birthofthereadership

Is anyone still waiting to hear from MIT's HTC program? Or, has anyone received an outright rejection? I've had radio silence and their portal seems to have been taken down...

I recommend prioritizing funding unless you have a way to pay for it without going into debt. Of course, this is also a balance with prestige and eventual job prospects. But if you're hoping to work in museums (or even go onto PhD), you'll not be making much, and if you can avoid or minimize debt, that's important to do.

Oops, my mistake! Thank you for clarifying. ?

For those posting acceptances today to NYU, did you interview?

Waitlisted candidate for HTC at MIT, congratulations! Did they let you know if they've already sent out their acceptances?

I'm waiting too -- the website states that decisions will be released by April 1, so it could be any time this month.

I didn't apply to UCLA, but wondering the same thing about other programs. It's not clear to me whether no interview means one should assume rejection, although I'm not taking it as a great sign when others have interviews at a program and I don't.

Also curious about updates for IFA and Princeton, and if anyone has heard from USC or MIT's HTC program.

To the Harvard applicant, big congrats to you! Would you mind sharing if you had an interview prior to acceptance?

Curious if anyone has heard from Princeton?

I applied in this cycle, too!

Hi all! I'm currently in an Art History MA program and starting to think about PhD applications. I've heard some general advice about reaching out to POIs but was hoping to ask this group for any suggestions. What should be included in an email? Is it a good idea to suggest a conversation, or just stick to an expression of interest and see if they suggest that? Thank you in advance!

I agree fully with what is said here. No, it's not wrong to advise prospective students about the job market and what to expect (or not) on the other end. However, let people make their own decisions to attend or not -- as you did. I'd like to highlight, also, that there are other options, such as funded MA programs, as a first step and possible stopping place if you then decide not to go for a PhD, not covered here, which provide a middle ground. I'd also emphasize that UCs actually have very competitive funding packages (including for certain terminal MAs) and graduate students are unionized. That criticism struck me as fairly typical-- someone who has gone to an Ivy critiquing one of the few top public universities, which put these degrees within reach for many of us, in a way that is unfair and un-evidenced.

I chose my MA specifically because it offered the opportunity to get my MA without taking on any debt at all. I'm also receiving funding for TA and readerships. I worked for several years in museums after undergrad, which gave me the perspective that museums pay so little -- even with an MA -- that I would have a hard time repaying loans after a program, even in a higher role and with a larger salary. I strongly recommend applying to MA programs that offer funding. In my opinion, it's not worthwhile to do the degree if you are taking on debt to do it, though absolutely worth it if you can do it without doing so.

My feeling is that a partial scholarship to a private university comes out more expensive in the end than going to UC (especially with TAship/funding)-- at least, that's how my calculations worked out for my own decision. Best of luck making your decision!