CCNY or Parsons for Painting/Printmaking?

[y-art]

Hi guys, thanks so much for posting to these boards! You all seem to know a lot about this process. I haven't seen many postings about these two programs on here. I got into CCNY and Parsons, is anyone else here thinking of attending either program? I'm wondering if people know about the programs' reputations. Parsons is SO much more expensive, is it a great program?

Thanks in advance for the advice!!

[y-art]

Or does anybody know someone who has gone to either CCNY or Parsons for Fine Arts? Any advice or info would be much appreciated... Thanks!

[scarfpants]

I would be interested in finding out about Parsons as well. I am in the process of emailing an alumni, so I will let you know if I hear anything. I have been accepted into Parsons, and think I will take it because I liked the faculty, the size of the program, and the fact that its right in downtown Manhattan. But I do want to know about the studios (I didn't visit them in person) and what the students actually thought of the program.

[y-art]

Cool, congrats, maybe we'll be classmates! What is your medium? Did you get offered financial aid? Yeah, the location is awesome and my impression is the studios are small but nice... Would love to hear what your friend thought!

[johnny5000]

I would be interested in finding out about Parsons as well. I am in the process of emailing an alumni, so I will let you know if I hear anything. I have been accepted into Parsons, and think I will take it because I liked the faculty, the size of the program, and the fact that its right in downtown Manhattan. But I do want to know about the studios (I didn't visit them in person) and what the students actually thought of the program.

Congrats on getting onto Parsons, I was accepted into Parsons last week for MFA painting, I toured their studios and met some faculty in November and they were all very nice. The studios are medium size but it seemed like it would be a good place to work. It will most likely be the school I will go to. I haven't heard much about it from students or alumni so I would be interested to hear what the alumni you emailed says about the program.

Do you know how the merit based scholarships work? Did you receive any scholarship info with your acceptance letter or has anyone said anything to you?

[scarfpants]

Congrats on getting onto Parsons, I was accepted into Parsons last week for MFA painting, I toured their studios and met some faculty in November and they were all very nice. The studios are medium size but it seemed like it would be a good place to work. It will most likely be the school I will go to. I haven't heard much about it from students or alumni so I would be interested to hear what the alumni you emailed says about the program.

Do you know how the merit based scholarships work? Did you receive any scholarship info with your acceptance letter or has anyone said anything to you?

Hey,

I believe they send the scholarship info with the acceptance letter, thats what happened for me. But it might not be that way for everyone, you should email Financial Aid and ask. The alumni said he had a great experience there, loved the location and working in downtown manhattan. The studios are good to work in (although they aren't super private, so you get used to working with some noise in the background). And that he would forward me info from a current student. But it sounds good to me. I like that its smaller than SVA, which has 120 students overall (1st and 2nd year), 40 students overall is a better number I think. And I like that you can pick your academic courses from a wide variety of instead of from a small handful. Thats my 2 cents.

[scarfpants]

Does anyone else know a current student of the Parsons Fine Art MFA program, I'm having difficulty tracking one down?

And what is the consensus on SVA versus Parsons?

Your thoughts would be really appreciated!!

[seachange]

Does anyone else know a current student of the Parsons Fine Art MFA program, I'm having difficulty tracking one down?

And what is the consensus on SVA versus Parsons?

Your thoughts would be really appreciated!!

HI!

I want to know what you think regarding sva vs parsons.

I got accepted in to both, but parsons w/ funding.

Opinionsss pleasee

[scarfpants]

HI!

I want to know what you think regarding sva vs parsons.

I got accepted in to both, but parsons w/ funding.

Opinionsss pleasee

I just read your comment from the other thread, and I totally agree. The money is really nice, because SVA is almost as expensive and it makes Parsons more affordable. I got into both as well and I'm leaning towards Parsons. I liked the feeling I got from faculty also. I like where its located and that its a small program with an interdisciplinary emphasis. I looked over some courses offered and they seemed really cool (ie. robotic sculpture class). My main focus is drawing and I also liked the fact that I would have mostly non-painters critiquing my work, but thats a personal choice.

But really in grad school like in everything else, you get out of it what you put in. Something that is easy to forget when looking at these forums... A lazy person in Columbia will not have more chances than a motivated person at Florida State College (as a random comparison), ...the name and status of the school doesn't go to the studio and make the work for you every day. If I were you and were really trying to figure out where to go, visit both places and go with your gut. Thats my advice.

[seachange]

I just read your comment from the other thread, and I totally agree. The money is really nice, because SVA is almost as expensive and it makes Parsons more affordable. I got into both as well and I'm leaning towards Parsons. I liked the feeling I got from faculty also. I like where its located and that its a small program with an interdisciplinary emphasis. I looked over some courses offered and they seemed really cool (ie. robotic sculpture class). My main focus is drawing and I also liked the fact that I would have mostly non-painters critiquing my work, but thats a personal choice.

But really in grad school like in everything else, you get out of it what you put in. Something that is easy to forget when looking at these forums... A lazy person in Columbia will not have more chances than a motivated person at Florida State College (as a random comparison), ...the name and status of the school doesn't go to the studio and make the work for you every day. If I were you and were really trying to figure out where to go, visit both places and go with your gut. Thats my advice.

Yeah, I have a feeling I should go to Parsons, but then I think about the reputation of both universities, and how other people (in the forum for example), thinks sva has a better faculty, etc, etc. I'm not from the USA, so I can't really go to the university, and I don't know of the reputation, or status of Parsons vs SVA, back in the USA. I think, that both parsons and sva are great schools, maybe sva is higher in the ranking of art schools, and have a couple of well-known artists there (such as polly apfelbaum), but I still like a lot the interdisciplinary emphasis, and the chance of taking courses from other programs, oF Parsons. But I'm still thinking about both schools, it's a hard choice!

I would like to talk to people that are right now in the mfa program, of both schools, to clear doubts, etc, but I don't know how to do that!

Stupid questions: Anybody knows how are the studios in Parsons and in SVA? I think that the studios (in both school) don't have doors! Anybody knows that??

Edited March 28, 2010 by seachange

[colbz]

Hi guys, thanks so much for posting to these boards! You all seem to know a lot about this process. I haven't seen many postings about these two programs on here. I got into CCNY and Parsons, is anyone else here thinking of attending either program? I'm wondering if people know about the programs' reputations. Parsons is SO much more expensive, is it a great program?

Thanks in advance for the advice!!

did you end up going to Parsons? I'm thinking of applying to CCNY for next year...did you ever find out anything about it?

[PennyChrome]

I know someone who just finished Parson's and liked it. He is an incredibly talented (+ motivated & productive) artist but not the academic college boy type, and he really seemed to like it, which was encouraging to me, I applied.