CCA, MFA Fine Arts, worth it?

[trouser]

I got accepted to both CCA and SFAI. for an MFA in fine arts / painting.

 

I don't know about my package from SFAI yet, but CCA is giving me a needs based scholarship of roughly 10k per year. (two year program).

 

CCA is my first choice, but I am having a hell of a time determining if its worth it to pay $31k a year in tuition. plus all my living expenses.

 

I currently work as a freelance designer/illustrator and am able to spend about half my week painting and working on my art practice. My worry is that being saddled with debt will actually take me back a step in that regard.

 

I know the experience will be invaluable, and my work will be better for it, and the networking will be stellar, but damn... thats a lot of debt. I'm getting cold feet.

 

Any thoughts?

[buddyholly]

I was given the same offer. It's apparently their standard package. 

 

There's no way I'm accepting it. 

 

You have to make the decision for yourself, obviously, but for me, it's just way too much debt for an MFA. I can't justify it. Yes, I really do want to go, I really do want my MFA, but no, I can't accept living the rest of my life under 100K of debt. There's no way to get out from under that. 

 

Better to go to a state school, in my opinion. There's always the option of reapplying next year to programs with better funding. 

[trouser]

Yea... im considering waiting. Your concerns are basically the same as mine.

 

With that said, I live in the bay area and have spoken with a number of alumni and current students who all seem to be very happy with their education... whether that is a bias based on their investment, I dont know .

 

I'm planning on the debt being closer to 80k, but still... thats a ton. 

[jwu]

i guess the answer is already in your personal statement, WHY do you want to pursue an MFA?

 

if your goal is to be a full time artist, than an MFA is not necessary. since pretty much all the galleries/curators care about "the work," not your degrees. plus there are many more opportunities than an academia environment.

 

if you want to teach, and the degree would qualify you to do so. then the question becomes what are the chances that you will get a teaching job after getting an MFA from CCA? will you TA during grad school? how much teaching experience you would get? the networking(yeah, i know most of us are not super good at socializing...)? check out their alums, what they do after grad school?

I know these are just other people's history, it will all come to YOU in the end.

[trouser]

Right. I guess that is my question... are galleries/residencies picking up artists without MFAs to a greater or equal degree? I guess there is no real way to know, and I generally hear wildly different answers to that question. I often find folks with MFAs saying that you need one to get anywhere, and folks without (and with no intention of getting one) saying the opposite.

 

MFA aside (the credential itself), I have to imagine the development of your work/thesis will help with getting shows. Obviously that is not true in all cases, and can be done outside of school as well. 

 

I like the option of being able to teach in the future. But yea, my main goal is to show (the networking that comes with grad school would be pretty valuable with that, I'd imagine).

[clem09]

I'm struggling with the same decision, but think it is worth it in the end. The bay area network is small but can be slow to penetrate on one's own. CCA has a huge faculty and initiates a lot of contact amongst student/faculty on a weekly basis, which can't be bad. I also do think galleries pay attention to the MFA shows - it's often how people get contact beyond juried shows. In the end, it's how you take advantage of the situation and the opportunities presented. Having left an MFA program a decade ago, I've had enough time to see that MFAs do provide a benefit, albeit an expensive one.

 

 I'm also operating under the belief that with diligence on my part there are resources out there to get the 2nd year more fully funded (both from CCA and outside sources). 

 

 

[buddyholly]

I'm struggling with the same decision, but think it is worth it in the end. The bay area network is small but can be slow to penetrate on one's own. CCA has a huge faculty and initiates a lot of contact amongst student/faculty on a weekly basis, which can't be bad. I also do think galleries pay attention to the MFA shows - it's often how people get contact beyond juried shows. In the end, it's how you take advantage of the situation and the opportunities presented. Having left an MFA program a decade ago, I've had enough time to see that MFAs do provide a benefit, albeit an expensive one.

 

 I'm also operating under the belief that with diligence on my part there are resources out there to get the 2nd year more fully funded (both from CCA and outside sources). 

 

 

i'm curious--how would you get your 2nd year more fully funded by CCA? 

 

i just declined my offer of admission this morning.

[clem09]

may be just wishful thinking on my part, but there may be ways to renegotiate 2nd year packages once relationships have been established. also, i see opportunities for scholarships with deadlines in the fall, which i am hoping can supplement the 2nd year.

 

good luck to you.