EloiseGC

I'll be entering into my program in the fall for my PhD, and I also come from an Art History family. Dad, sister, and mother are PhDs or PhD candidates. Most places have an 18 hour credit requirement, even for MAs (and especially for those programs that actually fund their MA students). I would just take those few undergraduate classes as a special student (they'll still go on your transcript) at whatever university is closest and then apply the next application season. Take as many in a semester as you can handle, work, save money, get your application materials finalized.

Art History actually has slightly more job options than Religion, so it's a pretty good idea to switch. I would, however, suggest applying to PhD programs instead of MA programs, if you're willing to go the long haul. There are more programs willing to fund you if you go for a full PhD (though there are a handful that still fund MAs), and going into debt for a humanities degree can be pretty rough. It's not like becoming a medical doctor, where you start earning back money quickly upon finding employment. You seem to be a pretty strong candidate. I would suggest applying to Princeton, and maybe Rutgers. Princeton's Index of Christian Art is pretty fabulous, and if you attend Rutgers, you also have access to classes at Princeton. I've also heard Notre Dame has a good Medieval program...You should apply to a few out-of-country schools! Could be an exciting adventure, and lots of access to source material. Edit: Not knocking those who do take out loans for grad school, just acknowledging that paying back loans can be a total bitch!

I linked A WHOLE WEBSITE dedicated to the history of mirrors in art.... and she seems to have completely disregarded the resource because I didn't spell out the answer for her! Geesh.

If you looked through the blog I linked to, you would find many examples that might be helpful... There are a few medieval works discussed.

The use of mirrors to represent vanity in art goes back thousands of years. This incredibly random blog that talks about mirrors in art goes back to 2011. http://artmirrorsart.wordpress.com/

FSU's Anne Coldiron (she's amazing) could help you with that, though you might as well dive straight into your Lit PhD to work with her. I had her for a few undergraduate courses, and she was one of the best professors I've ever worked with. http://www.english.fsu.edu/faculty/acoldiron.htm

Oh, also, re: if people frequently study languages in English departments, any Medieval and Renaissance professor worth his or her spit probably knows Old English, Middle English, French, Latin, and maybe Anglo-Norman (at least to translating capability), so yeah, plenty of language study goes down in English departments.

The U.S. could use a better introduction to the awesome works created in Spain during the Renaissance. Lope de Vega was ten times the playwright that William Shakespeare was. Go into a straight Literature MA or PhD and have your area be Spanish Ren Lit. Not only will you carve out a less common niche for yourself academically (a boon when looking for jobs), you will also have the edge of already being very well acquainted with the language of the original texts. No text-in-translation for you! Not to mention the grant-funded research trips to Spain....

Cheers! Thanks for the reassurance! Ok, what the hell, I'll throw some cute baby memes your way.

I think that, to a certain extent, some of us might be suffering from pre-grad school Impostor Syndrom. From Wikipedia: "The impostor syndrome, sometimes called impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome, is a psychological phenomenon in which people are unable to internalize their accomplishments. Despite external evidence of their competence, those with the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome I mean, think about it. We spend months dealing with the grueling process of applying to schools, being judged, being rejected, feeling worthless when that one school cuts you, being disappointed, only to FINALLY have that perfect school descend down and pluck you from your despair. Okay, maybe that was just me! But really, after being rejected from so many mediocre schools, only to be accepted by one of my top schools? Breeding ground for self-doubt and the feeling that someone there made a mistake!

Apprehension is pretty normal for any big life event/milestone/change, so I'm pretty sure our anxieties will dissipate once we actually start school. I think that I'm mostly afraid that I won't be able to compete with my academic peers. It didn't take much effort for me to be one of the top students in my undergraduate program (I'm not trying to boast, I think I just figured out the formula for doing well in my classes pretty quickly), and so I'm terrified that I'm not actually as good as I believe I am. I'm thrilled that I got into such a great program, but now I'm anxious that I'm not going to be able to match the academic prowess of my fellow grad students. Blargh!

I've heard that Highland Park is the best place for grad students to live. I'm so excited to get a feel for the city! Any good coffee/tea shops? I need to find a nice cozy spot to hunker down and read... for the next five years....

Are any of y'all nervous or anxious about the upcoming semester? Apprehensive about moving to a new city, worried about how you'll get along with your advisor, or nervous about how you'll compare to your fellow graduate students? I figured that this community could probably provide more effective support/reassurance than most others! So, if you're all like we can and be because

Some of Kiki Smith's nudes miiiight be applicable, particularly those that deal with bodily fluids.

I would not wish the application process and the emotional toll of applying to grad school on my worst enemy. Prepare ye, the 2014-2015 application season is nye! Just the thought of applying makes me curl up and die a little bit on the inside. I don't think that my PTSD will allow me to advise prospective students yet. Being on the other side of this is the best thing ever.

I'm hoping to work in my state's compliance & review department (in the division of historical preservation) once I finish my coursework. They basically try to prevent developers and individuals from screwing up active or potential archaeological sites while taking legal action against those who do.

My fiance has worked in Tallahassee's food industry for a decent amount of time. If you're looking for more culinary-advanced restaurants, here are the places to look at (for this list, I'm only naming local places. We have some upper-level chain restaurants, like Ted's Montana Grill, Shula's, and Harry's Seafood, but I'm not sure that's what you're looking for): Cyprus, Sage, Kool Beanz, Mozaic, Clusters and Hops, Mockingbird Cafe, A La Provence, Marie Livingston's, Z Bhardi's, Avenue Eat and Drink, Andrew's 228, 101 Restaurant, Reangthai, Jasmine Cafe, Anthony's Wood Fire Grill, The Sidecar, The Front Porch, Food Glorious Food, Bella Bella, Masa, The Governor's Club, and apparently there's a new tapas bar called "Juicy Blue", but I've never been there and can't attest to its quality. If you're looking for work as a bartender, try Cyprus, Alchemy, The Sidecar, Clusters and Hops, Fermentation Lounge, Skyline Motor Lounge, the Governor's Club, Proof, Andrew's, The Filling Station, Tomahawk, The 5th Avenue Tap Room, or Level 8. I think Front Porch has a decent bar, too. Bird's isn't a bad place to work, either. Whatever you do, DO NOT APPLY AT WATERWORKS. You'll get a job, sure, but they don't pay their employees. Even if living off of tips works for you, you don't want to be working there when The Man catches up with the owner.

Honestly, and this is coming from a family with more Art History PhDs than I care to admit (I tried to avoid it as long as possible, but Art History sucked me back in!), the work YOU do is more important, job or PhD program-wise, than the place you go, or even than the advisor you have. The research you do matters more than where you go, and, when it plays a part at all, the place you get your PhD at matters more than where you get your Masters.

Two so-so years of your life (where, frankly, you won't be leaving the library, anyways), versus a decade of paying off loans and being broke...

NEVER pay for a humanities degree if you don't have to. $30,000 in debt for a degree that will earn you a job paying $30,000 a year? Not worth it. Follow your dream, but do so in the most financially responsible way!!!

Saul, if you're headed to FSU for philosophy, send me a pm. I'm friends with a bunch of people in the philosophy grad department, and I can hook you up with them.

Here's a good guide to some nearby natural and historic spots. I wouldn't suggest doing as many in a single day as the guide suggests! http://www.floridabigbendscenicbyway.org/explore/other.php Here's a pretty good swimming guide. Check out the rest of the website, too- it's for one of our local food co-ops. http://www.newleafmarket.coop/newsroom/newsletter/julaug-2008/how-make-splash-local-spots-take-dip

Ok, I'm here to pitch in my two cents. I'm a born-and-raised Tallahasseean, and I went to undergrad at FSU. If you look at Tallahassee as a couple-of-bars-and-two-or-three-movie-theaters type of town, it sucks. But it's so much more than that! You just have to seek it out. There are sinkholes to swim in (too deep for alligators and snakes, but fresh water! Score!), good bars with craft beer to drink at (Fermentation Lounge, Skyline Motor Lounge, Leon Pub [a smoking-friendly dive bar], and our speakeasy, Alchemy), and shenanigans to be had (movies at the dollar theater are nice, the comedy performances at the Mickey Faust Club House are a hoot, and the First Friday Gallery Hop is great). Tallahassee doesn't openly reveal itself to you, but when you actively look for it, there is a vibrant, locally-oriented culture there to experience and enjoy. A bit of advice: don't live near the campus if you don't have to. Have a car. Live in the Lafayette Park area, Indianhead, Myers Park area, near Lake Ella, or in Midtown. That's where most grad students reside (at least the ones worth knowing). Waterworks is another good bar- they have Science Salons every Thursday with a visiting lecturer and usually neat demos. The Hop Yard is a bar operated out of an old abandoned Coca-Cola factory from the 20's, and they play old movies on a projector on the side of the building. Visit the local museums, and if you go to the Knott House, ask them to show you their ghost photograph. Wakulla Springs is the best place to go on a hot Saturday. You might spot a manatee! Creature from the Black Lagoon was shot there, as were the old Tarzan movies. Lofty Pursuits has the best homemade ice cream in town. You can see all of Tallahassee from the viewing room at the top of the New Capitol, and you should tour the Old Capital museum sometime. The Tallahassee Museum is AMAZING, and you get to see a bunch of Florida wildlife. Mission San Luis is a DOG FRIENDLY MUSEUM! Black Dog is the best coffee shop in town, and it's on this fantastic little lake called Lake Ella that has an organic market every Wednesday afternoon. All Saints Cafe is the hipster Mecca, as is most of the Railroad Square/Gaines Street area. Crepe Vine is a local chain secretly owned by frat bros. I don't trust it. If you must go to the mall, go to the Governor's Square mall, not the Tallahassee Mall. The Tallahassee Mall is pretty empty and scary, though it has the only new bookstore in town, the better movie theater (besides the dollar theater), and the best and cheapest nail place. The Paperback Rack is the best used bookstore in town. Some of my favorite *local* restaurants: Far East Cuisine (Vietnamese/Thai) Tan's Asian (Chinese/Indonesian) Ming Tree Cafe (THE BEST CHINESE FOOD I'VE EVER HAD OUTSIDE OF CHINA) Kool Beanz Cafe- good for dates Sage- good for dates Mosaic- fancy restaurant with a surprisingly cheap and delicious lunch menu Sweet Pea Cafe- nice little vegan cafe Samrat- best Northern Indian cuisine Mayuri- best Southern Indian cuisine New Times Cafe- surprisingly delicious southern buffet. You wouldn't expect it, but it's really good. Go on Fridays or Saturdays for their fish fry. Shell's Oyster Bar- tiny little oyster shack, weird hours, only takes cash, great food. Bird's- dive bar with cheap oysters and an amazing burger and veggie burger. Get them with blackened seasoning. Trivia on Tuesdays, Comedy on Wednesdays, Karaoke on Thursdays. Mockingbird Cafe- date restaurant/good brunch spot Momos/Decent Pizza/Gaines Street Pizza- best pizza places in town. Befriend locals or been-here-long-enough-to-be-locals. We know where the cool stuff is at.

Well, there's always the CAA's (aptly named) "Art Journal"!

Haha, he or she is going to be in for such a rude awakening when he or she gets to his/her grad school. That's how you're supposed to say it, by the way. I'm not sure how many of us plebs would know that.