# Chapman Production Design MFA: Wait and reapply?



## relem20 (Jun 25, 2020)

I just got accepted into Chapman after being waitlisted, but now I’m second guessing whether I should attend. My grades were low, I was disappointed in my portfolio, then the virus hit and I just knew I wouldn’t get in. So, I stopped financially preparing for the move and I started a second bachelors degree in game art and development to grow my 3-D environmental design skills, reapply the next year as a stronger candidate and hopefully get multiple offers but I wanted Chapman. Since, it’s my first-choice school and the only graduate program I got accepted into, I want to go but I’m worried about money. $1000 enrollment deposit a move from Virginia to California in less than 2 months is a big decision to make in 14 days given current events.
I read conflicting reports about grad students getting funding and I don’t want to put myself into a massive amount of debt. Should I go or wait and reapply next year? With my original plan I’ll have a much stronger portfolio and better grades and a year to financially prepare with hopefully more offers. Has anyone been fully funded for their film graduate program at Chapman? Should I just go and accept the debt?


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## Chris W (Jul 1, 2020)

If you're not sure.... Can you defer? Making the move with everything going on now will be hard.

If you're not sure and worried about the money then it may be safe to wait a year to get your finances in order and ready.

I'm not sure about scholarships for Chapman. Ask some of the Chapman people in the AMA forums?






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## hkaiser (Jul 8, 2020)

relem20 said:


> I just got accepted into Chapman after being waitlisted, but now I’m second guessing whether I should attend. My grades were low, I was disappointed in my portfolio, then the virus hit and I just knew I wouldn’t get in. So, I stopped financially preparing for the move and I started a second bachelors degree in game art and development to grow my 3-D environmental design skills, reapply the next year as a stronger candidate and hopefully get multiple offers but I wanted Chapman. Since, it’s my first-choice school and the only graduate program I got accepted into, I want to go but I’m worried about money. $1000 enrollment deposit a move from Virginia to California in less than 2 months is a big decision to make in 14 days given current events.
> I read conflicting reports about grad students getting funding and I don’t want to put myself into a massive amount of debt. Should I go or wait and reapply next year? With my original plan I’ll have a much stronger portfolio and better grades and a year to financially prepare with hopefully more offers. Has anyone been fully funded for their film graduate program at Chapman? Should I just go and accept the debt?



I also got accepted into Chapman for the Graduate Production Design program. I am from New York and I was fully prepared to move out to California in August and attend but now I am second-guessing myself due to the state of the world. I just keep thinking from a financial standpoint that I will be missing many aspects of the school and the experiences I could have had if it weren't for the Coronavirus. I think I am going to defer a year even though I already put a deposit down and work in New York in the meantime until the world gets more in order. I just don't think I can commit financially or even mentally commit to moving and attending Graduate school across the country.


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## hkaiser (Jul 8, 2020)

Also, if this is worth anything to you if you cannot see the class schedule some of the classes will be online or a hybrid format which means they will be a mix of in-person and online. That has been a big factor in my decision to defer because I just finished my undergraduate studies in interior design and it was extremely stressful being out of studio doing designs. I felt financially robbed last semester due to the experience I had. In my opinion, online learning sucked and I was always just wishing to be in studio taking advantage of the campus and facilities I was paying for in my tuition.


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