MFA 2013 All Art ADMISSIONS freak-out forum!!!!!!!!

[merf]

Anyone going to boston university for painting?

I am!  Can't wait.

[Lightswitch]

Hi everyone, congratulations to those who got into schools this go round and best of luck to those preparing portfolios for next year. Here's a link to a great free video series for those who need to freshen up or prepare for the rigorous literary aspects of an MFA program. Several grad students who I know have mentioned how the theory aspect of their education was the most difficult initially, so this is a great way for us all to get a head start! Again, congratulations and best of luck to everyone!  

https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/literary-theory-audio/id341652579

 

Yes, I second heyhey's recommendation. I spent a couple of weeks going through these lectures a few years ago, and loved them!

Edited April 22, 2013 by Lightswitch

[webe]

Well not for painting but I'm going to BU for graphic design!

I am!  Can't wait.

Me too. I'm really looking forward to it! When will you guys be making the move there?

[Briecheese]

Yes, I second heyhey's recommendation. I spent a couple of weeks going through these lectures a few years ago, and loved them!

 

in this way we are all going to Yale!

[herki]

Hi everyone, congratulations to those who got into schools this go round and best of luck to those preparing portfolios for next year. Here's a link to a great free video series for those who need to freshen up or prepare for the rigorous literary aspects of an MFA program. Several grad students who I know have mentioned how the theory aspect of their education was the most difficult initially, so this is a great way for us all to get a head start! Again, congratulations and best of luck to everyone!  

https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/literary-theory-audio/id341652579

These are an ENGL class about Literary theory. Is that correct?

[Lucia Werd]

These are an ENGL class about Literary theory. Is that correct?

There seems to be a bunch more on various theme from different universities too. Has anyone seen and recommends some other good one to look at in the topic of arts and architecture? There are so many to choose from.

[thirteenseconds]

 

Ended up choosing VCU, I'm quite excited!

[hdsl]

I received a call from Hunter today. I've been taken off the waitlist and accepted for Spring 2014!

Definitely going!

[raspberrymushroom]

Congrats!!!!

[houndstooth]

Got into tyler wooooo bam!

 

who on here is going there?

 

Hi, I was just wondering if you plan to attend Tyler? 

 

 

And to anyone on the forum who is attending Tyler, living in, or have lived in Philadelphia, would you be willing to answer some questions or give some advice on living there? 

 

Thanks! 

[nudibranches]

anyone hear anything from the yale waitlist for painting?

[greenpainterbean]

anyone hear anything from the yale waitlist for painting?

Nope.... :-/

[mrkojit]

Does MICA post baccalaureate program worth it at all? I got acceptance from CCA and SFAI MFA programs but got an email from MICA regarding their program which made me think about it

 

 

  Edited May 15, 2013 by mrkojit

[mruuuuuu]

didn't get in first time around, waiting to re apply for next year, when do schools start taking applications again? 

[agrobaby]

Is anyone applying to sculpture and/or performance (art, not theater) programs? If so, which ones?

I graduated in 2010 from an all women's university, with a degree in Evolutionary Psychology, and a BA in Art. I've been doing what I fondly refer to as "homeschool grad school". Reading, making new bodies of work, challenging myself with new projects, and building a budding career (group + solo shows + performances in the US and Europe + residencies & grants). I have been selling as well, more so lately from a new body of gauche paintings on paper.

I am getting to the point though, that I am really craving a competitive environment that will simultaneously kick my ass and hold me like a slimy infant. In a way, I don't "need" an mfa. I'm getting shows and I don't care about teaching. So Im only applying to dream schools that will either be extremely challenging mentally or physically or both.

I mostly make objects/spaces/performances, so my top two programs are:

Yale (decent facilities, but an amazing faculty and very theory oriented)

VCU (top grad program for sculpture, insane facilities, fresh faculty, funding)

Not applying to SAIC because I don't want to be in the Midwest. Should I just get over that though?

I'm open to international programs as well, as long as English is spoken. (Checked out goldsmith, not for me.)

any thoughts????

[aschelp]

hey agrobaby, just asked a question in the interdisciplinary thread that i found the answer to right here -- ignore that. if you plan on pursuing interdisciplinary work, why are you focusing on segregated programs (if i may ask)? there are a decent amount of really great (and equally competitive) schools that want you to make work as 'visual art' rather than 'sculpture' or 'performance'... yale, vcu, and saic not included. also, IMO, chicago > anywhere thats not LA or the northeast

[aschelp]

id also like to throw this into the conversation: the art world is saturated with people from programs like yale, vcu, and saic, which spit out 60+ MFA's a year. if only from a statistical/economic standpoint, it might be an advantage for us newly applying MFA's to pick well-regarded programs that graduate a more manageable # of students. 

[agrobaby]

id also like to throw this into the conversation: the art world is saturated with people from programs like yale, vcu, and saic, which spit out 60+ MFA's a year. if only from a statistical/economic standpoint, it might be an advantage for us newly applying MFA's to pick well-regarded programs that graduate a more manageable # of students. 

 

I think no matter what program you enter, the art world is already too saturated for what the market allows. Just getting an MFA doesn't equal success, in a financially supportive way, even from a top school. I hope that is something we all realize! I fully anticipate, no matter how famous my work becomes, to be scrappy, overworked, and underpaid forever.

 

That aside, aschelp, I feel that I belong in a sculpture program, specifically because I am primarily engaged in sculpture. I see all other disciplines I practice to be somewhat tangental. I want to learn how to discuss sculpture problems, and I don't want to talk about painting or printmaking at all, if I can help it. (I went to a painting/printmaking heavy undergrad program, and always felt supremely disinterested to the discussions revolving around painting theory).

I'm really interested in studying with Martin Kersels (who makes humorous performance/sculpture/installation) and AA Bronson, who is a magickal artist that deals with identity, sexuality, and the body in his work. Both teach at yale sculpture. 

At VCU I've been following Kendall Buster and Matt King's work for a while. Really respect them both. 

 

I am open to rethinking a multi disciplinary program though. Do you have any suggestions? Or people you think are amazing and worth dropping two years of your life and tons of energy and resources towards spending time with, and learning all their thoughts & tricks? 

 

thanks for the response!xo

[agrobaby]

Oh, and Im thinking about UCLA too, any thoughts on their program??

[manohman]

hello! 

my name is naira,his is an amazing forum, and all of you are so talented,i graduated this year with honors and ill be applying in 2014 to lots of schools for MFA in painting, i have a lot of confusion about which are best schools for painting, my top choices are  sva,nyu,parsons,pratt,institute of chicago,boston university. risd and queens,can anyone tell me about their standard,gpa etc... im from pakistan so the visit to universities are out of question,and one can't glean a lot of hands on info from the websites.

i'm in full throttle panic because i have to apply via fulbright scholarship there is also the factor that they apply to half the universities you request, the pressure of getting that scholarship and a good grad school is making me want to throw up. 

[agrobaby]

 

hello! 

my name is naira,his is an amazing forum, and all of you are so talented,i graduated this year with honors and ill be applying in 2014 to lots of schools for MFA in painting, i have a lot of confusion about which are best schools for painting, my top choices are  sva,nyu,parsons,pratt,institute of chicago,boston university. risd and queens,can anyone tell me about their standard,gpa etc... im from pakistan so the visit to universities are out of question,and one can't glean a lot of hands on info from the websites.

i'm in full throttle panic because i have to apply via fulbright scholarship there is also the factor that they apply to half the universities you request, the pressure of getting that scholarship and a good grad school is making me want to throw up. 

 

Hi Naira!

 

I have visited RISD, SAIC, Cal Arts, Pratt, Yale, Mica, and Bard. ALL of them are amazing. None of them really care about GPA, unless yours is terrible, it won't be a deciding factor. 

RISD and Yale seem to have the best programs for painting of the list I just made. Everyone has a different opinion, but this is what I have experienced.

 

They look at:

1. Portfolio

2. Statement

3. Recommendations

4. GPA/school records

[manohman]

Hi Naira!

 

I have visited RISD, SAIC, Cal Arts, Pratt, Yale, Mica, and Bard. ALL of them are amazing. None of them really care about GPA, unless yours is terrible, it won't be a deciding factor. 

RISD and Yale seem to have the best programs for painting of the list I just made. Everyone has a different opinion, but this is what I have experienced.

 

They look at:

1. Portfolio

2. Statement

3. Recommendation 

4. GPA/school records

eeek! thanks much, my portfolio is okay,i don't know what the competition is,which obviously is A LOT,  the portfolio's that i've seen on this forum are pretty neat, i haven't quite gotten around to my statement yet, which i probably should, i'll be getting recommendations from my teacher, most of them are slade alumni's .  i had photography teacher who had an amazing experience at pratt, so she urged me to look into their  program as well.are you a mfa student? where? 

im posting a link to my work here, i would love to hear what you have to say, anyone really. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saaucepanmancan/sets/

regards 

naira mushtaq 

[jaybird]

Is anyone applying to sculpture and/or performance (art, not theater) programs? If so, which ones?

I graduated in 2010 from an all women's university, with a degree in Evolutionary Psychology, and a BA in Art. I've been doing what I fondly refer to as "homeschool grad school". Reading, making new bodies of work, challenging myself with new projects, and building a budding career (group + solo shows + performances in the US and Europe + residencies & grants). I have been selling as well, more so lately from a new body of gauche paintings on paper.

I am getting to the point though, that I am really craving a competitive environment that will simultaneously kick my ass and hold me like a slimy infant. In a way, I don't "need" an mfa. I'm getting shows and I don't care about teaching. So Im only applying to dream schools that will either be extremely challenging mentally or physically or both.

I mostly make objects/spaces/performances, so my top two programs are:

Yale (decent facilities, but an amazing faculty and very theory oriented)

VCU (top grad program for sculpture, insane facilities, fresh faculty, funding)

Not applying to SAIC because I don't want to be in the Midwest. Should I just get over that though?

I'm open to international programs as well, as long as English is spoken. (Checked out goldsmith, not for me.)

any thoughts????

 

 

agrobaby-

 

I may be coming out of left field here, but I notice that you're located in Virginia and studied at an all-women's university? If you by chance studied at Mary Baldwin then I would recommend reaching out to Paul Ryan (not the Republican congressman, but a different Paul Ryan, who's actually a might fine painter). In addition to his work there he also teaches graduate level theory in the MFA Painting program at VCU, and could be of some help. If you went somewhere else then I apologize for the mistake, and this reference will probably be of absolutely no help to you.

 

I will say that, having completed my undergraduate studies at VCU and having had a great deal of interaction with the sculpture program there, I couldn't speak more highly of it. Of course the faculty and facilities or top notch, and when you throw in the cost of living in Richmond it's hard to beat. That city has a lot to offer and it's very easy to live in. You can ride your bike just about anywhere, and parking isn't terrible. Having just moved from there to NYC to work on my MFA at Hunter, I sometimes wish I had done it the other way around and saved VCU for grad school. The sculpture department there is also their pride and joy (the dean, Joe Siepel, was head of the sculpture department for 17 years and it was during his tenure that they reached #1), and I'm sure they will take very, very good care of you.

 

Hope this helps!

[agrobaby]

Thanks jaybird! I actually didn't go to Mary Baldwin, I went to Hollins U. But thanks for the positive recommendation for VCU! :-)

[aschelp]

I think no matter what program you enter, the art world is already too saturated for what the market allows. Just getting an MFA doesn't equal success, in a financially supportive way, even from a top school. I hope that is something we all realize! I fully anticipate, no matter how famous my work becomes, to be scrappy, overworked, and underpaid forever.

when i said "economic," i wasnt implying financials.

 

(I went to a painting/printmaking heavy undergrad program, and always felt supremely disinterested to the discussions revolving around painting theory).

your undergrad program might be a bit confused. im pretty well-versed in contemp art theory, and ive never heard of 'painting theory' as an autonomous thing - is it some sort of formal venture? or does it refer to re(-)presentation? if the former, no self-respecting interdisciplinary program will be involved with that. if the latter, thats a wide-ranging concept that applies to all media. 

 

That aside, aschelp, I feel that I belong in a sculpture program, specifically because I am primarily engaged in sculpture. I see all other disciplines I practice to be somewhat tangental. I want to learn how to discuss sculpture problems

ahhh, sorry, got a different vibe in the interdisciplinary thread. 

 

I am open to rethinking a multi disciplinary program though. Do you have any suggestions? Or people you think are amazing and worth dropping two years of your life and tons of energy and resources towards spending time with, and learning all their thoughts & tricks? 

there are amazing people and programs at: columbia, usc, university of chicago, northwestern, ucsd, and carnegie mellon (among others). but most are much smaller (besides columbia) and uninterested in pandering to lists. i wouldnt apply to interdisciplinary programs if youre looking to adapt material tricks, though.