of it, and I submitted some horrible photographs of the rest (a bad photo can be a great injustice to any work of art). My statement of intent was also pieced together at the last-minute from a few essays and statements that I had previously written. It was worth applying, though. I knew it was a crapshoot, but I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to at least try to get in. I was more prepared for the rest of the applications that I completed in January. ----------- Also... I received my official hard copy of my admissions letter from CCA today, but still no word on funding. Have any of you heard about when they might contact us about that?

Rejected to UIC today via email. (And a rejection I did deserve... I'm a little ashamed of of the application I submitted to that program.)

Ha! I am a doofus for not paying attention to the date on that post. I sent you a personal message.

You two should chat! Were either of you at the open house on the 5th? I wonder if I met you...

I also just got my official UGA rejection via snail mail. Mick, I am sorry to hear that it didn't work out. It's good that you're going to keep making. Stick it to 'em! If something changes and you decide to apply again next year, I wish you the best luck. Seriously. It sounds like they've contacted a few on this forum (a rejection and a wait list notification, maybe?). I've heard nothing. I applied to UIC at the last minute (the Dec15 "priority" deadline), before the rest of my apps, and my application to their program was rushed and below the quality of the ones I submitted to my other schools, so I'm expecting a rejection. I hope that I am wrong (for my sake and yours). Maybe they're saving the best kind of news for last?

Fattlecattle, I think it depends on your personality and on what kind of job you are looking for. You may be surprised how many fine art faculty come from non-"top ten" schools. If I were you, I would look at the websites of all of the schools that you are impressed by, then look at the faculty profiles and see where they got their MFAs. You may be surprised. Overall (this seems to be agreed upon here on this forum) your future success will depend on the quality of your work and the extent of your accomplishments (exhibitions, etc.). Full funding + stipend is nothing to take lightly! Best of luck and let us know how it goes.

yes and I have obviously been on this forum way too much today

This is us: http://youtu.be/uLrnOYJ0Vmo

Hang in there, noahfur. I was talking with my advisor about waitlists yesterday. There are probably a number of applicants out there who are being offered spots in many programs, but they will only be able to go to one. As they (painfully slowly) make their decisions, positions open up at various schools. Being on a waitlist is still good: it means that they think you're a good fit for the program and that you're still at the top of the stack of applicants. And you were shortlisted at Tyler, right? That is a very good sign! I'm hoping the best for you.

I really want to go on April 1st; I'm trying to work out schedule and budget stuff. Because of my ridiculous schedule I would have to fly from either Alabama or Chicago, and it would be expensive. That being said, these open houses are really important. We should chat about the decision-making process. I'll let you know if I am able to go to the CCA open house, maybe we could meet up. If not, perhaps you and I could exchange notes over the phone. Have you heard anything from CCA about funding? That's part of my hesitation about the open house... I don't want to spend a lot of money going to that only to hear that they have accepted me without any funding.

I also found these resources: http://www.frontdoorstl.com/ http://ars.wustl.edu/search.asp

I'm definitely getting off-topic here, but it's nice to be in touch with other potential WashU MFAs. Borges, I heard that some grads actually live in the graduate studio building (there are apartments in part of the building). Maybe you could see if one of those is available? They are owned and managed by WashU. If I go there, it is likely that I will live in the University City area (by the grad studios). ol'spice, I also have not made my decision yet (still waiting on 6 schools) but I had such a great experience at the open house and things are looking good for WashU... Were either of you at the open house? We may have met one another. SeriousSillyPutty, one of the cool things about the graduate art program at WashU is that interdisciplinary collaboration is highly encouraged. Who knows, you may end up working with an art grad! Sam Fox School (the art/architecture school) is on the edge of campus, but it's not a long walk from the "castle" and other main buildings.

So many acceptances--congratulations, guys and gals! I'm also glad to see some important dialogue going on here. Itsem, thanks for the perspective. It's important to step back and look at the big picture. susanbanthony69 and whoisit, I'm glad we're having this discussion. It's worthwhile to question what "prestigious" really means and to weigh personal instinct against reputation and rank. (My opinion is that we will each find a good fit at very different types of schools--it's like finding a mate or like med students getting matched for residencies). Your conversation has also brought us to a good point: is it good or bad to have to shine the brightest among a group of bright students? Does it set up an impossible situation, or does it force you to work even harder and get more out of the graduate experience? These are such tough decisions.

conkie, I went to WashU's open house (I'm still in St. Louis right now) and it was really wonderful. Fantastic program, lots of impressive resources, fabulous faculty and students, and good studio spaces. Send me a personal message if you want specific details

Congrats, you guys! I will try to attend the open house if I can. It looks like some of us have similar groups of schools that we applied to

Thanks, y'all!

Thanks, miyamoto81! Crossing my fingers that this week will bring good news all around here on Gradcafe.

Accepted to CCA! happy happy happy

Sorry to hear about the bad news, everyone. (Congrats to those with good news!) Hang in there. It's Saturday, so who knows what the mail will bring. ...and seriously, where are you, Kazoo?