MFA 2023 Freak Out Forum

[AJJAY]

5 minutes ago, cyb3rci3lo said:

ahhh good luck with your schools, especially with new mexico 🙂 hoping to hear back from anyone at this point as well, been super stressful these last few weeks, hoping we both get something !!

Thank you! Hey we are in this together. Where all did you apply?

[cornchip]

On 2/25/2023 at 8:49 AM, mfahopefulfunding said:

With interviews almost all over and acceptances being offered, is anyone having doubts if an MFA is actually the best choice for them?

I am thinking a lot about funding and the weight of financial debt along with questioning if the gamble of an MFA would actually support an art practice and a full time professional career after graduation. 

The excitement of building with peers, dedicated time, resources, facilities for artistic research, the general fruitful experience of learning and growth, the adventure of living in a new place are all wonderful parts of an MFA.

What about having a sustainable art practice and financial stability? Will an MFA make the work too esoteric? Does anyone have strategies for life after an MFA to ensure that you don't burn out and/or end up with a large amount of debt and at a loss of how to balance part time/full time work and an exhibiting practice?

Honestly I refuse to go into debt for an MFA. I will wait and reapply if I don't get a fully funded/mostly funded offer. I don't think it's wise to pay full price for an MFA. 

As for life after...no clue lol but it's a great question to ask professors once you're in a program!
 

[rootingforeverybody]

^no. gtfoh

 

edit: hacker/troll got deleted

Edited February 26, 2023 by rootingforeverybody

[rootingforeverybody]

honestly figured this forum was immune from call of duty level infantile racist trolling…

in other news this process is stressful as fuck. i don’t want to wait 2 more weeks to hear back. even if things go exactly as we want, it isn’t healthy to be this stressed. 😣

[cyb3rci3lo]

2 hours ago, AJJAY said:

Thank you! Hey we are in this together. Where all did you apply?

applied to saic, risd, rutgers, hunter, boston u and vcu 😊 so far only got interviews for hunter and vcu, but radio silence from everyone else, hoping we're on some wait list somewhere 😕

[cyb3rci3lo]

30 minutes ago, rootingforeverybody said:

honestly figured this forum was immune from call of duty level infantile racist trolling…

in other news this process is stressful as fuck. i don’t want to wait 2 more weeks to hear back. even if things go exactly as we want, it isn’t healthy to be this stressed. 😣

omg yeah i was super taken aback when i saw the troll, super not expecting it !

yeah this process has been super stressful, and i absolutely dread the idea of having to do it again ugh, wishing you and everyone else luck for the next week, hopefully march will bring some answers 😞

[rootingforeverybody]

10 minutes ago, cyb3rci3lo said:

omg yeah i was super taken aback when i saw the troll, super not expecting it !

yeah this process has been super stressful, and i absolutely dread the idea of having to do it again ugh, wishing you and everyone else luck for the next week, hopefully march will bring some answers 😞

you too! we will all be okay. no matter what. seeing how stressed this is making me, it’s becoming important for me to internalize that. even if i get the school i want, it can’t be that i would’ve been heartbroken otherwise. hope that resonates with someone else too. trying to appreciate the process and journey more than the result

[Bluegumtree]

5 hours ago, SocialKonstruct said:

Got word I have no merit scholarship from SAIC so no clue how I can afford that.

Hey, got accepted into SAIC painting too and don’t think I have a merit scholarship either. Also, I’m an international student so I have no idea how I’m going to afford it- SAIC doesn’t seem to have a lot of support for non-domestic students  

If anyone here has experience going to SAIC as an international student I would love to hear what they think! 

[SocialKonstruct]

11 minutes ago, Bluegumtree said:

Hey, got accepted into SAIC painting too and don’t think I have a merit scholarship either. Also, I’m an international student so I have no idea how I’m going to afford it- SAIC doesn’t seem to have a lot of support for non-domestic students  

If anyone here has experience going to SAIC as an international student I would love to hear what they think! 

I don't know and honestly I am going to need a 100 percent fully funded need based scholarship to consider SAIC at this point.

Still have ArtCenter, Calarts, and UCLA left to hear about.

[bloopers]

On 2/24/2023 at 12:43 PM, SocialKonstruct said:

Just finished my ArtCenter interview and it was concise and fun. On to Calarts later on this afternoon

 

Congrats and thanks so much for all the helpful info! Rooting for you. I too interviewed w/ ArtCenter last week. Any word on when we'll hear back? Did they share any updates on current funding? There was talk last year or so of covering all incoming MFA tuition and then crickets....curious about where that stands if anyone knows! 

[futuredesigner]

I saw that comment too. I'm pretty sure that person got hacked because they were posting normal stuff on the Sociology/Education threads before it started spamming weird stuff on other threads!

[futuredesigner]

10 minutes ago, bloopers said:

Congrats and thanks so much for all the helpful info! Rooting for you. I too interviewed w/ ArtCenter last week. Any word on when we'll hear back? Did they share any updates on current funding? There was talk last year or so of covering all incoming MFA tuition and then crickets....curious about where that stands if anyone knows! 

Hey, just wondering but what program did you interview for? I'm still waiting on ArtCenter but I'm starting to think that's not happening. :'-))

[SocialKonstruct]

1 minute ago, bloopers said:

Congrats and thanks so much for all the helpful info! Rooting for you. I too interviewed w/ ArtCenter last week. Any word on when we'll hear back? Did they share any updates on current funding? There was talk last year or so of covering all incoming MFA tuition and then crickets....curious about where that stands if anyone knows! 

No clue about ArtCenter but hopefully this week. Funding will be interested and yes I heard about the full funding which would be super nice!

 I also love the facilities and faculty and classes there too.

[bloopers]

2 minutes ago, futuredesigner said:

Hey, just wondering but what program did you interview for? I'm still waiting on ArtCenter but I'm starting to think that's not happening. :'-))

 

This was for the grad art program. Don't give up just yet! This process is painful to say the least, but I believe they will continue interviewing and in some departments are still accepting apps on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Hang in there

[SocialKonstruct]

28 minutes ago, bloopers said:

This was for the grad art program. Don't give up just yet! This process is painful to say the least, but I believe they will continue interviewing and in some departments are still accepting apps on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. Hang in there

Cool beans! Btw, are you familiar with how funding for ArtCenters in the previous years tended to go?

[onetwothreefourfive]

Just got offered a full ride at RISD, kinda nuts!

[futuredesigner]

14 minutes ago, onetwothreefourfive said:

Just got offered a full ride at RISD, kinda nuts!

They accepted you on the spot too so they really like you and your work—you should feel incredible about that! CONGRATS!!!!!

[hoo_boy]

10 hours ago, bloopers said:

Congrats and thanks so much for all the helpful info! Rooting for you. I too interviewed w/ ArtCenter last week. Any word on when we'll hear back? Did they share any updates on current funding? There was talk last year or so of covering all incoming MFA tuition and then crickets....curious about where that stands if anyone knows! 

Yeah, I kind of asked about funding in my interview and it sounds like if one (1) person gets a full ride next year, that would be lucky. "Down the line," they'd like to strive for all 30+ but it seems like they're a long way from that and like the Zwirner auction didn't produce the results they were hoping for.

[scholarship PLZ]

Hi everyone, I am applying to photo MFA program(mostly) and wondering if anybody hear back from Hunter? Seems that others already have finished their interview and I am so anxious…it is really a good project with more affordable tuition(in NYC)

Also curious about the “benefit” studying or living in NYC, is it that important? Or we could save the money(from rent) for future artwork creating. Hope to hear some advice!

MY current application status:

massart informal accepted 

saic accepted(no fund)

Syracuse informal accepted

parsons interview

risd interview

Calarts accepted 

cca interview

nothing yet: rit, hunter, ucla, ucb

Unfortunately each of the acceptance has no information about merit scholarship in email or letter, is there anybody know where to find out?

 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by scholarship PLZ

[Sculpturegirl101]

Woke up to an acceptance email from CalArts Art MFA

[painting549]

anyone know how many people applied to Rutgers visual arts MFA program?

I know 14 will be accepted, jw how many applied overall

[SocialKonstruct]

1 hour ago, Sculpturegirl101 said:

Woke up to an acceptance email from CalArts Art MFA

grats!

[Sweetie123]

On 2/24/2023 at 9:33 PM, biklo said:

I think that's correct, I have been out of school for awhile now and feel that a lot of programs I am applying to/getting interest from have older grad populations (25 and older). I spoke to a current Columbia MFA before applying and he said that if I was accepted, even though I'm a bit older than someone fresh out of undergrad, I would still be one of the younger MFA students. Also, I found that applying the second time around really clarified my process, and allowed me to be a lot more intentional and informed with how I wrote about my work and presented my portfolio. You'll only improve from this experience!

Yeah totally - I'm in my 30's so I would definitely be older than most, but I also think that these grad programs like to see that you can have a studio practice outside of undergrad. It took me a long time to graduate from undergrad and I just finished it up this past May (yay!). But you are totally right - all of this experience helps us gain knowledge for next time. The interviews I have had have really helped me with how I think about and talk about my work. I think my next hurdle for this upcoming year will be to make the work that I want to make, not work that I think will look good in a portfolio. 

[Sweetie123]

I just got my official rejection from USF sculpture. In my mind, as I was starting the application process, this school seemed like it would be a really good fit for me and the art that I make, but who really knows. I was expecting the rejection because I know other people had heard from them in the past few weeks.

I know USF is a funded program - does anyone know the stipend amount they give each year? 

[Starrr]

Hello everyone, recovering lurker here, I thought I'd give an update on my apps and finally ask my burning questions.

Parsons Comm. Des - radio silence 😳

Boston U Graphic Des- Interviewed, went well.

Pratt Package Des- radio silence 😳

SVA Des- Interviewed, went well. Portal said a decision was made since Friday, I am now waiting for the email abt it. 😨

Is anyone else applying to Pratt for package design, and did you get an interview yet? I went to National Portfolio Day and it couldn't have gone better. Maybe silence bc they're still accepting apps?