leblanc

Jen, I took a look at your website and couldn't help but notice that you'll just be getting your BFA this year. After I completed my BFA, I was told this by most of my professors: While there are exceptions, grad school reviewing committees usually want to see some additional activity and experience outside of school, i.e. residencies and exhibitions. They also want to see how you work and develop outside of an academic setting. For these reasons, my professors encouraged me to take a year(or a few years) off before applying for grad programs. Taking some time off also forces you to understand the reality of living and making your work without the support of professors and the academic environment -- a situation that you will inevitably return to after you finish grad school. So don't feel bad about not getting in anywhere this year -- like a previous poster said, view the next year as time to build up your experience.

A few more: What artists who are no longer living influence you? What books are your reading right now? What are you working on right now? and don't forget: Do you have any questions for us? Be sure to name names. Remember not just artists but names of specific works, series, etc... plus quotes from artists/authors: you should have them ready. Good luck everyone.

I haven't heard back from UCLA either. Judging solely from MFA exhibition photographs, I would surmise they only admit about 5 sculpture majors each year. But I can't verify this. VCU is taking a long time to get back to people. I would suspect that they start contacting people as late as April, given the fact they sent out an email to all applicants explaining that they were running late. I also inquired about my application status there due to the fact that another school was already asking for a decision on an offer, and the person who responded (urgently) brought up the fact that April 15th is the agreed upon deadline for making decisions. This seems to indicate that VCU will be holding out till the very end. cool90068 has already had their interview at this point, but since this forum is about interviews I thought I'd post my thougts. I just had one over the phone with Carnegie Mellon last night. Though every school/interviewer is different, judging from my own experience as well as what I hear from others, you'll probably be asked the following things: What is your work about? What are you working on right now? What artists influence your work? (Make sure to include some dead artists from long ago! Not just contemporary stuff. Remember titles of specific works and some quotes the artist has made.) What draws you to a work of art? What other aspects of culture influence your work besides art/art history? (Something along these lines...) What book(s) are you reading right now? What do you think of them? (It helps to remember specific quotes that you find meaningful.) Why do you want to go to our school?/How do you see yourself taking advantage of (insert school here) environment/program? (Make sure you research the school thoroughly -- know the faculty you will be working with and the types of courses offered.) Finally, have some specific questions ready about the school. The interviewer will ask you if you have any questions, and you don't want to be caught scratching your head at that point... Although at times frustratingly basic, these are all important questions. Before the interview, have some solid ideas about what you will say and how you will phrase it. For me, the most difficult questions are the ones that ask for a specific name or title. Be ready for those. Know the names of artists/authors, names of their works, and things they have said. Refer to those in your answer. Be specific, and be wary of over-generalization -- the more vague you are with a response, the more questions the interviewer will ask, and the more difficult it will become. As for nervousness, maybe you should have a friend do a mock interview. When it comes times for the real thing, do your best to be articulate but don't rush through a rehearsed response either. Try not to see the interviewer as authority, but as a peer. I hope this is helpful and good luck to everyone with their interviews.