Answering Questions

I’ve got lots to write about the next few days. But, I just got this email from a gal named Stacy and wanted to respond.  This is the ultimate question…and the answer is rather complex.

Read what Stacey wrote me and then my response.

Hi David!

My name is Stacey and I came across your blog about going for your MFA with AAU. I am currently looking at AAU for the same program (i live in san francisco, but am open to in person or online program) and your blog is one of the first positive (and informative/not only talking about a real estate scam) opinions i have come across on the web. of course, most of the posting i read are done by younger students or undergraduates that have certain expectations paying for a class and receiving a good grade because of it, etc and have not had a professional career before attending the school.

My question to you is – can you give me your honest opinion (as you are a professional) of the program and the professors? Has it, so far, been worth your time and money? How do you think they stack up in comparison to programs like RISD or SAIC? How is the online course program? I don’t have my own darkroom, etc…Just my Nikon d60 and 35mm f 2.8/35mm Nikkor (in addition to my macbook and adobe suite/capture one of course). what other types of equipment was necessary to have for the online courses?

The graduate admissions counselor is very nice, albeit a bit vague on certain details and the financial aid counselor i spoke to was not helpful, informative and just a bit smarmy, so i’m doing that research on my own.

I know you are extremely busy, but any thoughts about this program would be really helpful and most appreciated.

Thanks!!

There is a lot to say here. Some subjects deserve and will get further treatment in upcoming posts.  Let me try a short answer here and let me add a few things for thought.

I’ve just finished up my second semester.  I took 3 classes.  Two were outstanding classes taught by outstanding people that want to teach and have students do well.  One class was so poorly taught (calling it taught does disservice to the word) that I was highly motivated to do intentionally mediocre work, and I had a dialog with the director’s of the program concerning the course. (Yes I will write about this soon).

So Stacey, and everyone else, let me address your points.

There is little information about the program available outside the program.  There are those (often whiny) pages on Yelp.  (see my notes on AAU Reviews). I’ve created this blog because I wanted to share my experiences and feelings while working on my MFA-Photography to help fill the void of personal perspectives.

People complain more than they praise.  If I can recall something from my MBA course work in marketing is that complaints will often outnumber praise from 1:10 to 1:500 and that negative opinions will more dramatically impact a reference than a positive opinion.  Think about it, when was the last time you told someone of a good customer experience and rather found yourself telling a tale about some schmuck or awful company or service or shoddy product?   So there is a lot of negative feedback about AAU and a lot of it comes from whiny undergraduate students.   I consider most of that just noise. Some students have some romantic notion about being an artist and feel that getting a BFA or MFA is the ticket to validating that.  That’s a load of crap.  The program is expensive for better or worse. While there is a lot to learn and I mostly greatly enjoy what I’m learning having an BFA or MFA does not make you an artist.  It means you have taken a program in ART and have passed the requirements spelled out by the program.  What exactly is a professional career as an artists anyway?  It’s likely different for everyone.

Two additional issues here.  One is related to the above  – There is a gap between the perceptions of an MFA and the expectations of the degree.  I’ll argue that most students expect more from the degree than the actual perception after they are in a program and this likely extends after one gets the degree.

The other issue here is that AAU is a for-profit educational institution. Basically, money and other resources are inputs and educated students and profits are the outputs.  I haven’t done the research to see what percentage of tuition comes from government loans (there is a limit).  For-profit education firms can be mills that mine heavily for student loans.  Let’s just say I have a little experience in seeing a couple companies do this.  One did a good job and was really well-balanced between admitting qualified students and taking their student loan money while another company (where sales quotas) drove lots of unqualified people and a few qualified folks into an educational hamster-wheel.

So, AAU wants your money and wants to educate you.  It is up to you to determine if you are qualified to COMPLETE a program – anyone can start a program.  AAU admits 100% of applicants that meet the basic requirements. A portfolio review is part of the process, but I have seen such poor work by some students that I have to really question the validity of the portfolio review as a culling method in the admission process.  However, being able to put together a portfolio is a task unto itself and does show some level of motivation from the prospective student.

These points should cover both MFAs and BFAs.

Strictly for MFA-Photography, the last time I checked, AAU appears to have the monopoly on online MFA-Photography programs.  I’ll leave that for you think about.

Stacey, you mention paying for grades.  My experience , so far, is that is not done.  You may get a C (or worse) for doing substandard work but getting an A is not an easy thing to do and I’ve found those courses that have solid educational rigor and good instructors make getting an ‘A’ a demanding task. (4 of my 5 classes fit this description!)

Let me try to answer the meaty part.  I am professional photographer with a lot of experience in certain areas of the field and with well-grounded personal expectations of what and why I am getting my MFA.  In 1994 I completed my first Master’s program (MBA) and I taught at The University of Texas at Austin.  This gives me an unusual perspective as a student.    With the exception of one class in the Spring ’10 term I have found my classes to be challenging and splendid opportunities to explore, play, and get out of my comfort zone in photography.  I am driven to excel and I have to do my best work.  In the 4 classes that have challenged me I have received all A grades.  In the poor class, here is an excerpt of what I sent in during the course evaluation near the end of the semester:

What was the best thing about this instructor? Nothing.  The person (as it is inappropriate to call him an instructor nor professor) should not be allowed to teach until he has taken some teaching classes.  he is not a teacher.  He is babysitting 8 students and judging them instead of getting them to learn.

I got more from a $45 Scott Kelby lighting CD than I did from the instructor.

You ask “Did the instructor provide feedback…” To which I answer the instructor did not provide quality feedback.  His judgments (reviews) of assignments are highly inconsistent and do not foster any appreciable learning.

You ask “Was the instructor approachable for questions and assistance in class?” To which I answer do I pull up to a traffic signal and wait for it turn green?  Does he answer questions?  Sure, but does he answer specific questions about student work.  No.

Does he foster a learning environment? No.

Let’s talk about RISD and SAIC and lots of the other art schools around.   Would I love to get into RISD.  Yup!  Art Institute?  You bet! Brooks Institute?  Sure!  Art Studio at UT-Austin?  Why not!

Could I really leave Austin and go attend class in-person at some notable art school?  Realistically, no.  Can I give up the contacts and the community I continue to build here in Austin to go study full-time in another market? Nope, it doesn’t work for me right now.

Getting my MFA is a deeply personal decision with some future real world consequences.  I’ve been shooting for 40 years, first published 30 years ago and I have a strong desire to do and grow my art, my business, and to teach both art and business to artists.  This is the right thing to do…for me.

If I were you, I’d be investigating where else you might want to attend.  Look at lots of programs at lots of institutions.  You have Brooks down the road in Santa Barbara.  AFI down in LA, and other alternatives in the Bay Area.    If I were you, I’d also need to understand my drive and desire to succeed, and my ability to move, work, family, and all the other issues that play into the complex decision of where to go.

Does that help?

The admissions folks are nice but they are recruiters.  I’ll bet they have certain numbers to meet as well.

Don’t do financial aid.  Pay for it yourself.  It will mean more to you as you take a class and you will understand the value of your work to pay for the additional education.  Do this for at least a year.  By then you will have decided if this is the right thing for you to do.  If you are going to complete a program (anywhere) then thinking about financial aid seems reasonable. for the last year or so.  If you decide it is not for you then you owe nothing going forward and can more favorably look back at that experience.

To wrap up this post:  At this time I’ll I am very happy with my overall experiences at AAU in my goal to obtain my MFA in Photography.