brown_eyed_girl

At my program you are not required to be on-site during breaks, and many people spend the summer doing language intensives like Middlebury, researching, traveling, etc. In fact, my adviser specifically recommended that I do a summer language intensive instead of taking language courses during the school year. Each program is different but generally I think your plan to do language in the summers would be fine. 

It's hard to say what exactly got me in, but if I were going to try to help someone shooting for humanities PhD programs, what seemed to work for me was:
 
- I built relationships with professors during undergrad. This is the single biggest thing that I think helped me get into grad school. When I found a professor I liked, I tried to take multiple classes with them so that they could get to know my work and style. I did a summer abroad intensive with one prof. I was a paid reader for another prof. I stayed in touch with other professors and asked questions about their subjects when it was relevant. These professors got to know me and my work pretty well, and I'm sure my letters were much stronger for it. The power of this goes beyond letters though - these professors were instrumental in setting up job opportunities for me that led to paid work in my field, which I think was huge for my applications. 
 
- Write a thesis. At my undergrad, a thesis was not required, but could be arranged as an independent honors project. If I hadn't done one of these, I'd have been stuck without any writing samples. Granted, I don't think my thesis was great and it required a ton of reworking and editing before I used it as a writing sample. But it was hugely helpful that I had formulated an idea for it and done a lot of research for it as an undergrad student, and I think the fact that I did one when it wasn't required showed some commitment.
 
- Be succinct in your writing sample. I'm sure there are many schools of thought on this, but I kept mine straightforward and to the point. I talked about my area of interest, explained my prior experience and why it prepared me well for doctoral study, and discussed why the schools I was applying to (and the POI at each school) made sense for my goals. I figured committees don't have much time for each app, so I tried to keep my statement on point and free of superfluous info (no irrelevant stuff about my path, why I like my field, blah, blah, blah - I tried to frame my interests within the current trends of scholarship in my field).  
 
- GRE wise, I found the (free) Magoosh GRE vocab app to be good for memorizing dictionary definitions and giving me extra confidence on the verbal section. I did not do well on the math, but I think having a strong verbal score (96th percentile) at least kept me in the running. Obviously this advice is specific to humanities programs, which don't put much weight on math. I just knew I needed to do well on verbal, and I found that having a large arsenal of definitions memorized help me be confident on the test. 
 
- Avoid over-saturated topics/have slightly unusual interests. Obviously you can't really choose this if you just happen to love something popular... but if you're trying to decide to apply to study one topic versus another, and you don't feel strongly either way, you're probably more likely to get in studying the less popular one and be more likely to have something interesting and new to say about it. You're also probably more likely to get into a better program or work with a more senior scholar in the field if the field you choose is a little less popular. In my field, this means that you will probably have better luck getting into a top program if you're studying 13th century Japanese scroll paintings than Andy Warhol. Not saying you should choose your field based on this, but you might have an opportunity to stand out more if your interests tend toward a less trendy topic. 

My program took over 3 weeks from the time my POI contacted me to say I'd been "recommended for admission by the department" and getting the official GSAS letter. To reiterate what I'm sure you've heard, it seems to be a formality, but that didn't stop me from being slightly paranoid until I got the final word. 

You may also want to look at U of Michigan (Nachiket Chanchani), NYU (Barry Flood, Dipti Khera), and UCLA (Saloni Mathur, Bob Brown). I'd also consider which schools are located in cities with substantial South Asian collections, and which schools have strong language and history departments to supplement the art history training (since few places have more than one South Asian specialist in Art History, and you may want to have adjacent fields available to you). Boston, NY, and LA all have very good South Asian museum collections, for example - which could prove a useful resource to your study and also be potential places to intern or work. 

It's hard to say what exactly got me in, but if I were going to try to help someone shooting for humanities PhD programs, what seemed to work for me was:
 
- I built relationships with professors during undergrad. This is the single biggest thing that I think helped me get into grad school. When I found a professor I liked, I tried to take multiple classes with them so that they could get to know my work and style. I did a summer abroad intensive with one prof. I was a paid reader for another prof. I stayed in touch with other professors and asked questions about their subjects when it was relevant. These professors got to know me and my work pretty well, and I'm sure my letters were much stronger for it. The power of this goes beyond letters though - these professors were instrumental in setting up job opportunities for me that led to paid work in my field, which I think was huge for my applications. 
 
- Write a thesis. At my undergrad, a thesis was not required, but could be arranged as an independent honors project. If I hadn't done one of these, I'd have been stuck without any writing samples. Granted, I don't think my thesis was great and it required a ton of reworking and editing before I used it as a writing sample. But it was hugely helpful that I had formulated an idea for it and done a lot of research for it as an undergrad student, and I think the fact that I did one when it wasn't required showed some commitment.
 
- Be succinct in your writing sample. I'm sure there are many schools of thought on this, but I kept mine straightforward and to the point. I talked about my area of interest, explained my prior experience and why it prepared me well for doctoral study, and discussed why the schools I was applying to (and the POI at each school) made sense for my goals. I figured committees don't have much time for each app, so I tried to keep my statement on point and free of superfluous info (no irrelevant stuff about my path, why I like my field, blah, blah, blah - I tried to frame my interests within the current trends of scholarship in my field).  
 
- GRE wise, I found the (free) Magoosh GRE vocab app to be good for memorizing dictionary definitions and giving me extra confidence on the verbal section. I did not do well on the math, but I think having a strong verbal score (96th percentile) at least kept me in the running. Obviously this advice is specific to humanities programs, which don't put much weight on math. I just knew I needed to do well on verbal, and I found that having a large arsenal of definitions memorized help me be confident on the test. 
 
- Avoid over-saturated topics/have slightly unusual interests. Obviously you can't really choose this if you just happen to love something popular... but if you're trying to decide to apply to study one topic versus another, and you don't feel strongly either way, you're probably more likely to get in studying the less popular one and be more likely to have something interesting and new to say about it. You're also probably more likely to get into a better program or work with a more senior scholar in the field if the field you choose is a little less popular. In my field, this means that you will probably have better luck getting into a top program if you're studying 13th century Japanese scroll paintings than Andy Warhol. Not saying you should choose your field based on this, but you might have an opportunity to stand out more if your interests tend toward a less trendy topic. 

I got in with a 4.0 undergrad GPA from a public university, some work and internship experience, and a 166 V on the GRE (and an embarrassingly bad math score). I expect my rec letters were very good as well (and I tended to get in the places where recommenders knew profs). Did not talk with advisor prior to admittance except to email and ask whether they were taking students. I disagree with Betsy -- most of the other admits I met were not "older with MAs" or Ivy Leaguers -- yes, some were, but I found a mix of people. About half of my prospective cohort came with just BAs, the other half had MAs; of the BA-only group, some of us had some work experience and others came directly from undergrad. Also saw a mix of private and public schools, low-ranking to high-ranking. 

I think it depends a lot on how the department in question does admissions and whether the prof completely peaces out for the sabbatical or whether they still stick around for things that affect them beyond their sabbatical year. For example, in the departments I've been in, some profs on sabbatical will come back for the admissions committee meetings and for new student Open House days so that when they return in 2017, they can resume research with new students right away. Other profs prefer to take the time completely off and they don't worry about not having any students when they return in 2017 because they can wait until 2018. 
So I think the best advice is what @menge said---contact them and ask if they will be interested in taking students for a Fall 2017 start.

I was admitted many moons ago (i.e 6-9 years ago). I didn't have an MA, but I did have an excellent GPA from an elite SLAC. My math and writing scores were not remarkable but my verbal scores were in the 99th percentile. What matters, beyond excellent grades and a pedigree, is having a coherent research agenda and clear understanding of the stakes in your proposed area of study. Some people need an MA to get to that point; others don't. 

I never limit the amount I eat, but I do stick to minimally processed plant-based meals, and 95% of my meals are homemade so I know exactly what goes into them. My diet is based around whole grains, vegetables, and legumes; within that, there are endless variations if you have a pantry well-stocked with various staples and seasonings and learn to make some good sauces/dressings, etc. I don't buy much snack food; instead, I eat things like fruit, trail mix, or hummus with pita and veggies between meals. I never get bored or feel deprived because I get full on foods that are nutritious and hearty, and I've cooked for myself enough to know how to make things I like, without an undue investment of time. I also aim for making large enough batches that I have leftovers throughout the week, and proportion them out into meal-size containers so that it's easy to grab my day's lunch as I'm headed out the door, which means I'm less tempted to eat out (plus I save money that way). It requires a little extra forethought and an investment of time in experimenting to figure out what you like, but it's really a very simple method and works well for me. 

I never limit the amount I eat, but I do stick to minimally processed plant-based meals, and 95% of my meals are homemade so I know exactly what goes into them. My diet is based around whole grains, vegetables, and legumes; within that, there are endless variations if you have a pantry well-stocked with various staples and seasonings and learn to make some good sauces/dressings, etc. I don't buy much snack food; instead, I eat things like fruit, trail mix, or hummus with pita and veggies between meals. I never get bored or feel deprived because I get full on foods that are nutritious and hearty, and I've cooked for myself enough to know how to make things I like, without an undue investment of time. I also aim for making large enough batches that I have leftovers throughout the week, and proportion them out into meal-size containers so that it's easy to grab my day's lunch as I'm headed out the door, which means I'm less tempted to eat out (plus I save money that way). It requires a little extra forethought and an investment of time in experimenting to figure out what you like, but it's really a very simple method and works well for me. 

Thanks for all the useful suggestions and perspectives. It's definitely intimidating going from being out of school for a year with only an undergrad degree and going into a PhD program, and since I'm the type who needs a lot of down time, I'm glad to hear work-life balance being emphasized so heavily here.
 
I won't start grad school till fall so I can't give any advice on that yet, but I am a big believer in taking time to recharge. I meditate daily, sometimes just for 15 minutes if that's all I have and sometimes a full half an hour. I know that it has made me more focused and engaged in various areas of my life, so I'm betting that will be a big part of maintaining my sanity in grad school. I can definitely be a Type A and want to go from one thing to the next, so meditation is a way to force myself to slow down, really pay attention to how I'm feeling physically and emotionally, and refocus myself. Plus there's pretty much a new study every week touting the benefits of mindfulness meditation - from increasing compassion to improving sleep quality and reducing depression. 
 
Grad school is very important to me, but I think it's also really important to devote time to the things that really matter most to us. I will not sacrifice my relationships on the altar of scholarship; my loved ones need to know I'm there for them, just as I know they'll be there for me. I hope that I'll continue to volunteer with kids once a week, making time for something beyond myself. I won't give up cooking myself nutritious meals. Being a student will be a huge part of my identity, but it can't be all of it. When I'm struggling on a project (and I'm sure that day will come) I want to know that I am worth more than that project. At the end of the day, it's just school! I want to do my best, but I don't think that has to come at the exclusion of everything else. 

Thanks for all the useful suggestions and perspectives. It's definitely intimidating going from being out of school for a year with only an undergrad degree and going into a PhD program, and since I'm the type who needs a lot of down time, I'm glad to hear work-life balance being emphasized so heavily here.
 
I won't start grad school till fall so I can't give any advice on that yet, but I am a big believer in taking time to recharge. I meditate daily, sometimes just for 15 minutes if that's all I have and sometimes a full half an hour. I know that it has made me more focused and engaged in various areas of my life, so I'm betting that will be a big part of maintaining my sanity in grad school. I can definitely be a Type A and want to go from one thing to the next, so meditation is a way to force myself to slow down, really pay attention to how I'm feeling physically and emotionally, and refocus myself. Plus there's pretty much a new study every week touting the benefits of mindfulness meditation - from increasing compassion to improving sleep quality and reducing depression. 
 
Grad school is very important to me, but I think it's also really important to devote time to the things that really matter most to us. I will not sacrifice my relationships on the altar of scholarship; my loved ones need to know I'm there for them, just as I know they'll be there for me. I hope that I'll continue to volunteer with kids once a week, making time for something beyond myself. I won't give up cooking myself nutritious meals. Being a student will be a huge part of my identity, but it can't be all of it. When I'm struggling on a project (and I'm sure that day will come) I want to know that I am worth more than that project. At the end of the day, it's just school! I want to do my best, but I don't think that has to come at the exclusion of everything else. 

Nothing about my post above is hostile. I mentioned the PMs only to say that there is apparent interest in my connection to these departments so I better state things outright. 

There is no need to be hostile- we don't know what you say to people in private messages.
We are all stressed and trying to go through this together so let us all be civil and cordial with each other. And most importantly, supportive.
 

Honestly, I think you've made a mistake and you need to try to get back into your previous MA program. It's unfortunate that you feel there isn't much they can offer, but right now your sunk costs, work, and time have yielded you nothing on paper. I think you would be very lucky to get a semester's worth of transfer credits but the larger concern is how other programs will perceive your uncompleted MA. To put it very bluntly, it makes you look flakey. Completion rates are a very important part of how universities divide funding among departments. If you try to transfer, you will be applying as a student who has already failed to complete the first steps in what will prove to be a very long road to the PhD. It's difficult to imagine a competitive department wanting to make an investment in you when there will receive more than enough applications from a students who have not walked away from MA programs.

If you're into dark mysteries, I loved Broadchurch, The Fall, Wallander and (not quite so dark) Death Comes to Pemberley.
also @reddog sense8 was a good one. It totally grew on me over time.

Thanks for all the useful suggestions and perspectives. It's definitely intimidating going from being out of school for a year with only an undergrad degree and going into a PhD program, and since I'm the type who needs a lot of down time, I'm glad to hear work-life balance being emphasized so heavily here.
 
I won't start grad school till fall so I can't give any advice on that yet, but I am a big believer in taking time to recharge. I meditate daily, sometimes just for 15 minutes if that's all I have and sometimes a full half an hour. I know that it has made me more focused and engaged in various areas of my life, so I'm betting that will be a big part of maintaining my sanity in grad school. I can definitely be a Type A and want to go from one thing to the next, so meditation is a way to force myself to slow down, really pay attention to how I'm feeling physically and emotionally, and refocus myself. Plus there's pretty much a new study every week touting the benefits of mindfulness meditation - from increasing compassion to improving sleep quality and reducing depression. 
 
Grad school is very important to me, but I think it's also really important to devote time to the things that really matter most to us. I will not sacrifice my relationships on the altar of scholarship; my loved ones need to know I'm there for them, just as I know they'll be there for me. I hope that I'll continue to volunteer with kids once a week, making time for something beyond myself. I won't give up cooking myself nutritious meals. Being a student will be a huge part of my identity, but it can't be all of it. When I'm struggling on a project (and I'm sure that day will come) I want to know that I am worth more than that project. At the end of the day, it's just school! I want to do my best, but I don't think that has to come at the exclusion of everything else. 

Definitely agree about contacting people at programs like Williams where there is not a phd program or where the MA program is funded. I didn't end up applying to Williams (wanted to go into a phd but also considered some MAs), but the faculty member I contacted there was the most helpful and encouraging of any of the faculty I emailed with anywhere. She even suggested other places I should apply that were better fits for my research interests! I'd treat applying to funded MAs the same way as applying to PhDs. For unfunded, I would not bother reaching out to faculty unless you have a specific question that the admin office can't answer. 

Just for a bit of perspective from the other side of the aisle here, remember that your busy application season is (as others have pointed out) professors' busy grading season. Faculty want to get their grading done so they can go off and enjoy the holiday break, it's not a great time for "cold calling" as an applicant. In addition many of them are also writing letters of recommendation for their undergraduate and graduate students for programs and fellowships, which (if you don't want to phone them in and I'm sure everyone here would agree on that) take quite a bit of work to craft, just as your statements of purpose and writing samples do. Finally, now that classes are over and finals nearly done, it's time to turn attention to classes or projects for next semester. If advising students working on senior or MA theses, or with ABDs wanting to file in spring, it's also time to ramp up with them. I'm not excusing rude behavior, there are many assholes among faculty everywhere, but it doesn't sound as though OP's POI was rude, just scattered. I'm embarrassed to say that I have an email from a prospective applicant to my program that just fell off my radar and is now a few weeks old. The graduate and undergraduate students already attending my institution, who are my first priority, seem to like me so I don't think I'm a terrible person. 
It is essential that you speak with current advisees of your POIs, and also former ones if possible, that's how you'll get the best info on whether they are responsive and helpful mentors should you choose to study with them. Mobilize your networks, some faculty at your current institution likely went to this program, or know people who have, and can either put you in touch with others or give you their impression. I've said this many times elsewhere on this forum, but the right advisor/mentor can make up for deficiencies in your program overall. It's what makes it difficult to rank programs with certainty. 
Ok back to reading 25 page research papers and making sure I'm keeping up with my LORs. Penn and Columbia were this week? Harvard up next? I think that's right. Happy Holidays applicants!

If it's a program with two years of coursework before you start on your dissertation, then you don't want to be too specific about a topic, because profs know your subject will change. Instead, you want to clearly lay out the area you want to study and discuss the larger questions you'd like to explore. It's a tricky balance, because you have to be specific yet show you're open. Certainly, it's not enough to say "contemporary art." What artists/movements are you interested in? What issues are you interested in? What kind of approach would you take to explore those issues? You want to demonstrate that you know the main issues in your field and that you're able to ask good questions.
Also, no, do not discuss your ideal job. Should, however, mention if you'd like to go the university or curatorial route, if you know.

First off, you might get more replies in the Art History forum than here (Museum Studies degrees are often discussed there, even if you're not interested in the art side of it).
I agree 100% with verycunning - curation and education are totally different paths. I come from the art museum side of things, but there as well curator jobs usually require PhDs in their field; there are still assisant curator jobs at some large museums and full curator jobs at smaller museums for those with research-based MAs. Museum education people have a wide range of MAs, and it's also possible to get entry-level education jobs with just a BA (I know several people in higher-up ed positions who worked their way up with only the BA). 
In general, I would think very carefully before pursuing a Museum Studies MA. At least at the large art museums I worked at, these degrees were not well-respected, as they are often considered more like vocational degrees. There were certainly people with Museum Studies degrees working there, but they were all in Administration jobs. I think you'd do better to find an MA program in the field you're interested in (Anthro, Ed, etc) and then focus on museums in your thesis project or continue building your experience in museums in your free time. There is a ton of great work on museums in Anthropology, for instance, as I'm sure you know. 
Another thing to consider is cost -- I'm not aware of any funded museum studies degrees, so unless you have the cash on hand you could be looking at a lot of debt. This is especially risky when you're preparing for generally low-paying work at nonprofit museums. Research-based MAs are much more likley to be funded or partially funded, and I think your job prospects would be better as well. 

Unless it specifies a rolling admission,.. there's a good chance your application wont even be reviewed until after the deadline. I would wait until at least after the deadline before calling. 

I'd go for the art history paper over the English one.They're going to want to see your research skills. My own writing sample is only slightly related to my proposed topic, but it's still art history. Basically, it should be your best writing, but you also want to show that you can do extensive research, analyze images, and situate those image in some historical period(s).

It's better if it relates to your research interests than if it doesn't.
It's better if it's from your field than if it isn't.
It's better if it shows your ability to research, your knowledge of foreign languages, your knowledge of secondary literature, and any other skills you purport to have than if it doesn't.
It's also better if it's well written than if it is not.
 
In any case, I would touch up whatever you end up using to the best of your ability. They're not going to check that you handed it in as-is from the time it's been graded.

It's not unheard of to switch fields like this, but you may need to take some college-level courses to demonstrate that you can do well in such a different field (and for your own benefit - how do you know you'll like formal study of art and be committed to a grad program if you haven't studied it in school before?).
I'm in the humanities, but I assume most fine arts programs will also want to see a portfolio of work and will expect you to be able to discuss art theory and explain your approach in a formal artist statement - you can certainly produce a portfolio on your own outside a class setting and familiarize yourself with predominant scholarship, but you'll be doing some catchup work. You could also look into whether there are some short-term conservatory programs you could do that would allow you to hone some skills and produce a portfolio before applying to degree programs. Most drama programs will probably require an audition, so that's a whole other kind of thing to prepare for.
I'd also say that if you're considering programs as diverse as fashion design, drama, and graphic design it would definitely be to your benefit to take some time to take classes and do research into each of those paths to figure out what appeals to you before you start actually looking into schools.m