bakhtingothic

Can you ask to write a thesis KU? If you do decide to continue and do a PhD, that research experience/lengthy writing process/relationship with the advisor will really help you. Of course, for the letter of rec, but mostly for yourself personally. I don't know if you wrote a senior thesis, but if you've never done such a project, it will help you determine how much you actually enjoy doing original research and a lot of writing. I wouldn't suggest going into a PhD before you understand if this is the kind of work you are ready and willing to commit to. And of course, you'll need to prove to the universities you are applying to that you are capable of having an original idea and writing coherently about it. Many of the applicants you will be competing against will have probably written Master's theses. Look at both of the universities' placement rates as well.

@texasod Did the DGS at Rutgers email you to say you were wait-listed? Or how did you find out?

anyone hear back from northwestern? presumably, those with interviews got in, but then, where are the rejection letters?

Yeah, I second the above. Are there even 11,000 art historians in the country? (even with international applicants, that's highly unlikely). I imagine it would probably be closer to 150/200 applications for art history.

You know, what you might be able to do is, first, drop out, then spend a couple of years working / doing something else to make sure that grad school is where you want to be (or build up your skills in medieval / renaissance meanwhile), and then reapply to graduate programs. You might be able to simply leave this grad program off your resume, assuming you don't reapply to the same university (and preferably keep up your contacts at your undergrad for letters of rec). If you aren't happy there and you'd prefer to be studying something else (which your post really seems to make clear), why put yourself into a corner so early in your career? Best cut your losses and run before you get too bitter. Before reapplying though, you should make sure that you would actually be happy doing all that work for medieval art. Sometimes the grass only seems greener on the other side. I'd suggest, drop out, get a job, and try writing a 25-page research paper on something medieval/renaissance in your free time. If you like it after that, reapply with your shiny new writing sample. And come on--you are coming straight out of undergrad, making you presumably not older than say 23/24. Which early-20-something hasn't made a mistake (or a many)? You are allowed to fuck up. There's no way you're the first art historian to have gone though this...

I'm interested in Northern European manuscripts, mostly post-1300, as object studies. Harvard/Chicago/Courtauld are certainly up there, that I know, but I couldn't imagine having to pay for a PhD at the Courtauld and living in London at the same time. Have any Americans succeeded in getting funding? Plus you'd have to go in with a fully formed dissertation proposal. Harvard appears to have already sent out their acceptances...so there's that. Kitzinger seems to do really early stuff and she doesn't have tenure yet. Jung does mostly sculpture and Columbia seems to be an architecture place. And I can't imagine someone studying medieval Islamic art would be super interested in working with late medieval European manuscripts.

Yes, well I did notice a lot more programs for intercultural exchange, particularly early Middle Ages/Byzantine. I applied to several programs this cycle, but few of the big art history departments seem to have late medieval art historians interested in manuscript or decorative art culture (Columbia, Penn, CUNY, INFA, Berkeley, etc.).

Anybody apply for / thinking of doing a PhD in Medieval? Have any advice about good programs? The pickings seem pretty slim as far as late medieval art goes, besides architecture, that is.