MFA Painting 2009 has anyone heard back yet?

[julieopp]

I've applied to Yale, Columbia, Bard, Hunter, CalArts and UCLA for an MFA in painting.

Just found out today that I have an interview at CalArts, but haven't heard from any other schools, and the suspense is killing me!

Has anyone heard back from any of these or other schools?

Also, any tips for the interviews? How are we supposed to dress? What types of questions are they going to ask?

Let's start a 2009 forum to pass the time while we anxiously wait by the phone/check email all day long every day!

[Emma2003]

I have not heard anything yet in terms of decisions, but I did get a weird letter from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago saying that they had received my application materials (which I sent in December) and that I should expect to hear from the department within six to eight weeks of the application deadline (January 10th). i just received this letter today. Which means I should hear back sometime after the 21st?

I think expecting to wait at least six weeks after the app deadline seems pretty standard. I'm assuming that they wait to see every possible portfolio and compare them against each other.

[haleynagy]

Ha! I got that same weird letter just a couple of days ago. If it has taken them that long just to let us know they received our application, I imagine we are looking at the longer side of the waiting period for notification. I also found out that one the the smaller programs I applied to had 300 applications for just 10 spots. They had to cancel their open house for finalist because of the large number of applicants. I'm receiving correspondence from them after hours too - I would bet they are working weekends to finish the process by their school mandated deadlines.

I don't even want to think about how many more apps SAIC received this year than last year...

[csk]

well, SAIC has my app. also. i'm betting that school will have enough apps. to keep them busy the full 8 weeks and do not expect to hear from them until late march( and i'm not sure if they send "sorry, maybe next year" letters). there is an agreed upon latest date for accepting(april 15?) so don't let the early acceptance schools bully you into a decision. i think you can judge your expectations on the app. deadlines. Earlier the dealine, earlier the acceptance/interview letters will come. also, if the program requires an interview, the invite for interviews will come quicker than schools just sending final replies. SMFA, boston, has already sent interview invites.i also applied to columbia and have not heard anything yet. there is a thread from last spring that has some useful " what are they going to ask" answers.

[jenmariepainter]

haley- i got that same email about the 300 applicants and 10 spots! they are my first choice, so i am very nervous about hearing that figure! i applied to utexas at austin, indiana univ., mica, boston univ., and virginia commonwealth and haven't heard anything from anyone yet except hearing from utexas regarding some crazy statistics. is there any hope for me? hehe.

[RedPotato]

Admittedly this information isnt too reliable but according to a friend of mine, either SAIC or UChicago sent out their first set of rejection letters this week. Just thought I would share my knowledge of decisions. (Said friend did not get in :cry: )

[Emma2003]

I'm an undergrad at SAIC, and according to the talking I've heard, (very little though) I think they have made their first round of cuts. I am excited to not have received a rejection yet!

[youthtoast]

Hi everyone--I'm in the same boat as all of you! I applied at Yale, Temple, Cranbrook, Virginia Commonwealth, RISD, MICA, and Indiana. I've already been rejected from Yale, but haven't heard from any of the others. (So if you haven't been rejected from Yale yet, that's good news for you!)

Good luck to all of us in passing the time!

[jenmariepainter]

eep! im so nervous! everyone please post any updates if any schools send you any new info! still nothing from any of my schools.

[jenmariepainter]

just saw this on admission results:

University Of Texas - Austin-MFA Studio Art - Painting, MFA Rejected via Postal Service on 12 Feb 2009-12 Feb 2009 Letter noted 272 applications for 10 spots.

eep! anyone else get a letter from UT???

I haven't received anything yet.

[Giant Bees]

I just wanted to chime in on saying I too received the cryptic SAIC letter. I figured since on the site it says that they notify you about interviews mid-feb that the letter was a sure-fire thing that they had looked at my stuff and been like.... yeah we'll send you a notification in a couple of weeks (i.e. in line with when the rejections go out). Still freaking out, but at least I know I am not the only one now.

[jenmariepainter]

well.....i just got a rejection letter in the mail from UT Austin's painting mfa program.

they were my first choice.

[Emma2003]

I just wanted to chime in on saying I too received the cryptic SAIC letter. I figured since on the site it says that they notify you about interviews mid-feb that the letter was a sure-fire thing that they had looked at my stuff and been like.... yeah we'll send you a notification in a couple of weeks (i.e. in line with when the rejections go out). Still freaking out, but at least I know I am not the only one now.

I wouldn't count out SAIC yet, I'm attending there currently, and my understanding is the teachers were given 500 portfolios of slides and instructions to cut them in HALF based on just the portfolios, cold read. (I'm not sure if this is just the painting department or what.) Then they forwarded their top half to the admissions department. If you received the weird letter instead of a rejection, I think it means your application was in the top 250 and has finally been received by the actual admissions department. This last part is mere conjecture of course, but it makes sense to me.

Jenmariepainter, sorry about UT Austin!

[Giant Bees]

Haha I just let out the loudest squeak at work just based on your conjecture. Clearly I am not handling this whole waiting thing with any sort of composure. I am going to pretend that what you are saying is completely true.

[Emma2003]

I have to clarify, that I think that the cryptic letter only means that it made the first round of cuts. I think the volume is just so high, that they needed a way to sift through everything. Now onto the interviewing, which is why i think they're sending out the weird letters because they want those 250 to know they're still in the running. So more hoops, probably, but at least some good news, I am hoping.

[haleynagy]

Emma2003!

Thanks for the info. I sure hope you are right. Please continue to keep us posted on anything you hear at school.

I think a couple of us are actually dying from the wait.

Cheers!

Haley

[jenmariepainter]

So UT austin, and the rejection letter last week and all...........and my status JUST changed online today saying "We have received all credentials required to process your application. Your file has been forwarded to the Graduate Committee for review." ...not rejected? what gives? why would they update it that and not we regret to inform you.

is that odd? or is it just me hoping they made a mistake? :?:

[haleynagy]

My UT status STILL hasn't changed and it has been a month.

On another topic, does anyone have experience with getting a rejection from an MFA program at the SAIC that offers you alternative admission into another (lesser) program? What's that about?! Should this be taken as an insult or a compliment?

[emwise1]

I thought once the torture of applications was over, I could just leave it in the hands of the Art Gods. Hahahaaa. Waiting is making me CRAZY. :roll: I applied to 5 CA state schools... I have one phone interview (CSUN) scheduled.

Applied:

UCLA

CSU Northridge

CSU Long Beach

Cal State LA

SF State

[jkroman]

Is it time to be concerned if I have not heard anything from UCLA, Columbia, CMU, and VCU yet? I figured if I had an interview, I would have heard something by now. Do they tell everyone at once? Perhaps I am just holding out hope that they are just waiting to tell me I got in....hehe

[mtung]

Based on some of the results posted in "shot and simple" I'm assuming the worst for my UCLA and Columbia applications. I don't know what to think of VCU, since it doesn't seem like anyone has heard anything one way or another; let's hope they are just taking their sweet-ass time! And for your sake, I'll hope that is the case with CMU, too, but I haven't been following them...too busy obsessing over my own list.

Is it time to be concerned if I have not heard anything from UCLA, Columbia, CMU, and VCU yet? I figured if I had an interview, I would have heard something by now. Do they tell everyone at once? Perhaps I am just holding out hope that they are just waiting to tell me I got in....hehe

[brosenth1984]

Is it time to be concerned if I have not heard anything from UCLA, Columbia, CMU, and VCU yet? I figured if I had an interview, I would have heard something by now. Do they tell everyone at once? Perhaps I am just holding out hope that they are just waiting to tell me I got in....hehe

I am an alumni of CMU's undergraduate BFA, and I do not believe that they have notified anybody yet (from what i have heard on the grapevine). They tend to get through a few rounds, because people would rather be in NY or LA (although I must say, it really is the best and most truly interdisciplinary, i would so do my MFA there if the policy allowed, and Pittsburgh is a really great place to be a student and live cheaply). So no news is good news in my book, and even if you are not in the first cut, if you are getting strong responses from other places (and are thus high in the pool) you may get a call anyways.

[cool90068]

I received the following unsollicited email of 2/19 from VCU:

Hello!

Thank you so much for your interest in and application to the VCU Sculpture Department. I am writing to observe with you that our deadline is a bit late in the grand scheme of things (as in: other schools' deadlines). Additionally, once your materials are received, it takes time before they become available to the Admissions Committee for deliberation. As a consequence, please don't expect to hear from us regarding your application until late March or early April.

I promise you that we are carefully considering your dossiers and portfolios with care and intimate attention. You'll hear more from us soon. I promise!

In the mean time, try to forget about those applications you have out there. It'll go faster that way, I swear! Best of luck.

Sincerely,

Amy Hauft

[jkroman]

To keep with the same vain as the last post this is an email I received 3/4

Dear Applicant-

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the status of your application to the Department of Painting + Printmaking.

We are still reviewing and evaluating applications as this time. Our faculty will meet in mid-March to determine a "short list" of candidates to be interviewed by phone (we will not be inviting applicants to campus). Phone interviews will be conducted during the third week of March, and applicants will be notified of their status soon thereafter.

We understand that many applicants would like to know their status as soon as possible, and I assure you that we are making every effort to conduct our admissions process in a timely manner. We have experienced a significant and unexpected increase in applications this year, and we are working diligently to make our selections and provide applicants with admissions decisions.

[dryeyes]

is that from VCU, too