Photo Program Reputations

[nathancotephoto]

Here is a list of schools I'm interested in:

Cranbrook

Hunter

U. Conn

U. Del

U Nevada Las Vegas

U New Mexico

Arizona State U.

Yale

Rutgers

Anyone visited the schools or talked to anyone who has graduated from them? I want to stay within a couple hours of NY, if possible but as you can see from the list a couple schools are in the SW. I am also looking for schools who offer TA positions and stipends. I'm about to start sending off packets to a few of these schools and some uncertainty has set in. Also, I am living in North Dakota and traveling is expensive, so visiting schools prior to applying is out of the question. Is the reputation that follows a few schools like Yale really follow through in their programs? Or is it just that a few famous artists have come out of that institution? I would appreciate any other school recommendations.

-nathan

[jon cocktoe]

The only school on your list that I've visited is UConn, and all in all it was a very mixed experience. For one thing, they guarantee funding for all 5 students that they admit, but they recently cut it from $20k/year to $10k/year because of budget problems. It's good, but it's not great. The structure of the program is a little strange, they require every student to take the same studio class their first semester regardless of discipline. So depending on when you enter, it could be printmaking, sculpture, or drawing etc. Depending on your interest, it could be great, or it could be a waste of time. And, FWIW the photo facilities kinda suck. They have a few iMacs in the basement for the 'lab' and 2 printers that may or may not work according to the tour guide I had. There's a tiny darkroom down there as well that seem to be mostly for undergrads. There's a whole separate building for the graduate studios and there's a nice darkroom up there, but it doesn't look like it's been used for ages, and no digital facilities at all. The campus itself is literally in the middle of nowhere, which is hard to imagine in CT, but it's true. Aside from the campus, there are a few seedy looking strips of stores on the edges, and that's it. You have to drive at least 30 min to get to anything resembling an actual town. Check out the Storrs thread in the City guide section. I met all of the photo faculty there and 1 student (who was my tour guide) and had VERY mixed experiences with them. PM me if you're interested to know more. All in all, by the end of my visit I decided not to apply, but it was based on a few very personal factors which may not apply to you at all.

As for the other schools on your list, I know UNM and Las Vegas offer good funding. I live in NM and plan to visit UNM soonish, so I will let you know how that goes. I thought of applying to Yale, but because of the high app fee an apparent lack of funding, I decided to skip it.

[nathancotephoto]

Well thats some slightly discouraging news about Uconn. I may be giving up some hope of going to school near NY. In the long run it probably does not matter. I just don't want to leave school unhappy with the program. I definitively had forgotten that the due dates for applications is coming up quick and so I decided im just going to apply to 5 schools that I truly would enjoy being apart of their programs. UNLV, UNM, Yale and maybe OSU for sure. Anyone know anything about Ohio State U's reputation?

[turnip]

Well thats some slightly discouraging news about Uconn. I may be giving up some hope of going to school near NY. In the long run it probably does not matter. I just don't want to leave school unhappy with the program. I definitively had forgotten that the due dates for applications is coming up quick and so I decided im just going to apply to 5 schools that I truly would enjoy being apart of their programs. UNLV, UNM, Yale and maybe OSU for sure. Anyone know anything about Ohio State U's reputation?

I don't know anything about the programs you just mentioned. But wanted to comment b/c my husband just got his masters from UDel...although he graduated from the college of earth and marine sciences. We lived in Newark for 2.5 yrs and got to meet a lot of artists while there though, and they really have a great little community. Newark isn't the most diverse town, but you're 2 hours from NY or DC, 1 hour from Baltimore and 45 minutes from Philly. It is such a central location. Also wanted to add that I was impressed by the caliber of some of the work I saw come out of UDel's art program. I think they have some decent faculty there. I am pretty sure they have some nice funding packages too. Just food for thought.

Good luck on your apps!

[littlenova]

Yale is HIGHLY selective. (Like the highest...especially for Photo...Like we are talking 2-3 people.)

Not just because it's Ivy League, but because of Greg Crewdson. That being said...

New Mexico is an exceptional program. If I lived on the west coast, I would go for it...

[helenforsdale]

That's actually incorrect.

Make no mistake - Yale is extremely competitive - but they let in approximately 10-12 people in per department. There are about 24-26 people in the photo department spread out over two years. If you go to the website - you can see the exact amount of people in each program, divided by year.

I think you're thinking of Columbia - there are approximately 50 people in the entire program over two years. They let in about 24 people a year - about 3-5 of them are photographers.

Yale is HIGHLY selective. (Like the highest...especially for Photo...Like we are talking 2-3 people.)

Not just because it's Ivy League, but because of Greg Crewdson. That being said...

New Mexico is an exceptional program. If I lived on the west coast, I would go for it...

[littlenova]

That's actually incorrect.

Make no mistake - Yale is extremely competitive - but they let in approximately 10-12 people in per department. There are about 24-26 people in the photo department spread out over two years. If you go to the website - you can see the exact amount of people in each program, divided by year.

I think you're thinking of Columbia - there are approximately 50 people in the entire program over two years. They let in about 24 people a year - about 3-5 of them are photographers.

When I spoke with a former student two years ago, they informed me that Yale's admission changes each year. The admissions person I spoke with said "up to 10". They will not admit a set number of applications, though. Some years, he said, they have let in as little as a "handful---like 2 or 3". Are you sure you are not thinking of undergrad photo as well? I dunno. Perhaps I was given the wrong information.

I am not confusing it with Columbia. Entirely different program. A good friend of mine went to Columbia and I was very close to applying there. You are correct in that they also only admit a small group.

I am not deterring anyone from applying. I am the poster girl for encouraging EVERYONE to apply wherever they want to. I just think it's important to be realistic as well. Part of the cool thing about this forum is to exchange info.

[helenforsdale]

No, I agree - you should ignore all stats and apply to the schools you feel are a best fit. But yeah - if you look at Yale's site, you can see the exact amount of students in the program. Currently, there are 18 students in the photo department divided over two years. Make no mistake - even though they let in more students per year than Columbia, it is in no way any less competitive. Technically, they have a stronger photo/painting/sculpture department despite the larger size.

When I spoke with a former student two years ago, they informed me that Yale's admission changes each year. The admissions person I spoke with said "up to 10". They will not admit a set number of applications, though. Some years, he said, they have let in as little as a "handful---like 2 or 3". Are you sure you are not thinking of undergrad photo as well? I dunno. Perhaps I was given the wrong information.

I am not confusing it with Columbia. Entirely different program. A good friend of mine went to Columbia and I was very close to applying there. You are correct in that they also only admit a small group.

I am not deterring anyone from applying. I am the poster girl for encouraging EVERYONE to apply wherever they want to. I just think it's important to be realistic as well. Part of the cool thing about this forum is to exchange info.