MFA 2021 Freak Out Forum

[nonsenseisnowheretobefound]

50 minutes ago, lizavetar96 said:

Is there a website I can see? I would love to connect. (I connect with SVA alumni by asking the faculty, they were very open and encouraging about this. )

Thanks! I’ll definitely ask SVA about it. I don’t have a website either, sorry. I wasn’t photography or fine art major before and haven’t had enough series of photos to put up a website. Btw, congrats on your acceptance to CalArts too (just saw your new post)! I don’t know if you know much about Parsons MFA photography, what do you think of it compared to SVA? It seems to me that SVA may have better connections, reputation and stuff so I didn’t consider Parsons in the first place. But I learned that Parsons will maintain a relatively small group of MFA students (about 12-15) but SVA seems to have 25-35 each year and the diversity is less at SVA. What do you think?

[lizavetar96]

3 minutes ago, nonsenseisnowheretobefound said:

Thanks! I’ll definitely ask SVA about it. I don’t have a website either, sorry. I wasn’t photography or fine art major before and haven’t had enough series of photos to put up a website. Btw, congrats on your acceptance to CalArts too (just saw your new post)! I don’t know if you know much about Parsons MFA photography, what do you think of it compared to SVA? It seems to me that SVA may have better connections, reputation and stuff so I didn’t consider Parsons in the first place. But I learned that Parsons will maintain a relatively small group of MFA students (about 12-15) but SVA seems to have 25-35 each year and the diversity is less at SVA. What do you think?

Thank you! 
I actually was under the impression that Parsons is more reputable than SVA but it seems like all these rankings are so different and it is hard to understand who even creates them so I do not know what to believe anymore lol. 
I actually was told that SVA is quite diverse in the student body, but the faculty itself of SVA is very white and predominantly male (that seems to be the case across the board though in different MFA programs). 

My problem with SVA is that lingering feeling I got from speaking to some people is that it accepts quite a lot of people for the program and churns out a lot of students every year, it does not seem personal or intimate or like there would be personalised relationship with students. That is a downer for me, honestly. But maybe I am wrong, who knows. 

[everyonelikesbubbles]

24 minutes ago, nonsenseisnowheretobefound said:

Thanks! I’ll definitely ask SVA about it. I don’t have a website either, sorry. I wasn’t photography or fine art major before and haven’t had enough series of photos to put up a website. Btw, congrats on your acceptance to CalArts too (just saw your new post)! I don’t know if you know much about Parsons MFA photography, what do you think of it compared to SVA? It seems to me that SVA may have better connections, reputation and stuff so I didn’t consider Parsons in the first place. But I learned that Parsons will maintain a relatively small group of MFA students (about 12-15) but SVA seems to have 25-35 each year and the diversity is less at SVA. What do you think?

25-35 people in the same discipline sounds like a lot. I don't know about these programs specifically, but any difference in alleged "prestige" would seem negligible in these 2 schools. I'd choose based on price and which school has cooler faculty and more student support. I'd assume the connections would be the same, as they likely recruit/compete for the same teachers (unless they have a specific structure for studio visits that makes them unique). Also you're in NY--make your own connections.

[nonsenseisnowheretobefound]

9 minutes ago, lizavetar96 said:

Thank you! 
I actually was under the impression that Parsons is more reputable than SVA but it seems like all these rankings are so different and it is hard to understand who even creates them so I do not know what to believe anymore lol. 
I actually was told that SVA is quite diverse in the student body, but the faculty itself of SVA is very white and predominantly male (that seems to be the case across the board though in different MFA programs). 

My problem with SVA is that lingering feeling I got from speaking to some people is that it accepts quite a lot of people for the program and churns out a lot of students every year, it does not seem personal or intimate or like there would be personalised relationship with students. That is a downer for me, honestly. But maybe I am wrong, who knows. 

Maybe I should reconsider Parsons? From all the reviews and rankings I’ve read, I feel Parsons is in general more reputed but its MFA Photo is not as good as SVA’s. Many think of SVA MFA photo is the best in east coast while Parsons MFA Photo is just also good. Specifically, SVA is more conceptual (MFA students don’t even have full access to dark room) while Parsons is slightly more traditional. I don’t know how they come to this conclusion. But from their official program introduction page, Parsons MFA is actually quite  intense and small-grouped, which I actually prefer. SVA has a diverse photo faculty and visiting artists, a complex curriculum, and helpful connections but the student body is mainly white and Asian and each graduate program have double or triple the number of students compared to other art schools. I do see what you mean by not intimate enough. That’s what I’m worried too.

[nonsenseisnowheretobefound]

2 minutes ago, everyonelikesbubbles said:

25-35 people in the same discipline sounds like a lot. I don't know about these programs specifically, but any difference in alleged "prestige" would seem negligible in these 2 schools. I'd choose based on price and which school has cooler faculty and more student support. I'd assume the connections would be the same, as they likely recruit/compete for the same teachers (unless they have a specific structure for studio visits that makes them unique). Also you're in NY--make your own connections.

Thanks!

[everyonelikesbubbles]

22 hours ago, nonsenseisnowheretobefound said:

SVA or CalArts??

 

I got into CalArts's and SVA's MFA Photography program this year, but I'm struggling with the final decision.

To me, New York seems to be a better place to study contemporary photography and has more chances to find a job, but overall CalArts has a better reputation on this program but is located in a relatively poor location (Valencia, 30mi away from center of LA) to develop photography as an art, have a lively social life and find a well-paid job after graduation (I could be wrong about CalArts, though). P.S., SVA offers me 3-year admission and CalArts is regular 2-year. And neither provides any scholarships, tuitions are quite similar but living in New York cost about 1/3 more and needs an extra half a year to a year.

 

Any additional information or suggestion will be appreciated!

 

From what I understand CalArts is super interdisciplinary, so I think you'd come out of that program a more interesting photographer. Do you want to be a grad student for 2 years or 3? Or live in NY or LA? Those are 2 huge things that may be easy to answer. I'm curious that you said one of your goals is to get a "well-paid job after graduation." Getting a Photo MFA is an interesting way to go about that. It's certainly possible to blow-up, get an agent, and make it as a fashion photographer but not sure an MFA is required for that. What sort of job do you mean? Congrats on the acceptances!

[everyonelikesbubbles]

Since I've been posting here a lot, thought I'd share the final tally:

Columbia - sculpture - accepted 

MIT - art, culture & technology - accepted

RISD - sculpture - accepted

Goldsmiths - fine art - accepted

Bard - sculpture - interviewed / waitlisted

UCLA - sculpture -rejected (no interview, requested info from my recommenders)

Yale - sculpture -rejected

 

Having difficulty making the final decision! Let's see! Hearing so much drama from Columbia definitely doesn't inspire confidence there.

[everyonelikesbubbles]

One more thing! I had a really interesting call with a rad curatorial team. They've worked as head curators for several biennials, as well as pavilions for Venice. I was asking for advice on what school I should choose. This is a paraphrasing of what they said:

"Don't think about prestige. Go with where you want to live and what will benefit you to learn. No one cares about where you went to grad school or even if you went to grad school. They care about the practice. Artists these days can come from anywhere."

That doesn't mean prestige doesn't matter for teaching or for your personal sense of self-worth--that's surely a thing, for better or worse! Anyway, not everyone is brainwashed and don't let the people on this forum brainwash you!

[everyonelikesbubbles]

2 hours ago, SocialKonstruct said:

? Not sure but these Chinese ranking seems to focus on the undergraduate level I think?

QS Rankings are actually from UK. I used to think it was Chinese, too, for some reason. It's sort of the benchmark ranking, as US News and World Report is not so relevant outside of the US. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, when they give scholarships to students to study abroad, the target university has to rank higher than a cut-off on the QS list--so this list is hardly obscure.

The ranking you posted is for Art & DESIGN--which explains a lot of that ranking. It's not a"MFA" list. MIT, for instance, has the most famous architecture school in the world (and the oldest in the US), while Parsons is obviously a fashion powerhouse--hence they rank highly. QS also has a hard-on for research / publishing to generate their lists. It's hard to do but you have to take all of these rankings with a grain of salt. 

[dramallama_07]

13 hours ago, lizavetar96 said:

GUYS
 

I got accepted to CALARTS for Photography. What the fuck. I did not even have an interview. I got a notification and I thought it was a rejection. I definitely won't be able to go because of the finances, but the acceptance warms my heart. 

So where are you finally planning to go?

[nonsenseisnowheretobefound]

9 hours ago, everyonelikesbubbles said:

From what I understand CalArts is super interdisciplinary, so I think you'd come out of that program a more interesting photographer. Do you want to be a grad student for 2 years or 3? Or live in NY or LA? Those are 2 huge things that may be easy to answer. I'm curious that you said one of your goals is to get a "well-paid job after graduation." Getting a Photo MFA is an interesting way to go about that. It's certainly possible to blow-up, get an agent, and make it as a fashion photographer but not sure an MFA is required for that. What sort of job do you mean? Congrats on the acceptances!

Thank you for your reply. My ultimate goal is to be an contemporary artist. I wish I could stay in the US for some time after graduation but as an international student, I have to get a stable job that meets the minimum salary required by USCIS to continue my legal residence. So a well-paid job is also what I need to consider when choosing a school before I mature as an artist.

[XSX]

Here's how my list played out:

Boston University (accepted - 80% percent tuition reduction)

VCU (accepted - full ride plus $10k teaching stipend)

Tyler (accepted - renegotiating funding offer)

UW Seattle (accepted - declined offer)

UC Riverside (accepted - declined offer)

UC Berkeley (waitlisted)

UC San Diego (waitlisted)

UCLA - rejected

Yale - rejected 

Still trying to make a decision. Heavily leaning towards Boston U despite the funding offer from VCU. 

[salad]

22 minutes ago, XSX said:

Here's how my list played out:

Boston University (accepted - 80% percent tuition reduction)

VCU (accepted - full ride plus $10k teaching stipend)

Tyler (accepted - renegotiating funding offer)

UW Seattle (accepted - declined offer)

UC Riverside (accepted - declined offer)

UC Berkeley (waitlisted)

UC San Diego (waitlisted)

UCLA - rejected

Yale - rejected 

Still trying to make a decision. Heavily leaning towards Boston U despite the funding offer from VCU. 

Congrats on these!! Which track?

[XSX]

40 minutes ago, salad said:

Congrats on these!! Which track?

Painting 

[lizavetar96]

9 minutes ago, XSX said:

Painting 

Can I ask why you declined UW offer (I know they are fully funded with the stipend)? I am on their waitlist and I think of accepting if offered...

Just want to know your thought proccess. 
 

and congrats on all the offers!

[XSX]

6 minutes ago, lizavetar96 said:

Can I ask why you declined UW offer (I know they are fully funded with the stipend)? I am on their waitlist and I think of accepting if offered...

Just want to know your thought proccess. 
 

and congrats on all the offers!

It's a partially funded offer with teaching assistantships throughout the two years to offset what you would end up having to pay for tuition. It's really narrowing down to faculty for me. I would love to live in Seattle, but I didn't see my work benefitting from what the painting faculty at UW had to offer. 

[lizavetar96]

3 minutes ago, XSX said:

It's a partially funded offer with teaching assistantships throughout the two years to offset what you would end up having to pay for tuition. It's really narrowing down to faculty for me. I would love to live in Seattle, but I didn't see my work benefitting from what the painting faculty at UW had to offer. 

I understand. Thank you!

[SocialKonstruct]

17 hours ago, everyonelikesbubbles said:

Since I've been posting here a lot, thought I'd share the final tally:

Columbia - sculpture - accepted 

MIT - art, culture & technology - accepted

RISD - sculpture - accepted

Goldsmiths - fine art - accepted

Bard - sculpture - interviewed / waitlisted

UCLA - sculpture -rejected (no interview, requested info from my recommenders)

Yale - sculpture -rejected

 

Having difficulty making the final decision! Let's see! Hearing so much drama from Columbia definitely doesn't inspire confidence there.

Aye. Grats on the Columbia acceptance btw!

[rororiroor]

Has anyone gotten a rejection from Columbia? I haven’t heard a thing since the interview 

[PlzTakeME]

3 hours ago, rororiroor said:

Has anyone gotten a rejection from Columbia? I haven’t heard a thing since the interview 

Same here! I know some sculpture candidates have been accepted and I’m wondering if anyone has heard from the painting

[Strawberrycat]

Guys, I got into USC and was offered a $20k fellowship for the first year, which is so nice, but is still way too expensive for me (?) so I know I have to try to negotiate, but am very scared to. Is anyone who has experience negotiating willing to chat with me a bit? 

[SocialKonstruct]

On 4/2/2021 at 5:25 PM, everyonelikesbubbles said:

QS Rankings are actually from UK. I used to think it was Chinese, too, for some reason. It's sort of the benchmark ranking, as US News and World Report is not so relevant outside of the US. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, when they give scholarships to students to study abroad, the target university has to rank higher than a cut-off on the QS list--so this list is hardly obscure.

The ranking you posted is for Art & DESIGN--which explains a lot of that ranking. It's not a"MFA" list. MIT, for instance, has the most famous architecture school in the world (and the oldest in the US), while Parsons is obviously a fashion powerhouse--hence they rank highly. QS also has a hard-on for research / publishing to generate their lists. It's hard to do but you have to take all of these rankings with a grain of salt. 

Thanks for the clarification. I am not a fan of the benchmarks but as these metrics tend to be a huge factor in personal decisionmaking they cannot be ignored.

[sunnydelightt]

14 hours ago, Strawberrycat said:

Guys, I got into USC and was offered a $20k fellowship for the first year, which is so nice, but is still way too expensive for me (?) so I know I have to try to negotiate, but am very scared to. Is anyone who has experience negotiating willing to chat with me a bit? 

How did you find out you got in? An email or the portal?

[lizavetar96]

14 hours ago, Strawberrycat said:

Guys, I got into USC and was offered a $20k fellowship for the first year, which is so nice, but is still way too expensive for me (?) so I know I have to try to negotiate, but am very scared to. Is anyone who has experience negotiating willing to chat with me a bit? 

Messaged you !

[Strawberrycat]

57 minutes ago, sunnydelightt said:

How did you find out you got in? An email or the portal?

I found out through email last night at 10 pm. The portal still hasn't been updated!