MyWorkIsDone

As far as I know, most of mine are looking for high verbal and writing scores, and maybe don't care as much about the quant. It's just really frustrating because I felt like I had done very well on the writing, and that all I had to worry about improving was the math. Nope...

I am having serious GRE trauma. Just got my final scores, and they are so not what I was hoping for. I got a 163 V, 139 Q (ouch), and a 4.0 AWA (49th percentile). Now, the math I'm not surprised about (and already ranted about in another post--sorry). But I really expected to do A LOT better on the writing. Because not to toot my own horn, but writing is kind of my thang. Or at least I thought it was. Seriously though, I've always been a really good writer (maybe to compensate for my abysmal math skills). I just don't understand how this happened. What did I do wrong? Does anyone have any insight or words of wisdom? I'm a third year now, not applying until fall 2014, so I will definitely be retaking it. I've signed up for a math prep course, but what should I do about the writing??? My advisor here tells me that my writing sample is great, and that I have "a talent for verbal expression", so I just don't understand what went wrong and I'm feeling super down about it right now.

I wish I could help you I too am having HUGE amounts of trouble with the quant section. I've always been really awful at math, so I put in hours and hours of prep time and still did terrible (139). I just signed up for a prep course at my college, and it seems to be helping, at least according to my practice tests. It was pretty cheap (comparatively), at about $15 per class. If you're in school right now I'd see if your school has something like that. Local community colleges often do prep courses that you can enroll in even if you're not a student there. Wish I had some more helpful advice, but hopefully we'll work it out!

Well, it is official-- I hate the GRE. I just got back from the test and my unofficial score was not what I had hoped for at all. I did alright on verbal with a 163, but got an appalling 139 on quant. I can't say it's a huge surprise, since I've always had HUGE problems with math to the point of sometimes not even being able to do simple multiplication, but it's definitely disheartening nonetheless. I'm a junior now, applying to PhD programs in photo history next fall. I know everyone says the verbal is more important, but won't a 139 quant count me out immediately? I know I'll definitely have to take the test again, but I'm not sure how much I can improve my math score. This was with tons of studying from books, practice tests, etc. And I can't afford those fancy prep classes either. However, I'm pretty confident that I could do better on verbal. I was so panicked about the math that I didn't study at all for verbal, which I know was a mistake. I'll stop myself before this turns into a rant. I guess I'd love to hear opinions, advice.....words of consolation....... hah. Thanks!

This past summer I worked at an arts camp as a photography teacher. My major is photography and I'm applying for history of photo PhD programs next year (I'm a junior now). I'm trying to decide if I should go back to work at the camp again this summer. The problem is that I really feel like I should be working at a museum or getting some kind of internship that's more related to art history. I do have a museum internship lined up in London for next fall (2013), but wouldn't it be best to have more than one internship on my application? I really really loved working at camp and would love to go back (and it also pays really well, which would be helpful considering I'll be abroad for the semester immediately following it). Sorry this is turning into a ramble. Basically I'm wondering if the camp job is going to look like nonsense to an admissions committee. What do you think?

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I hadn't considered Rutgers, but I had no idea Zervigon was even there--I've been using his work on John Heartfield for a thesis paper and I'm kind of obsessed with his ideas right now, so it's pretty exciting to think that he could potentially be my advisor!

I'm currently finishing up my undergrad in photography at RIT, and I must say I've come to appreciate Rochester more than I ever expected. I initially hated it up here, but once I started leaving campus and exploring the city I realized that it's really a very interesting place. Now that I live downtown rather than on campus I find it a lot easier to get involved in the community and feel like I'm part of something outside of the "RIT bubble" (not that I hate RIT, I just find it a bit claustrophobic at times). The one specific question I can answer from cornflower is that the RTS bus system is just absolutely awful (at least the 24 route anyway). It is unreliable and incredibly slow. Every year RIT students propose some new initiative for improving the public transportation to downtown but it never seems to pan out. Personally I don't think I could survive in this place without a car.

Just want to say thanks to everyone who's posted on this thread. I'm looking into PhD programs in Art History (specifically History of Photography) and UNM is one of my top choices right now. It's definitely helpful to hear so many well-informed opinions of the city!!

To be honest it doesn't sound like she knows you very well, and that might make it difficult for her to add personal details about you (which from what I've heard is what the admissions officials really want to see). BUT I definitely don't see any harm in meeting with her and letting her know how much you enjoyed the class and how it impacted you. You may find that you really connect with her, and that she would be a good recommender after all!

I'm sure you've already found a place by now (I hope), but in case anyone else is wondering the same thing I may as well put in my two cents. As someone who was born and raised in Suffolk County until I moved away for undergrad a few years ago, I can safely say that the quality of housing and towns varies considerably throughout the county, and even within towns. For example my family lives in Islip Hamlet near the beach. Our part of town is middle class and very nice, but if you walk just ten minutes down the road you get to areas that you would never want to be caught in after dark on your own. Having said this, I now live in a very low income area of downtown Rochester, which I personally think is about 50x more dangerous than any part of Suffolk. Really, even the "bad" parts of LI aren't that bad when you compare them to other cities. On another note (and you're probably aware of this), cost of living on Long Island is one of the highest in the country, and it can be pretty tough to find a "cheap" place to rent in one of the really nice upscale areas. Sometimes a nice apartment is the best option.

Hey all! I posted a question yesterday about the feasibility of going straight for a PhD from undergrad. Today I'm wondering if anyone has any advice on actual programs to look at for specializing in the history of photography. At this point I'm looking for a mix of MA and PhD programs (although I really want the PhD, I figure it's best to have some backups just in case they don't want me). I'm looking at UNM, UT Austin, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, and some CUNYs. I'm still a third year undergrad so I have some time to narrow this down. Does anyone have any opinions on the programs I've mentioned or ideas for other ones for me to look at? Thanks!!

Hi everyone! I'm currently in my third year of undergrad with a Fine Art Photography major and a minor in art history. At this point I am very confident that I want to study history of photography for my grad degree, and I really do want to go for the PhD. Since I've decided this I thought it seemed logical to apply to programs that accept people straight from undergrad (without a MA). I have a high GPA, I'm in my school's Honors Program, I have a lot of teaching experience in art history, and I'm working hard on prepping for the GRE. However I really don't have any museum or gallery experience, which I'm obviously super concerned about. I do have a museum internship lined up in London for next fall semester, so I will definitely have at least one internship under my belt by the time I apply. My question is, are these programs significantly more competitive than the Masters' programs, and do I have any shot of getting in at all? Any other random advice regarding this decision would be appreciated as well! Thanks!