MFA 2014 All Art ADMISSIONS freak-out forum!!!!!!!!

[bloodred]

Omg I just got a call from Indiana, I've been accepted! With a full tuition waiver,GA position, and a16,000 dollar stipend! So worth the waiting!!

[ismewilde]

Omg I just got a call from Indiana, I've been accepted! With a full tuition waiver,GA position, and a16,000 dollar stipend! So worth the waiting!

Congrats! Great news!

[Yellow Magnet]

UChicago, Slade or Goldsmiths??

UChicago offers great funding. However I feel more excited about being in London. But the fact that getting a visa to stay longer afterwards could be quite difficult makes me super nervous!!

In many ways UChicago is much safer but I really loved the Slade and Goldsmiths.

I vote London rather than Chicago. I think the connections and opportunities are more exciting. and if you are really set on trying to get that visa, then start working towards those goals now, not towards the end of your academic career.

However, if you are really concerned about the money difference go with Chicago.

[choblue]

I was just debating whether I should go to, PRATT communications design(MS) vs CALARTS Graphic design(MFA)

 

I'm a international student.. 

 

for my future and career as a designer, which school is better?

I'm totally confused!! 

 

If you were in my case, where would you go?

 

plz tell me anything.. I really need help 

 

 

+

waiting list from SVA design(MFA)...

[advicefortheywhoneedit]

As a fellow artist and recently accepted MFA who has been lurking on here just like the rest of you, I would like to ponder why anyone would be willing to go into $100,000 dollars worth of debt for an MFA degree? I notice so many of you applying to SAIC, RISD, Columbia etc etc and then reacting with astonishment when you are not given a full-ride to these over-priced, generic institutions. $42,000-$60,000 tuition annually plus at least $20,000 per year in living expenses alone puts you in a mound of debt that you will never be able to pay back. Not only that, but it will cripple you artistically, and indefinitely. It's suicide.  

 

So, why waste your time, and ours? Why apply to SAIC, RISD, Columbia etc knowing full-well that you cannot pay if accepted? Especially knowing these money pots have limited resources for you? Why not find a means of paying these expenses before you waste the reviewer's time, and also the people who could have afforded to attend and may have been pushed aside while you knew full well you couldn't afford it even if accepted? Why not do some research as to the costs and benefits of these institutions before you even apply?

 

*Just a dose of tough love by a concerned colleague. No MFA is worth $120,000 in debt for a degree, and an abstract sense of 'connections' it MAYBE will get you. The reality is, you will likely be making a meager income at best, with $800 a month payments to your new owners. And no, I am not a millionaire just in case you think I'm some spoiled rich kid with everything made. Wise up people!    

[Jaeti]

That was such a pointless post.

[things_x2]

As a fellow artist and recently accepted MFA who has been lurking on here just like the rest of you, I would like to ponder why anyone would be willing to go into $100,000 dollars worth of debt for an MFA degree? I notice so many of you applying to SAIC, RISD, Columbia etc etc and then reacting with astonishment when you are not given a full-ride to these over-priced, generic institutions. $42,000-$60,000 tuition annually plus at least $20,000 per year in living expenses alone puts you in a mound of debt that you will never be able to pay back. Not only that, but it will cripple you artistically, and indefinitely. It's suicide.  

 

So, why waste your time, and ours? Why apply to SAIC, RISD, Columbia etc knowing full-well that you cannot pay if accepted? Especially knowing these money pots have limited resources for you? Why not find a means of paying these expenses before you waste the reviewer's time, and also the people who could have afforded to attend and may have been pushed aside while you knew full well you couldn't afford it even if accepted? Why not do some research as to the costs and benefits of these institutions before you even apply?

 

*Just a dose of tough love by a concerned colleague. No MFA is worth $120,000 in debt for a degree, and an abstract sense of 'connections' it MAYBE will get you. The reality is, you will likely be making a meager income at best, with $800 a month payments to your new owners. And no, I am not a millionaire just in case you think I'm some spoiled rich kid with everything made. Wise up people!    

So curious as to where you will do your MFA. The climax to this statement overwhelms me. 

[klp]

As a fellow artist and recently accepted MFA who has been lurking on here just like the rest of you, I would like to ponder why anyone would be willing to go into $100,000 dollars worth of debt for an MFA degree? I notice so many of you applying to SAIC, RISD, Columbia etc etc and then reacting with astonishment when you are not given a full-ride to these over-priced, generic institutions. $42,000-$60,000 tuition annually plus at least $20,000 per year in living expenses alone puts you in a mound of debt that you will never be able to pay back. Not only that, but it will cripple you artistically, and indefinitely. It's suicide.  

 

So, why waste your time, and ours? Why apply to SAIC, RISD, Columbia etc knowing full-well that you cannot pay if accepted? Especially knowing these money pots have limited resources for you? Why not find a means of paying these expenses before you waste the reviewer's time, and also the people who could have afforded to attend and may have been pushed aside while you knew full well you couldn't afford it even if accepted? Why not do some research as to the costs and benefits of these institutions before you even apply?

 

*Just a dose of tough love by a concerned colleague. No MFA is worth $120,000 in debt for a degree, and an abstract sense of 'connections' it MAYBE will get you. The reality is, you will likely be making a meager income at best, with $800 a month payments to your new owners. And no, I am not a millionaire just in case you think I'm some spoiled rich kid with everything made. Wise up people!    

I think that to achieve anything in life, you need to take it one step at a time. Nothing is absolutely impossible, but you may need to have a long-term vision.

 

None of us know if we might be the person who will get all expenses paid, until we attempt and apply ourselves. To the people who get in somewhere and can't afford it, perhaps this is the impetus they need to apply for a scholarship for the next year and then reapply the following season to the places that they got into this time -- if they never tried in the first place they'll never go, but if they try and can't afford it, they might manage to go the following year; the latter scenario is a million times better, don't you think?

[advicefortheywhoneedit]

@Jaeti how ironic. If I were Jerry Saltz you would be on your knees.

 

@thing_X2 don't worry about it, post isn't about me but I commend the people who applied to programs that obviously respect and give a damn about the students, i.e. realistically assisting people who need it--not charging people $60,000 a year when they know that said degree will not earn them anywhere near enough to pay that amount back in the future. 

 

@klp your response was totally on point in terms of the application process. But, I think the majority of the post was questioning the reasoning behind someone who ACCEPTS and takes out loans etc for a degree they cannot afford. In other words, what kind of insanity could lead to someone willingly taking out $120-$160,000 in loans for a degree with very little guarantee for payback?  

[Jaeti]

@Jaeti how ironic. If I were Jerry Saltz you would be on your knees.

And this is utterly unrelated to your original post.

[advicefortheywhoneedit]

That's because you aren't mentally capable of drawing a connection. 

[seeingeyeduck]

While I think you're being a bit inflammatory and rude, I agree. The general advice in the rest of the forums is to never take on a grad degree that isn't paid for or has a stipend, even for the fields that will lead to decent paying careers. Somehow in the art forum however, people seem willing to even consider 100k of debt. I honestly think it's a lack of realization of how much money it actually is and the fact that by the time you've paid up with all the interest, you've actually paid more like 200k. Maybe it's because people get into other fields for practical reasons more often whereas most artists are in it for love of craft and it seems somehow not classy to care about money.

I have seen someone get into 100+k of debt to go to their dream school for a non-lucrative career and years later, they are stressed and pinned down by debt. So I have to say that people really need to run the numbers - how much will your monthly payments be, how long will it take to pay it off or get loan forgiveness, and can you afford that on a small or unstable salary in two years...

[advicefortheywhoneedit]

Exactly. And yes, I know I am coming off rude to people with certain manners of response, but really this is all in the best interest. People like you with productive responses incur no hostility. I just think I couldn't stand to be a professor at one of these big buck private universities knowing full-well what will happen to the students who they supposedly care for. We are are adults, we make our own decisions, but I frankly think it is disgusting how these schools take advantage of our desires for their own gain. 

[Jaeti]

And it's pointless to come in using language and tone that's knowingly rude. It doesn't matter if it sounded rude to anyone who responded to your initial post, because that initial post itself was rude. If you're genuinely as concerned as you say you are, why not start a separate thread to express those concerns and offer your thoughts? Some people here are talking about money, but most are just talking about acceptances and rejections and the anxiety that precedes them. 

 

There are plenty of ways to make the case for avoiding $100,000 or more of debt. The idea that anyone here needs your particular brand of tough love is an odd reason to finally register and speak up. But if you do feel that strongly about it, why not scrap the snark for some sincerity, even if that seems weird on the internet. Or just link to that Jerry Saltz column and tell people it's a worthwhile read.

[klp]

@klp your response was totally on point in terms of the application process. But, I think the majority of the post was questioning the reasoning behind someone who ACCEPTS and takes out loans etc for a degree they cannot afford. In other words, what kind of insanity could lead to someone willingly taking out $120-$160,000 in loans for a degree with very little guarantee for payback?  

 

Oh I see. I agree with your reasoning there but I hadn't understood that from this part of your earlier post:

 

So, why waste your time, and ours? Why apply to SAIC, RISD, Columbia etc knowing full-well that you cannot pay if accepted? Especially knowing these money pots have limited resources for you? Why not find a means of paying these expenses before you waste the reviewer's time, and also the people who could have afforded to attend and may have been pushed aside while you knew full well you couldn't afford it even if accepted? Why not do some research as to the costs and benefits of these institutions before you even apply?

 

Also because that post was in the context of an international student a few pages back, saying they'd been accepted into Yale & Columbia but couldn't afford it and they were super stressed about it; I thought it was a little insensitive to say that people are wasting your time by posting about what must be an extremely stressful situation.

 

To that student, personally I think if you've got into such great schools, even if you can't afford it now, it's wonderful for your self-esteem and a massive thumbs up from the universe telling you to carry on, dig in and focus even harder on your ultimate vision of being an artist.

 

@advicefortheywhoneedit, it may be that international students may not know everything you know about the less well-known local schools, and so we only tend to apply to the top schools as they are the only ones we know about. Sadly, whilst it's already prohibitively expensive for us, lucrative international fees contribute to driving the costs up even further in the top schools.

[bhavika.aggarwal]

Wow, that's an intense discussion. I think there should be no room for rudeness / snarkyness here!

 

@advicefortheywhoneedit: The discussion on the worth or value of an expensive MFA degree can have no end. Clearly you believe that its absolute financial suicide - which I agree with, to some extent. But remember: your opinion is yours alone, and your advice is not just for those who need it, but those who want it too. Not to say you can't share it, but maybe not so aggressively? Honestly, what you wrote is nothing new - most of us are aware of this unfortunate reality - so a gentle reminder would have gone down much better than a you-idiotic-people-are-so-stupid rant.

 

I agree totally with @klp. I probably won't go to Yale, or to RCA, but just knowing I got in is a great feeling. As an international student, I obviously don't want to spend a little less to go to a more local school when it's already such an investment for me to go outside to study. Honestly, reputation matters, especially when you're moving out of your comfort zone. And hope lives eternal - as long as there's the slightest chance to get some funding why won't you try? You might have a problem with the inherent "value" of an expensive degree, but there's no denying that they do offer better infrastructure and faculty and exposure (in most cases) and definitely increase (initially at least) your own sense of self-worth. You know, a bit like Apple vs everything else 

 

cheers!

[things_x2]

Wow, that's an intense discussion. I think there should be no room for rudeness / snarkyness here!

 

@advicefortheywhoneedit: The discussion on the worth or value of an expensive MFA degree can have no end. Clearly you believe that its absolute financial suicide - which I agree with, to some extent. But remember: your opinion is yours alone, and your advice is not just for those who need it, but those who want it too. Not to say you can't share it, but maybe not so aggressively? Honestly, what you wrote is nothing new - most of us are aware of this unfortunate reality - so a gentle reminder would have gone down much better than a you-idiotic-people-are-so-stupid rant.

 

I agree totally with @klp. I probably won't go to Yale, or to RCA, but just knowing I got in is a great feeling. As an international student, I obviously don't want to spend a little less to go to a more local school when it's already such an investment for me to go outside to study. Honestly, reputation matters, especially when you're moving out of your comfort zone. And hope lives eternal - as long as there's the slightest chance to get some funding why won't you try? You might have a problem with the inherent "value" of an expensive degree, but there's no denying that they do offer better infrastructure and faculty and exposure (in most cases) and definitely increase (initially at least) your own sense of self-worth. You know, a bit like Apple vs everything else 

 

cheers!

very democratically put. 

[Paintfiend]

I have to make a decision between Rutgers and Suny purchase. The funding difference equates to an extra 17000 worth of debt to attend Rutgers. Is the reputation of Rutgers worth this extra expense? I have been unable to attend either campus and need to make my decision quickly. Can anyone share any thoughts?

Thanks so much!

[evd]

I have to make a decision between Rutgers and Suny purchase. The funding difference equates to an extra 17000 worth of debt to attend Rutgers. Is the reputation of Rutgers worth this extra expense? I have been unable to attend either campus and need to make my decision quickly. Can anyone share any thoughts?

Thanks so much!

SUNY Purchase by far. I don't think Rutgers is worth more in terms of reputation

[mlk]

The faculty at Rutgers is a million times better and it's reputation and ny gallery presence is also better but worth $17000? I don't know. I think both schools are good choices. Not having student debt is so important these days.

[Mustafa]

Hi,

 

Can anybody tell what to choose from VCU MFA visual communication and MA graphic design in Aalto University (University of art and design finland). Currently I am waitlist #1 in VCU and they want to know do i want to continue with the application. Aalto doesn't have tuition fees and is in finland so I am a little more inclined toward Aalto (but not sure about the reputation of the university since it is less known).

 

Please let me know your opinion.

[Alpha-numeric]

Going to UChicago!  

[bhavika.aggarwal]

I'd say go for Aalto! No tuition must mean a whole lot money difference.

 

 

Hi,

 

Can anybody tell what to choose from VCU MFA visual communication and MA graphic design in Aalto University (University of art and design finland). Currently I am waitlist #1 in VCU and they want to know do i want to continue with the application. Aalto doesn't have tuition fees and is in finland so I am a little more inclined toward Aalto (but not sure about the reputation of the university since it is less known).

 

Please let me know your opinion.

[frnk]

Hello, been following this thread for a while now... Just found out I've been wait listed for RCA...anyone know how long there wait list is for sculpture? 

 

 

Also does anybody know if it is easy to defer a place for the Slade ?  Don't think i'll be able to get the full funds together to go this year

 

Thanks!

[ninasein]

Hi you guys,

 

I need some advice!

 

I've applied to SVA and Pratt , and after the interviews and some additional research, I felt confident that SVA was the right choice for me,

but only hours after I paid the enrollment fee......  I get a letter from pratt offering me a $30 000 scholarship (divided over the two years)

And now I feel really conflicted... Feels really stupid turning down that offer, but at the same time my gut feeling is leaning towards SVA...

 

Anyone have any input?  knows about these different programs? (SVA FIne Arts vs Pratt Fine arts(new forms)

 

All input is appreciated!