Jump to content

mm_donuts

Members
  • Posts

    19
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by mm_donuts

  1. Full grant to the Netherlands!

    After being turned down for every other grant for which I applied (six), I feel incredibly lucky. For spreadsheet purposes, I'm a PhD student in art history. And, to the person who asked if a museum affilation is enough, apparently it is!

  2. I'm also hesitant to spend 5 years JUST training to be a curator, however some of the programs I've looked at with this certificate enables you to actually work side by side with curators in the museum - it is mandatory. So no process of applying for an internship, etc.,because you are already guaranteed one. Also, if most of the classes focus on aspects that aren't art history (exhibition design, management 101, etc.) then when do you specialize in art history? ?

    There are programs that grant optional "Curatorial Studies" certificates alongside traditional art history PhDs. Off the top of my head, I know that NYU and Rutgers offer this. Basically, you do all the requirements for an art history degree and then take an additional handful of courses on exhibition planning. Similar to curatorial PhD programs, there are internships built into these certificates.

    If you're in a traditional art history program, there are definitely ways to get museum experience, as was discussed above. There are museum internships and fellowships you can apply to, and a lot of schools offer seminars that focus on planning an exhibition, even if there is no formal Curatorial Studies track. Some schools (Yale, Princeton to name a couple) also have students work as campus museum assistants as an alternative to working as a TA.

    Hope this helps!

  3. Oh, and I should add - before they checked to see the status of my application, they did mention that people who haven't heard yet should NOT assume they are rejected. So good luck to everyone who is still waiting. There is still hope!

  4. Hmmm.. so this is interesting. I just called the IFA to check on my application, and I found out I was rejected. I don't really understand how I could get rejected for an unfunded MA at NYU, yet get a fully funded acceptance to Penn PhD. What is going on here?

    Oh well... Good thing I really like Penn.

  5. Also, I wanted to add that I got my BA two years ago. Don't be afraid to ask an undergrad professor for some type of help with your application - they want you to succeed. It reflects well on their department/school when their undergrads go off to great grad programs.

  6. Since it looks like I'll be reapplying again next year (waiting on 2, but it doesn't look good) I've been thinking a lot about how to improve my application and one thing that I definitely think went all wrong was my SOP. So, out of curiosity, how specific were all of you about your research interests in your SOP? Did you propose specific projects/artists, or just general areas? I went the more general route and am now thinking that was absolutely a mistake.

    When I started my applications, I had no idea what admissions committees would look for in an SOP, so I enlisted the help of a very kind professor from undergrad to literally go through draft after draft with me. If you happen to have a professor willing to do this with you, definitely do it!

    The SOP: After summarizing my undergrad work, professional experience, and research experience, I went on to describe my honors thesis in detail. Then I outlined some themes from that paper that I would like to continue to explore in grad school. I also connected these themes to a seminar paper or two, to show consistency in my interests. I didn't propose any specific topics or artists for further research, just the themes and subfield.

    I really hope you don't have to go through this again, but if that was at all helpful, feel free to PM me (anyone), and I can go into more detail. Good luck georgica!

  7. I have a similar question, but slightly different circumstances.

    If the Graduate School requires you to fill out a response form, is it also necessary to send an email to the specific department declining the offer/saying thank you if you did NOT build a rapport with any particular professor there? I only spoke with one potential advisor very briefly during a campus visit back in December. We didn't have any email exchanges before or after that, except for me writing to say, "Thanks for meeting with me."

  8. Also, does anyone know who to contact at Penn to inquire about where they are in the decision-making process? It seems as though they've notified some people...

    They've made their official decisions, but they don't know when the Dean will send out notifications. It seems that all accepted people have been called or emailed by the department (I received both today), but I'm not sure if everyone who is wait-listed has been contacted. I would start with the department admin for status updates. She's very nice.

    Congrats to those who survived the Princeton slaughter yesterday. Didn't make it...

  9. About Chicago:

    I didn't apply there, but I have a friend in the program who mentioned that their target number for the 2009 incoming class is 3 students, unless they decide NOT to hire a new faculty member. That might be why we haven't seen any acceptances on the results page...

  10. Well, looks like Yale sent out all of its rejections today. I'm feeling surprisingly calm about it, though I'm definitely not liking my odds at this point (I only applied to 4 programs and this rejection is the only decision I've received thusfar. While I'm assuming I'll only get into one program, if even, I was hoping I'd get the acceptance first to soften the blow, especially since NYU IFA is notoriously late in sending out decisions.) Are any of the Yale acceptances here modern/contemporary perchance? If so, just out of curiosity, what's your area?

    Did you apply to the MA or the PhD at the IFA? I think they tend to send out the PhD decisions before the MAs.

  11. mm_donuts, congrats!!! If you don't mind my asking, what do you consider "not-so-great" GRE scores?

    570V, 660Q, 4.5AW

    I've never been a great standardized test taker, so I didn't bother wasting time and money re-taking it. My undergrad professors told me not to worry about it since the rest of my "package" was strong and those tests don't mean much for art history. They said my time would be better spent preparing my personal statement, etc.

    I thought the scores would put me out of the running for competitive fellowships, but I just found out that I was nominated for one at Rutgers.

  12. Thanks! Dreams do come true for those with not-so-great GRE scores. In your face, ETS!

    I don't think they'll send out letters/mass emails for a little bit. Actually, I don't even know what their usual means of notification is. The website doesn't seem to mention that.

    The professor I've been in contact with emailed me and said he would call me soon with the "official" acceptance after it goes through the Graduate Dean. He just wanted to give me a heads up.

  13. Hello everyone - I've been lurking around this site for a few weeks now, but this is my first post.

    I posted the Penn acceptance, and my field is Northern Renaissance/Baroque. This was one of my top choices, so I am seriously on cloud 9 right now. I feel like they made a mistake!

    To the Princeton person: do you know if they will be notifying others soon?

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use