bguis

I'm considering applying for PhD <and possibly MA programs> next Fall. Unfortunately, as a non-traditional student I was unable to spend any time abroad during undergrad. I'm looking at focusing on Early Modern Germany, but am reading articles saying that grad schools often won't even consider students who haven't had their "feet on the soil" in the country they want to research. In your experience, is this accurate?

I've noticed that most of the programs I'm looking at specify the writing sample should be related to your desired research, which makes perfect sense. My question, is would an essay that is an analytical look at a painting, written through the lens of history (i.e. considering the social expectations of the time and what the implications of the painting would have been), be considered a "history" essay? For some reason I always worry when my work brings in art or literature I always struggle with the question of are they actually historical research.