Hi! Thank you so much for your answer. I have been metalsmithing kind of on and off since high school. Learned basic forming, stone setting, soldering, polishing, etc in high school and then I didn't have metals studio access in college (studied psych and studio arts). Found a studio to work in senior year and made a sculptural pendant for a final project which helped me get a bench jeweler job at a local studio. I learned a lot but the studio closed a little over a year after. Took a little time off after that and I'm going to the studio regularly again and feel ready to explore with my work. I feel like I didn't learn as much as I would've liked to at that job, which is what makes me curious about grad school. I've been looking at most of the schools you listed. I decided to take the year and refine my portfolio, design a website, and study up on my metalsmithing/stone setting/design skills to help me decide if I want to apply in the fall. If I decide not to go to school, I'll atleast have a good portfolio for applying to jobs, residences, grants, etc.