kab

Thanks, that helps a lot. I'm an Art History and Psychology double major, but I'll be going to grad school for Art History. My profs have all said that contacting professors at prospective schools is an absolute must. I am interested in applying to some competitive schools like Columbia and Northwestern, which is what makes me nervous about my GREs- although even the Columbia website says that GREs are not a make it or break it thing. Especially since I started reading some GRE thread on this site which was talking about funding and cutoff points and all sorts of lovely things. My advisor has encouraged me to look at other schools that aren't so competitive, which I agree is a really good idea, but trying to decided whether or not I'm going to like a program based on prospective professors and location alone has me stressed as well. I feel really frustrated because it's felt like I have had no one to talk to about this process. I have met with grad students in the art history department here at my school, and with a number of professors, and I still can't believe how unprepared I've been. I'm not sure if this is some fault of mine, or just miscommunication all around, because I thought I was asking the right questions and I was on the right track.

I am graduating in December and I am strongly considering applying to grad schools for next Fall semester. I've taken the GREs and while everyone I've talked to has told me not to worry about taking them again, I don't feel totally secure. I'm in the 86% for Verbal and 81% for the analytic writing, which is really all that matters for my prospective field. My major GPA is a 3.77, and that's including a D- for a class which I am retaking (the D- will appear on my transcript but won't be factored into my GPA). Besides that worry, I am concerned that I have already run out of time for the application process. I have not contacted any professors at the schools I am interested in, and now I'm worried that they'll blow me off as being 'too late.' I feel like I have time to revise my writing sample, write SOPs, and my CV, and I know I have at least 2 strong letters of recommendation (my third choice is in California for research, and my advisor has even suggested that someone else in the department might be better even though I feel more comfortable with my first choice). I am also concerned that not only do I not have the time, but I definitely don't have the funds to visit prospective programs which they all strongly encouraged. How am I supposed to get around this? The application process is expensive enough as is, but I really want to get in to certain programs. I'm just not sure going into debt without even some type of guarantee is worth it. Sometimes I think I should take a year off, retake the GREs, and spend that time building relationships with professors- but I am 25, have taken 3 years off during my undergraduate education, and I am very ready to move on to this next step. Does anybody have any advice???