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RomeSweetRome

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Everything posted by RomeSweetRome

  1. Hey! UC Davis MA alum here. To respond to your 3rd point, not sure where "at least half" came from...I never paid any tuition at all. As long as you TA every quarter (which you definitely will), you will never have to pay tuition. I'd reach out to someone in the department if you have questions about this! I got into multiple Art History PhD programs with my UC Davis Master's, if that is a concern of yours. My advisor also studied something different than me but luckily was more than happy to work with me, although I know not every professor there is that flexible. It's definitely not the Courtauld, and I totally get that, but I would say it does also depend on what you make of the experience. If you find and create opportunities for yourself (apply for summer internships/overseas research instead of taking the summer off, for instance, audit language courses if that's something you're lacking, attend conferences and network - something UC Davis will fund), you should be in a good position if you decide to go that route. My decision for my MA was between NYU and UC Davis, and I couldn't be happier than I picked Davis. Loved that I came out ahead financially, and I adored the town, lifestyle, and my cohort.
  2. (PhD student here. Disclaimer: I have no actual knowledge about this. But here are my thoughts!) It's possible it's just used for statistical/research purposes for the graduate school at large, but there is a chance it's to see how likely you are to accept them. Just going off the fact that shortly after I accepted my offer, I was chatting with my POI about the whole decision process (I literally waited until the last day to accept because I was so torn between 2 programs) and she mentioned that she had been worried I was going to accept at a certain school, one that I had never told her I applied to. Could have just been a coincidence, or maybe she just surmised based on where a prof with similar research is, but I've always figured she knew because I had listed that school on that section of the application. I don't want to advise on whether or not to fill it out because I really have no idea, but if you do fill it out, maybe list the schools in alphabetical order just so it doesn't seem like a ranked list?
  3. Good luck with the post-bac! I worked with a professor who told me this statement of purpose format, and it worked for me getting into grad school: 1) introduce yourself with all of your biggest academic accomplishments/experiences - try to impress them right off the bat to grab their interest and distinguish yourself from other candidates. What makes you unique and/or accomplished? (1 paragraph) 2) Explain your research/academic interests. (2 paragraphs) 3) Go more in-depth about an impactful experience that relates to those research interests. Ex. for my PhD app I talked about writing my MA thesis, for you it might be your fave project in undergrad that has transferable skills. (1 paragraph) 4) Tell why you want to go there - list professors you want to work with, resources you want to take advantage of, how you're a good fit, etc. The more specific, the better! Read everything on their website and reach out to professors; they'll usually mention specific resources that relate to you. (2 paragraphs, I do 1 for faculty and 1 for resources) 5) Super concise conclusion (3-4 sentences) In all, mine was about a page and a half single-spaced, assuming they don't specify a page length/word count. Obviously there's no one right way to do things, so this can be tweaked how you see fit. Hope this helps!
  4. Hey, I interviewed at Michigan last week and got my acceptance this morning! Hope it’s good news for you too! They were interviewing until Friday, so if yours was earlier in the week then it makes sense you didn’t hear back right away. (Also I feel like people aren’t as active on their email over the weekend, or if you didn’t have anything in your last email that required responding to. So don’t be too concerned about their lack of response. The decision comes from the grad studies chair, not your POI, anyway!)
  5. An internship or volunteer position in a museum would help you gain experience and become a better candidate for paying roles. Unfortunately most internships are unpaid, which sucks, but it's really difficult to break into the museum career world without some kind of low-level experience. Also look into Master's programs in Museum Studies along with the Art History and MLIS degrees you've already been researching. Lastly, I would say use your experience to your advantage. Don't discount your BFA as being off-topic; instead, emphasize the overlap. If you want to gain experience, try to apply to museums/galleries that have at least some relevance to the work you did in your BFA. That is, you'll have more success finding a role at a design or fashion museum than an archaeology museum. Good luck!!
  6. Hi - I don't have a ton of advice to offer here, but I saw that you mentioned something about the city each program is in. I would 100% reach out to someone at the PhD program (current grad student, POI, or both!) and ask what the norm is regarding years in residence. I've gotten very different answers in the past from different prospective programs, some that said many people move after their coursework is done and others where everyone stays through graduation unless they get a fellowship that absolutely requires them to be elsewhere. If your PhD program is like the former, you might only have to live in that city for 3 years or so before you're ABD and can move. It could be worth asking!
  7. Hi, I've heard from both. Interview for Michigan at the end of February and acceptance to USC w/ invite to virtual recruitment event in March. Hoping for good news for you!
  8. Hi, I've reached out to professors after rejection multiple times (this is my 3rd app cycle, lol). I only reached out to those who I had Skype meetings or phone calls with in the Fall. They were all super nice and incredibly helpful. They will almost never speak to specifics (you won't hear, "we didn't accept you because of X reason") but they advised on next steps and how to strengthen my profile. It's also nice because I feel like they're a bit more "real" than when you speak with them prior to applying. Their advice led me to do the MA that I did, so definitely worth it. That being said, a couple I reached out to never responded, which I also totally understand - it's a little awkward! Good luck!
  9. Hi fellow applicants! Wanted to let y'all know there is also a thread for Fall 2021 Art History applicants over on the specific Art History forum, if you're looking for more insight:
  10. Hi! I'm applying to 9 schools - it would have been a few more if not for Covid. This is my 3rd time applying to PhDs (the first time I landed in a Master's program), so I'm definitely nervous. At this point I'll be happy to get in anywhere, but I'm not getting my hopes up, given what a mess this year has been! Good luck to you all!
  11. I don't know the exact statistics, but it is a very, very difficult program to get into. I believe each year's cohort is usually around 2 students. You have to have serious language training in Greek and Latin or else they will barely look at your application (a faculty member there told me this when I was applying - I've now been rejected twice). I've heard from people outside Penn this is because they want you to be able to get out in five years, so ideally you'll come in ready to pass your language exams. Of course, you should apply if you're interested! Grad admissions are so unpredictable that you very well could have a great chance. So I don't want to scare you! But just don't necessarily get your hopes up, and definitely apply other places. You could look into their Art History PhD and see if your POI overlaps between the programs.
  12. Really appreciating the solidarity on this thread! If you'll let me vent for a moment...I applied for ~7 PhD programs 2 years ago, got rejected from them all, then last minute (literally in April) applied to a MA program that I started that fall. I did the MA because a couple of the POIs I had skyped with during the app process recommended it. Now I'm about to finish that MA and have 9 PhD apps out in the world with 4 rejections, 2 surely on their way based on the posted results, a waitlist at what I thought would be my absolute backup school, and 2 that I haven't heard a peep about. If I could sum up how I'm feeling in a word? Disillusioned. I've learned the best thing you can do for your mental health in these trying times (at least in my experience) is picture life not only without that degree, but with hope. I've spent the last couple weeks applying for a ton of jobs outside academia, some of which I'm actually weirdly excited about, and one of which resulted in an interview for a paid summer internship for something I never, ever thought I would get. And even if it turns out I don't get it after all, it's a reminder that there's more out there. So, fellow gradcafers, keep pushing - rejection in one aspect of your life is not a reflection of you, neither as a professional nor a person. We'll get through it.
  13. Has anyone heard from Bryn Mawr's Classical Archaeology PhD? I haven't seen anything on the results page, but in previous years it looks like all of the decisions had gone out by now.
  14. Yes, but they were in a different department, so we had only met once very briefly. Generally it was all fine; in this case they were taking an undergraduate course so they came in knowing there was a graduate TA. I felt a bit weird grading them, but I think they did value my feedback, and it helped that their assignments were pretty good. I had to meet individually with each student about their research paper, and our meeting was really nice because it actually felt more conversational and less awkward. We could also get into some deeper discussion because they were naturally more advanced than my other students, so instead of having to explain the basics of how to pick a research topic, we could talk more about methodological issues, sources, etc. It ended up being a good learning experience for both of us! I think it boils down to: 1) don't baby them, and 2) be really open to what they have to say.
  15. Hi guys! Anyone have any insight or comments about the UC Davis Master's program? Trying to decide between it (funded) and a non-funded program with much more name recognition. Mainly doing a Masters to gain experience while I decide if I want to push for a PhD, or turn toward museum education. I study ancient art if that helps, but I'd love to hear any info you might have!
  16. Anyone have any advice regarding the NYU-IFA Masters program? Is it worth it? I was excited to be deferred to it from a PhD application, as it's my only acceptance, but the Internet really does not have kind things to say about it...
  17. Anyone have any Duke or UVA admissions updates? Saw a post for each on the results page (Duke acceptance, UVA rejection) but haven't heard anything on my end...
  18. This is really helpful and encouraging, thank you!!
  19. OK YES ME. I've almost posted this exact thing multiple times. I applied to all top-tier schools (because I am young and naive) and have gotten one rejection and otherwise complete silence. I'm really not optimistic about any of my prospects at the moment but also don't have a backup plan so yeah, I'm freaking out. Trying to figure out if there are masters programs I could still apply to (that would also be worth going to/paying for) or if I should plan on working somewhere. If anyone has insight into a best course of action, please share!
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