MFA 2022 Freak Out Forum

[Strawberrycat]

2 minutes ago, worldcleft said:

There are some of the UCs I didn’t apply to this round, which I wish I did. I’m not sure I want to wait another year!!! This has been brutal enough. 

It really has been brutal, I don't blame you! I would try to make a really thorough pros and cons list of each option and talk with any mentors you have about it. I hope you come to a decision you feel happy with!! 

[Hjuoollpphhfcvn]

does anybody know any current or past ucla students that i could reach out to? thx

 

[foundobjectlife]

16 hours ago, KPCT123 said:

MFA or PhD? I'm waitlisted for the PhD...

MFA:) 

[Tater-Tot]

17 hours ago, swifteggtart said:

Just received my last result, think it is a good time to share all the info! My background: fine art with a focus on art & technology study

 

SAIC Art & Tech - admitted

ACCD MDP - admitted

NYU ITP - admitted

CMU Entertainment Technology - admitted

UCB MDes - admitted (not MFA, more of a technology innovation design program)

 

UCLA DMA - waitlist (finger-crossed)

 

MIT Media Lab - rejected (expected)

RISD D+M - rejected

 

Hey!

I was accepted to SAIC as well. I was waitlisted for CMU ETC. Congrats on getting in! I would love to see your work:) Did they give you your financial aid offer at CMU as well? 

Which school are you leaning towards?

[Tater-Tot]

On 3/15/2022 at 2:50 PM, hibiscusleaves said:

Hey all!

Now that I have heard back from all of the unis I've applied to here is how my 2022 applications went:

applied to - mfa graphic design/mfa studio art with a concentration in graphic design

Profile - international student, first time application, undergrad in geophysical engineering, will be graduating in june. 4-5 internships, hackathon wins, strong motivation letter, good rec. letter from co-workers.

Yale - accepted, need based full tuition

VCU - accepted, full tuition, 10k a year

Cranbrook - accepted, 50% tuition

Umass Amherst - accepted, 11k a year, health, dental and vision insurance

MCAD - accepted, 50% tuition + 6k a year

CCA - accepted, 50% tuition

MICA - accepted, 25% tuition

SAIC - accepted, 20% tuition

RISD - rejected

SVA - rejected

GSU - rejected after interview

I remember writing a reddit post about how stupid i feel for applying to yale when i'm not qualified for it. Just a few minutes ago I accepted my Yale offer. No words can describe how happy I am! It was actually hard saying no to VCU as their program is as amazing as Yale's, but the resources and centers that Yale offers align with my career goals better, so i decided to choose it after a long time spent on comparison. They accepted only 8 people this year and i'm very very happy to be one of them.

RISD and SVA rejected me as their programs are more focused on commercial design whereas my work covers experimental design, so I completely understand. my GSU interview was very stale and boring, the professors had only 15 mins as they were in between classes and they didnt really seem interested in what i  have to say, so i knew i would be rejected. 

My advice to mfa applicants would be to talk to the alumni or the current students of your desired program. I spent 2 years getting my portfolio reviewed, working on improving it, talking to ppl studying at my top choices and i for sure know i wouldnt be able to get into my desired programs without it. 

i'm very thankful to the gradcafe community as you guys helped me stay sane during the waiting period! i hope all of you will get into the best program suited for you

Congrats on all your acceptances. I was also accepted to a lot of the same schools as you were - SAIC, MICA, Cranbrook. I was also accepted SVA, CalArts, CCA, and did my undergrad at RISD. Just curious what you though about Cranbook and why you ultimately chose Yale over Cranbrook.

[Tater-Tot]

On 3/15/2022 at 9:54 AM, Googlyeyes said:

I graduated in spring 2020 so I can’t speak to post lockdown things but …in spring 2020 students were still complaining constantly about faculty. They had almost no access to Sarah sze and Justine kurland and 1/3 of adjunct faculty are recent columbia MFA grads (which was fine for me as an undergrad). The studio situation was slightly better because they put netting across all the ceilings . but hopefully that has improved and hopefully they can connect you with current students. 

Would you mind sharing the article you are speaking of about the 2018 issues with Columbia? 

[Tater-Tot]

On 3/14/2022 at 11:29 PM, imnotsure said:

I interviewed for Rutgers and got waitlisted.

Interviewed for UCLA Feb 9 and I'm assuming I didn't get in because people seemed to have gotten responses already and I haven't gotten anything  ?

Which program at UCLA?

[Tater-Tot]

On 3/15/2022 at 8:15 AM, Googlyeyes said:

I did visual arts undergrad at columbia and I’m currently at hunter & bard MFA . Bard hasn’t been amazing lately but I think it will be really good this summer. Columbia is a very very diff vibe than bard so just depends what you are looking for. On a $ note —I’m doing hunter and bard for less than the cost of one year at columbia MFA so it is a very pricey school.

What do you feel the vibe was like at Columbia undergrad? Do you feel it was very competitive among students or more supportive, how were the faculty?

[imnotsure]

Just now, Tater-Tot said:

Which program at UCLA?

ceramics

 

[hibiscusleaves]

23 minutes ago, Tater-Tot said:

Congrats on all your acceptances. I was also accepted to a lot of the same schools as you were - SAIC, MICA, Cranbrook. I was also accepted SVA, CalArts, CCA, and did my undergrad at RISD. Just curious what you though about Cranbook and why you ultimately chose Yale over Cranbrook.

congrats on your acceptances!! Honestly Cranbrook's program is amazing, Elliot Earls is a person I want to have the chance to work with. I chose Yale bc I got a full tuition scholarship whereas from Cranbrook I got 50%, and I wouldnt be able to afford studying there. But i think even with full tuition I'd choose Yale over Cranbrook, because

1. There is practically nothing around Cranbrook, as in it's a suburban town in which you can't get anywhere unless you have a car.

2. In Yale I will have the chance to take classes from different departments, which is very significant for me as im planning to take film classes to be able to move my career in that direction.

But tbh i don't think i will meet someone as amazing as Elliot at Yale, so if I was choosing among the unis you're accepted to, I would definitely go for Cranbrook. 

Good luck!

[Ponygurl]

Hi congrats everyone on your acceptances! Does anybody have any updates from risd painting

[Strawberrycat]

1 hour ago, Tater-Tot said:

Congrats on all your acceptances. I was also accepted to a lot of the same schools as you were - SAIC, MICA, Cranbrook. I was also accepted SVA, CalArts, CCA, and did my undergrad at RISD. Just curious what you though about Cranbook and why you ultimately chose Yale over Cranbrook.

Congrats on all of those acceptances! It seems like you have a lot of great choices! Which program at CCA did you get into? Are you considering them still along with the others? 

[worldcleft]

23 hours ago, whywouldiputmyrealname said:

Wow someone already received their acceptance letter!?! what page of the thread is that on? UCLA Art MFA has six different areas of study, but I would assume all of the letters would be released at the same time

 

Don't be bummed out tho! Having an interview is much better than simply receiving a rejection letter....we might be in the dark right now but it could be worse. What area of study was your interview for? (I haven't been contacted at all) 

Me neither - applied for interdisciplinary studio / new genres but no contact. ? I do love art programmes in big research universities! But also wonder if UCLA overall prioritises in-state, less polished (not that i think I am necessarily...), although I know conjuring a class is also a mysterious and holistic process. What's niggling away at me is that when I went into my portal I noticed the time stamp indicated my app went in a day late, but it really wasn't -- i'm on the other side of the world and it was in time for pacific standard.

[worldcleft]

3 hours ago, hibiscusleaves said:

congrats on your acceptances!! Honestly Cranbrook's program is amazing, Elliot Earls is a person I want to have the chance to work with. I chose Yale bc I got a full tuition scholarship whereas from Cranbrook I got 50%, and I wouldnt be able to afford studying there. But i think even with full tuition I'd choose Yale over Cranbrook, because

1. There is practically nothing around Cranbrook, as in it's a suburban town in which you can't get anywhere unless you have a car.

2. In Yale I will have the chance to take classes from different departments, which is very significant for me as im planning to take film classes to be able to move my career in that direction.

But tbh i don't think i will meet someone as amazing as Elliot at Yale, so if I was choosing among the unis you're accepted to, I would definitely go for Cranbrook. 

Good luck!

Congrats! I think you are gonna love Yale. The graphic design programme is insanely creative! Even if parts of it ultimately aren't your cup of tea it will still be an incredible education + resource base where you'll be challenged by your cohort. You'll also just be spoilt for choice in terms of other offerings around the university for a more holistic education.

Edited March 19, 2022 by worldcleft

[whywouldiputmyrealname]

30 minutes ago, worldcleft said:

Me neither - applied for interdisciplinary studio / new genres but no contact. ? I do love art programmes in big research universities! But also wonder if UCLA overall prioritises in-state, less polished (not that i think I am necessarily...), although I know conjuring a class is also a mysterious and holistic process. What's niggling away at me is that when I went into my portal I noticed the time stamp indicated my app went in a day late, but it really wasn't -- i'm on the other side of the world and it was in time for pacific standard.

Yeahhh the whole theory that 'UC's prioritize in-state students' is a common belief, I don't think it's true tho. COVID has impacted every college financially and it would make sense for them to recover by taking out of state students. I live in Cali and I haven't been contacted for an interview, but it seems like there's a select few people that aren't from Cali that received interviews. 

 

There's a lot of things going on behind the scenes...more than ever. The war and corona has impacted this years round of admissions in an unprecedented fashion. I hope international students are getting a fair chance....I also hope next week everyone will get decisions so we are no longer left in the dark. 

[oli_czhang]

17 hours ago, eatyoveggies said:

In terms of cost of living, I have lived in Boston and currently live in NYC and honestly... the cost of living is not that different. It is EXPENSIVE in Boston too unless you live outside the heart of the city, but same in NYC. Since MassArt is technically a public school, they do keep their tuition more affordable compared to Pratt. So although they are giving you less of a scholarship, MassArt would still likely be a more affordable out of pocket cost. I have had professors and friends at MassArt and Pratt and both loved their programs so in terms of quality of program, your choice is great either way IMO. Good luck!

Thank you for the detailed reply! After counting in the scholarship, Pratt’s tuition isn’t much more expensive than MassArt’s. I love both schools in different aspects but in pretty much the same amount. A tough decision to make! 

[oli_czhang]

13 hours ago, impliedpaste said:

Boston and NYC cost of living is pretty comparable honestly, but in NYC you will have much more access to a broader art community! 

Thank you! Yeah that’s a pretty good point, I’ll definitely think about that. 

[seelamfa22]

With my heart set on other schools, this week I officially declined admission offers at RISD (painting) and CCA. RISD offered me a fellowship that would have covered about 60% of tuition. CCA offered me $48k scholarship. 

[hibiscusleaves]

7 hours ago, worldcleft said:

Congrats! I think you are gonna love Yale. The graphic design programme is insanely creative! Even if parts of it ultimately aren't your cup of tea it will still be an incredible education + resource base where you'll be challenged by your cohort. You'll also just be spoilt for choice in terms of other offerings around the university for a more holistic education.

Thank you very much!! Are you a current student? 

[worldcleft]

44 minutes ago, hibiscusleaves said:

Thank you very much!! Are you a current student? 

Nope — but I was lucky enough to do a junior year abroad there, and know at least one person who graduated from the art programme. I heavily stalk the school and what its people are up to lol. it’s hard to beat its overall educational environment outside of the art school — like you’d want your work to have context. It’s not without its flaws Ofc, being a bastion of privilege, but I do see efforts to move in better directions.

Edited March 19, 2022 by worldcleft

[hibiscusleaves]

Just now, worldcleft said:

Nope — but I was lucky enough to do a junior year abroad there, and know at least one person who graduated from the art programme. it’s hard to beat its overall educational environment outside of the art school — like you’d want your work to have context. It’s not without its flaws Ofc, being a bastion of privilege, but I do see efforts to move in better directions.

oh, amazing. im super excited, thanks!!

 

[katfude5]

23 hours ago, worldcleft said:

Has anyone ever got into a programme, started it, realised it wasn't a good fit, and then switched out? Are you allowed to apply to other college while a full-time student? What's the sort of protocol there? I'm a bit nervous about how programmes are amid covid upheavals, even if covid seems to be abating (you never know...). What happens if you received funding to attend?

This happened to me last year.. I started at UMass Amherst because the full ride/stipend/insurance was too good to pass up. When I got there I realized that the program was in complete shambles, so I left after 3 weeks. They didn't really give me a hard time or guilt me about funding. I had a feeling that this may happen, so I immediately emailed the school that was my 1st choice originally seeing if I could transfer ASAP. It turned out that they did not accept spring semester transfers, and that I had to reapply with everyone else this year. Luckily they were very nice and understanding, so I will be starting at BU Painting in the fall.

Some schools will accept spring semester transfers, but not many. You are totally allowed to apply to other schools as a full-time student! I don't know if I would advise asking current faculty for recommendations since it might cause some tension, but nothing says you can't change your mind. 

Edited March 19, 2022 by katfude5

[Tofu]

Anyone else applied to the FIT MFA illustration program?

And congrats to everyone that have gotten acceptances!

[KPCT123]

21 hours ago, foundobjectlife said:

MFA:) 

Fingers crossed for us both! 

[Ponygurl]

15 hours ago, seelamfa22 said:

With my heart set on other schools, this week I officially declined admission offers at RISD (painting) and CCA. RISD offered me a fellowship that would have covered about 60% of tuition. CCA offered me $48k scholarship. 

Congratulations! I’m glad you got the school your heart is set on! Thank you for declining early it gives people on the waitlist like me hope lol when did you let them know