MFA 2016 All Art ADMISSIONS freak-out forum!!!!!!!!

[Relm]

3 hours ago, tdevo412 said:

So for those who are interested in SVA's MFA program, if you are looking for funding there is ZERO available. I was dazzled by the program was assured there was some funding available and then I received an email from Mark (the chair of the MFA department) telling me to look at state schools for funding in my situation. Yes, it is true state schools have some great funding, but I was strung along only to get a rude 2 line email. Also the studios are very tiny.

I am really shooting for NYU, again. 

 

Thanks for the info. That's disappointing, but not terribly surprising. As I recall, SVA's a for-profit school. Of course, not all for-profit schools are the same and not all of them exist to rip people off, but in the simplest of terms, a for-profit is out there to make money. (There are some that are particularly heinous in this regard, like the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Stay away. Far, far away.)

[Xxanderr]

On 10/30/2015, 12:16:37, gtakaoka said:

Hi All,

Thought I'd introduce myself since I'm applying for the MFA Fall 2016 season as well. I've lurked on this forum for a couple of years now and application time is finally here!

I'm currently based in Southern California, wrapping up my final semester of my BFA in Drawing and Painting. In terms of where I'm applying, I'm looking toward the East Coast, and a couple of Midwestern areas. My focus is on programs that are fairly interdisciplinary, as I work in drawing, painting, and installation and I tend to delve into whatever medium will best convey my concept. Funding is a big deal for me; my dream would be to emerge from both undergrad and grad school with zero student debt (or as little as possible!). I'm also sticking mostly to research institutions, rather than art institute/academy-type schools, partially due to improved funding opportunities and also because my work has become fairly cross-disciplinary and I want to be able to consult faculty outside of art+design if need be. Lastly, I want to be in an urban/semi-urban area, although I'd prefer a place that's cheaper than the OC/LA area.

My list is not final/set in stone, but here's what I'm thinking so far (in no particular order):

-University of Minnesota- Twin Cities

-University of Maryland- College Park

-Northwestern

-Temple

Some "Maybe" Schools:

-UT Austin

-University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

I am still looking into some other schools in areas I might not have previously checked. Honestly, my knowledge of the Midwest/East Coast is so limited that it's been a bit of a handicap, so if anyone has suggestions for other schools I would appreciate it tremendously.

There are a couple of schools whose funding information I'm unsure about. Does anyone know offhand about University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's funding? Their website is kind of unclear...

 

Also, I took some trips this summer and checked out UChicago, Northwestern, University of Maryland, UPenn, and University of Delaware while I was on that side of the country. I'd be happy to share any info/experiences about my trip if anyone has questions. Also, I can give some info about the Southern California area if anyone is curious, since I live here and all :}.

Best of luck to everyone who is applying right now. I am sure I will be around a lot more since it's getting to be crunch time.

 

 

 

 

I live in Milwaukee and I don't recommend UW-Milwaukee. Try looking into UW-Madison, they have  excellent MFA program and pretty generous with aid. Please do share your experience, I  would love to hear more about UPENN and UChicago MFA programs. Applying to UPENN, thinking of UChicago....

[ashleighxcult]

Hi All,

I'm an employed, married homeowner in Baltimore. Moving out of state just isn't a possibility for me financially or personally, so I will be remaining local for grad school. Thankfully there are a few really solid MFA programs nearby.  I plan on applying to:

MICA Low-Res Studio Art

MICA Hoffberger 

UMD College Park

Towson University

Towson has a really great art faculty and it is the cheapest on my list, but it is the same school I attended for undergrad... so I'm kind of leaning away from it.  Not totally sure yet though. I really have my heart set on MICA - It's been my "dream school" since I was a teenager, but it just wasn't a possibility for undergrad so I'm hoping it'll work out for my MFA. 

Applying this year was kind of a "last minute" decision - I was planning to wait until next year, but a number of artist friends and former professors have suggested that my work is at a good point for graduate study, so it looks like I will be a part of this application season. Cue the anxiety/pressure/excitement!

[ElizaMFA]

On 11/7/2015, 12:07:20, tdevo412 said:

So for those who are interested in SVA's MFA program, if you are looking for funding there is ZERO available. I was dazzled by the program was assured there was some funding available and then I received an email from Mark (the chair of the MFA department) telling me to look at state schools for funding in my situation. Yes, it is true state schools have some great funding, but I was strung along only to get a rude 2 line email. Also the studios are very tiny.

I am really shooting for NYU, again. 

 

Sorry to hear this.  Terrible to set your expectations and then not follow through.  If you are finding the energy and focus to give it one more try you might consider SUNY Purchase.  I'm in my first semester and so far so good.  There are a number of current students who do video/photo/installation.  I know the in-state students get great packages.  Two classmates chose Purchase over Hunter based on the financial support.  I also know that no student receives 100% tuition support.  Come visit if you are at all curious. 

Good luck with NYU.  Great school.  Also look at Rutgers.   They recently announced they are funding everyone (assuming you change residency to NJ in your second year).  That's a painting-centric program though.

Eliza

[bannedinbc]

1 hour ago, ElizaMFA said:

Good luck with NYU.  Great school.  Also look at Rutgers.   They recently announced they are funding everyone (assuming you change residency to NJ in your second year).  That's a painting-centric program though.

Eliza

+1 for Rutgers. 

Disagree that they are just a painting-centric program though. Or at least the sense I got from talking to them last year is that they are trying very hard to move away from that. I can't speak from experience as to whether it is true yet, but it looks promising, especially looking at the faculty, Natalie Bookchin, Aki Sasamoto, etc.

[ElizaMFA]

On 11/11/2015, 11:12:34, bannedinbc said:

+1 for Rutgers. 

Disagree that they are just a painting-centric program though. Or at least the sense I got from talking to them last year is that they are trying very hard to move away from that. I can't speak from experience as to whether it is true yet, but it looks promising, especially looking at the faculty, Natalie Bookchin, Aki Sasamoto, etc.

Yes, Rutgers deserves huge prop for committing to making quality MFA education accessible.  Glad to hear they are fleshing out the program.  When I was looking printmaking was on the ropes (despite the Brodsky center) and I met last week with a perspective photography/video student who was also looking at Rutgers.  Her sense was that painting is still the focus.  (And they do have some great painters).  Thanks for fleshing out the view of Rutgers.  They deserve more credit than they get. 

[BlCEO]

Hey Everyone,  applied to some schools last year, didn't get in, so I am trying again this year.  yippee.

http://www.jzierau.com/

[Tenbu]

I'm running the gauntlet again this year, after taking a couple of years off while my wife got here graduate degree, I'm back! 

University of Washington

Indiana University

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

Laguna College of Art and Design

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art

Maine College of Art

Maybe a German MFA not sure yet

if you would like to see what I'm working with portfolio wise, head over to

http://www.allentenbusschen.com

 

Edited November 17, 2015 by Tenbu

[Relm]

21 hours ago, BlCEO said:

Hey Everyone,  applied to some schools last year, didn't get in, so I am trying again this year.  yippee.

http://www.jzierau.com/

Really love your recent work, especially Yarn. Do you have a statement online anywhere? Where're you thinking of applying? 

[BlCEO]

4 hours ago, Relm said:

Really love your recent work, especially Yarn. Do you have a statement online anywhere? Where're you thinking of applying? 

Hey Thanks man!  Im currently working on my statement now,  which has been so far of a month of rewrites.  UGH haha.  So far im thinking UCLA/Yale, but Yale may be tough as I have no professors from undergrad that have responded to reference requests, so who knows.

Do you have your work online?

[manohman]

okay so i'm looking for someone to critique my statement, it's my first draft with tons of errors,grammatical and otherwise. i just want to know if i going in the right direction.this honestly is the most daunting bit in applying process and for me it's make or break situation. 
any opinion is welcome. 

 

"I do not have tall tales to tell ,I do not come from a family of gypsies, I have not had a traumatic upbringing or traumatized by tales of terror that have ridden this country. I just might be your average joe from a middle class family, brought up by parents who invested every penny they earned into providing me and my siblings the best of everything. I am; what I have made myself by working hard , the ethic that has been instilled in me for as long I can remember. That is not to say that I will remain an average joe or I have become comfortable in my little bubble but that is my driving force that is what pushes me every single day to strive for more and to better myself. For as long as I can remember I have know that art was my calling it was all that I could do and to this day it rings true the journey to this stage of my life has not been bed of roses but there is nothing that I will change. this is my story and I want to write it with every ounce of passion and a full force of commitment that I have for the path that I chosen for myself. My obsession with collecting objects started as a young girl, I used to obsessively collect anything that a had even an ounce of sentimental value, to a point where there was nothing but bags and bags of full used candy wrappers,paper clippings,birthday cards, ice cream sticks ,gift wrappers under my bed. I had unknowingly turned into a hoarder at the tender age of 8 before I could even comprehend the meaning of the word. As an adult I see now how that obsession has prevailed into my practice and have come value what my mother had termed and it really was; junk. My work revolves around my fascination with vernacular photographs,because these amateur visuals encase the illusion of memories, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and an underlying mundanity resulting in a constant yearning for the past. This constant longing to be a part of something and yet distant from it is present in my work. My practice is a mirror image of this volatile enthrallment with the unattainable. The only evidential record of our lives is our memory of a kaleidoscopic chain of events, images, sounds, smells and feelings. In short these impressions are of abiding value to my sense of self. All the different changes from physical to digital as each causing subtle or more drastic alterations to the original image. I think of it as be analogous to how memory works. After each time we remember something, that mental image is further from the original. I want to establish an universal familiarity with each image, allowing viewers to extract their own personal meaning and creating for themselves a space within the frame, through ownership of the emotion that is explored within, as one that is recognizably their own that tug of war between the viewer and his/ desire to pin down that hazy memory that my work has evoked is a very important part of the process. ……………………………………………………………..

"

[grandguignol]

this book has a great chapter on documenting work and writing a statement. I can maybe scan the pages later but it's worth buying regardless:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0306816520/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51TSgmnQkhL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL100_SR100%2C100_&refRID=19M0KPXJDMKYC8X7FV7R

[yayaaaaa]

On 10/7/2015, 9:32:34, xanderesse said:

In the sculpture program? I went to the open house last week and toured the studios with Jude Tallichet. I'm definitely going to apply! 

I am in painting but the sculpture program is KILLER and I loooove Jude ! She is my favorite teacher so far !

[Kmarra]

Hi all- new to the forum, cause I decided to apply very last minute and so of course I'm freaking out! Does anyone have thoughts on including work from their BFA thesis in their portfolio (year 2013)? Is it frowned upon? I have enough work without it, but I think it's a little more developed than some of the other work I have. Thanks everyone!

[Xxanderr]

Is anyone applying to Skowhegan or have attended Skowhegan in the past? Currently doing my application for them and the Ox-Bow Fellowship. Tips, advice...?

[manohman]

hi everyone! still waiting on someone to critique the statement,best of luck to everyone apply in this session! 

[TacosDelicioso]

I just started my first year in the MFA (painting) program at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. I was accepted into a number of other recognized schools, some with decent funding and had a really hard time deciding, but in the end I couldn't justify the large debt load. Thus far, GSU has been great. The professors are smart, engaged and Craig Drennan, the new director of the Art department at GSU, was the head of Skowhegan for a number of years and seems to have connections all over the art world. He is a successful artist, while also a fantastic professor. The visiting artists are also really good. They have a large endowment so every grad receives a full tuition waiver and stipends. I am effectively being paid to study art!

I would definitely recommend the Georgia State Welch School of Art MFA -http://artdesign.gsu.edu/graduate/admissions/masters-of-fine-arts-in-studio/

I think more people should know about this MFA program, so feel free to ask me any questions.

[cpw0021]

On 11/20/2015, 10:47:07, nairamushtaq said:

okay so i'm looking for someone to critique my statement, it's my first draft with tons of errors,grammatical and otherwise. i just want to know if i going in the right direction.this honestly is the most daunting bit in applying process and for me it's make or break situation. 
any opinion is welcome. 

 

"I do not have tall tales to tell ,I do not come from a family of gypsies, I have not had a traumatic upbringing or traumatized by tales of terror that have ridden this country. I just might be your average joe from a middle class family, brought up by parents who invested every penny they earned into providing me and my siblings the best of everything. I am; what I have made myself by working hard , the ethic that has been instilled in me for as long I can remember. That is not to say that I will remain an average joe or I have become comfortable in my little bubble but that is my driving force that is what pushes me every single day to strive for more and to better myself. For as long as I can remember I have know that art was my calling it was all that I could do and to this day it rings true the journey to this stage of my life has not been bed of roses but there is nothing that I will change. this is my story and I want to write it with every ounce of passion and a full force of commitment that I have for the path that I chosen for myself. My obsession with collecting objects started as a young girl, I used to obsessively collect anything that a had even an ounce of sentimental value, to a point where there was nothing but bags and bags of full used candy wrappers,paper clippings,birthday cards, ice cream sticks ,gift wrappers under my bed. I had unknowingly turned into a hoarder at the tender age of 8 before I could even comprehend the meaning of the word. As an adult I see now how that obsession has prevailed into my practice and have come value what my mother had termed and it really was; junk. My work revolves around my fascination with vernacular photographs,because these amateur visuals encase the illusion of memories, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and an underlying mundanity resulting in a constant yearning for the past. This constant longing to be a part of something and yet distant from it is present in my work. My practice is a mirror image of this volatile enthrallment with the unattainable. The only evidential record of our lives is our memory of a kaleidoscopic chain of events, images, sounds, smells and feelings. In short these impressions are of abiding value to my sense of self. All the different changes from physical to digital as each causing subtle or more drastic alterations to the original image. I think of it as be analogous to how memory works. After each time we remember something, that mental image is further from the original. I want to establish an universal familiarity with each image, allowing viewers to extract their own personal meaning and creating for themselves a space within the frame, through ownership of the emotion that is explored within, as one that is recognizably their own that tug of war between the viewer and his/ desire to pin down that hazy memory that my work has evoked is a very important part of the process. ……………………………………………………………..

"

I know you said at the start that this had a lot of grammatical issues, but honestly it's really hard to focus on the content when there are so many errors (errors, I will say, that we all make in initial drafts). I'd advise the next time you want someone to review that you try to get it as clean as possible beforehand so that it doesn't distract from what you're trying to say because in this instance it does. 

I think you should scrap everything before "My obsession with collecting objects..." as I'm not clear on what point you're trying to make. Moreover, you're contradicting yourself and it comes off rather negative, and a little bit obnoxious, overall.

That being said, when you mention the hoarding, it's quite interesting. I think you should elaborate on how that has translated into your work. I'm not entirely clear on if you're now photographing those objects or recreating their aesthetic (i.e. crowded spaces, layering of objects, things hidden behind what's visible). Also, for later on in your statement: what are you doing to "establish an universal familiarity?" And something else to think about is how making the past "present" in your photographs is relevant/important to contemporary art making? What issues are you specifically addressing?  It seems like every single artist and their mother is focusing on memory/past (I'm guilty of this too), so I think it's important to make a distinction on what it is specifically doing more with this focus--I honestly think (mind you I have not seen your work so I'm making some assumptions) that focusing on space, texture, layering of objects and what that means in terms of that childhood obsession in your work is worth teasing out a bit more. 

anyway, hope that helps!

On 11/24/2015, 1:16:02, AKW94 said:

Is anyone applying to Skowhegan or have attended Skowhegan in the past? Currently doing my application for them and the Ox-Bow Fellowship. Tips, advice...?

I applied to Skowhegan this year. I applied super early though, since I already had my images in order. The application is fairly easy, I screwed up on the image naming though (in the application the directions say one thing but the example is different---so I stupidly went with the example assuming that's what they actually wanted...), hopefully I'm not penalized for it but oh well, it was only $20. 

Who all has applications due this week? I have three due on Tuesday (early deadline)!! :S

Edited November 29, 2015 by cpw0021

[tynnifer]

Hello All,

This is my first time posting. I've been lurking for a while and now as my MFA choices are coming to a head I need the community's help

I'm a Canadian photo / video artist and finished my BFA in June (though I'm older than the average BFA graduate).

I'm looking for a well funded program that's not necessarily in a busy city centre. I'm also looking for a program with a strong video and photo faculty that encourages interdisciplinary study. My research has a lot to do with the UK and its history so I would really like to study there. Though, since funding opportunities are uncommon I'm not counting on it. Does anyone know of any programs that have good exchange opportunities?

Here are some schools I'm considering applying to:

Oxford
Slade

Northwestern

UMass Dartmouth

Cornell

Bard (although, I've heard funding is completely unlikely... if anyone has heard otherwise let me know)

University of Western Ontario

Guelph University

Simon Fraser University

 

If anyone has any advice for programs that fit my description it would be greatly appreciated!

[Relm]

6 hours ago, cpw0021 said:

Who all has applications due this week? I have three due on Tuesday (early deadline)!! :S

My first one's due the 8th. Don't think I'm applying anywhere with the "priority deadline" thing. Most everything's functionally done, except for one last performance I have to do to round out the portfolio. (That's a this week thing.) Nothing gets things accomplished like a deadline (:

[cpw0021]

3 hours ago, Relm said:

My first one's due the 8th. Don't think I'm applying anywhere with the "priority deadline" thing. Most everything's functionally done, except for one last performance I have to do to round out the portfolio. (That's a this week thing.) Nothing gets things accomplished like a deadline (:

Are you applying to UCSD?

[ElizaMFA]

On November 29, 2015 at 3:35:15 AM, TacosDelicioso said:

I just started my first year in the MFA (painting) program at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. I was accepted into a number of other recognized schools, some with decent funding and had a really hard time deciding, but in the end I couldn't justify the large debt load. Thus far, GSU has been great. The professors are smart, engaged and Craig Drennan, the new director of the Art department at GSU, was the head of Skowhegan for a number of years and seems to have connections all over the art world. He is a successful artist, while also a fantastic professor. The visiting artists are also really good. They have a large endowment so every grad receives a full tuition waiver and stipends. I am effectively being paid to study art!

I would definitely recommend the Georgia State Welch School of Art MFA -http://artdesign.gsu.edu/graduate/admissions/masters-of-fine-arts-in-studio/

I think more people should know about this MFA program, so feel free to ask me any questions.

I'm going to add this to the thread on no/low cost MFA options thread.  At the end of the application season I'll put together a complete updated list.   Glad you ended up in a good place that won't bankrupt you.

 

[grandguignol]

does anyone know what schools mean when they ask for your entire portfolio as a PDF document with a cover sheet? is it like having a page per image? I emailed u of Washington asking and never heard back. 

also, yes, I applied to skowhegan. I apply every year, and am rejected every year! 

[casser0le]

Anyone applying to UCLA for painting? Or can give some personal insight into the program? I live far away so I won't be able to visit campus or do information sessions.

Edited November 30, 2015 by casser0le

[Relm]

16 hours ago, cpw0021 said:

Are you applying to UCSD?

Nah. I'm actually not applying to any of the UCs and, as of right now, only to one school on the west coast.

25 minutes ago, casser0le said:

Anyone applying to UCLA for painting? Or can give some personal insight into the program? I live far away so I won't be able to visit campus or do information sessions.

I haven't visited, but a friend of mine did. She said the pros are obvious (beautiful facilities, fantastic faculty, location, prestige); on the minus side, I think she said the studios were about a 25 minute drive from the rest of campus (and I'm assuming that's in good traffic). And they require you to take a significant load of art history/theory courses if you haven't already. Not sure what the funding landscape is like exactly -- she had the impression that you weren't guaranteed a TAship/stipend each quarter, so there is that to think about as well.