MFA 2022 Freak Out Forum

[lilyxia99]

? Feeling so anxious while waiting for other results...

[Strawberrycat]

22 minutes ago, The-Fourth-Dimension said:

You did, indeed, and I remember you did.

As a matter of fact, my homeboy Nate who is a high-school teacher told me that I can start substituting with a Bachelors Degree alone, right now. I think I'm gonna do that in L.A. during grad-school. I'm gonna substitute at high-schools because it seems kool, and there's a grip of work and it pays okay for a grad student.

With my post, I still want to teach kids for a little while, but I need to end up at the collegiate level.

I corrected what I wrote.

See? What would I even do without you correcting me up ?????

Ah okay, sounds good then! Substitute teaching is great, I know a lot of people who have done it and really liked it! And I believe the pay has gone up in a lot of places since covid. 

Haha just looking out! 

[thatdesigndude]

5 minutes ago, lilyxia99 said:

? Feeling so anxious while waiting for other results...

Ugh I hear you. I’m hoping to hear back from ArtCenter within 10 days based on what I saw on the results search

[lilyxia99]

15 minutes ago, thatdesigndude said:

Ugh I hear you. I’m hoping to hear back from ArtCenter within 10 days based on what I saw on the results search

Yeah... It makes me hard to focus. I really should calm down, and I don't want to dump my anxiety on people though I am probably already doing it... Anyway, some of my other results should be coming in the following week I hope

Edited March 13, 2022 by lilyxia99

[worldcleft]

On 3/11/2022 at 8:30 AM, lazuli. said:

Just got into Bard and Columbia MFA, both painting. Super nervous about it as I'm coming from abroad and haven't visited the campuses physically.

Any intel greatly appreciated!! 

 

 

If money is not an issue for you, then the financial burdens of Columbia and Bard won't be a niggling factor.
Bard recently had to overhaul its faculty, but otherwise friends who have been thru it highly recommend it.
There are some barriers for internationals, given that internationals have less room to stay in the US and mingle with the rest of the Bard cohort outside of the low res summer sessions.
Columbia had issues with the studios couple years back -- flooding, broken ceilings, etc. You would want to check with recent students about what the current status is.

[Danais]

On 3/11/2022 at 6:30 AM, lazuli. said:

Just got into Bard and Columbia MFA, both painting. Super nervous about it as I'm coming from abroad and haven't visited the campuses physically.

Any intel greatly appreciated!! 

 

 

Hi , I had my interview with Columbia , painting on the 11th of March. You already received a letter?

[Mfanymph22]

So far I've heard nothing back from only Columbia expanded media /sculpture . . .anyone else waiting or has an answer?

[Danais]

53 minutes ago, Mfanymph22 said:

So far I've heard nothing back from only Columbia expanded media /sculpture . . .anyone else waiting or has an answer?

did you have an interview?

[Mfanymph22]

Just now, Danais said:

did you have an interview?

Nope,absolutely no news!

[Danais]

1 minute ago, Mfanymph22 said:

Nope,absolutely no news!

i am not sure then, i received an invitation for an interview on Feb 16th , that they will be interviewing on either March 11 and 12th 

[Mfanymph22]

18 minutes ago, Danais said:

i am not sure then, i received an invitation for an interview on Feb 16th , that they will be interviewing on either March 11 and 12th 

Oh okay,from the expanded media department right?

[nobodyok]

On 3/11/2022 at 9:10 PM, HJAn said:

Congrats!! I've been waitlisted. It's one of my top choices so I'm hoping for a slot to open up...

What other schools did you apply to? - if you don't mind me asking

Congrats on being waitlisted though, people certainly get in off the waitlist. A spot could open up!

And sure, here's my list:

UChicago ~ rejected (interviewed/waitlisted last year; nothing this year)
Yale ~ rejected with encouragement to reapply
UPenn ~ interviewed; accepted
UCLA ~ nothing
VCU ~ nothing
UArk ~ nothing
U of Florida ~ nothing

[nobodyok]

18 hours ago, CactusWren22 said:

Got into the MFA program at Penn (found out Monday). Pretty much received the same offer (just take out student loans to pay for it) lol. Still waiting for UCLA (I applied with a Photo concentration) to establish basic communication. Might end up just applying to MFA programs with rolling deadlines.

Nice! I just kept getting email reminders to check at 12pm EST on March 10th, which I mistakenly thought meant I didn't get in. I applied for Sculpture. Also nothing from UCLA, but I know what that means. Do you think you will be considering Penn?

[nobodyok]

Any UF applicants hear back yet?

[f.m.m]

15 minutes ago, nobodyok said:

Any UF applicants hear back yet?

Hi, I got an Email 10 days ago which I am on waitlist (MXD program).

[Danais]

2 hours ago, Mfanymph22 said:

Oh okay,from the expanded media department right?

painting

[Pickle555]

Just officially declined my offer at UCLA (painting). Very hard decision to make, but ultimately I don't see myself there and didn't want to prolong the process. Hopefully they can offer the spot to someone who really wants it!!! 

Still deciding between Yale & Stanford. I didn't think a program would sway my decision as much as Stanford is but the offer is almost too good to give up. Health insurance, tuition is paid for, hefty stipend...!

Anyway, just thought I should share. Good luck to everyone and their decisions, didn't think it would be this hard lol.. ?

[CactusWren22]

2 hours ago, nobodyok said:

Nice! I just kept getting email reminders to check at 12pm EST on March 10th, which I mistakenly thought meant I didn't get in. I applied for Sculpture. Also nothing from UCLA, but I know what that means. Do you think you will be considering Penn?

I'm still considering Penn (I'm going to visit on the 25th) they really responded positively to my portfolio which is pretty cool. I don't know anyone who applied to UCLA with a Photo concentration whose been contacted by the school lol (I'm not sure what's going on). This is my first cycle of MFA apps and we did pretty good.

Edited March 13, 2022 by CactusWren22

[Strawberrycat]

1 hour ago, Pickle95 said:

Just officially declined my offer at UCLA (painting). Very hard decision to make, but ultimately I don't see myself there and didn't want to prolong the process. Hopefully they can offer the spot to someone who really wants it!!! 

Still deciding between Yale & Stanford. I didn't think a program would sway my decision as much as Stanford is but the offer is almost too good to give up. Health insurance, tuition is paid for, hefty stipend...!

Anyway, just thought I should share. Good luck to everyone and their decisions, didn't think it would be this hard lol.. ?

Did you get to go visit Yale in person? 

[Pickle555]

46 minutes ago, Strawberrycat said:

Did you get to go visit Yale in person? 

I haven't, they didn't necessarily offer. However I have been in communication with them about visiting and they said I could. I'd just have to figure everything out myself (travel, lodging, etc), which I guess isn't the hardest thing in the world to figure out, but it's been a little difficult having to do so around my job. Stanford paid for our visit (travel & lodging) which definitely made things easier. Anyway, I do plan on visiting (hopefully before April, if all goes well), which I'm sure would make the decision easier to make.

[The-Fourth-Dimension]

15 hours ago, Strawberrycat said:

 

Haha just looking out! 

Oh-fasho! Nothin but ❤️.

[The-Fourth-Dimension]

3 hours ago, Pickle95 said:

Just officially declined my offer at UCLA.

 

Awww... I was kinda hoping you were gonna go to UCLA so I can go say hi to you from USC. I've grown to like a lot of you guys on here, even people I just meet.

I always hope that people I talk to on GradCafe who are considering USC or other L.A./Southern California schools accept admission there so I could have some pals I already met already once I move back down. I know a few people in L.A. because I'm from San Diego, but I haven't lived down there in a long time.

L.A. is definitely hectic. It's the edge of the world.

That's cool you declined the offer to UCLA tho. You just made a wait-lister very happy! ?

[Strawberrycat]

1 hour ago, Pickle95 said:

I haven't, they didn't necessarily offer. However I have been in communication with them about visiting and they said I could. I'd just have to figure everything out myself (travel, lodging, etc), which I guess isn't the hardest thing in the world to figure out, but it's been a little difficult having to do so around my job. Stanford paid for our visit (travel & lodging) which definitely made things easier. Anyway, I do plan on visiting (hopefully before April, if all goes well), which I'm sure would make the decision easier to make.

Dang, that's great that Stanford covered travel/lodging! You have two amazing choices. I know it's going to be a tough decision. I hope you are able to visit Yale and that you feel really good about whichever decision you make! 

[Itty Bitty]

On 3/12/2022 at 11:29 AM, Eric from America said:

Hey, congrats on getting accepted to both SAIC and MICA low residency! I was accepted at SAIC low residency a couple years ago, as well as SAIC Film Video New Media Animation and SAIC Art & Technology, so I know quite a bit about SAIC. I was living in Detroit at the time which made SAIC pretty easy to visit. I did not apply to MICA so I don't really have a first-hand comparison between the two.

They are both really well-respected schools, so you probably can't go wrong either way, and your decision is probably going to be based on your own personal preferences. Like, I remember there were several SAIC faculty members (Lee Blalock, Claudia Hart, Gregg Bordowitz, etc. etc) I was really interested in working with who were then teaching in their low residency program. So, if all else seems equal, your decision might come down to which school has the most faculty that are most interesting to you. Oh, and, they are obviously in different locations, which maybe allow you to do different things when on or near campus and which maybe attract students from different locations. 

And, OK, I'm looking at MICA's website and it looks like some key differences between the two are: 1) MICA is a three year program, SAIC is a two year program. 2) Both schools have online classes during the fall and spring, along with in-person summer classes, but MICA also has a short in-person winter session. SAIC had the option of taking electives during winter session or during the summer, and if you chose to do them during the winter session that could be in Chicago but also could include study trips to New York or Los Angeles (I was applying pre-covid, so I'm not sure about study trips lately or currently). 3) SAIC would connect you with a mentor that was local to you for studio visits, etc during the fall and spring. I don't see anything local like that from MICA, but like I said, I know a lot more about SAIC so maybe I'm just missing that. 

So, assuming they cost roughly the same money-wise, those seem like the key differences.

I hope that's helpful. Like I said, both very well-respected schools, so you probably can't go wrong and it will come down to your own personal preferences on what matters most to you. Good luck on your decision, let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck wherever you end up!

 

 

 

 

 

On 3/12/2022 at 11:29 AM, Eric from America said:

Hey, congrats on getting accepted to both SAIC and MICA low residency! I was accepted at SAIC low residency a couple years ago, as well as SAIC Film Video New Media Animation and SAIC Art & Technology, so I know quite a bit about SAIC. I was living in Detroit at the time which made SAIC pretty easy to visit. I did not apply to MICA so I don't really have a first-hand comparison between the two.

They are both really well-respected schools, so you probably can't go wrong either way, and your decision is probably going to be based on your own personal preferences. Like, I remember there were several SAIC faculty members (Lee Blalock, Claudia Hart, Gregg Bordowitz, etc. etc) I was really interested in working with who were then teaching in their low residency program. So, if all else seems equal, your decision might come down to which school has the most faculty that are most interesting to you. Oh, and, they are obviously in different locations, which maybe allow you to do different things when on or near campus and which maybe attract students from different locations. 

And, OK, I'm looking at MICA's website and it looks like some key differences between the two are: 1) MICA is a three year program, SAIC is a two year program. 2) Both schools have online classes during the fall and spring, along with in-person summer classes, but MICA also has a short in-person winter session. SAIC had the option of taking electives during winter session or during the summer, and if you chose to do them during the winter session that could be in Chicago but also could include study trips to New York or Los Angeles (I was applying pre-covid, so I'm not sure about study trips lately or currently). 3) SAIC would connect you with a mentor that was local to you for studio visits, etc during the fall and spring. I don't see anything local like that from MICA, but like I said, I know a lot more about SAIC so maybe I'm just missing that. 

So, assuming they cost roughly the same money-wise, those seem like the key differences.

I hope that's helpful. Like I said, both very well-respected schools, so you probably can't go wrong and it will come down to your own personal preferences on what matters most to you. Good luck on your decision, let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck wherever you end up!

 

 

 

 

 

[Itty Bitty]

On 3/12/2022 at 11:29 AM, Eric from America said:

Hey, congrats on getting accepted to both SAIC and MICA low residency! I was accepted at SAIC low residency a couple years ago, as well as SAIC Film Video New Media Animation and SAIC Art & Technology, so I know quite a bit about SAIC. I was living in Detroit at the time which made SAIC pretty easy to visit. I did not apply to MICA so I don't really have a first-hand comparison between the two.

They are both really well-respected schools, so you probably can't go wrong either way, and your decision is probably going to be based on your own personal preferences. Like, I remember there were several SAIC faculty members (Lee Blalock, Claudia Hart, Gregg Bordowitz, etc. etc) I was really interested in working with who were then teaching in their low residency program. So, if all else seems equal, your decision might come down to which school has the most faculty that are most interesting to you. Oh, and, they are obviously in different locations, which maybe allow you to do different things when on or near campus and which maybe attract students from different locations. 

And, OK, I'm looking at MICA's website and it looks like some key differences between the two are: 1) MICA is a three year program, SAIC is a two year program. 2) Both schools have online classes during the fall and spring, along with in-person summer classes, but MICA also has a short in-person winter session. SAIC had the option of taking electives during winter session or during the summer, and if you chose to do them during the winter session that could be in Chicago but also could include study trips to New York or Los Angeles (I was applying pre-covid, so I'm not sure about study trips lately or currently). 3) SAIC would connect you with a mentor that was local to you for studio visits, etc during the fall and spring. I don't see anything local like that from MICA, but like I said, I know a lot more about SAIC so maybe I'm just missing that. 

So, assuming they cost roughly the same money-wise, those seem like the key differences.

I hope that's helpful. Like I said, both very well-respected schools, so you probably can't go wrong and it will come down to your own personal preferences on what matters most to you. Good luck on your decision, let me know if you have any other questions, and good luck wherever you end up!

 

 

 

 

Hi Eric, 

Thank you so much for thoughtful response. It is very helpful.

Did you feel like you got enough one on one and hands on time and attention from your SAIC mentor during the fall and winter sessions of the Low Residency program?

This is such a tough call because I like each school for various reasons. Both will be about the same financial commitment when considering duration of the program, granted monies, and relocating to the respective cities. Both are highly regarded schoolds. Both have professors I would like to study with. 

The biggest difference I can see so far is:

1. The size of the program. SAIC has 22-30 people in their low res program, which will give more exposure to colleagues but seems like less attention from Mentors during the summer. MICA has 8 students in the program which would seemingly give a lot more attention and exposure to the students, but is a smaller pool of people one meeets during the summer. 

2. The SAIC mentor program when arriving home (Los Angeles) will be someone potentially from a different field, and we cannot meet these mentors until the fall, but they will be in ones region so they will be home site visits. At MICA my mentor would be one of the people with whom I interviewed. That mentor will be at the program in the summer (and in my field), along with others and the students can have three in one summer. Then in the fall the student continues to have the same mentor with them virtually, and brings progress to Baltimore in January but no home visits All in all that mentor will be with the same student for all four year. So they get to know the work better, but they are not in your home location at all. 

3. Length, and of course SAIC is 3 summers and MICA is 4 summers. 4 summers seems like a long time. 

Thank you again for all of your input. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your respone.

Best, 

Leah