Hi agnesmartin91, while I'm not disputing your point, I question why you felt the need to post this in this forum. I doubt anyone gets to the point of applying for graduate study in the field of art history (or the humanities at large) without a strong conviction to pursue it despite the odds. This feels unnecessarily negative at a time when people are likely still processing decision outcomes from this cycle that may or may not have been what they hoped. Wishing you the best!