I just thought I'd resurrect this topic to present a new scenario that I haven't seen brought up very much. Appropriately, I will start with the
Cons:
-I was an art history minor and my grades in the subject included 2 As (Baroque and Japanese Art) and 4 A-s (Intro course, Renaissance, Impressionism and Architecture)
-Those six courses and a 6-week stint on my school museum's photography acquisition committee are literally the extent of my art history experience to date
-I have written just about 100 pages total of art historical analysis and no thesis
My apologia: I majored in Economics and went the Investment Banking track, though art history was always my dream subject. Without going into to too much detail, I figured that art history made a great hobby/passion while banking makes a great job. I've figured out now that banking is actually a horrible job and I'd much rather become a professor or curator, just as I always expected. In the any case, I figured that banking would be a great way to save up some money for grad school if and when I decided to go down that path.
Pros:
-I have a good GPA (3.81) from an Ivy
-My first GRE results were in the 1450 range, though I'm hoping to get 1500+ the next time
-I have two professors who I think will give me good recommendations
I'm not sure how well my passion for the subject will translate given that I haven't the internships or research experience to back this up. Obviously, I don't expect to get into a Ph.D. program immediately, but I'm wondering if I even have a reasonable shot at a good Masters programs. I want to make a career out of this (i.e., becoming a curator at a large museum or becoming a Professor at a good school) and people have been telling me that going to a top-5 or top-10 school is by far the only way to reasonably ensure this outcome. I'm guessing that going to a great M.A. program makes it a lot easier to get into a good Ph.D. program. Just about every poster has had a strong, highly focused background in college (unlike me) and I suppose my ultimate question is this: is an art history pedigree in your undergraduate career important enough that I shouldn't really expect any success at a top-5 M.A. program?
