By Ali Pechman

Raquel found out last Tuesday that a wrench had been thrown into her Parsons plan.  Raquel was told she would find out if she had been accepted to Parsons School of Design in November, but November came and went and she received no decision.  She then called the Admissions Office and was told the Admissions Office was unsure when she would get word.  Her mother later called and was told decisions would probably be mailed in February, after the Feb. 1 deadline. 

“I don’t know what’s going on right now,” she said. “I’m kind of in the dark.”

Raquel submitted her application in October since Parsons usually uses a form of rolling admissions, she said.  The Parsons website currently gives no indication of their method or any set date when decisions will be available. 

Raquel refrains from accusing Parsons of being wishy-washy, she simply feels there is a lack of information and she cannot do anything about it. 

“I feel like it’s out of my control and I’m not going to try to control it,” she said, calling this her new motto.

With her application and portfolio already submitted and an on-campus interview under her belt, she feels there is nothing she can do now but wait.

“If there’s something I’m supposed to be doing, I’m not doing it.”

She has narrowed down her list now to only one other school, the Chicago Institute of Art, another big-city art and design school. 

The Institute uses a form of immediate-decision, much like Bard College does, so Raquel may visit the school in February during which she would have an interview and display her portfolio.  She would then hear from the school within a few days about whether she had been accepted. 

Raquel still does not know whether she will even apply there since she may find out from Parsons before the immediate-decision visiting days are held, in which case she would not apply to the Chicago Institute of Art.  

But though her college list is already very small, it’s really even smaller.

“I don’t have any interest in Chicago,” she said.  “I’m just applying because I should.”

Raquel has expressed interest in the past of transferring if not accepted to Parsons this year, since art schools’ curriculum allows for easy transfers. 

In the first year, called the Foundation Year, students learn about a variety of art forms, then pick their major for sophomore year to study exclusively, so Raquel feels she could easily do Foundation Year somewhere else then switch to Parsons.

Right now, Raquel is in limbo.  She may even find out before February whether she has been accepted; she just doesn’t know. 

“For a while it upset me; in the past it would have upset me, but by not trying to control it, I’m not getting upset. “

She does have advice to all those seniors waiting for their decisions this week.

“Once you’ve done it (applications), and there’s nothing you can do, just chill out,” she said. “If you do, you’re golden.”