MFA 2023 Freak Out Forum

[cornchip]

just got an interview with Yale sculpture! ?

[greengrass]

got an interview for Yale photo!

[criticalfabulation]

7 minutes ago, cornchip said:

just got an interview with Yale sculpture! ?

Congrats! I just got an invite to Yale painting/printmaking I’m feeling so relieved omg

[SocialKonstruct]

Double rejection from Yale today.

[sussy.spacek]

Second-time applicant here and got an interview for Yale painting/printmaking!

Congrats to those who made it pass the first round! And cheering on everyone!! Don't give up!!!! This does not reflect your worth as a person or artist.

Edited February 5, 2023 by sussy.spacek

[Garamond]

5 hours ago, risaurus said:

Hi guys! An international applicant here. I have my first ever design school interview tomorrow for MFA Graphic Communication Design. Really nervous and clueless.

May I ask what kind of questions are usually asked? And if you guys have any advice also, that'd be great.

Thank you!

Hello! I am a graphic design applicant too! All of the schools I applied/interviewed with are public state schools and I noticed that you applied to mostly private art schools, but I imagine the questions are similar and I have had 4 interviews already so I will share what I know:

Typical questions:

Tell us about yourself.

Why XYZ University?

What do you bring to XYZ University?

Why choose graduate school now?

What are your career goals and how do you see XYZ University in helping you reach these goals?

Do you have any questions for us? (This is usually saved at the end of the interview. My go to questions are what are examples of thesis projects graphic students have done in the past and what do you love most about being at XYZ University?) You always want to ask a question because it shows that you are interested in the program you are applying to.

Questions that I have only been asked once:

What are your research topics, specifically in the Graphic Design field?

What do you see as the major and/or emerging trends in the Graphic Design field, and how have you responded to the new movements? 

What do you think about new digital technologies in the graphic design field, and what are your efforts to adopt the new digital methods? 

How do you demonstrate commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Please share an example.

How do you deal with challenges or failures, and how did you overcome difficult situations? Please share an example.

Questions that I haven't been asked but maybe relevant to private art schools:

Talking about your work in detail. (I haven't fielded any questions about my work, maybe I'm an outlier).

What have you been reading lately?

 

As far as other interview tips go, make sure you know what makes the university unique (the faculty, the work they do) and how you would fit in there.

Make sure your Zoom is set up and updated the day of your interview. Nothing makes you sweat like seeing that Zoom is updating two minutes before your interview!

Be sure that you know when the meeting is because of time difference! You don't want to miss an interview because it was an hour earlier!

After the interview, it would help to write a thoughtful thank you email to the people that interviewed you. Usually the next day or 24 hours.

Best of luck! I know it's cliche but be yourself! They like you and your work for a reason!

[thisisnotapipe]

Just found this forum in between refreshing my inbox for updates. I applied to three programs for photography: 

UW Madison
UConn
Georgia State University 

So far have only heard back from UW Madison. They sent out an email a week after the application deadline telling me they'd like to do an interview. I received a day/time to meet with them last week. It was a quick 15 minutes of questions from faculty with 5 minutes of time for me to ask questions. The initial request email said they would be conducting interviews until Feb 10. 

I read through last years forum to see how these things went with the schools I applied to. It seems UW Madison makes their decisions pretty quickly and early. And that UConn was really late last year? Hoping they're not that late this year. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by thisisnotapipe

[simulation]

3 hours ago, Fawn said:

Congrats!! I also got an interview invite from Yale graphic design! did not expect this at all ? especially after hearing no words from RISD and SVA

Are you applying for 3 year program or 2 year?

i'm applying for the 3-year program, wb you?

[geminilibraaquarius]

anyone on here have info to share about the MFA program at Univ of Iowa? 

and how do folks answerthe question, why this school ? when a lot of it has to do with funding (for me) but i can't say that?

 

thank you,

 

 

[initalics]

Congrats to everyone who got interviews best of luck to you all. 

I applied to Yale Photo and got a rejection letter. Although, I feel bummed a bit. I overall feel relieved. I had so much pressure on me from my fam and it was honestly too much. I felt more so that I had to do it, rather than I wanted to. I didn't feel like I was ready but everyone else (aside from two people) thought that I was. I'm actually excited to take a break and apply again when I'm not under so much pressure. 

Again I'm happy for those who made it. Good shit! 

And for those who are gearing up for another, lets get this pap. 

[lazuli.]

GOT AN INTERVIEW FOR YALE PAINTING!!!!!!!! Honestly losing my mind after being rejected back in 2019 AAAAAAAAAAAH

Well done to everybody regardless!! Just applying and continuing on your craft is worth celebrating in and of itself!

Edited February 6, 2023 by lazuli.

[SocialKonstruct]

4 hours ago, initalics said:

Congrats to everyone who got interviews best of luck to you all. 

I applied to Yale Photo and got a rejection letter. Although, I feel bummed a bit. I overall feel relieved. I had so much pressure on me from my fam and it was honestly too much. I felt more so that I had to do it, rather than I wanted to. I didn't feel like I was ready but everyone else (aside from two people) thought that I was. I'm actually excited to take a break and apply again when I'm not under so much pressure. 

Again I'm happy for those who made it. Good shit! 

And for those who are gearing up for another, lets get this pap. 

Ironically I am a current photo major and I decided to apply not to the Yale photo program but the other two visual arts ones. Maybe they prefer you to stay in your own ballpark?

[dawndothat]

Hi all. I got a rejection from Yale painting/printmaking. I'm waiting for the interview invitation from Columbia(Visual Arts) and Pratt(Painting and Drawing). Did anyone hear back from these programs?

[sillystring]

5 hours ago, scraps said:

anyone on here have info to share about the MFA program at Univ of Iowa? 

and how do folks answerthe question, why this school ? when a lot of it has to do with funding (for me) but i can't say that?

 

thank you,

 

 

I have a Zoom interview for Iowa upcoming, and they send a list of questions to prepare beforehand. The interview is scheduled to be about 20 minutes, so I'm not sure if all of the questions will be asked.

Funding was a big factor to my list of schools I applied to as well, but in any interview, I prioritize speaking about what I hope to learn in the program, what I want to research while I'm there, or what I admire about the school, facilities, or faculty/other grad students. Focus on the art and your goals first and foremost. In my experience from job interviews and interviews for undergrad scholarships, I have found that it's okay to say you appreciate the financial support a program offers after you've explained why you're a good fit and such. "This is an ideal program for me, so I was excited to see that there are opportunities for fellowships and TA positions that can financially support me as well." Tack it on at the end.

IMO, it feels unnatural to just walk into an interview and pretend I'm rich enough that money is no object! I also openly state that I'm from a low-income background in my personal statements. So I make my financial needs take a backseat as a quick acknowledgement, one of many factors that encouraged me to apply to [Insert School].

[geminilibraaquarius]

3 hours ago, sillystring said:

I have a Zoom interview for Iowa upcoming, and they send a list of questions to prepare beforehand. The interview is scheduled to be about 20 minutes, so I'm not sure if all of the questions will be asked.

Funding was a big factor to my list of schools I applied to as well, but in any interview, I prioritize speaking about what I hope to learn in the program, what I want to research while I'm there, or what I admire about the school, facilities, or faculty/other grad students. Focus on the art and your goals first and foremost. In my experience from job interviews and interviews for undergrad scholarships, I have found that it's okay to say you appreciate the financial support a program offers after you've explained why you're a good fit and such. "This is an ideal program for me, so I was excited to see that there are opportunities for fellowships and TA positions that can financially support me as well." Tack it on at the end.

IMO, it feels unnatural to just walk into an interview and pretend I'm rich enough that money is no object! I also openly state that I'm from a low-income background in my personal statements. So I make my financial needs take a backseat as a quick acknowledgement, one of many factors that encouraged me to apply to [Insert School].

would you be willing to share the questions that they emailed you? 

 

THANK YOU !

[Pavol R]

When applying to Yale MFA painting/printmaking , does anyone know how much importance yale puts on your previous gpa ? Is there a minimum gpa one must have to be considered? 

[rhonda89]

5 hours ago, slickjaketheruler said:

Ay, congratulations. Happy to break these things down for you and explain these few things.

For classes all grads take a few of the same classes each semester. You will be taking directed studio practice - 3 credits that are just given to you for studio time, graduate projects - a 3 credit class that meets every Tuesday within your department, and critique and critical discourse - a 3 credit class every Thursday that mixes all the departments grads together for critiques (this is time to get feedback outside of your specialized field). One of the great things about Tyler is that they are currently and actively restructuring the way they approach critique to be more ethical and responsible with their students. 

Outside of that you will then take an elective of some sort and an art history. All first years will take a theory class their first semester and the elective can be anything you want as long as it is junior level or above. Electives and art histories aren't limited to your department either. I'm a printmaking major and ended up taking a glass class both semesters (which completely radicalized my practice). Class sizes for electives are no more than 10-15 students, for graduate projects usually it's between 5-10 people per section depending on department. Like printmaking has 6 grad students total. So our class sizes are only 6 for our graduate projects. 

For financial aid, funding, and assistantships: it really depends on the programs and what they have to offer. The university breaks down funding in a few ways. They offer fellowships that are determined outside of Tyler but through Temple as a whole. These are usually based off of academic merit, involvement, portfolio, and CV status and engagement. Each program usually has 1-3 fully funded fellows that will receive an assistantship stipend for their first year without having to work.

TA appoints and graduate intern and externships and based off of each department. Right now, I currently have 3 semesters fully funded with a print shop technician appointment for my first year, with a TA assistantship where I will be teaching a class as instructor of record my 3rd semester.

There are research and travel grants you can apply for for supplies. One of them is the deans grant for academic research. It offers up to $1000 to complete a project that otherwise wouldn't be achievable without the additional funds. They also have the project completion grant which is a $12,000 grant you can apply for your thesis/dissertation semester for funding. That one is unrestricted so can be used to help pay tuition or whatever. 

My best advice for you once the program reaches out, is to not commit until you have other offers on the table. And negotiate hard! Tell them your other offers and what those schools are offering you. It's possible that more funding can be available. I negotiated additional scholarship money in by laying some full funded offers on the table since Tyler was my top choice. 

For painting faculty, I really love Philip Glahn, Jessica Vaughn, and Gerard Brown. Philip is the smartest person I know and will really challenge you to think critically about the work you are making. He also taught my theory class this semester. Jessica Vaughn has an incredible interdisciplinary practice and always takes the time to help you understand important writings. I just met Gerard recently and he is really passionate about teaching in higher education (he teaches classes on it at Tyler for graduate students). 

Outside of painting I have really enjoyed studio visits with Amze Emmons and Hester Stinnett in printmaking (biased bc they are my program heads), Jessica Jane Julius in the Glass department, Mallory Weston and Doug Bucci in Jewelry, Jesse Harrod in fibers + material studios, Nichola Kinch in sculpture/foundations, and with Alpesh Patel in art history. 

If you want to message me here or on instagram @jakelahah, I'm happy to put you in touch with current first year painters so they can give you their honest opinion on the painting program. Hope this info is helpful for you and anyone lurking. 

Thank you so much for such a brilliant and comprehensive response, I truly appreciate it! I will absolutely use this as a reference for everything to come. Excited to hear about the printmaking faculty too! Even though painting is my primary discipline I've dabbled in printmaking and would love to explore it more. Also Philip Glahn was in my interview and I was really compelled by his questions + engagement and I instantly wanted to work with him, I'm glad to hear good things about him!

[blueangel]

Rejected from Yale ? not hugely upset about it as I do want to live in NYC. Now I'm really praying for Pratt and Columbia!!

[Frank0000000]

Got my official rejection from Northwestern this morning! Wasn't too disappointed because I didn't get an interview invite so I wasn't expecting too much ?

Hoping to hear back from UCLA or Stanford soon!!! Anyone applying to the University of Michigan? 

[SocialKonstruct]

12 hours ago, dawndothat said:

Hi all. I got a rejection from Yale painting/printmaking. I'm waiting for the interview invitation from Columbia(Visual Arts) and Pratt(Painting and Drawing). Did anyone hear back from these programs?

 applied to COlumbia and they haven't said anything yet.

[lazuli.]

Got an interview for Yale Painting!! Honestly losing my mind after being rejected back in 2019 

Well done to everybody regardless!! Just applying and continuing on your craft is worth celebrating in and of itself!

[reallyfamousartist]

Anyone get rejection letters from RISD yet? I didn't get an invite for painting and am expecting a rejection in my inbox at some point. Heard back from Yale and received a rejection too : (

Congrats to those invited!

[h3249r]

Wow lots of activity this weekend! I hope everyone starts getting some good news soon if you haven't already!

Curious if anyone has heard from University of Georgia or University of Arkansas?

I was also waiting to hear from Iowa but it seems interview invites went out already- that was fast! Did anyone who got an interview from them apply for print? Or do I still have a sliver of hope? hahaha

[Fawn]

19 hours ago, simulation said:

i'm applying for the 3-year program, wb you?

I'm also applying for the 3-year program! Good luck with your interview!! Hopefully we could see each other in September :))

 

[poppingballoons]

praying this is the week I hear back ? LOL I don’t think I’ve seen anyone hear from RISD for the 2 year graphic design yet so maybe theres hope