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MFA 2015 All Art ADMISSIONS freak-out forum!!!!!!!!


Xxanderr

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Thanks Marchy! To be precise, I'm not in UCLA's art department, but its neighboring design media arts, which focused more on the media and technology sides of contemporary art. I love their faculty and there are quite a few successful alums in the past. However I share the same concern with you that I don't want to limit my work to media- or technology-based. I'm looking for ways to sneak into the art department somehow... (anyone here in the forum going there? :ph34r: )

 

In terms of cmu, I think they have a strong emphasis on performance and social practice, judging from recent student work. So maybe you can easily find you niche there, while taking the advantage of it being interdisciplinary. For me it's their strength on new media that draws me there with Golan Levin as faculty.

 

I think it's awesome to do design media arts at UCLA. I'm sure you can collab with departments and interact with art faculty somehow. I may still go to CMU, still undecided. 

 

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Hey! well obviously the best would be NYU offering you good funding! Honestly, my deal with CMU comes to the fact that with their offer I don't have enough funds for a third year (I have loans for 2 years only)  and I just don't want to risk not being able to finish my MFA because of money issues. Nevertheless, I feel you when you say it's not easy to let go. It would be a tremendous experience. And as you said, teaching can be very profitable for your development, not to mention it looks good on your resume, if you ever want to teach in the future. I plan to go back to my country as soon as I finish, so teaching is indeed in my future plans. What about you?

 

You are right about the economic factor putting stress on the outcome of your work. I know that when I feel tight about the money my work immediately becomes more ephemeral haha. Not that it's bad, but I'd rather be in control of that. What did Northwestern offer you? Isn't the offering the same for everybody? Anyways it seems like we got into the same programs. We might end up being mfa pals  8)

 

Haha yes "ephemeral" what a great way to put it. So sad but true. Yes similar programs, but you have far more acceptances..quite applaudable! I decided to decline cornell..it didn't seem like  good fit for me...it came down to location of the school and limited resources outside of the campus  :unsure: despite the funding. No news from nyu yet....but it seems like other people haven't heard back yet either? As for northwestern....I definitely wasn't offered full ride....if that was the case i think I would have made my decision! haha but I can't complain i was offered partial tuition...the best offer thus far. I am sponsored by an outside source so maybe tht was taken into consideration? when you say "stipend" are you referring to the assistantships because I was offered that as well...but I get the sense teaching assistantships are often offered and in some cases required for mfa programs...

 

My sponsorship requires me to teach for two years right after my mfa...I think this is why i'm hesitant about declining cmu just yet. Im interested in northwesterns faculty even though as you pointed out many are saic graduates(?), I must admit that there a few names I was not familiar with which is exciting. having the opportunity to work with jeanne dunning is especially exciting because i'm starting to incorporate performance/digital media...anyway i will update with my decisions soon and i wish you and everyone good luck! having options is definitely a blessing!!  :D  :D

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hi, sorry to divert, but i wanted to drop a line because i haven't seen a ton of graphic design people on here.

 

i recently graduated with a bio major and started working towards an mfa about a year ago, and navigating this process has been terribly confusing. thank god for this forum, or else i would have been totally lost.

 

by some miracle i actually got into a couple of programs, and now i'm struggling with how to choose and coming up with funding, etc. i've gotten it narrowed to three, saic's pmfa (3 year) viscomm (minimal funding), cca's mfa design (3 year graphic design track) (1/3 tuition), and pratt's mfa communications design (2 year) (no word on funding... the agony!).

 

anybody heard anything good/bad about these programs? they seem really different and i'm terrified (but also excited) about the prospect of having to choose. there's a lot i don't know, so i'm hoping to find a program that will help me develop a stronger, iterative design process, but also ultimately challenges me to the standard of an mfa. (and on another note, how does leveraging scholarships/finaid work? i don't want to be demanding, but tuition is expensiveee)

 

sorry for this novel of a post and the lack of capitalization.

tl;dr - saic pmfa viscomm (3yr)/ cca mfa design (3yr, w. 1/3 tuition)/ pratt mfa comD (2yr). help?

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hi, sorry to divert, but i wanted to drop a line because i haven't seen a ton of graphic design people on here.

i recently graduated with a bio major and started working towards an mfa about a year ago, and navigating this process has been terribly confusing. thank god for this forum, or else i would have been totally lost.

by some miracle i actually got into a couple of programs, and now i'm struggling with how to choose and coming up with funding, etc. i've gotten it narrowed to three, saic's pmfa (3 year) viscomm (minimal funding), cca's mfa design (3 year graphic design track) (1/3 tuition), and pratt's mfa communications design (2 year) (no word on funding... the agony!).

anybody heard anything good/bad about these programs? they seem really different and i'm terrified (but also excited) about the prospect of having to choose. there's a lot i don't know, so i'm hoping to find a program that will help me develop a stronger, iterative design process, but also ultimately challenges me to the standard of an mfa. (and on another note, how does leveraging scholarships/finaid work? i don't want to be demanding, but tuition is expensiveee)

sorry for this novel of a post and the lack of capitalization.

tl;dr - saic pmfa viscomm (3yr)/ cca mfa design (3yr, w. 1/3 tuition)/ pratt mfa comD (2yr). help?

One of my friends went to CCA for design and got a full time big boy job in SF doing exactly that. The connections are great and he calls himself a not so starving artist. He job his job specifically because of a connection at CCA

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Haha yes "ephemeral" what a great way to put it. So sad but true. Yes similar programs, but you have far more acceptances..quite applaudable! I decided to decline cornell..it didn't seem like  good fit for me...it came down to location of the school and limited resources outside of the campus  :unsure: despite the funding. No news from nyu yet....but it seems like other people haven't heard back yet either? As for northwestern....I definitely wasn't offered full ride....if that was the case i think I would have made my decision! haha but I can't complain i was offered partial tuition...the best offer thus far. I am sponsored by an outside source so maybe tht was taken into consideration? when you say "stipend" are you referring to the assistantships because I was offered that as well...but I get the sense teaching assistantships are often offered and in some cases required for mfa programs...

 

My sponsorship requires me to teach for two years right after my mfa...I think this is why i'm hesitant about declining cmu just yet. Im interested in northwesterns faculty even though as you pointed out many are saic graduates(?), I must admit that there a few names I was not familiar with which is exciting. having the opportunity to work with jeanne dunning is especially exciting because i'm starting to incorporate performance/digital media...anyway i will update with my decisions soon and i wish you and everyone good luck! having options is definitely a blessing!!  :D  :D

I imagine they did consider your external funding source for your offer. I have none 0 nothing (maybe a loan). It's great that you have it ! Fullbright? (hehe never mind I now it's not usual to disclose that info in here). But if you have funding and are going to teach why not CMU? I mean they're bigger and have better resources. Don't get me wrong, Northwestern is a juicy program (yeah the faculty are all SAIC but they're great) and so is Cornell, but CMU has more teachers and better facilities. 

May NYU grant you lots of money :) good luck mafrend

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Hey so anyone hear from RISD Digital+Media MFA program yet?  I thought the interview went well and everything, and their financial aid department has been on my case about completing FAFAS ( had completed it in early Feb, but apparently it had mistakes that need correcting.... also something about a CSS profile which i have never heard of until i applied to a private school. Go Fig)  but i haven't heard from them one way or another, not in the mail and not via email. Dont want to call either because.... Im a coward. Any who..... any thoughts comments... suggestions....

 

 

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Hey so anyone hear from RISD Digital+Media MFA program yet?  I thought the interview went well and everything, and their financial aid department has been on my case about completing FAFAS ( had completed it in early Feb, but apparently it had mistakes that need correcting.... also something about a CSS profile which i have never heard of until i applied to a private school. Go Fig)  but i haven't heard from them one way or another, not in the mail and not via email. Dont want to call either because.... Im a coward. Any who..... any thoughts comments... suggestions....

you should call them. They interviewed me for the painting program and didn't even email me or anything on whether I was accepted or not . I only knew they had contacted people for the waitlist because of this forum. When I called they said they had mailed my rejection letter.(but didn't even bother emailing me!)

Edited by KSuverkrubbe
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you should call them. They interviewed me for the painting program and didn't even email me or anything on whether I was accepted or not . I only knew they had contacted people for the waitlist because of this forum. When I called they said they had mailed my rejection letter.(but didn't even bother emailing me!I know i should.... but everything i think about doing it.... i turn around and find something else to occupy my time.... 

 

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hi, sorry to divert, but i wanted to drop a line because i haven't seen a ton of graphic design people on here.

 

i recently graduated with a bio major and started working towards an mfa about a year ago, and navigating this process has been terribly confusing. thank god for this forum, or else i would have been totally lost.

 

by some miracle i actually got into a couple of programs, and now i'm struggling with how to choose and coming up with funding, etc. i've gotten it narrowed to three, saic's pmfa (3 year) viscomm (minimal funding), cca's mfa design (3 year graphic design track) (1/3 tuition), and pratt's mfa communications design (2 year) (no word on funding... the agony!).

 

anybody heard anything good/bad about these programs? they seem really different and i'm terrified (but also excited) about the prospect of having to choose. there's a lot i don't know, so i'm hoping to find a program that will help me develop a stronger, iterative design process, but also ultimately challenges me to the standard of an mfa. (and on another note, how does leveraging scholarships/finaid work? i don't want to be demanding, but tuition is expensiveee)

 

sorry for this novel of a post and the lack of capitalization.

tl;dr - saic pmfa viscomm (3yr)/ cca mfa design (3yr, w. 1/3 tuition)/ pratt mfa comD (2yr). help?

you tell the school the best offer you have gotten. That's what I did. Though I only told them which school if they asked. But I had a full tuition to play around with.

 

If you dont really have a better offer then just ask if there is further aid avaliable - or even aid after the first year for top performers.

 

If you do have a better offer use that for leverage (however if they ask you from which school and it isn't a very impressive school in comparison they may not be impressed).

 

I got an extra 4,000 out of one school and an extra 3,000 of tuition a year for a total of three years - that equals 9,000 more dollars from another!

 

You are allowed to do this just be inquisitive and honest. Don't be a douche. They know you want as much money as you can get and if they really want you they will give you more money (unless they can't budge, which is sometimes the case).

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You probably don't want to hear that it may be a no. I really don't know why they don't just email people...

 

I think that they probably have decided and notified everyone. I don't want to assume it's the same case that it was for me, since they are differnet programs but be prepared for a possible no.

 

It was really painless- the calling part...You will get an automated message- just push 0 to talk to the admissions office . Just say  your name and then say 'yes I have heard that most people have been notified of acceptance" Tell her what program you are in, she'll ask your name- look it up and then get the answer pretty much instantly.

 

It takes about 5 minutes .I know it's very hard....but...you can't prolong it, and if you have other schools on the hook you need to do it as soon as possible!

Edited by KSuverkrubbe
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It's about that time of the year again guys!  I found the freak-out forum from 2014 and 2013 extremly helpful, and wanted to get one going for 2015 MFA applicants. Good luck everyone this MFA Admission season! Excited to hear from all you guys soon. 

I applied as well and I'm still waiting to hear from them. I wonder if they are waiting for all the financial aid information to decide who they can let in with scholarships and who they will wait list ect.

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just got an acceptance email from UCSD! (on my birthday no less. haha)

 

does anyone have any input on choosing between UC Irvine and UCSD? I have my own interests in each program, but I am mainly trying to figure out how much importance I should place in UCI's closer proximity to LA. Any thoughts?

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just got an acceptance email from UCSD! (on my birthday no less. haha)

does anyone have any input on choosing between UC Irvine and UCSD? I have my own interests in each program, but I am mainly trying to figure out how much importance I should place in UCI's closer proximity to LA. Any thoughts?

congratulations!
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Hi peoples!

If you are going to call a school and ask if there is any more funding available and talk about your other offers, who do you call?

Admissions office?

Financial aid office?

I feel like I call places and I'm put in touch with a secretary who has no real power to give me more money. I could talk to the head of the department, but I feel like I've already talked to them about how funding is important to me... This may be a dumb question lol I don't know.

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just got an acceptance email from UCSD! (on my birthday no less. haha)

 

does anyone have any input on choosing between UC Irvine and UCSD? I have my own interests in each program, but I am mainly trying to figure out how much importance I should place in UCI's closer proximity to LA. Any thoughts?

Congratulations! I interviewed at UCI and am on the wait-list.  For me, personally UCI being close to LA was a big draw, that's where its at on the west coast!  Also it being a free program is something to consider, I'm not sure what UCSD funding is like though.

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Nope... still waiting as well, do you know if acceptances have gone out yet?

I was accepted to Columbia about a week and a half ago. I applied last year and remember that they notify admitted students first and I think waitlisted/rejected students later. My guess is you should know sometime this week

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hi, sorry to divert, but i wanted to drop a line because i haven't seen a ton of graphic design people on here.

 

i recently graduated with a bio major and started working towards an mfa about a year ago, and navigating this process has been terribly confusing. thank god for this forum, or else i would have been totally lost.

 

by some miracle i actually got into a couple of programs, and now i'm struggling with how to choose and coming up with funding, etc. i've gotten it narrowed to three, saic's pmfa (3 year) viscomm (minimal funding), cca's mfa design (3 year graphic design track) (1/3 tuition), and pratt's mfa communications design (2 year) (no word on funding... the agony!).

 

anybody heard anything good/bad about these programs? they seem really different and i'm terrified (but also excited) about the prospect of having to choose. there's a lot i don't know, so i'm hoping to find a program that will help me develop a stronger, iterative design process, but also ultimately challenges me to the standard of an mfa. (and on another note, how does leveraging scholarships/finaid work? i don't want to be demanding, but tuition is expensiveee)

 

sorry for this novel of a post and the lack of capitalization.

tl;dr - saic pmfa viscomm (3yr)/ cca mfa design (3yr, w. 1/3 tuition)/ pratt mfa comD (2yr). help?

 

Graphic design has very practical applications, depending on how you want to approach the medium. Go with the school with the best funding and work your but off to make a great portfolio. Graphic design jobs are a dime a dozen in the bay area, you should find work after you graduate if you are talented and hardworking. I have friends that work for small firms and corporate.

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