random_grad

It's obviously not the moment to try new techniques for focusing and rigor. So I would suggest getting enough sleep, drinking lots of water, taking some nuts with you to the exam, and refueling at the breaks so that your mind is at its sharpest. Then if you have enough time at the end of each section, double-check your answers. But at least pick some answers for all questions so that you don't end up double-checking perpetually on a question, and if you don't have time, at least you have a probably correct answer for each q rather than no answer. One thing that I keep mentioning as advice: when clicking "next" do not click twice. Wait for it to load. I was kicked out of a section like this, because the very last "next" is in the same location as "submit", so by clicking again because I thought the system did not get my first click, I ended up submitting. (it was OK though, I got all the answers correct on that one, but imagine the stress for the next section!).

This is a very strange thing that I've noticed more than once, that one prof would say "oh, this is nice, how about you try to publish" and then another prof would say what has basically been said above "don't rush your first publication" (although not so much because it would look bad to publish in a bad journal but just because it's a lot of work for limited output). This argument in favor of the latter position makes sense to me, although there is this sense that hmmm, it might actually be nice to publish before applying for PhD. Of course, we're not talking about social sciences where people manage to publish dozens of articles and sometimes even books before starting their PhD. But even in my field where few people publish anything in the undergrad and where, generally, people publish little while in PhD, when I looked at CVs of all the folks who got admitted into top programs in my subfield, they all had at least some sort of publications they made at the undergraduate level. Some even posted that material on academia.edu. They might remove this from their CVs later on, but it was there once and I doubt it had no impact on the adcom's decision. So I think if the urge to publish is strong and you have free time on your hands, consider presenting your work at a local graduate conference if there happens to be one soon. They will not be too judgemental of you as a new person in the field, because it will all be your immediate colleagues, yet you will get feedback and experience doing that, and at the same time this will not go online forever and ever. Same goes for whatever journal you find which does not post their stuff online, such as an undergraduate journal at your institution. It will look nice on your CV because you will actually have a rubric for publications. Another option is to publish as a journalist some stuff tangential to your field, where you can show your wit without necessarily disclosing that your research skills are not there yet. (...or maybe they are!)

I agree with what has been said above, and also wanted to suggest the Aga Khan program at Harvard. imo a specialization in Middle Eastern would give you an advantage for future job prospects, as the field is currently branching out toward non-European arts. Positions listed often ask for double-specialty including non-Western art, and frankly, at this point there are very few people who can genuinely claim to have that. Your language knowledge will definitely help. You can frame it as double-specialty in European and Middle Eastern modernism and if a department does not have an art historian specializing in the Middle Eastern, mention in your SOP someone from a history department at the same university who knows that topic and who could serve on your committee. Or you can have a non-modernist specialist in Middle Eastern as primary advisor. Basically, when considering a dpt, think of the possible committee for your dissertation. Many professors are very open to other topics (you can check whether or not it is the case by looking at topics of their past students) In terms of getting research assistant exp before applying, it certainly won't hurt but you should really focus on your writing sample. Research assistantships are not created equal: some are very in-depth and some are just paper pushing. From a CV it is impossible for the committee to tell what it was for you. It's the writing sample, your SOP (are you able to formulate a project), your reference letters and research-proposal-based awards which , I think , really count.

1) I totally second what the above commenters have suggested in terms of seeing a therapist. Medication might not even be necessary - just talking to a professional can be very powerful, esp. if you are now alone. If no therapist is available right away, consider attending time- and stress-management workshops. You'll learn strategies and see that others are struggling with the same issues or even worse. A thing that may seem silly but is very important: do you eat well? do you have enough sleep? working less hours but sleeping adequately increases efficiency. you need to stay healthy (beyond not-being-sick) or it will affect your mood. 2) I can certainly relate to what you feel about theory. I'm currently in one course which is all about theory, and there are lots of people from outside of my home department so most of what they're discussing is... well... rather uninteresting to me, to say the least. Most of them are super-knowledgeable and enjoy this stuff, but there are others like me who'd rather talk about actual history, as you put it (esp. folks in my sub-field). I feel very dissatisfied with a lot of theory we read because it tends to be vague, pretentious and often tendentious. (I do enjoy historiography though). I think it helps to analyze, why you don't like theory/historiography. Is there something dissatisfying about it? Do you feel like the way it is presented is inadequate? How would you do it? I personally want to find a way to shift the theoretical discourse in my field, shift the way people write about theory. I find some of the features of major theoretical works downright unacceptable. I'm not gonna go on a rant here. Maybe I should make a post about this and see what people think. In any event... to change the way theory is done one needs to first get to master it. So that's my motivation. Try establishing what could be your motivation for understanding theory. Otherwise, for now, try approaching this as a necessary part of what you have to know, just like languages. Don't sweat over it too much, approach that mechanically. I'm sure many people do just that. I personally feel like I should start making tables and flashcards of sorts for the theory component if I want to stay on top of the game. It's like studying for another exam in the undergrad: just need to get through it for now. 3) This is a time of year when it's very hard to stay on top of your game. It's totally normal to feel burned out. I would suggest letting go of some of the unnecessary commitments which you've taken up. Are you on any committees? extracurriculars? do they bring you joy or only make you more tired? replace that time with more efficient relaxation time. it's all about finding a balance.

Humanities person here - almost never see my cohort outside class. Maybe once a week if all is well. Don't mind that too much though, I've always been fine by myself. And otherwise there's a good connection with the few upper-year specialists in my subfield, so however rare our encounters it feels like we're together and can share something deep in terms of research. --- How does the transition from one school to another feel in terms of the way your field is framed? For me, 2 months in, the change from one school to another has been huge. My BA/MA school was all about tools of the trade, and now in PhD there's great expectations for a mastery of theory. It feels like I need to acquire a certain theoretical knowledge-base which all 2nd-years seem to grasp quite well and 3rd-years (the few ones who attend the seminars) seem to master to the level of the profs (or at least to a level where they can talk about that stuff freely). Looking at them makes me hopeful that it's totally doable.

From what I've seen of museum job postings (I've only looked at entry-level positions in small museums though as museum work is not really my goal, which also tells you that my advice may not be entirely accurate but I'm not sure we've got museum-oriented people here on this forum), it does seem like they are fine with just MA. But the degree seems to be the least of their concern. Experience with museum-related work seems to be key. While a professional MA would get you closer to that profile by virtue of being profession-oriented and presumably having hands-on opportunities, a PhD who framed their work with several years of museum internships (or with prior museum experience) would probably look like a more suitable candidate, esp. if the museum is a major one with a rich collection of art in the PhD's specialization which otherwise is not represented among the staff. Smaller museums probably would not want someone whom they deem overqualified. In order to get a more precise idea of how posts get filled, if at all possible, match the postings you've seen with the people who actually got hired. But ultimately, if you don't want to do a PhD, you shouldn't.

While it can be instructive to look at profiles of people who currently occupy important posts in the profession, their backgrounds may differ from what is expected from new applicants. It is no news that the expectations of the baby-boomers on the qualifications of millennials far exceed their own qualifications when they started out. I would recommend scouting job postings and perhaps doing an information interview with decision-makers in the museum which you know to see what they would expect from an ideal candidate. In the same logic, look at programs which have strong ties with museums, so that you may be able to intern in a prestigious museum through your MA school or otherwise do some interesting museum work. It's great that you have experience in the museum world. That will certainly have a strong impact on the committee. If you manage to write a good paper on a topic of your interest, that's great but don't stress too much on the paper being strongly aligned with your interests: it's not very important at the MA level. imo textual analysis has very little to do with visual analysis but it's true that many art history profs have English lit majors. In my program (a top program in the field) there is a person who, I know for sure, did not major in art history. I wouldn't know what was in his/her application but it shows that there are ways to persuade an adcom to admit a non-major. In addition to what was mentioned above, a strong letter of intent which shows that you have a good understanding of what's going on in the discipline would certainly increase your chances. Also, relevant languages can be useful.

or gluhwein))

thank! yep, I usually add grated ginger too and chamomile if I have some. This works for my spouse; worked for me for a year, doesn't work no more - this time the scare of getting into a long sickness mobilized my immune system

Film is usually taught in non-art history departments. These can be pure film, or include "new media", which is related to photography. Talk to your profs about existing programs. It is very uneven and many are in development while other previously good programs may have lost several good profs. Still, considering your background, these departments are probably a good option. Unless you find a prof in an AH department whose primary concentration matches yours, you will be very alone. If you get into the film-oriented department, you will still be able to take photography courses in the AH department and get AH profs on your committee. The more specialized departments can be very exciting, in that they are growing, changing, evolving. It's very important to talk to current students, how the department is, where it is going, what the big goals are. Finally, ask yourself, what you wanna do with your degree and see if that degree matches your goals. Find placement records or ask about them. Again, talk to your film profs, look at profiles of professionals in museums, look at specific museums you'd want to work at etc. Consider doing an information interview with museum professionals at your workplace or at other major museums in your town.

if you have time and money - sure, try again. but in general nobody seems to care in art history. none of my LoR writers asked about my scores and laughed the matter off. I've read somewhere that they are more strict for verbal scores of non-native speakers, but I guess this applies to the really low scores. is your TOEFL good?

depending what level you're at right now... consider emulating the writing of your favorite scholars. if your school's writing center is inefficient, consider browsing websites of major universities. They often have writing tips in open access.

in CV, indicating level and type of proficiency, if that is unclear. e.g.: English, French: fluent (written, oral, reading)German: working proficiencyI also included certificates which are meaningful in my field (e.g. "passed [language exam at your university]"). I did not include beginner level for languages which I studied for a year or a long time ago, and which were not too relevant to my field. I did include languages which are not relevant but in which I am proficient or advanced. in SoP, indicating how this would be relevant to my work and stating projected improvements I plan to make (but not dwelling too long on all this). in application, if they have a specific field for that req.

Thank you both! I'll try your suggestions. With Cold FX it might be the placebo effect, but it might also be that it works for some people and not for others. So far it's done wonders (in combination with salt water as gargle and gatorade for staying hydrated) so I'm not ready to give it up so easily

What U.S. remedies work for you to fight a cold? In Canada I tried all the Advils of the world and finally found Cold fx, it has been with me for several years, truly a blessing, never thought down south there would be none of that. Getting myself a nice bottle of Cold fx next time I go home. But in the meantime, seriously, what works for you? Especially if you had to switch from Cold fx to whatever - I'd appreciate your input. I'm seeing my semester degenerate for a stupid reason. Still don't get it how I could have missed bringing some of these tablets with me.

If you have trouble sleeping, think twice before getting a cat. For me it has been a difficult balance to keep the cat happy so that he doesn t yowl at night. Sure, he s sweet and all during the day, but my sleep has never been the same. This will seriously be the last cat I have unless I own a house one day where I can separate cat and bedroom in a soundproof manner at night. Vet bills can be very high but friends can help. We crowdsourced among friends for friends' cats in trouble several times. Otherwise monthly expenses are not too high. The main issue as a master s student will be how you transport the cat once you re done. What if you get into a phd where cost of living in the city is so high that you d have to live in residence where they don t allow pets? Is the 1-2 years really worth getting into a long-term pet relationship? Maybe there are other means of relaxing at the same price? This is a huge commitment, surpassed only by kids.

4th answer: if you bachelor's has 4 years, last two years means courses you took starting with the term immediately after officially completing your 2nd year. This might be more or less than 60 credits (in the event when you took more credits than needed for your degree as a whole or in the event when you took more than 60 credits in the years preceding the transition to 3rd year status). This may also be more or less than 2 calendar years or 4 terms. This is how I calculated this and it seems to me like the most logical approach.

I did not talk about how great facilities are at all although in ny discipline certain rare library collections might be relevant. It would be appropriate if there is a specific piece of equipment that _you_ want to work with (e.g. in kinesiology that could be a cutting-edge motion-mapping device), but otherwise I d say just focus on profs. And it should not be just you saying how great they are but also why they matter to your project.

1- as a student you are NOT immigrating. Be sure to not reply to any questions in a way to make them suspect otherwise. Have proof of ties to you home country and be confident when you say you want to go back. airports have signs for connections so no need to stress over it (although do not try to be "smart" and stay cool. I could have gotten tased because I tried to bypass customs on a european flight.)

Legacy was not something that was listed in the various application websites I have encountered at the graduate level. As a matter of fact, I ve encountered it just a few days ago and I am quite shocked. How does one claim legacy?

I m from Canada so I had similar concerns. In my case it worked to show the landlord my funding letter plus deposit. They will ask you for past landlord contact so be sure to call your previous landlord in advance so that they remember you. But most likely there won t be any calls. I would recommend having a rental place - any place - send you a template application so that you know what questions to expect in the area where you will be renting.

Have you considered sleeping in the middle of the day? Apparently humans have different ideal sleep patterns. I am currently experimenting with that to find my ideal sleep-productivity pattern and 2h sleep mid-day seems to work well.

Call them?

This all sounds like a fun way to meet people and transition, although if poorly done could also just feel like a waste of time. I m kinda sad I can t make it to all the optional orientation events. Jumping straight into coursework! Might turn out as the best way to acclimatize. Can t wait to start

@Klonoa: I just got a list of books for the mandatory methods course. Will be taking a look at it once it arrives and possibly read parts of it. Otherwise I ce been rereading fundamental primary sources for my discipline and books by department's profs. From my MA experience it s awesome useful to read in advance if you know for sure that you ll take a course and have the syllabus with the req pages.