MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou

You should know every field is different - yes, there are some things that are true across the board, but I'm sorry, not fields are the same. If you expect people to take you seriously, you do. Also, there are definitely articles on Chronicle/Chronicle vitae who are interviewed about why they dropped out, and also plenty of articles on mental health in PhD programs and its effects on program completion, so that's certainly more evidence than you've been able to offer. How about all of the posters on the results board who have said this is their second or third time applying, and they were accepted to a number of schools? That's not just for art history, that's in general. You have no way of knowing what I'm capable of, and it seems you have a very narrow definition of what "capable" is. I've been through a lot of crap in the past couple of years and completed my master's thesis almost entirely on my own - I feel like if I can do that, I can probably do just about anything. There is also a difference between "can" and "will" - my choices may not reflect my capability. Some things are beyond my control, but I'm not referring to those factors. I think most of the people on this board would disagree with you, especially based on the other responses to your previous comments. I know it's crazy, but message boards can be about more than one thing at the same time. I don't need the answers I "want" - I'm already aware of the possibilities. Also, if you're not in art history the likelihood of "seeing" you in the fall is slim to none (thankfully) - but thanks for the comment.

Support this statement? There are a number of articles on this subject in Chronicle/Chronicle Vitae, for starters. Who talk about the exact things I mentioned. I'm sorry you don't know any of them, but there isn't much we can do about that. Again, support this claim. Why are you here, again? If you're not pursuing our profession then I don't really understand your reason for posting here other than to disseminate your second-hand knowledge and tear people down. Speaking honestly, respectfully, and with knowledge is one thing, but that's not really what you're doing here. By the way, I don't really care about being "the exception to the rule." I don't consider myself an exception, but I do know that persistence pays off. And I do know I am capable of obtaining a PhD and being successful, whether I ultimately end up in a tenure track position at a university or doing something else with my PhD.

Jeez, I love the snark and pomp of some people on this thread. Look, guys, most of us don't need a reality check. We know it's hard out there, getting into grad programs is really competitive, the market is bad, top schools get you better jobs, not everyone's cut out to do this, blah blah blah. Sure, a lot of people don't get in on the first try (that is totally NOT unique to art history, by the way - I've heard plenty of success stories from other disciplines from humanities to the sciences), but I REALLY don't think that means you "don't belong there." I'm sorry, that's just bullshit. Please quote me some reputable sources (your "experience" doesn't count) that say the people who struggle to get in, or (GASP) fight the hardest to be there are the ones who drop out ABD or earlier - from what I've read on the subject, most students drop out due to mental health issues (caused by the stress of working toward a PhD), a bad study environment, realizing they will have better job prospects in other fields, etc. etc. I don't see how that directly correlates with acceptance to one program or getting in on the second or third try, especially if amending your application is enough to get you in the second time. That's just false logic. It could be something as simple as you're not emphasizing the right things, you need to re-frame your research, or yes, get more experience in some area. This isn't necessarily a reflection of your ability to succeed, especially early in your career. If we know all this and still wish to pursue this career, that's our business. If we decide it isn't worth it later, that is also our business. We'll figure it out ourselves. Some of us aren't pursuing this career simply to teach in a top-ten institution. Delight in the fact you've said your piece and take your negativity and elitism elsewhere. #sorrynotsorry

Ah, well. Thanks for the info. :-)

Hey Betsy, may I ask how you know?

Saw this on the board this morning: University Of Illinois At Chicago Art History, PhD (F16) Rejected via E-mail on 3 Mar 2016 I 3 Mar 2016 Generic e-mail, very strange, did not expect it specially being accepted somewhere way better. Can we keep this process respectful, please? One person's "safety school" may be someone else's dream school. We're all highly-educated professionals, let's keep it classy. I realize grad school apps are really stressful, but if someone can't take rejection without bragging and essentially putting other people beneath them then perhaps they should consider a less competitive career. Thank you!

Ok guys, talk me out of inquiring RE notifications for Bryn Mawr, York, and UCSC. Nothing (other than a Bryn Mawr waitlist) on the boards yet here for F16, but the waiting is killing me (it doesn't help that it's now March!). It's late for some of these programs to notify, but I'm trying to eke it out until at least March 15th. The sane part of my brain knows I should be patient, but the rest of me wants answers. Help! :-)

You are presumably also an academic in the field - why are you doing it?

Has anyone heard from Santa Cruz or York (Toronto)? I haven't seen anything on the boards and according to trends, this is unusually late. I also, has anyone received a notification (other than wait list) from Bryn Mawr? Nothing there, either. thanks!

Congrats to the Bryn Mawr wait list! If possible, could you please provide any notification/admissions information they included? Thanks!

I also think we should mention here that different fields vary in their timing in terms of application cycles (for instance, many of the sciences have application deadlines in October/November, so applicants tend to hear earlier, while the humanities lean toward December/January deadlines). I'm in art history and haven't heard from a majority of my schools yet; however, I'm not TOO concerned because results history shows most notifications go out for my programs in late February/March, most of which without interviews. As you are in film studies, I imagine you're in a similar boat. :-) i think notification times are fairly field-specific, even school-specific.

Yeah, that one hurt. :-(

Artman! Welcome back!

Congrats to the Berkeley waitlist! Care to share more information, if you have any? :-)

Hey all, I'm trying to decide the best way to learn more about the current environment for Jewish students at York. I've read contrasting accounts of what Jewish student/faculty life is like there, but I don't want to assume anything I'm reading is accurate. I'm very interested in working with my POI there and I've even had an interview with her, but I'm very hesitant to broach this topic with her, especially as I haven't been accepted to the program yet (I don't believe they have sent notifications). I've considered asking current graduate students, but I don't know that any of them are Jewish. Is anyone here a student/former student at York who can talk a bit about this, and/or, is there someone you think is appropriate to ask about this issue? I want to have a clearer idea of what life might be like there should I be offered admission. Thank you!

From what I know, its still somewhat early for art history programs to send notifications. Most schools I've looked at notify in mid-late February or early March (first round, at least), so unfortunately I think we have at least a few more weeks to go. There are some outliers (e.g., Ohio State, Emory, etc.), but I think the timing for these programs is atypical. :-/

Ugh, sorry. I uploaded a PDF, so not sure why it's not working. Thanks!

Hey all, I don't know if this has been posted before, but I found this Council of Graduate Schools "Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants" on Cornell's website while checking my application status and thought it might be helpful. It basically states the conditions of accepting offers (they refer here specifically to financial offers) and affirms an agreed-upon acceptance deadline of no earlier than April 15th. At the bottom of the resolution is a list of schools in agreement with the resolution. Take a look! Council of Graduate Schools Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees and Assistants.pdf

Oh, yeah. Every day. I know better, but I still do it. Nervous habit, I guess!

Too many. I keep my phone on me so instead of constantly refreshing, I just hear a buzz when there's a new email. However, I ALSO added the Chrome page monitor to the results search for art history, which may or may not be unhealthy. Part of me just wants to keep tabs on whether things are sent out so I don't miss something. I've read about people missing interview invites and such because they went to their spam folders.

Keep in mind the number of students ENROLLED does not necessarily equal the number of students ACCEPTED. :-)

Yeah, the class with Dr. Futter was the only one I had (I graduated in 2005, so it was a while ago). It would be good for the KU Art History department to diversify their fields of expertise, but I'm not sure that's ever going to happen.

Thereal, are you at KU? I did my UG there - I took a great decorative arts course there with Katherine Futter, the curator at the Nelson. also, may I ask where you applied in the U.S.? I was originally interested in design history, and even visited Bard Graduate in New York. Still a pet topic of mine, I just had burning questions in other areas...

Hi there! I'm glad to see an art history thread - so many science/math threads out there. I'm applying to eight schools (PhD), with two in progress. I'm a twentieth century modernist (American/European) specializing in the interplay of identity, cosmopolitan memory, and the globalization of charged imagery. Most art history programs start deliberating within the next week or two, so we'll start hearing soon, I hope!

Wait, you both sent official transcripts? According to Stanford's online application, you upload unofficial, scanned transcripts, and aren't required to submit official transcripts unless and until you accept an offer of admission (at least, it's this way for my field). Either way, I encountered this problem when I applied to Stanford last year. I called them and was told not to worry - if they needed something further from me, they would let me know. I'm pretty sure the application will say "incomplete" until you are either admitted or not. :-)