Grad school.

Well, the quest is complete. After hundreds of dollars spent on the application process and three interviews, I’ve decided where I’ll spend the next two years of my life earning my Masters’ degree – the University of Washington, three miles from our little house on Queen Anne. Which, to be honest, kind of surprises me. When I initially mailed off my applications, I thought the UW wouldn’t even give me an interview because of the focus of my statement of purpose: branding, corporate responsibility, and sustainable design. I figured I’d be too practical for them, not academic/theoretical enough. I got an interview, though, and came away feeling pretty good about the whole situation. I liked the professors and the grad students I met. I also realized that being at a university will have a lot of advantages over going to a school focused solely on art, and basically, I just had overall good vibes. I left the interview feeling excited and hoping that they would offer me a spot.

Before hearing the UW’s final decision, I received a call from Lucille Tenazas, director of the design program at California College of the Arts, a highly-esteemed art school in San Francisco. She was calling to tell me that I’d been accepted, which was, of course, good news. I spoke to her at length and felt even more excited than when I’d left the UW. And San Francisco! Aaaaaaah….I would love to live there! So at least I knew that I had a place to go for sure if none of the other schools accepted me.

Three weeks later, in the wee morning hours (well, 6:30a – maybe not so “wee”) of March 23rd, I boarded a plane for New York City and caught the 5:50p train at Grand Central Station for New Haven, Connecticut. I was one of about 45 of their initial 200 applicants to be invited for an interview at Yale University. That night at about 9:00p, I stepped out of the taxi onto Chapel street, running straight through the heart of the famed Ivy League campus; an intoxicating experience, I must admit. My interview was the next day at 2:30p, but at that moment, I just wanted to stroll the grounds and soak it all in. Without going into detail, the next day at about 5:00p, the interview was over and I was no longer impressed. The whole program seemed focused solely around the faculty’s huge egos and metaphorically speaking, the whole place seemed so covered in Ivy that they couldn’t really tell their heads from their…well…um….nevermind. Suffice it to say that rooted in the real, practical world that program is not. For me, it was very important during my graduate school search that I find a school where I would be able to produce work with at least some intrinsic practical value.

I had actually been accepted into the UW’s Visual Communication Design program with a $3,000 scholarship before I left for Yale. But of course, I wanted to wait and see what happened in New Haven before I gave the UW or CCA definite answers. But I knew before going to bed the night of my interview that I didn’t want to go to Yale. So, during the last leg of my trip (in New York City for a friend’s bridal shower), I thought long and hard about my remaining options. CCA and San Francisco hold a lot of appeal for me. I reallyreally like Lucille Tenazas and the school’s philosophy and multi-disciplinary approach and perhaps, if I didn’t have a house, a husband, and two children already rooted in Seattle (not to mention way too many existing student loans), then perhaps I would be heading there in August. But as it turns out, I accepted the UW’s offer two days after returning from the east coast. The UW isn’t an Ivy League school, but after 1). a very disappointing four-year Yale product review in the form of George W. Bush (a total embarrassment to *any* institute of higher learning, let alone an Ivy League one) and 2). my lackluster first impression of the educated elite, I wonder what all the Ivy League hulabaloo is about, anyway? Is it all just way overrated? And speaking of branding, is this merely just a great case study for it? Are Ivy League schools like Nikes, produced in Asia like all the other good running shoes, but elevated to celestial, must-have status by the power of a great naming strategy, a well-designed logomark, and million-dollar marketing? Based on my firsthand experience, I sure do feel that way. I really feel that your education is more about what you bring to the university of your choice, rather than what the university brings to you. And besides, the UW wasn’t that easy to get into, either. I’ve worked so hard to get to this point in my life and, not to sound braggy or anything, I’ve busted my ass and am quite proud of myself. 🙂

So, on September 29, 2004, I’ll be starting grad school – I am soooo excited! I’ve been planning this day since before I was an undergrad. My goal was to be back in school by the time I was 35, but a sweet boy from Baltimore came along and I had to postpone my goal for a year or so to marry him before he got away, but now I’m back on track, with a handsome hubby, to boot. 🙂

Thanks for reading and stay tuned. I’ll be posting a photo album “quotidienne” soon…

Cheers!
.c