MFA 2025 Freak Out Forum

[aLittleMonster]

1 hour ago, Frank0000000 said:

Hi everyone! 

This is my third application cycle 😓 and I might as well give the full history for those interested because I really didn't know what I was doing the first time and the advice I found on this forum was super helpful. 

 

First round (Fall 2022) all painting programs except MICA which I applied for the interdisciplinary program

• The University of Colorado, Fort Collins: Interviewed, offered a great spot with a good scholarship and a teaching assistantship, only problem was they wanted my response sooo early—like in Feb. before I'd heard back from anyone else so I ended up turning it down. Also because I was hesitant to move somewhere I knew there wasn't much of an arts culture (should have done more research). 
• The University of Montana, Missoula: Interviewed, offered a spot, pretty small scholarship, wasn't thrilled by their response to me asking how it was for trans students at the school, and needed a bigger scholarship to make it work. 
• VCU: straight up rejected, took them a really long time to get back to me, that was the last school I heard from I think in April. they sent their rejection via mail. 
• SFSU: interviewed, waitlisted then rejected, didn't do well in the interview (I bungled the question "how do you see yourself using your time in this program" they wanted specific research interests and details about what projects I'd be pursuing)
• MICA: interviewed, offered a spot with a big scholarship but still not enough to make it financially feasible. MICA is realllllly expensive. 
• UC Irvine: no interview, rejected

Second round (Fall 2023) all painting programs (some were just "MFA" programs without any specification)

• SFSU: applied again, interviewed and offered a spot with no scholarship and no teaching assistantship, ended up having to turn it down when I couldn't find any housing in SF that would make it financially feasible. 
• The University of Michigan: no interview, rejected 
• Northwestern: no interview, rejected 
• UCLA: no interview, rejected 
• UC Irvine: totally forgot and missed the deadline, thank u adhd 🤦‍♂️
• Stanford: no interview, rejected

Pretty disappointing second round, but I think I was overly ambitious and didn't apply to enough of a range of schools, just ones that are really competitive. and I was exhausted after having just finished my undergrad, it honestly didn't feel like the right time. After that, I decided to take a year off of applying and develop my portfolio and research interests a bit more and find programs that were fully funded and offered teaching assistantships. It was definitely the right move, I feel so much more confident in my portfolio and the direction of my art practice, and much more ready for the challenge of grad school. 

So, TLDR: It's been a mixed bag, but I've learned a lot.

This round (Fall 2025) here's where applied, all painting.

• Yale
•  Rutgers 
• Carnegie Mellon
• Herron (Indianapolis)
• The University of Michigan
• The University of New Mexico 
• Utah Tech  
• The University of Nevada, Reno 
• UC Irvine 

Good luck, everyone!! Hang in there 🫡

Thanks for sharing! I just read all of your post since 2023 and I feel more than anxious than before because I just know someone is doing this .. effort for so long like me. My first round was back in the day for 2020fall entry and that was a big failure. I’m also waiting for my 25fall result although I have been losing hope for months.. I am quite sensitive to the professors’ reactions when it’s getting to the deadline, although I know they may be just too busy to reply to my updates after the winter break. I have been preparing for this round of application since 2023 so I feel you. Big hug. It’s such a hardship that we must get through and we will get through. 
 

And I realise you have made a very big change on your school choices. Guess you’re making big progress and growth as well; back in the days in 2020 I thought I couldn’t do an MFA in my whole life but I am picking up this shit again and again..hard to describe