U/RTA’s is a fantastic resource if you have decided you want to go on to grad school.  It is a conference that takes place in three different locations in the country early in the year.  You need to sign up for this early in the school year if you intend to go, so don’t miss the deadline. 

Basically, you arrive there early in the morning and set up a table with your portfolio work.  You get a table and a bulletin board propped behind it to display on.  It will be to your benefit to think presentation before you go.  Bring a couple boxes and some drapey fabric to give your display levels, and some project work like models to display on those levels.  You will also want to think about what to put on the bulletin board.  Then, once you are set up, you leave for a few hours.  Representatives from different U/RTA’s eligible schools get to look at all the displays, kind of like judges at a science fair.  If they like your work, they will sign up for a time slot in which to interview you.  You come back at the appointed time and begin a parade of 15 minute interviews with the different schools that liked your work.  At the end of it, you leave knowing nothing.  In a few weeks some schools may offer assistantships or admission deals. 

If I had it to do over again, I would have thought harder about my display, however I was limited in that I flew to U/RTA's so everything had to fit on the plane with me.  I was impressive enough, however.  I received an overwhelming number of offers, but it did make deciding on a school easier, because I chose from schools I knew were interested in me, and in the end I was paid a stipend to attend grad school that covered much of my living expenses as well as tuition, health coverage and all my school expenses.

 You can also apply directly to schools.  If you know which schools you are interested in, or if you have an interest in Yale or other programs that do not participate in U/RTAs, then this is the route to take.  You’ll probably have to travel to each school individually with your portfolio for an interview, and apply to each school independently and pay their application fee so this method is likely to cost you some money.  Also, non U/RTA schools are less likely to offer assistantships, so you'll likely pay more to attend too.

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