MFA 2023 Freak Out Forum

[lafoa7]

4 hours ago, edgecase said:

I feel you! You must have a strong portfolio to get all those interviews, so I hope you can lean into that part and feel that success, and may you end up at a school that's a good fit. I'm also waiting on two waitlists and feeling the stress of April 15th approaching. 

And I know how frustrating it can feel about the interviews, I also feel that I didn't interview well. Of course it's impossible to know what really went into their decisions, but as someone who doesn't have experience in the art world, I just literally didn't understand some of the questions. U of Arizona asked (one of only two questions), "what will your studio practice look like when you're here?" and I really fumbled that answer, and I could tell one of the professors was annoyed that I wasn't getting it. Of course I was rejected.

Coming out of a creative writing MFA, no one talks about having a "practice". Everyone just wants to know what you are working on - a novel? short stories? sonnets? Maybe, what are the themes, what are your influences, are you working in any particular form. No one really cares what story you tell about your "practice", it's all about the actual manuscript and can you deliver on the page. Exceptions are maybe if you're doing a job talk for a tenure track position or if you're pitching an agent or doing something super experimental and hard to understand. There aren't interviews for most writing MFAs. So I was really unprepared for how to talk about my work in that way and didn't even understand the concept of a "practice" even though I've been making visual art for two decades. 

That said, I've learned a lot through visiting schools and meeting other faculty and art students about the discourse in art, so I'll be better prepared for these conversations in the future, and I'm sure you will too. 

I heard some good advice about interviews recently - write out all likely questions and then write out a paragraph answer for each and try to memorize them, seeing if you can hit most of the points. For one of the two schools I got into, they did send the questions ahead of time, and I basically just read off a piece of paper during the Zoom interview. It worked!

Ack, best of luck! 

this is so validating, thanks for sharing your perspective so thoughtfully. theres def something strange abt the level of performativity normalized in explaining your practice as a visual artist that i really struggle with. thanks for your take and sharing. curious where you decided to go. all the best to you!

[duderstad]

5 hours ago, lafoa7 said:

this is so validating, thanks for sharing your perspective so thoughtfully. theres def something strange abt the level of performativity normalized in explaining your practice as a visual artist that i really struggle with. thanks for your take and sharing. curious where you decided to go. all the best to you!

Waitlist gang. I feel validated as well. I did not interview well- I also had a hard time with these abstract questions like : what does your process look like? What does your studio practice look like? I went to art school and even I feel these questions are strange- If anybody has any insight on how to answer them I would be grateful. Also, to all of us waitlisted, hang in there. Hopefully something will come up-

[h3249r]

Hi friends! I hope you're holding out okay. I know waitlists are starting to move as folks make their decisions, so I hope you hear from anywhere you're waiting from soon!

My final update is that I have decided to accept an offer I received late in the game from the University of Iowa! Although I will be turning down the more robust funding package from Indiana, I feel it will be worth it based on the incredible opportunities at Iowa for printmaking/book arts/papermaking. It's still funded at 10,600 a year + scholarships (they vary per year, so it'll be 10k my first year but probably closer to 5k the next 2 years).

Here's my final list:

Iowa: Interviewed and Accepted 3/16, Accepted Offer 4/6!
Indiana: Accepted, Declined offer 4/5
UMN-Twin Cities: Accepted, Declined offer 3/11
UGA: Interviewed, Waitlisted, Accepted off waitlist 4/5, will be declining offer
Oregon: Interviewed, Waitlisted
UT-Knoxville: Interviewed, Waitlisted
UArk: Interviewed, Rejected
UW-Madison: Interviewed, Rejected

Final lessons? I did not need to apply to 8 schools haha. But you really never know, and I knew I wanted to go this year.

If anyone else is headed out to Iowa, hit me up! Happy to share my insta over DM  Also to any future lurkers, I'm always down to chat about my experiences!

Edited April 6, 2023 by h3249r

[onetwothreefourfive]

On 3/24/2023 at 3:52 PM, onetwothreefourfive said:

Here's an update. Finally heard back from all schools, but because of all the waitlist placements I probably have another few weeks before I make any final decision. 

Program	Medium	Status
Yale University	Sculpture	Rejected
UCLA	Ceramics	Rejected
UC Davis	Interdisciplinary	Rejected
Rutgers	Interdisciplinary	Rejected
UC Irvine	Interdisciplinary	Waitlisted
UT Austin	Sculpture	Waitlisted
UMass Amherst	Interdisciplinary	Waitlisted
Carnegie Mellon	Interdisciplinary	Waitlisted
ASU	Ceramics	Accepted
UCONN	Interdisciplinary	Accepted
RISD	Ceramics	Accepted

Northwestern	Interdisciplinary	Accepted
Hunter	Clay/casting	Waitlisted
UW Madison	Sculpture	Waitlisted

 

 

I decided to accept the offer from Northwestern, I was looking for a heavily theoretical/conceptual program and in that regard it's hard to beat Northwestern, also the faculty are incredible and the funding package is insane, 37k with no work requirement the first year and a TA position the second year. Thank you all for the camaraderie.  

[hoo_boy]

hi everyone ! i am having a really hard time deciding between 2 programs in LA: CalArts and ArtCenter. 

i got a great package from CalArts that ArtCenter sounds open to matching… if money isn’t a factor, which school do you recommend for an interdisciplinary artist (whose dream school was UCLA, like everyone else)?

for extra context, i got into CalArts with the integrated media concentration and am not new to MFAs, having dropped out of Bard years ago due to $$

[Vla961]

Waitlist gang gang🥲

It’s such a disheartening experience waiting, waiting, waiting. It’s so hard to feel like you’re in limbo not knowing what the future looks like. 

I’ve been waitlisted for UI blooming and still  silence from CWU and WSU. Bloomington is my absolute dream program and where I truly believe my work will thrive. Waiting for any updates has been such a mentally exhausting space to be in! 

[risaurus]

On 4/4/2023 at 1:10 AM, ninja35 said:

Anyone heard back from mica’s scholarship appeal?

Hey, just heard back from them. It wasn't so much in my favour though. So disappointed!

[knockedloose33]

Hi everyone, I am considering both Hunter and Pratt for my MFA in painting. 

I have heard both good and bad reviews of each program and if there is anyone who has something to share I would love to hear. I am leaning toward Hunter since it is 3 years the, faculty are strong, and tuition is much less. Still, I seem to be thinking about Pratt. 

It has been so nice to hear about everyone's journeys and have some extra support and comfort along the way  . 

Edited April 8, 2023 by knockedloose33

[TVZ28]

Hey y'all! First time posting although have appreciated being able to see everyone's journeys. Congratulations to everyone! Wanted to share my acceptances/rejections in case the numbers are helpful to anybody now or in the future - I think it's important to have transparency around the monetary offers from the schools. I applied with a photo concentration with aim to do more sculptural/installation work.

• Yale - rejected
• Carnegie Mellon - rejected
• Northwestern - rejected
• University of Oregon - rejected
• Washington University in St. Louis - accepted
  • tuition remission + $4k stipend/yr
• Temple/Tyler - accepted
  • 50% tuition remission + $12k stipend/yr (they said they could try to go up to full funding but I had already ruled them out as an option)
• University of Minnesota Twin Cities - accepted
  • tuition remission + $25-30k stipend year 1, $20-25k stipends years 2, 3
• PNCA - accepted
  • 40% tuition remission
• University of Washington - accepted after being waitlisted
  • about 1/3-1/2 scholarship (didn't try for more as I'd already ruled them out)
• VCU - accepted after being waitlisted
  • tuition remission + $10.5k stipend/yr
• University of Wisconsin Madison - accepted after being waitlisted
  • tuition remission + $20.5k stipend/yr

I'm still deciding between Wash U, UMN, and UWM, but I'm most likely going to be going to Wisconsin :')

Good luck to everyone!

 

[arthoe1997]

Has anyone heard back from RISD Waitlist..? I've heard it was extra competitive this year and that there were a LOT of applicants. Not really expecting much at this point, but soo sick of waiting. Also, is the 15th of April a definitive for hearing back? Or is it just around then?

Edited April 10, 2023 by arthoe1997

[mmmmh]

On 4/4/2023 at 12:05 PM, blueangel said:

Hey all. I was excited to go to Pratt but I didn't get any scholarship, and they gave me a financial aid package of 100k for the first year. There's no way I want to be 100k in debt  is there any way I can ask for a scholarship or anything else to get actual financial help? 

I looked through scholarships but a lot of scholarships seem to be like 1k, not like 20k. 

Also has anyone heard back from NYU?

I still haven't heard back from NYU after interviewing with them.

Has anyone gotten an acceptance/rejection letter from them?

[Flowerflower]

On 4/8/2023 at 10:08 AM, TVZ28 said:

Hey y'all! First time posting although have appreciated being able to see everyone's journeys. Congratulations to everyone! Wanted to share my acceptances/rejections in case the numbers are helpful to anybody now or in the future - I think it's important to have transparency around the monetary offers from the schools. I applied with a photo concentration with aim to do more sculptural/installation work.

• Yale - rejected
• Carnegie Mellon - rejected
• Northwestern - rejected
• University of Oregon - rejected
• Washington University in St. Louis - accepted
  • tuition remission + $4k stipend/yr
• Temple/Tyler - accepted
  • 50% tuition remission + $12k stipend/yr (they said they could try to go up to full funding but I had already ruled them out as an option)
• University of Minnesota Twin Cities - accepted
  • tuition remission + $25-30k stipend year 1, $20-25k stipends years 2, 3
• PNCA - accepted
  • 40% tuition remission
• University of Washington - accepted after being waitlisted
  • about 1/3-1/2 scholarship (didn't try for more as I'd already ruled them out)
• VCU - accepted after being waitlisted
  • tuition remission + $10.5k stipend/yr
• University of Wisconsin Madison - accepted after being waitlisted
  • tuition remission + $20.5k stipend/yr

I'm still deciding between Wash U, UMN, and UWM, but I'm most likely going to be going to Wisconsin :')

Good luck to everyone!

 

How long were you on the University of Washington waitlist till they told you you were accepted? 

[AJJAY]

Well, well, well...if it isn't ME, back with another update. Already accepted at NMSU but my #1 school (NTNU in Norway) came out of the blue last week offering an interview. Of course I had to entertain it, so will be interviewing with them tomorrow morning (5am). Unfortunately, their gov't has introduced tuition fees, so unless I win the lottery I won't be decommitting from NMSU. $47k/yr is wayyy too steep for me.

 

Anyway, here's the updated list:

Hello everyone, First post. Decided to stop lurking and contribute, lol. Happy to know I’m not crazy in this whole process, and that everyone else is just as stressed as me! Here’s my status on applications so far:

 

1. Trondheim academy of Fine Arts/NTNU: Interviewing 4/11

2. Oslo National Academy of the Arts: Rejection 3/3.

3. Colorado State University: Rejection 3/13
4. New Mexico State University: Accepted 3/20

5. Arizona State University: Radio silence still, which is absolutely ridiculous. 

6. Boise State University: Waitlisted 2/28 (I turned it down).

 

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by AJJAY

[SocialKonstruct]

On 4/7/2023 at 3:41 AM, hoo_boy said:

hi everyone ! i am having a really hard time deciding between 2 programs in LA: CalArts and ArtCenter. 

i got a great package from CalArts that ArtCenter sounds open to matching… if money isn’t a factor, which school do you recommend for an interdisciplinary artist (whose dream school was UCLA, like everyone else)?

for extra context, i got into CalArts with the integrated media concentration and am not new to MFAs, having dropped out of Bard years ago due to $$

I selected ArtCenter. Anyone else going there this fall?

Edited April 11, 2023 by SocialKonstruct

[paintrizzler]

On 4/7/2023 at 2:41 AM, hoo_boy said:

hi everyone ! i am having a really hard time deciding between 2 programs in LA: CalArts and ArtCenter. 

i got a great package from CalArts that ArtCenter sounds open to matching… if money isn’t a factor, which school do you recommend for an interdisciplinary artist (whose dream school was UCLA, like everyone else)?

for extra context, i got into CalArts with the integrated media concentration and am not new to MFAs, having dropped out of Bard years ago due to $$

I attended ACCD for undergrad and most of my peers graduated from there or know the past MFA students (within the last 3 years). ACCD was a good school to make friends and the faculty was a mixed bag but overall very invested in their students, however there are some serious problems with the school itself. This term the graduate studios had flooded and were not available to its students, that's not a problem I see the school resolving anytime soon as they often delay things. There is also no crossover into the undergrad department, we had maybe 1-2 students that would TA and that would be it(once in a blue moon). The BFA/MFA the smallest departments so their funding isn't as big as the other departments. Also they were part of that big art school moment in Summer of 2020 for their treatment of women and minorities so keep that in mind (you can find all this on instagram). The teachers also just unionized this summer and its been a long time coming. This is all I can think about to give you some insight. For interdisciplinary, I think the department from what I've seen and who I know its mostly photo and writing...possibly painting...possibly sculpture (but not really. Hope this helps! 

[TVZ28]

12 hours ago, Flowerflower said:

How long were you on the University of Washington waitlist till they told you you were accepted? 

hi! i had my interview 2/27, was notified of the waitlist status on 3/17, and accepted 4/6!

[Roweeena]

On 3/15/2023 at 5:48 PM, crevedca said:

Anyone hear from UCLA DMA recently? 
Also any fellow Brown Digital/Cross-disciplinary waitlistees?

Got interviewed in February, but haven't heard anything since...  Only applying to two schools, UCLA's killing me😅

[thisisnotapipe]

Hi Everyone! Wanted to share my acceptances/rejections in case the numbers are helpful to anybody now or in the future, as well. I applied for MFA's in Photography. 

• University of Wisconsin Madison - waitlisted
• Georgia State University - accepted 
  • tuition remission + was awarded Welch Scholarship which offered $18k stipend/per year for three years (you had to work summers for them as well). 
• University of Connecticut - accepted 
  • tuition remission + $13.4k stipend/fall and spring semesters (you do not work summers for them) 

I accepted Connecticut's offer for several reasons. It's an incredible program, the faculty and I really connected, they have a strong pipeline to Fulbright scholarships, the graduate studios are incredible, and they have a strong interdisciplinary focus which I was looking for.

I was hoping to move off the wait list for Madison, but it didn't happen. 

Georgia State University ended up leaving a bad taste in my mouth. They told me I had until March 10 to make my decision or they were going to pull the funding despite being a school on the April 15th Resolution list. I reached out to confirm that, and I ended up getting a letter from the Dean of the school saying that I had until April 15. The faculty reached out to me via email or phone calls every 4-5 days telling me that I was putting them/the department in a difficult position by not accepting their offer immediately. They never took responsibility for giving me an earlier date and threatening to pull funding. I went to visit the campus and was not very impressed by the student work, the faculties ability to give feedback, studios which were windowless cubicles essentially, etc. 

Congratulations to everyone! Very grateful to have found this space to lean on while playing the waiting game with you all. 

[AcceptMePlz]

Anyone heard anything about the waitlist of CalArts? Or any waitlisted heard anything back? Please let me know, I’m running out of time for decision making

[duderstad]

6 hours ago, thisisnotapipe said:

 

Hi Everyone! Wanted to share my acceptances/rejections in case the numbers are helpful to anybody now or in the future, as well. I applied for MFA's in Photography. 

• University of Wisconsin Madison - waitlisted
• Georgia State University - accepted 
  • tuition remission + was awarded Welch Scholarship which offered $18k stipend/per year for three years (you had to work summers for them as well). 
• University of Connecticut - accepted 
  • tuition remission + $13.4k stipend/fall and spring semesters (you do not work summers for them) 

I accepted Connecticut's offer for several reasons. It's an incredible program, the faculty and I really connected, they have a strong pipeline to Fulbright scholarships, the graduate studios are incredible, and they have a strong interdisciplinary focus which I was looking for.

I was hoping to move off the wait list for Madison, but it didn't happen. 

Georgia State University ended up leaving a bad taste in my mouth. They told me I had until March 10 to make my decision or they were going to pull the funding despite being a school on the April 15th Resolution list. I reached out to confirm that, and I ended up getting a letter from the Dean of the school saying that I had until April 15. The faculty reached out to me via email or phone calls every 4-5 days telling me that I was putting them/the department in a difficult position by not accepting their offer immediately. They never took responsibility for giving me an earlier date and threatening to pull funding. I went to visit the campus and was not very impressed by the student work, the faculties ability to give feedback, studios which were windowless cubicles essentially, etc. 

Congratulations to everyone! Very grateful to have found this space to lean on while playing the waiting game with you all. 

had a similar experience with a very high regarded program. I ended up rejecting for that reason. I could not imagine dealing with faculty with that unprofessional for two whole years..Sad to see it was not an isolated incident

[cornchip]

This forum has been so helpful in making my decision and also remaining sane during the process. I wanted to make a post summarizing my experience.
For context: 
This is my first year applying. I am 4 years from my undergrad degree in art/art history from a liberal arts school. My work is in fiber, installation, and sculpture. Since graduating I have had a few shows here and there but nothing high profile by any means. I work as a barista and a studio assistant to two different artists while I maintain my artistic practice. My goals for grad school are to make a ton of work, to expand my material vocabulary, plant conceptual seeds for the future, become a part of an art community, and give and receive critical feedback.
I applied to nine programs. This was too many in my opinion, but oh well. 

The offers below are just the scholarships/stipends that were offered and do not include how FAFSA may have contributed to lowering my cost of attendance. 

MassArt Sculpture - accepted (10k scholarship)
Tyler Fibers - interview/accepted (full tuition and 34k stipend first year, 26k stipend second year while TAing)
SAIC Fiber - interview/accepted (8k scholarship over two years)
VCU Fiber  - interview/accepted (full tuition and stipend of about 7.5k/yr)
Hunter Sculpture - interview/accepted 
MICA Rinehart - interview/accepted (30k/yr merit scholarship)
Cranbrook - accepted (25k/yr scholarship)
VCU Sculpture - rejected
Yale Sculpture - interview/rejected

Skowhegan summer program - rejected

Going into this I knew a huge factor was going to be money. There were also some unexpected developments that had some influence on my decision. In short, it became clear that I need to remain in the general east coast region. If I knew this ahead of time I would not have applied to some of the schools I applied to. 

I am going to Tyler in the fall! This is obviously the best choice financially and in terms of location. The program is solid and the students and professors I met while visiting were so kind and clearly had fostered a supportive environment where they all felt comfortable taking risks and being open about their practice. I will not be taking out any loans and the stipend will entirely cover my cost of living in Philly - which is more than I could have asked for and I am so grateful.

For the people looking at this forum applying next year - there is money out there for your art degree!!!! 

 

[lafoa7]

any other waitlisters still waiting it out? hear anything this week post april 15? i see you im with you!! curious how long this can drawn out… still havent received official rejections from a handful of schools im waitlisted at. whats happening for other folks?

[lafoa7]

just updating in case someone checks this next year as a reference for waitlist timelines, or anyone else is still checking this. just got off the waitlist for my number one school and its almost may. dont give up people. have really appreciated the camaraderie and transparency here. sending my best to everyone.

 

[SocialKonstruct]

Checking to see if anyone else here is heading to ArtCenter?

[blueangel]

I got my rejection letter from NYU today! Won't be going to grad school at all, didn't get great scholarships 😕 will try again next year