MFA 2025 Freak Out Forum

[asdjhfgl]

It's time to freak out  

[asdjhfgl]

Where is everyone applying? Why? How many times have you applied to Grad School?

[Timecompanion]

I’m finally here; it’s finally my turn to apply for an MFA again and twice. Looking forward to seeing young people’s experiences. Good luck to everyone 

[nanaaaa]

Applying again after last year. Was sadly only put on waitlist and didn't get into any programs so I'm going to try again this year. Not too surprised by that since I had no idea what I was doing and what to expect either. But If anyone has some tips on how to improve my portfolio or for the interview I'd be much appreciated :))

[boltcutter]

On 9/13/2024 at 1:59 PM, asdjhfgl said:

Where is everyone applying? Why? How many times have you applied to Grad School?

I am applying to RISD, Mass Art, Boston University, and SMFA Tufts (schools in my area) for sculpture. Short list but I'm not willing to move or do a Low-Res (my husband's job is in the area and we have 3 kids to keep stable!). FYI you can sign up for online portfolio reviews outside of the National Portfolio days, RISD's admissions website has many dates/times open for 10 minute reviews and SMFA offers 30 minute reservations! 

[sillygooseart]

Hi all,

I got into one program last year and because I was nowhere near comfortable with going into a ton of debt for that school, I ended up deciding to reapply for different programs! I’m applying to Purchase’s dual degree program, Amherst, Carnegie, and possibly UAlbany. My goal post-grad is to teach, so if anyone has any opinions on programs great for that, let me know! Good luck to everyone!

[nanaaaa]

hi

Is there anyone who was waitlisted before and then reapplied and got in the following year? If so, any tips on how to make the application better? dd you change your portfolio a lot or just reapplied with the same documents and all? thanks so much an advance for any help 

 

[Atamo88]

I just started the MFA program at UC Davis this year and I highly recommend giving it a look. The studios are huge and the schedule is very reasonable to allow a lot of studio time. If you TA 10 hours per week, they give you free tuition, no fees and free health care. ie fully funded. Then on top of that, as a TA your stipend is $17,000 per year. If you TA 20 hours per week, it’s double that. Additional five digit funding is available as well but isn’t always guaranteed and therefore isn’t part of the official offer. Rent in Davis is not as bad as the Bay Area nearby. A room in a shared house is under $1000 a month.  
 

All this is to say nothing of the program which is exceptional. It’s completely interdisciplinary and blends some group critique with a lot of individual study. There are nine visiting artists per year. Many do studio visits. Some teach grad seminars for second year students.

Thats my pitch for Davis. PM me if you have questions.

[sergecee]

Has anyone considered hiring an application tutor? Any idea what something like that would cost?

[prosthetic_head]

Hi everybody! This will be my first year applying. I feel a little under-prepared after doing a TON of research and prep at the beginning of the year, and then life got in the way for a few months... I'm still finalizing my list of schools to apply to, but my short list at the moment is:

-CCA (I live in the bay and it would be nice to stay because I love my apartment. haha)

-RISD (was not on my list but I found a lecturer whose work I love is there, so might as well try despite the price tag)

-VCU 

-Tyler

I'm also on the fence about UC Davis, I may go ahead and apply there since it's also near me and I've heard really great things about it.
My work is sort of in-between mediums--I make collage and do some drawing and printmaking. 

Excited to hear from everyone else!

[boltcutter]

21 hours ago, prosthetic_head said:

Hi everybody! This will be my first year applying. I feel a little under-prepared after doing a TON of research and prep at the beginning of the year, and then life got in the way for a few months... I'm still finalizing my list of schools to apply to, but my short list at the moment is:

-CCA (I live in the bay and it would be nice to stay because I love my apartment. haha)

-RISD (was not on my list but I found a lecturer whose work I love is there, so might as well try despite the price tag)

-VCU 

-Tyler

I'm also on the fence about UC Davis, I may go ahead and apply there since it's also near me and I've heard really great things about it.
My work is sort of in-between mediums--I make collage and do some drawing and printmaking. 

Excited to hear from everyone else!

Oooh I got into CCA a decade a go and really wanted to go but couldn't figure out how to go to school and live in the Bay! Also UC Berkeley's program is fully-funded if you are interested in staying in that area! 

[boltcutter]

On 10/15/2024 at 9:26 AM, sergecee said:

Has anyone considered hiring an application tutor? Any idea what something like that would cost?

Arprof.org doesn't do application tutoring exactly but you can pay them for a portfolio review or statement of purpose review. The statement I think is $350 for 700 words and $400 for 1000.

[Jwack]

Hi Everyone!

This is my first year applying and I’ve been out of school for a VERY long time, but reallly excited about finally being here. Undergrad at UCSD, some post-bac at SDSU and a ton of work on my own. I’m applying (in painting) tentatively for the following:

Utah State

Stanford

UCSB

CU Boulder

Maybe Yale just for the hell of it.

Kind of a weird assortment, but hoping for mostly funded, engaged, approachable faculty, supports representational art and nice facilities. And close to skiing if I can swing it.

Did anyone sign up for the Stanford info session on 10/22? I did weeks ago and haven’t received any info at all and can’t get a response from anyone😬.

 

 

[sundayscaries]

Hey!

first time applying, though been thinking about it a while. Finished undergrad 2 years ago at a liberal arts college in MA.
 

im really only considering wash u, northwestern, and Yale. All for $ reasons. Yales need-based aid which is how my undergrad was and that worked great for me. The other two have generous packages. I toured wash u the other day and was impressed! 
 

anyone know anything about northwestern? it’s the one that’s hard to pin down for me rn but full tuition plus $45k a year stipend is serious support.

[asdjhfgl]

On 10/13/2024 at 10:50 PM, Atamo88 said:

I just started the MFA program at UC Davis this year and I highly recommend giving it a look. The studios are huge and the schedule is very reasonable to allow a lot of studio time. If you TA 10 hours per week, they give you free tuition, no fees and free health care. ie fully funded. Then on top of that, as a TA your stipend is $17,000 per year. If you TA 20 hours per week, it’s double that. Additional five digit funding is available as well but isn’t always guaranteed and therefore isn’t part of the official offer. Rent in Davis is not as bad as the Bay Area nearby. A room in a shared house is under $1000 a month.  
 

All this is to say nothing of the program which is exceptional. It’s completely interdisciplinary and blends some group critique with a lot of individual study. There are nine visiting artists per year. Many do studio visits. Some teach grad seminars for second year students.

Thats my pitch for Davis. PM me if you have questions.

this is amazing. Ive been thinking about Davis, I will for sure apply. Thank you

[asdjhfgl]

This is my third year applying to Graduate school. For the first two years, I only applied to UCLA. The second year, I got an interview but was rejected. This third year, I'm going to apply to a handful of schools in California and New York. I'm going for painting/drawing.

Here is my list in no particular order:

UCLA, Bard, Hunter, UC Berkley, UC Davis, Rutgers, Alfred.

 

 

[freshman2024]

I know they all are in their own right, but how competitive is Tyler? Sculpture. 

[prosthetic_head]

Does anyone have advice/input on applying to different departments at the same school?
My practice falls between mediums and I'm worrying a bit about picking the "wrong" department lol. 

I'd consider some of my work to be printmaking-adjacent and I'd love to explore that direction more thoroughly with future work, but I don't necessarily possess the technical knowledge in that arena (or how much does that matter overall?). 

Also took a look at RISD Illustration and noticed that 1) their examples of student work are across all mediums, which I liked, but 2) their faculty seems very commercially-oriented in terms of their careers, which I am less inclined toward.
I was leaning more toward photo or printmaking but the illustration department seems pretty expansive so now I have three departments to consider...

[Zulibird]

Hey there! I’m applying for the second time to Hunter and the first time to Columbia. This is my shortlist so far, and I’m feeling determined, but I get discouraged sometimes. Looking for an accountability buddy. Anyone else in the same boat who’d like to connect?

[VanillaYogurt]

Hi everyone, wondering if anyone has any input on how much GPA matters? Both for admissions and applying for merit-based scholarships. Any info appreciated!

[nanaaaa]

1 hour ago, VanillaYogurt said:

Hi everyone, wondering if anyone has any input on how much GPA matters? Both for admissions and applying for merit-based scholarships. Any info appreciated!

Hi, from what I've heard so far na from what's been said in info sessions, the portfolio is the most important part of the application. The GPA only matters in the decision if it's a tight race in terms of admission. Same goes for the scholarship as far as I'm concerned. That is ofc if you're within the set minimum GPA of the department (which is usually stated somewhere on their homepage). That all also depends to which department you're applying to. That is just what I heard from MFA Fine Arts (painting and drawing)  

Hope this helps a bit 

 

[ulyssesbloom]

Second time applicator!

What do you all think of these schools:

1. Carnegie Mellon
2. UC Davis
3. Hunter
4. UC Riverside
5. UW Seattle
6. UT Austin
7. UM College Park

[freshman2024]

18 hours ago, ulyssesbloom said:

Second time applicator!

What do you all think of these schools:

1. Carnegie Mellon
2. UC Davis
3. Hunter
4. UC Riverside
5. UW Seattle
6. UT Austin
7. UM College Park

For what concentration? 

[ulyssesbloom]

4 hours ago, freshman2024 said:

For what concentration? 

I'm a textile artist so its different for each school depending on their programs:

• Carnegie Mellon: Interdisciplinary
• UC Davis: Interdisciplinary
• Hunter: Painting and New Genres
• UC Riverside: Interdisciplinary
• UW Seattle: New Genres
• UT Austin: Painting/drawing and Transmedia
• UM College Park: Interdisciplinary

[sergecee]

On 11/10/2024 at 3:00 PM, ulyssesbloom said:

I'm a textile artist so its different for each school depending on their programs:

• Carnegie Mellon: Interdisciplinary
• UC Davis: Interdisciplinary
• Hunter: Painting and New Genres
• UC Riverside: Interdisciplinary
• UW Seattle: New Genres
• UT Austin: Painting/drawing and Transmedia
• UM College Park: Interdisciplinary

Im applying to UW for painting. Seems like a good program and a handful of artist's I've admired for years have gone through there. Seattle's art scene is pretty good as well. I'm curious about your priorities for each program - was it profs, location, funding, etc?