Hello guys! I can’t make up my mind about where should I go for my masters. I got accepted for MFA in scenic design in both IU at Bloomington and KU. I have a full scholarship on both, except for the mandatory fees, IU is about $1036/semester and KU is $700/semester. I have a TA position, for the IU is $15750/year and KU is $17750/year. I am from Brazil and I would not be able to pay any fees, so I need to use the TA money to pay for it. Which one should I choose?
Ask each department to put you in touch with a current graduate student and a recent graduate. Then ask them about their experiences. Find out more about the time commitment required for teaching the classes. Ask about the number of realized productions you will work on each year (as opposed to design work and models you make just for a class). Find out about the cost of living. Your teaching assistantship is supposed to cover your living expenses, health insurance, etc. Ask about summer internship/teaching/training opportunities. How will those be funded? Where are the professors’ professional connections? What have the recent MFA graduates gone on to do after finishing their studies?
Happykid is a second year MFA candidate in stage lighting design. She had been working for several years before applying to grad schools. She found that there were big differences between programs in the kinds of students (most straight out of undergrad vs. most with several years of work experience) and in the number of realized productions.