Stories of graduate school life from students actually living it. Go Inside as we cut to the chase on what grad school is really like.

Ashley Duffalo recently completed a one-year Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Painting at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She holds a B.A. in Art from The College of William and Mary, a private liberal arts school in Williamsburg, Virginia, and spent a semester studying Painting at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. Ashley came into the program with two years of experience as Education Curator at the Riverside Art Museum. She is currently working at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and preparing her portfolio to apply for M.F.A. programs in Painting. "Art is an exciting, creative, and thought-provoking field. It's something I always want to be a part of."

Getting in
It took me about two months to get my application together. It involved a statement of purpose, a resume, transcripts, and a portfolio. Putting together my portfolio was the most difficult part. I made the mistake of using old class work, which didn't reflect my personal direction and decision-making. Graduate programs want to see a cohesive portfolio that reflects decisive intentions, not assignments carried out to satisfy a professor. I should have started shooting my slides much earlier so that they looked more professional. I think it was the work I did at the Riverside Art Museum and my educational background at The College of William and Mary that got me in.

Living the Life
During the school year, I chose to live off-campus in my own apartment. I attended classes in the morning, came home for dinner and some playtime with my cat Smaug, and then back off to the studio. I worked late into the night, so mornings were the most difficult part of the day. I spent fifteen to twenty hours per week in classes, twenty to twenty-five additional hours working in my studio, and twenty to twenty-five hours waitressing. Needless to say, I didn't have much time to socialize. When I did meet with friends, it was only for a few hours once or, at most, twice a week. At first, it felt like all work, but as I got more comfortable with the other students, I started feeling like I belonged in school and then the work felt fun. Come in ready to work hard--but learn to have fun doing it, or it will be a long year!

The Scoop
My first challenge going into the program was readjusting to school life. I took out private loans to pay my rent, but still needed to work to stay afloat. I'd been out of school for four years and forgot how difficult it is to balance school and a job.

Finding my artistic voice was my next challenge. The program itself lacked organization, but my professors were helpful and in time, they came to serve as great mentors and resources. They taught me the importance of working through an idea in order to get as close to it as possible and fully understand its potential. I also learned how to talk about my work and how to develop a closer relationship to my ideas and my practice. Sharing ideas with my classmates (very fun and educational) created an instant art community, which was so important in sustaining myself as an artist. My fellow students were serious artists--creative and hard-working. Unfortunately, this was accompanied by lots of ego and competition.

The Future
While you may not have heard of post-baccalaureate study, it is an excellent option for students, like me, who have a bachelor's degree and art experience but did not attend an undergraduate art school. The program helped me develop my portfolio and I feel confident applying to M.F.A. programs. It also helped snag me an internship at the Walker Art Center, where I now work full-time as Program Director with their Family Programs division.