MFA 2021 Freak Out Forum

[geeeeebie]

9 hours ago, Maldoror said:

Hi everyone, I got accepted into SAIC, UMN, UIC, and Alfred (interviewed with CMU, MICA and Austin and still waiting to hear back). So all of these programs offered a tuition waiver and a living stipend except for SAIC whose financial package only covered 50%-60% of the tuition. Realistically speaking, going to a funded program will allow me to keep paying mortgage on my condo so that my parents have a place to live... However, SAIC is my dream school and I feel that I might regret in the future if I went to a different program due to funding. I come from a financially challenged background so I'm wondering if it's worth taking out a 50k student loan to attend SAIC? The 50k would pay for the remaining tuition, housing and health insurance. Any advice or suggestions will be appreciated!

This is a very personal decision and one I think you should think really long and hard about, but from everything I've been told from mentors and artists - get the cheapest MFA possible especially when there are so many great programs that are more affordable. I mean if you're thinking of keeping your mortgage vs school, i would definitely do what I needed to do keep the mortgage. I'm also from a financially challenged background and have 30k in undergrad debt. I have barely made a dent in it. You could regret not going to SAIC for the experience but be in a financially stable place, or go to SAIC and be so burdened by debt that it leaves a cloud over it. 

[katfude]

10 hours ago, Maldoror said:

Hi everyone, I got accepted into SAIC, UMN, UIC, and Alfred (interviewed with CMU, MICA and Austin and still waiting to hear back). So all of these programs offered a tuition waiver and a living stipend except for SAIC whose financial package only covered 50%-60% of the tuition. Realistically speaking, going to a funded program will allow me to keep paying mortgage on my condo so that my parents have a place to live... However, SAIC is my dream school and I feel that I might regret in the future if I went to a different program due to funding. I come from a financially challenged background so I'm wondering if it's worth taking out a 50k student loan to attend SAIC? The 50k would pay for the remaining tuition, housing and health insurance. Any advice or suggestions will be appreciated!

I am definitely someone who leans toward making decisions based off of longterm financial stability, so I personally would go wherever offers me the most money in order to have a sustainable career post grad.. BUT if you are dead set on SAIC then there are plenty of outside scholarships that you could apply for that would offset the amount of debt you will accrue. They are very time consuming, and harder to find for graduate degrees-- but if you commit to spending a week or two combing the internet and writing proposals then you have the potential to really make a dent in the tuition bill! 

[Scrambledmegs]

2 hours ago, kwemo said:

Do you know why he regrets it? Is it more so that SAIC is a more elite school or is the MFA program at MCAD underwhelming?

Both a bit. He was disappointed in the cohort at MCAD though the facilities were amazing. He regrets not attending  SAIC because he knows people from his undergrad with similar work to his that went to SAIC and are selling like crazy now. 

He’s had some success, but it’s been harder to get gallery attention. He did just get his first museum show. 
I’ll explain a bit about the financial reasoning because it is of course specific to him. He had a lot of debt from undergrad anyway and will basically never pay it off so he now just feels like he shouldn’t have been worried about taking on more. At the rate he’s paying on it, it would take him over 200 years to be debt free. Basically the position he takes (which I think is worth considering), is artists usually have relatively low paying jobs (art handlers, teachers) and have limited success selling. Most will likely live with debt their whole lives, but in many ways student debt isn’t a big deal. You aren’t penalized much for having it, and it’s very possible the government will put programs in forth in the future to forgive debt (like the working for a non profit for 10 years thing pre-trump). You might as well just go for it, and set yourself up in the best way you can to be the one artist in a thousand who really makes it and even easily pays off your debt!  Kinda almost like being an artist is a dumb financial decision; might as well be really dumb with it and dream big lol!  BTW he did come from a deeply impoverished and very rural background so it’s not like he is nonchalant about money.  

[Scrambledmegs]

4 minutes ago, Scrambledmegs said:

Both a bit. He was disappointed in the cohort at MCAD though the facilities were amazing. He regrets not attending  SAIC because he knows people from his undergrad with similar work to his that went to SAIC and are selling like crazy now. 

He’s had some success, but it’s been harder to get gallery attention. He did just get his first museum show. 
I’ll explain a bit about the financial reasoning because it is of course specific to him. He had a lot of debt from undergrad anyway and will basically never pay it off so he now just feels like he shouldn’t have been worried about taking on more. At the rate he’s paying on it, it would take him over 200 years to be debt free. Basically the position he takes (which I think is worth considering), is artists usually have relatively low paying jobs (art handlers, teachers) and have limited success selling. Most will likely live with debt their whole lives, but in many ways student debt isn’t a big deal. You aren’t penalized much for having it, and it’s very possible the government will put programs in forth in the future to forgive debt (like the working for a non profit for 10 years thing pre-trump). You might as well just go for it, and set yourself up in the best way you can to be the one artist in a thousand who really makes it and even easily pays off your debt!  Kinda almost like being an artist is a dumb financial decision; might as well be really dumb with it and dream big lol!  BTW he did come from a deeply impoverished and very rural background so it’s not like he is nonchalant about money.  

Also with all that said, such decisions are really so dependent on the individual, their finances, personal goals/expectations, and reasons for getting an MFA

[geeeeebie]

38 minutes ago, Scrambledmegs said:

Both a bit. He was disappointed in the cohort at MCAD though the facilities were amazing. He regrets not attending  SAIC because he knows people from his undergrad with similar work to his that went to SAIC and are selling like crazy now. 

He’s had some success, but it’s been harder to get gallery attention. He did just get his first museum show. 
I’ll explain a bit about the financial reasoning because it is of course specific to him. He had a lot of debt from undergrad anyway and will basically never pay it off so he now just feels like he shouldn’t have been worried about taking on more. At the rate he’s paying on it, it would take him over 200 years to be debt free. Basically the position he takes (which I think is worth considering), is artists usually have relatively low paying jobs (art handlers, teachers) and have limited success selling. Most will likely live with debt their whole lives, but in many ways student debt isn’t a big deal. You aren’t penalized much for having it, and it’s very possible the government will put programs in forth in the future to forgive debt (like the working for a non profit for 10 years thing pre-trump). You might as well just go for it, and set yourself up in the best way you can to be the one artist in a thousand who really makes it and even easily pays off your debt!  Kinda almost like being an artist is a dumb financial decision; might as well be really dumb with it and dream big lol!  BTW he did come from a deeply impoverished and very rural background so it’s not like he is nonchalant about money.  

I used to have this same mindset but have changed my mind as time goes on - but yeah its so different person to person. As someone who doesnt come from money at all, and the first person to graduate college in my family etc seeing folks in my family who own NOTHING no car no house.. really got me thinking that those things matter to me a lot more and I don't want anymore debt to possibly hinder my chances of that. Like yes, being an artist doesn't make much money, but because of that I wouldn't want more debt looming over me and making things overall harder. 

 

However I think theres a big difference in choosing slightly lower debt vs a lot debt, and free vs a lot of debt LOL 

Edited March 1, 2021 by geemun

[Sofullsofull]

I got email from UTA now. They put me on the waitlist. 

If someone waits for the result, you will get email from them soon.

Edited March 1, 2021 by Sofullsofull

[joeyjoejoeshabbadoo]

is anyone else ITT applying to PAFA? don't think I seen anyone else talk about it

[Scrambledmegs]

20 minutes ago, geemun said:

I used to have this same mindset but have changed my mind as time goes on - but yeah its so different person to person. As someone who doesnt come from money at all, and the first person to graduate college in my family etc seeing folks in my family who own NOTHING no car no house.. really got me thinking that those things matter to me a lot more and I don't want anymore debt to possibly hinder my chances of that. Like yes, being an artist doesn't make much money, but because of that I wouldn't want more debt looming over me and making things overall harder. 

 

However I think theres a big difference in choosing slightly lower debt vs a lot debt, and free vs a lot of debt LOL 

Yeah one can never underestimate how different it can be for different people. School means such a different thing to everyone! He made the decision when he was 18 to apply to college on an art teacher’s whim with no parental guidance AT ALL. His parents never graduated HS and unfortunately his family is now dead, in jail, or on meth. Poor kiddo went into debt for the rest of his life without any idea of what he was getting into! But he’s super happy, moved to the big city and really reinvented himself. 
I totally see your reluctance and think in the end we just have to respect our individual story and pursue it to it’s fullest.  ?

[katfude]

19 minutes ago, joeyjoejoeshabbadoo said:

is anyone else ITT applying to PAFA? don't think I seen anyone else talk about it

I went to PAFA for my undergrad and have a ton of knowledge about the MFA program-- if you have any questions about the school feel free to message me! 

[jack343234]

Anyone hear anything from NYU MFA fine art?

 

[BloodstainedRoses]

Hi! New to this forum and also stressing about MFA results. Is anyone else a creative writing MFA applicant? 

[SocialKonstruct]

2 hours ago, geemun said:

This is a very personal decision and one I think you should think really long and hard about, but from everything I've been told from mentors and artists - get the cheapest MFA possible especially when there are so many great programs that are more affordable. I mean if you're thinking of keeping your mortgage vs school, i would definitely do what I needed to do keep the mortgage. I'm also from a financially challenged background and have 30k in undergrad debt. I have barely made a dent in it. You could regret not going to SAIC for the experience but be in a financially stable place, or go to SAIC and be so burdened by debt that it leaves a cloud over it. 

I actually don't agree with that assessment. Getting a MFA cheaply is not bad but often, one can say that many MFA programs seem to be cake decoration. But then again it's like gambling. If you are confident that you can go to huge places in the contemporary art world then don't go cheap with the MFA (you could do more than one but...).

[SocialKonstruct]

1 hour ago, Scrambledmegs said:

Both a bit. He was disappointed in the cohort at MCAD though the facilities were amazing. He regrets not attending  SAIC because he knows people from his undergrad with similar work to his that went to SAIC and are selling like crazy now. 

He’s had some success, but it’s been harder to get gallery attention. He did just get his first museum show. 
I’ll explain a bit about the financial reasoning because it is of course specific to him. He had a lot of debt from undergrad anyway and will basically never pay it off so he now just feels like he shouldn’t have been worried about taking on more. At the rate he’s paying on it, it would take him over 200 years to be debt free. Basically the position he takes (which I think is worth considering), is artists usually have relatively low paying jobs (art handlers, teachers) and have limited success selling. Most will likely live with debt their whole lives, but in many ways student debt isn’t a big deal. You aren’t penalized much for having it, and it’s very possible the government will put programs in forth in the future to forgive debt (like the working for a non profit for 10 years thing pre-trump). You might as well just go for it, and set yourself up in the best way you can to be the one artist in a thousand who really makes it and even easily pays off your debt!  Kinda almost like being an artist is a dumb financial decision; might as well be really dumb with it and dream big lol!  BTW he did come from a deeply impoverished and very rural background so it’s not like he is nonchalant about money.  

I agree with that too. As a part-time gallerist and co-curator I know that I will be upfront when I say that I look at the MFA programs I select to represent because I don't have endless time to look at portfolios for every single MFA program. And yes, I did examine the SAIC graduates very closely.

[Reida]

Has anyone heard back from SAIC ATS?

[katfude]

13 minutes ago, SocialKonstruct said:

I agree with that too. As a part-time gallerist and co-curator I know that I will be upfront when I say that I look at the MFA programs I select to represent because I don't have endless time to look at portfolios for every single MFA program. And yes, I did examine the SAIC graduates very closely.

I guess that makes sense, but from what I have seen in my own little circle it doesn't always happen that way. Statistically, sure there might be higher "odds" but odds aren't always indicative of personal experience. I mean both Alex Da Corte and Jonathan Lyndon Chase went to The University of the Arts for their undergrad, a less competitive school-- then Alex went to Yale and Jonathan went to PAFA, a less competitive school. Alex is 10 years older, but Jonathan's career is REALLY gaining monumental steam after graduating a few years ago. So you just never know-- and going off odds and prestige alone doesn't paint the whole picture. 

[Hphphphp]

Has anybody heard back from NU ATP after interviewing ?

[Dgzrlemc]

22 minutes ago, Hphphphp said:

Has anybody heard back from NU ATP after interviewing ?

Also wondering this!  

[123123435]

1 hour ago, SocialKonstruct said:

I agree with that too. As a part-time gallerist and co-curator I know that I will be upfront when I say that I look at the MFA programs I select to represent because I don't have endless time to look at portfolios for every single MFA program. And yes, I did examine the SAIC graduates very closely.

Did you look at SAIC equally across MFA programs/departmetns, or were there certain ones more important for you? How did the low res SAIC compare to the other ones?

[hsag]

1 hour ago, Hphphphp said:

Has anybody heard back from NU ATP after interviewing ?

Haven't heard anything and the wait is killing me

[Artist99]

Has anyone heard anything from UCI recently? I know they sent out rejections last week, but I haven’t heard anything since. 

[ZellFin]

As a heads up for anyone waiting to hear back from Concordia University, I emailed their admissions office and was notified of my admission status. 
 

I’m accepted, so very happy but wondering if it’s typical for Canadian MFA programs to just not interview? 
 

Good luck to everyone else waiting! 

[rororiroor]

Has anyone heard anything from Columbia University for photography MFA? A friend of mine heard about a painting interview but I haven’t heard a thing since submitting my application. 

[SocialKonstruct]

2 hours ago, katfude said:

I guess that makes sense, but from what I have seen in my own little circle it doesn't always happen that way. Statistically, sure there might be higher "odds" but odds aren't always indicative of personal experience. I mean both Alex Da Corte and Jonathan Lyndon Chase went to The University of the Arts for their undergrad, a less competitive school-- then Alex went to Yale and Jonathan went to PAFA, a less competitive school. Alex is 10 years older, but Jonathan's career is REALLY gaining monumental steam after graduating a few years ago. So you just never know-- and going off odds and prestige alone doesn't paint the whole picture. 

Yes... Jonathan Lyndon Chase is at a kickass but relatively smaller gallery- https://companygallery.us/artists/jonathan-lyndon-chase/ 

Alex Da Corte is here at a huge blue chip gallery- https://matthewmarks.com/artists/alex-da-corte

Indeed, it doesn't paint the whole picture but still there is a huge difference between Company and Matthew Marks in terms of market and audience. Plus Da Corte has a few (I think) monographs out about his work.

[SocialKonstruct]

1 hour ago, 123123435 said:

Did you look at SAIC equally across MFA programs/departmetns, or were there certain ones more important for you? How did the low res SAIC compare to the other ones?

I looked at everything but mostly I also used New American Paintings as a key component too. I think the low res SAIC was very nice but they were super small and sadly enough I didn't see anyone there atm whose work fit into the agenda of the gallery which I co-run.

I don't have any pickiness at all with media in terms of what I am looking for. Right now our gallery is looking mostly for trans and Muslim artists, particularly we want to fill out our roster with very conceptual art (we have tons of painters atm) and new media works (internet and computer and video art mostly).

[slickjaketheruler]

Just received an offer from SAIC Printmedia, with a 35% tuition scholarship. Im happy, but also upset that I probably won’t be able to afford it.