orangetrousers Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 If the unthinkable happens, I plan on taking all of my rejection letters and wallpapering my bathroom. Hey, thanks for the input; it's hard to know for sure with not much info to compare my offer to. FYInformation, the school's deadline was on Feb 2, and they gave me the good news on Feb 21, which probably won't help anybody because this was an unusually fast decision. Best of luck with the rest of your schools, and there's always next year if the unthinkable happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
typo Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I received an interview invite for the Hoffberger School of Painting at MICA yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangetrousers Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 were you notified by email? I received an interview invite for the Hoffberger School of Painting at MICA yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
typo Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Yes, I received an email yesterday afternoon. were you notified by email? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inej Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) That offer is fantastic! The offer your friends were discussing is most commonly found in the sciences, not in the humanities. There are different levels of support at different programs. Several do offer tuition waivers + a stipend GA. One of my friends applied to several schools last year, and her choice was made in no small part by 'who was gonna pay me the most to go' I have other priorities, one of them being that my work is dramatically altered by a sense of place. So many good schools are in locations that would simply have a negative effect on me and my work in that regard. Where I live is a beautiful and it has a thriving arts community. I just won't go give up three years of my life to be somewhere that I am uninspired, in a place I don't really want to live and have no intention of staying long term. I only applied to the three places I really wanted to go and fit well with my work. I have a clear realization that yes, the connections you make in grad school have implications beyond just the MFA title, but also future opportunities. What is that worth to you? Your choice should get you closer to the ideal you to which you aspire to be, and for me location is extremely important, what the faculty does is important, US News rankings are not. Remember that grad school is a stepping stone, a direction you are heading, and not your final destiny. You should also think about funding offers in this way - what other jobs could you hold down in that location that you are qualified for? What would you earn @ 20 hours per week and would it actually build towards what you really want to do in the long run? So just say for example your choices are teaching for a tuition waiver or working as a barista. First, teaching has long term implications on your CV and teaching can make you better at your practice, Starbucks does neither. Second, what does is the comparative $ value of those two? Say your TA is aprox 45 weeks of work @ 20 hours per week, and at Starbucks you would earn $10/ hour in that same time frame (45weeks x 20 hours x $10=$9000) Is the tuition waived more valuable than that? Run the numbers in your particular situation and balance the answer with those other intangible questions. Edited February 23, 2011 by inej Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
priya1186 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 i see it says u were rejected from carnegie mellon. i'm trying to find out if i was too. is that what it means when it says "2011 eliminated" in the slideroom for carnegie mellon? hi! how did you hear from them? did you have an interview? from what i know, at least painting definitely interviews finalists. i have visited, but sadly it was when i thought i wanted to study photo, so i only toured the darkrooms, etc. from everything i've heard, the facilities are great, though, and i grew up in charlottesville, va and am therefore very partial to VA in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baja318 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I'm thinking about sending an e-mail to a school to reiterate my interest in their program and to politely ask when notifications of acception/rejection might be made. Any help with wording? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L333makes Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 yes, that's what I was going by--seems pretty unequivocal, but I haven't yet gotten a formal letter of rejection. i'm too shy to call or email them, but if someone else is up for doing that, please let the rest of us know if that is, in fact, what 'eliminated 2011' means. i see it says u were rejected from carnegie mellon. i'm trying to find out if i was too. is that what it means when it says "2011 eliminated" in the slideroom for carnegie mellon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyfriend Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 There are different levels of support at different programs. Several do offer tuition waivers + a stipend GA. One of my friends applied to several schools last year, and her choice was made in no small part by 'who was gonna pay me the most to go' I have other priorities, one of them being that my work is dramatically altered by a sense of place. So many good schools are in locations that would simply have a negative effect on me and my work in that regard. Where I live is a beautiful and it has a thriving arts community. I just won't go give up three years of my life to be somewhere that I am uninspired, in a place I don't really want to live and have no intention of staying long term. I only applied to the three places I really wanted to go and fit well with my work. I have a clear realization that yes, the connections you make in grad school have implications beyond just the MFA title, but also future opportunities. What is that worth to you? Your choice should get you closer to the ideal you to which you aspire to be, and for me location is extremely important, what the faculty does is important, US News rankings are not. Remember that grad school is a stepping stone, a direction you are heading, and not your final destiny. You should also think about funding offers in this way - what other jobs could you hold down in that location that you are qualified for? What would you earn @ 20 hours per week and would it actually build towards what you really want to do in the long run? So just say for example your choices are teaching for a tuition waiver or working as a barista. First, teaching has long term implications on your CV and teaching can make you better at your practice, Starbucks does neither. Second, what does is the comparative $ value of those two? Say your TA is aprox 45 weeks of work @ 20 hours per week, and at Starbucks you would earn $10/ hour in that same time frame (45weeks x 20 hours x $10=$9000) Is the tuition waived more valuable than that? Run the numbers in your particular situation and balance the answer with those other intangible questions. Thanks! That is fantastic advice and a really refreshing and sober way to look at things. Last year when I was rejected, I pretty much applied to schools that were considered prestigious; not necessarily ones where I thought I would fit in. This go-round, I took an entirely different approach. I paid no attention to the school's rankings, but I chose ones with facilities that fit my needs, with instructors whose work I actually liked, in locations that would inspire me. I tried to determine which departments had attitudes about art that were similar to my own: Multi-disciplinary, concerned with concept as well as technique (not snobby, printmaking purists). I know these all sound like rather obvious things to look for, but it took me a while to come up with my plan. The above worked for me this time. Ultimately though, the whole thing is kind of a crapshoot. Good luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelwebster Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Hi folks. I want everyone to know that I applied to six schools last year (my final undergrad semester) for Printmaking, and was roundly rejected from all six! I was devastated, naturally, and for far too long. OK, so I applied to five completely different schools this year, the earliest deadlines were February 1st. No rejections yet, but yesterday, I was notified that I was accepted into one of the schools, and I was pretty elated. There was a personal, rather informal congratulatory email from the Grad Coordinator with several attachments detailing my offer. Can I share this and see if people think this offer is good? It sounds pretty good to me, but my head is swimming and some "sensible" acquaintances and friends have talked me down a bit by using reason. I won't have to pay any tuition (I'm a non-resident) due to a combination of fee-waivers, a fellowship and a Graduate Teaching Assistantship with "salary/stipend" where I'll work 20 hours per week for all six semesters. All the money goes right to tuition, though, and I won't actually see any of it. It seems like a pretty good deal to me; really humbling and beyond my expectations, but I won't actually be paid so I won't have any living expenses, and I'm currently looking into whether federal loans will pay for my rent and food. Fortunately, the school is in an area where rent is super cheap, and it kind of looks like I might almost be able to swing it right now. Someone told me that a really good offer would include actual money for living expenses and even health insurance. Do they ever even do that for art programs? I'm trying to look on the bright side no matter what. Some people get accepted with no funding, and some don't even get accepted (like me last year). I haven't heard back from the other schools yet, so I'm not going to accept the offer until I have. I am super grateful to have even been accepted. Anyone have an opinion about this offer? I know, I'm being vague and not mentioning the schools because I don't want to jinx anything. Its a good offer. Art schools and departments don't get as much money as other programs. Its not the best, but its good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannaknow Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 well I got (as I'm sure we ALL did) a Dear Graduate letter from MICA that was absolutely nothing but advertisement for the school... uuggghhh I hate those things!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woonayoung Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Any news from SAIC??? I heard that the interviews are held on the first weekend of March... shouldn't we be notified by now?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arwentina Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 So this me: Carnegie Mellon: rejected SAIC (photo): rejected SAIC (ceramics): no word MassART (photo): rejected MassART (SIM): no word ASU (photo): no word CCA: no word MICA (Mount Roya): no word Columbia College Chicago (Interdisc. arts and media): interviewed 02/23 I have a literary background, I'm not a US citizen (I moved here a year ago) and this is my first time applying so I'm sure I made a million mistakes. Feeling slightly discomforted right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangetrousers Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Don't be too hard on yourself. I am a U.S citizen. Painted almost my whole life. BFA, minor in Art History and doubt I made any application mistakes. So far I have had all rejections and I fear it's my portfolio to blame. I feel like I am swimming in discomfort. So this me: Carnegie Mellon: rejected SAIC (photo): rejected SAIC (ceramics): no word MassART (photo): rejected MassART (SIM): no word ASU (photo): no word CCA: no word MICA (Mount Roya): no word Columbia College Chicago (Interdisc. arts and media): interviewed 02/23 I have a literary background, I'm not a US citizen (I moved here a year ago) and this is my first time applying so I'm sure I made a million mistakes. Feeling slightly discomforted right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeDreamPaint Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I loved looking at your port! Don't be too hard on yourself. I am a U.S citizen. Painted almost my whole life. BFA, minor in Art History and doubt I made any application mistakes. So far I have had all rejections and I fear it's my portfolio to blame. I feel like I am swimming in discomfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeDreamPaint Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Joey (my mailman) and I are now on a first name basis and he starts laughing every time he sees me coming....yelling sorry darling nothing today Sigh. Payne 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colbz Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 orangetrousers, you have no reason to be down...yea you had rejections, but they were like top 5 most selective programs! It's not your portfolio....it's the fact that they are the most selective programs who will be rejecting the most people. Don't be too hard on yourself. I am a U.S citizen. Painted almost my whole life. BFA, minor in Art History and doubt I made any application mistakes. So far I have had all rejections and I fear it's my portfolio to blame. I feel like I am swimming in discomfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colbz Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I haven't heard yet either....I am thinking it's a bad sign. O well. I've got 7 more schools besides SAIC to still hear from. Any news from SAIC??? I heard that the interviews are held on the first weekend of March... shouldn't we be notified by now?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colbz Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Anyone else apply to U. of Delaware? I saw that last year they had notified that they were making decisions by 2/19. I didn't get any notification from them about reviews from this year. FFF I should have checked with them to make sure they had all my materials. Anyone else hear from them yet this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsolo Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I have an interview with SAIC (for Photography) on March 5th. Got the official letter today (also an email) even though it was dated Feb 7, mailed Feb 9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious12345 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Just checked my Slideroom for USC and Columbia and USC's thing says "MFA SECOND ROUND", sounds good to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
playing the waiting game Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Just checked my Slideroom for USC and Columbia and USC's thing says "MFA SECOND ROUND", sounds good to me! dangit! where are you guys seeing this? mine says nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannaknow Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 I didnt apply there but mine says nothing at all different on anyof mine... where exactly are you guys seeing the change occur? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopeDreamPaint Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 ditto-I don't understand where everyone is seeing the MFA second round notification.... dangit! where are you guys seeing this? mine says nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer5121 Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Anyone hear from UCSD or U of Washington? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now