BuddingScholar

That's absolutely priceless!!! I had to share with my advisor.

35

What do you think of Syracuse, Wellesley, UT Austin, Wisconsin-Madison, Chapel Hill and U Boston? Do you know anything about them?

poliscar, my area of interest is actually history of photography (first half of the 20th cent). In fact, McCauley is my dream POI. I will apply anywhere she is when it comes time. You are right, Canada does have some really good programs I ought to consider. Interesting enough, I just met one of the Harvard grad two days ago at a library here in Paris. He told me that he had attended a very small school in Canada, so he decided to go for his master at McGill before applying to a PhD. He is in Harvard now under Buchloh. Very nice and unpretentious guy (contrary to the image I had of Harvard students). Thank you for the tips!!!

Since I am finishing my undergraduated in a pretty obscure small university with little to no tradition of scholarship in our area, I think I should consider applying to a Masters first in some place more reputable in order to increase my chances of getting in a Phd program where I REALLY want to go. I want to study under major names (Foster, Nemerov, McCauley, Bryan-Wilson, etc, etc, etc). Can you guys help me compile a list of the best master programs in art history, please? In and/or out of the country. Thank you so much in advance!

It's funny that you said that about the GRE scores, I emailed them just a couple of days ago to find out what happened. Congratulations!!!

At the top beneath "thegradcafe.com" logo. Second to last item on the menu "Results Search." Voila.

I am out of the country this time, and was wondering if anyone here attended CAA this year? If so, would you care to share what you liked, did not like as much, etc? Any interesting new work? etc, etc, etc.

First of all, congratulations!!!!! And how did you hear about Duke?

I remember seeing in late January or early February a lonely soul posting that she or he had been invited to the "finalists" week(end) at U Michigan. Did anyone else get the invitation? Has anyone heard anything (at all) back from U Mich?

Chulianne: You make some very interesting and important points here. Last November, I exchanged a few emails with a potential POI and she basically told me the same thing. Afraid of sounding stupid, I avoided asking what do they consider "too broad" or "too narrow" as research interest. I did struggle with this question, and as a result, I am afraid I ended up being too broad. Would you mind giving us a good example of what a "perfect" description of "interests, methodologies and thematic resonances..." looks like? Other people are more than welcomed to contribute here also. Perhaps those who have already gone thru, and are done, with this may not mind sharing with us a phrase or two from their original SoP. Pardon me if I am asking for too much.

Dear friends, I honestly wish I'd known this website much earlier in the process. Just by reading the back and forth between you guys, I have gained an understanding of the admission process that would have proven useful when I was still working on my application. I guess this was my first time doing this and I know now that I made TONS of mistakes; several of them already pinpointed by many of the comments here. Though the game is not over until is over, it will be a miracle if I get in this year. I am confident though that I will put a very competitive application together next year, and hopefully the results will be different. Modesty aside, I do not think I am the worst candidate ever. Of course, any improvement to my app next year will not have been possible without your invaluable help! There is truly a lot of great advice here. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

This is truly remarkable! Still laughing.

I had similar experiences with contacting a couple of POIs. I decided not to apply to a couple of Ivy schools also because the professors didn't even have the courtesy of responding to my emails. My POI at Princeton, on the other hand, was extremely helpful, resourceful and kind all along; what was already my top choice became "sort of" an obsession. Needless to say, I felt awful when rejected. At the end of the day, it all boils down to the fact that I am probably not Princeton material. But I do want to become one, and now I am wondering what I can do to spark their interest in me.

Since the results started to come out and things are already not looking good, I cannot help but start to wonder what I will do differently next year? I know the game is not over yet, but I am preparing myself for the worst. I thought I would start this thread to discuss ideas about what one could do to improve his/her chances next time. In my case... . Improve my GRE scores substantially . Be published (though I do not know how to do this when all I have is an underg degree) . Find a job/internship in Museum/Gallery . Apply to more schools and study even more in depth research interests of potential POIs . Write a "much better" SOP (I heard from one of schools I was rejected (from the POI) that my SOP was actually one of the best they had this year -- yet I didn't get in) ..... I don't know what else!

Heard back... Rejected! Oh well... I guess I now have Paris to console me. : (

How did you guys hear from Princeton? I haven't received an email nor does it show any online updates on my application.

I was hoping to join the chippendales, but was made aware of my physical "inadequacies." I guess that's what prompted me to study the "beautiful" instead. Anyway, I want to become a professor and researcher. I do hope, however, to do some curatorial work during my grad school years.

First of all, a master will NOT keep you from being accepted into a Ph.D. program. Check the websites of the programs you are hoping to getting in, and look at current graduate students profiles. You will notice that, in fact, most of them started their PhDs with a masters already. Second of all, I contacted two POIs from "very" competitive programs and both said that they love [their word] when students come in with experience as an artist. You have an ABSOLUTELY amazing profile, and I think you are a strong candidate ready to get in pretty much anywhere you want. Best of luck...

Princeton received over 500 apps this year, is this true? How did people learn about this? Would the person who was accepted by UC Berkeley mind telling us how you heard about it? Email from POI, official from grad school, etc? If from POI, did you have any prior contacts with your future advisor? By the way, CONGRATULATIONS! It looks like results are starting to come out. OMG!!!!

Congratulations!!!!!

Ouch!

I think it is a great thing that people go to Museums, and I honestly wish more people went. I know it sounds contradictory to what I have said before, but my issue has really to do with those (rich or poor, educated or uneducated, well-dressed or not) who are disrespectful of the works and the other patrons there. In fact, I am a lot more upset with those who are supposedly "educated," and yet, behave inappropriately in these places. I do believe that there is a proper way of behaving in a museum though. The data you shared is very interesting. I'd also be curious to see an updated version of it, though I fear it hasn't changed substantially, if at all. By the way, ooohh noo... I don't want only the "ordained" to be granted access to Museums. I do think that the "ordained" should work towards getting more converts though, which is why [especially for first timers] the museum experience should be mediated. Yet, I know how unfeasible and unrealistic my proposal is. In the end, I think I just have to get over myself and stop being so elitist and uptight. Let me ask you though, what do you think is the value of spending 3/4 seconds in front of an artwork? If I am not mistaken, this is the amount of time, on average, people spend "appreciating" a work of art in Museums; and that's accounting for those spending an hour/piece.

Congratulations on your first acceptance. That's truly awesome!

asdf123: I didn't mean to sound facile and oversimplify what, in fact, is a much richer and deeply layered subject. It was certainly not my intention to propose any sort of dialectical resolution either. I understand that my rhetoric sounded very much like "half-empty-glass," and I guess, in hindsight, it was supposed to sound that way, since I merely meant to express my feelings and wondered if anyone felt the same way. Perhaps I am a romantic, or simply crazy, but museums and libraries are sort of sanctuaries for me. I think that everyone should genuflect at the entrance of these places, and immediately adopt a posture of absolute respect, religiosity and devotion to the content inside. Thus, anytime I am confronted with the opposite I am often dismayed and annoyed. --- honestly, just a personal thing --- I am constantly criticizing myself for being so uptight and tough on people, but believe me, I am equally harder, in fact, a lot harder on myself. On a different note, I think you ask fantastic questions here, but I will not pretend to know the answers to any of them. Even though I find the subject intriguing, I must confess that I have not properly studied/researched this topic before. I would be curious, however, to hear what you [or anyone else] have to say. Thanks for acknowledging my comment.