summertouch

Hi there, Does anyone know if the page limit is supposed to include bibliography and figures in my writing sample in general? Just heard back from Stanford that yes it is supposed to include both, but I'm wondering if this is the case with other schools as well. Some schools said it's ok to send my entire M.A. thesis, which is more than 100 pages. As for schools with a limit, I'm really finding it difficult to take an excerpt from my thesis. For now, I've reduced each chapter first, so that I could select parts of it later to send in. My another question is.. I heard that your bibliography is what really matters. It shows your scholarship and what kind of research you have done. My bibliography is 8 page in total and I'm wondering how on earth I could reduce this to fit many school's page limit! So what I have on my mind now is to send the conclusion of my thesis only (which is about 5 page) and perhaps send the entire bibliography with it. I feel that the conclusion of my thesis is perhaps the strongest and most important part of my thesis and that it sums up the whole writing concisely. Do you think this is a good idea? Or should I try not to waste my page on sending a long bibliography? I've pretty much given up space for figures, obviously. For those of you who had submitted writing samples, especially shorter versions of your theses, please help me! Thanks.

I would articulate my interest differently and this time will definitely prepare better in terms of contacting my POIs- I sent out a somewhat generic SOP but now regret doing so. I'll try to read more and tailor down my SOP according to each department. Other than the "articulation" problem, I'm also going to work on my language skill which is really important in my field- I'm planning on touching up the two languages I studied in high school (chinese and Japanese), and also French (in which I almost did my minor for my BA). Higher chances are I'd spend some time in China to work on my Chinese. One thing that keeps coming back to my mind also is that I sent out a WS that was written on a totally different subject other than my own. I'll try to publish something as well..this is pretty much all I could think of to make a difference in my apps. I hope these would be added on top of contacting the "right" faculty this time. I appreciate your advice on the location - you're right. After all, I won't really need a glamours city life while I'm in grad school. My fear is, though, I study contemporary art (being an art history major) and often it is important to be around the art scene - where I can visit lots of museums and galleries. But then again, I'd be mostly writing, reading, and taking classes... That's something to think about. Thank you for your advice!!

I wish you all the best student4ever. I'm in a somewhat similar position although I was not accepted to my top school. *sigh* That said, I'm torn between reapplying and just taking up the offer from my "safety" school that offered me a scholarship - either way, I'll be away from my SO with whom I've been in a LDR already for the past 2 years. Anyway. I think you made the right choice and ultimately it'll all work out. Good luck!

psycholinguist, I have a question- was it a PhD program? and if so, were you offered a scholarship/fellowship/TAship? I'm curious about how one should handle "transferring" to another program if that person was admitted with some kind of financial package.

I feel you. While I was encouraged and glad to know that my potential advisor is really willing to work with me and make things happen, I couldn't get rid of this odd reluctance in the back of my mind. Maybe I went there with prejudice to begin with, even so, the location or the department did not excite me as much as I feel they should. But then again, 2nd round of apps really does not guarantee anything- and the generous package is just too good to say "no" that I don't want to look back and regret.... Please do share what you end up choosing. April 15 is coming by!!!!!

Thank you for your advice psycholinguist! How important do you think is the location? I'm really dreading that I won't enjoy the location that much while I did feel that I would be encouraged and get a lot of support to do what I want to study at that department while I was visiting. Didn't like the town at all but the package is really generous and the faculty is willing to work with me. Ugh. Some told me to just go and test out the water for the first 1-2 months and reapply if I really don't like it. That way I'll have something to fall back to, yes, but the thought of having to disclose all this (let's say) to my advisor after I'm accepted to another program kills me. I'm not sure how I would approach POIs at other schools when I reapply, either- do I tell them I'm already enrolled at another school?

Thank you for all of your input. I am actually trying to picture myself with questions mbs191 suggested in order to see what my "gut" tells me. As of now, the answer keeps changing every single moment as I talk to different people, but I know that eventually I'll make the right choice. Thanks!

Thank you for all of your input. I just thought I should clarify one thing. By change of my research interest, I meant I realized I haven't realized exactly how to articulate it until now, and for that reason, have been contacting the wrong people, which of course led me to bunch of rejections. For example, (I'm an art history major) while I had to contact Contemporary art historians I have been contacting East Asian art historians, which did not play in my favor. This is due to the nature of my study, which cannot be categorized neatly, but I'm glad that I at least figured out what was wrong and where to start from. The program I was accepted to is actually able to provide support I'd need to pursue my research. They told me they are willing to "experiment" with me- which could be both exciting and nerve wracking. Anyhow, I thought I should mention it. I appreciate all of your comments. I've been so stressed out about making a decision and am gladly taking in every single opinion/advice. Thanks.

So I went to visit a school that offered me the only acceptance I got this year. It was my safety school and now I'm in a dilemma. At this point, I'm not even sure if I was willing to move to where that school is located but of course I had no clue that this was going to be my only choice. The school is located in a really small town in the midwest, and I am a city person, which is what I realized after spending a couple of years in a small town. (I'm seriously getting depressed) Then why did I apply to begin with? I know. But I was really unaware that this was going to be my only shot. The program is great, the advisor seemed nice and passionate about my subject, I was offered a really nice financial package that includes TAship, Internship, tuition waiver, and aside from all that, a flat grant scholarship. It's such a great offer that it seems stupid to say "no" to this. But I wasn't really able to see myself living there ("happily" for that matter). Also, I and my boyfriend (we've been in a LDR for 2 years) were hoping that this time we would move to same city to pursue graduate degrees and it looks like he would be moving to the east coast. I have to be in residence for my PHD at least for 3 years. I don't see any future between us, if I move to where I got accepted. I do feel that I can grow and will get a lot of support at the school I was admitted, but to me, life is not all about doing research. I also learned a lot through this app process and realized what exactly my research interest is and that I've been contacting the wrong people in the field, which makes me want to give myself another chance and reapply. But then again, with this economy, nothing is guaranteed and I might get rejected from every single school I apply. I'm not sure if it's a wise thing to take a huge risk as such. At the same time, I'm not sure if it's wise to end up in a place I feel so so about, a place I might feel miserable. Am I being too naive? Should I just go?

Thank you for your thoughtful answer. Thankfully I have a chance to visit the campus pretty soon and I'm hoping that will clear things up. Thanks!

hi automnsai, just out of curiosity, what's your specialty? did u only apply to MAs?

I am wondering if that's a big no-no or if it actually happens quite often. I never thought this could be an option but someone actually advised me today that it's a viable one and that I shouldn't worry about the "morality" issue. What are your thoughts? I got an offer that I'm not quite sure about and in case I do accept it, I'm just dreading that I might end up thinking of transferring.. any ideas? thanks in advance.

Now that it's near the end of March...I'm wondering if anyone else out there is planning on reapplying? Right now, I'm considering various options and reapplying for next year is definitely one of them. I feel I learned a lot through last year's application process especially about my weaknesses. (Language and research fit!) If I do decide to reapply, I realize that I only have about 6-7months to beef up my application. I think I'll use that time to work on my language, try to publish an article, find more schools/potential advisors, and of course, polish my thesis to send out as a WS. I wasn't able to send my thesis this time and ended up sending something that is not quite related to my field, which in retrospect did not seem to have played in favor of me. But at the same time, I'm not sure how much I could improve my application in a year.. I don't want to make an excuse here but when I contacted POIs about my application this year, I was told that this year was one of the toughest years with the strongest applicants ever - I don't see the economy getting any better in the near future so the situation will not be drastically different from this year. So for those of you who are still willing to reapply...what are you guys going to work on to improve your chances and for those of you who are starting this Fall, any advices???

I'm wondering what happened to everybody? For those of you who got admissions, congratulations! mind sharing your stats and background? I am yet to hear back from a couple of schools but I feel I'll have to be ready for another round of applications...maybe. ugh.

Does that mean Michigan has already offered admissions, too? AAH...I haven't heard back anything.

Same here... I wish they'd notify everyone AT THE SAME TIME so that I don't have to miserably wait on rejection letters, holding onto a slight hope......

As far as I know, they're on a rolling basis.

I also got my first rejection from a school that wasn't even my top choice, but it made me feel like giving up, nonetheless. I can't believe I'm waiting out this whole process just to become another academic masochist. (jk) Ah. Is this how it feels when you wait for Godot? Seriously.

I completely understand! As for the second round, I wish to work on my language and by this Fall, I'd have my MA thesis complete. That means I can actually submit a chapter or abstract of my thesis as my writing sample instead of sending something rather unrelated to my field. But then again, I hope this has never have to happen again. This whole application process is testing my patience. Good luck on your apps, too!

I hear you artschoolhopeful. I keep going back to my apps and think how it could be improved in this part and that part- I'm already preparing for the second round (of course only in my head) in reality, I'm writing up my thesis. What's your concentration if you don't mind sharing in non-western contemporary art? To the Stanford admit, congratulations! mind sharing the field?

Thanks eiren8! Indeed, that's what I decided to and I am now done with editing that paper. Good luck on your apps, too!

Hello, all- It's Thanksgiving break and I'm still working on my phd apps. Do you all upload your writing samples? I noticed that most of the schools limit the size of the file to be 1 or 2mb, and mine is almost 5mb!! (because of the images...ugh.) Is there someone else having the same problem? I guess I'll have to mail them eventually.

Hello, all- What are your thoughts on submitting a writing sample that is not on your suggested area? I am not writing my thesis yet, which means, I don't have a strong writing sample in the area I am trying to carry on in my PhD. The one that I am currently considering to submit is on contemporary Native American art. As the deadlines are coming up soon, do you think it's better to spend my time on editing this paper then on writing a new one right now?

It definitely hasn't been an easy road to find professors who are specifically interested in, let's say, Asian American art, but oftentimes, I find that what I'm interested in pursuing is at the intersection of contemporary art, Asian art, and Americana art. So far, I have contacted a couple of professors, and heard back from scholars with various backgrounds. At the moment, I'm trying to finalize my list. I'm not sure how many is enough or too much, given that application fees are just plain expensive. Some people recommended cultural studies/interdisciplinary/Asian American studies to me as well, but I feel I'm trained as an art historian and would like to continue my degree in the same field. That said, I am still looking into universities Asian Amer departments, it will do no harm eventually when the time comes for me to choose a committee member outside art history.

Hi eiren8, I'm applying to PhD programs with a focus on contemporary Asian/Asian American art. While my interest does not specifically lie on modern Chinese art, I am interested in diasporic artists of Asian ancestry in general, who oftentimes work outside Asia. Have you found professors who could possibly work with you in the future?