skydancer

Congratulations!!! It must feel absolutely incredible to get such wonderful news at the penultimate hour! 

We DC-folk shop at the grocery stores that are close by, like most people do! We pay attention to prices and most of us are not coastal elites that can shop weekly at Whole Paycheck ;).  There are Targets within the city limits, but the lines are such that it's not always great to shop there for normal groceries.  We have Safeways (some are better than others), Giant (great in the suburbs, awful produce within the city), Trader Joe's, Whole Foods. I usually shop at TJ and Safway, and I'm in the Columbia Heights/Petworth area. It's all going to change depending on which neighborhood you live in - it's worth google mapping the time to grocery stores from any apartment you're looking at.

City grocery shopping can be a bit different, especially if you don't have a car. I'll get two large paper bags full of groceries on my way home from work and hop on the bus the rest of the way.  Or occasionally I'll do a bigger batch of shopping and get a ~$5 uber home with my groceries. Do be careful with this though, and get a store employee to let undo the automatic wheel lock so you can take the grocery cart to the curb! Target is really awful about this so I try not to shop there much.  City stores usually lock cart wheels once they pass the exit so people don't steal.  Sometimes I'll do Amazon Pantry for heavy staples that I don't want to cart around. 

People WILL go out of the city to get to Costco or H-Mart, both of which are up just a bit north of the DC line.  That's when you and a friend share a car and everyone loads up on non-perishables for months. It's a pain though, so most people don't go very often. 

What are your career goals? Do you want to get a PhD eventually? For an MA, it doesn't matter all that much where you get your MA, as long as you do well (where you get your PhD is a different story). Both the IFA or Columbia MA programs have reputations as cash cows for the PhD students; and from what I've heard from students there, I wouldn't count on getting too much attention from profs at either place. If BU or Tufts is giving you funding, then it's a no-brainer, unless you're independently wealthy; you should never go into debt for grad work in a PhD.  I also think you would get more attention at the Boston schools, but it depends on the prof. Have you spoken to potential advisors? Whose work do you most admire? Who do you click with? The most important thing at the point is finding a good mentor. Talk to people--professors and current students.

Boston University! PhD. I got my MA at Tufts so I'll just be hoppin' across the river. So excited, a dream come true. 

Hi! I had this same dilemma, and I'm sure there are tons of opinions out there. I've heard that a curatorial MA can help for some people but can also be seen as limiting, since you can acquire a lot of curatorial knowledge through work experience.  It seems to be preferable to acquire deep knowledge of the period of art history that you would want to curate.  Then, maybe find a program that is strong in curatorial studies and take classes in that department, find internships, curate a show with artists from the school. Pick an MA where it's possible to do an "unofficial minor" in curatorial studies!

I've chosen the MA in Art History at UBC* partially for that reason - they have a critical curatorial studies department at which I can take classes, opportunities to work with galleries around Vancouver and on campus, and still offers an absolutely amazing array of faculty who are strong in my areas of interest and a department culture of strong engagement with critical theory. 

(*For those who were interested, Williams was not very helpful except for basically saying admission was possible but unlikely. UBC upped their offer, they had a deadline, and I love them! I'm done!)

I know, I don't want to ask and them be like "oh well she has an offer let's just reject her so she can make a decision" instead of keeping me around in case things pan out. Because  My mind is currently conjuring up that scenario side by side with the fairy tale "omg wait we totally meant to accept you with piles and piles of money" response.  I'll keep you updated!

I haven't heard anything from Williams either! But after obsessively researching the "results" page, it looks like they admit later on too? I've been really nervous to ask too early because it's still kind of early March and I don't want to interfere with their decision by rushing the review of my application (if hastily asking even affects their decision). But you have an actual excuse to ask early, whereas I'm just being impatient - so I suggest to do it! Let me know how it goes, I'm dying to get more news!

Well, I don't specifically talk about Williams College, but in my point of view, it is totally fine to ask for an application update in mid-March from anywhere. 

I've never heard of anyone getting funding from Columbia for an MA/MODA, unfortunately. One of my undergrad professors also seemed a bit hesitant about the program due to mixed reports from other students who've gone through it. Still, it's Columbia, and it would be an extremely tempting offer if the debt were closer to, say, $50k and not $150k.

I've never heard of anyone getting funding from Columbia for an MA/MODA, unfortunately. One of my undergrad professors also seemed a bit hesitant about the program due to mixed reports from other students who've gone through it. Still, it's Columbia, and it would be an extremely tempting offer if the debt were closer to, say, $50k and not $150k.

I suspect the rest of the Williams emails will go out over the next few days (this was the case on the results page). 
I've been accepted to the Courtauld MA History of Art as well as Columbia's MODA program. Has anyone from the Columbia MA program received funding? I know that it explicitly states on the website: "There are no fellowships or scholarships available for free-standing MA programs. Loans and information about federal work-study are available through the financial aid office of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences."
Just curious if there are exceptions...

I guess the first wave of acceptance has been made for Williams and Tufts MA. I am freaking ouuuuut

Hi! I agree with you. There's a general delay that I also seem to ascribe to the political climate. UCSC, for instance, is almost a whole month late, that is, unless I wasn't admitted and noone's updated the results board. 
Which application is causing most of the anxiety?
I want to read something that's well written, has a solid narrative, and is set in a fascist context. The writer, experienced with words, a historian at heart. Would you, by any chance, have any ideas? I'm mostly reading long form articles these days...
 

Does anyone else feel like the results process is just slightly delayed from previous years? I honestly wonder if the national turmoil resulting from cheeto-mussolini delayed some preliminary readings and committee meetings.  Or maybe I'm just paranoid and looking for more things to blame on our political state.
Anyways, it's been quiet here! How's everyone holding up? What are you reading now? What's the best exhibition you've seen recently?  I'd like to give a shout out to the Art of the Qur'an at the Freer|Sackler, an especially relevant exhibition these days, and stunningly beautiful.  

I know at least in 18th c. Germany, Winckelmann was scolding artists to imitate the Greeks. I was told he was the father of art history, so I'm not certain what was the norm before then. The study of art would have been considered the philosophy and/or science of aesthetics around his time. So it would be less "this guy did it this way for this reason" and more "there is one true and pure beauty and here are some instances in which somebody or some culture came close." (f--king HEGEL) And then there were the times and places in which artists were considered more like craftsmen, so it would be a matter of picking up techniques or styles according to what your talents were and what the patrons desired. We know that Michelangelo, that cheeky devil, would imitate ancient Roman statues, but they were also in high demand. Maybe the secret is following the money to determine how and what artists (and art historians) study?
Depending on how far back you want to go, literacy levels, dissemination of reproductions, the ability to travel, and the wealth of the artist would also impact what they studied. It's easy to understand how artists would be considered craftsmen if training through workshops and apprenticeships was the majority of their education. If we're talking in the last 200 years or so, I'd say artists were deeply involved in considering, forming, rejecting and using theory just as art historians have been. 
I know that I'm fond of looking at art in terms of historical events, and I came from a studio background. But after taking a historiography class for art history, I came to understand that theory is, unfortunately, nothing new in our field. It's pretty much founded on it thanks to German philosophers (those bastards---I might never forgive Kant and Hegel).
Sorry if this is a bit tangential. It's midnight and I'm super wired.

I finished my applications and am curious to know if anyone else is interested in technology + art. I applied intending to focus on contemporary and modern with the intention of specifically focusing on information systems + cognitive science within art and art history. 

Another Mahler lover here! (I actually got to sing in his 8th Symphony once, that was incredible.)  Dvorak and Stravinsky are other classics - if you like opera, you should listen to Rusalka.  When I'm feeling anxious or angry, virtuoso violin concertos tend to be perfect! I'd really recommend the Ronda Capriccioso by Saint-Saens and Tchaikovsky's violin concerto in D major. For another rebel who's less, hm, vigorously emotive, you should listen to Erik Satie. He's the one who composed the music for Parade! 

I've heard literally nothing and it's starting to freak me out. No mail, no calls, no e-mails. The most I've gotten is emailed receipts for my submissions and South Carolina's Financial Aid office asking me to create an account so they can......? Yeah, if anyone could finish that sentence, I'd appreciate it, because I'm at a loss. The results from other schools are starting to pour in, but none from my schools.
Also I flip-flop literally every day as to whether my chances are decent or terrible. I stay occupied by reading too much mindless fiction. Just finished Ring by Koji Suzuki. Also I'm trying to get into classical music, if anyone has any recommendations. I want 19th and 20th century rebels.

Mahler has always been my favorite. 

Congrats on your interview and other offers! What option did you choose? I had a successful interview last year for the Experiencing Modernism option and it was quite conversational, nothing too formal. Granted, mine was in person and I also sat in on the class prior to the meeting. However, it was fairly laid back and most of the discussion was on my experience (or elaborating on) since the Courtauld's app doesn't ask for a resume. There was a brief discussion on my research interests as well and how or if those intersected with the Professors. So know their work as best as possible or at least familiarize yourself with some publications. I also had 2 offers from other programs at the time so that made a huge difference going into the interview. The best advice that was given to me and I'll share with you: Be prepared to ask questions as well since you are also interviewing them, especially if you come in with other offers. The Courtauld is a unique program, make sure it's the right fit. Find out if the course crosses over with others so you have access to more than one professor (i.e. Experiencing Modernism had cross-over with Russian option), or the professor's focus is not quite what you expect from the option (more architecture or design focused that painting for example). I originally had my heart set on the Courtauld, but after the visit and interview realized that it was not the best fit for me and I rejected the offer.  Also, don't sweat too much if you don't hear back immediately after the interview! It was a month and a half between my interview and official offer.
I hope that helps you and good luck on your interview! Best wishes on your decisions!

I applied to the Courtauld last year and I remember thinking the EXACT same thing about the scholarship application! Although I was accepted, I turned down my offer which came in prior to knowing the funding, so who knows if all that work paid off! Good luck with it though--it's quite intensive and definitely makes you question every purchase decision you've ever made over the past few months lol. 

You should post those results in the results page - be honest, it's for posterity! Then the next round of applicants can drown in anxiety right around this time when they see it's possible to receive results this early. 

Hey guys! Just posting a "YOU CAN DO IT" note, since I know we're all going crazy right now. This isn't my first round of apps, so I definitely know how difficult it can be. I'm having a really hard time staying off the results board or checking my app sites. I'm seriously hoping I get in somewhere this year.
Just remember this process can be unpredictable (for better or for worse!), and it ain't over till the CURVY LADY SINGS. :-)
Now go eat some chocolate, have a glass of wine, and scream into your pillow!

Has anyone else been watching our nation devolve into a fascist state for the last few hours with the crippling dread that maybe a PhD isn't the best move right now...(amongst other crippling-dreads)?

If anyone else is interested in developing an antifa-feminist-health-clinic-on-wheels as an effective Plan B, let me know!