MFA 2022 Freak Out Forum

[nobodyok]

Anyone on here apply in Sculpture for VCU, UArk, or UCLA and hear back?

[artcat]

5 minutes ago, nobodyok said:

Anyone on here apply in Sculpture for VCU, UArk, or UCLA and hear back?

I also applied ot UCLA and VCU sculpture but have heard nothing .... maybe they're just taking their time??  fingers crossed for both of us!

[nobodyok]

1 minute ago, artcat said:

I also applied ot UCLA and VCU sculpture but have heard nothing .... maybe they're just taking their time??  fingers crossed for both of us!

Yes, I hope you receive some good news soon too! I applied to VCU last year, and the process was... lol. I actually never received a notification even after the April 15 decision deadline, and I had to email the department. Some time in late May I received an email apology and a copy of my rejection letter. They didn't send me an email notice, and it seems they don't do portal updates. If you're rejected, it goes out by mail, I think in mid-March. I applied early this year before the first January 15 deadline, but I remember by this time last year they had been doing sculpture interviews, so, ehh...

I'm sad Guadalupe Maravilla is not on faculty there this year. UCLA, I'm applying to for the first time. 

[ORRI]

1 hour ago, nobodyok said:

Anyone on here apply in Sculpture for VCU, UArk, or UCLA and hear back?

VCU sculpture MFA sent an interview offer on early Feb

[chunkeymonkey]

Just got an unofficial acceptance from UCLA!!!!!!!

[Frank14]

I posted this on the results page https://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/ as well but this week I interviewed with Colorado State, received a second round interview invite from MICA, and was invited to interview at San Francisco State! 

MICA-Multidisciplinary Art (Mount Royal) and the other two for MFA Painting! I'm super excited and thought the CSU interview went really well! I actually didn't think the MICA interview went that well so I'm surprised to have gotten a second interview invite. 

Like many others, still have not heard back from VCU or UCI ?‍♂️?

[AncientQuail]

On 2/17/2022 at 4:55 PM, _redrabbit7 said:

Anyway, I had come online to share some good news. A few hours ago I received an acceptance email from RISD. They have awarded me a Society of Presidential Fellowship, which covers all my tuition for both my first and second year. I have also been given a TA position that comes with a purse of 5000 USD per annum, although I think every candidate gets that. 

hi @_redrabbit7! HUGE congratulations on your acceptance and presidential fellowship to RISD!

I was wondering if you were told much about the nature of the presidential scholarship (how many people are awarded it/if all of them have been allocated yet?) I was accepted to RISD for printmaking but was offered very little money (a fellowship of $14,000 and a TA salary of $4,000). I was wondering if it would be unprofessional for me to ask my department's graduate program director about the presidential scholarship specifically, as I've already been accepted to 2 other schools that would cover my tuition entirely. 

[AncientQuail]

unofficially accepted to University of Iowa for printmaking ?

has anyone been getting phone call requests from faculty members at the schools you were accepted to? I spoke to someone from RISD yesterday about my financial package and am talking to someone from iowa today. anyone have insight as to why they do this?

[_redrabbit7]

 

37 minutes ago, AncientQuail said:

hi @_redrabbit7! HUGE congratulations on your acceptance and presidential fellowship to RISD!

I was wondering if you were told much about the nature of the presidential scholarship (how many people are awarded it/if all of them have been allocated yet?) I was accepted to RISD for printmaking but was offered very little money (a fellowship of $14,000 and a TA salary of $4,000). I was wondering if it would be unprofessional for me to ask my department's graduate program director about the presidential scholarship specifically, as I've already been accepted to 2 other schools that would cover my tuition entirely. 

Hello @Ancient Quail, thanks for your compliments.

I have not been able to speak with the head of department concerning the Presidential Fellowship, so I wouldn't know how many applicants were awarded, how many were allocated, etc. We are hoping to jump on a call one of these days, to align and discuss further details about my application and so forth. 

I am sorry to hear that RISD did not offer you a full ride. But then, two schools are offering you that so congratulations, I think that is something to be glad and grateful for. 

I cannot say for certain if it would be professional for you to ask about the Presidential Fellowship. Applicants who get awarded are usually nominated by department heads and deans. I did not know anything about this fellowship prior  to my award. Kindly check details here: http://risd.edu/giving/priorities/society-presidential-fellows.

Edited February 19, 2022 by _redrabbit7

[_redrabbit7]

On 2/17/2022 at 6:01 PM, Westcoasty said:

@medsuppy, I applied for sculpture. I applied to several grad schools (not including Bard) a few years ago for painting, but my practice is really interdisciplinary and my paintings are sculptural, so I think this may be a better path for me. You're applying for painting, yeah? What made you choose Bard as the one to apply to this year?

Sculptural paintings?! ? 

What materials do you use? I am currently working towards exploring that aspect of painting. 

[starcrumbz]

1 hour ago, Frank14 said:

I posted this on the results page https://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/ as well but this week I interviewed with Colorado State, received a second round interview invite from MICA, and was invited to interview at San Francisco State! 

MICA-Multidisciplinary Art (Mount Royal) and the other two for MFA Painting! I'm super excited and thought the CSU interview went really well! I actually didn't think the MICA interview went that well so I'm surprised to have gotten a second interview invite. 

Like many others, still have not heard back from VCU or UCI ?‍♂️?

Hi there, 

I went to MICA for my undergrad and I must say, the facilities, culture, and Mount Royal in particular are quite amazing. I know it comes with a price tag but if I could I would go in a heartbeat. Baltimore is a fabulous place to make art and it really pushed me not only as an artist but as a person. I have read your work is about your Chicano background, which I think would be very well received there. Many students make work that is culturally focused and as a result, it really shaped my world view. But more importantly of course, I imagine this program would support and elevate your practice. The city gets a bad rep, but it is fantastic. Also, with John's Hopkins, its filled with brilliant minds of all sorts. Just my two cents.

[katfude5]

Did anyone else interview with Boston University Painting? I'm curious if Josephine was conducting all of the interviews, or if anyone met with Lucy Kim instead. I think my interview went as well as it could have considering I am a very multidisciplinary painting/sculpture/print/photo hybrid and Josephine is a very "capital P" Painter.

I am curious if anyone got to talk with Lucy, since she has a much broader approach to painting that is more intertwined with sculpture and similar to me. She made a point at the open house to stress that their program accepts all kinds of points of view on painting, but my interview with Josephine was very much from a capital P perspective of painting with niche references that was veryyyyyyy far from where my head is at.

Edited February 19, 2022 by katfude5

[starcrumbz]

2 hours ago, Frank14 said:

I posted this on the results page https://www.thegradcafe.com/survey/ as well but this week I interviewed with Colorado State, received a second round interview invite from MICA, and was invited to interview at San Francisco State! 

MICA-Multidisciplinary Art (Mount Royal) and the other two for MFA Painting! I'm super excited and thought the CSU interview went really well! I actually didn't think the MICA interview went that well so I'm surprised to have gotten a second interview invite. 

Like many others, still have not heard back from VCU or UCI ?‍♂️?

Also, on the MICA note, they have more money than they lead on! Ask and you shall receive, something I unfortunately didn't learn until my last year. If you tell them you need more or have a better offer, odds are they will counter it. Remember they get 50k a year per undergrad...

[eatyoveggies]

Not sure if anyone else has applied, but I got an interview at GSU...woo! It's going to be tomorrow.

[etm94]

Interviewed with Yale this past week, and it started off just ok but ended decently, and that's when i felt i really started to connect to my interviewers, towards the end.

It's my first time applying to MFA programs and this was my first interview so far, so I'm trying to not think about my slip-ups too much and focus more on what I did well, but it's difficult!!  guess I'll find out the results soon enough. Regardless i'm still happy to have made it this far, and will take what i learned into my next interview, which is with Hunter in two weeks.

Edited February 20, 2022 by tmng

[chunkeymonkey]

Finally heard back from VCU Sculpture! I have an interview set up next week! Also - I had applied after the priority Jan 15 deadline. 

[pepperoncini]

I have seen some people sharing that they have received invitations for interviews in Columbia but I haven't heard anything. Do you guys know if they send rejections later than acceptances?

[Hjuoollpphhfcvn]

Congrats! Let us know how it goes!! 

[Faxma]

16 hours ago, tmng said:

Interviewed with Yale this past week, and it started off just ok but ended decently, and that's when i felt i really started to connect to my interviewers, towards the end.

It's my first time applying to MFA programs and this was my first interview so far, so I'm trying to not think about my slip-ups too much and focus more on what I did well, but it's difficult!!  guess I'll find out the results soon enough. Regardless i'm still happy to have made it this far, and will take what i learned into my next interview, which is with Hunter in two weeks.

Hi tmng, I have an interview with Yale on Wednesday too, and I can’t help but be nervous about it :’) !

 

If you don’t mind sharing, how many people attended the interview? and what was the dynamic of the interview like (question/answer or more friendly/conversational?) 

 

Good luck with your interview! 
 

sending positive thoughts  to whoever is reading, we’re almost there ☉(๑ • ̀ ㅂ • ́) ง ✧☉

[etm94]

24 minutes ago, Faxma said:

Hi tmng, I have an interview with Yale on Wednesday too, and I can’t help but be nervous about it :’) !

 

If you don’t mind sharing, how many people attended the interview? and what was the dynamic of the interview like (question/answer or more friendly/conversational?) 

 

Good luck with your interview! 
 

sending positive thoughts  to whoever is reading, we’re almost there ☉(๑ • ̀ ㅂ • ́) ง ✧☉

Hi hi

2 people interviewed me, and I knew who it was gonna be ahead of time; they let me know via email. The dynamic was not super formal or anything, but definitely question/answer at first and then it got more conversational as it kept going, especially towards the end.

Edited February 20, 2022 by tmng

[whitewhales]

Can anyone share their experience with an acceptance letter that gives no whiff of financial support or TAships? Also, the polite way to ask about these things given the emphasis that was placed on these opportunities by the interviewer? Is this normal? Is this shared in a separate letter? It’s my first application, first interview, first letter. I feel like a noob. 
 

I feel like I read somewhere here it’s a soft rejection. 
 

 

[slickjaketheruler]

53 minutes ago, whitewhales said:

Can anyone share their experience with an acceptance letter that gives no whiff of financial support or TAships? Also, the polite way to ask about these things given the emphasis that was placed on these opportunities by the interviewer? Is this normal? Is this shared in a separate letter? It’s my first application, first interview, first letter. I feel like a noob. 
 

I feel like I read somewhere here it’s a soft rejection. 
 

 

I had this situation with MECA last year. I just sent a quick email to the graduate admissions counselor asking if I had received some sort of scholarship based off of my portfolio/interview. A lot of times that comes through in the mail or will be a separate letter you will receive in your online portal. Sometimes it takes asking the counselor to email your acceptance stuff to see where you stand. 

As far as asking about funding and fellowships during an interview, there's a time and place to ask about that stuff. I personally try to ask the graduates or the admissions counselor about how the funding for the program works before and after my interview. The interview should really be focused on your work, and what the university has to offer for you. A lot of times for some of the big named schools (MICA, SAIC, RISD, etc.), the interview is a really important component of the process that determines who gets nominated for a scholarship. It really is about the conversation that you have with the faculty, whether they think you are a beneficial fit for the program, and how engaging and interesting you can be in the mix of a cohort. I have had interviewers bring up the funding during the interview which at that point I felt comfortable talking about it and asking how that works. But I wouldn't until post interview or through research.

It doesn't hurt to ask an admissions counselor; in fact, it's kind of their job to make sure you have that information. It's not rude or impolite to ask them if you received any sort of aid in the form of fellowship, TAship, or scholarship. Often times they may give you information on the appeals process to receive more money and what avenues you can go with through the university to receive it. 

[veryberry]

19 hours ago, pepperoncini said:

I have seen some people sharing that they have received invitations for interviews in Columbia but I haven't heard anything. Do you guys know if they send rejections later than acceptances?

Same here. I remember reading in a past forum that rejections came out after interviews and acceptances. But this was a while back...?

Hopefully, they are still reviewing. ?

Edited February 21, 2022 by veryberry

[Pickle555]

Just got an acceptance phone call from UCLA (painting)........!! What a relief! ??

Edited February 21, 2022 by Pickle95

[nameless cat]

Anyone else struggling with the current pace of forum posts? Seems like we are all just waiting atm. ?

One thing I'm curious about is if anyone has interesting insight from current students in MFA programs. Any tips on what they wish they'd known/asked before starting their program? 

Edited February 21, 2022 by nameless cat