MFA 2025 Freak Out Forum

[nanaaaa]

33 minutes ago, Thedogsrout said:

Hey y’all! Keep an eye out for Pratt today! I just got an interview request for painting

Me too! congratulations and good luck for your interview 😌

[boltcutter]

How is everyone's studio energy during this time? Getting the applications done was so intense an the waiting is so distracting. I'm getting in there but my stamina/attention span is real low.

[nanaaaa]

2 hours ago, Sleepyguy said:

Curious if anyone who’s having success this application cycle would be willing to share their SOP/portfolio?

This is my second unsuccessful application cycle, curious to see how successful applications are organized.

I'm sorry to hear that. 

This is my second cycle this year too after I have been rejected by every school last year. 

In terms of essays I just followed their instructions on what they were looking for on their websites, but still kept it very authentic, I didn't write in anything that was not true t my practice. All of my essays varied a bit but not too much overall. In terms of portfolio, this year I made sure it was coherent, not so much when it comes to media but that there is a theme that is recognizable in all of my works, and reflected in my statement. Depending on the school however, (since my focus are works on paper) I either included just drawings or added installation/painting as well. 

Last year I also had internships at museums and some exhibitions and publications (which I had none of last year) and I do think that that helps a LOT, especially if you have an undergrad that is not related to the arts (as I have).

 

[Celadonisthebest]

19 minutes ago, boltcutter said:

How is everyone's studio energy during this time? Getting the applications done was so intense an the waiting is so distracting. I'm getting in there but my stamina/attention span is real low.

Anxiety is through the roof and have thrown up a couple times this past month with no other explanation besides stress 🤷🏻‍♀️ I'm wondering if I applied to the right schools and if I had researched other schools enough before deciding to not apply there. I do still feel good about the ones I've interviewed with so far, but my top choice still hasn't emailed me anything so I'm tweaking

[Thedogsrout]

22 minutes ago, nanaaaa said:

Me too! congratulations and good luck for your interview 😌

Thank you! Congrats and good luck to you too!💫

[paigethecat]

1 hour ago, Thedogsrout said:

Hey y’all! Keep an eye out for Pratt today! I just got an interview request for painting

Congrats that is awesome!!! I got one for integrated practices!!

[mmav]

Shana Moulton, chair of the UCSB MFA department, just called me yesterday to informally accept me to the program!  She said that this was an early call (since they usually wait until after the campus visit at the end of the month), but it was because they wanted to nominate me for a fellowship that would provide additional funding (that wouldn't require me to TA my first year) and wanted to gauge my interest in the school. I still have yet to interview at UCSD, and am still waiting to hear back from VCU post interview (as well as silence from UW Seattle, UMichigan, UCLA DMA, and Parsons DT), but honestly I'm not sure if I would choose them over UCSB at this point with the amount of support they're offering (financially and also just like how intentional they've been with their recruitment process...they seem to really care about the growth and investing in the program).

Here's the breakdown for the fellowship/funding for those interested (and might want to apply to UCSB next cycle!):

Year 1:

-stipend of $32,500, plus a $5,000 summer stipend (total of $37,500.)

 

Year 2:

-TA employment with salary (at 25-50% time* each quarter) for Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.

-department stipend of $10,000 for the year.

 

*A TAship at 25% time (10 hrs a week) pays around $1888 per month, a 50% TAship (20 hrs a week) pays around $3,777 per month.

[freshman2024]

44 minutes ago, boltcutter said:

How is everyone's studio energy during this time? Getting the applications done was so intense an the waiting is so distracting. I'm getting in there but my stamina/attention span is real low.

I’m like just starting to sketch again / work on some things this month after stopping in august lol pretty much everything I submitted in my apps I made between April and September so the burn out has been have in addition to the stress/ anxiety this process has caused. I realized how important my mental/ physical health is to my practice and letting both those slide with this app season , I’m just trying to get back to being a person lol. 

[prosthetic_head]

I had my interview with Purchase this morning and it couldn't have gone better tbh!!! I got very positive vibes from the department chair and he asked if I'd be interested in doing their 3-year MA/MFA program, along with a few other comments that make me think I'll be getting good news from them 😊

They will be sending acceptances very soon after they conclude interviews as an FYI to other applicants!

[sillygooseart]

15 minutes ago, prosthetic_head said:

I had my interview with Purchase this morning and it couldn't have gone better tbh!!! I got very positive vibes from the department chair and he asked if I'd be interested in doing their 3-year MA/MFA program, along with a few other comments that make me think I'll be getting good news from them 😊

They will be sending acceptances very soon after they conclude interviews as an FYI to other applicants!

Congrats! Mine went super well as well! If you’re interested in doing the dual it sounded like you’ll get more funding then since he knew I was a dual applicant. I hope you get the news you’re looking for!

[tryinggg]

47 minutes ago, mmav said:

Shana Moulton, chair of the UCSB MFA department, just called me yesterday to informally accept me to the program!  She said that this was an early call (since they usually wait until after the campus visit at the end of the month), but it was because they wanted to nominate me for a fellowship that would provide additional funding (that wouldn't require me to TA my first year) and wanted to gauge my interest in the school. I still have yet to interview at UCSD, and am still waiting to hear back from VCU post interview (as well as silence from UW Seattle, UMichigan, UCLA DMA, and Parsons DT), but honestly I'm not sure if I would choose them over UCSB at this point with the amount of support they're offering (financially and also just like how intentional they've been with their recruitment process...they seem to really care about the growth and investing in the program).

Here's the breakdown for the fellowship/funding for those interested (and might want to apply to UCSB next cycle!):

Year 1:

-stipend of $32,500, plus a $5,000 summer stipend (total of $37,500.)

 

Year 2:

-TA employment with salary (at 25-50% time* each quarter) for Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.

-department stipend of $10,000 for the year.

 

*A TAship at 25% time (10 hrs a week) pays around $1888 per month, a 50% TAship (20 hrs a week) pays around $3,777 per month.

Congratulations! I went to UCSB as an undergrad and can confirm that the faculty is incredible to students. They're supportive, reliable, and the MFA students who were there when I went are doing wonderful things now. Most of the ones I keep up with have professorships or PhDs.

I saw that in a previous post you applied to CMU, have you heard back from them yet?

[paintstress]

has anyone else heard back from columbia and ucla for painting? i saw that two other people on this thread have heard back from columbia, so i think its probably a rejection from me. ucla only contacts your references to ask for letters when you have made it to their shortlist and none of my references have mentioned anything to me (and i'd like to think they would) so i think its a rejection too. overall im not the most upset about the results since its my first year applying and i got two interviews, i just wish columbia and ucla would just flat out reject me already : / not looking forward to having to do this again next year but unless i get an almost full ride ill probably have to wait another year and to save up. 

[Morallycorruptfayeresnick]

Hi everyone, wanted to know if its custom to write thank you/follow up emails after being interviewed? I didnt know that was a thing until I checked a forum from last year lol. Good luck to everyone and congrats to those who have interviewed/ received acceptances!

[Oscar25]

9 minutes ago, Morallycorruptfayeresnick said:

Hi everyone, wanted to know if its custom to write thank you/follow up emails after being interviewed? I didnt know that was a thing until I checked a forum from last year lol. Good luck to everyone and congrats to those who have interviewed/ received acceptances!

I've been sending thank you emails after interviews! I think it could only help 

[Thedogsrout]

1 hour ago, paintstress said:

has anyone else heard back from columbia and ucla for painting? i saw that two other people on this thread have heard back from columbia, so i think its probably a rejection from me. ucla only contacts your references to ask for letters when you have made it to their shortlist and none of my references have mentioned anything to me (and i'd like to think they would) so i think its a rejection too. overall im not the most upset about the results since its my first year applying and i got two interviews, i just wish columbia and ucla would just flat out reject me already : / not looking forward to having to do this again next year but unless i get an almost full ride ill probably have to wait another year and to save up. 

I did email Columbia and they said all interviews have been sent at least for painting and that if we haven’t heard anything we should expect a final decision in a month or so 

[paintstress]

Just now, Thedogsrout said:

I did email Columbia and they said all interviews have been sent at least for painting and that if we haven’t heard anything we should expect a final decision in a month or so 

its so over x_X

[mmav]

5 hours ago, tryinggg said:

Congratulations! I went to UCSB as an undergrad and can confirm that the faculty is incredible to students. They're supportive, reliable, and the MFA students who were there when I went are doing wonderful things now. Most of the ones I keep up with have professorships or PhDs.

I saw that in a previous post you applied to CMU, have you heard back from them yet?

I was rejected, and they notified me 2/6

[dandyline]

9 hours ago, prosthetic_head said:

I had my interview with Purchase this morning and it couldn't have gone better tbh!!! I got very positive vibes from the department chair and he asked if I'd be interested in doing their 3-year MA/MFA program, along with a few other comments that make me think I'll be getting good news from them 😊

They will be sending acceptances very soon after they conclude interviews as an FYI to other applicants!

9 hours ago, sillygooseart said:

Congrats! Mine went super well as well! If you’re interested in doing the dual it sounded like you’ll get more funding then since he knew I was a dual applicant. I hope you get the news you’re looking for!

I've stuck to reading this thread so far, but seeing you guys have positive reactions to your interviews with Purchase have made me feel way less anxious about mine tomorrow so I had to say thanks!

[Yaah]

Hi, does anyone know last year’s interview questions for the SAIC painting&drawing program??

[sillygooseart]

6 hours ago, dandyline said:

I've stuck to reading this thread so far, but seeing you guys have positive reactions to your interviews with Purchase have made me feel way less anxious about mine tomorrow so I had to say thanks!

Good luck with your interview! Glad we could help  

[olayak]

On 2/12/2025 at 11:29 AM, sillygooseart said:

For the people interviewing with purchase, when did you schedule your interview? Mine is tomorrow and I’m nervous!

How did it go? Fingers crossed for you!

[Hsjjajfjjsk]

heyyy has anyone heard back from UCLA Painting?

[mmav]

20 hours ago, mmav said:

Shana Moulton, chair of the UCSB MFA department, just called me yesterday to informally accept me to the program!  She said that this was an early call (since they usually wait until after the campus visit at the end of the month), but it was because they wanted to nominate me for a fellowship that would provide additional funding (that wouldn't require me to TA my first year) and wanted to gauge my interest in the school. I still have yet to interview at UCSD, and am still waiting to hear back from VCU post interview (as well as silence from UW Seattle, UMichigan, UCLA DMA, and Parsons DT), but honestly I'm not sure if I would choose them over UCSB at this point with the amount of support they're offering (financially and also just like how intentional they've been with their recruitment process...they seem to really care about the growth and investing in the program).

Here's the breakdown for the fellowship/funding for those interested (and might want to apply to UCSB next cycle!):

Year 1:

-stipend of $32,500, plus a $5,000 summer stipend (total of $37,500.)

 

Year 2:

-TA employment with salary (at 25-50% time* each quarter) for Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.

-department stipend of $10,000 for the year.

 

*A TAship at 25% time (10 hrs a week) pays around $1888 per month, a 50% TAship (20 hrs a week) pays around $3,777 per month.

VCU Kinetic Imaging just notified me of my acceptance today! (I interviewed on 2/5, they said they usually send results post interview two weeks after).  I'm definitely going to grad school this cycle no matter what, so I'm so grateful I'm able to one and done this process.  I'm still favoring UCSB because of the money, and the campus visit will be really useful to judge the vibes of the cohorts there.

Here's what VCU offered me (note that both have tuition remission and healthcare, the difference is in stipend):

In addition, we are excited to offer you a Graduate Assistantship for the 2025-2026 academic year. This assistantship provides two semesters of tuition coverage and a stipend of $5793.00 per semester, distributed bi-monthly during the award period, with an expectation of working approximately 12-15 hours per week.

Please note that graduate assistantships provide tuition coverage, but recipients are responsible for university fees, which are currently $3,133 per semester and subject to change. Additionally, all international students (those on F- and J-visas) are required to have health insurance and are eligible for the student health insurance program. Full details of the health insurance plan and current premiums are outlined on this website. All full time graduate students have access to University Health Services; more information is available here.

I'll probably take my UCSB offer letter to negogiate with VCU but am not sure if they have the resources to match.

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE ELSE WAITING ON RESPONSES! after this is all said and done I'm also happy to share a general overview of my app/portfolio/what I said in my statements 

[olayak]

17 hours ago, Morallycorruptfayeresnick said:

Hi everyone, wanted to know if its custom to write thank you/follow up emails after being interviewed? I didnt know that was a thing until I checked a forum from last year lol. Good luck to everyone and congrats to those who have interviewed/ received acceptances!

I'm faculty at NYU and it's definitely a good idea to write thank you emails, it helps you stand out!

[Josietshaw]

Has anyone heard from UCLA Painting and Drawing?