mitzydoodle

To JHU applicants: I just heard from a friend of mine (who is very close to the art history department) that they had about 670 applications this year, and accepted a whopping three. I was not one of them. :-/ I don't mean to scare anyone, just to show that it is uber-competitive this year...to all that are accepted this year: extra congrats!

Exactly, there are some small programs that do have superstars that would afford job security (if that exists); it's all relative to your subfield/specializaton. I just want people to be aware that there are more options out there than the "big names." But with the way things are going now...who knows. :-D Your fifth sentence should be the banner above the art history page.

Welcome and thanks for your insight Hardkore. There is one thing you said that I would like to comment on: Although there are some PhD programs I could add to that list for less competitive albeit interesting programs (I'm looking at you Binghamton), don't do a PhD at a school that isn't worth it and where the funding might be scant (NYU IFA is famous for this.) Although I agree with satement, I just want to point out that one should not always be lured by big names. Yes, it can be the feather in your cap, but there are some smaller schools that can be the best place for someone, based on their interests. I do believe Richard Trexler was at Binghamton- you can hit a goldmine with smaller programs. I've often heard that for grad programs, it's not where you go but who you work with. I'm not posting this to start a debate about the merits of a big name school. I'm just encouraging people to throw the net a bit wider when applying, because it is so competitive, and you can find great programs that don't have a big name. When there's a will, there's a way. :-) But please don't go if you don't have adequate funding. We're all aware of the job market, and taking on that kind of debt with no sort of guarantee afterwards is risky.

Congrats to the Rutgers acceptances!

I see...good luck! I know a couple of people who are at Austin now working on their doctorates (one is finishing their diss now, the other is abroad doing diss research) and they both really love the department. And I've only heard great things about the city. Well, here's to waiting!

Jmb- it looks like you're right about Northwestern and Texas. I totally agree with you about CAA being over and, unfortunately, Yale as well. Just out of curiosity, did you post the Austin acceptance on the results board? If so, did you apply for their terminal MA or their MA/PhD track? I got the impression from your details that you were going for the Phd, but I wasn't sure if you threw in a terminal MA as a safety or if it was a reflection of their policy that you can only apply directly for the Phd if you already have a Master's (or something along those lines). Thanks!

Anyone willing to guess which school will send out the next wave of notifications?

Pong

I didn't apply and hope I don't offend anyone by saying this, but they're Italian. It may take a few days

Lemon cake! Now I'm wishing I had applied to Columbia :-D Veroordeeld- how do you find out all this info (about adcoms). Also- are you Dutch?

Cleisthenes- I'll PM you this evening with my details so you can see why I got the two MAs (still trying to preserve some sense of privacy). I agree with you- on the surface it does look redundant, but in my case I think it worked out for the better. And I was on full scholarship for the first one (just had to pay living expenses, which did add up) and for the second one I was on scholarship and stipend. I would not have taken out that amount of debt if I was not funded- nor do I suggest it to anyone else! On a related note- I do have a friend who got an MA in education, then decided art history was her calling, and got an MA in that (that is where we met). The art history in MA got her into a great program after being away from the field for so long, and the first one made her all the more attractive as a future TA/professor. She was fully funded for the second one as well. Your art history background sounds wonderful, and you do sound ready (in terms of motivation, maturity, and scholarly preparation) for PhD work (and there is a program that agrees with that as well)- I want to make it clear that I am no way implying otherwise for your case or anyone else--I'm really in no position to judge anyone on this board. But I do think you are unique and lucky that you knew even before college that you wanted to be an art historian (and I must admit I am a bit jealous of that!). I always thought I would go to law school, and it wasn't until my junior year abroad that I reevaluated my interests and priorities. Deciding to pursue art history meant I was behind on languages--now I can comfortably work in five, and two more are getting into shape as well, thanks to the MAs (among their other benefits). One other thing to think about: as I said before I do think you are prepared (and the program that accepted you also thinks this!), but we have to remember that we aren't accepted just because we are qualified. Pretty much everyone applying is qualified. The admissions process comes down to comparisons of qualified candidates- if you were on an adcom and had two equally intelligent candidates with great research ideas (and both seemed like ideal 'fits'), would you be more likely to take the one with or without the MA? It probably depends on the program/advisor, but I bet most would go for the MA. Furthermore, with the MA you often get more experience teaching, researching, and presenting at conferences, which also weighs in your favor when it comes to admissions. The MA also suggests you 'know what you are getting into' and shows pre-existing dedication to the field beyond undergrad. Finally, I was suggesting to artschoolhopeful that s/he look into MA programs if they aren't accepted into any PhD programs this year. And I stand by that as good advice for people who have gone through the PhD admissions and didn't make it- it is a great way to boost your profile for the next time you apply. I didn't mean to imply that everyone should get an MA before going on to the PhD- or even applying for one- just that it seems to be an increasing trend associated with the rising number of applications to programs that people do get them (and this is also dependant upon subfield, where often extra work is necessary before you can engage in meaningful doctorate-level research). It's uber-competitive out there. I like to think I'll get in somewhere, but I know there is a chance that I'll have to do round two next year. If that is the case, I know the areas to work on (there is always stuff to work on)-- and I know that having two MAs is not the reason.

Ha! Tuition was paid and I recieved a stipend. I wish I had been as lucky for undergrad :-D

To clarify, I did the second MA because I was changing time period and geographic area. The second one is in a related, but different discipline. I was told two MAs in art history would reflect negatively upon me.

Hey Artschoolhopeful, Have you considered MA programs? I know it's not unheard of to go straight from undergrad to PhD, but the impression I get is that is it exceedingly rare (depending on your subfield). I did two MAs to get my skills in order (among other things)- this is something to consider. Feel free to PM me if you want more details. Edit: P.S. I too shuddered at the UCLA results. Glad I didn't apply there, but I know I'll be slaughtered soon enough!

It's quite possible that this has nothing to do with you. Perhaps your potential advisor is going on sabbatical and there would be noone to advise you, or they didn't take anyone in your subfield this cycle. Your stats sound awesome (way better than mine when I was applying to MAs). So, there is a way you will get into your other programs- don't give up yet. Even if (and I mean IF) you don't get in anywhere, this six month trip to Germany sounds AMAZING, and will certainly be an asset next round. Where abouts in MD are you from? I too hail from the Old Line State...and didn't go to College Park for the exact same reason! PM me if you don't want to post it :-D

I applied to five schools and have only heard from one (invited to campus visit). The waiting sucks! If it's any help, I think there will be tons of notifications in the next two weeks. We're almost there--and we just need one place to say yes :-)

Hi ahhopeful! I didn't apply to Stanford, but I checked out their past results on the results page. Their sample seems to be smaller than other schools, but it looks like the majority of decisions (both positive and negative) come at the end of February. Don't give up yet! Just out of curiosity, what is your subfield?

Thanks veroordeeld. According to the results page, it looked like a certain few would possibly hear something next week- but I have no idea whether they'll conform to that, considering the snow (and other reasons). We are snowed in here as well (don't know the exact amount, but it looks like it's around 3 feet), so the grad cafe is even harder to avoid. Congrats to the people accepted at the Courtauld! I wish I had done an MA there.

Emma- It was briefly discussed here: There are also tons of threads about what grad cafe folks think is necessary for admissions in the GRE section. My general impression is that GRE scores won't get you in, but they can keep you out. The 'cut-off' score, if it does exist, that will keep you out is variable by program and the rest of your qualifications. FWIW, I got 650V and retook for 750 (granted, I took the GRE in Italy and was interrupted by an administrator during the test- it was bad enough for ETS to reimburse me the test fee- and I only retook because I was positive I could do better considering the testing situation). We'll see how it works out soon enough! Additionally; I'm applying for PhD programs. When I took the GRE for my first MA back in 2003, I got upper 500's (don't remember the exact score; it's expired now anyways) and got into 2/3 of the programs I applied to. I personally don't think you have to worry about your GRE score for MAs. Hope this helps! Edit: I mean your particular GRE score, not GRE scores in general ;-)

Thanks veroordeeld! I too met with a potential advisor there, fairly close to the due date. I'm just trying to hold on to the last shreds of hope...Did they go into any more specifics of when they would communicate results?

My guess is, if they offered, they mean it. I'm sure they are used to dealing with students' limited budgets, and the current grads will be sympathetic as well (and may have also done it themselves last year). Besides, what better way to see what grad life is like at that institution than to live with a current grad, if only for a few days?

Who had the interview with Princeton? Mind if I ask what your subfield is and whether you met with your interviewer before the application due date? Thanks, and congrats!

Yes, it is much better to focus on to how to make yourself better than to think of what you are up against. I've been stuck on this for a day or two now. The truth is, you never know who else is applying and their qualifications/connections- and you can't do anything about it, other than work on yourself.