gradschool08

hardkore, i take your point about the significance of the visual studies degree, particularly for those studying late modern/contemporary, in any geographical region of specialization (if any). the purpose of my comment (which may not have been fully clear) was to suggest that thinking about the potential job market as well as longer term career aspirations right now can be a useful thing when deciding what graduate program in which to enroll. of course, for some of us it feels very strange to be thinking so far down the road (8-10 years or more in some cases) after doing the happy dance that follows an acceptance to graduate study! but i know that for me, and i suspect for others, the process of deciding to apply to art history programs, and then actually doing it, prompted a great deal of introspection about not just my own goals and interests, but also what i perceive to be the state (and future) of my field, as well as that of art history, visual culture studies, and museum practices in general. i never meant to indicate that i consider art history and visual studies to be unrelated. in fact i applaud the academic programs that are integrating the two "fields" within a single department, etc. because i think in many respects it is an artificial divide, and there is much of mutual benefit to gain by such a move. i should also venture that the state of the field for specialists in asian art is often not the same as for those in western art. (for instance, the largest art history departments might support 1 SE Asian, 1 Chinese, and 1 Japanese specialist. many programs (some very well respected) have only 1, or sometimes none at all, even those offering advanced degrees! though i do think this is changing, and also a function of marginalization(s) seen across academia, and not just limited to asian sub-fields.) but from our current standpoint, peering over the edge on the cusp of entering graduate study, it's important to remember that the 'old guard' is still very much a force in shaping academic departments and likely will still be in effect when we enter the job market, hence my point that it's worth considering the marketability of your graduate degree, as it were, particularly if you have an interest in academia but also a career in museums. these institutions, and their boards, can be slow to change. (my own experience working in museums and galleries has certainly instilled that point in my consciousness.) by no means should this determine what one studies, or be the defining factor in "where to go". but just the awareness of the larger world into which we will plunge, and how it may change once we emerge from grad school, can be an empowering thing. it's always best to make as informed a decision as possible, yes? i think all too often those in the humanities are pigeon-holed with the perception (sometimes accurate) that we are romantic fuddy-duddies (many are brilliant!) to whom the practicalities of career advancement become clear very late, if ever. i am using euphemisms here and i'm so sorry this has become such a long little treatise, but these issues have been so much on my mind for the last year. i would be curious to know what others think, if anyone else finds this interesting?

Hi Carnivalesque, congrats on your acceptances! I applied to Maryland as well and just declined their offer last week, as I knew my decision was really between two other programs. BUT I have a great deal of respect for the professors there and my own specialty is Japanese art as well so I did quite a bit of looking into the two specialists at Maryland. I can send you a private message if you like with more details but I would say you should consider your career objective--if you want to teach, particularly in art history departments (as opposed to Visual Studies, etc), or if you plan to work at certain museums, the VS degree may not take you as far as the AH degree--generally a reflection of the conservative tastes that very often make hiring decisions in universities and museums, rather than the quality of education you might receive. But given that you're doing contemporary and you are going for the MA, maybe it won't matter--I have no idea what your plans are. And, then again, I heard some very good things about Irvine and I really like the work of the specialist there, so that might be perfect for you. But several people in the field told me when I was thinking about where to apply to factor in the career goal aspect, so that might be something to consider. That said I really liked all the Maryland people I talked to and have good feelings about them as well. I wouldn't rule them out if they haven't told you about financial things yet - I turned down funding from them and I know some should be redistributed to another student(s). For what it's worth the package they put together for me was quite generous. I was so pleased to see someone with similar interests on the board I thought I would chime in. Good luck with your decision!

NO8DO: Did your friends pay $900 per person or $900 each? I'm trying to get a sense of current pricing levels. anav: I don't know whether you did your grad or undergrad at Penn, but as a grad student I would like to steer clear of housing that is super undergrad-friendly. The Campus Apartments website seems directed at undergrads, but what is your take on that? I'd like to find a 1BR in University City so I can walk to campus easily, but I'm just not sure what set-ups will be realistic. Coming from NY and expecting to live on the new Penn stipend I can easily stomach the thought of paying about $800/mo (or less) - but is that even realistic? Should I expect to pay more? I won't be living like the Wharton folks but I'm tired of the New York schlep and I don't want to live next to a nightly beer pong party (or karaoke, or sobbing about about high school boyfriends, whatever the cup of tea may be). Any advice is MOST welcome!!!

hi lxs, thanks--and i think that's worth a lot! i'm a little leery of posting all my info here but i will say that i'm not doing western art, which i suspect is what most of you are going into/working in now--that's what it seems like from previous posts, at least. so i wasn't competing for any of those slots. if you want to know more i'd be happy to send you a message off-forum.

i don't know if the person who posted on the results page asking about penn reads this thread, but i read that we're not supposed to post long comments there so i thought i should do it here. i really wish i had realized this thread existed sooner--i never scrolled down past the main forums under humanities! (amazed that i was allowed into any grad programs at all....) anyway i received notice from the prof i would work with that i was on the short list in mid-Feb (i think the 18th) and about a week later got a call from the director of grad studies. he said the dean of gsas would send out letters in the next couple of weeks. i know the official letters still haven't gone out yet b/c they haven't been released to the dean to sign or something, as of today (i called gsas). i think i happen to have an exceptionally proactive prospective advisor so i think if you haven't heard it doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be admitted. penn is very slow... also, i posted yesterday but being obsessed with all this am very sad there have been no responses yet: do any of you art history folks have opinions or general knowledge about penn that you would like to share? i'm absolutely thrilled to have been nominated for admission (let's hope that doesn't fall through) but like the program for reasons related mainly to a few key faculty and an overall personal impression, not anything based on "what people say" about penn's AH program. any advice or thoughts at all would be tremendously welcome!

is anyone thinking about going to penn and/or can anyone offer anecdotes and/or give me a sense of where it "ranks"? i don't really buy into the prestige factor, but one generally has to assume that potential employers do, and i'm very curious. i've always thought of cornell, and to a lesser extent, penn, as the poorer, less rigorous cousins to the ivies--but this is also based on my undergrad perceptions. grad school is very different. my own degree is somewhat outside the art history machine, so i'm very curious to know what others think.