tendaysleft

In my understanding, unless your grades are abysmal, there are always ways to work around grades that are "just okay" when applying to graduate school. There's actually a really great book that addresses this topic called "Graduate School: Winning Strategies for Getting In With or Without Excellent Grades" by David Mumby. It's like 10 years old or something, so it has some outdated advice about filling out paper applications and that kind of thing (and some advice about "personalizing" your essays that seems contrary to what I've been told) but overall it's pretty helpful. (And when you're freaking out about your chances, it can be pretty soothing to read!)

Hmm these are good points. Thanks for the input. I think it would be feasible for me to re-edit the first paper so that it would be far better written, but I think I would need a substantial overhaul to fit theory into it... I think i might spend a couple of days looking into any theoretical stuff I think might fit, but if it seems like it would be too obviously jammed into the wrong section, I guess I'd probably use the second paper. Should I make reference to my writing sample in my SOP at all if it isn't related to my research, or just use it with no explanation?

Hi everyone, If anyone is able to offer any advice on this topic I would really appreciate it--I'm applying to art history MA programs for fall 2012 and I have two potential writing samples I could submit. The first is directly related to my field of study, which is 20th c. art history with a focus on gender issues and craftwork (to be broad). I wrote it my first semester of senior year, and I got a great mark on it, but I'm rereading it now and I'm not sure how strong it is. It's around 16 pages, and pretty research-heavy (lots of contemporary newspaper articles as well as academic sources, etc), but it doesn't engage with any theory, which is something else I want to focus on, methodologically. The second I also got a great mark on, and it's around 12 pages. I've read through it again recently and I think it's a little bit tighter and much better-written, but it's really not related to my field of study. The paper is on a contemporary Indian photographer with zero emphasis on gender/critical theory issues. As the focus of my research, and my SOP, revolves around the fact that I also minored in women's studies and want to combine art history and women's studies, I'm thinking it might be kind of problematic to submit as my writing sample a paper that has no relation to women's studies at all. However, this paper does at least engage with some of the theory that I'd like to incorporate into my grad studies. Do you think it's unadvisable to submit a paper as a writing sample that is well-written but has very, very little to do with my research topic? Or would it be worse to submit a paper that is related, but not really as strong, because it might get the adcomm thinking that the quality of scholarship I could perform on my chosen research topic isn't quite as high? Has anyone been in a similar situation? Which to choose??

Hmm. This is definitely a great point! I will definitely start taking a closer look at the course descriptions. That point about Williams is veeery interesting... This is going to seriously change how I approach my SOP for that school. So many thoughts flying around my head right now!

Hah! Fascinating... I will definitely check out Tufts. UConn has a terminal MA but I was a little wary considering I really hadn't heard much about it, or UConn's art history department at all, for that matter. And I guess by NYU I did actually mean the IFA--sorry for the misunderstanding. And unless I've really misinterpreted their website, I thought they did award terminal MAs. I guess that's another call-and-ask question! Actually, this might actually seem like a ridiculous question, but when I call and ask for details about the program, I'm never sure whether I'm meant to call/email the faculty graduate director, or the non-faculty program administrator. I guess I'm not sure what sort of information either is meant to provide prospective students. If I went to visit a school, for example, with whom would I meet?

Sorry for my lack of clarity -- I'll try to clear that up. 1. By discounting curatorially-focused programs, i meant programs like Columbia's MODA or Bard's program which seem more workforce-ready and less academic. From reading through this forum it seems like PhD programs might not recognize a professionally-oriented program like MODA as being adequate preparation for a PhD. As someone who focuses on modern and contemporary, the faculty at Columbia are pretty dreamy, but the only option for a modernist who wants to do a terminal MA there is the MODA program. Would it be odd to apply to MODA, for example, in the hopes of potentially pursuing a PhD later? Would PhD adcomms be less likely to accept someone from an MA program that was more professionally-based? 2. I can see why this was confusing--I guess in looking through MA programs I noticed that there were some that had no qualifying paper (to be honest I forget which these were--U Mass, maybe?) and that instead were course-based all the way through. If I wanted to keep PhD options open, would it be better to make sure to attend an MA program that required a QP or thesis so that I could get more in-depth research experience? (Actually this seems kind of like a no-brainer now... if I'm not sure if I want to pursue a doctorate, I should probably do some serious research and figure out if I like it!) Also, is the only difference between a QP and a thesis the length of the paper? That's interesting about it being detrimental to contact professors there in advance--did this graduate mention why? I would be curious to know. Sorry if I'm coming across a bit newb-ish--I appreciate the help!

I'm in the process of getting ready to apply to terminal MA programs for fall 2012, and I'm getting kind of stuck in where to apply. My field of study is modern and contemporary with a focus on critical theory and gender studies and a poststructuralist methodology, and I'd like to go to a school that would potentially open the doors to doing doctoral work (which, from what I've been reading on this forum, would discount most curatorially-focused programs). I want to do a terminal MA first because I'm undecided on whether I would want to do doctoral work--I figured that if I did ultimately decide to pursue a PhD, a terminal MA would narrow down my field of study even further, which would be a help because at this point it's still pretty scattered. Would I be right to assume that course-based MAs are less desirable to PhD programs than MAs that have a thesis or qualifying paper? So far, I'm thinking of applying to the following schools: McGill (Amelia Jones would be a great fit for me), NYU, Williams and SAIC are all definitely places I'm applying to. I'm also thinking about UMass Amherst, Tufts, and UBC. I might apply to Queen's University as a backup, but I'm really unsure of the reputation of their program outside of Canada. By the way, here are my stats, for context's sake-- I just graduated from a big (really, really big) Canadian research university. I have a 3.65 GPA over 4 years, higher in my major (haven't yet calculated it). I know that's a little low, but it's mainly due to slacking off in my first year (oops)--my last two years have been quite strong. I've won a couple academic awards, I have three strong references (one from a well-known Modernist), and I have a resume full of internships, student leadership positions and volunteer experiences in the visual arts. 690V and 5 in writing on the GRE. I guess my questions are, are there any schools all you wise Grad Cafe-ers think I've missed that might fit, especially in the Northeastern States/Canada? Any thoughts on the programs I've chosen? (Anyone actually in/completed the programs I've listed who would be willing to PM me about their experiences??) Advice? Admonishment? Guidance? Any and all comments are very much appreciated! oh one more important thing - exactly how important is it, for a terminal MA program, to get in touch with potential thesis advisers during the application process? Obviously essential for PhD applications, but terminal MAs? What were your experiences? Thanks, all!

Aah thanks for the advice everybody, I'm sure you're all right--it would be crazy to retake it especially with the new test, and all that time and energy would probably be better spent on making my writing sample and SOP totally perfect. I shouldn't have picked 700 as this arbitrary number to measure myself against!

HI everyone, I just got back from the GRE and I didn't do quite as well as I had hoped. Should I retake the test? Or am I crazy? I got 690V 640Q, and I'm expecting to be in the 5-6 range in AW. I'm applying to art history MA programs so I expect my poor-ish showing in math won't affect my chances there too much. And I realize my verbal score is pretty good. But I was really hoping to break 700 and really blow the schools I'm applying to out of the water. I have some good recs coming my way and my GPA is 3.62, major GPA probably higher than that. But I was really hoping to get a spectacular verbal score to push my application over the edge. Would you retake, if you were me? I was scoring over 700 in the practice tests, I think the nerves got to me and I started rushing. But is it worth all the effort, not to mention restudying new material for the revised test? Is it kind of ridiculous or kind of justified that I feel a bit disappointed in that score? Any guidance would be really, really appreciated! (And feel free to tell me off if I'm making a bit deal out of nothing!

Sounds like UT has treated you well! To be honest, I've been wrestling whether or not to apply to schools that are significantly further away from me than the one's I've listed--I've lived in the same Canadian city all my life, and I'm afraid relocating to somewhere so distant would feel too isolating. But the UT program does sound very interesting--perhaps I'll apply to some places further away from me. After all, I wouldn't have to make that decision unless I got accepted. And I've heard that Austin is a great place to live. My understanding has always been that it's more important that you study somewhere that matches your interests, even if it isn't an Ivy. A professor of mine did her research on South Asian photography at the University of Minnesota because it was the best place to go at the time, but I never would have predicted it. I'm surprised there isn't more interest in Italian Baroque! But good for you for taking advantage of the situation, in any case.

Thanks for the advice! The SAIC program looks quite good - for some reason I was under the impression that they only gave out studio degrees; I'll have to take another look. Congrats on the acceptances, and good luck with Williams!

Hi all, I have a couple questions for you all and I would be very grateful for any help you can give. I'm in my final semester of undergraduate study and I'm looking to take a year off and work and apply to art history/visual culture MA programs. My field of interest is, broadly, modern and contemporary Western art in a more traditional sense, but I'm interested in programs that are less about "straight" art history. I'm interested in visual culture (and why we privilege some cultural forms as art in the first place), postcolonial, critical and feminist theory, transnationalism... that kind of thing. I also really like the idea of programs that are interdisciplinary I've looked at the Media, Culture and Communication program at NYU Steinhardt, the Williams MA (although it might be a bit more traditionally-minded [though, please correct me if I'm wrong!], it just looks like a wonderful program with a great reputation), the MA program at U Connecticut, Columbia's MODA, and some programs in my native Canada (for example, the McGill art history MA that has a Women's Studies option). First, I'd love any other suggestions for interdisciplinary-type MA programs, or art history programs that are more critically-focused. Second, I'd like to apply to MA programs that won't limit my chances of potentially applying for doctorate programs later on. I've been looking into Duke's Humanities MA, but it doesn't seem very research-focused, and it seems like that might be a negative factor in applying to doctorate programs later. I know there has already been a topic on the advantages/disadvantages of having a terminal MA when applying to doctoral programs, but if anyone has an idea of whether the kind of MA would be a factor, that would be great. Third, I know it's really important to focus in on a particular professor you'd like to work with when applying for a PhD, but does the same advice apply when applying to a Master's program? I'm sure more stuff will come up, but thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone who is still waiting to hear from their schools!