MFA Programs

Hunter College:

• School is located in New York City (midtown).
• It is much less expensive, because it is a state college.
• Easy access many contemporary art galleries and museums.
• For me, being a part-time student is an advantage.
• After graduating, there are greater opportunities to teach at the undergraduate level in Hunter College or Columbia University.

Mason Gross School of Art:

• School is located in New Brunswick, NJ, which close to home (I have a family of my own).
• I speaking with a past post-graduate student, he chose Mason Gross School of Art for its teaching style. He did not need to specialize, so there was greater exposure to various departments.
• The tuition is low, since it is a state college.
• Working as a Teacher's Assistant, was a valuable experience and it greatly reduced his costs. This experience helped him to get a job teaching more easily.
• One concern is the college depends on state support, so state budget cuts could heavily effect the art programs.

California Institute of the Arts:

• The program develops a strong conceptual foundation in the arts.
• It is very difficult to be accepted, since they accept only 4 students per year.
• The school has a personality of its own, very "Californian," and the teaching style is also different than most east coast schools.
• Once establishing an area of concentration, you are discouraged to change areas of concentration.
• Noted for it art theory classes and instruction. The school is known for music and performance arts.

Yale University:

• It is still difficult to get in, even though 12 to 15 graduate students are accepted each year.
• Each art depatment has its own building, so there is a feeling of isolation to each field of concentration.
• The critques are known to be brutal, there is a great amount of pressure on the students. It leaves the students emotionally drained, but they are stronger.
• Even in the graduate studies, the atomosphere is very competitive.
  

University of the Arts:

• The school is located in Philadelpia, PA. I am familiar with the school, since I was a part-time student there for a few years.
• Philadelphia has many of the advantages as New York is for the art student. There are a number of other art schools, in addition to the galleries and museums.
• The University of the Arts has a renowned glassblowing studio (one of my interests). Additionaly, there is a good sculpture and ceramics studio.