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terralily

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Everything posted by terralily

  1. As a someone who has done the law school thing, school ranking are everything. You have to go to the best school you absolutely can. No wiggling for "specialty" or anything. The. absolute. highest. ranked. school. possible. Additionally, IP law is fairly difficult to gain a foothold into, but internship can be found. Last point. Law school with suck your soul. It is like high school with drinking and everyone is crazy super motivated and good students. Intelligence does not matter as much as knowing how to take a law school test. It is an expensive proposition and the job market is better than it was when I graduated ('09), but it is still not (nor ever was) the gold mine everyone assumes it will be. Sorry, to be Debbie Downer.
  2. Have you considered looking into History, English, or Communications/Film departments? My UG advisor in history focuses on material culture. We actually talked a lot about it when I was debating between art history and history for graduate school. She had many of the same considerations. She ultimately went the history route because she still uses mostly texts in her work. Material Culture is one of those areas that it very interdisciplinary that you many need to find a program that touts that as one of their guiding principles. I know that I was rejected from at least one AH program for being perceived as too interdisciplinary. Maybe think about what methodologies you employ in your work and then look for an advisor that matches...regardless of department. You also might want to reach out to scholars that do what you want to do and get their opinions on how to proceed. Some will answer and some won't. Good Luck!
  3. I also was reading on another thread that the prof's at Chicago kinda ignore the MAPSS students. Total hearsay, but something to ask students when you go.
  4. I have had an experience in which a grad student was completely disillusioned with the program and was leaving. This person had no problem dishing dirt. The thing was it was all personal. They just didn't mesh with their advisors and clearly their focus had shifted so dramatically that they no longer really belonged in the department and were actively moving. People generally like to gossip and when asked directly (in person not in writing) they will tell the truth. I also asked drawbacks directly of the professors. This is a significant portion of your life, and you should be asking tough questions of everyone, not just the students.
  5. I know several people who declined the MAPSS and went to lesser ranked programs because they were funded. They all are really happy with their decisions. Prestige is obviously an advantage, but not a guarantee. I would also caution thinking that MAPSS is in anyway going to shorten your time in a PhD program. As it is not a field based masters, you are still going to have to take a number of courses wherever you end up. Streamlined programs, such as OSU, will ultimately take less time because you know what you want to focus on. So while you do have to take a broader number of courses for the MA portion at OSU, you can plan it so when you go to finish the PhD courses portion it takes as little time as possible and you can get on to researching that dissertation. Additionally, you also need to evaluate where you want to end up teaching. If you do go to OSU understand that it is unlikely you will teach at an institution perceived to be higher ranking. That being said, OSU is great public university. There are many options beyond the "top ten" for mentoring graduate students, and not everyone can teach at the top. I am weighing a similar decision, but the unfunded MA is at UTAustin (UChicago is actually not a very good fit for me even though the program is amazing and I would have gone if offered a PhD spot). I am deciding to go a decent program who is likely to have a TA position for me with an amazing advisor. The climate of the department is super supportive. This is all more important to me than prestige. I've met plenty of people from the Ivy League who can't find their way out of a paper bag, and met some of the most amazingly intelligent people from state schools. Just my two (or three or four) cents on the matter. But I completely understand your dilemma.
  6. Illuminated manuscript marginalia and gothic stained glass windows. Sainte-Chapelle in particular.
  7. Gundohinus, scholars working on some form of high French/English narrative art was my primary factor on where I applied...with a few slightly shoehorned in. Thank you for recognizing that. The idea of going through the process again makes me nauseous, but it may be necessary. My concern at this point lands on funding. I already have a ridiculous amount of loans from law school. Fingers crossed on some sort of UT funding...hopeful, but not optimistic because it is only a MA. At this point I'm visiting all three and going with my gut (even if it might have sh!t for brains).
  8. Two of my acceptances have some sort of planned admitted students event. The third doesn't, but when I asked they encouraged me to set up a time to visit and would help me arrange things so I could talk to everyone I wanted to talk to. Just email them and ask about setting something up. It's not uncommon in the slightest for someone to visit.
  9. You are assuming I want to teach elitist kids at Princeton. You are also assuming I'm not ok with making "only" 40k. I left the lucrative field of law to pursue something I actually enjoy. I appreciated the first few answers because the were not predicated on the idea that one must go the top programs in order to have a career that makes them happy. My lot is what it is. I am coming from a meh state school because it was the affordable, convenient option for a second BA. I've had an amazing experience with fantastic professors. I guess my point is simply that top tier doesn't guarantee success, nor does it define success.
  10. I am weighing the same questions. I think it is like any program though, you get out of it what you put in. So, if you don't network with the professors or students, then you probably will get lost in the shuffle. My concerns is funding, I can maybe, MAYBE, justify taking out more loans for tuition, but not out of state levels, because it is a good program/stepping stone to a more prestigious PhD....although, that's a lot of maybes.
  11. Thank you for your replies. I know what I want to study with and my three acceptances are all with well-known scholars in that field (High medieval France, manuscript studies). It's the whole job placement thing and going to the best school possible that has me concerned. Honestly, I was expecting to have one offer, so having three (at this point) is amazing to me. I really just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking some issue.
  12. What is your opinion on the whole joint MA/PhD vs. separate MA and PhD? Is a slightly better school with little money for the MA and having to go through this turmoil again in two years worth it? Or is a decent school with probable TA position (with all the funding perks) not a bad option? I'm just collating data in order to make a decision once all the info is in, and I figured other people might wonder about this as well. Cheers.
  13. I haven't heard anything either way from Chicago. Was it just an email or did your status on their website change? I hate how "hide the ball" this all feels. Ugh.
  14. Does the more prestigious school (I'm guessing UC-Santa Cruz based on your signature) offer scholarships/fellowships for continuing students after the first year? If so, that could be one way of financing extra years. Additionally, external fellowships increase your desirability in the job market, so with those a necessity you'll probably work harder to get them than if you have guaranteed funding. But, as someone with a mountain of debt because of law school, I do not regret leaving the law for something I love. Life is too short for regrets, and loans are a pain, but a manageable pain. My advice is to go with your gut...unless your gut has shit for brains.
  15. Mary Carruthers- The Book of Memory: A Study of Memory in Medieval Culture Mary Carruthers and Jan M. Ziolkowski, editors- The Medieval Craft of Memory: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures More medieval based, but excellent!
  16. As someone who skirts the boundary between disciplines (art history, history, literature, law, politics, environmental studies), I rely on tradition as well as non-traditional historians. I would not be able to ground my analysis if I didn't have the knowledge of traditional top-down political history. That being said, someone who studies gender history or environmental history would not find a women's studies or environmental studies department suitable for their work. The focus of those departments is not solely on the historical facets of those issues; they are concerned with modern applications to the problems, political realities, and philosophical approaches to these issues. As someone said before, historians benefit greatly from taking courses in those departments, but they would not find their research focus well-suited for doctoral work in that department. Additionally, an environmental historian, for example, would not necessarily have the requisite science and politics background to thrive studying within that field, or, more importantly, to find a faculty position.
  17. My UG advisors were surprised that any humanities programs still did interviews. It is far more common in the sciences. Obviously a few programs still do them, but not all of them. Also an interview is not a guarantee of acceptance.
  18. Central and late medieval France and England here.
  19. http://thegradcafe.com/survey/index.php And then you can search by school or field.
  20. I also got an Emory interview...but have not heard anything from anyone else. I kinda wish the schools would just notify you right away when they move you to the reject pile. Why drag out the pain!!!
  21. Yeah. I applied to Chicago and did not receive this...so clearly not automatic. poo.
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