My useless BFA -- will it ruin my chance?

[kitt kat]

I graduated in May of 2010 with a BFA degree (in writing) from a top 25 school. I openly admit to everyone that I loved my college -- so much so that I am actually in the process of applying to an MA program at the same school as we speak. (Odd application date, I know; it's due on Saturday.)

However, I hated my undergraduate program. So. Much.

For those not arts-savvy, a BFA differs from a BA in that over 75% of your college coursework is practice-intensive. I had no tests to study for, no papers to impress teachers with, no pop quizzes, no meaningless reading assignments. My "homework" was to go home, sit in front of a computer for several hours and write whatever the hell I wanted. Sounds great, right? Hah! Wrong.

When your "academic" work is based on a creative endeavor and not actual academics, the grading is shady; one semester, you'll be placed with a teacher who loves your style, your voice and your ideas -- only to be stuck with a professor who loathes everything about you the next. I'm not trying to make excuses for myself here and I am hoping that someone from a similar background can attest to these discrepancies between traditional degrees and arts-based programs.

When traditional classes were concerned, I excelled, naturally. A's and the occasional B+ across the board, professors who adored me, etc.

I couldn't switch majors because my parents wouldn't allow it. So, I picked up a minor and now I am left with a degree that, I think, ruined my academic career forever.

I'm applying to graduate school in hopes of redeeming myself and having that bookish experience I missed out on with the intention of later picking up a PhD in Musicology -- hopefully from UCLA, since I don't want to leave Los Angeles just yet.

The MA program is a journalism program where your intended focus is self-directed; my journalistic interests generally revolve around local music "scenes" and cultural communities born from these local arts-centric niches, so that aspect of the program suits me quite well, I think. One of the main professors in the program is an old teacher of mine who has said numerous times that he will do everything he can to put me in the program, since he thinks I would excel in it.

The issue is this: Because of my crappy arts degree, my grades in my major coursework are all over the place; sometimes As, sometimes Cs. It's dismal and disappointing. Similarly, I took the GRE without studying -- because (stupidly) I thought it would be a breeze given my 2200 SAT score. Hah! Was I wrong.

My verbal score is average for the program, but my Quant score is laughable. Considering the fact that I only took three years of math in high school and was never required to take any math-related courses in college because of the BFA, I consider it understandable. But -- will admissions laugh at me for a low math score? Especially admissions for a JOURNALISM program that seeks to make student better WRITERS and not ENGINEERS? I've heard that the math score is just as important in humanities/arts programs; someone prove me wrong! (It's a 490. And it's embarrassing.)

My GRE writing is "meh," but the applications requires a load of published clips -- and my old professor is on the admissions committee and he knows my writing quite well, so I am not worried about looking like a swine who can't piece a sentence together because of a 4.5.

I should also add that I've been working professionally in journalism since graduation, which is a plus.

So -- does anyone think I'm a lunatic? Or do I have a chance?

Edited March 2, 2011 by kitt kat

[qbtacoma]

One of the great things about the U.S. educational system is that you almost always have another chance. You probably started out with a goal of work as an artist or in a field other than academia, and so creating a lot of your art (writing, in this case) was fine for that goal. Now, however, you need a better record. I'd think about enrolling in some community college courses, or intensive summer courses at a university (does your undergrad offer them?) in anything you think will be relevant to your future work - logic and philosophy, language, math, whatever. Then rock the socks off those courses.

Alternatively, if you don't get in this year, keep doing what you are doing (but also take traditional classes on the side). Make it so that your professional accomplishments overshadow your undergraduate grades. You might have to work for a few more years, but many people come back to academia after working for a while.

You know what your weaknesses are, and you are doing what you need to do to address them. Address them in your SOP, if you can, not in a "poor me" kind of way but in a "this is why this happened, but I'm not making excuses for myself and I'll show you how I'm already doing better" kind of way. If you don't get in this year, study for the GRE next time.

I definitely think you have a chance. Your undergrad degree will not doom you. Good luck!

[DrFaustus666]

When your "academic" work is based on a creative endeavor and not actual academics, the grading is shady; one semester, you'll be placed with a teacher who loves your style, your voice and your ideas -- only to be stuck with a professor who loathes everything about you the next.

I'm applying to graduate school in hopes of redeeming myself and having that bookish experience I missed out on with the intention of later picking up a PhD in Musicology -- hopefully from UCLA, since I don't want to leave Los Angeles just yet.

So -- does anyone think I'm a lunatic? Or do I have a chance?

I don't think you're a lunatic, and my own story is very similar--especially the part about grades (one prof loves you, the next doesn't).

My only advice is, keep your focus. If you do as I did, and try to enter the mainstream of work (which I did, more or less successfully, for almost 30 years now), you may find yourself like me, in late-middle-age, and still dreaming.

As to the GRE, it can be beaten, though it can take a lot of effort. (I did have the advantage of a relatively heavy high school math background, which still serves me well, 41 years after HS graduation.)

Good luck!