MFA 2020 Freak Out Forum

[TheBarnOwl]

Hi all, is anyone deliberating between Hunter and another less affordable but very good school, like Columbia, RISD, or SAIC etc? (I applied for painting but this question is for all disciplines). I received some funding from Columbia, but even with that, my total student debt there would be almost 4x than if I went to Hunter. (I currently have no student debt, and would pay in-state tuition at Hunter).  Right now I'm keeping in mind Hunter's 3 year program and flexibility to start in Spring, among other personal considerations about which program I'm more excited about. Would anyone in a similar boat mind sharing some of your deliberation process and what variables you're taking in to account? I can't help but shudder at the thought of paying tens of thousands of dollars per year to be in remote classes if the virus is still running at the same clip come fall... Looking forward to more discussion!

[Loleagle]

1 hour ago, TheBarnOwl said:

Hi all, is anyone deliberating between Hunter and another less affordable but very good school, like Columbia, RISD, or SAIC etc? (I applied for painting but this question is for all disciplines). I received some funding from Columbia, but even with that, my total student debt there would be almost 4x than if I went to Hunter. (I currently have no student debt, and would pay in-state tuition at Hunter).  Right now I'm keeping in mind Hunter's 3 year program and flexibility to start in Spring, among other personal considerations about which program I'm more excited about. Would anyone in a similar boat mind sharing some of your deliberation process and what variables you're taking in to account? I can't help but shudder at the thought of paying tens of thousands of dollars per year to be in remote classes if the virus is still running at the same clip come fall... Looking forward to more discussion!

Hi, I’m not debating a school that is as expensive as Columbia but i am choosing between Bard and Hunter. I think that I’ve been trying to think about which school I would’ve been more crushed to be rejected from??—and maybe that will tell me which school to go to. I’m maybe not that helpful to you because I didn’t even apply to Columbia as I knew that I wouldn’t want to take on that much debt. Will they connect you to any current students ? I’m also using current students to help me figure out which school to attend.

[JAPA]

I also received an offer from Hunter yesterday. It is my top choice and I would have to take out loans as an out of state student. I am wondering whether it would be wiser to move to NY and live and work there for a year so I can get in-state tuition before enrolling. Although I am still debating, I think that I am probably going to commit for the spring (most likely) and try to work as much as I can during the fall semester. 

[MFA-Painting]

I'm having such a hard time deciding between Hunter and SAIC for painting. Pros and Cons of Chicago vs. New York? If money weren't a factor what would you choose?

[MFA-Painting]

2 hours ago, TheBarnOwl said:

Hi all, is anyone deliberating between Hunter and another less affordable but very good school, like Columbia, RISD, or SAIC etc? (I applied for painting but this question is for all disciplines). I received some funding from Columbia, but even with that, my total student debt there would be almost 4x than if I went to Hunter. (I currently have no student debt, and would pay in-state tuition at Hunter).  Right now I'm keeping in mind Hunter's 3 year program and flexibility to start in Spring, among other personal considerations about which program I'm more excited about. Would anyone in a similar boat mind sharing some of your deliberation process and what variables you're taking in to account? I can't help but shudder at the thought of paying tens of thousands of dollars per year to be in remote classes if the virus is still running at the same clip come fall... Looking forward to more discussion!

I'm deciding between Hunter and SAIC and could also pay in state tuition for Hunter. I'm also trying to figure out which is more exciting because either way it will end up being a ton of money. I'm thinking about Chicago vs. New York, and the different forms of education I would receive. It's a really hard choice though because they're so drastically different, and I'm completely split down the middle .

[OliveTree1018]

7 hours ago, SpillToBuilt said:

@OliveTree1018  I would post in the writing forum. This is for MFA visual arts.

Thank you! Appreciate it.

[brho]

20 hours ago, Referableorc said:

Congratulations on getting so many great offers! Which one do you prefer? 

Most likely Hunter. You cannot argue with the tuition.

[TheBarnOwl]

23 hours ago, MFA-Painting said:

I'm deciding between Hunter and SAIC and could also pay in state tuition for Hunter. I'm also trying to figure out which is more exciting because either way it will end up being a ton of money. I'm thinking about Chicago vs. New York, and the different forms of education I would receive. It's a really hard choice though because they're so drastically different, and I'm completely split down the middle .

I've lived in New York for 7 years and have only ever visited Chicago, so I'd be biased when I say I still find New York a very exciting and weird and interesting place to be an artist,  so if you're equally excited about both schools and tuition ends up evening out because of the higher cost of living in New York and are making a decision largely based on city, then I would vote for New York unequivocally. Also consider if keeping in close touch with the community you make at school is important to you, and maybe you can get a feel by chatting with recent grads whether most of their graduating class ended up staying or moving elsewhere. And this is of course impossible to know now, but where do you see yourself ideally living once out of school? If you plan to end up in New York anyways I'd say do school here, or, maybe you already live here and are sick of it and the time in Chicago would be pretty beneficial. 

[TheBarnOwl]

On 3/28/2020 at 1:12 PM, Googlyeyes said:

Hi, I’m not debating a school that is as expensive as Columbia but i am choosing between Bard and Hunter. I think that I’ve been trying to think about which school I would’ve been more crushed to be rejected from??—and maybe that will tell me which school to go to. I’m maybe not that helpful to you because I didn’t even apply to Columbia as I knew that I wouldn’t want to take on that much debt. Will they connect you to any current students ? I’m also using current students to help me figure out which school to attend.

That's *such* a good thought experiment- I'd definitely be more crushed if I got rejected from Columbia. Trying to parse out though if that's because of the perceived prestige attached to that school or how I actually feel about the program. I am in my heart more excited about Columbia, and if cost weren't a consideration my decision would be easy, but cost is such a consideration. Have your chats with alum been helpful?

[drinking wine from a shell]

On 3/28/2020 at 10:58 AM, JAPA said:

I also received an offer from Hunter yesterday. It is my top choice and I would have to take out loans as an out of state student. I am wondering whether it would be wiser to move to NY and live and work there for a year so I can get in-state tuition before enrolling. Although I am still debating, I think that I am probably going to commit for the spring (most likely) and try to work as much as I can during the fall semester. 

I was just trying to work out the same issue with Hunter. I live on the west coast and It seems like I could move there, live and work for a while to save money and get in state tuition. The problem is finding work and an apartment in a new location (especially with everything going on right now) just seems like such a gamble. It takes time and money to get settled and employed in a new city and you could end up potentially breaking even or spending more than if you just enrolled out-of-state. I guess this also depends on what you do for your day job and if you can do it remotely indefinitely.

 

[drinking wine from a shell]

Maybe a dumb question but has anyone had any success so far petitioning financial aid for more funding?

[YTgo]

On 3/27/2020 at 9:51 AM, Googlyeyes said:

someone else posted that UCLA acceptances went out the week of 2/17

How come I didn't get anything back from UCLA..?

[Loleagle]

5 hours ago, YTgo said:

How come I didn't get anything back from UCLA..?

Did you check the portal ? I didn’t get an email that it was updated but someone posted on here that you can check it. My rejection was there. I’m on my phone or i would link to the post. But yeah someone said that when they went to their Yale interview there were painting students who had already interviewed with UCLA?

[Loleagle]

19 hours ago, TheBarnOwl said:

That's *such* a good thought experiment- I'd definitely be more crushed if I got rejected from Columbia. Trying to parse out though if that's because of the perceived prestige attached to that school or how I actually feel about the program. I am in my heart more excited about Columbia, and if cost weren't a consideration my decision would be easy, but cost is such a consideration. Have your chats with alum been helpful?

That makes sense. I did my undergrad at Columbia and Gregory is a real gem. My chats with alums/current students have been super helpful. Although I’m still undecided lol. Maybe whoever you are in contact with in the department could set you up with a current student or alum .

[MYJ2020]

15 hours ago, drinking wine from a shell said:

Maybe a dumb question but has anyone had any success so far petitioning financial aid for more funding?

I tried, and the reply I got was I had to wait until they receive all decisions from admitted students and see if anyone declined their offer then there might be more funding available. Doesn't look like there's gonna be a huge increase tho.

[willow j]

15 hours ago, drinking wine from a shell said:

Maybe a dumb question but has anyone had any success so far petitioning financial aid for more funding?

I have! I wrote a big appeal with reasons as to why I was asking. I ended up getting a few thousand more. 

[MmFfAa]

Hi all! I am deciding between Pratt and Parsons MFA Fine arts in Painting. I am offered the same amount of merit scholarship, so financially they are almost equal. Which one would you choose, Can anyone speak to the pros/cons of the programs? I would love to hear some thoughts. 

[Loleagle]

21 hours ago, drinking wine from a shell said:

Maybe a dumb question but has anyone had any success so far petitioning financial aid for more funding?

yes, I was just honest about how COVID-19 had impacted my income and they gave me a small-ish amount more

[babsi]

Got an interview invite from CalArts today via email... seems so late! Anyone else? I applied for art (painting).

[SpillToBuilt]

6 hours ago, babsi said:

Got an interview invite from CalArts today via email... seems so late! Anyone else? I applied for art (painting).

Well, there is a pandemic happening right now...

[latenightlatte]

11 hours ago, babsi said:

Got an interview invite from CalArts today via email... seems so late! Anyone else? I applied for art (painting).

I did as well, maybe they're not having the enrollment rate they expected from their accepted applicants and want to pad out their numbers a bit?
Did anyone go to the interview day? Did it seem poorly attended? I am trying to think of a way to ask why they're doing a second round so late without seeming like a prick. 

[Phthalo23]

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Edited March 31, 2020 by Phthalo23

[Phthalo23]

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Edited March 31, 2020 by Phthalo23

[Phthalo23]

22 minutes ago, latenightlatte said:

I did as well, maybe they're not having the enrollment rate they expected from their accepted applicants and want to pad out their numbers a bit?
Did anyone go to the interview day? Did it seem poorly attended? I am trying to think of a way to ask why they're doing a second round so late without seeming like a prick. 

My sense is that this is why they stagger / pad their Admissions window (early March to mid April), so they can interview as needed

[Painfullywaiting]

Has anyone heard back from the University of Washington 3D4M program? ?