miyamoto81

Hi all, I recently went through the grad program at Rutgers. It's been a couple years, but here are my thoughts on what you all are discussing: Firstly, I would say that Rutgers does have an emphasis on painting, yes. However, so does the market currently. Like most New York schools, they are inextricably linked to what sells. Most of the people in my class were painters - though I'm not sure how much of that was due to the application pool. Yet, the faculty there were great - which was what made the program. Marc Handelman, Ardele Lister, Barbara Madsen, Miranda Lichtenstein, Gary Schneider, Hanneline Rogeberg - all encouraged working multi-disciplinarily, or at least how you wanted to work. Aki and Natalie came after me, but knowing Aki and her work, she's a wonderful addition to the faculty there. And Natalie brings more of an old-school approach (in a really good way) to media. It's a challenging program, as grad school should be. And as with most things, you'll get out of it what you put in. One thing I will say is to go with whoever gives you more money. No grad program, even if it's Yale or Columbia, is worth going into tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt. Rutgers is a state school, and I was able to get instate tuition before I knew of my financial package from them. If I hadn't known I would get instate tuition, I'm not sure I would have gone. On a side note, both Marc Handelman and Barbara Madsen have shows up in New York currently if you want to check out their work. Barbara has work at one of the NYC Public Libraries (she's actually giving an artist's talk with B. Wurtz this afternoon), and Marc has a show at his gallery at Sikema Jenkins & Co in Chelsea. It's a great opportunity to check out a potential instructor's work before you take classes with them.

Hi all! Recent MFA grad here, who just happened to check back on this forum. For what it may be worth, I offer my post-MFA two cents: I implore all of you: do not go anywhere that does not offer you funding. Doesn't have to be all full ride, though that's obviously highly desirable. If a school wants you, they will throw money at you. If you get no offers this year, take a year to further develop your work and then re-apply. For those of you who plan to teach afterwards, make sure you get offered teaching experience. There are plenty of schools throughout the country that offer tuition remission, a stipend, plus teaching. I'm not convinced Yale or Columbia is even worth taking out $100,000 in loans for. Do not go into debt. There are schools that have money. That being said good luck to all! I'm not on here often, but if I can be of any assistance, feel free to PM me!

kb1234, I brought up that exact issue to them when I was accepted, and their response to me was that since they were a "highly selective" program, they reserved the right to have an early deadline in order to go through their wait list. Maybe it's different now, hopefully. But that's the experience I had.

Hi there, sorry for the late response! I ended up at Rutgers, which actually has been ideal for me location wise: close to New York, but also far enough away where I can also escape New York. I'm actually getting ready to graduate in May - it's been a wild two year ride! From what I can remember, Alfred wanted a decision from me, I'd say by the end of February. It was early enough that I hadn't heard back from several schools yet. Unless they've changed their policies - which is entirely possible - I would venture a guess that they'd want a decision from you before you'd hear back from Hunter. From what I remember, Hunter notifies pretty late in the process. So, yeah it'd be a gamble. If anything, if you get in, I think you should absolutely try to visit. You'd get a much better sense of what life might be like out there, as well as your surroundings of peers and faculty.

Hi there! I was accepted into Alfred, but I decided not to go mostly based on the fact that it's so very secluded. Like you attested to, I need a metropolitan area. However, I also haven't heard anything about your concerns about it being not conceptually based. Actually, I think that isn't true at all for the new media (EIA) program there. (Take a look at Sondra Perry, she's an Alfred grad, currently at Columbia: http://sondraperry.com/) Personally speaking, I was accepted into that program and my work is extremely conceptual. So if yours is also, and they took you, they obviously want to work with you. I think all in all it's based on your own work and where you are going with it. I agree that you should visit if possible. I talked to Joseph Scheer on the phone about the program, and was really great, down to earth and very helpful. If being out in the boonies your cup of tea, I think it would be a great place to spend a cup of years. Side note, one of the things for me also was that they required a decision SUPER early. That's something to take into consideration if you have a bunch of applications still out.

Hey Stan! I PM'd you back! I hope other incoming RU grads will find there way here too. Although it's been strangely quiet so far . . .

Bump Bump Bump . . . Congratulations to all of you hearing good news and making decisions! I was just curious as to if anyone has decided to come to RU next year . . . let me know, I'd love to get in touch with some of you before September!

Yeah, I totally hear you. It is a tough decision. It's good to hear that you're visiting RISD - I think once you do, you'll have a pretty good feeling as to where you want to go.

Hi there, idioteck - I would maybe call Rutgers and see what's going on. I know they want a decision in early April, so . . . if anything, they should at least let you know what the deal is, either way.

Just to say this: no graduate of any top program, that I have ever met, has ever convinced me that going into $100k in debt for your MFA is worth it. If you have someone bankrolling you, then by all means, have at it. But I do not think crippling yourself with that kind of debt is ever worth it. And VCU is a good school. See how much money RISD might give you. If you'd still have to take out loans just to cover tuition - not even considering living expenses - I would go with VCU.

Hey there Stan! So glad you got a chance to talk to Barb, she's great. I'm assuming you applied for Printmaking? Just to be perfectly honest, I think the notion of 50% living in New York may be a bit high . . . some do, but I don't think that many (at least that I know of). Those who do live in New York live in Brooklyn, and it's a hell of a commute everyday. I was talking to one of the other MFA students tonight who said it takes him about an hour and a half, each way. Now, you can get stuff done, read, etc, but still. It's a hike. Many of the grad students live in either New Brunswick or Highland Park, which is the next town over and a little bit nicer than New Brunswick - though admittedly a little hard if you don't have a car. Personally, I live farther out in Northern NJ, so it's a bit of a hike for me as well, but I'm staying with family, so it's very little in rent. And that much a commute is hard sometimes. But all of us figure out the ways that is best for us in trying to save money, working out the best deals with being close to the studio, etc. I agree with you about it being a great opportunity to live in NY - my suggestion would be to maybe live for a year close to Rutgers, see how it goes, and then maybe for your second year to move into the city. That seems to be a common trajectory for many of the MFA students here. Let me know if you have any other questions! Or feel free to PM me! And in the meantime, keep me posted on your decision of whether or not you're attending! I'm really loving getting to meet some of you before the beginning of next year!

Hi cloverinthecan! Hmmm . . . I know that some people have been notified of both acceptances and rejections. Though I'm honestly not sure if they all have gone out yet. I mentioned in the Freak Out thread that a general rule of thumb for waiting to hear is that no news is good news. If I remember correctly, Rutgers wanted a semi-early decision from me last year, around the beginning of April. I can't image you'll be waiting much longer. And if it helps, I received my acceptance by snail mail last year. Some have been called, some go out by snail mail, but I don't think RU does anything by email. You also can try to login and see if your status changes. Those are usually late, but it's worth a shot. I would say that if you haven't heard in the next week or so, give them a call.

Robet268, it totally is! Everyone is welcome!

I had a teacher of mine tell me before I left for my MFA that "grad school, for the most part, is generally a miserable time for everyone." And while I've learned and have grown a tremendous amount, there is part of that statement that is very true. If you're in a two year program, and have already almost completed your first year, just stick it out. At least you'll be done and you can move on to residencies, travelling, shows, teaching, etc. It's not worth the headache of transferring and starting over. If you're in a three year program and HATE and LOATHE everything and everyone around you, then maybe you'd want to think about it. But again, keep in mind that your credits most likely won't transfer and you'd be starting from scratch.

Here's some things I asked when I applied: 1. Opportunities to work, either through the department or the university as a whole. 2. Where grad students live. 3. Potential for outside work, working with faculty, staff, etc. 4. What is there to do in the town around the university. 5. What kind of equipment will be provided to you or you will have access to (i.e. computers, cameras, etc.) 6. How close the community is at that school. 7. Alumni opportunities. And just keep in mind, now that you're in, you're interviewing them. You have the power now - not to, you know, be a jackass with it, but to get what you want out of a program that you'll be putting considerable time and money into.