Learn From Our Mistakes: Choosing a Grad School for Design

When I began my search for an MFA program in Lighting Design and Technical Direction, the only question I had (besides the obvious issues of location and cost) was – “will you let me in?” I didn’t know what to look for, I just figured I would jump in and hope for the best. Well, three months later and a report card full of “Withdrawn” grades might be a sign that I should have looked a little more carefully. Granted there were circumstances way out of anyone’s control that lead to my decision – but let me help you, future grad students, with some things I wish I had known.

Best Kept Secret:

You can just talk to them! You are no longer a lowly undergrad! That bachelor’s degree IS worth something – somehow it means that if you email the head of an MFA design program, they write back, they are really interested in you, and they will talk to you on the phone about all of your questions! This may serve as a sort of preliminary interview, so be on your best behavior, but it is also an amazing way to see if the school is a good fit. It turns out they really do want to help find the best school for you – they are not simply selling their own program. So take a deep breath and ask them everything you want to know.

Here’s what you want to know:

• Do they have a musical theater program? Will you get to design for dance performances? Make sure they actually do the kind of productions you want to work on.
• How much do you get to design? How many shows are done each year, and how many are designed by MFA students?
• Do they have a PhD program? It turns out you get smarter by being around smart people.
• Do they have an undergrad design program? If they don’t, that means that odds are good you will have undergrad students in your design classes, and this may slow things down and shift focus away from what you need to learn.
• Do they have a stage management program? If they don’t, who runs the shows? A stage manager can be a designer’s best friend. You want people who know what they are doing, and a program that respects the thankless work of the SM.
• Where do alumni end up? Not the list of famous graduates, but rather – do graduates usually go on to teach and work in universities, or do they work professionally? Which sounds more like what you want? Some schools have direct connections with New York City (NYU, Yale, North Carolina School of the Arts, Carnegie Mellon). Other schools have amazing facilities and programs (Indiana University Bloomington, University of Texas at Austin), but are not going to focus on connecting you with Broadway designers

Another factor to take into account is to make sure you love more than one thing about a school. Every school is going to have its pros and cons, but if you go somewhere counting on only one great component (a great class you want to take, an amazing mentor, or a specific show you want to work on) things may have changed by the time you arrive. There are a lot of circumstances out of your control, so don't put too much weight on any one element.

No matter how many times I was told that choosing a grad school is an important decision, and it’s all about finding the right fit, I didn’t care. I just wanted to go to school, and I was just going to make it work. But it turns out, as usual, they were right. You need to do the work and ask the questions. It’s not always about going to the “best” school, because there are plenty out there. It is about finding the program and the people who are going to help you get what you want out of your education. Take it from someone who found out the hard way.

And of course – this is just one girl’s experience. Please add to the conversation by commenting below with your advice and experiences! The more info out there, the better.