MFA-IA G4 Semester Tips

G4 is typically considered the fun semester. Your practicum is behind you. Your “Goddard Crisis” should be behind you. Now you’re free to take three semesters of learning and do something really interesting when you wish you could just write your portfolio and graduate!

Document, Document, Document

Write long essays about everything. If you can, start organizing your portfolio. You’ll have to do that unofficially, but you can get a jump.

Catch Up

If you feel like your work is lacking in some particular area, take this semester to get it up to speed. Make sure you have an awesome bibliography, tons of documentation, and credit for the past work you’ve done. Discuss with your advisor any areas where they feel you need to fill in the gaps. Design your learning plan around that.

Have Fun

If you’ve done everything by the book all along the way, then this semester is where you can do whatever you want. Some feel it’s the most freeing semester because they can simply make work and not worry. You know how the system works. You know it’s almost over.

Get Ready to Graduate

If a job is what you want, start looking now. As an MFA candidate you’re almost employable in an MFA required position. You might be able to line up a gig. Make the hunt part of your learning plan!

Prepare for G5

Poll your favorite advisors and make sure they’re going to be around for your G5 semester. Sometimes advisors take a semester off, or they travel, or they simply move on altogether. This kind of unexpected change could seriously interrupt your plans for next semester. Think ahead.

Seriously, Enjoy

This is you last regular semester. Your G4 residency is fun because you don’t feel the need to go to everything like you did in the past. You can see the stress that all of the new students are under and you feel good that you’ve made it as far as you have. Others have dropped out while you stuck it out. This is your last semester of the graduate school experience that actually looks the way you imagined a graduate program in art would look. Savor it.

Start on Your Portfolio

Things may have changed. If not, you will have to turn in a full draft of your portfolio by the first packet next semester. Get a start on it now.