MFA 2023 Freak Out Forum

[blueangel]

Hi everyone! I'm appling for a MFA in Painting. I have a thesis/clear interest in my painting work. I also want to do interdisciplinary work and also do photography. I have shot some self-portraits with my paintings (that are in the portfolio). They're like landscape-y movie-still style photos, not just me with the painting. I have two, one with my face in it, one without, both I'm nude (nothing obscene, more like a statue).

I'm debating whether its helpful and interesting to include them? I have a theme and thesis around my work, and these photographs are just the tip of the iceberg in my wanting to do interdisciplinary work. However I'm worried that introducing a self portrait is jarring/distracting/inappropriate. I'm also a bit worried that they don't follow the rules, though Yale says to trust your guts. The photographs aren't direct correlation with my painting subject, but they also are since they have the paintings in them. What do you think?

[fauxto]

16 hours ago, blueangel said:

Hi everyone! I'm appling for a MFA in Painting. I have a thesis/clear interest in my painting work. I also want to do interdisciplinary work and also do photography. I have shot some self-portraits with my paintings (that are in the portfolio). They're like landscape-y movie-still style photos, not just me with the painting. I have two, one with my face in it, one without, both I'm nude (nothing obscene, more like a statue).

I'm debating whether its helpful and interesting to include them? I have a theme and thesis around my work, and these photographs are just the tip of the iceberg in my wanting to do interdisciplinary work. However I'm worried that introducing a self portrait is jarring/distracting/inappropriate. I'm also a bit worried that they don't follow the rules, though Yale says to trust your guts. The photographs aren't direct correlation with my painting subject, but they also are since they have the paintings in them. What do you think?

Hiya - I'm a long-time lurker here and second-year applicant, though not in painting. I've considered a similar question, and the answer was really tricky for me. Firstly: I want to say that only you know the work and can make that decision. I'd ask you a couple things: if you include the photos and get rejected, will you question/fear that their inclusion was a determining factor? Likewise, if you don't include them and are rejected, will you question what would have happened had you been more bold? The answer to these questions might help you. 

 

My gut tells me that it may not be the best idea to include these photos, especially for medium-specific programs. If the paintings themselves already make an appearance in the portfolio, you might not want to include a photograph with the same (albeit background) visual information. If an interdisciplinary practice is important to you, you might mention that in your statement and then add these photos to your interview portfolio (it's usually a good idea to bring new work to the interview). At the interview stage, you've already demonstrated your medium-specific skills/candidacy and the faculty have enough interest in you/your work that it may not be as big of a gamble at that point. Another point I'll make is that the inclusion of the photos might affect your performance/comfortability in the interview, especially considering they are nude. Do you think you could still speak as confidently, openly, and comfortably if they are included? If the answer is no, then it probably isn't worth the risk. Art history is steeped with nudes, so I could convince myself that it's totally professional and the faculty will be prepared to engage with that kind of work, but personally I'd feel a bit too bashful to include them in my own portfolio. 

 

If these photos are stellar and you think they add enough interest, complexity, demonstration of skill, etc, and you would regret not including them, then go for it! I might suggest picking either the photo or the painting, but not both. I once tried to include a 3D object (from the portfolio) in a photograph (also intended for the portfolio) and received feedback that I should include one or the other. Of course that's only the advice from one of my mentors. 

 

If all else fails, you can flip a coin to see how you're really feeling. 

[edgecase]

At the last minute I checked out U of Oregon and decided it could be a great fit - deadline was Jan 5th. It looks like the online system will still let me complete an application - do you think there's a point? I guess weighing the time/fee versus the possibility they will still look at it... 

[edgecase]

Looks like Oregon extended the deadline to the 17th, just fyi!

[blueangel]

On 1/7/2023 at 5:22 PM, fauxto said:

Hiya - I'm a long-time lurker here and second-year applicant, though not in painting. I've considered a similar question, and the answer was really tricky for me. Firstly: I want to say that only you know the work and can make that decision. I'd ask you a couple things: if you include the photos and get rejected, will you question/fear that their inclusion was a determining factor? Likewise, if you don't include them and are rejected, will you question what would have happened had you been more bold? The answer to these questions might help you. 

 

My gut tells me that it may not be the best idea to include these photos, especially for medium-specific programs. If the paintings themselves already make an appearance in the portfolio, you might not want to include a photograph with the same (albeit background) visual information. If an interdisciplinary practice is important to you, you might mention that in your statement and then add these photos to your interview portfolio (it's usually a good idea to bring new work to the interview). At the interview stage, you've already demonstrated your medium-specific skills/candidacy and the faculty have enough interest in you/your work that it may not be as big of a gamble at that point. Another point I'll make is that the inclusion of the photos might affect your performance/comfortability in the interview, especially considering they are nude. Do you think you could still speak as confidently, openly, and comfortably if they are included? If the answer is no, then it probably isn't worth the risk. Art history is steeped with nudes, so I could convince myself that it's totally professional and the faculty will be prepared to engage with that kind of work, but personally I'd feel a bit too bashful to include them in my own portfolio. 

 

If these photos are stellar and you think they add enough interest, complexity, demonstration of skill, etc, and you would regret not including them, then go for it! I might suggest picking either the photo or the painting, but not both. I once tried to include a 3D object (from the portfolio) in a photograph (also intended for the portfolio) and received feedback that I should include one or the other. Of course that's only the advice from one of my mentors. 

 

If all else fails, you can flip a coin to see how you're really feeling. 

Thank you so much for your insight! I thought about your thoughts a lot and decided to include the photo. We'll see what happens  thanks! Fingers crossed

[Garamond]

Hello, everyone!

I have an interview with the University of Wisconsin in a few days!

I was wondering if there is anyone who has been through interviews that can give some advice? It will be a Zoom interview.

Thank you in advance!

[Frank0000000]

Hello! 

This is my second year applying. Last year I was accepted to the University of Montana (ended up being too expensive), University of Colorado (received a great offer, but they wanted me to commit before I'd heard back from anyone else), and MICA Mount Royal Multidisciplinary (wayyy too expensive even with almost a 50% scholarship). I was rejected from UC Irvine and VCU and waitlisted at San Francisco State University after completing an interview with them. 

This year I'm applying to: 

-UC Irvine again

-San Francisco State University again 

-UCLA Interdisciplinary 

-Stanford 

-Northwestern 

-University of Michigan Ann Arbor 

Good luck, everyone!!

[Frank0000000]

6 hours ago, Garamond said:

Hello, everyone!

I have an interview with the University of Wisconsin in a few days!

I was wondering if there is anyone who has been through interviews that can give some advice? It will be a Zoom interview.

Thank you in advance!

I did some interviews last year and all of them asked why I wanted to go to grad school and what professors I wanted to work with and why, some asked about what other artists or movements I was influenced by, and a lot of them asked just the basic "tell me about yourself/tell me about your art". 

Be ready to talk about the specifics of your work and make sure to have some good questions to ask at the end! Good luck! 

[sunflowertime]

Just submitted my Yale and UCLA applications. To be honest, I don't feel great about it. It was down to the MINUTE and the captions for my portfolio submissions definitely suffered. Also forgot to capitalize a word in one of my titles. Mad at myself. Does anyone know how much these details matter? This is so hard!

::stressed::

[onetwothreefourfive]

18 hours ago, Garamond said:

Hello, everyone!

I have an interview with the University of Wisconsin in a few days!

I was wondering if there is anyone who has been through interviews that can give some advice? It will be a Zoom interview.

Thank you in advance!

Congrats, I just heard from UW Madison as well about an interview. I'm in the middle of applying to 13 schools so it definitely feels good to already have an interview lined up. I'm studying Sculpture/interdisciplinary/ceramics.

Edited January 10, 2023 by onetwothreefourfive

[h3249r]

19 hours ago, Garamond said:

Hello, everyone!

I have an interview with the University of Wisconsin in a few days!

I was wondering if there is anyone who has been through interviews that can give some advice? It will be a Zoom interview.

Thank you in advance!

Oh wow, that feels quite early considering the deadline was just Friday. I don't have any advice as a first-time applicant myself, but congrats & best of luck!

Wondering if some departments are ahead of schedule.. selfishly hoping printmaking hasn't set out invites yet ?

[SocialKonstruct]

20 hours ago, Frank0000000 said:

Hello! 

This is my second year applying. Last year I was accepted to the University of Montana (ended up being too expensive), University of Colorado (received a great offer, but they wanted me to commit before I'd heard back from anyone else), and MICA Mount Royal Multidisciplinary (wayyy too expensive even with almost a 50% scholarship). I was rejected from UC Irvine and VCU and waitlisted at San Francisco State University after completing an interview with them. 

This year I'm applying to: 

-UC Irvine again

-San Francisco State University again 

-UCLA Interdisciplinary 

-Stanford 

-Northwestern 

-University of Michigan Ann Arbor 

Good luck, everyone!!

I am in the same boat. FInancial aid/scholarships will be a huge factor and I can always do a second round if I don't get the proper aid to attend this upcoming fall.

[Garamond]

11 hours ago, onetwothreefourfive said:

Congrats, I just heard from UW Madison as well about an interview. I'm in the middle of applying to 13 schools so it definitely feels good to already have an interview lined up. I'm studying Sculpture/interdisciplinary/ceramics.

I'm applying to 13, too! It's a good number, lol. I am studying Graphic Design.

Best of luck with your interview!

[Garamond]

10 hours ago, h3ather said:

Oh wow, that feels quite early considering the deadline was just Friday. I don't have any advice as a first-time applicant myself, but congrats & best of luck!

Wondering if some departments are ahead of schedule.. selfishly hoping printmaking hasn't set out invites yet ?

Yeah, I was surprised as to how quick it was too. My major is graphic design, and I don't think there are typically that many applicants in that field. Maybe printmaking has more applicants and takes longer to process? ?

[impliedpaste]

On 1/10/2023 at 2:27 AM, sunflowertime said:

Just submitted my Yale and UCLA applications. To be honest, I don't feel great about it. It was down to the MINUTE and the captions for my portfolio submissions definitely suffered. Also forgot to capitalize a word in one of my titles. Mad at myself. Does anyone know how much these details matter? This is so hard!

::stressed::

I seriously wouldn’t worry about those details! The lower case title could be assumed to be intentional. And I think the captions aren’t a huge deal, as long as you have solid connected explanations in your artist statement, they are somewhat superfluous! Good luck and take a breath now! 

[impliedpaste]

On 1/9/2023 at 1:11 PM, Garamond said:

Hello, everyone!

I have an interview with the University of Wisconsin in a few days!

I was wondering if there is anyone who has been through interviews that can give some advice? It will be a Zoom interview.

Thank you in advance!

Congrats on the interview! I’m assuming every school is quite different, but from my experience with interviews (for painting) last year here are some common questions they asked. 
 

why do you want to go to grad school? Why this school in particular? 
who are your influences? 
what books are you reading? 
tell me about this specific work in your portfolio. 

And they always end with “do you have any questions for us?” So I found it helpful to have a couple of specific questions about the school on hand. 
 Good luck!!

[futuredesigner]

Hey everyone! Been lurking for the past month :))

Here's where I plan on applying to for (graphic) design:

• ArtCenter
• CalArts
• California College of the Arts
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Minneapolis College of Art and Design
• RISD
• Rochester Institute of Technology
• Savannah College of Art and Design
• Yale University

I feel like I'm only going to get into SCAD lol...

[h3249r]

On 1/10/2023 at 9:03 PM, Garamond said:

Yeah, I was surprised as to how quick it was too. My major is graphic design, and I don't think there are typically that many applicants in that field. Maybe printmaking has more applicants and takes longer to process? ?

Came back to say that I guess they've made it to printmaking now– I just received an email that they'll be reaching out to schedule an interview soon! ? Still so shocked by how quick of a turnaround that was. 

[h3249r]

Also, I don't think I ever gave my final list of where I ended up applying:

• Iowa
• UW Madison
• UGA
• Indiana-Bloomington
• UArk
• UMN-Twin Cities
• Oregon
• UT-Knoxville

(All with a focus in printmaking)

Best of luck to everyone finishing up their applications, you've got this!!

[Garamond]

32 minutes ago, h3ather said:

Came back to say that I guess they've made it to printmaking now– I just received an email that they'll be reaching out to schedule an interview soon! ? Still so shocked by how quick of a turnaround that was. 

Hey! Congratulations! I'm curious, did they also tell you what questions they were going to ask during the interview?

[Garamond]

I should also mention what universities I ended up applying to (Graphic Design/Visual Communications):

1. Michigan State
2. Missouri
3. Iowa
4. Wisconsin-Madison
5. Georgia State
6. Arizona
7. Indiana-Bloomington
8. Ohio
9. Florida State
10. Nebraska-Lincoln
11. Oklahoma
12. Kansas State

Would honestly be over the moon being accepted at any of these.

[cornchip]

I just had a short interview with Tyler. Here are a few questions they asked (not verbatim, just from memory):

• Why graduate school? Why now? Why Tyler specifically?
• What kinds of conversations do you want to have about your work?
• What social/political/contemporary issues are you dealing with in your work?
• Who are your influences?
• How do you deal with conflict in a group setting?
• How do you feel about moving to Philly?

I thought these were great questions, especially the second one.

Good luck everyone, I hope you get lots of interviews!

 

[Sculpturegirl101]

Hey guys! I've been following along but decided to pop in! 

I have applied to 8 schools for sculpture:

MICA

RISD

CalArts

UCLA

Ohio State University

Hunter 

Columbia 

Virginia Commonwealth

 

So far I have had an interview with Ohio State! I know it's early to be hearing back from schools but I'm super anxious ahaha

 

[impliedpaste]

Hello all! I am wrapping up all of my applications and just thinking about how the next couple of months will play out. 

I applied and was waitlisted to two schools last year, so this is my second round. As it approaches mid-January, I'm reminded of the amount of anxiety I felt last year during the whole interview process, waiting for admissions decisions, and then praying to get off of waitlists (which did not happen). 

I'm wishing you all luck, and hoping that this year I can stay calm & present in my current circumstances without getting too caught up on the future. While I really hope things work out this time, I'm trying to be open to the idea that if it is meant to happen, it'll happen. 

[paintgal]

Hi guys! Longtime lurker here. If people could respond to this thread when they get interviews and where from / for what program, that would be awesome!