ltaylormartin

I figured I shouldn't worry too much about the GPA, but that gave me the confirmation I was looking for. And Latte, your suggestions for other programs are pretty spot on, so far. SUNY Buffalo is definitely towards the top of my list now. And from what you said I feel like my work will fit what UCSD is looking for now, so that's encouraging. Norman Bryson and Lev Manovich are my biggest draw to them in terms of faculty, but seeking out the big names probably isn't the best strategy.Good to have a few other schools on my list that seem just as strong/suited to my interests . Thank you both for replying - that gives me pretty much exactly what I was looking for, for now at least.

Hey everyone, I am planning on applying to several MFA programs for Fall 2013, but UCSD is by far at the top of my list. Several aspects of the program appeal to specific artistic/intellectual/professional interests in a way no other program i've come across can quite match. I'm aware of their reputation for being very selective (an understatement), but am wondering if anyone has more specific insight into what areas they emphasize most in their admissions process. Basically, all I am worried about is my GPA from undergrad, which is just over a 3.0 from from a school that is unfortunately kind of mediocre. There are plenty of reasons for why this happened, but I won't go into them just yet. I want to say I could easily overcome this through other, much stronger areas of my application. I've been able to build up a pretty extensive and versatile list of professional experience, despite my non-stellar academic performance. I will luckily have 3 very solid recommendations, and am confident I can make a pretty compelling argument for why UCSD is particularly suited to my interests, along with what I can bring to the program. And for what it's worth, a past professor who will be writing one of my letters happens to be a friend of Norman Bryson. Hopefully that will work in my favor. Despite all this, I'm still a bit unsure of my chances. I'd love to hear from those of you who have first-hand experience with the admissions process. Any insight whatsoever would be appreciated, however. And for lack of a better cliche I am wary of putting all of my eggs into one basket, so recommendations for similar programs to look into as alternates would be helpful. Thanks in advance.