MFA 2024 Freak Out Forum

[b4wegather]

13 hours ago, Beenthereonce said:

Which department was that for?

woops! painting/printmaking

[Beenthereonce]

2 hours ago, darkrat88 said:

random question: anybody has Martin Kersel's (professor @ yale sculpture) institutional email?

hey, Have you already had your sculpture interview? If so lmk what they asked and who you had as faculty

[hihihi123]

for rutgers in person people...they finally emailed.  you gotta be there at 930 am just to find out your interview time lmao

[Anxietyismymiddlename]

Does anyone know the ranges of funding RISD gives their students? There is a full ride called the Presidential fellowship but apart from that what is the maximum that I can expect? Any info is helpful!

[Dougie4life]

Updates:

Columbia (Photo): Interviewed 2/18, Unofficial Acceptance 2/19

USC: Interviewed 2/6, Awaiting decision

Cornell (Image-text): Interviewed 2/22, Awaiting decision

 

Waiting on:

RISD (photo)

UCLA (photo (option 1) new genres (option 2)

 

Questions

1. Anyone offered an interview from UCLA (photo)?

2. Anyone heard from RISD (photo)?

3. Anyone apply to USC Roski in this forum, or are people still staying away from it after the fiasco in 2016?

 

[leavesontree]

10 minutes ago, johnjacobniles said:

Updates:

Columbia (Photo): Interviewed 2/18, Unofficial Acceptance 2/19

USC: Interviewed 2/6, Awaiting decision

Cornell (Image-text): Interviewed 2/22, Awaiting decision

 

Waiting on:

RISD (photo)

UCLA (photo (option 1) new genres (option 2)

 

Questions

1. Anyone offered an interview from UCLA (photo)?

2. Anyone heard from RISD (photo)?

3. Anyone apply to USC Roski in this forum, or are people still staying away from it after the fiasco in 2016?

 

Do you know if Columbia contacted all accepted applicants after interviews? I interviewed but guessing I was rejected as I haven’t heard anything 😞 also did they offer funding! 

[Sweetie123]

1 hour ago, johnjacobniles said:

Updates:

Columbia (Photo): Interviewed 2/18, Unofficial Acceptance 2/19

USC: Interviewed 2/6, Awaiting decision

Cornell (Image-text): Interviewed 2/22, Awaiting decision

 

Waiting on:

RISD (photo)

UCLA (photo (option 1) new genres (option 2)

 

Questions

1. Anyone offered an interview from UCLA (photo)?

2. Anyone heard from RISD (photo)?

3. Anyone apply to USC Roski in this forum, or are people still staying away from it after the fiasco in 2016?

 

What was the USC Roski fiasco in 2016??? 

[Dougie4life]

1 hour ago, leavesontree said:

Do you know if Columbia contacted all accepted applicants after interviews? I interviewed but guessing I was rejected as I haven’t heard anything 😞 also did they offer funding! 

Which discipline did you apply through? 
 

In short, I don’t know. And I said unofficial - no letter with financial package yet  

 

 

 

[Showtime123]

Hi there! Long time lurker finally jumping in to share updates and ask questions. This forum has be a huge help! (and I'm now figuring out how to use it).

@Beenthereonce I interviewed for Yale Sculpture, I was asked question 3 and 4 from @b4wegather list but didn't get the pedagogy question (thank goodness). The other questions were specific to my work so I wont elaborate publicly. Good luck!

 

[pepperthecat]

On 2/22/2024 at 1:56 AM, yosemite119 said:

Wow, thanks for letting me know. The lack of communication/rejections from schools is really discouraging. I feel very much in the dark...

Has anyone heard back from the following schools/programs?

• Pratt (Communications Design)
• Tyler (Graphic and Interactive Design)
• UT Austin (Design)

 

Hey! I'm also waiting for Pratt Communications Design as well - so no, haven't heard anything yet

[g kons]

On 2/14/2024 at 7:47 AM, mfadoom said:

i was a full time student, and I really liked the freedom and the studio space, but unfortunately i could not afford it. I couldn't get the money required to get a residence permit in Germany, and the Stadelschule doesn't offer any of its own scholarships. I applied for DAAD but you have to apply before you actually get accepted to be eligible for funding. I would definitely make sure your funding was well in place before you considered going!

How were you able to stay at all without that money, i thought it was for a visa? curious because I want to go but can’t figure out funding either 

[meyocallo]

On 2/21/2024 at 2:21 PM, CactusWren22 said:

Had my interview with UNLV today. The faculty is so chill and nice. You really get the sense that students and faculty treat each with a great deal of respect and kinship. It was inspiring. Definitely the most positive interview experience I've had in the last 3 years. 😎

Long time lurker here. I made an account just to respond to this. I have my UNLV interview tomorrow and was wondering what they asked/what the vibe was? It's my first round of MFA applications, so I'm pretty nervous.

[sad face]

On 2/22/2024 at 12:42 AM, Beenthereonce said:

why you say that how it go????

I can't clearly recall any questions asked because they were tailored to my work/statement and the phrasing was somehow confusing. I was also asked the pedagogy question that was brought up by @b4wegather(thank you for remembering the question and the phrasing) but I was not asked why graduate/why Yale question. 

Mine went pretty bad in my opinion because I was extremely nervous and the questions were so deep and specific that in no way I could've prepared them in advance. So I was improvising from start to end. Felt more like a very intensive critique.

[murmur]

anyone know about the format of SAIC painting interviews? are we going to be looking at our submitted portfolio? There is not much information really?

[npcC]

Literally FREAKING OUT right now. I don't ever wanna go through this AGAIN. hope everyone gets the offer they want :')

[xxxxoxe]

Can someone plz tell me about SAIC painting interviews? I'm so freaked out cuz I do not have ANY information about it

 

[Chelsea H]

21 hours ago, hihihi123 said:

does anyone know what the studio situation at saic is i cant really find info online

I’m not sure if this is helpful, but I visited the studio spaces at SAIC during a national portfolio review day in November (didn’t even know they had grad school sessions of that until this year!). They have several buildings housing studio spaces scattered in a 5ish block radius of the school, though if I remember correctly I think the sculpture dept is mostly in the basement of the main building. I only really looked at the painting students’ studios in a building across the street from the Art Institute’s front entrance, and unfortunately they were not particularly appealing (at least not to me anyway). They were like that cubical-style you see a lot in undergrad facilities, maybe 12’ x 15’ on average, no natural light. After talking to a number of the students in their studios, I really got the impression that they were funneling students right into the program straight out of undergrad, and their work and conversation was uhhh… reflective of that. The studio visit was enough to convince me to not even apply to be completely transparent. But! That was just me—what I’m looking for in a MFA experience might be completely different than yours or anyone else’s! And like I said, I was only looking at painting. Can’t speak to their process of allocating spaces or anything like that of course.

[MFA108]

21 hours ago, MFASkepticism said:

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my updates now that the application process is mostly wrapped up. First off, a huge thank you to all who have shared their experiences and supported each other along the way. Your camaraderie has been an invaluable source of comfort during those nerve-wracking moments. Regardless of the admission outcomes, I want to emphasize the importance of continuing to nurture our artistic pursuits. I'm genuinely rooting for each and every one of you!

I am an international student who graduated with a BFA degree from a US-based Art School.
I applied for this MFA admission cycle, (Photography / Transmedia) depending on the school.

• UChicago:
  • Accepted, with 75% funding and a $9K TA position per year.
• UT-Austin:
  • Accepted, with Full funding and an approximate $21K TA stipend per year.
• XYZ StateUniversity:
  • Accepted with Full funding and a TA stipend (I'd rather not disclose the name due to the school's size).
• UCSD: Waitlisted,
  • received an email saying "We anticipate sending official notification of your acceptance or non-acceptance to the program by April 22, 2024. At this time, you are under no obligation to respond to any offers but we would greatly appreciate a response if you are interested in remaining on our waitlist."
• Yale Photography - Rejection
• Northwestern - Rejection
• UCLA (no news, assuming rejection)
• UC-Berkeley (no news, assuming rejection)
• UC-Davis (no news, assuming rejection)
• MIT (SMACT) (no news, assuming rejection)

 Reflecting on this admission cycle, my primary goal was to find a school where I could pursue my passion without accumulating overwhelming student loan debt. I'm somewhat satisfied with the results, as I have options where I can focus on my practice without financial strain. I hope everyone else found something valuable in this process as well.

Hello, Congrats on your multiple acceptaces! that is amazing! I didn't realize some of those state schools had such high funding and stipends! That is awesome!

I also applied to MIT-SMACT but its been crickets! I was wondering if things were delayed becasue pushed the deadline back by a few days or if they had sent interview invites already and I didn't get any notices. Did you interview with all of the school that accepted you? I'm curious if mfa programs offer admissions without interviews. I have a few acceptances and would like to know if i was rejected in the schools that have been quiet wihtout any notices before I make a final decision. thanks and congrats again! I heard UCSD is amazing! hope you get in there if possible. and Austin is a fun city to be in. I grew up in Texas. UC Chicago 75% is also pretty amazing, that school is great and tuition is pretty high. Looks like you have lots of great options!!

[Gradboriss]

On 2/22/2024 at 10:17 AM, chanu2v40 said:

Also applied and haven't heard anything and no portal update, either. Maybe they're going slow? 

Yeah.. seems like it. I guess we just have to wait for updates?

[Sweetie123]

39 minutes ago, MFA108 said:

Hello, Congrats on your multiple acceptaces! that is amazing! I didn't realize some of those state schools had such high funding and stipends! That is awesome!

I also applied to MIT-SMACT but its been crickets! I was wondering if things were delayed becasue pushed the deadline back by a few days or if they had sent interview invites already and I didn't get any notices. Did you interview with all of the school that accepted you? I'm curious if mfa programs offer admissions without interviews. I have a few acceptances and would like to know if i was rejected in the schools that have been quiet wihtout any notices before I make a final decision. thanks and congrats again! I heard UCSD is amazing! hope you get in there if possible. and Austin is a fun city to be in. I grew up in Texas. UC Chicago 75% is also pretty amazing, that school is great and tuition is pretty high. Looks like you have lots of great options!!

What are the programs you are waiting on? Ppl on the forum might be able to tell you if the programs you are waiting on interview. In my experience, most MFA programs interview before making a decision, but there are a few programs that I have heard don't. 

[cinnamoroll8]

just had my yale sculpture interview. Each interviewer asked a different question it seemed like they had it all planned out. Martin and Aki were sweet, the rest a little cold or like you know poker face which is fine. 

These are the questions they asked me:

What is your process from conception of idea to creation?

How to you deal with differences in opinion, especially considering the small department size?

What facilities do you anticipate using?

Why grad school now? and why. yale?

How will you navigate different opportunities or shows that may come up during grad school, since it is an intensive full-time program?

 

I feel good about my responses and everything I showed overall, but maybe did expect it to be a little more personable. they said we'd hear back early march on decisions. The questions part is so quick almost to the point that I felt like my answers were a little rushed or cut off quickly. I prepped answers to most of these questions but i feel like I mightve missed part of them since it went so fast. 

[murmur]

I had my Yale interview on Wednesday and I was so nervous preparing for it that the only thing I felt after was relief.  My first intinction was that it went quite well. But the more I think about it less confident I am. I think I rambled quite a bit and maybe didn't stop to think enough to give more coherent answers. 

[Valentine88]

For Yale. we went through Multiple questions, I think I answered like 15 ish question back to back. Was a nice flow , threw them some curve ball questions, got to ask about 4-5 questions myself. 
 

Wishing everyone luck. 

[Showtime123]

1 hour ago, cinnamoroll8 said:

just had my yale sculpture interview. Each interviewer asked a different question it seemed like they had it all planned out. Martin and Aki were sweet, the rest a little cold or like you know poker face which is fine. 

These are the questions they asked me:

What is your process from conception of idea to creation?

How to you deal with differences in opinion, especially considering the small department size?

What facilities do you anticipate using?

Why grad school now? and why. yale?

How will you navigate different opportunities or shows that may come up during grad school, since it is an intensive full-time program?

 

I feel good about my responses and everything I showed overall, but maybe did expect it to be a little more personable. they said we'd hear back early march on decisions. The questions part is so quick almost to the point that I felt like my answers were a little rushed or cut off quickly. I prepped answers to most of these questions but i feel like I mightve missed part of them since it went so fast. 

Congrats on your interview! I also had mine on a different day and got the last 3 questions you did. It wasn't very personable at all for me either but Sandra seemed nice. Now we wait Who else was on your interview panel?

[Beenthereonce]

1 hour ago, murmur said:

I had my Yale interview on Wednesday and I was so nervous preparing for it that the only thing I felt after was relief.  My first intinction was that it went quite well. But the more I think about it less confident I am. I think I rambled quite a bit and maybe didn't stop to think enough to give more coherent answers. 

which department?