curiositykilledthecat

I heard that Yale was currently looking to fill a position in some sort of Japanese visual culture field. There's also someone who studies similar issues at UT, but the name is escaping me...

They're both okay.

On second thought, if it's one of those 4-person MAs, you'd be taking a spot from someone else... it's quite ethically ambiguous. Maybe check back in with the DGS a day or two before the deadline?

Hmm. Perhaps this is "breaking the rules," but if you don't hear from your top choice, you could always put your deposit on the other school while slyly waiting on the first. Then if you do get funding, you would have to forfeit your deposit at the second choice school, but it's a small price to pay. I'm really not sure what the ethics of this are, but maybe you could ask someone who knows better.

I was admitted to the Williams program, and people keep talking to me about its "traditional" approach. I think it has something to do with the program's embeddedness within the discipline of "art history," but I'm not really sure how this differs from other not-so-interdisciplinary programs, like Tufts. That said, I don't think having a "traditional" program means that the students and faculty are all super traditional or formalist scholars. I absolutely would not consider my interests to fall within "traditional" art history, and the program seems very open to letting me bounce my approach against the discipline's boundaries to see what will happen. From what m-ttl says, I suspect she was not admitted because the program really looks for broad, generalist scholars. It allows people to come to the program with areas of interest, but discourages specialization, at least in the beginning.

Can another Tufts acceptee pm me? I gots a Q.

I was wondering too for a while, but I can confirm. The date wasn't mentioned on my acceptance letters, but it was mentioned when I got funding packages that April 15 was a "nationally agreed upon" date to accept or decline the offer of admission and funding. I assume those who are accepted after the 15th are from the wait list, and they were replacing people who had declined. Edit: Not sure about the April 1st thing... maybe that's when they have to notify the first round of acceptees?

same for williams. app still says "submitted" rather than "under review" or anything like that... is that how it is for others too?

Not to be irritating (because funding is on my mind too), but I was curious why you applied to Rutgers. I was really interested in their program until they said outright that they did not fund MAs at all. Did you find some sort of solution?

Did you have any undergraduate debt?

"At any rate, when schools had the option to say "Please don't accept me if you can't fund me" I checked that box. An acceptance without funding is a rejection for me. " (sorry, too computer dumb to use the quote box right) I'm actually curious about this because I'm in a similar position financially but didn't check that box. Do you think that affects an ability to get funding? I too will not be attending any institution that cannot fully fund me (and give a reasonable stipend). I'm also applying for MA programs, but my reasoning was that it'd be helpful (or maybe self-gratifying?) to know that event if I couldn't feasibly attend, I wasn't being rejected for academic reasons. I emailed one of the departments after-the-fact to clarify that I wanted to know my options, but in all likelihood would not go anywhere without funding, but they never got back to me. But yes, admission w/o funding for me might as well be a rejection. No fun for your education options to be based on something so beyond your control.

Just to clear up a few misconceptions: I know multiple people who interviewed over skype and got in with funding + stipend. I really wouldn't worry; I think they encourage people to come in person if possible. Secondly, I heard from the mouth of the dean herself that depending on their fiscal situation, 9 people out of their class of 25 get in with tuition remission + stipend of some sort. I don't think they're nearly as shady as this thread makes them out to be.

Hey, I applied to the BGC too and haven't heard yet either.

Hey. For anyone who applied to Williams, does your application say "under review" when you log in. Mine doesn't (yet) but I'm trying to determine whether that's an issue with my app or we're all in the same boat.