volumen

Curious how the non-state school funding had been this year. How does SVA compare to Parsons, for example....

Has anyone heard from Bemis?

I feel for you.....to have to decide now. It is so hard to know what schools is right....have you talked to any students there now? or know someone who graduated from there? it doesn't mean if others have a good experience and a good program that it will sway you. for me, more info is just better. I find it useful to talk to anyone who went through or are in grad program. that way, you hear from them what is important. Any painters coming out of there who you like?

i hate to be always thinking about money and awards....i must sound obsessed. but until money issues are resolved, we cannot go back to thinking about art. but maybe this is good practice for post grad life. One cannot separate the realities of living from our art practice. jkroman: does that mean they are essentially giving you 1 semester paid per year ($8850) and a stipend of $4300 each year? That means you only need to borrow for 1 semester tuition and rest of living? So a little over $20,000 a year? You can always apply to scholarship next year. Does anyone else think it is almost impossible to get outside scholarship since we don't even find out decisions until April, when all applications deadlines are over. geez.

To the OP, why did you choose those 3 programs in the first place....maybe that will help figuring it out. I have never heard of PAFA till now. To lrg, that is great! UCLA is strong. What is the substantive fellowship you got? Was Columbia giving you nothing?

Agree we don't know what you are looking for or what your work is like, so difficult to say what's a better fit. You should check out the current show at the Hunter building. Some things I did in the process of deciding: go online and see some students' work this and past year, see if there are professors I am excited about from either school, talk to people who went to different MFA programs (not necessarily the one I am applying to) to see what grad school is like for others. Obviously the school thinks you fit in their aesthetics and like you. I also went to Hunter open studio - some work primed for Chelsea (not saying that's good or bad), some work I spot outside studio and did not even interest me enough to go in, and some genuine experiments going on there. There are just generally more painters in any schools (in my experience), so no surprise I liked a couple of the students' work there. Pratt was not on my list to check out, even there are some good artists teaching there, but that is just a personal preference having to do with location and my aversion to "art school".

I have decided to go for my Masters that is partially funded. I have undergrad student debt, but I just don't want to work another year. I have all the time to work after grad school. I am going to school not in the hopes of getting a better paying job, as I will likely make less if I teach then what I have been making in my career. I can always go back to the career, but I am less and less excited about it, so time to do something exciting.

I think it would be wise to do a sublet for 2 months - with or without roommate. get settled to moving to another country and then find a more permanent place for yourself after feeling out different neighborhoods. it will be difficult to rent a place without being in ny in person. but sublets are more lenient. have a trusty friend visit and vouch for you. depending on your living habits....being close to nyu is a plus but a change of scenery is always beneficial for the mind. so you are not stuck with a 5 block radius for years. i cannot imagine why a phD student would want to have roommates. unless you know them personally, it would be too much of an distraction. you can form friendships in more constructive ways. though having horror ny roommate story is a rite of passage.

Isn't skowhegan's name The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture? A few people I know who have been there are mostly painters.

I am sort of in a similar situation but for MFA Fine Art - I think you have to ask yourself what would make you happy in the next 17 months not being in school and learning. To me, that is sooooo far away. Yes, my art will get better if I work at it. But as of today, I rather go to school then wait. Not sure if your craft will be better if you are not in an architecture program though. Could you do an internship and work part-time at a non-related job? Or will you feel deflated.

Now that all schools' acceptances are in....Curious about your (and anyone else's) decision, and funding info (if you are willing to share).

I hear that sometimes it's once a month, sometimes twice a month. But I don't know if it's going to be difficult if everyone wants, say, a particular teacher. I counted 120 studios today (on their map). That is a lot of students and I am sure faculty cannot see everyone?

Very curious to see if any rejection or acceptance letters this year mention # of applicants and accepted students? And if anyone has info for last year, please share....!

got rejected too......saaaaad. makes me doubt whether i will get in any mfa if i don't take the one i got this year....anyone else feels that way?

If hunter does not give funding, other school might end up be cheaper? what are you guys' views on the program....not much individual attention, as the class is huge? peer support? a bit of help-yourself since some students start in fall, some spring? does that create a pecking order? i had wanted to go to hunter, but largely due to its reputation. but then checked out the faculty list and did not recognize most names. how important is having well-known artist to you? sorrry this has become a bundle of questions......

I have very little hope that I will get in. I didn't send my application till the last minute, so maybe they haven't gotten to sending me the rejection. Or it's done alphabetically, and my last name is near the bottom. I really really need to know!

I think if your job is very intense and you work late, it IS better to take a part-time job or something much more laid back, so you can focused on your art. I think this process of applying to MFA in a way has really pushed me in my art even without being in school. BUT, is it going to be easy for you to not work full-time? Many of the residencies deadline for Fall already passed, and even some of Spring's.

Thanks. I am a bit confused about the fafsa thing. Are some schools not even looking into the fafsa data to determine funding? Does the goverment give out grants for graduate depending on your income, or is the data used by the school IF they need....?

jasonsho: curious what schools you applied to and got accepted to. I am in a similar situation. Applied to 2, and wished I applied to more. Thanks.

jkroman: any idea what your friend's financial package is like at CCA?

Want to know too! Never got email rejection from Skowhegan in the past. Is this a new thing? Are the ones who didn't get emails IN? Wishing thinking, I know. Is anyone waiting on this to decide which school to go to in the Fall. For me, if I get in, I am tempted to try again next year with more schools, because my work will only get better.

fuzzylogic: those are all good questions that I am trying to figure out. The job market is not so good for what I've been doing, so I have to keep looking for a job. It's like between finding a job and working on art, or getting loans to work on art. I think my work will be much stronger next yeart (it's gotten better from these pass few months already and the process helps fine tune where I want to go with my work.) On the other hand, I got into an art residency in 2010. Luckily that is in the summer, so no overlapping there. If I get into a residency that is smack in the middle of school year, that could change my position. Well, 2 weeks to decide, right?

helenforsdale....you mentioned you got into 1 school last year. Why did you not go afterall? Curious as I got accepted into 1 too. Applied to 2, and now wonder if I should have just applied to more in the first place...possibly stronger but very different kinds of programs. All in NYC.

So I only applied to 2 schools as a test and got accepted to 1 school with little funding and don't know if I should re-apply next year to more schools, or not.... Advice? What if next year I don't get into any?

As I might have to do a 2nd round next year - Curious about those who applied to MFA Studio Art only in New York City. Are you applying to all of these? If you omit any of these, what was the rationale behind it? Columbia Hunter NYU Bard (throwing this in here since it's close enough to consider it a New York City school) Parsons Pratt SVA Anyone who got accepted to Columbia, Hunter, NYU, Bard and choosing between them? Though I don't think Columbia has notified yet. Why do you choose what you choose? Thanks!