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violetvivian

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  1. Some things to consider while you're thinking about grad school in art history: 1. Why do you want to go to grad school? 2. What kind of "20th century art history" are you talking about? European? American? Japanese? African? Theory? Photography? Folk? Latin American? The list goes on, and your "chances" are different with each choice. If answering this question seems difficult to you, then yes, a terminal MA is a good idea. It will give you a chance to familiarize yourself with a broad section of art history and its various methodologies. 3. What does getting "a job" mean to you? You will probably be able to find a job with a PhD from a school outside the "top 40." It will probably NOT be a tenure track job. Start reading the Chronicle of Higher Ed, and you'll get a good idea of the state of the academic job market in the humanities. Even with a PhD from a top 10 program (and these rankings are too complex to reduce to a list, anyway), you may have a tricky time landing a tenure track position or curatorial gig. This is why numbers 1 and 2 are incredibly important. You can't go into art history for the job prospects or the money. It needs to be something that you're passionate about, and feel a strong need to add to the state of the discourse.
  2. Just a heads up: you may have difficulty finding an art historian to advise you in a PhD in this specialization at the particular schools you mentioned. I can't think of anyone on faculty at Columbia, NYU or UNC-CH who would be a good fit for an "outsider art" project--perhaps folk art more broadly. If you are set on UNC or NYU you may want to look instead to the American Studies/Folklore faculty and Visual Culture faculty respectively. If you'd like more specific information feel free to PM me.
  3. I think this is what you're referring to? It's outdated... http://arthistorynewsletter.com/blog/?p=476 http://arthistorynewsletter.com/blog/?p=483 http://arthistorynewsletter.com/blog/?p=484 And my personal favorite, by adviser: http://arthistorynewsletter.com/blog/?p=485
  4. Nina Athanassoglou-Kallmyer at Delaware? Dorothy Johnson at Iowa?
  5. Bellion is great and an excellent reason to apply to Delaware. The three that I am thinking of left Delaware for other tenured positions but have not retired. They (or two out of three, at least) are also still advising the last of their Delaware graduate students remotely, from their new positions. I think in the next two or three years, when the last of their advisees have graduated, we will see a change in the success/output level of recent Americanist PhDs from the program, unless there is a new hire or two. I would look at Penn and Temple, as others have said. Not in New England, but a cheap megabus ride away. And yeah, that's a very good point.
  6. Delaware has lost 3 (that I can think of) great Americanists over the past few years...
  7. Kuniklos, I think you sound like a really interesting, attractive candidate for any of the programs you mentioned. Don't be discouraged. If every student followed exactly in the scholarly mold of every mentor, a field would never grow or expand. Art History has found its way to psychoanalitic theory, critical theory, race theory, material culture, visual culture, etc. because of people who ventured outside of traditional boundaries. You sound passionate about what you've chosen to study, and if you are confident that Art History is the right housing for it, you will make it work. I'm going to send you a PM with some firsthand info about one of the programs you mentioned. Best of luck!
  8. Best of all, get a strong, detailed letter from someone famous!
  9. There are a lot of questions in this post. I have a few of my own: -Why apply to Berkeley if so many of the modernists have left and the funding situation is so dire? Or do you want to work with Grigsby? If you go to Berkeley now, set up a meeting with her or someone else that you'd be interested in studying with and ask all these questions. No resource better than that. (As an aside: if you are an undergrad at Berkeley, do some research on academic incest before you apply there for the PhD). -Why these particular "unfathomably competitive" schools? I hope the answer is that there is a potential adviser for you (someone whose research interests are in line with your own and that you would want to study with) at each of these schools. There is a scholar of 19th-20th century French art at almost every graduate program out there. That doesn't mean each person is a good match for you. If you haven't already, read their work and see if it resonates with you. If it doesn't, just don't apply. If you're open to considering different programs, take a look at Duke (Leighten is really fantastic, IMO), Penn, Delaware, Michigan, UNC-Chapel Hill--all popular choices among modernists on this board, if I remember correctly. -Do you plan to mention your Icelandic interest in your SOP? If so, have you checked to see if there is anyone on faculty at these schools who studies Icelandic art? You are probably well aware that 19th-20th century European art is by far the most popular specialty right now. As such, you will be considered against a much larger applicant pool than, say, those interested in African art. To set yourself apart from the pack, do your research now. Reach out to the scholars who you would like to work with and ask if they are taking on new students next year, and stay in touch. Make sure your languages are in great shape (scholars of French art don't just use their language for primary source translation, but for writing as well). Ask your respected professor if they can put you in contact with anyone directly. A few of your questions can be answered with some simple googling--read the funding policies on the webpages of particular programs, search for placement rates, google recent graduates and see where they've landed. Good luck!
  10. I am not really sure what your question is (are you concerned about your quantitative score on the GRE?) but I did want to offer some other (cautionary?) advice. Keep in mind that if you do end up being one of the 5-10 lucky students admitted to an outrageously competitive program like Columbia, UChicago or NYU (in the even-more-outrageously competitive field of modern and contemporary art), you will be expected to write. A lot--in English--for an expected audience of American journals, at least most of the time. I only mention this because you mention that writing in English is much harder for you than verbal. Since your thesis is unfinished, you may want to spend some time completing it. If your program won't accept it for credit, it would still be to your benefit in terms of polishing up your English writing skills. You'll also need to submit a writing sample, and I would only suggest submitting something that you are confident in and proud of. As for your quantitative score on the GRE, a 610 in math is perfectly fine for an Art History applicant. It is only really a consideration if it is exceptionally low. My score was lower and I had successful applications.
  11. Can anyone speak to this for the humanities?
  12. This is really interesting, particularly because I've heard similar things. I figured it was a personal opinion/ one-off, but maybe it's a trend. One prof mentioned to me that some of the worst job talks he'd seen were from Harvard grads, and disparaged their high number of in-department hires (i.e. BA, MA, PhD Harvard candidates hired as profs at...Harvard!). My adviser also discouraged me from applying for several reasons, mostly related to the program's conservatism. Of course all this speculation really assuages the sting over that rejection letter I received a few months ago.. Not really sold on sticking Michigan and McGill in the top 10, though. OP, sorry to hijack your thread!
  13. Is it really thought that Harvard is "not nearly as great as" Michigan or McGill?
  14. As others have stated, they aren't equivalent. However, some schools in the US are now trying to develop a PhD in the visual arts. It's quite a controversial topic right now (and the general opinion is that it's a bad idea). If you're interested, you can read more about the new visual arts PhD and more traditional visual arts degrees in a book called Art School: Propositions for the 21st Century. It's an interesting read--I would recommend it to both visual artists and historians.
  15. I would choose NYU-IFA for a number of reasons: 1. If your goal is to become a curator (not a curatorial assistant, or other museum work, but a full curator), you should take the traditional MA track at the IFA. This is because you will eventually need to earn a PhD if you want to pursue this career, and a traditional MA is better preparation for that (in terms of networking, academics, research skills, etc). Then, if you're still interested in a PhD, you can apply again to Columbia or a number of schools with excellent Latin Americanists (cool field!). 2. You have already committed to NYU. I don't know the specifics of your situation, and it's true that Columbia did give you a very late admit, but it's considered a faux pas to renege on an offer after April 15. In this case, the prestige of the programs is fairly equal (particularly on the MA level), and the faculty at IFA has been very responsive and welcoming--I don't see the point of potentially burning bridges at the IFA to accept the Columbia offer. This is the big point that stood out to me when I initially read your post. 3. You seem to be leaning toward NYU in terms of strength in your field. Follow this instinct. It doesn't matter that Columbia is an Ivy if it is weak in your field. In this case, it's not weak, but I think you are right that the IFA is a better research fit (just based on what I've read from both faculties). Congratulations on having two great offers in hand. Good luck!
  16. What period of Art History are you interested in? If it's contemporary, are you interested in art criticism? I think the art practice/art criticism duo is much more common and established than art practice/academia. Look at Robert Storr (Dean of the Yale School of Art, painter, critic and basically an art historian without a PhD) for an example of someone who has been VERY successful on this path. David Batchelor is another example--an artist who has published on critical theory. I have a background in studio and to be honest, dedicated study of Art History pretty much beat the will to create out of me. The more I learned about art history/the art market/the art world, the less I felt I had to contribute. I will be pursuing a PhD in AH, but no longer practice at all. I think you do have to commit to one or the other if your choices are art practice and academia.
  17. First, if you have more questions about the application process for Art History, you will get better feedback on the Art History board: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/66-art-history/ To answer your question--it totally depends on the school and the application format. If the application didn't automatically cut off my writing sample at a certain amount of pages, I always included figures. You're right, they are very important! Nobody really seems to know what the rule is for this, but I don't consider bibliography and figures as part of the page limit. However, some schools (NYU maybe? Can't remember for sure) had upload limits on their online applications, and in these cases, I took the images off my figures list, leaving the caption info, and included a note about how I removed the images for space limitations. Hope this helps! Good luck!
  18. I have no "cold feet" about my choice of program--I'm just worried they will get cold feet about ME! It's just now hitting me in a major way that I'm going straight from my undergrad into a top PhD program, where I will be surrounded by ridiculously accomplished and experienced classmates. I'm really worried that I'm out of my league and that I'll be playing catch-up from the start. Does anyone else feel like this? Also, any other soon-to-be-grads out there going straight to a PhD program next year?
  19. To be perfectly honest (and I know I am simplifying your rationale here), I think you are doing yourself a disservice by limiting yourself to only UK programs based on the level of competition here in the US. Your interests are well-represented at US programs, but frankly, not so much in the UK. Like others have said, the Courtauld is probably your best bet. Based on your interests, I think that Dr. Stallabrass would be a good match for your research (http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/people/stallabrass-julian.shtml). However, if you are concerned about the level of applicant competition, know that the Courtauld is extremely competitive! At UCL, you might look into the work of TJ Demos or Stephanie Schwartz. One last point on the UK schools--although you might personally feel like the UK model would be good preparation for working as an academic, that's not generally agreed upon in US programs, and you might find yourself limited to UK teaching positions based on that training. Like fullofpink suggested, there's a lot in the US that you shouldn't overlook, particularly in some of the nontraditional art history/humanities programs that are cropping up. I'm thinking specifically of visual culture/visual studies programs, and perhaps even some American Studies programs. Some of these programs are standalone and others are housed within traditional AH departments. Take a look at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's many MA tracks--for instance the MA in visual/critical studies or the MA in modern art history, theory, and criticism. I think there are some really fantastic scholars on faculty at SAIC. NYU also offers visual culture programs (check out Marita Sturken). I could go on and on about this--feel free to message me if you'd like to chat about it more. Good luck!
  20. I agree. I'm curious what the "jokes" you mention are, fullofpink? Actually curious, not trying to be disparaging--I'm admittedly not really up on my artworld gossip.
  21. Hi all, Thought I would resurrect this helpful thread. I'll be attending a PhD program next year that requires a language examination within the first month of enrollment. I've had 3 semesters of French but have taken a year off and really, really need to refresh. Like, beaucoup. I can't enroll in summer courses here at my undergrad or really any sort of formal study for expense reasons (yeah, I know going to spend the summer in France would be ideal...). Any suggestions for preparing for a French exam independently? Texts, methods, strategies? Thanks!
  22. Total non-sequitur, but does anyone remember actually getting a rejection email or letter from Northwestern all the way back in early March? I found out by checking my status on the website after seeing results posted here, and figured that they'd send something along a little later. But now... Really? Not even a computer-generated email directing to the website?
  23. I hope that the ongoing discussion of MA-vs-BA will be helpful to future applicants. It's nice to read so many different perspectives on the topic. I'd like to add something important I learned during this year's cycle. It may seem so obvious, but it's worth noting: there is a difference between applying with a fresh BA (or a soon to be conferred BA) and a BA plus some work experience. This comes straight from the mouth of an Ivy adcom, in my case. Many of the top direct-entry PhD programs note that a MA isn't necessary for admission, which is absolutely true. However, this doesn't mean that they commonly accept students directly out of undergraduate work. "Real world" experience is important (for your application purposes and perhaps also for your sanity)! Although I received a few MA offers this year, I'm taking a non-AH teaching job and plan to apply directly to PhDs again in a few years. Thoughts on this? Did anyone receive similar feedback?
  24. You shouldn't accept another offer until you have all your cards in your hand. The agreed-upon decision date is April 15. Give yourself the time to make an informed decision! If a school is pressuring you to give them an answer, let them know that you are very interested in their program but are still waiting on responses. It's a different story if a school looks like it will keep you on hold past April 15 (a possibility). In that case, do accept another offer (if that is your backup option) and you'll deal with the stickiness as gracefully as possible if necessary down the line. And another thing: do NOT feel guilty about taking the time to think on this! You deserve to be as comfortable as possible with this big decision
  25. I am on a wait list and don't expect to hear anything until April 15, or even after. It's a messy process. Maybe the people who haven't accepted offers yet are on wait lists themselves If you haven't asked for clarification yet, it's well within your rights to inquire, and you should! Write a polite email asking if the wait list is ranked, where you stand in that ranking, and how deep they have gone into the wait list in recent years. The DGS at my school was very forthcoming with that information, and it gave me some guidance in how to proceed with my other offers.
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