papereverwhere

I feel for those who are waiting still - the anxiety is terrible. It's a wrap for me now. I was rejected from the three American PhD programs I applied to (mind you I only applied to the very competitive, in an optimistic, naive and ad hoc manner haha), but I have been accepted into the Mst in History of Art and Visual Culture at Oxford in the UK. Likely to take up the degree, despite the cost, as it seems like too good an opportunity to pass up, all things considered. Fingers crossed for some news of financial assistance (though I am not counting on it). Good luck to you all.

Hi! Sorry, this is late. I've been avoiding all things graduate study related like its the plague due to my immense fear of rejection. Haha. Trying to pretend as if I have not made any applications at all. Congrats on your acceptance to ANU. I can only say that it is my opinion that it is easy for Australian candidates to get into domestic programs: a good transcript from a good local university will likely take you far enough. I am actually not sure how hard it is for international students to get into Australian universities - my gut feeling would say that it wouldn't be any harder to get in to the programs, but in regards to matters of funding, I would assume domestic students would have an advantage, mainly because our government actually funds a large number of PhD places under the APA award system, so it would make sense to fund local talent. I have no idea if this is true though.

ahhhhhh. i have just submitted my last application ... for the time being. now to move on with normal life! .... haha

In short: feels right, makes sense.

I appreciate your sentiment very much @Pink Fuzzy Bunny; it is definitely not pure chance, and whomever is chosen I am sure will be very qualified and not random at all. Haha. I guess my view on my own application and whether I stand a chance is rooted in an understanding that I don't think that I am particularly exceptional (but who is at the beginning of their career), and that I will be one of 'the many' with decent applications, rather than one of 'the few' with undeniably incredible ones. In which case many things such as disciplinary suitability, likeability of writing style, supervisory availability and whatever else could come into play may play much more heavily than measurable merit - which presents as fine, but not spectacular. @fencergirl I feel the same way about re-applying. The application process was such an arduous endeavour - writing several separate personal statements and revising each a billion times was like pulling teeth with rusty pliers and I'm still not sure I have recovered yet. Haha. I'm thinking that if I am able write anything good over the next year, then I will be more likely to re-apply a second time, as the writing sample is a big part of the headache. My writing sample for this particular admissions cycle was good in the sense that it has been graded well - but because I graduated in 2014, I feel that I have grown a lot more than that excerpt reflected.

For the programs that I have applied to, the chance of rejection far outweighs the chance of admission. I have been trying to prepare myself for the worst. Have any of you also been thinking about what you will do in the event that you are not admitted to any of the programs you have applied for? I consider these thoughts realistic rather than pessimistic. Haha. It seems silly to me to hang on to hope - even though deep down I can't help it. Some random things I will be doing: I am studying Philosophy by coursework at my alma mater over the next year to entertain my interests in aesthetics and metaphysics. I have also signed up for language lessons in German and and Ancient Greek - the German because it seems that all Art History programs require fluency in the language, Ancient Greek for fun. I also like to dance, so I hope to improve in ballet and contemporary dance over the next year. I hope to also practice my French by trying to ready some shorter Deleuze works (probably Desert Islands or Dialogues) in the original language. As it is my first time applying to graduate school, I am unsure if I will make plans to reapply to US schools in the 2017 admission cycle, or if I will take up a place in a PhD program in my home country. I expect I will make a decision mid-year, hopefully with the advice of some scholars and friends at my home university. Some sort of path towards academia seems most likely, however I am desperate to travel again, so I have entertained the thought of teaching English overseas and become a gypsy. lol. I come from a commercial fine art background professionally, so I might see what job opportunities might crop up over the next year... however I am still more inclined to the idea of scholarship rather than commerce. Public gallery/museum work interests me more - however I feel like an MA at the least seems to be a resume essential to getting a foot in the door. There is also the very, very faraway thought that I might go to law school, only because I have a place in the law school at my alma mater, a place I have had since graduating high school. I am a little weary of being the poorest of my friends all the time, not sure how my attitude or life will plan out, so maybe I should just 'sell out'. Haha. There is a competitiveness to law that does appeal to me, but it otherwise seems quite dry. All in all, I probably shouldn't kill myself just yet. Haha. Anyone else?

Personal preference and I have no idea if it would really weigh on a GRE examiner's scoring, but I think it is best to avoid writing the first person in analytical writing. Reason being, unless you are making a ridiculously compelling argument (one of your own thesis, original, and with cited evidence - which are all things which a 30 min GRE writing piece is likely not to be), the use of the first person tends to work against the authoritative tone of one's arguments (style of writing opinion vs. fact). Simple change, if you like, that may lift the perceived (but not necessarily real) quality of your writing. Whilst you have many great ideas about the topic, I think that the GRE writing tasks - which are incredibly banal truthfully, are about being able to clearly communicate an argument/ideas in a short amount of time. It is difficult to read a piece of writing that is one big paragraph, no matter how interesting the ideas in the paragraph are. If you are not necessarily aiming for a 100.5 on the the writing task, I would suggest returning to the boring high school essay structures you may have been taught. This sort of writing is not necessarily particularly intelligent and rather dull to be honest, but gives the illusion of a clarity of argument. Introduction: sum of arguments, Para 1: argument/examples, Para 2: argument/examples. Para 3: (often counter-argument/repudiation or solution), Conclusion: 'This is what I have said.'. If you have no time, remove Para 2. You might not be able to communicate as many ideas using this formula, but even with a few less ideas it will seem like you have every clue about the issue. Hope my two cents helps. Good luck.

ahh. nice. i'll probably head usyd way if my international applications fall through - some great faculty there, and also to avoid academic inbreeding and what not. though ideally i'd hope to go abroad, it's kind of nice knowing that i wont have the same ridiculously tortuous application process if it comes to it: freaking out about the slim chances and writing all these personal statements has driven me blind crazy. good luck in your apps. what's your area of interest and which are your top preferences for unis that you are making this round?

I attended the University of Melbourne. Are you from Australia also? Which uni did you attend?

Hello, I have made three applications to US PhD programs, and will be making one to a UK MA program. The limited number of applications I have made is because of time restraints more than anything. I have been very green to this entire process .... PhD acceptance in my country is nowhere near as competitive as in the US, so I feel rather foolish now applying to the universities I have, knowing what I know now - still, what's done is done and I hope I might just get lucky. Though I shouldn't be surprised if I am rejected from all that I have applied, I will of course feel totally deflated if I am. A completely self-defeating enterprise that I was not anticipating, but now must deal with. Haha. All the best to you all with your applications. x

Hi betsy303, Thank you for your response - I will be looking into Chicago and Rochester as we speak. I am very aware that Chicago has an excellent film studies program - perhaps the course may have an interdisciplinary possibility with Art History if I make a strong enough case. I have reached out to professors, and have had mildly optimistic responses from staff within Film Studies in particular (I did graduate very well in this discipline in undergrad). My main worry is that Art History staff will be less convinced (I have emailed the DGS in one department, with no response). I'm not sure if relevant work experience and excellence in a cognate discipline is enough for them to feel like it warrants funding me over pure Art History applicants. I guess you are right though. There is not really any possibility to gauge whether or not my application will be competitive. Unless there is advice out there that says 'no, unless you have a strong academic history in Art History, you are wasting your time'. That is the advice I am very painfully expecting, but hoping isn't the case. I took the GRE today and scored V 163 and Q 151. Not particularly excellent, but I am oddly thrilled that I am not in the bottom 20% of test takers for quantitive, as I was in the practice tests! Haha. Thanks again. Fingers crossed!

hello i am a new poster, apologies if i am out of line in anyway with my post. i am applying to phd programs in the US over the next little while (stanford, yale and CUNY applications sent or in process), i'm from australia, and i am particularly looking for programs where film and art history are symbiotic/incorporated, which is why yale's joint phd is currently my dream program. i am a film and cultural studies major from the top university in my country. i then worked for two years as sole cataloguer at an auction house in the art department - hence my fervent interest in art - thought it was always there. i took one art history course in undergrad only. i graduated with honours, and i cant say my gpa because i dont have one but i have a 'gpa' of 85 out of 100 which is first class honours (top grade) (no one ever really getting 100 mind you). i am not enthusiastic about my gre (which i take tomorrow) - i get about 160 verbal and 143 numerical (atrocious, i know) in practice, though i am relatively confident i can write somewhat cohesively in the timeframe. i have strong research interests (mainly in aesthetic theory (particularly formal theory) across art and film. i also have strong research passion and direction - i am sure i would get into any phd program with funding in my own country - but i am looking to try something new - and also to do a program that is more rigorous than the australian phd. i have knowledge, though none heaps thorough of french, mandarin and swedish. what do you think are my chances getting into a (funded) art history (preferable incorporating film) phd? my writing sample wholly concerns aesthetics - which could be applied to art as well as film. further, does anyone have any other suggestions for other programs that would be suitable for me? i know many deadlines are closing or closed... but still...good advice for next round if it comes to that. it is terrible, i am terribly late to all this application stuff... but i am really hoping to throw in the effort and hoping i get a fish on the line. thank you for your time