Valorship98
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Posts posted by Valorship98
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I would explain the situation as completely and confidentially in your application as possible and fine ANYONE you worked with that either left your institution, became faculty elsewhere or still holds you in good favor from your institution to write a letter for you.
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It is so typical GradCafe to say September is fast approaching in May. I hope this all worked out for you @CHINESEGOLD.
Don't forget to breath, us academics are so quick to panic sometimes!
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Hello!
Regardless of where you would like to curate let's consider a few things. What is your area of specialization? Where a BA in Art History with a focus in contemporary art can sometimes land you a job as a curatorial assistant in lower-tier museums, a BA in Art History with a focus in Chinese art will not get you in the door for curatorial whatsoever, PhD or MA vary dependent on focus.
What sorts of degrees do the people you wish to become (i.e. Curator at State School Art Museum) have? Do they have a degree in museum studies or do they have a pure art history degree from a well known institution?
Why is your GPA something that is frightening you? What are the parts of your application that can bolster a 3.4 GPA (I.e. your extensive professional experience (don't downplay this), excellent writing skills (as demonstrated in Writing Sample and Personal Statement), etc.)? Put this way, I had a 3.5 GPA and am now at an Ivy for my MA with a very well known advisor, without gap year.
What are the same 10 schools you see everyone you've worked with and studied under having earned their degree? Did they attend Boston College or did they attend Harvard? How can you take the resume you have in this moment and make it so irresistible that you are almost guaranteed admittance to top programs? For this, look at current graduate students at Harvard Yale Princeton, most of them have an MA from Courtauld, Tufts, or Williams, they have at least one really impressive internship or job experience at a top museum or archive - what are the steps to take you from where you are now to compete with those students?
These are the questions I pose to myself, maybe this is unhealthy I am unsure. What I do know is, I want my PhD, a large chunk of my early years of my life, years I will never get back to pursue the study of something I am incredibly passionate about, to be completely worth it and VALUABLE. A PhD in art history offers very little in terms of capital generation, meaning there are two jobs available: museum professional or academic. Again I urge you to look at the people who currently hold those positions and model yourself and your CV after them. OH, and don't forget language study!
I hope this blunt honesty was helpful, if you have more specific questions feel free to inbox me.
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Hi Celia, great to hear about your experiences studying and where you are thinking of heading. Don't forego an application to an institution like Harvard, where I believe Eugene Wang is very interested in film and their contemporary professor(s) is/are also very well respected. The Beijing Film Academy is considered one of the best institutions in China for film, as I'm sure you're aware - this will definitely bolster your profile in the eyes of a committee. I think applying to Chicago is a smart choice as Wu Hung is there as well as Darby English.
I would absolutely shoot for the top schools, consider Stanford as well for both Marci Kwon and Jean Ma. And in terms of the GRE requirement which you don't mention here don't worry too much about it, the rest of your profile can bolster a less than ideal score. I think you are in a great position for wonderful acceptances.
If you position your application to be seen by the Chinese faculty members (both Chinese nationals and Chinese specialists) they will see Beijing Film Academy and be very impressed, just as they are when seeing Central Academy of Fine Arts.
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Can't believe this thread totally died, everyone should announce where they are headed!
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Have you ever listened to the podcast "Art History Babes"? They all went to Davis and one ended up as an adjunct with her MA. You could reach out to them via their socials, they're super responsive, especially Gutierrez. I think if you went to Davis you would be fine in applying to PhDs. Tufts is of course super well known and rightly so, the program is really rigorous. However, at Davis you are getting super great funding and a completely valid MA. You should be fine.
I guess I'm favoring name recognition because I decided to decline funding for an unfunded spot at Penn. I did this mainly for geographic location but also for my advisor. It's really up to you what you do, but Tufts funding is really nothing to scoff at. Just make sure you way your options and think about the future in the most realistic terms, with and without a financial consideration.
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Hi, I would strongly recommend Tufts over UC Davis. Davis is well funded but unfortunately the reputation can kill middle of the road applicants whereas middle of the road applicants from Tufts can still enter top PhD programs!
All best.
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Everyone that got into BU should do some research on the program before committing. Speak to current graduate students!
- tunic_youth, nudeinbrook and staxdo_21
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Anyone going to Penn this fall, PhD or MA? Would love to become friends!
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no email, rejected, check the portal
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1 minute ago, gooniesneversaydie said:
We'll definitely need emotional support over the next 6 years! I wish you nothing but luck in your decision making. I know just how scary it is to move from coast to coast.
Side note: I'm sitting at the dentist's office and what is directly in front of me? Two massive degrees from BU in the biggest frames I've ever seen. The universe is just f'ing with me now. So, by having a BU graduate examine my teeth, does that mean I'll have good luck??!
Well everyone knows Tufts dental is better anyway
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On 3/6/2020 at 12:58 PM, mcc1237 said:
I highly recommend reading the article Hiding It from the Kids (With Apologies to Simon and Garfunkel) (1999) by Gerald Graff and Andrew Hoberek (former director & assistant director). While it was admittedly written over twenty years ago, I found it really helpful in informing my thinking about the MAPH program as well as constructing strong statements for this round in general.
Can you elaborate a little?
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Oof still haven't heard anything.... nervous!
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Just now, Soffit said:
Did you email your POIs during the application process or just listed them in the application?
I haven't been admitted yet, but I was able to meet twice with my advisor, and I had a phone call and email communication with the DGS.
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5 minutes ago, DDDDD said:
Long time lurker here. For those who are waiting, I received an email from my POI at RSEA congratulating my acceptance, in which he mentioned he had just gotten the news that I will be accepted. So presumably advisors will be emailing offers today (if they choose to? Not sure if they are required to do that, so no email doesn't necessary mean rejection I guess?) and the official offer is on the way.
Who is your POI if you don't mind sharing. Mine is on sabbatical so I assume he will not be reaching out. And a huge congratulations on this achievement, any other offers you are considering?
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I got rejected from my lowest program but accepted at much better schools. Depends on a lot of factors - an admittance that is. Hold out hope.
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19 hours ago, anxiouslywaiting0000 said:
Just got accepted to MICA LeRoy E. Hoffberger School of Painting (MFA)!!! Very excited & also going to Cranbrook for an interview this weekend. Does anyone have any insight on MICA?
Do anything you can to work with Mina Cheon.
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From what I've read, there is no need to say anything - even if you reject an offer. It would be good for networking to get in touch with the DGS's once you make a decision, simply so they can get people off their waitlist if that's still viable for their department. BUT, you should wait until you can use other offers as financial leverage.
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38 minutes ago, Robert_Kerans said:
Guess it's not for today. I checked in with them and they told me they "expect to announce decisions within the next few days."
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GSAS will likely send results on Thursday or Friday according to a DGS NOT in the French department.
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You should wait until April 15th regardless. If the PhD comes through you'll regret not waiting.
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From the RSEA DGS
"The offer letters will apparently go out later this week (we are not sure if Thursday or Friday), so I am told. We don’t know exactly, since it isn’t the RSEA program that sends them out, but in any event hopefully very soon."
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Should we all just make a pact to go to our top school regardless of funding lol
2021 EALC (East Asian)
in Interdisciplinary Studies
Posted
Yes that is how it worked last year for RSEA. Friends heard good news, I heard bad news after them.