Atlantis

I started my PhD in Art History at a major Midwestern program in 2009. I did not have a bachelor in art history, but I did have an MA from the Courtauld. I think an MA is definitely an advantage and is something you should seriously consider.

MAPH is what you make of it. While it is certainly expensive, it can be an extremely rewarding experience. You will never learn as much and work as hard in that one year than at any other time in grad school. Also, people have re-applied to the UChicago PhD track after they did MAPH and have been accepted. Others went on to other programs at UChicago or elsewhere. If you're able to stick around, you may also get credit for your some courses, which can be a plus. It is certainly a program to consider.

Chicago offers have gone out like two weeks ago, I think.

Sure. These are from years past and there may not be much change. But is everybody reading those? Also, there are 'official' dates for when acceptances are sent out, and then they are those emails you may be getting a couple of weeks earlier by your POI or department head.

Yeah - these things are difficult to parse… But congrats to you! You'll love Berlin. And if you have any questions about the place, let me know. I'm from there, originally.

I would think that some departments actively discourage those applicants that they accept to share their news on outlets such as this one for a variety of reasons. And those students will probably stick to that, since they don't want to jeopardize anything.

Well. The acceptances/rejections have been sent out. 63 applications. I guess about 10 got accepted. Not mine…

I agree. PhD Student in Hyde Park myself. Your stipend will be plenty… just don't spend 1k a month on rent, as I did! It may get you into trouble. But there are other options, besides MAC in Hyde Park. Look at Parker Holsman for example. They have a couple of properties, also in the 'safer', Eastern part of Hyde Park, like on Harper, where I lived for a while, and absolutely loved it. And you can get a bike. Really. It's perfect, especially in the summer. Happy to answer more questions, too.

Congrats c m on your acceptance at Buffalo. Jonathan Katz is awesome, and actually much more 'art historical' than you might at first expect him to be. But he sure has his own way of looking at the world. And I'm very excited for your research topic! You're not, by any chance, a current UChicago undergrad?!

I am enrolled in a PhD program at an institution that has an MA program either as a one year full time, or two year part time terminal degree in the Humanities, with a possible concentration in Art History. They tend to offer a place in that program to people who have applied to the PhD but may not have made the final cut. The program itself is excellent and very rigorous. You will definitely be prepared much better for PhD work. That said, it is generally not fully funded and not exactly cheap. But your chances of being accepted into a PhD program with an MA degree in hand are much higher at most institutions. While there is no guarantee here at my institution to move from the MA degree into the PhD program, it does happen occasionally, sometimes with a break of a couple of years. And you will most definitely have a much better writing sample for future PhD applications etc pp.

I had written to all my POI's before I applied. In fact, I made sure I visited most of the departments I applied to before I applied. I understand that that's not really done anymore, and my own department discourages it these days, but having built a relationship - any kind of relationship that leaves a good impression - will work in your favor when they sift through 250 applications...

I work on the German 1890s. There is a dearth of good scholarship. I have worked with Joseph Koerner before when was at the Courtauld. He is truly brilliant - I mean, out-of-this-world-brilliant - and I can only recommend working with him. Also look into the scholarship of Katherine Kuenzly at Wesleyan, even if you don't apply there. She's preparing a book on Van de Velde, which should be highly interesting.

Also, if I may add, the department is hiring a replacement for English, as well as a contemporary Latin American scholar. There are other contemporary art curators, with strong theoretical backgrounds, working at UChicago, also offering classes in the Art History department. Come Fall Quarter 2014, the department will never have been stronger in contemporary art and theory. And yes, there is lots of theory at UChicago, but it doesn't have to be in the art history department for a student to take advantage of it.

Some shameless self-promotion: While Darby English has left Chicago for Williams, the department is recruiting a replacement this year. It is also hiring a new contemporary Latin American scholar. The university has also hired contemporary art curators and practitioners in other places on campus, such as Jacob Proctor from the Aspen Contemporary Museum of Art, and Monika Szewczyk from the Witte de With, both of whom are offering classes too. The department should therefore go into next year as a very interesting candidate for people considering graduate school, in particular in the modern and contemporary field.

Another option to consider: Create an academia.edu account, and post your that brilliant chapter of yours there. You never know who may read that. You could always sneakily put a reference to the website on your CV where you list your previous academic career. I had listed all the titles and supervisors of major thesis. No harm in putting a short remark like " 'XXX and XXX in XX century: a study on YYY and ZZZ.' Available on my academia.edu profile." Or something like that. And you'd submit a much improved art historical writing sample. I think that's always the better course of action, especially with more conservative places, which the Ivy etc tend to be.