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ursprache

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    Brooklyn
  • Program
    Art History

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  1. I *almost* felt bad for my girlfriend, who had to turn down fully funded offers from Chicago, Penn, and Yale, some of them even more lucrative, to attend Berkeley. Ahem. Almost.
  2. A very relevant article from today's Chronicle: http://chronicle.com/article/Women-Tenurethe-Law/64646/?sid=oh&utm_source=oh&utm_medium=en
  3. There are obviously pros and cons to both choices. I think at Chicago, you will be surrounded by a much more intensive and rigorous intellectual community. Plus, you'll get a "campus life" in a way that you won't with the New School. However, if you like a more integrated urban existence and think you'd love spending your next year or two in lower Manhattan (with all of the benefits and challenges that brings-- including commuting, if you're not lucky enough to get subsidized housing on campus), then maybe that's the best choice for you. I don't know your particular field, and that matters a huge amount too, as does the reputation of the program, and the faculty. Is your goal to continue on to a PhD program? If so, your most important concern should be with faculty. Work with well respected faculty whose research jives with yours and who you actually like on a personal level (to that end, visiting the schools and departments would be a good idea, if you haven't already). If you're not looking to continue on to a PhD program, then the reputation and quality of the faculty is less important. Chicago certainly has a more prestigious name, so there's that to keep in mind, but the NS has a reputation for cutting-edge work. The last thing I would add is that the NS has a HORRIBLE reputation for the way it treats graduate students. It's literally considered one of the most hostile environments in which to be a grad student. If you were doing a PhD, I would advise against the New School for this reason, but if it's just an MA then you're not in for the long haul and that could be less of a concern. Obviously, no easy answer! The best bet is to think all the pros and cons through rationally (maybe make a table), visit, and then listen to your gut feeling.
  4. to me, that's the crux of it. yes, reputation exists and it matter to an extent. but what *really* matters is your program of research. if it's innovative, exciting, well-crafted and supported by substantial and high-quality research, that is your best bet for getting into a good phd program, and really, for having a successful career as an art historian or curator. it's all about your research and don't' let anyone tell you that any other factor even comes close. i think on the phd level, reputation is more important, but it's still not something i would opt for if it meant sacrificing my ability to produce the highest possible quality work of which i knew myself capable. my 2cents.
  5. take the funded offer. i am assuming you want to eventually go on for a phd. if so, you do not want to take on anymore debt, especially not 80k worth. don't worry about the lack of prestige. as long as there are faculty who you jive with that can advise your research at this "lower tier" institution, you can go on to any phd program you want afterword. just make sure you produce stellar work. and it need to be truly stellar, because masters students are looked at more critically by phd admissions committees than those with just a ba. best,. ursprache
  6. Hi there, My partner and I are considering the Bay Area next year for grad school. She's been admitted to Berkeley and I have an offer from Stanford, but I'm from the east coast and neither of us has lived there before, so we're unsure of what to expect regarding housing. We've heard conflicting accounts of what it would mean to live together such that one of us has to commute, since the two campuses are on either end of the bay. From what I've learned doing some preliminary research, CalTrain is a fairly easy way to reach Stanford from San Francisco proper, and if we lived relatively near a BART & Caltrain stop we'd both be able to commute via public transportation. As graduate students on stipends, though, I doubt we could afford much more than $1,600/month, which is already pushing the upper limit, and I'm not sure if that's a realistic budget for San Francisco. What about Oakland? Is it possible to commute to Palo Alto nearly every day without extreme hair loss? Berkeley proper? We do have a dependable car that gets good gas mileage, but I hear that can also be a nightmare in SF. Would love to hear any thoughts. Thanks.
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