fullofpink

I have a 15 inch Sony Vaio touchscreen computer with way more gigs than I will ever ever use. I like the touchscreen because I hate using touchpads and carrying an external mouse is also awkward. Of course, this means Windows 8 but it's not really as bad as everyone makes it out to be, especially since you can just access the desktop. I like the size because I can have a powerpoint and my notes up on the same screen without having to switch the windows (as opposed to a netbook or something slightly smaller.) The only deterrent is that it's much heavier than other models, but I leave it on campus and don't travel with it. I have an Ipad that I use for traveling/stays at home for netflix.

I believe most applications have the hybrid CV/Resume. Mine did. It was organized like a CV (Education first/internships/etc. I skipped out on listing non-art jobs like retail, etc.) but it listed my responsibilities like a resume. Go for it!

^ RP15, the museum world is mostly nonprofit and rarely have extra funds to offer. Paid internships are highly competitive with the Met receiving over a 1000 applications for a handful of positions. Galleries are a different category because they may be for profit, but the internisship experience is standard practice for our major.

Read articles of people you admire and see where they are? There have been a ton of deaths/retirements in the last decades of the most prominent french art historians in those periods so the pickings are slim.

Internships are essential for networking and building your reputation. If you do a good job, there may be a possibility of the gallery hiring you once a position becomes available or recommending you to someone else if they find a position available. I did not work in a gallery, but I did intern in a museum and my intern supervisor (curator) hooked me up with positions (freelance and, eventually, full time), which opened up other more lucrative opportunities. He was also the one to call his colleagues at prestigious institutions to recommend me for paid internships/fellowships. There are people in my graduate department who only have gallery intern experience. They are in graduate school, so I suppose you say it worked out well for them. I interned and worked a part-time job before getting hired full time. Everyone makes ends meet when they must; it's when you realize that you aren't happy doing this that you should step out. If you are happy, continue!

Start with an era and think about your requirements. It's okay to be interested in everything because that's what an undergraduate curriculum does: it gives you the buffet style of art history so you can learn a lot about many things. But, eventually, you are going to have to figure out what area appeals to you and your personality most. Are you most interested in western or non-western art? Are you interested in a "hot field" or a traditional one? Latin American studies and Chinese (somewhat East Asian, but particularly Chinese) are currently the most advantageous, offer the most scholarship and best acceptance rates. However, you may have more of a background in Renaissance or Contemporary, which are always calling for scholars and seem to always have job postings. I think the smallest fields are the decorative arts and architectural history, so you may have less competition getting into those disciplines but in tandem, there are a lot less job offerings. Are you good with languages? If so, tackling ancient or medieval/Renaissance may be a more realistic option for you because you'll need Latin, French and/or German for either discipline, and depending on your specialization, you may need up to: ancient or current Greek, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, etc. Having a reading knowledge would be most beneficial for these disciplines and it will make you the most competitive. If not, most other areas (American or British studies, Modern/Contemporary) will probably only require English and maybe another language (MA) or two (PhD) will suffice. MA or PhD? Art History/Art Administration/Museum Studies/Architectural History/Conservation? If you aren't sure what career opportunity you want to do, spend some time looking at programs that specialize in these fields and see what they mention as jobs. You don't need to be a professor or a museum curator (both require a PhD) to get a job in the art field, although they may, arguably, be the "sexiest" position (and possibly the most of a headache since they are the most competitive). You could work in preservation, any other area of a museum (registration, development, membership), or go into the auction/art market with a MA with an BA in Art history. A MA would also not require you to hyper focus on one area just now. However, if a PhD is your end goal, many PhD programs seem to prefer those with a MA already, although they does not mean you aren't eligible to be admitted to a PhD program. I know this is not quite what you are asking for, but really no one can make that decision for you. For me, I picked my field because I thought the art I was looking at was the most appealing/beautiful and I never get tired of seeing it. There are styles/periods of art that I absolutely have no taste for, so marking those off were easy. Also, having a conversation with my advisor and telling him my most favorable interests helped because he was just like "Why don't you just study XX." Oh. Well that makes sense!

Hey SNS, Depending on what career you are interested in getting your MA or PhD for, I would highly recommend picking up any book on the grad school process. I typically recommend "Getting What You Came For" and "Graduate Study for the 21st Century." They not only explain how humanities grad school works - which is helpful - but also what potential selection committees look for and how to cater your application to them. Your writing sample is important; however, coming in with a BA they are looking for the ability to think outside the box, argue your thesis, and that you are a good researcher. If your writing sample is in your field (or intersects with your intended subfields) then that helps. Many MA/PhD programs seem to prefer people with their MAs already, but that is because many of the students with MAs are coming in knowing what they want to write their dissertation on. Since MA/PhD programs seem to give 5-6 years of funding, and they want you out the door by that time hopefully, then coming in knowing exactly what you want to do will get you through this process much easier. Hence why the MA students seem to have a bit better success; however, I and a few others on this forum, were accepted to MA/PhD programs with only a BA so it does happen. However, I could argue, that we were accepted because our research interests fit well with the program and the advisor we wanted to work with. Apply to a range of programs, particularly those that are in your field. I know a few of my interview questions actually asked why I had applied to certain programs and not others and my response was solely that I was interested in my fit (I had top tier and not so top tier in my application pool). So, grad schools are looking at who you are looking at (for whatever reason). Also, since you are so interested in the MA thesis, I want to point out that many programs are eliminating the thesis altogether and opting for a Qualifying Paper. This is typically a seminar paper that you write for a class and you are polishing it up and expanding it somewhat. Your QP doesn't even need to be in your field, although it is recommended especially if you are applying to PhD programs in the long term. However, theses seem to be on the out because they are a time sink, awkward manuals that seem to be hard to use or figure out how to publish. Also, your POI at your new doctoral program (if you decide to move on), may even hate your thesis for whatever reason and won't even allow you to use it (my friend is in this predicament, it is very frustrating). Let me know if you have any more questions. Don't be intimidated by the DC museum competitiveness; honestly, get used to it - you will have to face it every single step of your academic career!

hi SNS, I also took some time off of school; however, I worked in an art museum during this time in various capacities, so my situation is very different from yours. My recommendations are: 1: Know what field you want to go into and the general area (and subarea) that you are interested in pursuing. Lets say you are interested in modern russian art and are interested in the role of females in this area. Take something even vaguely specific like that and run with it. 2: For your SOP, don't spend a lot of time rehashing your passion or your accounting background. Spend the time on your undergraduate studies (and productivity in art history major) and speak of how your art history education framed your current interests. 3: Since you are in DC (I'm assuming the actual city rather than Nova), I highly encourage you to volunteer at any of the museums. It may be too late to apply for an internship, and I fear that an internship commitment may interfere with your work schedule; however, volunteering or even serving as a docent (or training to become a docent) will propel your application very well and show your commitment to the field. There may also be part time opportunities to serve as an assistant in a private gallery; however, I think a museum will look better (unless that gallery is v. prominent). 4: I would actually forgo a strong accounting recommendation in favor of an average or favorable art history one. I vote the art history recommendations 5: Word of caution, many MA programs do not offer stipends or even scholarships, in case you were banking on this. It may also be in your interest to include MA/PhD programs IF the fit is correct. Don't sabotage yourself only applying to MA programs especially if they have nothing in common with what you want to study. 6: You could theoretically apply for Fall 2015 if you'd like - when I finally decided to apply I gave myself 6 months to accomplish everything and it was possible. However, I only applied to four schools. I started prepping in July, I took the GRE in September, have my applications out the door by December. Interviewed in January and February, and was in my current program by the following August. Hope this helps! good luck!

Also, 1000 word SOP.

Then, honestly, you're wasting this time with this sponsorship. If you don't have to pay them back, then you should apply to transfer into a different department, and if accepted, forgo the sponsorship. Honestly, I really can't see why you'd waste 4 years in college on a degree you're uninterested in, plus another 6 in a company, THEN apply to graduate school in art history for another 2-8 years. If you graduate at 22, you're not really eligible to go back to school until 28 and you may have to waste 2 years in a masters program before applying for a PhD, which is the degree you'll need to work in academia or as a curator. So, you're not really "entering" the field until you're in your late 30s. Yikes. Not only that, but I can't see a job in an unrelated field for 6 years really helping you're art history applications out. This is a really difficult decision - it should not be taken lightly, especially since jobs in the humanities are super hard to come by AND don't pay well at all AND take a consider amount of time to get. You should discuss this with your friends or family or someone who knows you, and see what you really should be focusing on. It's awesome that you have a sponsorship for school, and sometimes the universe awards us such opportunities for good reasons, so definitely think hard and long about it!

Writing sample, GRE scores, Transcript, 3 LORS, SOP. No CV/resume and no limit on the writing sample.

Can you switch to Business, and away from politics? Honestly, with a BA in Business, you could go for an Arts Administration masters degree and it will definitely get you one of the high paying jobs in arts administration (Foundation management, development, membership and visitor services,) Our former Deputy Director of Services and our Deputy Director of Finances make about $150-200k each and they are on the lower middle end of that scale. You could be in the field without having to sacrifice your studies and income for the art history humanities part, and with that experience you could be involved in the appreciation without the study. I believe that they both have a MBA, but I can see Arts Administration gearing you towards art appreciation, precisely. However, alternative, if you are bent on withdrawing from Politics, or if you want to double major in Art history, you could focus on Art Law. It would require an appropriate amount of art history coursework without completely switching your major.

I work at a nationally renowned and ranked art museum with a R1 just down the street.

I disagree with this assumption - most of our hires in my location (university and museum) are those whose fields align best with what our objectives were, not their brand name. Out of the 6+ recent hires, only one was from your list (Yale). Semenza in his book details why hiring from ivies isn't all that appealing.

"Safeties" do not exist in grad school. I applied to doctoral and MA programs, and I was rejected from the MA program but given 6 years of guaranteed funding and stipend from the PhD program I'm going into. Find the best "fit" (an adviser who specializes in your field, and a school that meets your theoretical and methodological goals). You'll have a better chance at the school you are most excited about if the fit is right, than the school you begrudgingly apply to because you can't just apply to one (haha)