An Open State of Mind

April 22nd 2022

Opening up

In my graduate school research, I had felt a bit confined. I felt all the options I had were already in front of me in the form of seven google chrome tabs. During junior year in the McNair program, you're meant to look for a total of five prospective graduate schools. The goal being, to end junior year with ten possible graduate schools. I was finding challenges in coming up with schools that I was interested in going to. The potential list had already felt small to begin with because I was only looking at schools I thought I could get into. This, in conjunction with ones I actually wanted to go to was a smaller list. I found myself past the mid-point of the semester with only six or seven graduate schools on my list. This was a problem I had faced until I had sought out other perspectives on graduate schools.

Talking with a purpose

Throughout all of my searching up graduate schools and the cross referencing information making it a choice present on my list, I never stopped to consider I may be limiting my scope too much. I found myself dead set on the fact it would be a private art school in either New York or California. In the time since, I used my professional development resources. In smaller conversations with professors in my discipline about what my options were, I started looking at state schools with general design or art practice MFA degrees that would still help me reach my goal.

Faith, Trust, and...Research

During this search I also became more focused on searching specifically for programs that would give me the best financial foothold. I'm learning state schools often win in that department because they aren't private and the programs they have are smaller and therefore have more funding left available. All of a sudden it felt like I had options again. While searching through these programs I found the faculty matched or came close to those of the prestigious art schools that I didn't feel I entirely fit in with. I felt at home at the though of attending a state school versus the private college dream that kept on plaguing my head.

Re-evaluating

Previously, I had found myself trying to check every box with a single art school. I finally felt free when I re-opened my options. In my new course of action, I filled in the remaining of my outstanding three graduate schools to add to my list with state colleges. These were outliers for me as none resided in either New York or California. After looking into depth at state programs and their funding, it's left me a little more hopeful and excited about beginning to apply and hopefully getting in.