MFA 2022 Freak Out Forum

[Strawberrycat]

7 hours ago, sunflowertime said:

Posted just now

Hello,

This has been a great forum. I think it's my turn to ask for some advice.

 

I have socially anxious tendencies, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. I'm realizing they may be hindering my application process. I know I can't be alone here.

 

I applied to programs for the first time in 2021 (Hunter, NYU, and Columbia for painting). I didn't get accepted anywhere. I was going to try again for 2022, but decided instead to spend the year developing my work and becoming a stronger candidate. I've learned a lot since then and now see that I may be fumbling some crucial steps because I get nervous about the parts that involve other people.

Reaching out to programs in advance so they have some familiarity with me - This is a big one and the topic I'd really appreciate advice on. I only reached out to Hunter in advance and never got a response. I emailed the head of the painting dept, which feels silly now. I don't know where to begin with this. I know there are people at the programs specifically for this purpose. How do I go about connecting with people/faculty at schools and who should I reach out too? Is there anyone that would want to look at my portfolio in advance and get to know me beyond answering generic inquiries? I'm interested in Yale, UCLA, Hunter, Rutgers, CalArts, and Columbia. When is a good time to start doing this?

 

Rec letters - It took me years to apply the first time because I got really hung up thinking about this. I can naturally develop good relationships w/ instructors at first, but after a while, once I start getting individual attention from someone I admire, I get nervous about disappointing them and retreat. I know a lot of this is in my head, but it stresses me out. 

 

Statement - I only shared my statement with my sister and my closest friend. Neither of whom are visual artists. How do I get solid feedback on this part of the app?

 

 

Halp. Thank you very much.

 

Hi sunflowertime, 

You're definitely not alone there. I really feel like the pandemic has dismantled a lot of the work I've done to curb my social anxiety and it's been a big challenge to work around it through this process. Talking it up here has been helping, though. 

I also get very nervous reaching out or sending follow up emails when I don't get responses, but sometimes it's necessary because emails do get lost in a sea of other emails pretty often, especially during busy times of year. I didn't reach out personally to any schools or professors directly, but what I did do is look for online info sessions for each school I was interested in. Not all of them do them, but a lot did, and there is opportunity there for them to see your name and for you to ask questions and start to get to know professors in a setting that is meant specifically for that, so you don't have to feel like a bother or wait forever for a response. So that made me a lot more comfortable.  Also, I find it a lot less intimidating to reach out to current students and talk with them. You can get a good idea of the program that way and even ask them which professors it might be good to speak with. 

Each school and each professor are different, so some would be willing to view your portfolio and some wouldn't. You'll just have to ask or search around and you can check which ones participate in the grad National Portfolio Days. I think Cal Arts probably does, but I'm not sure. But I would start early and with looking for the department contacts and asking who would be the right person to speak to about which thing. 

As for letters of rec, that really stressed me out too, those same exact feelings. But if you send an email to them updating them on what you've been working on, most will be super happy to do it for you. One of my recommenders said not to feel bad or embarrassed about asking, that this is part of their job and they want their students to succeed, and they're happy to be a part of it and to help you get to where you want to go. 

Something I was told to keep in mind, is that it's not fair to the people around us if we decide in our heads how they feel about us. It's so easy to assume they'll end up disappointed or feel whatever way because of anxiety, but in reality they're supportive people in our lives and we should believe in them believing in us if that's what they've shown us so far. Easier said than done, but it helps me to get less in my head when I think of it that way. 

As for your statement, I'm sure if you asked here, someone would be willing to look at it. I'd be happy to if you sent a message and wanted feedback on it! 

Good luck with everything. I know it's tough, but I know you can get there. 

[slickjaketheruler]

11 hours ago, sunflowertime said:

Posted just now

Hello,

This has been a great forum. I think it's my turn to ask for some advice.

 

I have socially anxious tendencies, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. I'm realizing they may be hindering my application process. I know I can't be alone here.

 

I applied to programs for the first time in 2021 (Hunter, NYU, and Columbia for painting). I didn't get accepted anywhere. I was going to try again for 2022, but decided instead to spend the year developing my work and becoming a stronger candidate. I've learned a lot since then and now see that I may be fumbling some crucial steps because I get nervous about the parts that involve other people.

Reaching out to programs in advance so they have some familiarity with me - This is a big one and the topic I'd really appreciate advice on. I only reached out to Hunter in advance and never got a response. I emailed the head of the painting dept, which feels silly now. I don't know where to begin with this. I know there are people at the programs specifically for this purpose. How do I go about connecting with people/faculty at schools and who should I reach out too? Is there anyone that would want to look at my portfolio in advance and get to know me beyond answering generic inquiries? I'm interested in Yale, UCLA, Hunter, Rutgers, CalArts, and Columbia. When is a good time to start doing this?

 

Rec letters - It took me years to apply the first time because I got really hung up thinking about this. I can naturally develop good relationships w/ instructors at first, but after a while, once I start getting individual attention from someone I admire, I get nervous about disappointing them and retreat. I know a lot of this is in my head, but it stresses me out. 

 

Statement - I only shared my statement with my sister and my closest friend. Neither of whom are visual artists. How do I get solid feedback on this part of the app?

 

 

Halp. Thank you very much.

 

I want to add something in addition to other peoples response. I firmly believe that reaching out to a school can make a huge difference, but I don’t always start with a faculty you like. I would start with a grad admissions counselor for the program if your school has one. Since they act as a line of communication between the school and prospective candidates, they will most likely respond to them. I typically will ask them if there is a faculty in a specific department you can speak to, or any of the current grads. They know who can give you the best information and who is available to talk within the university.

I did this for Tyler last year and this year, and I think it made a huge difference. Last year I was able to speak with the print head and this year I did the same thing with a handful of current grads. It helped them refresh who I was when it came time for the formal interview. Even if you meet with a current grad, that can make a world of difference too. I learned applying this year that many universities ask their current grads who they think would make a good candidate or not.

[seelamfa22]

11 hours ago, sunflowertime said:

Posted just now

Hello,

This has been a great forum. I think it's my turn to ask for some advice.

 

I have socially anxious tendencies, which have been exacerbated by the pandemic. I'm realizing they may be hindering my application process. I know I can't be alone here.

 

I applied to programs for the first time in 2021 (Hunter, NYU, and Columbia for painting). I didn't get accepted anywhere. I was going to try again for 2022, but decided instead to spend the year developing my work and becoming a stronger candidate. I've learned a lot since then and now see that I may be fumbling some crucial steps because I get nervous about the parts that involve other people.

Reaching out to programs in advance so they have some familiarity with me - This is a big one and the topic I'd really appreciate advice on. I only reached out to Hunter in advance and never got a response. I emailed the head of the painting dept, which feels silly now. I don't know where to begin with this. I know there are people at the programs specifically for this purpose. How do I go about connecting with people/faculty at schools and who should I reach out too? Is there anyone that would want to look at my portfolio in advance and get to know me beyond answering generic inquiries? I'm interested in Yale, UCLA, Hunter, Rutgers, CalArts, and Columbia. When is a good time to start doing this?

 

Rec letters - It took me years to apply the first time because I got really hung up thinking about this. I can naturally develop good relationships w/ instructors at first, but after a while, once I start getting individual attention from someone I admire, I get nervous about disappointing them and retreat. I know a lot of this is in my head, but it stresses me out. 

 

Statement - I only shared my statement with my sister and my closest friend. Neither of whom are visual artists. How do I get solid feedback on this part of the app?

 

 

Halp. Thank you very much.

 

Have you considered more introvert-friendly programs, like Cranbrook, some low-res programs, or Bard's summer-only residency program? Cranbrook does a European-style art school, where you work in your studio independently, have no classes whatsoever to take, don't have to interact with anyone until you meet with faculty for critiques. 

Personally I think the amount of time it takes to cultivate a genuine, sincere relationship with a professor at a school you want to attend is not worth it, unless you already have made a strong connection before. In my application process, I spoke with friends/acquaintances who were past graduates or art professors, and everybody said your portfolio is what gets you through the first round and to serious consideration. In programs where hundreds of applications are received and faculty are overworked, you need to have a compelling portfolio to have your statement of purpose read. And in programs where graduate students get to assign scores to applications, they are only looking at images and looking at them very fast. So, again, I think the key is a strong portfolio. 

When I asked people to write letters of rec on my behalf, I offered to make a bullet-point list of courses I took with them (in the case of professors), the assignments I did in those courses, what I've accomplished outside of the classroom, etc. The fact that you have 3 people submit letters on your behalf in a timely manner is oftentimes good enough for the application. Rarely do the letters determine the final decision after an interview.

[beeebeeeebeebeebo]

I looked in last year's thread, searched school names and looked at post dates. I was so impatient! but now I at least have a sense of when they reached out with decisions last year! y'all might like to do the same.

fyi Purchase, UCONN, and Tyler were early-mid march. so now imma just focus on my work for a couple weeks before I let them creep back in my thoughts haha. good luck homies (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

[whitewhales]

8 hours ago, thehamburglar said:

Hi everyone,

It's my first time applying to MFA programs, and definitely getting the jitters as the results roll in. I've applied to:

Yale, Rutgers (reject)

SAIC (interview this week!)

UCLA, MECA, SUNY, Pratt (still waiting on)

If anyone has advice for the SAIC interview I'd be very grateful, and best of luck to you all!

Hamburglar, Pratt should be around the second half of this month that we hear from them. What discipline did you apply for? I applied too.. I went there for undergrad. 

[ORRI]

Hey guys.  I am an international student. I work on interdisciplinary practice.

I read our forum thoroughly to understand what's going on... 

Do you guys think it means "rejection" if I did not get an interview offer email while some other applicants got interview mails from the Stanford MFA program? I can see one of the peers in the forum got an interview offer around 1st Feb and had an interview a few days ago. I checked other past forums as well. It seems like they do not tell anything for those who are rejected until mid of March. It was sad because Stanford is one of my favorites. 
The department even wrote, "please do not contact the department." I really wanna ask whether my application is out of consideration or whether interview offers were all sent, but I cannot. 

Edited February 9, 2022 by ORRI

[The-Fourth-Dimension]

3 hours ago, ORRI said:

Hey guys.  I am an international student. I work on interdisciplinary practice.

The department even wrote, "please do not contact the department." I really wanna ask whether my application is out of consideration or whether interview offers were all sent, but I cannot. 

As frustrating as it gets, patience is always the best route in just about anything. March isn't that far away, so fill the time with doing life. Make art, chase girls or guys around for romance, skateboard, play ping-pong, buy Rosetta Stone and learn a new language, creep the forums and start a political argument... Tons to do.

These learning institutions aren't unbreachable towers of gilded ivory, and the professors aren't gods among men who are too good to be bothered. These are schools where people are teachers and we paid a friggin $125 dollar fee to be considered and another $10 bucks to upload our art. NONE of these ultra-wealthy universities, especially Stanford, (where I also applied), should be charging students a crime dime for an application. Yes, there are waivers, but it still shouldn't be a thing.

If someone applies for a job, the expectation is that the applicant will be interested in the position enough to call or drop an email to check in with the potential employer. In our situation, we are hiring THE SCHOOL. We are paying THEM tuition, fees, etc... It's a symbiosis, mutual aid.

It's your money, it's your time. If you feel like checking in, then do it. If a school is SOOO precious, SOOO above us that it collapses under the weight of an email or phone call then you don't want to go there anyway.

Telling potential MFA people not to contact the department is lame and pretentious and boring. It probably has nothing to do with the professors concentrating on the applications and everything to do with creating tension and marketing and busywork. Or... OR OR OR, maybe there's no big scary secret-society after all we just have to wait it out and be patient because that's how it goes. ???

Yes, it's frustrating. LOL!

For reference, I've directly contacted every school I've ever been admitted to from the UC to CSU to private educational institutions and it doesn't seem to have hurt because, hey, I was admitted. Funny thing is, the schools that I did NOT contact refused me admission. Granted, I didn't want to go to those schools, anyway, tho.

If you hit up the school just treat them like a potential employee. Be the kind and honest and respectful professional that you are and they will respect you! ?

Edited February 9, 2022 by The-Fourth-Dimension
Gasoline wants to set things right

[thehamburglar]

3 hours ago, whitewhales said:

Hamburglar, Pratt should be around the second half of this month that we hear from them. What discipline did you apply for? I applied too.. I went there for undergrad. 

Thanks for the info whitewhales! I applied for Painting/Drawing. How did you like the undergrad program?

[whitewhales]

Just now, thehamburglar said:

Thanks for the info whitewhales! I applied for Painting/Drawing. How did you like the undergrad program?

Same! I loved my time at Pratt, I know it’s a bit different for grad but I had some grad professors in my later years of ug that really sealed my love for the school. Did you watch their MFA info session? It’s super helpful, even to me having gone there. 

[thehamburglar]

18 minutes ago, whitewhales said:

Same! I loved my time at Pratt, I know it’s a bit different for grad but I had some grad professors in my later years of ug that really sealed my love for the school. Did you watch their MFA info session? It’s super helpful, even to me having gone there. 

Awesome! I watched it back when I was deciding which schools I wanted to apply to, and Pratt really stood out when discussing studio time/curriculum and interdisciplinary possibilities.

[ORRI]

1 hour ago, The-Fourth-Dimension said:

As frustrating as it gets, patience is always the best route in just about anything. March isn't that far away, so fill the time with doing life. Make art, chase girls or guys around for romance, skateboard, play ping-pong, buy Rosetta Stone and learn a new language, creep the forums and start a political argument... Tons to do.

These learning institutions aren't unbreachable towers of gilded ivory, and the professors aren't gods among men who are too good to be bothered. These are schools where people are teachers and we paid a friggin $125 dollar fee to be considered and another $10 bucks to upload our art. NONE of these ultra-wealthy universities, especially Stanford, (where I also applied), should be charging students a crime dime for an application. Yes, there are waivers, but it still shouldn't be a thing.

If someone applies for a job, the expectation is that the applicant will be interested in the position enough to call or drop an email to check in with the potential employer. In our situation, we are hiring THE SCHOOL. We are paying THEM tuition, fees, etc... It's a symbiosis, mutual aid.

It's your money, it's your time. If you feel like checking in, then do it. If a school is SOOO precious, SOOO above us that it collapses under the weight of an email or phone call then you don't want to go there anyway. Telling potential MFA people not to contact the department is rude and arrogant and not cool. It probably has nothing to do with the professors concentrating on the applications and everything to do with creating tension and marketing and busywork. Or... OR OR OR, maybe we just have to wait it out and be patient because that's how it goes. ???

Yes, it's frustrating. LOL!

For reference, I've directly contacted every school I've ever been admitted to from the UC to CSU to private educational institutions and it doesn't seem to have hurt because, hey, I was admitted. Funny thing is, the schools that I did NOT contact refused me admission. Granted, I didn't want to go to those schools, anyway, tho.

If you hit up the school just treat them like a potential employee. Be the kind and honest and respectful professional that you are and they will respect you! ?

So lovely comment!!!!! ? You make me feel so far better. God bless you ? Thank you for the comment... You are so warmhearted

[blumeenez]

Hey! Just got interview request from Tyler and Alfred (Sculpture). Still waiting to hear back from Purchase, UT Austin, and Rutgers.  

I am very much freaking out right now. Any tips on interviews? Also around if anyone wanted to do a dry run over zoom. Feel free to DM me here or over IG https://www.instagram.com/laurie_berenhaus/

 

[hallohallo]

Update: Never mind I figured it out!

Hey Hi Hullo everyone! 

Im not sure how to use this site but trying ?. Where did you see in your Rutgers portal a rejection notice? Was it on Rutgers or Mason Gross, I can't seem to find any info on mine. Thanks so much!!

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by hallohallo
spelling

[sh1322]

First time applicant long time artist. 
Yale- Rejected, with invitation to reapply 

SAIC- Rejected with invitation to interview for Post Bacc 

Columbia- waiting. 

[seelamfa22]

Received invitation to interview with Rutgers over email. Good luck everyone. 

[AlyPet]

Is the wait for Pratt killing anyone else?  Their program is incredible!

[blumeenez]

I keep refreshing my inbox and looking at the Rutgers portal. Still at the "under review" stage, but no interview email...uuuugh. 

[seelamfa22]

8 minutes ago, blumeenez said:

I keep refreshing my inbox and looking at the Rutgers portal. Still at the "under review" stage, but no interview email...uuuugh. 

My portal shows no changes either. Rutgers has an option to do on-site interviews, so maybe they are reaching out to those who live far away, to schedule the zooms before on-sites?

[painting549]

Does anyone know approx how many interviews Rutgers offers, and how many people are offered acceptances from that pool? From previous years maybe?

[Jar_of_Mayonnaise]

13 hours ago, beeebeeeebeebeebo said:

I looked in last year's thread, searched school names and looked at post dates. I was so impatient! but now I at least have a sense of when they reached out with decisions last year! y'all might like to do the same.

fyi Purchase, UCONN, and Tyler were early-mid march. so now imma just focus on my work for a couple weeks before I let them creep back in my thoughts haha. good luck homies (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Ah, I just did this too and now I'm extra worried ?. All of the schools I applied to (with the exception of UConn) seemed to have interviews done, or at least scheduled, by now. When I check all of the graduate application status pages they say "in review" or "received" ?

[whitewhales]

3 minutes ago, Jar_of_Mayonnaise said:

Ah, I just did this too and now I'm extra worried ?. All of the schools I applied to (with the exception of UConn) seemed to have interviews done, or at least scheduled, by now. When I check all of the graduate application status pages they say "in review" or "received" ?

Some schools probably got a late start this year being online for the first few weeks with the omicron surge.. hang tight. 

[katfude5]

3 hours ago, blumeenez said:

Hey! Just got interview request from Tyler and Alfred (Sculpture). Still waiting to hear back from Purchase, UT Austin, and Rutgers.  

I am very much freaking out right now. Any tips on interviews? Also around if anyone wanted to do a dry run over zoom. Feel free to DM me here or over IG https://www.instagram.com/laurie_berenhaus/

 

I interviewed with Tyler sculpture last year and it was pretty intense. Be prepared to be grilled about the conceptual reasons for pretty every component of your practice from material choice to visual content. I ran long with my presentation so have a clock 

[cirrostratusphere]

I'm applying for painting programs, as that was my undergrad degree. I've been out of school for a decade and working as a full time artist and art teacher. Here's my status:

SAIC, MICA: interviews this week

Rutgers: Rejected on portal (very anti-climactic!)

UW, UTK, VCU, and UNM: waiting!

I had a pal who got an interview from VCU on Friday so I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten that one either.

Edited February 9, 2022 by cirrostratusphere
forgot I'm also waiting on RISD

[Frank14]

12 minutes ago, cirrostratusphere said:

I'm applying for painting programs, as that was my undergrad degree. I've been out of school for a decade and working as a full time artist and art teacher. Here's my status:

SAIC, MICA: interviews this week

Rutgers: Rejected on portal (very anti-climactic!)

UW, UTK, VCU, and UNM: waiting!

I had a pal who got an interview from VCU on Friday so I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten that one either.

nice! I also had my interview with MICA this week, but for the multidisciplinary arts program. Did you friend who got an interview request with VCU apply to the painting and printmaking program?

[SadPainter]

1 hour ago, painting549 said:

Does anyone know approx how many interviews Rutgers offers, and how many people are offered acceptances from that pool? From previous years maybe?

They didn’t accept applications last year because of COVID so I have a feeling demand was higher this year! That coupled with them being a rare full tuition reimbursement school within an easy drive of nyc makes them (this is a word of mouth) as competitive as Columbia as far as admittance numbers!