Graduate School in LA (Long Beach, Burbank: credit, school rankings, college)

[KnoxTown]

So....

I might have the opportunity to go to Graduate School at night (paid for) if I take a new job in January. Anyways, I'm looking for an MFA program (in photography) that would best suit my needs. I know UCLA has a program, but honestly, I don't want to have to move to the westside (I'm not commuting from Burbank to Westwood)....

Since I plan on staying in LA, what schools, if any, do you think have the best reputation locally.

USC
Chapman
Cal Arts (I think)
Long Beach
.... are a few that I can think of, but I'm familiar with their reputations. I can look up the school rankings list, but I'd like a local's perspective.

Thanks again guys.

[BRinSM]

if you wouldn't commute from burbank to westwood, that all but eliminates the other schools that you mentioned except for maybe usc. chapman is way down in orange and long beach is much farther from burbank than westwood. i'm not familiar at all with cal arts, so i can't offer any help there. you may check cal state la or northridge though, they may have the program you are looking for and they are fairly close to burbank. another private local school near you is occidental college in eagle rock.

[KnoxTown]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

if you wouldn't commute from burbank to westwood, that all but eliminates the other schools that you mentioned except for maybe usc. chapman is way down in orange and long beach is much farther from burbank than westwood. i'm not familiar at all with cal arts, so i can't offer any help there. you may check cal state la or northridge though, they may have the program you are looking for and they are fairly close to burbank. another private local school near you is occidental college in eagle rock.

Thanks. I say I won't but I may end up commuting.... it will really depend on how the schedule would work out, and if there was telecommuting available. I don't know, but I still have time to figure it out. I'm off today and bored out of my mind...

[ConsideringLA]

Knox -

That's excellent news. I am not familiar with that program, but wanted to give you some advice from an MBA who went to grad school nights and weekends:

- Accept with caution. Great that they're offering to pay -- what strings are attached? Sometimes employers ask you sign a contract indicating you would stay for a given period of time AFTER GRADUATION. I declined my former employer's offer to pay strictly because I didn't want that commitment and took the 'basic reimbursement' instead (which was a tiny fraction of tuition). Some of the best help an employer offers is actually the flexibility to leave early a few days a week / flex schedule. People overlook that vs. asking for reimbursement help.


- Don't settle. Your openness to commuting is great to see. I went to an "OK" school because they were convenient. In hind sight, I shouldn't have settled. I put in two years there and I "coulda been a contenda" somewhere else. Not a huge regret, but something to consider.

- Go now and jam. We had a little surprise in the middle of my program and added a little one to our family. I'm lucky to have an incredibly supportive wife, but it put a ton of pressure on her that could have been avoided if I had started one year earlier.

- Talk to alumni. The textbooks are all the same (I bought my books on half.com from Harvard and Princeton students). The coursework is very similar if not the same (most programs are accredited by the same accreditation body). Heck, the faculty are largely the same (adjunct profs are the staple of night school and teach all over). The difference in grad schools is actually the students. You don't want to be the smartest/most talented individual in the class, if you know what I mean.

Best of luck - we're all cheering you on from the forum!