MFA 2023 Freak Out Forum

[reallyfamousartist]

2 hours ago, blueangel said:

I just got an interview for Pratt for Painting MFA! Crossing my fingers hoping this goes well. 

I just got out of my interview with Pratt (painting). They are really friendly, easygoing, and also pretty funny. It was the most comfortable and natural interview that I've had so far. Don't sweat it- you'll do great. 

Edited February 24, 2023 by reallyfamousartist

[Sweetie123]

1 hour ago, biklo said:

Hello everyone, I've been checking in on this forum for the past month to get an idea as to which schools are sending out interview invites and acceptances/rejections. I applied to ASU's MFA with a focus on painting this year and haven't heard from them yet. I sent an email a few days ago asking about the status of applications and no reply. Has anyone heard from them? I heard they don't do interviews (not sure if this is true) and am curious if they have sent out any acceptances or not. Other schools I've heard from:

UTK - accepted

USF - accepted

UT Austin - accepted

UCSB - interview pending

UCLA - nothing (assuming rejection)

Columbia - nothing (assuming rejection)

Thanks for sharing if you have any info! Best of luck to everyone as decisions begin to arrive!

Hi, what is your discipline?

I applied to USF Sculpture and haven't heard anything, which makes me believe I was rejected. When was your interview? 

[biklo]

1 minute ago, Sweetie123 said:

Hi, what is your discipline?

I applied to USF Sculpture and haven't heard anything, which makes me believe I was rejected. When was your interview? 

Painting. My interview was about 2 weeks ago (Feb 8). USF called me this morning but did not send an admission notice yet, and I was told that official acceptance letters and financial offers would be coming in the next week or so.  

[SocialKonstruct]

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

[Sweetie123]

8 minutes ago, biklo said:

Painting. My interview was about 2 weeks ago (Feb 8). USF called me this morning but did not send an admission notice yet, and I was told that official acceptance letters and financial offers would be coming in the next week or so.  

Congrats! 

[biklo]

2 minutes ago, Sweetie123 said:

Congrats! 

Thanks! Hoping you the best of luck with your apps!

[Sweetie123]

On 2/15/2023 at 10:25 AM, thisisnotapipe said:

Had an interview with a program earlier this week and was asked (what I thought) was a weird question. They asked where else I applied and if I had any interviews with those programs already. I felt forced to answer it but wondered if that was (1) an appropriate question to ask (2) if anyone else had this experience before and how they handled it? 

I had a very similar experience during an interview and felt quite awkward. This is my first time applying to MFA programs and that was my first interview (I have had two other interviews since then), and I felt very uncomfortable telling them that I hadn't heard from any other programs yet. I did not get accepted into that particular program and I wonder if my answer affected my chances of acceptance. 

[Sweetie123]

1 minute ago, biklo said:

Thanks! Hoping you the best of luck with your apps!

Thank you! This is my first year applying to grad programs - I applied to 9 schools, I've had 3 interviews, a bunch of rejections, and so far only one offer. I haven't heard from any of my top choices, so it is definitely a huge disappointment. 

[Sweetie123]

Anyone hear from Cornell yet????

[Miso]

40 minutes ago, Sweetie123 said:

I had a very similar experience during an interview and felt quite awkward. This is my first time applying to MFA programs and that was my first interview (I have had two other interviews since then), and I felt very uncomfortable telling them that I hadn't heard from any other programs yet. I did not get accepted into that particular program and I wonder if my answer affected my chances of acceptance. 

 

38 minutes ago, Sweetie123 said:

Thank you! This is my first year applying to grad programs - I applied to 9 schools, I've had 3 interviews, a bunch of rejections, and so far only one offer. I haven't heard from any of my top choices, so it is definitely a huge disappointment. 

That seems like a very bad question to ask. Idk why certain programs feel the need to ask applicants what other schools they applied to, it's not relevant at all and seems really inappropriate. It would be extremely messed up if the answer to that question impacted their decision. 

But don't be disappointed, first-year applying...9 schools and 3 interviews...is a huge success! This is my second year applying, I've applied to 8 schools, had 3 rejections, 4 pending rejections based on the info in this forum, and 1 interview. Remember it could always be worse, you're doing great!  

Edited February 24, 2023 by Gaara

[biklo]

16 minutes ago, Sweetie123 said:

Thank you! This is my first year applying to grad programs - I applied to 9 schools, I've had 3 interviews, a bunch of rejections, and so far only one offer. I haven't heard from any of my top choices, so it is definitely a huge disappointment. 

I applied for the first time last year and had a similar experience. I had to recollect myself and opted to produce a fresh body of work and spent a lot more time on my applications this year. It is a really daunting process and can certainly be disappointing. Just know that you do have options, and don't be afraid to keep trying until you get into the right program!

[Forms Without Formula]

Got my first acceptance today!!! To SVA Fine Arts, also got an interview request for Mass Art 3D today! Good luck all of y’all!

[biklo]

28 minutes ago, Sweetie123 said:

I had a very similar experience during an interview and felt quite awkward. This is my first time applying to MFA programs and that was my first interview (I have had two other interviews since then), and I felt very uncomfortable telling them that I hadn't heard from any other programs yet. I did not get accepted into that particular program and I wonder if my answer affected my chances of acceptance. 

I have also been asked this! I consulted a former professor of mine as to why this question is asked, and they said it is typically to gauge how likely you are to accept an offer from them. For instance, if you have a full ride to Yale they might actually be less inclined to offer you a spot knowing you'll likely take Yale's offer instead (depending on the program of course). I don't think letting them know you haven't had any interviews/offers is a bad thing, or at least it certainly shouldn't be used to count against you. 

[Miso]

8 minutes ago, biklo said:

I have also been asked this! I consulted a former professor of mine as to why this question is asked, and they said it is typically to gauge how likely you are to accept an offer from them. For instance, if you have a full ride to Yale they might actually be less inclined to offer you a spot knowing you'll likely take Yale's offer instead (depending on the program of course). I don't think letting them know you haven't had any interviews/offers is a bad thing, or at least it certainly shouldn't be used to count against you. 

Wow I never knew that, seems pretty messed up....whether you feel someone is likely to accept your offer or not...if they have done nothing wrong and deserve an acceptance letter then they should still get one

[reallyfamousartist]

1 hour ago, Gaara said:

First off, thank you so much for sharing all of this info! I think it's so unfair that people in person met with current students and faculty and had one-on-one convos. How can they make a decision on who to pick when your experience sounds like they had hours to feel you out as a person and we Zoom people had 20 minutes. Having hours could be a disadvantage for someone with social anxiety but it could also be a huge advantage for people that have amazing social skills. They said there was no advantage over coming in-person vs. Zoom but I just don't see how that's actually true. 

21 is crazy tho 😭 that gives each of us about a 5% chance of getting picked. I was hoping it was 10 finalists LOL, of the 21 applicants, how many did you see interviewing in person? 

And no problem! This could be a life-changing experience for anyone, I'll do anything I can to help even if that means someone being picked over me. 

I've noticed that NW's studios with poor lighting have been a dealbreaker for people in the past. Out of the 5 people they accept, I'm sure at least 2 will end up declining the offer because of the studios. Personally, I'm a night owl, I'm used to drawing at 2 AM while using unnatural light 

 

Yes- of course! So happy to share this with you too. Supporting others makes the process a lot more enjoyable. 

I agree with you; in-person interviews are classist and unfair. All interviews should strictly be through zoom, imo. Hopefully, they will try their best to be unbias but idk : / 

Out of the 21 invited, seven were at the in-person interview. Three of us traveled from out of state, and the rest were from Chicago.

I can see why people would be bothered by the not-so-great studios, but personally, I'd still go if my studio was a dumpster if that meant a full ride + stipend lol

 

 

 

[kaflake]

Awkward interviews:

 

so all of my interviews were a little awkward and I stressed a lot about it. But after speaking with a professor at one of the schools I was accepted at, they told me the reason interviewers are not as inquisitive and don’t ask follow up questions is because they are tying to be fair and unbiased. They want to ask every applicant the same questions and not show favoritism during the interview.

 

My advice is to practice your answers and to find ways to elaborate where you can. Don’t stress and just be clear about your work and goals. 

[Miso]

1 minute ago, reallyfamousartist said:

Yes- of course! So happy to share this with you too. Supporting others makes the process a lot more enjoyable. 

I agree with you; in-person interviews are classist and unfair. All interviews should strictly be through zoom, imo. Hopefully, they will try their best to be unbias but idk : / 

Out of the 21 invited, seven were at the in-person interview. Three of us traveled from out of state, and the rest were from Chicago.

I can see why people would be bothered by the not-so-great studios, but personally, I'd still go if my studio was a dumpster if that meant a full ride + stipend lol

Exactly! You shouldn't give people the option of Zoom or in-person. Either pay for all 21 finalists' travel expenses OR tell everyone that Zoom is the only option. Everyone should be on the same playing field. How can Zoom people possibly compete when their interviews were cut off at 20 minutes on the dot.....as opposed to people in-person having the chance for one on ones and going well over 20 minutes. There's nothing fair about that 

LMAOOOO IM DEADDD🤣💀🤣💀...I'm with you on that, you giving me 24k-32k in stipend, tuition covered, I can make art in my room at that point....I don't need the perfect lighting and a fancy studio 

[reallyfamousartist]

15 minutes ago, Gaara said:

LMAOOOO IM DEADDD🤣💀🤣💀...I'm with you on that, you giving me 24k-32k in stipend, tuition covered, I can make art in my room at that point....I don't need the perfect lighting and a fancy studio 

lol- right?? It's a literal $180,000 check. absolute no brainer 

Edited February 24, 2023 by reallyfamousartist
speelling

[Boolakanaka]

3 hours ago, Gaara said:

First off, thank you so much for sharing all of this info! I think it's so unfair that people in person met with current students and faculty and had one-on-one convos. How can they make a decision on who to pick when your experience sounds like they had hours to feel you out as a person and we Zoom people had 20 minutes. Having hours could be a disadvantage for someone with social anxiety but it could also be a huge advantage for people that have amazing social skills. They said there was no advantage over coming in-person vs. Zoom but I just don't see how that's actually true. 

21 is crazy tho 😭 that gives each of us about a 5% chance of getting picked. I was hoping it was 10 finalists LOL, of the 21 applicants, how many did you see interviewing in person? 

And no problem! This could be a life-changing experience for anyone, I'll do anything I can to help even if that means someone being picked over me. 

I've noticed that NW's studios with poor lighting have been a dealbreaker for people in the past. Out of the 5 people they accept, I'm sure at least 2 will end up declining the offer because of the studios. Personally, I'm a night owl, I'm used to drawing at 2 AM while using unnatural light 

 

Frankly for any type of competitive graduate/professional education, it always super competitive, and sadly, just a few get accepted.  By way of specific example, for Yale Law,  4,202 applicants; 236 new offers, John Hopkins Medicine, 4547 applied, 280 admitted. It has and always will be the nature of the beast.

[Miso]

30 minutes ago, reallyfamousartist said:

lol- right?? It's a literal $180,000 check. absolute no brainer 

exactly! couldn't have said it better myself, if someone is accepted to NW and somehow wants to decline because of poor studio lighting, I'll gladly come off the waitlist and take that spot lol

Hopefully, we don't get waitlisted tho, would be cool if the 3 GradCafe NW finalists were all accepted. I'm shocked it's 18 other finalists that just aren't on this forum 

[impliedpaste]

Ok question — say you’ve got a school that wants you to accept or decline their offer within 2 weeks or you’ll be moved to the waitlist, but you’re still waiting to hear back from other places — how would you deal? 
Ask the schools you’re waiting to hear from about their admissions timelines? 
Beg for an extension? 
Just get moved to the waitlist? 

[Guest]

On 2/23/2023 at 2:36 AM, lazuli. said:

had my interview for yale and feeling kind of awful about it lol. I noticed they were writing a lot as I spoke which made it hard to get a read on how well it was going.
Questions were p. standard; why yale, why now, what excites you?
Was super nervous and felt like I rambled a lot so not feeling too hopeful but wishing everyone the best!

I had the exact same interview, I was sweating bullets lol

[SocialKonstruct]

1 hour ago, Gaara said:

Wow I never knew that, seems pretty messed up....whether you feel someone is likely to accept your offer or not...if they have done nothing wrong and deserve an acceptance letter then they should still get one

From their viewpoint not necessarily as they have a limited number of spots to open up to the public.

But that's from their take... considering that an offer costs them time and money.

Edited February 24, 2023 by SocialKonstruct

[Miso]

3 minutes ago, SocialKonstruct said:

From their viewpoint not necessarily as they have a limited number of spots to open up to the public.

But that's from their take... considering that an offer costs them time and money.

I understand your point, I just think asking finalists about other schools they applied to....in order to gauge the likelihood of them accepting your offer....is just messed up. No admissions committee should be making assumptions about what they believe an applicant will do. If that person nailed the interview and you love them, then accept them. And if that person declines the offer then you have people on the waitlist ready to take advantage of the opportunity.

Applicants spend years and hundreds of hours working on their portfolios, written statements, etc. It would be extremely inconsiderate to decline someone that you actually think is qualified for the spot....just because you assume they will decline your offer. 

[reallyfamousartist]

Question for yale finalists: from my understanding- they required in-person interviews, right?
If so-- did they pay for your flights, hotels, time taken off from work, etc.? What kind of financial support did they offer for the interview? Just curious!