Allie2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 You're fine, most of the people who are saying they're done probably didn't apply to any schools with February deadlines. My earliest deadline was December 15, and my latest was January 18. There is an advantage to turning things in early, though: on deadline day 1) an application website may get overloaded and crash; 2) you may have a last minute question that can't be answered if it arises after business hours; 3) you may notice a hidden essay question or some other unforeseen task to complete at the end of an application or buried in the text on a department's website. I had website trouble, questions, hidden essays, and a number of school-specific quirks to deal with, and I'm very glad I worked on my applications early enough to handle these problems and still meet the deadline. Another advantage is the wonderful feeling of relief that comes when an application is submitted and out of your hands! I'm confused by all the people who are done applying already: is there any advantage to getting materials in weeks before the deadline? I still have 4 apps to finish for Feb 1st deadlines, and am totally not stressed about it, but now worried because everyone else seems done.
L333makes Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Thanks--yes, I agree with those advantages, of course, and have been very careful to double and triple check all websites and make fastidious lists of all requirements. It's really just an issue of actually dropping transcripts in the mail and submitting slideroom stuff--almost everything is filled out and ready to go, i'm just taking my time and working on it a little every day, so that I don't rush and make careless mistakes. Thanks for this, it's calming and helpful, though! You're fine, most of the people who are saying they're done probably didn't apply to any schools with February deadlines. My earliest deadline was December 15, and my latest was January 18. There is an advantage to turning things in early, though: on deadline day 1) an application website may get overloaded and crash; 2) you may have a last minute question that can't be answered if it arises after business hours; 3) you may notice a hidden essay question or some other unforeseen task to complete at the end of an application or buried in the text on a department's website. I had website trouble, questions, hidden essays, and a number of school-specific quirks to deal with, and I'm very glad I worked on my applications early enough to handle these problems and still meet the deadline. Another advantage is the wonderful feeling of relief that comes when an application is submitted and out of your hands!
colbz Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 The only reason I sent all mine in before January 10th is I was about to be the busiest ever starting then, and I knew I would slack on my work if I had the apps too. I'm glad I got mine in so soon because there is nooo way I would have been able to handle all the work I have now and the apps both. But, if I were u then I wouldn't worry too much...it was just for my own sanity that I needed to finish. My only word of advice would be to still try and get things in at least a little early. I had some due the first week in January, and had a few freak outs over my transcripts and other materials arriving in time. In case you have technical issues, recommendation letter issues, usps issues, or any other issues that are out of your hands, then it's always best to leave a little extra time to deal with them. (I had some of those, for example, one of my recommenders was having trouble submitting my UT Austin letter online...and that was the day before it was due...so you can imagine my freaking out.) You've got only 4 days before Feb 1st....I would make sure to overnight anything you need to mail at this point. I'm confused by all the people who are done applying already: is there any advantage to getting materials in weeks before the deadline? I still have 4 apps to finish for Feb 1st deadlines, and am totally not stressed about it, but now worried because everyone else seems done.
L333makes Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 thanks--it's funny, because deadline stuff is not my worry, it's more a concern that there's an advantage on the admission end to getting materials in early. i actually work in undergraduate admission, and the word in the biz, generally, is that it's really no big deal if letters of rec or even transcripts directly from institutions come a day or two after the deadline--it generally never reflects on the applicant. obviously with programs like yale and columbia who need a myriad of ways to weed people out, it may be more intense, but i think generally as long you get all of your own stuff in on the deadline and try your hardest to get recommenders to be punctual, it's ok. (one of my recommenders is super tardy with everything and sent my letter to VCU three days late. i called them to check, and they were totally relaxed about it and told me not to worry). The only reason I sent all mine in before January 10th is I was about to be the busiest ever starting then, and I knew I would slack on my work if I had the apps too. I'm glad I got mine in so soon because there is nooo way I would have been able to handle all the work I have now and the apps both. But, if I were u then I wouldn't worry too much...it was just for my own sanity that I needed to finish. My only word of advice would be to still try and get things in at least a little early. I had some due the first week in January, and had a few freak outs over my transcripts and other materials arriving in time. In case you have technical issues, recommendation letter issues, usps issues, or any other issues that are out of your hands, then it's always best to leave a little extra time to deal with them. (I had some of those, for example, one of my recommenders was having trouble submitting my UT Austin letter online...and that was the day before it was due...so you can imagine my freaking out.) You've got only 4 days before Feb 1st....I would make sure to overnight anything you need to mail at this point.
Jabbers Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Chill out. Nothing you can do til mid Feb. Then, that's just the 1st cut. Might as well try and forget about it.
colbz Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Yea one of my professors for undergrad used to be the director of admissions, and she told me it didn't affect decisions. I know some schools do have rolling admissions, such as SUNY New Paltz..but they state that on their website so you would know. thanks--it's funny, because deadline stuff is not my worry, it's more a concern that there's an advantage on the admission end to getting materials in early. i actually work in undergraduate admission, and the word in the biz, generally, is that it's really no big deal if letters of rec or even transcripts directly from institutions come a day or two after the deadline--it generally never reflects on the applicant. obviously with programs like yale and columbia who need a myriad of ways to weed people out, it may be more intense, but i think generally as long you get all of your own stuff in on the deadline and try your hardest to get recommenders to be punctual, it's ok. (one of my recommenders is super tardy with everything and sent my letter to VCU three days late. i called them to check, and they were totally relaxed about it and told me not to worry).
Curious12345 Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 I'm confused by all the people who are done applying already: is there any advantage to getting materials in weeks before the deadline? I still have 4 apps to finish for Feb 1st deadlines, and am totally not stressed about it, but now worried because everyone else seems done. It shows that you are ready and want to go, waiting till the last second always seems like you procrastinated. There is a timestamp on your app and when everything got in, i've heard from people who review grad apps that in the back of their head it does weigh in.
bethanyr Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 This process has been the most draining thing I have ever done. I am currently student teaching high schoolers, and there is a nice comfort in my students anxiety awaiting undergrad results as I await grad school results. I applied to the following: UC Berkeley UCLA USC UC San Diego Northwestern Rutgers University of Illinois Chicago Columbia College Chicago Tyler University of the Arts Ten total. Not a word yet, except there was a problem with my electronic portfolio for UC San Diego that I am fixing now. Best of luck to everyone ! Here is a link to my Flickr of my portfolio: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brober25/sets/72157625404109752/
L333makes Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 I'm going to choose not to believe that, because in most admission offices that time stamp doesn't necessarily have anything to do with when your materials arrive: they can arrive and sit in a mail bin for three days before they are processed and filed. I'm only arguing for the sake of others reading--personally, I've realized that I'm not concerned about that and I think deadlines are deadlines for a reason--it's not fair to prioritize students who apply earlier (pre-deadline), and as an admissions officer myself I know ethically that's against best practices--so i don't think anyone should worry, though it's been helpful to understand that many people applied early because they had a few very early deadlines and just did one big push. really a stylistic difference, i think, nothing to do with 'wanting to go more.' It shows that you are ready and want to go, waiting till the last second always seems like you procrastinated. There is a timestamp on your app and when everything got in, i've heard from people who review grad apps that in the back of their head it does weigh in.
colbz Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Cool work! I'm student teaching to! elementary school right now, and then high school in 6 weeks. It's good to know I'm not the only art ed person applying for an MFA out there....student teaching is a hell of a lot of work, but I'm actually thankful for that because it keeps my mind off things. Here's my website: www.sarahcolby.com This process has been the most draining thing I have ever done. I am currently student teaching high schoolers, and there is a nice comfort in my students anxiety awaiting undergrad results as I await grad school results. I applied to the following: UC Berkeley UCLA USC UC San Diego Northwestern Rutgers University of Illinois Chicago Columbia College Chicago Tyler University of the Arts Ten total. Not a word yet, except there was a problem with my electronic portfolio for UC San Diego that I am fixing now. Best of luck to everyone ! Here is a link to my Flickr of my portfolio: http://www.flickr.co...57625404109752/
wannaknow Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 ok so I double, triple, multiple checked my packets of stuff before I sent them and I am CERTAIN that I sent all my letters of recommendation to UNM (which requires paper recommendations) and I just got an email saying that they only had one of them!!!!!! Now they say my professors have to send a PDF to them by tomorrow to be considered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
SQFunkis Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 ok so I double, triple, multiple checked my packets of stuff before I sent them and I am CERTAIN that I sent all my letters of recommendation to UNM (which requires paper recommendations) and I just got an email saying that they only had one of them!!!!!! Now they say my professors have to send a PDF to them by tomorrow to be considered!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! There seems to be a pattern. My undergrad transcripts were sent to UNM on December 9 and 16, and neither of them made it to the department until January 10 (granted, they may not have had office hours if they were on break). Your missing letters might be floating around somewhere in their campus mail system. I'm sure they've got quite a lot of material to process.
orangetrousers Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 I love your work! This process has been the most draining thing I have ever done. I am currently student teaching high schoolers, and there is a nice comfort in my students anxiety awaiting undergrad results as I await grad school results. I applied to the following: UC Berkeley UCLA USC UC San Diego Northwestern Rutgers University of Illinois Chicago Columbia College Chicago Tyler University of the Arts Ten total. Not a word yet, except there was a problem with my electronic portfolio for UC San Diego that I am fixing now. Best of luck to everyone ! Here is a link to my Flickr of my portfolio: http://www.flickr.co...57625404109752/
Another Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 I kept getting the advice to apply to as many as you can, since it is so competitive. Not only is it competitive, but there's also an insane amount of randomness involved. I hope everybody keeps that in mind as the rejection letters arrive.
wannaknow Posted January 27, 2011 Author Posted January 27, 2011 I totally agree!!! It is all so subjective, and it is about finding a good fit to fill the holes left by graduating MFA students!! I am prepared and at the end I the day I love what I do and I know I still have alot of growth... at least that is what I tell myself at night when I cant sleep! Not only is it competitive, but there's also an insane amount of randomness involved. I hope everybody keeps that in mind as the rejection letters arrive.
I Paint Faces Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Are other people wondering why why why graduate schools can't work out a common app? I know they are all unique and want to weed out people who are just applying because its easy, BUT can't they at least all use slideroom, or all online based app including recommendations etc. Each of my schools seems to have something uniquely annoying about it. Some ask for half of the materials to be sent to the grad school while the rest needs to be sent to the art school. Some have all online, others have only some components, some ask for uploaded portfolios, others ask for disks, some want slide sheets, some want them formatted in completely different ways, some want two essays, some want one, some want you to talk more about your portfolio, and others more about your graduate and career goals. IT'S DRIVING ME INSANE! How many envelopes and how much postage do they want. How fun is sorting all of that stuff anyway??? And why oh why can't they tell me if they have all of my applications materials??? Anyway I just needed a mini rant. I thought getting everything done would put me at ease but now I can't relax about hearing from places and whether others have heard anything. I need a vacation from myself.
Arsolo Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 I agree, and I only applied to 3 schools. I can't imagine applying to 6 or even 10, I'd probably go insane just trying to keep all the requirements straight. If anything, I just wish all schools had online only submissions (uploaded portfolio, emails sent out to the people who are writing letters). I don't see any reason to still have to send anything through mail.
colbz Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 I applied to ten...and yes it made me 100% insane!!! I did the bulk of my application work within 2 weeks...and i took me 80 hours!!! For the next week after I finished, I went to bed at 8:30 every night because I was SOOO tired and mentally drained. I agree, and I only applied to 3 schools. I can't imagine applying to 6 or even 10, I'd probably go insane just trying to keep all the requirements straight. If anything, I just wish all schools had online only submissions (uploaded portfolio, emails sent out to the people who are writing letters). I don't see any reason to still have to send anything through mail.
firewalkwithme Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 You're fine, most of the people who are saying they're done probably didn't apply to any schools with February deadlines. My earliest deadline was December 15, and my latest was January 18. There is an advantage to turning things in early, though: on deadline day 1) an application website may get overloaded and crash; 2) you may have a last minute question that can't be answered if it arises after business hours; 3) you may notice a hidden essay question or some other unforeseen task to complete at the end of an application or buried in the text on a department's website. I had website trouble, questions, hidden essays, and a number of school-specific quirks to deal with, and I'm very glad I worked on my applications early enough to handle these problems and still meet the deadline. Another advantage is the wonderful feeling of relief that comes when an application is submitted and out of your hands! HIDDEN ESSAYS?! i'm about to cry!
Curious12345 Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 I agree, and I only applied to 3 schools. I can't imagine applying to 6 or even 10, I'd probably go insane just trying to keep all the requirements straight. If anything, I just wish all schools had online only submissions (uploaded portfolio, emails sent out to the people who are writing letters). I don't see any reason to still have to send anything through mail. I applied to 10 as well...my god, I spent more time on that stuff than I did at my job. I'm just glad I'm at a job where there is enough downtime to write essays and fill out things...
bergenline Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 does anyone know when MIT typically issues invitations to interview? i've been scouring past forums, but can't seem to find any posting that hints at when people were first contacted. judging by past years, it seems that applicants to yale will be hearing sometime around next friday...
Allie2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 HIDDEN ESSAYS?! i'm about to cry! Ha, sorry if I freaked you out! Relax! Of the eight applications I submitted, only one had a "hidden" essay, and it wasn't that bad. I'm really good about reading and re-reading requirements and checking things carefully, but somehow I failed to notice, at the very bottom of a page, space for a one-page essay on what I've been doing since I graduated from college, until I was about to submit the application. I was able to put something together in about an hour, but I would have been in trouble if I'd noticed it at 11 pm on deadline day instead of a few days early.
L333makes Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 just for our peace of mind can you say which school that was? Ha, sorry if I freaked you out! Relax! Of the eight applications I submitted, only one had a "hidden" essay, and it wasn't that bad. I'm really good about reading and re-reading requirements and checking things carefully, but somehow I failed to notice, at the very bottom of a page, space for a one-page essay on what I've been doing since I graduated from college, until I was about to submit the application. I was able to put something together in about an hour, but I would have been in trouble if I'd noticed it at 11 pm on deadline day instead of a few days early.
Allie2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 just for our peace of mind can you say which school that was? UCSD. It was on a page that said "additional information" or something like that (it's all a blur now), under the diversity statement that all the UC schools ask for. I'm not even sure whether that section of the application was required, but I need all the funding I can get so I filled everything out. It seemed to me to be something that the University cares about, not the art department, so I don't think missing something like that would really hurt anyone's chances.
colbz Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Was that for SAIC? If so, I saw that too....it was in the online app. Ha, sorry if I freaked you out! Relax! Of the eight applications I submitted, only one had a "hidden" essay, and it wasn't that bad. I'm really good about reading and re-reading requirements and checking things carefully, but somehow I failed to notice, at the very bottom of a page, space for a one-page essay on what I've been doing since I graduated from college, until I was about to submit the application. I was able to put something together in about an hour, but I would have been in trouble if I'd noticed it at 11 pm on deadline day instead of a few days early.
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