fullofpink

I'm concluding my second gap year this semester and I can honestly say that I love it. However, I am in no way any less motivated to go to grad school - in fact, I'm more gung ho than ever! Take this time to not only bolster yourself as a potential student with new experiences and boosting your already acquired skillset, but also take some freakin time for yourself. Vacation, party, relax - you've earned it! And once you get into grad school it will be a long time before you get to be so free again lol.

1: every school is different pertaining to waitlists 2: without knowing what schools you are waiting for, there's no way to answer the question if anyone has seen any movement and when anyone will see it 2: You should inform the MA schools that you are waiting on other offers.

I'm 19th century, so that's how I know of their reputation. Lol. However, being in NY for a MA will not hurt your mod/con opportunities - for some reason I keep thinking that mod/con opps are harder in the UK - however, UK is just harder anyways as an international.

I'm not mod/con, so my opinion probably isn't the best to use, but I find Courtauld to be the more prestigious program for a MA.

You didn't put exactly what they say (like, the entire context of the email), but for me that simply means that they want to know the risk of giving each individual an acceptance, so the opinion could sway either way: they could look at it as opportunity or as risk, similar to what the comments say. Good luck, but don't sweat it too much. In my experiences, I would only really contact a potential school if I was accepted other offers and needed to negotiate.

One of the best things you can do for yourself if keep your cards to your chest. You don't need to explain if you got other offers or not.

Thanks guys! I've started reading "History of Modern Art," so I'll pick up this one too

If you can, definitely visit the town. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. The nearest Target is about 30-40 minutes away, as is the nearest train/bus station. There is only one street of restaurants. It seems that North Adams - which is about 10 minutes away - has a bit more vibrant residential life and Bennington isn't that far either. My understanding is that the summer months are a really popular time for the area, thanks to all the festivals. But, I will say, the town is very, very, very small.

I know the reputation outside of New York is not as prestigious as IFA's and Columbia's doctoral program holds more esteem. However, if your POI holds weight in your field - I wouldn't worry about this so much. I think some of the flack is due to how the program is run, over the quality of learning you receive. I know that some of my professional colleagues don't hold CUNY to IFA, even though they are both very large programs. My friend who is a current doctoral student there loves it because there are so many students, she is not hounded by the faculty members as you would be at a smaller school. She is very liberated: allowed to teach her own curriculum in her classes, picks the activities she wants to do (instead of required to do so by her professors) she has a lot of time off-school too. However, I don't know what her funding is outside of GAing. Since you ARE accepted, you CAN call them right now and ask someone some questions. The Administrative assistant should be able to answer some of them, or you can ask them to put you into contact with a student who is willing talk to you about it life/money there. It honestly can't hurt you.

Just as a note, I definitely think your job prospects rise if you have a MA (especially over something so specific as a doctorate). I was trying to stress that if you go into a MA program, then you are going to get a Ma - don't jump the gun and think this is an easy route for a PhD. However, if you do decide to get a MA, do your research and figure out what it can be used for if - for some reason - you never get that PhD. You don't want to regret that decision.

You won't know anything until you get that package; you should be ecstatic to get an acceptance!

Just a head's up, my colleague - who is not for classical art and archaeology - accepted their fully-funded offer.

Not if the PhD is heavily underfunded, or if you realize that the institution can't guarantee you financial aid throughout your entire tenure due to whatever reason. However, most PhD programs are rewriting their thinking - many are putting a cap on how many students they'll take a year (despite how many super talented ones apply) and many simply won't accept more than they can fund. As my favorite POI said, "Honestly, the job market sucks for academics and we want to be responsible with acceptances. We aren't going to accept as many candidates as a we can and push them off into the open water with a large debt and pray they make it." Just letting you know, that ten - maybe even five years ago - having a MA was perfectly fine for mod/con curators, but that is not the case anymore. Increasingly it is being expected that all curators come loaded with a PhD. Since MAs are seen as a professional degree and are usually catered to your particular interest (education, museum studies, arts administration, your field in art history) - it would be easy to think that a burgeoning academic could easily use this opportunity to get close to a POI during a MA program. Unfortunately, MA students may be put on the back burner to PhD students, they may be encouraged to have a more "general" background in art history over a specific one - so you may not be working with your adviser of choice -, and there could be other programs in the vicinity that are cheaper and still unite you with the adviser you want. For instance, MIT's art history MA has a collaborative relationship with Harvard so you can take classes there and access all their resources...and professors. Yeah, it's a great stepping stone, and yes, MIT MA students have gotten into Harvard - but this isn't standard practice at all. Remember, you are now getting a Masters in Art History. What if you never get into a PhD program? Many don't. Is this MA in Art History enough to sustain you? Will you be willing to work in the positions that a MA in Art History can give you? Is the debt worth it? I can say, that museum jobs pay well under equivalent jobs in another field. Actually, middle school teachers make more than adjunct professors AND senior education staff at most mid-high level museums. You may regret wasting your time on an art history MA and wished you went for arts administration, or museum education, etc. Taking the time to really sit and think about how these options will suit you best will be THE most beneficial thing you can do. This isn't a comment about your comment complexprocedure, just for everyone - Sometimes I really wish this story will stop floating around - it most likely doesn't go straight back into a department, it goes to the School and the School can allocate this to any department they wish. If your department is accepting the highest caliber of students; if the department's professors are publishing and producing symposia; if the students are winning Fulbrights and nationally-recognized funding; if the students are getting good fellowships at prominent institutions; et cetera. The better your department is as a whole, the MUCH more funding you get. So, your money may potentially go back to your department, but it usually gets filtered into administrative costs, scholarships School-wide, and the individual grants offered to students. Don't be discouraged thinking that your money is going directly to "fund a better candidate." I humbly disagree. You should ask yourself, "if I get this MA, what can I do with it and is that what I really want to do?"

I'm sorry to hear of your discouragement, but I would seriously sit down and think about accepting any offer that strolls your way in case you are rejected from all the PhD programs you applied to. Remember, if you accept a MA offer unfunded, you'll not only pay the exuberant tuition of NYU, but you'd have to shell out for housing, transportation, and book costs - you'll essentially be paying a lot of money; and remember, just having a MA won't get you automatically accepted into any PhD program. If you're on the fence about the IFA MA, you can always reapply next year and include a variety of MA programs that might be better suited for you, give you tuition assistance, and having lower costs of living.Who knows? Maybe there was one component of your application that was lacking, and you can use some more time to bolster it up. Please don't feel that your only acceptance is your only resort!

Your education should be fine - Georgetown is a reputable program. It's your experience that will land a job - so intern, intern, intern! Oh, and network - but that should be easy if you are in DC (it's literally the capital of networking).

Ok, I'll admit to this fact: I know almost nothing about 20th century and contemporary art. It's a field I've been able to ignore almost my entire life and outside the works I deal with in my museum's collection, I haven't had the time or interest to learn any more about it. So, now that I'm well out of school and pursueing a higher degree - I feel it's time to buckle down and get to some reading. Does anyone have any suggestions about some great reading material? I'll take anything: general 20th century textbooks, gender/queer theory, introduction to the field, etc. I'd be most appreciative.

Probably depends on what you want to do and what the museum needs. My guess is that certain departments are alloted a specific number of interns, it might rotate depending on the year, or they might vie for different projects and only the departments with particularly good projects get paid interns. As an anecdote, when I select interns for my department in my museum, I review dozens of wonderfully qualified candidates with fantastic experience, but if they do not illustrate a sincere interest in my department, or if they have too much experience and I feel this experience will be redundant, I may select another candidate. For me, a sincere expression to learn my department is better than someone who already knows everything - unless, of course, I have a specific project that requires a solid person to handle it. Again, it's all circumstantial. For instance, in other departments, they may only want people with so many years experience, or who come from very prestigious backgrounds or - and yes this is a factor - who recommended them or what their previous affliation with the institution is. The undergraduates I know who have recieved paid summer internships at the Met come from very prestigious schools and did not have any real/relevant internship experiences. My assumption, based on how the website addresses it, is that the Cloisters internship is a bit easier to get since they may not have nearly as many applicants.

My colleague received their acceptance to UVA about 2 weeks ago....

I've participated in FRAME meetings (French Regional American Museum Exchange) in the past and some of the curators were not comfortable speaking in English when discussing their projects and major exhibitions, so being able to understand French was a huge benefit when writing down notes for our museum about possible loans and collaborations. Also, when directing these curators to different locations, being able to speak in French to give directions also helps [Also, when they call you on your cell for directions on how to get back to their hotel. So fun!]

Honestly, the only thing that would work against you is if your POI isn't accepting students. GRE is probably fine - it's the lowest consideration for applications.

Questions about ordering? Please contact Roberta Lawson, CAA office coordinator, at 212-392-4404. Edit: Also, it isn't printed yet, I believe. So, if you are applying this year, you are out of luck

The GRE depends on the program. Some schools told me that they don't even consider it unless it's really low (we are talking 400s. Above 600 V is recommended), and others have said that you just need to reach a certain percentile. Others have said that if they are using your scores for a uni scholarship, they have the right to ask the dept to take away an aspect of the application, and they usually ask for the Quant score (you are in a boat with many others). Without experience, you might be in for a tough run - really work hard on catering your SOP to the particular institution and show how well you fit in with the school. Also, make sure that your writing sample is your best piece of work. Otherwise, you really are in the same boat as everyone else on chances. lol. Best of luck!

Are you interested in art historiography? It's a fine blend of your interests, although much of it is pre-20th century. However, I am not positive I know of a program that allows their students to focus solely on the theory of art history without a specific period or genre in mind.

This a thousand times. Also, I would hope that you review and examine who your adviser is not only on an academic-level, but also one a personal level. One of the POIs I contacted at a big school with great funding package was so obviously indifferent to me that I completely nixed the school off my list. However, another adviser at a smaller institution ( that has a very similar funding package with the big school that I didn't know about until I talked with them) was so agreeable, interested in my research and my prospects, and has been encouraging all the way. I rather invest my $$ on an application on someone who wants to work with me and invest their time with me (this person even went so far to say that they look forward to my application and that they understood if I didn't submit there), rather than someone who deigned to even respond to my initial requests.

All the schools I've talk to won't even admit a student if they can't fully fund them, but all of these are PhD programs. If you want funding, seek out advisers with your interest in a PhD program and don't apply solely for a MA. If you are a good candidate, no matter where you apply, they should/will probably offer that to you anyways. I haven't talked to any schools that just "give" you a travel stipend, almost everyone I know has had to seek outside funding to support dissertation research (either the department gives you a little bit (pays your tuition while enrolled), you must apply for it from the university, or from an outside fellowship).