MFA 2024 Freak Out Forum

[Sweetie123]

35 minutes ago, Lollypoponeday said:

Thanks for your answer!

Even when I do research there's nothing less clear than finding out if a university is truly fully funded or not. Example: UCLA MFA is supposed to be fully funded but I have seen messages on this thread saying that "it's expensive". Again, Yale is supposed to be fully funded but I have also seen messages on this thread asking about "how is the finances/funding" to people who got accepted.

I know, it’s so confusing and convoluted. In order to find out if a school I was interested in was truly fully funded, I got in touch with their graduate program director and had a call or email exchange (before I even applied) to talk about the program and funding. Many schools that say on their websites that they are fully funded offer very little in stipends, or they don’t cover the full cost of tuition. They say they’re funded but only cover 75% of tuition o so many situations like that. 

[Lollypoponeday]

Just now, Sweetie123 said:

I know, it’s so confusing and convoluted. In order to find out if a school I was interested in was truly fully funded, I got in touch with their graduate program director and had a call or email exchange (before I even applied) to talk about the program and funding. Many schools that say on their websites that they are fully funded offer very little in stipends, or they don’t cover the full cost of tuition. They say they’re funded but only cover 75% of tuition o so many situations like that. 

I see okay fab, I will call/email all of the schools then. Anyone else that has just been accepted to YALE or UCLA and could give insight on their funding this would be fab!

 

Thank you! 

[meeep]

Hey all!

I see some people disappointed in their offers or acceptances and I wanted to give you a little insight into my journey in applying to MFA programs for the past 4 years.

First, the offers you get do not define your worth as an artist. Your creative practice is so much more than what meets the eye in these applications and you don’t need external validation to prove that your work is worthy. You are making art against all odds so therefore it just is!

These schools are trying to create cohesive cohorts and need to diversify in a variety of different ways, making it so that very qualified candidates are not able to secure a spot in admission. Besides diversifying obvious factors like gender, race, age etc. they also factor in the type of art you make. They don’t want a cohort of 15 abstract artists because that doesn’t make for an interesting dialogue in critiques. So you may be someone they are really excited about but they can just not offer you a spot this year. It doesn’t mean that it won’t happen in the future.

In my four years I applied to the following:

Year one: 2020

Carnegie Mellon: rejection

SAIC: acceptance, but hardly any financial aid

RISD: rejection

Tulane: rejection

University of Georgia: rejection

UCD: rejection

Pratt: rejection

The first year I was stoked on SAIC, but decided I didn’t want to go into debt for my MFA, so I waited until the following year.

Year two: 2021

Yale:  rejection
UCLA-  rejection
SAIC: rejection
RISD:  rejection
UT-Austin:  rejection
Tulane University: rejection
Colombia: rejection

I was very devastated my second year applying, but I knew it didn’t define me so I worked hard to come back with a stronger portfolio for next year.

Year three: 2022

Rutgers: rejection
RISD: rejection
Yale: WAITLISTED
Bard: rejection
Hunter College: rejection
SUNY Purchase: Waitlisted then accepted with almost full funding.

This year I was so excited about being waitlisted from Yale. I felt like it was truly the perfect program for me and where I wanted to go in my work. I was also excited about SUNY Purchase, but Matt Bollinger who I wanted as my mentor was leaving. I decided to wait one last year and apply again.

Year four: 2024
Yale: ACCEPTED

RISD: rejected

Hunter: rejected

Rutgers: rejected

Ultimately, I got accepted into Yale, my dream school. So the moral of the story here? DO NOT GIVE UP! You deserve a school that is the right fit for you. If you don’t have external factors keeping you from reapplying, it’s okay to try and try again! Many people end up deciding they might not even want to pursue and MFA and that is okay too. Regardless keep making your work and stay positive and good things will come to you!

[ZenGarden]

4 minutes ago, meeep said:

Hey all!

I see some people disappointed in their offers or acceptances and I wanted to give you a little insight into my journey in applying to MFA programs for the past 4 years.

First, the offers you get do not define your worth as an artist. Your creative practice is so much more than what meets the eye in these applications and you don’t need external validation to prove that your work is worthy. You are making art against all odds so therefore it just is!

These schools are trying to create cohesive cohorts and need to diversify in a variety of different ways, making it so that very qualified candidates are not able to secure a spot in admission. Besides diversifying obvious factors like gender, race, age etc. they also factor in the type of art you make. They don’t want a cohort of 15 abstract artists because that doesn’t make for an interesting dialogue in critiques. So you may be someone they are really excited about but they can just not offer you a spot this year. It doesn’t mean that it won’t happen in the future.

In my four years I applied to the following:

Year one: 2020

Carnegie Mellon: rejection

SAIC: acceptance, but hardly any financial aid

RISD: rejection

Tulane: rejection

University of Georgia: rejection

UCD: rejection

Pratt: rejection

The first year I was stoked on SAIC, but decided I didn’t want to go into debt for my MFA, so I waited until the following year.

Year two: 2021

Yale:  rejection
UCLA-  rejection
SAIC: rejection
RISD:  rejection
UT-Austin:  rejection
Tulane University: rejection
Colombia: rejection

I was very devastated my second year applying, but I knew it didn’t define me so I worked hard to come back with a stronger portfolio for next year.

Year three: 2022

Rutgers: rejection
RISD: rejection
Yale: WAITLISTED
Bard: rejection
Hunter College: rejection
SUNY Purchase: Waitlisted then accepted with almost full funding.

This year I was so excited about being waitlisted from Yale. I felt like it was truly the perfect program for me and where I wanted to go in my work. I was also excited about SUNY Purchase, but Matt Bollinger who I wanted as my mentor was leaving. I decided to wait one last year and apply again.

Year four: 2024
Yale: ACCEPTED

RISD: rejected

Hunter: rejected

Rutgers: rejected

Ultimately, I got accepted into Yale, my dream school. So the moral of the story here? DO NOT GIVE UP! You deserve a school that is the right fit for you. If you don’t have external factors keeping you from reapplying, it’s okay to try and try again! Many people end up deciding they might not even want to pursue and MFA and that is okay too. Regardless keep making your work and stay positive and good things will come to you!

thank you for the encouragement! 

[Dougie4life]

Got into RISD Photo!

[Sweetie123]

9 minutes ago, meeep said:

Hey all!

I see some people disappointed in their offers or acceptances and I wanted to give you a little insight into my journey in applying to MFA programs for the past 4 years.

First, the offers you get do not define your worth as an artist. Your creative practice is so much more than what meets the eye in these applications and you don’t need external validation to prove that your work is worthy. You are making art against all odds so therefore it just is!

These schools are trying to create cohesive cohorts and need to diversify in a variety of different ways, making it so that very qualified candidates are not able to secure a spot in admission. Besides diversifying obvious factors like gender, race, age etc. they also factor in the type of art you make. They don’t want a cohort of 15 abstract artists because that doesn’t make for an interesting dialogue in critiques. So you may be someone they are really excited about but they can just not offer you a spot this year. It doesn’t mean that it won’t happen in the future.

In my four years I applied to the following:

Year one: 2020

Carnegie Mellon: rejection

SAIC: acceptance, but hardly any financial aid

RISD: rejection

Tulane: rejection

University of Georgia: rejection

UCD: rejection

Pratt: rejection

The first year I was stoked on SAIC, but decided I didn’t want to go into debt for my MFA, so I waited until the following year.

Year two: 2021

Yale:  rejection
UCLA-  rejection
SAIC: rejection
RISD:  rejection
UT-Austin:  rejection
Tulane University: rejection
Colombia: rejection

I was very devastated my second year applying, but I knew it didn’t define me so I worked hard to come back with a stronger portfolio for next year.

Year three: 2022

Rutgers: rejection
RISD: rejection
Yale: WAITLISTED
Bard: rejection
Hunter College: rejection
SUNY Purchase: Waitlisted then accepted with almost full funding.

This year I was so excited about being waitlisted from Yale. I felt like it was truly the perfect program for me and where I wanted to go in my work. I was also excited about SUNY Purchase, but Matt Bollinger who I wanted as my mentor was leaving. I decided to wait one last year and apply again.

Year four: 2024
Yale: ACCEPTED

RISD: rejected

Hunter: rejected

Rutgers: rejected

Ultimately, I got accepted into Yale, my dream school. So the moral of the story here? DO NOT GIVE UP! You deserve a school that is the right fit for you. If you don’t have external factors keeping you from reapplying, it’s okay to try and try again! Many people end up deciding they might not even want to pursue and MFA and that is okay too. Regardless keep making your work and stay positive and good things will come to you!

Good for you and your perseverance. It looks like you applied to all very prestigious programs that are hard to get into. Congratulations on your acceptance at Yale!

what medium do you work in? 

I recently talk to somebody who wanted to go to Hunter and apply seven or eight years in a row until they got in. They finally got in and are making great work. This is a good reminder that If you know what you want, don’t give up until you get it 💖

[meeep]

Thank you and absolutely! I applied to painting programs but I do a bit of sculpture, installation and photography as well.

Also, every year you apply you are pushing yourself to create a ton of new work and update your artist statement- that alone is an accomplishment and pushes your practice immensely. Even if it doesn't result in an acceptance you are better than the year before because of it.

[ohoh]

8 hours ago, MFAturtle said:

Hi, I finished my Columbia Sculpture  interview last week, and I'm waiting for the results.

Looking at the previous comments, I see some people personally received an acceptance email from Colombia, do all accepted applicants receive a personal emails?
Should I consider it as a rejection or a waitlist if I haven't heard from them so far?

Hi, I’m in the same boat. I think there was just one person on here who received a personal email back from Columbia sculpture. Idk if that was an exception, or if that means it’s too late….hoping we still hear back

[MFAturtle]

6 minutes ago, ohoh said:

Hi, I’m in the same boat. I think there was just one person on here who received a personal email back from Columbia sculpture. Idk if that was an exception, or if that means it’s too late….hoping we still hear back

Thanks for your reply. Let’s wait together until the answer comes. Could you please let me know if there are any results?

Good luck to all of us!🤞

[xxxmfa]

12 hours ago, bunnie99 said:

I only got $4,000 assistantship 😅 from RISD ceramics. What medium? And where do you have higher offers?

 

Never be afraid to ask for more money! The worst they can say is no. Get your bag for sure

Painting, I am really curious they have different quotas for funding with the different programs...is ceramics a super small program? I don't want too specific but from schools that are not already fully funded. Thank you for the courage, waiting to hear back now!

[Sweetie123]

1 hour ago, meeep said:

Thank you and absolutely! I applied to painting programs but I do a bit of sculpture, installation and photography as well.

Also, every year you apply you are pushing yourself to create a ton of new work and update your artist statement- that alone is an accomplishment and pushes your practice immensely. Even if it doesn't result in an acceptance you are better than the year before because of it.

That’s such a good point. I reapplied to programs this year and in this past year I made a whole new body of work that I am v proud of x 

[fiberartist]

21 hours ago, Beenthereonce said:

saic  just sent out their packages

I haven’t heard from them so I’m assuming I’m rejected? 
what program did you apply for?

[Beenthereonce]

35 minutes ago, fiberartist said:

I haven’t heard from them so I’m assuming I’m rejected? 
what program did you apply for?

photo n sculpture

[Beenthereonce]

okay, for those ppl who have gotten into risd, you can negotiate your aid!! they have funding (if they really want you). Please do not sit; they have aid. I went there undergrad and know a lot of grad folks who had a full ride. 

[coolgirl]

2 hours ago, Beenthereonce said:

okay, for those ppl who have gotten into risd, you can negotiate your aid!! they have funding (if they really want you). Please do not sit; they have aid. I went there undergrad and know a lot of grad folks who had a full ride. 

anyone know who you contact to negotiate? is it financial aid or the director?

 

and also - is this the aid you get both years? or do they give you new aid based off updated financials for the 2nd year? EDIT: re: this last question - just got an email and they said you can count on the fellowship for RISD being the same for both years!

Edited March 7 by coolgirl

[Goody2choos]

Just got waitlisted from VCU

[gghiccup]

Has anyone heard from MICA, Cranbrook, or ArtCenter yet for Sculpture?

 

Also does anyone know anything about the MassArt sculpture program?  I was just accepted.

[DeltaG24]

I was admitted to Goldsmiths, University of London today, after interviewing two days ago. I am from the US and Painting is my main area of concentration. If there is anyone out there with first-hand knowledge (or can put me in touch with someone) of their MFA fine arts program, please DM me.  Same for the Glasgow School of Art. It is hard to choose just from the info I can find online. 

[fiberartist]

2 hours ago, Beenthereonce said:

photo n sculpture

I just heard back from SAIC and i made it! 
 

I actually reached out to them and they said that all the departments will send out invites by today and by tomorrow at max. 
 

2 hours ago, Beenthereonce said:

okay, for those ppl who have gotten into risd, you can negotiate your aid!! they have funding (if they really want you). Please do not sit; they have aid. I went there undergrad and know a lot of grad folks who had a full ride. 

Also, how does one negotiate the funding? I have never done this before so kind of clueless! Any tips would be appreciated.

Also, what was your undergrad experience at RISD like in terms of faculty guidance and post completion opportunities to exhibit and work?

[SemiLocalArtRat]

15 hours ago, bunnie99 said:

What page is this? Where did you see this information?

If you look up University of Washington Masters acceptance page here on gradcafe it comes up. I'm not totally giving up hope, since they don't say exactly WHAT portion of 3d4m has given out acceptances. Fingers still crossed, but hopes are low. I emailed the program, and if I hear anything I'll update ASAP ♡ 

[SemiLocalArtRat]

So far:

Ohio State: Waitlist

CCA: Accepted. 16,000 per year scholarship, have not gotten financial package yet, just scholarship laid out in acceptance letter

RISD: Accepted. 14,000 per year with fellowship and assistantship, full tuition before that is 91,000 (literally no way) Hoping FAFSA comes through for the win here, because dear lord no

[bunnie99]

11 minutes ago, SemiLocalArtRat said:

If you look up University of Washington Masters acceptance page here on gradcafe it comes up. I'm not totally giving up hope, since they don't say exactly WHAT portion of 3d4m has given out acceptances. Fingers still crossed, but hopes are low. I emailed the program, and if I hear anything I'll update ASAP ♡ 

I cant seem to find it 😅

[coolgirl]

4 minutes ago, SemiLocalArtRat said:

So far:

Ohio State: Waitlist

CCA: Accepted. 16,000 per year scholarship, have not gotten financial package yet, just scholarship laid out in acceptance letter

RISD: Accepted. 14,000 per year with fellowship and assistantship, full tuition before that is 91,000 (literally no way) Hoping FAFSA comes through for the win here, because dear lord no

the financial letter was a bit confusing to me at first - the full tuition is ~60k/year and the 91,000 is the total cost of attendance (estimated housing, food, materials costs, etc. on top of the tuition). So whatever fellowship and assistantship (sounds like 14k) would be deducted from that 60k to get your yearly tuition cost.

But i'm also wondering about FAFSA - mine's still processing but do grad students get pell grants or other grants / aid like undergrad? or is the school's aid the only aid you get?

Edited March 7 by coolgirl

[sillygirl98]

so far for me: 

-sva: interviewed + accepted

-pratt: interviewed + accepted

-columbia: nothing

-parsons: nothing 

 

I feel like I'm going to be rejected from Columbia and Parsons because I was never offered an interview...

sva was my first choice though so i'm very happy in any case! 

[bunnie99]

7 minutes ago, coolgirl said:

the financial letter was a bit confusing to me at first - the full tuition is ~60k/year and the 91,000 is the total cost of attendance (estimated housing, food, materials costs, etc. on top of the tuition). So whatever fellowship and assistantship (sounds like 14k) would be deducted from that 60k to get your yearly tuition cost.

But i'm also wondering about FAFSA - mine's still processing but do grad students get pell grants or other grants / aid like undergrad? or is the school's aid the only aid you get?

Graduate students are not eligible for the pell grant. I'm not sure if there's other grant money available. I'm expecting my federal aid to consist mostly or possibly solely of loan offers.