ETSU Photo Alumni Series: Megan G. King
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| Megan G. King |
Megan G. King is a photographer and editor from Bristol, Tennessee. King graduated with both a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2013 from East Tennessee State University. King's work has been featured in Oxford American's Eyes on the South, NPR's CodeSwitch, Politico Magazine and The Bitter Southerner, among others. King is also on the editorial board for Looking at Appalachia. She has exhibited regionally and her work is in the permanent collection at Duke University. King has recently begun her graduate studies at Syracuse University.
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| Megan G. King |
What is the process like when applying for graduate schools?
I'm not entirely sure how to answer this yet. It was great and terrible. I put a lot of pressure on myself. To begin with I briefly looked into all the schools I thought might be worth checking out. That was maybe 20+ schools. Then I factored in program length, professors at each school, students that graduated from these schools, tuition, location etc. Primarily, faculty played the biggest role. I asked a lot of questions before applying. I asked people at some of the schools I was considering questions about the program and the other students. I asked people I admire, who know me pretty well, and have a better sense of the reputations programs carry their thoughts on the schools I was thinking about. Other people offered their own opinions and I took anything and everything into consideration, even if just for a second. The hardest part was writing about myself for each school. Maybe that is easier for others. Choosing my images one of the easiest tasks.
I'm not entirely sure how to answer this yet. It was great and terrible. I put a lot of pressure on myself. To begin with I briefly looked into all the schools I thought might be worth checking out. That was maybe 20+ schools. Then I factored in program length, professors at each school, students that graduated from these schools, tuition, location etc. Primarily, faculty played the biggest role. I asked a lot of questions before applying. I asked people at some of the schools I was considering questions about the program and the other students. I asked people I admire, who know me pretty well, and have a better sense of the reputations programs carry their thoughts on the schools I was thinking about. Other people offered their own opinions and I took anything and everything into consideration, even if just for a second. The hardest part was writing about myself for each school. Maybe that is easier for others. Choosing my images one of the easiest tasks.
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| Megan G. King |
How many schools did you decide to apply to after considering all of those factors?
I applied to 5.
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| Megan G. King |
Was it important for you to choose a school with faculty members whose personal work was related to yours?
No. Not really. It was more about if they were making work I was interested in. That might mean that there are parallels between our work, but it was not a requirement.
No. Not really. It was more about if they were making work I was interested in. That might mean that there are parallels between our work, but it was not a requirement.
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| Megan G. King |
What factors led to you choosing Syracuse?
Syracuse, for obvious reasons, was at the top of my list throughout the entire process, but I was doubtful that it would be feasible to attend, if accepted. So, once I applied and interviewed with some schools, I made campus visits and started to get a feel for the kind of atmosphere I wanted to work in. I received a generous offer from another school and was strongly considering them. After interviewing with Syracuse I tried my best to decide which program would be the best fit for me. I talked to a former ETSU and Syracuse graduate which was incredibly helpful.
Syracuse was able to secure me some pretty good funding for my first year, but I didn't feel like I could make a secure decision without visiting the campus, so, two days before I had to make a decision that's what I did. I liked that Syracuse has 4 great photo professors. I was able to talk with each one of them individually when I visited. I spent a good amount of time with students, talked with students about their work, sat in on a graduate seminar. I found that I preferred a program with more students. Lightwork is obviously an incredible resource. Syracuse was just a great fit for me. Visiting programs easily played the largest role in my decision making.
Syracuse was able to secure me some pretty good funding for my first year, but I didn't feel like I could make a secure decision without visiting the campus, so, two days before I had to make a decision that's what I did. I liked that Syracuse has 4 great photo professors. I was able to talk with each one of them individually when I visited. I spent a good amount of time with students, talked with students about their work, sat in on a graduate seminar. I found that I preferred a program with more students. Lightwork is obviously an incredible resource. Syracuse was just a great fit for me. Visiting programs easily played the largest role in my decision making.
To see more work from Megan, visit the artist's website at www.megangking.com
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