Practical MFA Application Advice!

[Cupcake89]

Hi all, I spent two years researching and visiting programs in order to find the right MFA, and I got into my top choice and I’m super excited to start this fall! I applied to five programs and was accepted, and offered a teaching position and full tuition remission, at three. I picked up some helpful advice along the way and I thought I’d share.

My disclaimers are, 1. Obviously this is my opinion, and others might feel differently. 2.  I’m enrolled though I don’t actually start school until September. My perspective on my choice could very well change after a year of grad school!

Here's my advice: 

• Visit the school

I scored big points with future advisors by visiting schools the year before I planned to apply. (ie. visited in 2014, applied in 2015) They remembered my name when calling back for interviews, and knew I was serious about their program. I also saw a highly ranked program that was a complete shit show in person, and was grateful I didn’t waste my time applying there.

• Look for advisors, not highly ranked programs

Your advisor will have a huge impact on your experience during school and after. Whether the program is highly ranked according to US News and World Report will have much less bearing on your success. Those rankings are notoriously inaccurate and meaningless anyways. Find an advisor you don’t mind having dinner with, and who seems like they have enough interest in your work to give you the time of day once you’re a student.

• Recommendations matter more than essays

I asked a potential advisor during a visit how much the essays mattered, and his response was, “We don’t read as much as we should”. Yikes. I still worked super hard on my essays, but per his advice, worked harder to get recommendations from important names in his field. He also said that the name/reputation of the recommender matters more than how glowing their opinion of you might be. (ie. Big name > person who knows you super well)

**Note!** You’re going to need to send your recommenders near-final drafts of your essay and portfolio in order to get a good letter, and then to give them at least a month to write your letters. So start your applications a few months before the due date for best results.

• Play to your strengths

I had this wacky idea that I had done enough printmaking in undergrad, and should pursue a grad degree in one of my other areas of interest. I started emailing professors of sculpture about their programs and kept having my emails forwarded to the print professors. Finally I was given the advice that you can explore all you want once you get in (if you choose a program without rigid departmental divisions) but you need to put your best foot forward to get in at all.

• IMHO, Don’t Pay for an MFA

I've heard this from several artists with MFAs, though I also know lots of fantastic artists who did take out large loans to get their degree and felt it was worth it. For me, in an uncertain job market, I find debt to be too large of a liability to be worth a degree that brings no guarantee of employability. There are funded MFAs out there – the trick is to look for universities that keep programs small enough to give each grad student a teaching job. There are also scholarships at private schools (Stanford!).

• Don’t obsess over this forum

I visited grad café a few times during my search and definitely got some helpful stuff here. The level of anxiety on the forum in general though was… unhelpful to say the least. I referenced it during the early stages of choosing schools and then intentionally stayed away from the wanton freaking out.  

I hope this was helpful! Good luck!!

Edited July 31, 2016 by Cupcake89
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[Md Tariqul Islam]

Which university programm are you now?

[213214325]

Hey thanks for taking the time to write this out.

I graduated from my undergrad this past december, and have decided to take this year to move out to New Mexico (originally from north Carolina) to make new work in solitude. I plan to use this new work to apply for grad school. It's an incredibly tough decision to choose from the thousands of programs out there, so I really appreciate you giving your thoughts, seems like it has paid off!