MFA 2022 Freak Out Forum

[beeebeeeebeebeebo]

You other Tyler applicants got interviews? ?
i'm sure it's because they have already decided i'm in, this is what i'm sticking with

[medsuppy]

Asking for a friend ... anyone here have what felt like a terrible interview performance and then receive an acceptance? 

[moolala]

1 hour ago, 1800goodluck said:

Congratulations!

I interviewed in January too for painting and had been hoping the delay in response was so they figured out funding across all programs. Alas. I’ll keep my fingers crossed until I hear from them but my hope is fading! 

thank you! Good luck!

 

yes, they told me to hang tight while they wait for funding. i assume its due to the fact they are part of a state school so there are more steps to the process. 

[Salsasanasa]

Hey guys, I also don’t like to be this person because I don’t think it helps peoples anxiety or stress when waiting. But I figured that this might be some closure (sooner than they’ll email since they notoriously do it late) But I emailed admissions not long back for painting and I was waitlisted there. They said they sent acceptances already and are waiting to see who they can admit for next round of acceptances 

Edited March 10, 2022 by Salsasanasa

[Anxietyismymiddlename]

2 hours ago, medsuppy said:

Asking for a friend ... anyone here have what felt like a terrible interview performance and then receive an acceptance? 

Hey there, I think we are worst critiques of ourselves. Ask your friend not to be very harsh on themselves. I too felt like my interview with MICA didn't go as well as I thought it would. I just received acceptance with $13k scholarship per academic year. Coming from a non-art and design background, I feel extremely happy at where I am right now. 

[SadPainter]

2 hours ago, Salsasanasa said:

Hey guys, I also don’t like to be this person because I don’t think it helps peoples anxiety or stress when waiting. But I figured that this might be some closure (sooner than they’ll email since they notoriously do it late) But I emailed admissions not long back for painting and I was waitlisted there. They said they sent acceptances already and are waiting to see who they can admit for next round of acceptances 

At Tyler? The Admissions dept said that? 
 

sorry for the questions— I have a ton of anxiety about it! I was waitlisted last year and heard from the department head at the end of March. 

[slickjaketheruler]

2 hours ago, 1800goodluck said:

At Tyler? The Admissions dept said that? 
 

sorry for the questions— I have a ton of anxiety about it! I was waitlisted last year and heard from the department head at the end of March. 

Same here on that one. I wonder if it is just within the painting department that that is happening. I’d only guess that because the printmaking program is also hiring another full time professor so it’s been extra slow on that.

[cirrostratusphere]

13 hours ago, Anxietyismymiddlename said:

Hey there, I think we are worst critiques of ourselves. Ask your friend not to be very harsh on themselves. I too felt like my interview with MICA didn't go as well as I thought it would. I just received acceptance with $13k scholarship per academic year. Coming from a non-art and design background, I feel extremely happy at where I am right now. 

MICA results are out?? HECK

[katfude5]

17 hours ago, greentea2 said:

How many people realistically don't attend a program due to lack of funding? I really don't want to take out over $90K in loans. Being admitted to an MFA program is something I've always dreamed of but as I'm putting pen to paper, it's becoming less of a reality to me due to the finances. Are most people willing to go into debt for an MFA Program? How are people feeling about funding?

I think it’s something that you have to consider before the applications process. Unfortunately it’s just something that will be reflected in the list of schools you apply to and there is no way around it. I would have loved to apply to a longer list of competitive schools, but I knew that even if I applied to RISD and Columbia etc. there would just be no chance in hell that I could afford that so I wanted to avoid the double disappointment. There are a lot of funded schools, and some good private schools that offer a bunch of aid, so it’s helpful to have a well rounded group of schools that will give you a range of financial situations. It’s heartbreaking to have been admitted to your dream school and not being able to take the plunge.. but it just seems to be a big consideration to make prior. 

[seelamfa22]

16 hours ago, medsuppy said:

Asking for a friend ... anyone here have what felt like a terrible interview performance and then receive an acceptance? 

I thought my application to UCLA was not strong. I worked and reworked it until the deadline, and after I submitted it, I felt for sure that I blew it and was so sad. Then I got an interview, and I felt it was the worst interview I did. Because the mood was not cheerful or conversational, I thought that again I blew it. I was so sad. But a couple weeks later, I was told I got in!

[seelamfa22]

Sharing this article, which I found by reading earlier MFA Freakout Forums: Jerry Saltz on the problem of the MFA (the debt-inducing price tag): https://www.vulture.com/2013/12/saltz-on-the-trouble-with-the-mfa.html

 

[cirrostratusphere]

I got my final letter today (just assuming VCU is a rejection since I never got an interview).

It was my first time applying, rejected from six schools, admitted to two.

Just heard back from MICA Painting that I'm admitted with a moderate scholarship.

huge sigh of relief to not be refreshing my email every five minutes.

Best of luck to everyone still waiting! 

[nobodyok]

Just received acceptance to UPenn! ? My first and only acceptance of 7 applications. Anyone else receive acceptance--my letter had no mention of scholarship or financial support beyond what FAFSA qualifies me for (Federal Direct, Federal Work Study, Federal Grad Plus), so wondering if anyone else's did?

Edited March 10, 2022 by nobodyok
updated

[Frank14]

Just got my admissions offer from MICA (Mount Royal)!! Exciting, but even after the 17k a year they've offered me, it'll be ~33k per year to attend.

Definitely not doable or worth it in my opinion so I will see if I can get more funding from them but have no idea how to go about that! ?

[chunkeymonkey]

46 minutes ago, nobodyok said:

Just received acceptance to UPenn! ? My first and only acceptance of 7 applications. Anyone else receive acceptance--my letter had no mention of scholarship or financial support beyond what FAFSA qualifies me for (Federal Direct, Federal Work Study, Federal Grad Plus), so wondering if anyone else's did?

Congratulations!! In the portal below the admissions letter, there is another attachment with notification of any financial aid

[nobodyok]

2 minutes ago, chunkeymonkey said:

Congratulations!! In the portal below the admissions letter, there is another attachment with notification of any financial aid

Oof.. I guess that means they offered me nothing. lol. My list financial aid only includes the Federal Loans I can get through FAFSA. Did yours include more than that?

[Frank14]

I sent an email to MICA inquiring about receiving additional funds, and this is the format I followed! I changed it a bit of course but I think it's a really good template and was super helpful. 

https://www.profellow.com/tips/how-to-negotiate-your-funding-offer-for-graduate-school-an-email-template/

[chunkeymonkey]

44 minutes ago, nobodyok said:

Oof.. I guess that means they offered me nothing. lol. My list financial aid only includes the Federal Loans I can get through FAFSA. Did yours include more than that?

They offered me 10k... their tuition is almost 60k so it is still pretty unaffordable lol, even if I manage to negotiate more 

[Hjuoollpphhfcvn]

To UCLA accepted ones, did you receive finantial support? If so, how much?

[Pickle555]

I was actually going to ask this too. There isn't anything about funding in my letter, though I've been in conversation with the department head about it. I'm wondering if it will come later? It does say that we'd have to provide our SSN is order to import our FAFSA data.  

[Pickle555]

3 minutes ago, Pickle95 said:

I was actually going to ask this too. There isn't anything about funding in my letter, though I've been in conversation with the department head about it. I'm wondering if it will come later? It does say that we'd have to provide our SSN is order to import our FAFSA data.  

Oops, i meant to quote the UCLA aid question.

[Salsasanasa]

18 hours ago, 1800goodluck said:

At Tyler? The Admissions dept said that? 
 

sorry for the questions— I have a ton of anxiety about it! I was waitlisted last year and heard from the department head at the end of March. 

It was painting department. Also my friend in another department got an acceptance at Tyler

[limpcigarette]

21 hours ago, medsuppy said:

Asking for a friend ... anyone here have what felt like a terrible interview performance and then receive an acceptance? 

I felt like I did horrible during my interviews with UChicago and UMich. Not being totally coherent, nervousness, etc. Was accepted to both! This was my first application season and I had no idea how grad school interviews go, besides a cursory google search. 

I’m not sure how much of a role the interview plays in the admissions process, but I’m sure if they got a good sense of your personality you did fine!

[SadPainter]

20 minutes ago, Salsasanasa said:

It was painting department. Also my friend in another department got an acceptance at Tyler

Darn. Well this was my third year applying to Tyler and just got my third rejection from Hunter. I’m not totally sure what is going wrong but at this time it feels like I’m not meant to walk this path. Thanks for being here through it all grad cafe! Good luck everyone and congrats to those who got in! 

[Westcoasty]

Hello all. Congrats to those getting acceptances! 

My understanding is that this is a "freak out" forum as well as a forum for advice, celebration, and commiseration. I'm feeling for everyone getting disappointing news right now and I wanted to share some insight I have after getting rejected from several schools a few years ago versus my experience applying again this year. A few years ago, I felt desperate for the validation of acceptance by a prestigious school. I was desperate for direction in my work and career. Getting rejected made me feel like a failure. I approached this most recent application season from a completely different place: I looked for programs that would best serve my needs. I researched faculty to find the ones I most wanted to work with. An interview would be an opportunity for me to interview them in a way, to get a better sense of the people I would be connecting with as a student.

What's worse than getting rejected? Getting accepted and committing to a program that doesn't serve your needs/interests where you struggle to connect with the people and struggle to connect with a mentor/mentors. 

If you didn't get into the programs you were excited about, keep going and reapply, but also continue to research and explore other programs--perhaps you have yet to find the place that will recognize your potential, connect you with the right people, and serve you best.