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starfish

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    Art History Ph.D.

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  1. Those are both awesome dogs, but I think I've got my heart set on a Newfoundland landseer. Mostly, I just want a dog that's big enough to ride.
  2. Someone else has received an invitation to interview for Duke's art history program. I haven't heard anything yet. Not a good sign.

  3. I visited several schools during the admissions cycle, at the suggestion of my MA advisor. It was a really great experience, and I'm glad I did it. At one school, I discovered that I didn't like the feel of the department and my personality and research interests probably weren't a great match for my potential advisors. I was able to mark that school off my list before I spent the money and time applying. The other schools I visited were much more positive experiences. I was able to build a brief rapport with potential advisors and overall, I think, made a good impression. I have no idea if that will be enough to actually get me accepted, but I definitely think it improved my chances. At least they'll recognize my name and have a face to put to it when they're wading through piles of similar-sounding applications. If I don't get accepted anywhere this year and have to reapply, I'll try to find the resources to visit all programs during the fall semester next year. I'm finishing my MA this semester and teaching at a local community college. I've already sent in resumes to other area community colleges, so my plan if I don't get in is to ratchet up my teaching load for the next year. Since I will also finish up my MA thesis this semester, I'll work on getting that (or part of that) published, and maybe do some additional research and try to write another article for publication. I will also get a puppy. I'm determined enough to keep applying until I get in, even if that means I won't enter a Ph.D. program until age 91. No kidding. I'm going crazy.
  4. Those cheese biscuits are incredible, and will certainly lift your mood if you're down. Mmm... fresh from the oven, glistening with garlic and butter and cheese... now I'm drooling.
  5. When I went into M.A. programs, I was in kind of the same boat. I made a nice salary, lived in a beautiful place and was very settled in my life. But settled, for me, didn't mean I was happy. I actually hated my job and I was pretty convinced that pursuing my academic goals was the best way for me to to feel happy and successful in a professional capacity. Still, it was scary to move 7000 miles and give up the paycheck and make new friends and learn how to function as a student instead of a manager. But I did, and I was right--I am happier now than I have ever been in my life. I miss some things about my old life, but those are the ephemeral, nostalgic things that I think one is bound to miss in a big life change--I miss the weather, I miss the friends that I now only see on facebook, etc. I don't miss my old job, or my old lifestyle, or my old intellectual life (which was practically non-existent). Anyway, now I'm applying for Ph.D. programs and I'll be as happy as one can be if I get accepted anywhere. Academia is definitely the right place for me to be, and I'm just glad I figured that out before I spent more years doing something that wasn't satisfying to me.
  6. I like that too! Much better than mine, which is so mundane--teaching at community college(s) and playing with a new puppy. You can see, I'm much more excited about the puppy. Even better, perhaps some of the professors who rejected you will fall so in love with your DJing skills that they will buy you a drink, and you'll start talking and soon enough they will be begging for you to be their student. It's all about dreaming, right?
  7. On the off chance that the admissions committees fail to see the brilliance and promise in each of us and we aren't accepted this year, does anyone have any consolation plans? I don't mean to ask what you will be doing if you don't get in, but rather if you have any particular treat in mind for yourself to keep your spirits up. I just came up with mine--if I don't get in, I'm going to get a Newfoundland landseer puppy. I think it will be hard to be too depressed with a giant fluffy ball of puppy joy bouncing around my house and yard. Anyone else have something in mind to soften the blow?
  8. Yes, you are! I hope you don't mind that a stole the academic heroes terminology from you. It's a great way to describe some of my favorite researchers.
  9. I actually like bragging about myself, but this was harder to write than I thought it would be! 1. MA in my field this coming May. 2. 4.0 GPA in my major in undergrad, 3.9 grad GPA 3. Several conference presentations 4. At least one LOR that I expect to be spectacular, and two other solid ones 5. Conducted pre-application visits at two of my top choice schools, and had a fantastic rapport with one of my scholarly heroes. 6. Currently working as an adjunct instructor for survey-level classes in my discipline 7. Cool research interests!
  10. I'm interested in exploring the use of the human figure in pre-World War I European modern art. As artists strove toward abstraction in some facets of their work, how and why did they continue to use the human body? I'm curious about the ways this use of the body is inflected with political ideology such as social Darwinism, a Victorian-influenced gendered understanding of the body and contemporary concepts of a universal visual iconography available to artists through formal abstraction.
  11. If the news is bad: 1.) Husband 2.) My mom (probably) 3.) Facebook and twitter (I have my privacy settings on both restricted to my friends) 4.) Gradcafe results 5.) and, once all bad results have come in, my LOR writers If the news is good: 1.) Husband 2.) Mom (definitely) 3.) Facebook and twitter 4.) My MA advisor first, then my other LOR writers 5.) My undergrad advisor 6.) Gradcafe results 7.) At this point, I will probably start using facebook to look up random acquaintances from high school and old jobs to tell.
  12. Ooh, this is fun! And reading over all the replies so far, I see I'm not alone in my biggest weakness--flubbing college the first time. Here's my story: I spent three semesters in college when I was 17, and came away with something like a 1.6 GPA. I took some time off from school and eventually got an A.A. with a 3.3. GPA through the Navy, so that's an improvement. When I decided I wanted to go into art history, I was still in the military so the only school I could attend was a part-time online program through a tiny state school in Pennsylvania. I graduated from that school with a 4.0 GPA, because they didn't calculate in my transfer grades. Also, they didn't actually offer all general education courses online, so I had to take a few from other schools. I didn't think much about this at the time, but now it means for each application I have to send in seven transcripts. I just hope the ad comms notice that the really bad ones are from 10 years ago.
  13. I was in the Navy for six years. I learned Chinese, had a top secret clearance and worked in an underground bunker in Hawaii. Then I decided to study modern French art history, go figure. I also hate synthetic fabrics, adore marshmallows and always try to drive the speed limit.
  14. I visited schools after I was accepted, and I ended up changing my mind about which school I wanted to attend (I was 90% certain before I visited that I wanted to go to school Y, but after visiting I was much more enthusiastic about school Z). I'm really glad that I was able to visit, because it enabled me to make a much more informed decision. Of course, this was after admission--I didn't have the resources available to visit during the application process. My guess would be that it depends a little on the program--if it's the kind of program where you're applying to work with a specific professor or several specific professors (like a Ph.D.), then it might be really helpful to talk to them and prove that you'll be a good fit for their program. If it's a more general MA, it might not make as much of a difference.
  15. Thought I would introduce myself. I've been lurking for a while, and I think I may have posted a thing or two last year. I'm finishing up an MA program this year in art history and hoping to move on to a Ph.D. I'm interested in specializing in pre-WWI European protoabstract art, most likely in France though I'm potentially open to dabbling with German and Italian artists as well. I've got 7 schools on my list, and I'm getting there with the application process--have my LORs lined up, GRE scores still good from my pre-MA test, my transcripts (which are multitudinous) are ready to send and I have a decent SOP. My next big hurdle is visiting and meeting people, which I'd planned to do for 4 or 5 schools. I've been to one already, and it was disappointing. I have two more visits lined up for the first week in November, and need to get off my butt and email the other one or two programs to set up something soon as well. I'm also in the midst of picking and editing a writing sample, which is proving harder than I'd thought. I wish good luck to everyone throughout this process. It can be fun and scary all at once. I hope a lot of people (including me!) make it into stellar programs this application cycle.
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