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.

It's a tough call, I made a similar decision last year - though I didn't have a family. I think you have to consider all of what's involved - moving, time spent away form working, the impact on your family relationships it will have, the stress a financial hit might have on your family. Those are obviously very personal things you have to sort out between you and your spouse. I also think it depends what you are going for - it says in your bio, you're applying for Jewelry and Metalsmithing? From what I know, that is a very small community. I am not convinced that you would not have exposure to that community as a whole by going to a smaller school - unless of course you had an opportunity to work with the #1 person in the field. Going to a big school doesn't guarantee anything, except debt. And the financial burden can be very real. I am more opt to tell you to go where the money is, unless you'd be really unhappy there for some reason. Money isn't worth sacrificing certain things for, but it may provide you more security down the road, especially with a family. While you may not have to work as much for money while going to a small school, you will have to make up for that with working to gain the exposure going to a larger school might afford you. That's something you'll also have to take into account - if you have the discipline to constantly apply for shows, grants, residencies, etc. I would also visit both places, get a feel for them, and then follow your instincts. You'll know where it is you want to go, but you have to be brave enough to follow that, in either direction.

For all of you waiting on a reply from Rutgers: From what i have heard - and I have no "official" word on this, so take it with a grain of salt - they have changed their wait-list procedure from last year. So, until you receive an official notification from them either way, don't assume rejection. Personally, I received a snail-mail letter last year, while others were called - and then my status wasn't changed in the system until sometime after I had been notified. And just as a general rule of thumb, from my experience last year: no news is good news. Until you have have a definite decision, don't assume anything. There was one school for me last year that I didn't get an official acceptance from until April. All these institutions are working on their own timetable - annoying for sure, but don't automatically assume all hope is lost.

Lady rainicorn, definitely let me know! I usually have class on Wednesdays from about 3-6, but I could meet up either a little before or after. We also have our Visiting Artists series on Wednesdays, which you'd be more than welcome to stick around for. It starts at 6:40 and goes until about 8pm. That Wednesday is Joe Sola, if you're at all interested. You'll also be meeting with Barb Madsen, I'm assuming? She's head of Prontmaking here. Barb's a great person, I've worked with her a lot since I've been her. Anyway, definitely keep me posted!

Lady rainicorn, you're most welcome! Please to keep me posted - I will be interested to hear where you end up going. And best of luck with your interview for Columbia, that's exciting! Hdsl, here are my thoughts on New Brunswick: New Brunswick is a weird little area. There's a lot of urban parts, a lot of poorer parts, and then the parts that are occupied by Rutgers. The main building that holds the Visual Arts dept. is at the junction of all those things. So right around the school, the area is totally fine. However, I am a little weary walking by myself later on at night for any great distance, especially off of George St., which is the main drag. Now, nothing's ever happened to me (knock on wood), but having lived in cities all of my life, it's just my own personal opinion. Having said that, there are places to live that are within walking distance, but the farther you get away from the building, a little more iffy the neighborhoods become. The next town over is Highland Park, which is a lot nicer and where a lot of grad students live. You can walk/bike to and from Highland Park, but if you had a car, that would be ideal. However, if you aren't teaching, you can't park in the deck that is meant for the Civic Square Building, which is where the Vis. Arts Dept is. So, you would either have to park on the street (metered), or at a different campus. There are streets not to far away that have no meters, but if you have a BMW, I would not suggest parking there. So, that's a few things to consider. I'm not sure what utilities are included in rents, but I would assume that many do include water. Heat, I'm not sure of, depending on what the source is. A lot of apartments around here are in houses, so I'm not sure how it's divvied up. My guess is that it's on a case by case basis. If you are renting a room, I think you could expect to pay anywhere from $500 - $900 a month, approximately. If you wanted your own studio, I would say it would be about $1000+, depending on location, size, etc. Here's a link to the Rutgers Off Campus Housing site: http://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu/ You can also try things like Craigslist, etc. But at least an official RU site might have a little bit more legit listings. As per studios: as of right now, studios are located in three different buildings. Most are at the Civic Square Building, which is where mine is. There's another new building that just opened for studios called "Church Street," where 5 studios are - and there are more studios on the Livingston Campus. The studios are grouped by concentration. Painters have the largest studios, almost all of their's are at CSB, although some are on Church St. Almost all of the sculpture students have studios on the Livingston Campus. (And almost all those students have cars to get there.) But those studios are pretty large as well. Photo and video students have the smallest studios, and I do believe that I have the smallest of those. (Lucky me.) So, I would say that my studio is roughly . . . 15 x 20 feet? So if that's the smallest, they only go up from there. Some of the painting studios are GINORMOUS. Like, I've had apartments smaller than some of those studios. So all in all, we have a decent amount of space - though some, more than others. And yes, all studios are 24/7 access. Let me know when you're visiting! I'd be down for talking in person, showing you around, etc! And good luck to you as well!

I just want to say how encouraged I am by this thread. Personally, I'm so over this nihilistic/apathetic trend in art making. This gives me hope that a new generation of artists, concerned about these issues, are rising up.

Also check out Nicholas Bourriard's Altermodern: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altermodern I'm not necessarily condoning the thinking, but it's a part of the current discourse.

Hi lady rainicorn! Glad to help! I'll be as candid as I can about your questions - and I hope they will be helpful for others as well! So, let's begin: 1. A typical week: To be honest, there really isn't a typical week. In my opinion, much of the program here is up to the direction of the student. It can be as packed or as bare as you want it to be. There is a minimum of 16 credits per semester, that comes out to 4 classes. So that's the mandatory class time involved. Outside of that, it's expected that you will be working independently, on, well . . . your work. Now you can schedule as many faculty studio visits as schedules permit outside of class time. So you can be as busy or as non-busy as you want to be. Totally up to you, as long as you are working. Graduate classes meet Monday through Thursday. If you Teach or TA, there are some undergrad classes on Fridays. If you have a Graduate Assistantship, there might be some stuff on Friday also. Or if you work outside the department, then that's obviously not bound to a particular class schedule. 2. Graduate students working in what medium: I can honestly say that Rutgers definitely has an emphasis on painting. However, so does the art world in general. I would say at least half of the students would identity as painters, perhaps more. Though, just to put this out there, I am not a painter any capacity. Personally, I do a combination of photography, video and printmaking. Having said that, the program here is open so that you can do whatever you want to do. I am looking at the graduate shows that have gone up recently, and there have been "painters" who showed video, conceptual stuff, sculpture, etc. So just because you identify with a medium does not at all mean you are restricted to that medium. You're free to do what you want, how you want to do it. I will also say that all of the faculty I have worked with (which isn't all, but a good amont) are highly supportive of working interdisciplinary. So you will have no problem working in whatever medium you wish. I will also just say this briefly, in regards to your wanting to do animation: there are no graduate animation classes. In all honesty, I'm not even sure if there are any undergraduate animation classes. There's an integration of After Effects to a degree, but I believe it's through the design program, not for film-like animation. Now there are people here who know After Effects, Maya, etc. But you would most likely have to seek them out on a personal level, rather than on a structured-class level. 3. In regards to TA versus a PTL - I honestly have no idea what the PTL's get paid. I have been TAing for this past year, and I make a decent amount for the time commitment (about 5 hours a week). You know, it's not enough to totally support myself, but it helps. Plus the experience is great. As for the question of syllabi, I really think it depends on the concentration you teach in. You are supposed to follow a syllabus that has been pre-determined, but I also do not think that is set in stone. The department has things that they need you to cover, but I also think if you brought some good ideas to the table, people would be more than willing to consider what you think. 4. I myself was an out of state applicant, though I am originally from the NYC area. The main criteria for aid is your work, and only your work. The only factor in money is with in-state vs. out-of-state is tuition. If you are accepted and you decide to come, your studio should be ready for you in the middle of the summer. (Last year it was in the beginning of July.) The sooner you get here and change your residency status, the sooner you can apply for in-state tuition. That being said, I did receive some aid. So that, plus my TA-ship definitely helped. 5. The student body here is definitely into hanging out with each other. Students go out a lot outside of class time, either to each other's residences, places in New Brunswick or to New York. As long as you are around, making work and involved in the community yourself, you will find others of the same. 6. Ha! What to say to win over your heart . . . I like puppies and long walks on the beach? Instead of answering that question directly, I will tell you what I learned from the whole experience of trying to decide on schools last year: Just to give you some background, I applied to 15 schools (crazy, I know) and I got into 7. Out of those 7, I got into one top 5 school with some aid, two top 20 schools with a full ride + stipends, Rutgers, another good school that was incredibly expensive with no aid, then two ok schools but with really good funding as well. So how did I decide? In all honesty, I was torn for weeks over where I should go. And there were all these factors: money (and not wanting to end up in incredible debt), location, moving, jobs, opportunities, and so on. I automatically nixed the one school that was a lot of money that gave me no aid. Then I nixed one top 20 school that gave me less aid than the other. (Plus they wanted a SUPER early decision, like in the beginning of March.) Then I ultimately decided not to go with the two ok schools, even though they had great funding and really great people - mostly because of a combination of location and what I thought future opportunities would be. So I was left with a top 5 school with some aid, Rutgers, and a top 20 school with incredible funding. And I obviously ultimately chose Rutgers. The top 5 school, even with some aid was just too expensive. I would have to have moved across the country and would have had to have taken out close to $50k in loans, despite being given some money. And I think I made the right decision with that. Unless you're going to Yale, I don't think crippling yourself with debt is wise in any way, shape or form. So between Rutgers and this other school, I agonized over the decision. This other place had really great people with really great funding, but on the whole, I just wasn't into the work coming out of it. It was fine, but just not my thing. Plus it was far removed from any metropolitan area - the closest city was 4 hours away. Rutgers is obviously by New York, which was a huge draw for me. Rutgers also came through with some money, so it wasn't like I was going in totally without any funding. Once I committed, I also found more opportunities - I got a job that was advertised through the department. And Rutgers has pretty much the best studios in the NYC area. They are known for this. So I ultimately decided to stay close to New York and go for the gold instead of playing it safe. I have learned a lot since I've been here, much of which has been stuff I didn't even think about before I started. Grad school is very much a stressful thing, and it will push you to learn not only about your practice, but about who you are and what you want out of life. I think no matter where you go, if you are engaged with your education and your own journey in life, you will really flourish regardless where you are. So instead of trying to "win you over," I would say that once you have an answer from all your schools, you do a balancing act between all the things you want from a program. For me, that was funding, location, facilities, faculty, networking and opportunities for the future. For me, Rutgers came out a good balance of all those things. Also, VIST YOUR SCHOOLS! You will not know that vibe of a place unless you go there. If you have to book a plane ticket and a hotel, do it. It will make all the difference. AND, I know you do printmaking, as do I - Rutgers has the Brodsky Center. That was a huge draw for me. They work with major artists, there's opportunity to intern if you want to. It's an incredible resource to have here. Printmakers are a small community, which I am sure you know. Having the Brodsky Center right there as a hub was a major factor in my decision. Ok, I think I'm done. I hope that answered some of your questions. Let me know if anything else comes up! If anyone else has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! Btw, lady rainicorn, where else did you apply? It would give me a better idea as to what you are looking for and what your options would be . . . Best of luck!

Hi Everyone! Good luck to all of you and much congratulations for those of you hearing good news! For those of you who have either had rejections or no news, keep your chin up. I've been there, believe me. I wanted to start a thread for those of you who have either applied or have been accepted to Rutgers, starting in the fall. I am here currently, going into the last bend of my first year. Now, I obviously can't answer questions like if you got in, when you will hear, etc. In complete honesty, we (the grad students) have no idea when the notifications can or will go out or who was selected this year. I can however answer any questions you might have about the program, New Brunswick, Rutgers as a whole, etc. For those of you thinking about coming, it would be great to build a little bit of a community before you might get here as well. So let the questions rip! Or if you'd rather PM me, by all means feel free to do so. Upward and onward, everyone!

Awesome, thanks robet268! And by all means, if other current MFAers are looking at this and want to post their open house info, the more the merrier!

Hi Everyone! I was a big user here last year, and ended up choosing Rutgers University as the place to get my MFA. We are having open studios this coming weekend - if any of you are interested in checking out Rutgers, please come by! We'd love to chat with any of you, answer questions, and so on! Sorry this is a bit last minute - as you can imagine, Hurricane Sandy has greatly impacted all of our access to power and internet. If any of you can't attend but have individual questions, please feel free to either post here or private message me. Thanks everyone, hope to see you! Good luck in this application cycle!