MFA 2017 All Art ADMISSIONS freak-out forum!!!!!!!!

[Luisa B]

On 21/4/2017 at 9:25 AM, Dewise said:

Hi,

I've applied MFD in Digital Future at OCAD and still didn't hear anything from them... What should I do??? Does it make sense or did they forget about me?

I've applied also at OCAD for Interdisciplinary Mdes and haven't heard anything. I'm freaking out too.

[eyerolling]

Got into Columbia!

@Poodle-Doodle, I know you decided to go to SAIC due to the awesome full-merit scholarship you got (congrats!) but regarding Columbia, did they offer you any sort of aid?

[Yetti]

On 4/13/2017 at 3:30 AM, bblox said:

Got accepted to RCA and Cranbrook (both painting) this week. What a difficult decision to make.

Does anyone have any knowledge about the art scene in Detroit and how well Cranbrook connects you with people from outside of that area?

What mostly steers me in the direction of RCA right now is that I feel it might be easier to build a network in London. Both schools seem to be a great program with their own benefits.

Also Tuition at RCA would be significantly less, as I would probably qualify for the Home/EU fees (£9500 per year). Even if I have to pay the overseas fees (£28,400 per year) it would be slightly less then the $38'000 at Cranbrook which I'm not even sure whether they're per year or semester...

Any info on either schools would be greatly appreciated.

I feel like this puts more pressure than joy on me right now, especially because Cranbrook only gives you 2 weeks to decide. I am trying to also let the happiness push through and am definitely proud to get into both of these schools.

I'm going to London. It's such an exciting international hub for all of Europe's art that it's so easy to connect with artists and follow opportunities to other countries. I feel pretty confident about the choice. DM me if you're going too. Would be good to know more people prior to the move.

[Yetti]

On 4/13/2017 at 8:47 PM, Monique27 said:

Hi all, 

I wish I had joined this forum sooner- congratulations to everyone on making it through the applications process, and on decisions and new directions for 2017!

I am currently trying to decide between SUNY Purchase and CCA (both for dual MFA/MA programs (MA in art history/visual & critical studies)), and was wondering if I might be able to ask for anyone's thoughts on these. CCA was my first choice, especially because of crossover with its social practice curriculum (my goal is to move more towards public art projects). However, even with funding, tuition would be at least $75k total for the 3 years, plus the cost of living in San Francisco. SUNY Purchase's tuition would end up being closer to $10k total for the 3 years, but 30 miles outside of the city. I'm trying to figure out if CCA would give me any opportunities that would be in any way worth going into that much debt for versus SUNY (or applying to schools again next year), and was wondering if anyone had any info/thoughts about these two schools & locations (in SF v. a train ride outside of NY)?

Thanks so much for reading this; any thoughts/info would be appreciated!

I live in SF,

it is ridiculously difficult to make ends meet in this city. There is a close community of artists, but it is small and primarily emerging. The city is beautiful, but unfortunately doesn't offer much to support or stimulate artists as it used to. I would only suggest paying that much more to be at CCA if you really like the program, but it is a good deal of money that may haunt you.

[Yetti]

On 4/21/2017 at 3:33 AM, cariethehero said:

Hey guys! So many good discussions here...I was lurking until now but I have some hard time deciding right now so I beg for some help...If you please read my stupid history and help me out I would really appreciate it you guys!

I applied CCA, SFAI only two schools and I got accepted in CCA and SFAI both in MFA Film.

I have bachelor's degree in Fine Art Painting outside of US, however, my portfolios are kind of filled with videos. I wanted to go for MFA in film so that I can have the opportunity to deeply engage in video/film field and stuff, but anyways I think I want to make videos in the context of art, not like getting into a film industry as a part...

I kind of wasted last fall - winter time to prepare for admissions for Fall 2017 because I was confused if I wanted to go for this or not....like I was lack of self confidence. I was ready for applying SAIC, CalArts Experimental Animation and UCLA Film but I just didn't submit applications last winter... So when I decided to go for MFA it was already March and I had no choice but those schools to apply for this Fall cause their deadlines were like end of March.

I should have done research about more schools carefully cause I found Hunter's Integrated Media Arts (IMA) MFA and it's curriculum and goals seems like suits me. It's cost of attendance is also quite affordable. 

Now that I got into both schools and CCA's offering me 20% tuition scholarship, I'm considering going for CCA maybe but I'm still confused...Now I'm thinking of going CCA only for a year and then apply for Hunter IMA next year...or just not going for MFA this year and looking for some residencies - if possible - until I apply for Hunter and other schools next year. I mean I researched some vimeos and everything about CCA and SFAI and I have this feeling that both are not the exact schools that matches my work...or the works I want to do...

What do you guys think, what's the best to do? I really thought too much of all the options that I cannot think rationally anymore!!!! 

And do I have to pay back the scholarship if I don't register the second year?

Seriously I'm kind of lack of basic infos about US schools...

Please help me outtttt!!! I'm freaking out. Thanks a lot.

I'm familiar with SFAI, my friend Simón Garcia Minaur studied film commercially prior to pursuing it as an art. He went to SFAI and did well there. Although I don't think you should attend a school if you have doubts and feel more strongly about another school. If that's the case, you should wait and do more research and apply to schools you can get excited about.

[Dewise]

On 4/24/2017 at 6:26 PM, Luisa B said:

I've applied also at OCAD for Interdisciplinary Mdes and haven't heard anything. I'm freaking out too.

Thanks, that a bit reassuring...  Good luck to you.

[Luisa B]

They answered and I'm on the waiting list :/ fingers crossed.

[This guy]

My top choice school along with it being my last hope this year, Cornell, said waitlisted applicants have until April 15th to be notified if an opening comes up. Still didn't hear anything so do I assume waitlisted applicants just don't get any nnotificatios?  

[jschut]

Anyone know of any open google/excel docs with information about MFA Studio programs in general? Funding? Cost of Living? Tuition Waiver? Faculty? Deadlines? Programs available? Amount of GA/TAs, Etc... I'm willing to start one as I gathered a great deal of information this fall applying for schools. I think it could be a great benefit to share this information in an easily accessible manner to those of us applying for a second round next year. There are a number of schools I regret not applying to purely because I did not have the time to thoroughly research each and every program before having to dive deep into applications. I understand this information changes slightly from year to year, but I still think this would be incredibly helpful if there is one out there! My emphasis will be in ceramics.

[Hahn]

Our new Alfred/Düsseldorf MFA in Painting is approved and we are now accepting applications for Fall 2017! Please share! 
Application Link: http://art.alfred.edu/graduate/
Program Information: www.alfredpainting.com
This two year International Painting MFA offers significant research opportunities in Düsseldorf, Germany, one of the most influential centers of painting in Modern and Contemporary Art. Tuition is based on State Universit...

See More

 

Edited April 30, 2017 by Hahn

[Hahn]

 

Edited April 30, 2017 by Hahn

[strawberry_jam]

Has anyone heard from the RCA? I haven't received my physical letter yet or the digital PDF that was supposed to be emailed to me. In addition to this I cannot reach anyone at the school ... when I call nobody picks up and I've emailed admissions as well as the school of communication. Radio silence. 

@oliveoil anything yet?? 

[Oddish-arts]

Hey all! I'm brand new on here and I was accepted to WashU/WUSTL this Fall! Now I'm (of course) a little petrified of uprooting my life in Oakland to move to St. Louis. 

Does anyone have more insight on this program? I've done extensive research and visited, but things are still hazy. I'm a little older than some of the people I've seen applying (26, not old for an MFA at all but all the same it gives me pause to see so many 22 year olds) and I'd really appreciate an insider view!

I didn't think I would get in! I'm considering deferring until next year while I figure out how to logistically get myself out there and established, and part of me thinks I should've applied to CA schools for practicality in tuition as a resident. 

Any insight is appreciated! In addition- If I declined their offer of admission and reapplied next year, is there any chance of readmission? 

Any tips on the deferral option would be appreciated too. 

[Guest]

Hi guys. I don't have any academic background in arts (I have studied engineering). I have applied in MFA in visual arts and rejected. Now I decided to study arts by myself to increase my knowledge. I'm a self taught artist (my focus is on painting and sculpture) and my theoretical knowledge in arts is weak. I was thinking about studying art courses that are taught in art colleges by myself but I don't know which books can be helpful. does any of you like to introduce some art related books that may help me? Which books have you found very helpful in your experience? 

Thanks a lot.

 

Edited May 2, 2017 by Guest

[YayYayYay]

20 hours ago, artdreamer said:

Hi guys. I don't have any academic background in arts (I have studied engineering). I have applied in MFA in visual arts and rejected. Now I decided to study arts by myself to increase my knowledge. I'm a self taught artist (my focus is on painting and sculpture) and my theoretical knowledge in arts is weak. I was thinking about studying art courses that are taught in art colleges by myself but I don't know which books can be helpful. does any of you like to introduce some art related books that may help me? Which books have you found very helpful in your experience? 

Thanks a lot.

 

I'm not super well-read on my theoretical knowledge as well. I did not study Fine Art for my BFA.

But I've found these books to be helpful as a start: 

1. John Berger: "Ways of Seeing" (This is also a TV show)

2. Paper Monument: "Social Medium: Artists Writing, 2000 - 2015"

And I found more book recommendations from Youtube channels "Little Art Talks" and "The Art Assignment"

Hope this helps some, I've found it useful as a beginner myself.

Edited May 2, 2017 by YayYayYay

[Echo_in_ground]

On 5/1/2017 at 3:55 PM, strawberry_jam said:

Has anyone heard from the RCA? I haven't received my physical letter yet or the digital PDF that was supposed to be emailed to me. In addition to this I cannot reach anyone at the school ... when I call nobody picks up and I've emailed admissions as well as the school of communication. Radio silence. 

@oliveoil anything yet?? 

 

Yes, I received my digital PDF last week (along with forms) and my physical letter this week. 

[strawberry_jam]

@Echo_in_ground aw man ..... thanks for letting me know. Are you an international student as well? 

The wait continues ... ?

[Poodle-Doodle]

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/occupy-museums-whitney-protest-948905

[meghanmetier]

On 4/28/2017 at 7:36 PM, jschut said:

Anyone know of any open google/excel docs with information about MFA Studio programs in general? Funding? Cost of Living? Tuition Waiver? Faculty? Deadlines? Programs available? Amount of GA/TAs, Etc... I'm willing to start one as I gathered a great deal of information this fall applying for schools. I think it could be a great benefit to share this information in an easily accessible manner to those of us applying for a second round next year. There are a number of schools I regret not applying to purely because I did not have the time to thoroughly research each and every program before having to dive deep into applications. I understand this information changes slightly from year to year, but I still think this would be incredibly helpful if there is one out there! My emphasis will be in ceramics.

This may be helpful!!!

On 5/1/2017 at 8:19 PM, Oddish-arts said:

Hey all! I'm brand new on here and I was accepted to Wash U St Louis this Fall! Now I'm (of course) a little petrified of uprooting my life in Oakland to move to St. Louis. 

Does anyone have more insight on this program? I've done extensive research and visited, but things are still hazy. I'm a little older than some of the people I've seen applying (26, not old for an MFA at all but all the same it gives me pause to see so many 22 year olds) and I'd really appreciate an insider view!

I didn't think I would get in! I'm considering deferring until next year while I figure out how to logistically get myself out there and established, and part of me thinks I should've applied to CA schools for practicality in tuition as a resident. 

Any insight is appreciated! In addition- If I declined their offer of admission and reapplied next year, is there any chance of readmission? 

Any tips on the deferral option would be appreciated too. 

My best friend just finished her first semester there and she loved it.  I visited her a few weeks ago and was incredibly impressed with the work there.  There is a lot of community involvement in the program, the director of the St Louis Art Museum was in her final critique, they have shows installed at galleries in the program and their thesis will be in the WashU art museum (I believe their mid-program show was at another museum!)  She also said that the students who chose to stay in STL at the end of the program are well supported by the community.  From what I observed, there really weren't any students that were "fresh" out of undergrad, and quite a few who were in their late 20s/early 30s.  

Downfall, they're building new MFA studios on campus (the one now is currently off campus) and they're set to open in 2018, so if you went now you'd have to deal with moving your studio during the summer.  

I'd say defer, don't reapply.  I can't imagine it'd look very good on your part.  I defered the one school I got into and my financial award still stands!

[Echo_in_ground]

On 3 May 2017 at 11:26 PM, strawberry_jam said:

@Echo_in_ground aw man ..... thanks for letting me know. Are you an international student as well? 

The wait continues ... ?

I'm EU based in UK. 

[yuv.sees]

Hello all,

I'm an international student with a non-art(read legal) background and in pursuance of taking up art seriously, I shall be applying to various when applications open again in 2018.

I wish to pursue an MFA in Photography.
My preferences lean towards documentary photography, landscapes and capturing cultures and people’s ways of life.
Whereas I don't have any formal training, I have learned photography on film and then moved on to digital.

I'm wondering which colleges in USA would be a good fit for the above leanings.
Inputs please!

I shall be extraordinarily grateful for any insights by the members of this forum

Looking forward to hearing from you!

[felixo]

14 hours ago, yuv.sees said:

Hello all,

I'm an international student with a non-art(read legal) background and in pursuance of taking up art seriously, I shall be applying to various when applications open again in 2018.

I wish to pursue an MFA in Photography.
My preferences lean towards documentary photography, landscapes and capturing cultures and people’s ways of life.
Whereas I don't have any formal training, I have learned photography on film and then moved on to digital.

I'm wondering which colleges in USA would be a good fit for the above leanings.
Inputs please!

I shall be extraordinarily grateful for any insights by the members of this forum

Looking forward to hearing from you!

I come from a photography background - I even worked as a documentary photographer for some years before deciding to focus on art - I can tell you that 'art' photography and 'documentary' photography can sometimes butt heads and are held in different esteem at different institutions - documentary work isn't always considered 'art' - it's a messy area that remains unresolved and it's good to be aware of this history, especially if you're looking at MFA programs. Still, good work usually transcends. 

But based on what you're saying, I think you would might entertain looking into photojournalism MA programs in communication colleges in the US - Syracuse, Ohio University, University of Missouri, ICP in NY come to mind. London College of Communications as well. Duke University has an MFA in experimental and documentary arts that is worth looking at, and Ohio U has a new communications MFA as well similar to Duke's in mission it seems - those two programs are unique in terms of MFA that I am aware of. University of Hartford has an MFA low residency that is focused on photo books primarily.

The traditional photo MFA programs in the US can be hit or miss when it comes to accepting photojournalism/documentary work as you've described - some tend to be more conceptual - something to be aware of. SVA, SAIC, Yale, Columbia (Chicago) are worth looking at. I'm sure there are others - I know there are some in California (Cal Arts, UCLA?), but those are some of the better known programs in the field on my side of the Mississippi at least. You should find work of photographers that has threads in common with what you want to do and see where they went or where they teach - it might give you an idea of how your ideas may fit. 

Good luck, 

[icw]

On 5/12/2017 at 3:36 PM, felixo said:

I come from a photography background - I even worked as a documentary photographer for some years before deciding to focus on art - I can tell you that 'art' photography and 'documentary' photography can sometimes butt heads and are held in different esteem at different institutions - documentary work isn't always considered 'art' - it's a messy area that remains unresolved and it's good to be aware of this history, especially if you're looking at MFA programs. Still, good work usually transcends. 

But based on what you're saying, I think you would might entertain looking into photojournalism MA programs in communication colleges in the US - Syracuse, Ohio University, University of Missouri, ICP in NY come to mind. London College of Communications as well. Duke University has an MFA in experimental and documentary arts that is worth looking at, and Ohio U has a new communications MFA as well similar to Duke's in mission it seems - those two programs are unique in terms of MFA that I am aware of. University of Hartford has an MFA low residency that is focused on photo books primarily.

The traditional photo MFA programs in the US can be hit or miss when it comes to accepting photojournalism/documentary work as you've described - some tend to be more conceptual - something to be aware of. SVA, SAIC, Yale, Columbia (Chicago) are worth looking at. I'm sure there are others - I know there are some in California (Cal Arts, UCLA?), but those are some of the better known programs in the field on my side of the Mississippi at least. You should find work of photographers that has threads in common with what you want to do and see where they went or where they teach - it might give you an idea of how your ideas may fit. 

Good luck, 

Try portland state university. It has an excellent social practice and contemporary art MFA. Im sure theyd be into documentary work.

[engardevoire]

On 4/21/2017 at 5:25 PM, Dewise said:

Hi,

I've applied MFD in Digital Future at OCAD and still didn't hear anything from them... What should I do??? Does it make sense or did they forget about me?

Hey we applied to the same program! I'm interested in your current status in the application........ I've just received my wait-list email for digital futures. 

@ everyone, if you guys have any advice on how to respond to a wait-list email..... in the sense that I should reply a "thank you" to the grad admissions, that'll be great. I'm kind of anxious because I really feel like this is a program I want to be in.

[Yellow_Hat]

On 4/13/2017 at 6:30 AM, bblox said:

Got accepted to RCA and Cranbrook (both painting) this week. What a difficult decision to make.

Does anyone have any knowledge about the art scene in Detroit and how well Cranbrook connects you with people from outside of that area?

What mostly steers me in the direction of RCA right now is that I feel it might be easier to build a network in London. Both schools seem to be a great program with their own benefits.

Also Tuition at RCA would be significantly less, as I would probably qualify for the Home/EU fees (£9500 per year). Even if I have to pay the overseas fees (£28,400 per year) it would be slightly less then the $38'000 at Cranbrook which I'm not even sure whether they're per year or semester...

Any info on either schools would be greatly appreciated.

I feel like this puts more pressure than joy on me right now, especially because Cranbrook only gives you 2 weeks to decide. I am trying to also let the happiness push through and am definitely proud to get into both of these schools.

I am from the metro Detroit area and have been living in NYC for the past 5 years. I'm headed back to attend Cranbrook this fall in the 2D department.

This is coming in super late and you've probably already made your decision but from my knowledge I can say London would give you a much better network (at least from what I can tell). But coming from experience in my own working habits, I think there is something to be said about the seclusion of Cranbrook from a large art market. It truly is a magical place with real deal faculty and I think judging it from that angle, it is an unrivaled program.

Best of luck! What did you end up deciding?