kingsxrocks

yup - go with your gut (yet also heed to your brain and heart when necessary) is likely the strongest advice one can give with these types of decisions!

Thanks for the comment! I am doing exactly that -- seeking internall and externall for funding. Ideally I'd find an assistantship, but I don't know how willing other departments are to offer a position to someone in a different dept / school. We'll see! Time to do my homework..

Just accepted UCLA's offer and turned down NYU's offer. Having lived most of my life on the East Coast (NY), I'm excited to venture west, for at least a few years! UCLA hasn't offered any funding yet, but I hopefully something can be worked out. I'll have to scope out scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships. I had an assistantship throughout my other Masters degree, and thus have 2 years of teaching experience under my belt, so i think I'll have an "ok" shot of trying to secure something. And even if not, it's still cheapter than NYU (even with the scholarship funding they were throwing at me last minute). no knock against the MIAP program at NYU at all, but it is EXPENSIVE!

Can you elaborate on why it's been frustrating?

Have people made any decisions as to where they will be going, come fall? April 15 seems to be both a soft and hard acceptance deadline for many institutions. I'm totally going back and forth between UCLA, NYU, and Pratt. Amsterdam seems like a glorious opportunity, but in the long-run I don't see how it would help me establish a network here in the states, so I'm slowly phasing out that option (though it's an honor to have been accepted). Decisions !!!

Interesting thread. I was wondering about this too. I've just been accepted to a bunch of archival / MLIS programs, and I already have an MA in Film Studies. I have a feeling because I already have the MA, I was accepted into more programs than I thought I would be.

Congrats EG ! I'm leaning towards UCLA as well. We shall see !

Ideally, a heritage-type job as an archivist. Historical site, cultural center, museum, film institute, etc. But I know those jobs tend to be few in numbers, so i am generally open to the idea of working outside of the cultural sector. Though, admittedly, working for the National Film Registry (or any government job with cultural leanings) would be a dream gig!

I didn't (re)apply to Film/Media PhD's this year, but I did apply to Library Science / Archiving / and Film Preservation programs. I've been accepted to: - University of Amsterdam (M.A. in Presentation and Preservation of the Moving Image) - NYU (M.A. in Moving Image Archiving & Preservation) - UCLA (MLIS w/ Media Archival Studies Specialization) - Pratt (MLIS w/ Advanced Certificates in Archives and Museum Libraries) - LIU (MLIS w/ Advanced Certificate in Archives and Records Management) I like having a wide range of options - and it looks like overall it's WAY less intense and selective than PhD programs. After getting rejected from 8 PhD programs last year, I did a lot of soul searching and explored slightly safer options which pitted together theory-based education with trade work and internship opportunities. The only stipulation was: use and draw on your past academic experiences and specializations (I have a B.A. in History and an M.A. in Film Studies). With this route, it looks like I'll be able to do just that. This post isn't meant to impede or sway y'all in the PhD route (congrats to those accepted!) - I'm only telling my story, and there are certainly alternative pathways and options out there for those currently stressing out about "what to do." I've been there. I'm STILL there!

Hi guys. I'm coming from a slightly different background and angle than most of you. I've lived a lifetime in the humanities, and my decision to apply to MLIS and other related programs comes as an alternate career pathway to pursuing a PhD (and, consequently, employment as a professor). This time last year I was rejected from 8 PhD programs, and I spent a LONG LONG time thinking about whether or not I was going to re-apply to those programs (I didn't) or if I was going to apply to related, yet different graduate programs (I did) in a field which offers equal parts theory and technical/trade experience. As much as I love the humanities (specifically, history & film studies), the thought of going through with a PhD only to struggle to find full time, non-contingent work seems exceptionally daunting, and, in short, kind of not worth it... So, this time around I applied to MLIS, Archiving, and Film Preservation programs. I've gotten into the following places: - University of Amsterdam (M.A. in Presentation and Preservation of the Moving Image) - NYU (M.A. in Moving Image Archiving & Preservation) - UCLA (MLIS w/ Media Archival Studies Specialization) - Pratt (MLIS w/ Advanced Certificates in Archives and Museum Libraries) - LIU (MLIS w/ Advanced Certificate in Archives and Records Management) while I've yet to hear back from Queens College (MLIS w/ Certificate in Archives and Preservation of Cultural Materials). I'm very excited to have been accepted by a range of great institutions, and to have many more options on my plate compared with last year. And while I’m also skittish about entering into another graduate program, let alone one which is “different” and “new” to someone like myself who has mostly humanities academic experience, I know that it is the right thing to do, and in the least, it’ll land me in a better place than I’m in right now I only have a few weeks left to pick which school I will attend, and they’re all enticing in their own ways. I think UCLA might be near the top of my list, for many reasons, but mostly because they seem to have the best internship opportunities for someone with my interests, and they (now) offer an MLIS instead of a strictly film preservation / archiving degree like NYU and Amsterdam. In short, you get more for your buck getting both the MLIS and the media archiving experience / education. Plus it’s in Cali ! If I decide to trek out to CA, that’ll be a cross-country move for me, but I have months to prepare. In the meantime, I’m weighing my options, continuing to do research on the most appropriate fit, and ways in which to lessen the financial burden (fellowships, scholarships, assistantships, etc). Quite the load is on my plate, but I’m glad a forum like this exists, even if it’s just me airing my thoughts “out loud.”

Yeah I'd definitely echo that solid advice.

Easy?

Yikes

There's already a glut of people in NY with a strangle hold over these types of positions though.

I'm going to apply to some adjunct positions, and maybe some museums - though I would have to end up commuting to NYC for those.

I'm where I was about 6 months ago. Up sh*ts creek with an ongoing existential crisis on my future and the state of higher education. While the stream of rejections were most definitely disheartening, signs seem to point towards exiting academia. It's kind of terrifying what's going on right now.

Boy it's slowed down here dramatically.

You can say that again....

Has anyone here been accepted to a Film Studies PhD program?

Rejected by GSU. Starting to think I've wasted the past 6 months. Sadface.

Rejected by Northwestern. 6 rejections in a row.. only 2 left.

Last fall - I finished my M.A. in August.

Yeah, ditto cinemanotebooks & Film Nick. Nothing but film rejections. I'm waiting on Northwestern, Michigan, and Georgia State. Nick - I also have a decent amount of teaching experience while getting my Masters - TA or Instructor of Record each semester, course creator and instructor for online summer courses, etc. Even with tailoring my applications towards each school / faculty, I guess there are people who are better and a better fit this year. It's sad, because I value my work, think it's helping the field, and would love nothing more than to be able to keep producing it while being backed by an institution.

I feel like it is a very competitive year for film.

Rejected by Yale - though i totally knew I wasn't getting into an Ivy. Still waiting on Northwestern, Georgia State, & Michigan, but I feel like if I haven't heard from any of these places yet I haven't been selected anywhere.