MFA 2021 Freak Out Forum

[lizavetar96]

1 minute ago, dramallama_07 said:

Well that is very disheartening to hear esp. since I was really considering the Fine Arts program due to some big name faculties like Tsibi Geva, Laurel Nakadate, Kameelah Rashid, Jasmine Wahi etc (if you've even heard of them)

In any case, would you or someone else happen to know the case with Parsons Fine Arts? Is it for-profit too? And are the faculty over there as callous?

i am also very interested to hear about parsons

[dramallama_07]

17 minutes ago, lizavetar96 said:

I totally second your sentiment about black and Hispanic students. 

Did you receive the brochure from the chair about the departmental assistanships? So this is the only way to get aid from school in my understanding -- applying to an assistanship where you work in a certain department (they are highly competitive positions) and if you get a part time assistanship you get a quarter of a tuition off, and if you get a full time (I think it is 20 hours a week) you get half tuition off. If you did not get a brochure for some reason email them NOW to apply. (it also would be incredibly weird if they did not send it to you). 

but as far as i know - there is no other funding at all

Well umm I didn't receive the brochure. Maybe because of different departmental timelines? I've applied for Fine Arts

[lizavetar96]

maybe different departments also have different funding then?.. but i would recommend emailing your department

[MMW]

I don't know what to feel about calling asian international students are from a wealthy background...Everyone have different situation and difficulties. There are people from different part of the world that also have economic support? Why just assume someone's background based on their nationality? Folks are just trying to get a better education. It is already not welcoming to live as foreigner in US, especially in the current climate. It is just a bit tiring to learn about these opinion repeatedly.

[dramallama_07]

Just now, lizavetar96 said:

maybe different departments also have different funding then?.. but i would recommend emailing your department

I did twice. Nobody has replied. So I've just planned to wait now for a few weeks or so since I was told in my interview that the acceptance calls usually arrive by 1st April. Now I don't know for what reason, I received mine way earlier in Feb but I'm still waiting till end of march at least to see how this all plays out.

Afterall the interviewer did mention that the department gives merit scholarships which you don't have to apply for or do anything even

[feralpugface]

Hey all,

Longtime lurker, first time poster.

Anyone else get into MassArt for photo? I applied because I love Barbara Bosworth's work (but realized during the interview that she actually retired recently, whoops). Financially, it's a huge stretch for me. I definitely regret not applying to more programs (specifically CalArts w/ Jo Ann Callis, another big inspiration). This year was my first cycle, so I was just testing the waters. 

If anyone has any anecdotal info, please pass it along!

Edited March 6, 2021 by feralpugface

[geeeeebie]

5 minutes ago, MMW said:

I don't know what to feel about calling asian international students are from a wealthy background...Everyone have different situation and difficulties. There are people from different part of the world that also have economic support? Why just assume someone's background based on their nationality? Folks are just trying to get a better education. It is already not welcoming to live as foreigner in US, especially in the current climate. It is just a bit tiring to learn about these opinion repeatedly.

Not necessarily an opinion, just what I have heard from folks who attended! I am sure not everyone there is from a wealthy background, but many international students dont qualify for aid so they have to pay out of pocket. 

[lizavetar96]

2 minutes ago, MMW said:

I don't know what to feel about calling asian international students are from a wealthy background...Everyone have different situation and difficulties. There are people from different part of the world that also have economic support? Why just assume someone's background based on their nationality? Folks are just trying to get a better education. It is already not welcoming to live as foreigner in US, especially in the current climate. It is just a bit tiring to learn about these opinion repeatedly.

I apologise, I might have not articulated myself well in the previous post. I do not think that all Asian students come from upper-class backgrounds, what I was trying to say that  I think there might be a correlation between one university making it easy to attend for international students but not for other international students. I am speaking here as an international student myself. 

(that said, I am white, so this might be a situation where I should just keep my mouth shut and listen). And again, I aplogise, I did not want to generalise. 

[lizavetar96]

15 minutes ago, dramallama_07 said:

Well umm I didn't receive the brochure. Maybe because of different departmental timelines? I've applied for Fine Arts

can I see your work somewhere? Jo Ann Callis is also a huge influence on my photography

[__________]

Hi everyone! 
 

This board has been super helpful for me during the process ? wanted to share a lil of my experience so I can offer info/peace of mind 
 

admitted to UNM—art/ecology

~~no interview—-loved the program but not funded 

admitted to UCLA—new genres

~~interviewed with both new genres and interdisciplinary studio—-intense and challenging process but rewarding 

~~most likely going! Great funding//was a dream to get in 

 

interviewed this week with CalArts 

~~interviewers were very kind 

~~very impersonal but good school doubt I’ll get great funding tho

 

hoping success to everyone and lots of care! 

[lizavetar96]

1 minute ago, __________ said:

Hi everyone! 
 

This board has been super helpful for me during the process ? wanted to share a lil of my experience so I can offer info/peace of mind 
 

admitted to UNM—art/ecology

~~no interview—-loved the program but not funded 

admitted to UCLA—new genres

~~interviewed with both new genres and interdisciplinary studio—-intense and challenging process but rewarding 

~~most likely going! Great funding//was a dream to get in 

 

interviewed this week with CalArts 

~~interviewers were very kind 

~~very impersonal but good school doubt I’ll get great funding tho

 

hoping success to everyone and lots of care! 

Can I ask what were the questions during the UCLA interview?

[feralpugface]

5 minutes ago, lizavetar96 said:

can I see your work somewhere? Jo Ann Callis is also a huge influence on my photography

Not sure if this is in reply to me! I don't actually have a "functional" website atm, just a creative site. It does have some work on it. I can DM you the link if you're interested. 

Would also love to see other people's work -- esp photographers. 

[lizavetar96]

Just now, feralpugface said:

Not sure if this is in reply to me! I don't actually have a "functional" website atm, just a creative site. It does have some work on it. I can DM you the link if you're interested. 

Would also love to see other people's work -- esp photographers. 

Yeah I would love to see your work. Please DM

[feralpugface]

As it stands, I'll likely defer and apply to a greater pool of schools in the fall -- CalArts, ICP (for Justine Kurland), UNM, maybe Yale (why not). I suppose it's just good to know that my portfolio is competitive. I'd still really like to hear from anyone else considering MassArt.

Edited March 6, 2021 by feralpugface

[__________]

1 minute ago, lizavetar96 said:

Can I ask what were the questions during the UCLA interview?

I don’t remember exactly it was a little bit of a blur lol but it was a one hour phone call. I was on a residency so I spoke a little about my work there. 
 

They were mostly conversational centered around the potential depths of your work and the concepts built//what u wanted to work on while in grad! 

[everyonelikesbubbles]

20 minutes ago, MMW said:

I don't know what to feel about calling asian international students are from a wealthy background...Everyone have different situation and difficulties. There are people from different part of the world that also have economic support? Why just assume someone's background based on their nationality? Folks are just trying to get a better education. It is already not welcoming to live as foreigner in US, especially in the current climate. It is just a bit tiring to learn about these opinion repeatedly.

It’s a known fact that international students are considered a big source of income in American and British higher-ed. Statistically, the majority of international students come from China—which has a large educated population and is a prosperous country. This means qualified students who are generally asked to pay full tuition. At this point, many institutions are so reliant on Chinese students that they wouldn’t meet their budget targets otherwise. 

This is less obfuscated in the UK where grant aid is minimal and international students must pay twice as much. This makes recruiting international students imperative, esp since budget cuts have been so drastic. I’m American and hyper aware that I am valuable to the UK schools I applied to.

 

[SocialKonstruct]

1 hour ago, geeeeebie said:

 

My partner attended SVA for undergrad and said they do massive advertising in Asia to pull in wealthy international students who need no aid. As someone mentioned here, its a for-profit school, and most folks I know that went there said it FEELS for profit. It feels like youre there to make them money. 

Yes but also SVA has turned out some of the best contemporary art figures as well. We have countless examples such as Johan Grimonprez.

Every single art school is for profit in the USA. There is no such thing as a non-profit art school at the MFA level that I know of. Even if you are funded by scholarships and loans and financial aid, the school profits in some way.

[SocialKonstruct]

43 minutes ago, feralpugface said:

Not sure if this is in reply to me! I don't actually have a "functional" website atm, just a creative site. It does have some work on it. I can DM you the link if you're interested. 

Would also love to see other people's work -- esp photographers. 

I am a photography BFA major and you can see my work at www.albertabdulbarrwang.art. But I am also very conceptually driven and not commercial at all in my interests (keeping in line with my neo-Marxist beliefs).

[SocialKonstruct]

1 hour ago, dramallama_07 said:

Well that is very disheartening to hear esp. since I was really considering the Fine Arts program due to some big name faculties like Tsibi Geva, Laurel Nakadate, Kameelah Rashid, Jasmine Wahi etc (if you've even heard of them)

In any case, would you or someone else happen to know the case with Parsons Fine Arts? Is it for-profit too? And are the faculty over there as callous?

My experience with the SVA residency has been pretty positive but then again you have to hustle to make it in the art world. I suspect a lot of art MFA students desire to have things handed to them on a silver platter and we want fancy studios etc. etc.

I have zero interest in privilege whenever I go to my MFA program. My idea is that I should be able to make art on the run. Art while being homeless. Art while being happy. Art while in a residency (and some residencies are even more barebones than a cubicle)... Art while being in an airplane.

I think often we are used to having an art education based on the fact that we are afforded the tools given by professors. One has to hustle to make the connections, to take the initative to meet up with professors (they will not come over to you), to be an occasional enterprising soul out there.

This is the stark reality I am facing as I am working and founding a curatorial space here in Salt Lake City. I do not get any support from the local Utah community (apart from a few nods) and I have learned to help others thrive (as a curator) and still have a viable art practice with the minimal amount of funding and resources possible. Maybe I am cynical but dealing with the stark support system for the visual arts in the USA this is more commonplace than ever.

Maybe SVA seems like a pretty stark place but I have seen quite a few folks do rather well from their BFA program (my gallery represents a few graduates from there) as well as their MFA program.

[SocialKonstruct]

13 minutes ago, everyonelikesbubbles said:

It’s a known fact that international students are considered a big source of income in American and British higher-ed. Statistically, the majority of international students come from China—which has a large educated population and is a prosperous country. This means qualified students who are generally asked to pay full tuition. At this point, many institutions are so reliant on Chinese students that they wouldn’t meet their budget targets otherwise. 

This is less obfuscated in the UK where grant aid is minimal and international students must pay twice as much. This makes recruiting international students imperative, esp since budget cuts have been so drastic. I’m American and hyper aware that I am valuable to the UK schools I applied to.

 

Also the growing ascendancy of China is quite evident in the art auction and collectors market during the pandemic era. Art fairs are flourishing in China as well. Napoleon was correct about China being the sleeping tiger which awakens and this is very true in today's contemporary art field.

[Popopopo]

1 hour ago, __________ said:

Hi everyone! 
 

This board has been super helpful for me during the process ? wanted to share a lil of my experience so I can offer info/peace of mind 
 

admitted to UNM—art/ecology

~~no interview—-loved the program but not funded 

admitted to UCLA—new genres

~~interviewed with both new genres and interdisciplinary studio—-intense and challenging process but rewarding 

~~most likely going! Great funding//was a dream to get in 

 

interviewed this week with CalArts 

~~interviewers were very kind 

~~very impersonal but good school doubt I’ll get great funding tho

 

hoping success to everyone and lots of care! 

wow! Congrats, such great news! Would you mind sharing your website? I would like to see your work! 

[Hphphphp]

Omg I remembered this work by Alex Bag today. I feel like some of you here may enjoy watching this SVA satire:

 

[MMW]

1 hour ago, everyonelikesbubbles said:

It’s a known fact that international students are considered a big source of income in American and British higher-ed. Statistically, the majority of international students come from China—which has a large educated population and is a prosperous country. This means qualified students who are generally asked to pay full tuition. At this point, many institutions are so reliant on Chinese students that they wouldn’t meet their budget targets otherwise. 

This is less obfuscated in the UK where grant aid is minimal and international students must pay twice as much. This makes recruiting international students imperative, esp since budget cuts have been so drastic. I’m American and hyper aware that I am valuable to the UK schools I applied to.

 

I agree with you and the statistic. I came from China and was an international student in the US. China is similar to the US, which has an even larger gap between the poor and the rich. Art education is a privilege to a small number of people in China. As individuals, we all have the right to pursue the education and the life we want. The point I was suggesting is when already being seen as money bags to the institution, I don't see the good of transferring the negative aspect/inequality(the pay-to-play) in the US Institution to Asian students? I believe friends in this forum have no meaning to be harmful!  It is just a bit dangerous to think like "certain background equal something" I wish to be part of a diverse cohort like everyone else here. Critical thinking and an inclusive environment are the reasons why many international students wish to be studying in the US. 

[SocialKonstruct]

27 minutes ago, MMW said:

I agree with you and the statistic. I came from China and was an international student in the US. China is similar to the US, which has an even larger gap between the poor and the rich. Art education is a privilege to a small number of people in China. As individuals, we all have the right to pursue the education and the life we want. The point I was suggesting is when already being seen as money bags to the institution, I don't see the good of transferring the negative aspect/inequality(the pay-to-play) in the US Institution to Asian students? I believe friends in this forum have no meaning to be harmful!  It is just a bit dangerous to think like "certain background equal something" I wish to be part of a diverse cohort like everyone else here. Critical thinking and an inclusive environment are the reasons why many international students wish to be studying in the US. 

Also despite the Trump dictatorial era, we don't have extensive internet censorship here... so the freedom to explore all types of subjects is liberating too. Indeed... however despite the appeal of having a diverse cohort, one must be careful to remember that we have to not tolerate intolerance which is becoming huge in our culture today.

[MMW]

30 minutes ago, SocialKonstruct said:

Also despite the Trump dictatorial era, we don't have extensive internet censorship here... so the freedom to explore all types of subjects is liberating too. Indeed... however despite the appeal of having a diverse cohort, one must be careful to remember that we have to not tolerate intolerance which is becoming huge in our culture today.

Indeed!?