paulab

Hi! This situation has been really uncertain and messed up our plans, so I get your concern! If I were you, I would first contact the faculty or department administrator at the other universities you were considering applying to and ask about their admission plans this cycle. Maybe that could give you a clearer picture what your other options are and if you could see yourself in those programs. However, if Uchicago and Yale are your top choices, I think waiting one year to apply while you get your MA at your current university could be a smart move. Most applicants to PhD programs already come in with their MA and work experience, so you could use this upcoming year to do research at graduate level and present yourself as a more competitive candidate. Unfortunately, I do think next admissions cycle will be more competitive, so keep that in mind. Personally, I am taking the MA before PhD route precisely for that reason. Hope this helps and good luck!

Thank you! I sent you a message!

Thank you so much!! I didn't even consider some of these points and they really help! That spreadsheet is very insightful too, honestly I think funding might be the determining factor (I like your username btw ☺️)

I know, and probably the faculty member to supervise me would be the first thing to look at. It is a broad question I admit, I am interested in knowing what people value in their universities/departments I guess.. However my area is also modern/contemporary so I would appreciate your thoughts!

Sorry my questions are a bit all over the place, but here I go: I am not applying to PhD's this season but I wanted to start looking early to determine which schools to apply to. Obviously I should find a POI in my subfield that could supervise my research, but aside from that, I want to know what I should look for in schools/departments I know there are contradictory opinions regarding which are the "top programs" in art history, but since we all are speaking from personal experience, which would you consider to be top programs and why? I'm also really interested in your thoughts on universities that aren't the ivies, since I think I can make an informed decision on the latter by the information that I have, contrary to the other schools which I do not have much information on (I'm an international student fyi). Personally I am looking mainly in the East Coast since I find location to be an important factor to me but still there are plenty of schools in that area and I can't see myself applying to all of them. I am a bit overwhelmed in trying to reduce the number of universities to choose from by picking the ones that are well regarded in the field and that could provide good opportunities/work environment for their students. Lastly, if you or somebody you know are currently in a Phd program that you love, would you mind sharing which one is it and why did you choose it over others? Thank you!!

Thank you everyone for the suggestions, I really appreciate it!

Thank you!! That was what I was thinking but I was unsure if it was common practice and how to go about it. And also thank you for the suggestion on Princeton, it was definitely on my list as well

Hi everyone, hope you are doing well! I am starting to consider applying to phd programs and need help for choosing a supervisor. For reference my area of research is modern and contemporary Latin American art. I was looking at one program in particular that has two professors in the Latin American field but neither really specify on modern and contemporary art (one studies colonial, the other architecture), yet I believe they could work as potential advisors for me for their experience and methodology. Is it normal to have 2 advisors? How should I go about bringing it up when/if I contact them? My thought process at the moment is that since my research doesn't exactly align with either maybe getting both of their perspectives could be more fruitful? Should I just contact one of them and hope they accept me even if their research doesn't align closely to mine? Maybe I can mention both professors in my SOP? Any help will be really appreciated!!

Hi everyone! I have a question regarding the F-1 Visa Interview that came up in my school's webinar on tips for the visa application process. They mentioned that I could be asked about my travel history to the US with exact dates. Has anyone experienced this during their interview? How specific were the questions? For context, I have traveled a lot to the US just for vacation purposes and I haven't kept track of all my entries and departures. I was advised not to estimate because it could seem untruthful to the officer and a possible reason for visa denial. Does anyone know if there is a portal I can check to retrieve my travel history? I know the us gov has one but it goes back only 5 years. Any tips will be really appreciated!

I have been bombarding this forum lately, but I have plenty of questions to ask ? Could you help me out? I am looking to apply for MA's but I don't have a great GPA. I believe I have written a good SoP that explains how I've matured as a student since then. On top of that, I think I'll have some great LoR that will back that up. I have identified the faculty I would like to work under, should I contact them to explain my situation? Is it even normal for MA students to write potential POI or is it more common for PhD students? If I do contact them, will that affect in any way my application? If you have any experience with this, I would really appreciate if you could give me any advice. Thank you so much!

Hello! I am a student from abroad looking to apply for Art History and Curatorial Master's in the UK and in New York. All of them require a statement of purpose, which is something unusual where I come from, so I don't really know how to go about it, especially since I've been reading that it can be a make or break part of the application. I was wondering if there might be someone willing to share the SOP's that got you accepted into MA programs, just so that I can get the gist on what admission's officers are looking for. I have read a lot of mixed advice online, but I would like to get a real example of what makes a standout SOP. I guess people are concerned about distribution or copying, which I obviously won't do. I really just want to be as prepared as possible because I don't think I'll have the chance to apply to Master's another year if this year I don't get accepted. I'd be so grateful if anyone could help me out!

Does anyone have any reference of the City College Art History MA? I haven't heard much about it and I wanted to get opinions on it. Has anyone done it? Does it have a good reputation? Thank you in advance!