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Applying for your MFA in painting/drawing??! GATHER HERE!


Kaelynn

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I spoke with SMFA, Syracuse, and Chicago Inst. Drawings are fine for the Painting portfolio. They don't care as long as it's strong work. They said I didn't have to put paintings in.

When your looking at the department to apply to, and it simply states "Painting" and not "Painting and Drawing," am I to assume they still embrace drawings in your portfolio?

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Got 6 of my 7 done:

Tyler

MICA - Hoffberger & Mount Royal

Yale

SAIC

Hunter

still have Rutgers to complete.

I'm feeling pretty good with how everything turned out. A huge relief to be almost done.

I can't imagine applying to 10, let alone 16....pure insanity :lol:

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absolutely no stommy aches allowed!

on the other hand, margaritas, absolutely! heehee.

suny purchase emailed me about the interviews.

isn't their deadline not until sometime from now?

i wonder why they were so quick to respond.

but yeah, now that i'm done with applications,

i've begun the process of preparing myself for rejection letters!!

lots of yoga haha.

:) don't worry!!

omg congrats on the interview!!! I just got a bad stomach ache after i read that because i literally just sent my purchase slideroom portfolio last night (all my other stuff was already sent). I wonder if I will hear back either with a rejection or interview invite soon? I'm not ready for a rejection letter, but obviously none of us are :( I honestly think I will probably cry, and then go and drink a few margaritas and maybe feel a little bit better. Did you hear back via email? or letter?

I am also proud to announce that I have officially submitted all 10 of my apps! Only problem is I have had issues with my transcripts being mailed on time so i am hoping i dont get entirely screwed over at UT Austin and SAIC for that because the damn transcripts are late.

Ps I cannot believe u sent in 16 apps. It literally took me like 80 + hours to do the 10...after two straight weeks of it my middle and index finger of my right hand were sore from scrolling on my mac and typing to fill out the apps and writing personal statements.

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I would ask you how many days after submitting did you get the interview...but a) that would be me being a huge control freak, and B) they may have like a certain day every week or every few weeks where they review the ones who have already sent in apps, or c) maybe your portfolio was just so great that they took a two second look and thats all they needed! LOL. I'll just focus on my life and not worry about it. PS I got a big package from SAIC in the mail....which even though I knew it couldnt be an acceptance yet...was still really cruel because they sent me a graduate catalogue...why would i want that when I have already applied, but haven't been accepted? I must have checked a "send me more information" box on the app or something.

absolutely no stommy aches allowed!

on the other hand, margaritas, absolutely! heehee.

suny purchase emailed me about the interviews.

isn't their deadline not until sometime from now?

i wonder why they were so quick to respond.

but yeah, now that i'm done with applications,

i've begun the process of preparing myself for rejection letters!!

lots of yoga haha.

:) don't worry!!

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anyway!! how is everyone doing?

i started this thread and then got so busy that

poooof i vanished.

but i'm done with all my applications now.

and am just waiting.....

in suspense.

where did everyone apply to?

has everyone heard back yet?

i actually heard from purchase and i'm selected as a finalist for the interview.

which i was really surprised about since i just sent in my applications last week.

!! scary! :)

Wow! 16 applications, how did your head not explode! ;) Congrats on the interview though, looks as if all that hard work is paying off. I still have to send my apps to Tyler and Washington, wish I could have applied to more, but it is just too expensive, oh well, hopefully one of the schools will want me. Good luck on the rest.

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Now that all my application materials are in, I can browse the forum without that anxious feeling that I'm wasting my time and should instead be working on my artist statement....

Anyway, ran across this and wanted to ask you what you thought specifically of MICA and SFAI. I'm looking at their low-residency programs.

Thanks!

Just to offer a hand to people...

I attended UC Davis for my undergrad, so I can answer most any questions about that program.

In researching my MFA I have visited the following schools:

Tyler,

MICA,

Hunter,

NYU,

U Penn,

SFAI,

SF State,

UC Berkeley,

UCLA,

Cal Long Beach.

If you have any questions about the funding/studios/programs at those schools, I will try to help as much as possible. It will also serve as a distraction from this mess that is my personal statement. MUCH harder that I thought to sum myself up on paper.

Again, good luck to you.

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Now that all my application materials are in, I can browse the forum without that anxious feeling that I'm wasting my time and should instead be working on my artist statement....

Anyway, ran across this and wanted to ask you what you thought specifically of MICA and SFAI. I'm looking at their low-residency programs.

Thanks!

Just to offer a hand to people...

I attended UC Davis for my undergrad, so I can answer most any questions about that program.

In researching my MFA I have visited the following schools:

Tyler,

MICA,

Hunter,

NYU,

U Penn,

SFAI,

SF State,

UC Berkeley,

UCLA,

Cal Long Beach.

If you have any questions about the funding/studios/programs at those schools, I will try to help as much as possible. It will also serve as a distraction from this mess that is my personal statement. MUCH harder that I thought to sum myself up on paper.

Again, good luck to you.

What were your thoughts on Tyler, MICA, Hunter, NYU, and UCLA in respects towards figurative artists and not super-conceptual artists? Those are all very strong big name schools.

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Oh one more general question to anyone who's gone through the interview process. I plan on applying for next year's admissions (December 2011). So I would be showing art I've done over the course of two years. I know my art will evolve and improve and become more sophisticated. I've only finished 6 pieces so far but my next few in progress are much more interesting and stronger in idea. I know Yale states on their website that they want you to put your work in chronological order....but I've always been told to put your strongest piece first and last to give a good impression. And I don't want to put my 'first' piece first because it would be the weakest one! Considering their 'rules,' is this chronological order rule one to be broken easily? Would they care? Or does a portfolio that starts out weak and then gets better in actual chronological order something to stay with and use to your advantage? I'd hate the panel to look at my first painting in my portfolio and just say "No!" when I have much stronger and more recent work I could use as a 'first impression.'

As of now, I feel like I should pick my strongest piece and put it first, and then put the rest in chronological order. Kind of like a compromise....or you could think of it as a cover to a chronological portfolio???

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Oh one more general question to anyone who's gone through the interview process. I plan on applying for next year's admissions (December 2011). So I would be showing art I've done over the course of two years. I know my art will evolve and improve and become more sophisticated. I've only finished 6 pieces so far but my next few in progress are much more interesting and stronger in idea. I know Yale states on their website that they want you to put your work in chronological order....but I've always been told to put your strongest piece first and last to give a good impression. And I don't want to put my 'first' piece first because it would be the weakest one! Considering their 'rules,' is this chronological order rule one to be broken easily? Would they care? Or does a portfolio that starts out weak and then gets better in actual chronological order something to stay with and use to your advantage? I'd hate the panel to look at my first painting in my portfolio and just say "No!" when I have much stronger and more recent work I could use as a 'first impression.'

As of now, I feel like I should pick my strongest piece and put it first, and then put the rest in chronological order. Kind of like a compromise....or you could think of it as a cover to a chronological portfolio???

Go strongest first. Most likely when they mean chronological order they mean your most recent first, but you can fudge that some. Just make your order make sense, as they get deeper into your portfolio they just want to see your earlier paintings that led to your most recent ones. But they won't care if one was painted a week or month before another.

Edited by michaelwebster
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Yeah, first impressions are very important...

To add to my other inquery on schools.... I always hear Hunter is a good art school, plus it's in New York. But it's also a COMMUNITY COLLEGE. I am a little uneasy to think about applying to a community college after all my hard work and money...the idea that if I got in, I'd be flying across the country after 2 years of work and be like,'wtf!' So how is Hunter?

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I'm applying to Hunter. I'm from New York, so knew about its reputation a bit beforehand, but did some research before deciding to apply there. I know a girl in their grad art history program, and got some of my information about the school from her.

Hunter's actually not a community college. It's party of CUNY (City University of New York). You may have heard of SUNY (State University of New York). The city has its own version. Most of the CUNY schools aren't of very good reputation academically, but a few of them are. For example, the Graduate Center is CUNY.

From what I've heard, Hunter's quality really depends on the department. The grad fine art program has an excellent reputation in New York. Apparently their English department is stellar too. (Gary Shteyngart did his MFA in Creative Writing there.) I also know that Holland Carter (NY Times) did his MA in art history at Hunter.

I've met a few students in the grad fine art program. Some of them really impressed me, and some others didn't, but I guess that's typical of any larger program.

Anyway, that's about all I know on the subject. Hope it helps.

Yeah, first impressions are very important...

To add to my other inquery on schools.... I always hear Hunter is a good art school, plus it's in New York. But it's also a COMMUNITY COLLEGE. I am a little uneasy to think about applying to a community college after all my hard work and money...the idea that if I got in, I'd be flying across the country after 2 years of work and be like,'wtf!' So how is Hunter?

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I also applied to Hunter. It's known for being almost like an artist residency because the studios are so big. It also doesn't only have art...my great grandmother went there for undergrad and was an elementary school teacher. She would probably be over 100 if she were still alive, so Hunter has been around for a long time.

I'm applying to Hunter. I'm from New York, so knew about its reputation a bit beforehand, but did some research before deciding to apply there. I know a girl in their grad art history program, and got some of my information about the school from her.

Hunter's actually not a community college. It's party of CUNY (City University of New York). You may have heard of SUNY (State University of New York). The city has its own version. Most of the CUNY schools aren't of very good reputation academically, but a few of them are. For example, the Graduate Center is CUNY.

From what I've heard, Hunter's quality really depends on the department. The grad fine art program has an excellent reputation in New York. Apparently their English department is stellar too. (Gary Shteyngart did his MFA in Creative Writing there.) I also know that Holland Carter (NY Times) did his MA in art history at Hunter.

I've met a few students in the grad fine art program. Some of them really impressed me, and some others didn't, but I guess that's typical of any larger program.

Anyway, that's about all I know on the subject. Hope it helps.

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I also had that problem, because Purchase asked for chronological, and I have more than one series going in more portfolio, so I wanted to place the works that went together next to one another. I think it is kind of subjective also because I work on 3 or 4 things at a time...so I was like, well I started painting x before painting y, but I finished painting y first. I think for the most part try to put things in order, but if it's not completely accurate then whatever...what are they going to do? ask for the paintings and do forensic science testing to see which paint is the oldest? hahah.

In my opinion, I think it is even more important to finish off with your strongest work than to start with it...the last thing they see is the last memory they will have before they vote on it.

Oh one more general question to anyone who's gone through the interview process. I plan on applying for next year's admissions (December 2011). So I would be showing art I've done over the course of two years. I know my art will evolve and improve and become more sophisticated. I've only finished 6 pieces so far but my next few in progress are much more interesting and stronger in idea. I know Yale states on their website that they want you to put your work in chronological order....but I've always been told to put your strongest piece first and last to give a good impression. And I don't want to put my 'first' piece first because it would be the weakest one! Considering their 'rules,' is this chronological order rule one to be broken easily? Would they care? Or does a portfolio that starts out weak and then gets better in actual chronological order something to stay with and use to your advantage? I'd hate the panel to look at my first painting in my portfolio and just say "No!" when I have much stronger and more recent work I could use as a 'first impression.'

As of now, I feel like I should pick my strongest piece and put it first, and then put the rest in chronological order. Kind of like a compromise....or you could think of it as a cover to a chronological portfolio???

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I wish I would have read this post sooner. I called Yale about this and they said that they have this rule for a reason and expect everyone to adhere to it. They even said they would prefer to know the months you finished the work.

Go strongest first. Most likely when they mean chronological order they mean your most recent first, but you can fudge that some. Just make your order make sense, as they get deeper into your portfolio they just want to see your earlier paintings that led to your most recent ones. But they won't care if one was painted a week or month before another.

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for pretty much all of my apps, I've been ordering my work chronologically (ordering them in a way that looks good within each year, but starting with 2008 and ending with 2011)...is that bad? there is a notable shift in my subject matter that happens in 2010, and i feel like seeing the older work first is a better way to show that maturation process...

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for pretty much all of my apps, I've been ordering my work chronologically (ordering them in a way that looks good within each year, but starting with 2008 and ending with 2011)...is that bad? there is a notable shift in my subject matter that happens in 2010, and i feel like seeing the older work first is a better way to show that maturation process...

Did the same. totally agree ..

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Whoa, I didn't even see that chronological order thing when I sent my application in.. too late now. So much for carefully reading instructions...

By the way, did anyone else receive an email from someone at Tyler admissions re: materials that did not use BCC? It was basically the email addresses of everyone who applied. T-A-C-K-Y.

I wish I would have read this post sooner. I called Yale about this and they said that they have this rule for a reason and expect everyone to adhere to it. They even said they would prefer to know the months you finished the work.

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Whoa, I didn't even see that chronological order thing when I sent my application in.. too late now. So much for carefully reading instructions...

By the way, did anyone else receive an email from someone at Tyler admissions re: materials that did not use BCC? It was basically the email addresses of everyone who applied. T-A-C-K-Y.

Ha! Yeah I got that email from Tyler about checking status, sending in resume/statements. I kind of laughed when I saw the emails of other applicants, wonder if that's just for painting or the entire art department.

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Ha! Yeah I got that email from Tyler about checking status, sending in resume/statements. I kind of laughed when I saw the emails of other applicants, wonder if that's just for painting or the entire art department.

it didn't seem like all that many names, in my opinion

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