yousername

24, graduated in 2007. I am going to be the baby in my (new genres-ish) program! I have heard that Painting MFA's tend to skew younger, but I am glad to be in a program with "older folks."

You should check with the school. A lot of programs do not allow you to defer because of the nature of their programs (small, each candidate chosen with an eye toward how they would fit in with current students.) It may be on the website... But even if it says they don't allow it, you might want to talk to faculty there anyway to see if it could be possible. Anyhow, Congratulations on getting into a program and on the baby news.

I know, right? I understand that these are difficult situations for them to make, but staying on that roller coaster any longer is just not my cup of tea. Which is kind of surprising, because I usually benefit from dismissive/ hateful critiques... I thought that my desire to go there would increase with their apathy toward me. I guess I've just grown out of that. I hope it works out for you!

Well, I accepted another program's offer. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush and all that. MICA isn't my dream school, and it is unlikely that they will offer me enough money to pick them over one of my other choices. So it would seem you now have one fewer person to compete against off the waitlist. This year, from what everyone's saying, was insanely competitive. If the economy continues to suck ass, next year will probably also be a tough year to gain admission. If you really hate the programs you've been accepted to, it might be best to wait. But my suspicion is that you must like something about them if you went to the trouble to apply. I am really disappointed with the way that MICA is handling things with their waitlist. On the bright side, if you are one of the few people who can tolerate this level of dicking around, (RE: schedules and deadlines for other schools) chances of getting in off the list seem pretty high.

ugh! Did you get that form email too? Now they're saying they'll be updating people on Monday the 20th. How does that work with anyone's schedule as far as notifying other schools is concerned?!? I have given up, they'd have to give me a world of financial aid anyway.

No, I'm going for the regular mfa... But that adds something to the dilemma. Are the other programs you've been accepted to lo-res? Do you want a lo-res experience, or would you prefer a traditional mfa program?

What discipline are you going for? It can make a big difference. But without knowing anything more I say MassArt. And maybe I'll see you there, as I'm still deciding between them and another school.

I was on the phone with them today, they weren't sure of things yet. I was told they were concentrating on Hoffberger today, and would be working on some of the other schools (including Mt Royal) tomorrow. Call them if you are curious, they are really nice. Can't wait for this to be over, I'm debating whether or not I should keep waiting on MICA at all...

Something to consider would be the fact that travel between Boston/ MA and Philadelphia is deceptively difficult. There are no cheap flights, for some reason. The trains are expensive, (At least $160 round trip, sometimes up to $320) and the busses are cheap but nightmarishly slow. Driving would take a while, but might actually be the best option, if you wound up visiting him there. I really love MassArt and am trying to decide between them and another program. I don't know a lot about their low-res program, but I think they offer an education that is up to par with far, far more expensive programs. And I'm also from Philadelphia... but I am hesitant to say anything about PAFA re: painting, as that is not my discipline. In general, PAFA has a less impressive reputation than other art schools in Philadelphia. Again, I am not a painter and really can't speak for the strength of their painting department. If you love it, you must have good reason to. It depends on what you want... Are you more excited by a traditional MFA program, or by the flexibility of your low-residency options?

I am waitlisted at MICA in 2 programs, Rinehart and Mt. Royal. I was just going to accept at another school, but I have been reconsidering. They are ranked so highly, and I never did get around to visiting... So I am thinking of making the trip to MD next week. My question is this: Is accepting at one school, and then rescinding the acceptance, really so bad? I am coming up on the response deadlines for other programs, and MICA is really cutting it close with their notifications. I don't want to end up nowhere in the Fall because I was waiting on MICA, but I also don't want to pull the bait and switch on one of these other schools. Faculty and staff at all of these places have been so great, I really don't want to be rude. But MICA... is MICA... and I don't know if I could really pass that up. But do I even have a chance of getting in off the list? They say it's a small group, but who knows. Blech.

Not trying to be a jerk here, but... 1.) You just told us what you want to do. How mad at yourself will you be in 2 years for not doing it? 2.) Your SO doesn't seem to want to choose you over anything. I am NOT AT ALL trying to say "you're an idiot for not dumping him" or "always pick career over SO." Just noticed a couple things and decided to point them out. Do correct me if I'm wrong on either of them.

Gahhhh It's a pretty awful predicament, right? I feel like an ass for wanting to cut and run. Worried I'll be walking around with this burden of knowing that at heart I'm a selfish person who chose my career over love if I do. That's why I want him to figure out what he's doing. This isn't all about me, it should be about him and his goals as well. But without knowing what those are, I'm stuck spinning in circles.

It seems like a lot of the people on this thread are going in for their PhD... I'm only headed for an MFA at the moment, and have been with my SO for 2 years. This is the best relationship I have ever been in, but I have a feeling that the eventual outcome of this process will be a breakup. He is very scattered at the moment, skipping between wildly different goals every day. Last week he wanted to move back home and devote himself to the family business and making music... Today he was looking into taking Film classes at a nearby school. I really have no idea what he wants anymore, and it's frustrating. When I started applying to schools, he was planning to do the same and taking his GRE. 6 Months later-- He never applied, and seems to have mostly abandoned the idea. I don't want to say that we are "growing apart," but it seems like he has no planned course of action and that irks me. I committed to this big scary prospect of applying for graduate study in a competitive field, and now I'm very excited to get to going. I want him to be excited about what he's doing, but that can't happen until he figures out what he wants to do. And some of the things he claims to want are very unappealing to me. I don't want to drag him along to a new city he'll hate. I don't know what to do beyond asking what he wants- which frequently leads to being brushed off.

hmmmm. If you are planning on living in the suburbs, you'd be taking either the regional rail or some combination of the regional rail and the subway. Check out the SEPTA website: http://septa.org/ It has timetables, maps, a trip-planner and should answer a lot of your questions. The Jenkintown-Wyncote and Glenside stops would bring you into nice areas. The regional rail stop at Temple is between 9th and 10th on Berks Street, which is Not the same location as the Subway, which is on Broad (14th street.) Regional rail generally runs less frequently than the subway, and the subway is usually a bit faster. The method I favor when traveling back into the suburbs is to take the Orange (Broad Street) line all the way north, to Fern Rock. Fern Rock is a combination station that runs subway, bus and regional rail lines. From Fern Rock, you can transfer to the regional rail and take the train however many stops to your eventual location. Of course, you could just take the regional rail directly to Temple's stop at 9th and Berks. If you think you'd like to have more flexibility in terms of being able to get home to your daughter quickly, driving in might be worth it. It would be a good idea for you to explore the trains yourself before making a decision about paying for a parking permit or a transpass. Not sure about the particulars of parking, myself.

The meters in Center City very recently became a total nightmare. I think a quarter buys you 8 minutes now. So if you were going to hang out in the city, I'd say leave the car at home. But where's home? South Philly, where I'm currently living, has a lot of parking... but weird rules. You have to move your car every 2 hours between 8am and 8pm, and most blocks have reserved spots for the handicapped. Google earth might be helpful if you want to get an idea of parking in an area. Maybe if you are living in Center City or somewhere where free parking is super scarce you'd have to rent a spot... But I have honestly never heard of that outside of NY. This city can be difficult to get around by pubic trans, depending upon where you're going. But Temple has a stop on its campus, and I mentioned upthread that it's very safe. Not having a car here has been problematic for me more than few times. The main thing to remember if you have a car in Philadelphia, as someone else mentioned- Is that you can never ever leave anything of value in plain view. Take the faceplate off your CD player if it has one. Car windows around Temple get broken for change, cds, and once or twice even a bouquet of roses! I know that sounds bad, but I really do love this city. The diversity of the population = awesome restaurants of every ethnic persuasion, great neighborhoods like the Italian Market, and lots of interesting people. And our museums are rad in my opinion. Definitely check out the Museum of Fine Art... they have a collection of Duchamp's work that I believe is the largest in the world. I hope you like it here, I am moving soon and know I'll miss the city terribly.