MFA 2020 Freak Out Forum

[willow j]

Has anyone heard from Pratt Painting?

[eleven11]

Hi does anybody know what the hell is happening with Stanford Art Practice???? Zero answers for emails, zero contact, nothing. Of course at this point its 99.9% rejection but its really annoying that nothing official comes from them.

[campbellinengland]

1 hour ago, nowaytosay said:

i think you should go with the school that had the faculty you are mostly excited about, is there any faculty from the school you felt would be a good mentor in the long run?

 

31 minutes ago, cubby said:

Have you already tried negotiating with RISD? It's absolutely worth a shot to let them know that you got a better offer elsewhere and are on the fence, and to ask if they can give you more competitive funding. 

If that doesn't work, I agree with the previous comments. Unless you are significantly more excited about the faculty at RISD, I would vote for UW Madison. I strongly feel that it's not worth going into that level of debt just for the name on your CV. What's much more important is the work you come out of the program with, and it sounds like Madison is a better fit for you and would give you better support for focusing on your work.

Thank you for all of the feedback so far! I hope this discussion is helpful to others besides myself!

I actually feel a stronger connection with the faculty at RISD...but its not strong enough to be a clear deciding factor.

And I did indeed reach out to RISD about negotiating the funding...to no avail. 

Time for creativity is a big factor and UW Madison definitely wins there. 

 

 

[campbellinengland]

33 minutes ago, holywarrior said:

Hi all,

I've seen a couple posts regarding UW-Madison's program/vibes and thought I would chime in with some more info. I graduated about a year ago from their studio art department (painting/comics) and was able to get very close with a lot of the grad students there. From what I've heard from the inside, the program has recently decided to offer full funding with living stipend in the future (while cutting down on the amount of people that get in). Even though it's a state school, there are SO many amenities and cross-over opportunities as result, you just have to be driven and look but the opportunities are endless. There is a ton of room and space to experiment and a well as a lot of one-on-one time with faculty. I would say its a tad more craft-technical driven and a little behind in terms of encouraging more theory/conceptual work in comparison to others programs such as RISD/UCLA/Columbia but there is a lot of momentum in the program. 

Madison itself is a beautiful and very very cheap city to live in. TONS of f-r-e-e concerts/films as a result of UW student union programming and the nature is breath-taking. Winter sucks ass but you'll be in your studio so just wear long-underwear. Another benefit is the COMICS program which I feel is a hidden gem that a lot of people don't really know about! I worked with Lynda Barry for two years and it literally changed my life and offered me a lot of collaboration with grad students that clamored into that class. In addition, the program just opened up a new art building that houses about half of the MFA students and that offers a huuuuge new gallery space in the back. 

As far as cons, the football/frat culture can be a little toxic as times but there are enough hidden pockets of arts communities you'll find along the way. There are very limited art theory/critical theory courses which frustrated me in undergrad. The graphic design program is a joke and the accolade it garnered for printmaking was one from older faculty members that have died or retired in the past 5 years, though there are still amazing opportunities to learn litho/etching/etc. Painting/Ceramics/Sculpture areas are strong, however.

Yet, perhaps maybe the biggest downside would be the bubble effect of its regional location. Its a great time to focus and experiment on your work but it was more distant than I'd like from the contemporary art world (and to meet/make connections with people in the contemporary art world). Though, its only about a 1.5 hour drive from Chicago. A lot of people stayed in Madison after the program (albeit, with no debt and no drug problems haha). Overall, I would say the program is an affordable gem that is growing in recognition and promises a great quality of life if you are more independent and warm-blooded. 

Good luck!

Oh thank you for this insight!

I do agree that there seems to be a lot of positive momentum. The bubble and being disconnected from other art hotspots does concern me...but it isn't unsurmountable. Plus the bike-ability and quality of life for my dog is a winning factor! 

[babsi]

Updated report on best art programs - 2020. This list is arbitrary in some ways but the shift in rankings is really interesting! Of course it comes down to the fit and feel of a program for each artist.

https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-fine-arts-schools/fine-arts-rankings

 

[stardew13]

On 3/6/2020 at 4:21 PM, stardew13 said:

still waiting to hear back from SFAI
interviewed on Feb 17th for painting 

Got accepted, financial letter came today and I only received $12k scholarship. Not sure if it's worth it...? 

[nn009]

4 hours ago, stardew13 said:

Got accepted, financial letter came today and I only received $12k scholarship. Not sure if it's worth it...? 

Is $12k institutional/sfai scholarship or is it via FAFSA? I'm new to us educational system funding, and havn't applied for FAFSA sfai mentioned that I should do it asap. My ability to do mfa is highly dependent of funding, so any help and advise is much appreciated!!! 

[alain.orange]

Does anyone know if the CalArts hub (the service portal to access financial information) is for those who are accepted only or for all applicants?

I'm still waiting to hear back from them with decision, meanwhile received the invitation to login to the hub.

 

[SpillToBuilt]

11 hours ago, nn009 said:

Is $12k institutional/sfai scholarship or is it via FAFSA? I'm new to us educational system funding, and havn't applied for FAFSA sfai mentioned that I should do it asap. My ability to do mfa is highly dependent of funding, so any help and advise is much appreciated!!! 

At the graduate level, the FAFSA is for unsubsidized loan eligibility, and some schools may also use the FAFSA info in determining your aid package. Either way, you should fill it out. 

Edited March 20, 2020 by SpillToBuilt

[Tuesday04449]

On 3/14/2020 at 11:55 PM, ............... said:

I got rejected from UCLA, last night.

I was caught REALLY off guard. My sculpture portfolio is very strong, and I have worked on a lot of high profile, beautiful public artwork. So, I looked up the types of art that comes out of UCLA. Suffice to say, if I would have been aware of the kind of art UCLA outputs, I would have never applied. I should have looked into the professors long before. Honestly, if I would have been accepted by UCLA, I still would have looked up their arts program, and would have definitely decided against attending.

I think the best place for a serious artist who enjoys making fine art, wants to teach it via an MFA, and is influenced by the masters, should probably attend an art institute like Cranbrook, California College of the Arts, San Francisco Art Institute, etc... and what-not. Seems like the UC System really leans toward the esoteric, ivory tower, SJW type of thing. Stuff that is emotionally out of reach for the common people.

I applied to UCLA on a whim because I'm a Southern Californian living in NorCal and I didn't really think it out. I'm gonna make an effort to put out applications to art institutes, in the fall, so I can nail down that MFA and start teaching at school.

If you got into UCLA, make good art, please. Don't get brainwashed into making absurd, ugly garbage just because your instructors think that you need to "push the envelope" and make it "visceral" and "bleeding edge." Make beautiful public artwork that poor people and little old ladies in the community can come to and identify with and enjoy. Make art that reflects what matters to the people. Make artwork that the people want, and love.

Lol. Dude. 

Don't trash the school cause you didn't get in. If you applied to the wrong school that's on you. 

 

[Tuesday04449]

On 1/20/2020 at 10:50 AM, yungcoconut said:

I'm transferring from Hunter and spoke with my mentor and professors about where I should apply and they all encouraged me to avoid Yale and UCLA for the kind of work I make (I work in New Genres with a focus on text, installation and performance based works). I also know people who are currently pursuing MFAs at Yale and UCLA or have graduated from those programs.

Yale's reputation in the NYC art world is obnoxious as they focus on style over substance and let the prestigious degree do most of the heavy lifting. The people who graduate from there make work that is aesthetically pleasing but has no social or cultural impact, and they are more interested in selling their work and joining the art market circus than anything else. Yale's painting, sculpture and photography programs are the strongest that they offer, and they have a lot of great visiting critics, lecturers and faculty. Not the best program for anything outside of those mediums by far. There's also a serious problem with racism in the art department in general and no one is trained to mediate those kinds of issues sensitively, so if you are a black or brown artist of color you will experience micro-aggressions from your peers and faculty especially if you make work that addresses racial issues.

Andrea Fraser no longer teaches at UCLA so their Interdisciplinary Studio/New Genres department is severely lacking at the moment. They also only accept 3-5 students per year and the people I know who currently go there graduated from NYU Tisch and similarly prestigious schools. It's a very isolated and secluded campus, so there's not much foot traffic at exhibition openings or Open Studios. The new program director actively dislikes work that addresses political issues like race and gender. One of my current professors graduated from UCLA's MFA program and told me not to apply. Their strongest programs at the moment are photography and (maybe) printmaking. 

The best thing you can do is adjust your expectations of what you will get from your MFA. The perfect program does not exist, so you can make a list of the things that you ABSOLUTELY need to make your work and if the program has some or all of those things, go for it. 24 hour studio space, technical facilities, teaching opportunities, health insurance, living stipends, diverse student communities, accessible faculty who can actually make time for you, individual mentor/graduate advisor, etc., are all things to take into consideration. 

Just correcting this, lot of false information here. 

Interdisciplinary Studio and New Genres are not the same thing. Andrea Fraser definitely still teaches grad ID. She is also the chair of the Art Department.  
There is no such thing as a 'program director' at UCLA. Also the open studios always have hundreds of attendees - have you been?

[Referableorc]

On 3/18/2020 at 3:37 PM, brho said:

Just had a skype interview with Hunter, and it went okay, not the best interview though. This year has been pretty good so far.

SAIC Sculpture: Accepted

Columbia Photo: Accepted

NYU: Interviewed and waiting on decision

Hunter: Interviewed and waiting on decision

Compare to my NYU in person interview, I would say the same, it's not the best interview. Maybe the virus hits them hard and they are busy at dealing with other things than interviewing new students.. I had a skype interview with Andrea Blum of Combined media on Tuesday and it was way too casual lol , another professor called Alexandro segade who was supposed to interview me but he was ill(not the virus, I hope)  The interview is very short and we didn't even talk about my work at all. She also mentioned they will release decisions during the weekend. Hope we all get in! 

 

[hht]

Anyone have any news on Emily Carr?

 

[stardew13]

On 3/20/2020 at 11:50 AM, SpillToBuilt said:

At the graduate level, the FAFSA is for unsubsidized loan eligibility, and some schools may also use the FAFSA info in determining your aid package. Either way, you should fill it out. 

@nn009 Agreed, fill out the FAFSA asap! The $12k SFAI grant is based on financial need that they determined using my FAFSA info i'm pretty sure. 

[nn009]

7 minutes ago, stardew13 said:

@nn009 Agreed, fill out the FAFSA asap! The $12k SFAI grant is based on financial need that they determined using my FAFSA info i'm pretty sure. 

Thank you!!!

[emox4ever]

hey guys.

I had accepted to UPENN MFA, SAIC PAINTING, and NYU MFA( with scholarship maybe). My head is spinning because from my research, SAIC seems to be a fantastic school and UPENN has a good name. And also NYU probably is the best location for a painter? I'm a international so I would assume after graduate I will find a job and continue painting in another country. 

So confused. I would love to hear some thoughts,,,

[Referableorc]

4 hours ago, emox4ever said:

hey guys.

I had accepted to UPENN MFA, SAIC PAINTING, and NYU MFA( with scholarship maybe). My head is spinning because from my research, SAIC seems to be a fantastic school and UPENN has a good name. And also NYU probably is the best location for a painter? I'm a international so I would assume after graduate I will find a job and continue painting in another country. 

So confused. I would love to hear some thoughts,,,

Congratulations! When did you receive the offer from NYU? I got email says they will release decisions at the end of March. 

[SpillToBuilt]

6 hours ago, emox4ever said:

hey guys.

I had accepted to UPENN MFA, SAIC PAINTING, and NYU MFA( with scholarship maybe). My head is spinning because from my research, SAIC seems to be a fantastic school and UPENN has a good name. And also NYU probably is the best location for a painter? I'm a international so I would assume after graduate I will find a job and continue painting in another country. 

So confused. I would love to hear some thoughts,,,

Location and name aren’t everything. What about faculty? Alumnus? Have you visited the campuses? Funding?

Edited March 22, 2020 by SpillToBuilt

[MIQI]

I've committed to UTK and declined everywhere else in the past two weeks but has continued to creep on this forum. Posting my stats below for future reference. 

I'm glad that I visited UTK back in February and really liked it. Most of my other acceptances either didn't accept me until March or planned visit days in late March, which are all moved online because of COVID-19. I can only imagine the difficulty of trying to commit to a school without physically being there... good luck to all!

UTK (Printmaking; fully funded) interview invite 01/21, acceptance 01/31***going

U of Minnesota (Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking; fully funded) interview invite 01/26, acceptance 02/04***declined

Yale (Painting & Printmaking) rejection 01/28 

Tyler (Printmaking; full funding for one semester) no interview, acceptance 01/28***declined

U of Michigan Stamps (Art; 75% tuition remission and some stipend) interview invite 02/03, acceptance 02/28***declined

Rutgers (Visual Arts) rejection 02/05

University at Buffalo (Studio Art; fully funded) interview invite 02/24, acceptance 03/05***declined

WUSTL (Visual Art; half scholarship and some TA stipend) interview invite 02/29, acceptance 03/13***declined

UCLA (Interdisciplinary Studio) rejection 03/18

CMU (Art) rejection 03/19

Edited March 22, 2020 by MIQI

[drinking wine from a shell]

Wondering if there's anyone else here planning to go to SAIC. Their decision deadline is April 1st and I've been trying to get in contact with admissions to see if this deadline might be extended due to covid19. I haven't been able to get through to admissions or my financial aid contact all week (which is understandable given the circumstances). Anyone know if this is still the deadline?

I'm also wondering if they will allow people to defer enrollment if classes are still suspended/remote this coming fall. With the severity of this pandemic that actually seems possible ?

[aniben3]

2 hours ago, drinking wine from a shell said:

Wondering if there's anyone else here planning to go to SAIC. Their decision deadline is April 1st and I've been trying to get in contact with admissions to see if this deadline might be extended due to covid19. I haven't been able to get through to admissions or my financial aid contact all week (which is understandable given the circumstances). Anyone know if this is still the deadline?

I'm also wondering if they will allow people to defer enrollment if classes are still suspended/remote this coming fall. With the severity of this pandemic that actually seems possible ?

I attended the online financial aid seminar on...Thursday? They're also having an online chat for incoming students next week. I turned down my acceptance after the financial aid seminar because I definitely can't afford the price tag, but it seems like everything is proceeding as usual, albeit online. 

[Loleagle]

Anyone heard from Hunter ?

[brho]

24 minutes ago, Googlyeyes said:

Anyone heard from Hunter ?

Not yet

[brho]

On 3/22/2020 at 4:38 AM, emox4ever said:

hey guys.

I had accepted to UPENN MFA, SAIC PAINTING, and NYU MFA( with scholarship maybe). My head is spinning because from my research, SAIC seems to be a fantastic school and UPENN has a good name. And also NYU probably is the best location for a painter? I'm a international so I would assume after graduate I will find a job and continue painting in another country. 

So confused. I would love to hear some thoughts,,,

Doesn't NYU offer half the tuition as a scholarship for whoever gets into program? I thought that was the case.

[Referableorc]

1 hour ago, brho said:

Doesn't NYU offer half the tuition as a scholarship for whoever gets into program? I thought that was the case.

That’s what I heard from them. Half tuition scholarship for each student.