fullofpink

I agree.

People who want to work in art museums? Or people who want to get a museums education (not particular to which kind of museum they work in, or interested in a particular museum but not necessarily art history). There are people from all over who go into museum studies, but that doesn't mean that they are well-suited for an ART museum education position.

If you want to work in an art museum, some form of background in art history is absolutely required. An application with an undergraduate degree in education and a masters degree in museum studies would be on the dismissed pile faster than you can snap. An undergraduate degree in art history, and a masters in either museum studies or art history is very acceptable (as long as you have plenty of experience working in the education department in museums). I actually know educators who have two masters degrees: one in art history, the other in museum education. Museum education is a VERY popular field - actually, any job in the arts sector is very competitive and many candidates are very (or even over-) qualified for open positions. Being the strongest applicant you can be (and, in museums, that usually involves WORKING in a museum A LOT) is your best bet.

Museum studies touches on business, but it's more about how museum's work and the philosophy behind the practice. Most of the people I know who have received museum studies degrees have gotten jobs in education. If you go for a MA in Art History - you won't really touch on or develop upon your understanding of museums as a whole, and most of your work will deal strictly with learning the history of art. Your thesis will be on something art-related. If you went the museums studies track, you'll have museum classes and regular art history classes (just not as many) and you are pretty much free to develop any sort of thesis topic relevant to your interests. One of my museum studies friends wrote their thesis on the development and construction of a museum's permanent exhibition that she worked on as an intern - so it included both the research component and the museum philosophy. You should do what is best for you. Right now you want to work in eduction, but really there are other avenues than a museum for employment after getting a MA - and even more important, you may change your mind about your choice of job in the middle of your program. If you love the Theory program, it doesn't hurt to apply (and since you are nearby, it helps to stop in and get a feel for the place although it isn't up yet). Unfortunately, I can't comment on the theory program because I do not know anything about the School of Visual Arts. If it has a good reputation, it may be one of those places whose reputation rarely crosses it's city's border. In that respect, if you wanted to leave NY, you might have difficulty explaining the quality of education you got from this place if others have not heard of it. Again - I don't know - it could be one of the top places for the arts. Art Historians tend to be very traditional; while you will see many who embrace new ideas and change, there are even more who are set in the old ways, who want tradition programs and recognizable names. It's those kind of boundaries that you need to discern what risk it is worth to you.

If you want to work in an art museum, getting a MA in Art History should be fine (especially if you think you may want to change careers after some time). While pursuing a masters, just make sure you are working in the education sector of a museum. It would be best to see if any university you apply to has a direct affiliation with a nearby museum (meaning, you don't have to apply to get an internship or compete with 1000x other people). I think your first 4 choices are really good candidates because of their proximity (and relationship) with area museums. If this was me, I would also look at schools with relationships to smaller museums - usually they do not have the staff to create and manage their programs and will use their interns or part-timers to initiate projects and really get in the middle of business. In the museum world, it's who you know, not really what you know. Museum studies is seen as professional degrees (like a Master of Library Science), so almost everyone is on the same bar no matter how fancy the school name is that you graduated from. A review panel will be more impressed with an employment/intern history where you've implemented and carried out your own projects and learning strategies than if you got a MA in Art History or in Museum studies. Plus, the recommendations from people in the field will be enough. It's really strange to stress that every museum is very different and it would be good to know what kind of museum (or age range) you'd like to work with so you can cater your thesis and learning interests in achieving that goal. For example, even if you want to strictly work in college education and think a university art museum would suit you best, sometimes you still have to deal with k-12 education. One uni art museum I worked focused 35% of their programming to teaching elementary school kids. Who would have thought?! I would be wary of art administration programs. They really are geared for those interested in the more administrative/business side than education.

Haha, we are tearing up this topic. If you want to continue this by email, I can PM you my email address.

I admit my art history credentials are only about 10% of my CV. I had wanted to an an archaeologist since I was a little girl, but found when I got there...I wasn't happy. I took up art history as a second major on a whim and found those classes to be my "relax and enjoy" classes.... But all of my activities are academic: President of the Anthropology Club for two years, fundraiser for South American refugees, Student Mentor for Freshman Lecture... I would hate to not list all the things I was told to get involved in. :/ I think I might be spread too thin with art history outside of being a TA and three conferences. I know it hurts, but I think it is something that you should heavily consider. I fail to see how being a student mentor for freshman lecture (unless it is - specifically - teaching a class or running discussion for an undergraduate class) and the refugee group will relate to your understanding and command of art history. I'm on the fence for the anthro club - it could should your leadership skills, but on the other hand, it isn't really relevant unless you guys did something really amazing (running budgets; really moving and shaking, etc.). Does the art history department at your school have a graduate program? If so, see if you can give your full CV to the DGS (or even your art history adviser) for some clarification. I would ask them to X out anything that they find irrelevant, and then consider it from there. Nearly all of them are anthropology. Three are art history, but I only presented at two while volunteering for another. But the papers were relevant in art history as well as I has a focus on material culture. I wouldn't put conferences that you attended but did not present at. I would only consider anthropological conferences that are relevant to your topic. However, do add a section for "Professional Memberships" if you belong to any - including anth societies. I have noticed all the state schools seem to have this rule. Penn State (although not on my list), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Texas Austin, University of California Berkley... Penn State doesn't, and Berkeley only allows you to do this for one of the 2 required languages. Just be wary - you may want to ask individual departments what they expect because even through they may say it's okay to do this, it may not be common practice. Basically, yes. I enjoy looking at images showing cultural transition on Runestones in that region. It's what one of my senior thesis papers was on. I also adore Viking culture, Celtic culture and the Early Medieval period. I have a special love for medieval sexuality and image. Schwing! Plus, some of my favorite articles are in Swedish (or German) so I found the two to be interesting. Dutch is temping if only because I love going to Belgium and it would be damn nice to know what the heck I am reading in the museums. XD It's soooooooo easy to find 10000 archaeologists who focus on these topics during the early medieval period - not so much in art history, unfortunately. I think finding someone in art history who closely aligns with your field (and area) of interest may be difficult. I see the dilemma you speak of when saying you can't cross the pond - I wish you well on finding American medievalists who will instruct you on this lead. The professors I reviewed at some of the schools didn't seem to concentrate too often in the Scandinavian countries. Maybe I missed something? Michael Camille would have been perfect for me in one of my interest areas: sex and the culture of love. But he died in 2003. Dale Kinney is a lovely woman who would have worked with my interests (Bryn Mawr) but she's on route to retire and no longer viable. In my area of interest, everyone has either died recently or are set to retire soon or are so extremely popular (*cough*Grigsby*cough*) that it's made finding a good graduate program very difficult. That's the pickle: there isn't any specific to vikings. There are two archaeologists but...I hate one of the schools deeply (spent time researching there and going on their field schools), and the other...let's just say this is a professor I am not interested in doing anything with. And I don't want to pursue a degree to teach anthropology either. I have other interests in the period. One being medieval sexuality (I presented a paper that got alot of interesting responses, and would love to go deeper into someday) which would leave me with Linas Neagley at Rice University, and another being Beate Fricke as she has a side interest in Celtic studies. I am aware I need to find a medievalist in which I can relate to in some part, but I am not going to find anyone state side exactly to my needs. No, I can't leave the states for school either. It's unfortunate but true. I need to look for other strengths that will help me, as I'm certain I will be on my own much of the time. So I have to look at resources more than mentor as I'm delving into something you really don't see state side at all. Even if the college has all the resources you need, if there is not a professor who is strongly suited to your area then I would sincerely doubt about being accepted into the program. Period. There may be professors who have a general knowledge of the field and are willing to help students out on the peripheral, but if your field is not widely studied (and I doubt that viking art is. It is soooo an anthropology subject, LOL) you will have a hard time coming up with resources that will be pertinent to publishing in art history. What I suggest is to look at CAA's website and review who is writing what dissertations on what and under whose guidance. This will allow you to see who is willing to bend over for what area. Here's the link: http://www.caareview...g/dissertations This is a worry of mine too. If I downplayed the anthropology I feel like I wouldn't have much to give on paper. I was hoping that an inter-disciplinary approach would be a lure: aka I'll do archaeology to suppliment my research when I'm not at the books. Ok. Because you have attended AND presented at conferences this gives you a major edge: you know how to tailor your work to academic audiences with a wide range of values and you know how use your connections in a professional way. Because you have participated in field work and worked with scholars side-by-side, you understand what needs to go into research, what results from it, and -- even more important - your archaeology background has given you a solid foundation in material culture. Art history, like it or not, is about objects and how these objects appeal and relate to humanity. You have a unique perception to this area and - even more so - you have a solid foundation of how to analyze and review these objects. This is what art historians do (but not with - say - spoons and bones. lol). Archaeology gives you a BIG advantage because of your work with material culture, you just have to explain (like above) why your study in this field has to do with art history. Therefore, you can eliminate a LOT of the things anth-wise that have little to do with your intended subject matter because you don't need 40,000 examples to explain the simple concept: I know objects and here's why: I've studied them in-hand. I have two senior thesises, one for each of my majors. I also have a handful of 15-20 page papers in art history as an option as well. My numero uno choice is my senior art history thesis (presented at a conference) , "Viking Rune Stones: Voice of Scandinavian Transition." But there are a few schools that request two samples. I am fighting on whether to send my paper on interpreting the female figure in the oeuve of Artemisia Gentileschi, or a paper on Rasta Art I did for a caribean course. My professors loved both, but they have nothing to do with my interests. I can do the methodology just fine...but I am unsure about considering a paper I have on medieval sexuality. I would have to review the medieval paper to say "yeah! do that." Again, talk to your art history adviser and get their opinion. I enjoyed being a TA for art history a great deal, and had the opportunity to teach the intro classes on the Early Christian and Medieval Period, as well as some classes when the professor wasn't able to attend. This alone puts you ahead of many undergraduates applying for programs. You can also delve into your teaching background and why this has help strengthen your appeal to art history as well as why it makes you a great candidate for programs: You've Already Had Experience Teaching It. I suppose I should throw out a PhD application where they will allow it. A few schools require an MA first though. Turns out I actually like those schools most. Don't discredit the PhD programs. If you know that you want to become a professor, then this will be the best way to do it. If you go to a MA program (terminal) and then apply to PhD programs, you will add another year to your study. Some PhD programs are a joint-program. They require a MA first, but then you are segued into the PhD program (they assume that's what you want to do). Definitely speak with an adviser or DGS about this. You seem like a great candidate, although I'm worried that your area of interest is too specialized. :\ Definitely look at the CAA listings, think up a list of really great current potentials and think about contacting them (or their departments) and asking about your interest. Many may confess that they have no authority in that area, or they might say "yes! What a fascinating topic! Lets do it!" -- especially if you come off as a compelling and strong researcher.

1: You will NOT need to list all your undergraduate activities in your CV for art history grad school. In fact, be very selective about the ones you list. You should highlight activities that only show how serious you are about art history (or if you were the president of something and even then, be selective!) [Here's an example: for an internship for this summer, we had several applicants and only 2 spots to give. We had 4 finalists but it was difficult to make a decision when everyone has a strong academic performance and a wide range of experience. The one I'll mention here had a wonderful gpa from prestigious school and worked with a significant person at a major university art museum, but her cv listed WAYYY too many things so not only did she shrink the font and crammed the corners to fit everything on there - including her participation in ballet and theater and her sorority. We would have gladly accepted her if she only listed her credentials relevant to our needs. It was really frustrating trying to get a command on her if she felt we needed to be impressed with all she's done. In fact, one of her LORs commented how it was hard "to catch" her because she was so involved and it was one of her academic downfalls (being stretched a bit too thin).] [i'll admit I am a CV snob, but the moral of the story is: make yourself a pretty package that shows how serious you are and what you can bring to the art history table. Like I said in another topic somewhere - you don't need to list EVERYTHING you have ever done to convince the adcoms that you are 1: smart, 2: interesting, 3: organized, 4: dedicated, and 5: hardworking - this will be explained in your SOP when you describe what activities you've done to make yourself a great candidate for grad school.] 2: Are the conferences art history or anthropology? 3: Who waives because you have taken a certain # of semesters? Almost all programs I know still expect you to take a comp. Just curious lol. 4. Why? Are you planning to study medieval Scandinavia? I'm just curious, who teaches in this area? 5: Professors whose interests align with your own > if the school has language classes in your field. MA programs don't really expect you to have a command of two languages (Williams does, tho) ; most just require one to pass comps. PhDs require two - some programs do not care if you only have one under your belt expecting you to master the second before you do your PhD field exams (which should be like your 3 or 4th year). If you need to learn a second language, most do it on the way. It's a bit more difficult during your phd program, but it's doable. Your credentials are good. Are your presentations mostly anthropology conferences? [ I dual-majored in anth (concentration archaeology) and art history, so I now a bit where you are coming from. ]. I find that anths tend to have more opportunities to attend conferences. I would be very conscientious of how you discuss your anthropological background and would definitely recommend highlight your art history experience and downplaying the anth. Last thing you want is an adcom to go "does this person KNOW they are applying for art history?" The languages are a moot topic - if you already have a command of German, then picking up a second language won't be that difficult and there are summers to do it in. Other questions: Have you done a senior thesis? What work of writing were you planning to submit to these schools for AH? Are you knowledgeable of art historiography and methodology? If not, it's a not a big deal for MA programs - but if you are it will make you look good in the eyes of PhD programs.

Yes. Have a good grip on what you want to do, how the department is a perfect fit, and be confident in your choices! Not having experience may be a blow, but I wouldn't fret about it too much - most people with experience may or may not have accomplished much (Do you really think someone who spent a summer updating a database will be seen as a better candidate? Probably not.), so even though it's on the table. I would really research the schools and the professors you are interested in, email them afterwards and see if they are looking for potential students. It may help you out a bit (be wary though, not every professor responds to an email and some schools don't even want you to contact the professor directly - just do tons and tons of research!)

Sorry, I feel like I should have just wrote this clarifying statement: Although the bulk of the SOP can be the same, you will need to cater the SOP to the school you are applying to, so having a generic thesis statement probably won't apply to all circumstances. Best of luck!

What might help you is to write a full SOP detailing everything you are interested in, what you like about it, and what knowledge and specialty you have in each area, and how all that makes you a candidate for any program. It doesn't matter have many pages it is, or what you are really talking about (like, if you are only concentrating on photography or environmentalism) and don't necessarily try to make it intelligible to others, somewhat like. "I like seafood, but sometimes seafood is gross! Cornflowers are a good substitute! But when you mix that seafood and cornflower, something beautiful happens. Etc." After you do that, you will have on your plate a clear picture of what you have to offer. After that, look through the professors you are interested in at the universities you are considering. Once reviewing them, take another gander at your SOP and figure out which pieces and parts will fit with each program. Highlight the areas that will make you the STRONGEST candidate for that program and for that adviser. If there are some side things that don't necessarily fit but can work in the subject matter (like, if you are REALLY interested in environmentalism but the school you are applying to doesn't have a professor who knows anything about it but there is someone who does study earthwork, then it may be worthwhile to appeal to the lowest common denominator - "My general area of focus is land-based art, and I'd like to expand upon that subject by studying how these pieces affect the environment in which they are placed." Basically, if you apply to a school that is a big deal with 19-20th century art, but this school doesn't have any focus on West African tradition, skip the West African - it may hurt your application. When applying, I would make sure that not only is your SOP focused and is relevant to the school, but that you make sure that your CV is relevant too. I'm not sure how your past experience with theater will help you study painting and photography, and unless your digital database experience is related with the arts, it may not be worthwhile to waste your CV space on it - you will only need to take one sentence to explain in your SOP that you are organized and can handle responsibility. The problem is - it's good to have a lot of interests, but sometimes TOO much information about your interests can scare adcoms. Instead of looking worldly, wise and excited, sometimes that eagerness comes off as indecision. I would be very selective about how your present yourself. In the end, you should come off as one thought-out, prettily wrapped package. P.S. After doing this "full SOP", EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT. You'll find that there are NEVER enough versions to make it feel complete. The best thing to do is just make sure you tailor it for each school, it's a beautiful piece of writing, and it conveys you as a sophisticated, motivated, and fine candidate for grad school.

1& 2: I heard a rumor that many adcoms treat a 3.6 and higher as the same; so I would consider your high GPA as competitive as the other candidates who are entering. Same with the thesis - almost every candidate will have completed one. 3: Your GRE verbal is fine - it is not the highest, but it is not the lowest. The GRE isn't a "make-it" factor, it's a "break-it" factor. A low GRE may be detrimental to your acceptance, but it will not necessarily get you in. A 600 is probably the average. If you check the CAA graduate school catalogue, you can see the average GRE scores admitted to different programs (it's either in there, or on PhD.com. I haven't checked it in awhile so I don't quite remember). Unless your writing skill is under a 4 (and maybe a 4.5), I wouldn't retake the GRE. 4: These are really good topics that have a lot of leeway and can go in many directions while staying focused in one period/culture. I would just be cautious about how I explain them in the SOP and how they work with the department's interests. 5: Be wary of explaining your marxist ideologies in a SOP - some departments are very accepting, apathetic or very against it - an adcom may or may not have your POI on it, so even if the person you are interested in studying with is, if there is an anti-marxist professor on the adcom it could get shot down. Don't expect to only rattle off a list of names you admire, you should also focus on what of these methodologies do you admire and how they influence your own train of thought. 6. Not having any publications is fine - like someone said earlier, it's not required and most adcoms don't expect it (hell, there are even master students entering phd programs who haven't published). One of the things that shocked me about a friend who got accepted into grad school is that adcoms do care if you have study abroad or not. Some departments are different than others - almost all of Harvard's entering students last year did some kind of study abroad (or were foreign). It may not matter and since you may or may not be graduating, I wouldn't fret about it. I just wanted to let you know it is on the table. From what I can tell, the importance of the study abroad may just deal with the languages and since your seem to have a steady hand in those, I wouldn't worry about it. 7: This may harm you, but it also may benefit you. If you have done something in your law internships to justify an art history track (like, studying art law) or if you have an interest in art law (some departments have professors who specialize in it), then you may put an internship or two if they were worthwhile and (most important) appropriate. Not having an internship in a gallery or an art museum may hurt you - even if you just ended up making copies the entire time. Most adcoms recognize that undergraduates internships do not have a lot of research experience nor do they produce any scholarship. If you are really freaking out, it might be beneficial to do a fall internship this fall - but I really do not think it matters that much (especially if you are working in a department far from research, like development or marketing) unless you are going to be doing an impressive project. This is when your SOP (and writing sample) needs to shine through - it should convey your command of art history, your interest and dedication to it, and what you will be doing with it. 8. Excellent. This will only help your application. 9. Be aware of the writing sample requirements. Some will want no more than 20, including bibliography, images and text so take that into account if you are going to have to edit it.

It's a spammer. He used the first sentence from Wikipedia. The rest is from UCSD.

It makes sense to me, but I can also foresee a LOT of problems - especially as tuition (and funding) changes year-to-year. I suggest that if someone would like to go ahead with this, that we eliminate the last two categories ("Weird things" and "Professors" and "Courses") so that it doesn't become a hodge-podge of information that is pointed to a certain specificity. Or, in regards to Professors, we could just list all the professors there and only give their subject area instead of being very intricate about it. "Dr. A - East Asian, Dr. B - Egyptology, Dr. C - Oceanic." Etc. I get really frustrated with some of the websites that force you to click on each professor's site to even see what their area of expertise is. I imagine the easiest way to do this would be to regurgitate these lists every year and update it with more relevant information, like if a Professor leaves (or if on sabbatical) or if the department changes addresses, etc. It may make it less confusing, but it would still be a bit of work.

I wanted to share this little "cheatsheet" I made to help ease the process of finding -- and then applying -- to appropriate graduate programs. I have used this format in Word Processor and I have one cheatsheet for every school I am interested in applying to. If you find this handy, please feel free to use! If you have any comments or suggestion, please send them my way! My little asides are in brackets. Please note: Some of the examples I provide are from actual schools; however, Example 1 in "Financial Assistance" is not from the same school as Example 1 in "Internships" and so on. I have intentionally rearranged everything. Also, the examples are written in different ways because it reflects how different the explanation each school uses to um...explain themselves. haha. P.S. If someone would rather I send them a blank copy in Microsoft Word, I am happy to obliged. Please PM your email address. TITLE OF SCHOOL: Quick Facts: School contact information: Person to contact (if there is one), 123 School Lane, University City, State, Zip. Phone: --- --- ----. Fax: --- --- ---- [This isn't really about the POI; instead, I have this for the instance when I (hypothetically) apply to a school and something tragic happens to my application and I need to reach someone immediately.] # of graduate students: [i think this is important because, for me personally, I don't want to go to a school where they have 100 students and half are ABD. Also, I don't want to go anywhere where a school has 20 total students who are all already in the process of their dissertation, etc.] Admission #s: [This would be the number of students they accept per year] Questions: [Who is the person to contact if you have any questions about the program? Usually a program states to talk to your POI, the DGS, or a program coordinator. This is useful because each school is pretty different. It will help me keep track and not make a silly mistake about contacting a POI if I needed to get in touch with the administrative assistant first.] Graduate Housing available: Yes/No. [if yes, I add the cost if it is available. I also include the graduate housing web address for easy access. to the site] Language Requirement: (Example:)German required + another in field of interest (Example 2:) German and French are required + another of your choosing. (Example 3:) 2 Languages; decided between student and adviser. First language is expected to be mastered by first semester of first year, second language by first semester of third year. [if the school explains its testing format, I'll include it here.] # of years: 5-7 Admission Requirements: (Example:) Writing Sample: no more than 15 pages, including bibliography and images [if the school explains what they are looking for in the writing sample, I'll copy and paste underneath] GRE min. score 1000 3 letters of recommendation SOP [i typically copy and paste anything specific they want in the SOP here too] 2 official transcripts Completed Application form (Cost: $105) Resources: [What resources does the school have? Libraries? Printing services? A graduate study room? My own desk? University mailbox? Anything that will make my life easier on campus?] (Example 1:) Graduate Student Association (GSA) A graduate student lounge A private computer terminal and free printing (must bring own paper) BIG NAME Art Library [if they have a library, museum, or visual resource center, I'll include a short paragraph about what they offer and what their holdings are]. Wireless throughout campus (Example 2:) SCHOOL Art Museum (with % of collection in my area of interest) Visual Resource Center (with # of holdings of images and other services) A not-so-great school library, but gives you access to 20 other libraries within a short drive. University mailbox and locker Other: [Other typically includes neat things that aren't exactly resources but they are unique things that makes the program stand out. For instance, the dissertation writing colloquium is something that actually exists at Berkeley and sounds fantastic.] Dissertation Writing Colloquium – a class designed for others to read as you write your chapter and you in turn read their writings. Examples of successful applications to foundations available Can take classes at other universities with permission from DGS Class on digital photography and graphic editing Mandatory class study abroad trip winter of second year (price included in tuition, student pays cost of flight and some meals). Tuition: (Example 1:) Tuition is $15,000/year, including fees (average $500/semester). (Example 2:) Tuition is paid for upon admittance, student is responsible for all fees ($500/semester). (Example 3:) Tuition is $4,000/year, but when reaching candidacy, students are eligible for x years of fee waivers). Students must apply for residency after 1 year. Financial Assistance: Yes/no (Example 1:) All students must apply for FAFSA, regardless of interest in fellowships or not. 3 full scholarships available. (Example 2:) 5 years of support guaranteed for all admitted. Must seek outside funding for dissertation period. (Example 3:) Some fellowships exist, as well as department and school awards, but usual routes should be taken to secure funding. Stipends: Yes/No. Based on merit. Based on financial need. [Etc.] Fellowships:Yes/No. (Example 1:)Fellowships are awarded at acceptance; low-chance of receiving one after first-year if you didn't receive it upon admittance. (Example 2:) Fellowships available from endowment, the school, or department. Outside funding should be sought during dissertation stage. (Etc.) OPPORTUNITIES: [This refers to what the school can provide YOU in terms of boosting your career. School-hosted symposia, guaranteed internships, TAships, Research assistantships, etc. fall into this category. I've arranged this list in terms of my interests: interning is top of my list since I want to be a curator - I'd rather be a research assistant than teach a graduate class, but some schools require that you teach a class, and others require that you must have at least one internship. Other schools don't care at all. If these opps. are paid, I will include money in this section rather than in Financial assistance (but sometimes I do both. Whatever floats your boat.)] Intern Opportunities: (Ex1:)Students may apply for 3 positions open every semester at our school art museum. Must commit 17 hours per week, 2nd-years and up only. (Ex2:) Previous students have held internships at this, this, this, and this museum. Students are encouraged to apply to at least 2 internships before dissertation stage. Graduate teaching: Yes/No. (Ex1:) GTA must have satisfied both language requirements and attend this specific university course. Compensation is paid monthly. (Ex2:) Students are required to do two full years of teaching. Most do this second and third-year, before finishing comps. (Ex3:) GTAships are granted on a competitive basis and GTAs are given some tuition assistance. Research Assistantships: Yes/No. (True example: "Possibly." lol). (Example 1:) 5 assistantships are awarded per year; financial relief: $15,000/year. 2nd-years and up only. (Example 2:) One professor each academic year is eligible to have one research assistant to pick among their advisees. Please inquire with your adviser. Some summer RAs are available. (Example 3:) Student must apply for a RA in the Spring semester for the following academic year; interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged. Payment in the form of Tuition is possible. Presentations: (Example 1:) Students are heavily encourage to submit a proposal to any symposium or conference within their field. Must seek approval from GDS, chair and adviser. Travel funding is available. (Example 2:) Students who are working on their Qualifying Paper must submit an abstract for, and participate in, the annual department symposium held each Spring. (Example 3:) All students must seek approval from the DGS to participate in any public or academic presentation. PhD CANDIDACY: [since I want to a get a PhD, I figured it would be helpful to have a listing of how one achieves candidacy. I'm not planning to take 10 years to get a degree, so having the typical format in front of me helps me realize what I need to do to satisfy their requirements, and what I can do for myself to speed up the process. It also helps to know when you need to take your comps and what years you are expected to TA, intern, present, etc. Again, I would like to stress - EACH SCHOOL IS REALLY DIFFERENT. Some don't list the steps on their website, some only list the steps in their bulletin. Some just say what steps you need to reach a certain level of candidacy (MA-candidate, PhD-candidate) while others specifically explain their expectations of you for each semester you are there. I'll provide two true examples: ] (Example 1:)Stage 1: 1. 12 courses completed 2. 2 language exams or completed language courses 3. Qualifying Paper (QP) defended. Stage 2: 1. Dissertation Colloquium 2. Qualifying Exam 3. Dissertation stage 4. Annual Review of Ph.D. candidates (Example 2:) 1. QP in April of 2nd year 2. Course evaluationss and QP evaluations during Spring of 2nd year 3. Coursework satisfactorily completed 4. QP exams passed – first semester in 3rd year 5. Colloquium in 2nd semester of 3rd year 6. 2 foreign languages 7. Then dissertation QUALIFYING PAPER: [This usually entails how many pages, is required, if any courses are involved, how the topic is picked, and if there are stages to writing this. Surprisingly, a LOT of schools don't elaborate on this. Many say it's optional.] WEIRD THINGS: [Lol. This is my favorite section, mostly because this is where I form the questions that I need to ask someone before I apply to a school. Most of these questions concern things on the website/bulletin that were unclear, or refer to a fact that I'm not necessarily in love with that the school requires you to do. Here are some examples of questions and comments I've come up with during my reviews. Also, since I create a cheatsheet for each separate school there's no way I'd asked these questions to the wrong program!] All students MUST apply for FAFSA every single year - even in dissertation stage? School requires a minor. Do you approach a faculty member about a RA or do they approach you? What type of stipends are available? Must select two courses outside department but within general field. Does this school use MLA citation instead of Chicago Manual of Style? What does "Required collaboration" mean? Do Graduate Teaching Assistants only teach intro-level courses or are there opportunities to teach more advance classes? PROFESSORS: [This is the MOST important aspect of deciding to apply to a school or not; however, this is last for me because I can name each person I want to study under at each school off the top of my head, so this doesn't need to be at the top of the list for me.] Professor #1: Area of concentration (i.e. European art 1700-Present; Renaissance in the Netherlands; Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia) Specific areas of concern (I bold the specific areas that are really relevant to my own interests). Post-colonialism/Gender and Sexuality/Collection Practices/Art of Trade/Patronage/Historiography/Frida Kahlo/Foucauldian Theory/ Prints and Works on Paper In this area I'll write a mini-bibliography of books/articles/reviews/etc. that they have written. If I've already read it, I'll highlight the citation. Art of War, Yale UP, 2000. The Bourgeois Life: Madonna, Her Music Videos, and Feminist Theory. Art Newspaper, 4.1, 1985. Le Fou of Foucault, Apr 1.-Jun. 4, 1999. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999. Professor #2: American Art and Architecture Colonial Revivalism/ Richard Norman Shaw/ Influence of 18th century Dutch pattern books/ Preservation/ Palladianism and Thomas Jefferson. Bankrupted: The Moral Decay of Thomas Jefferson and the Depletion of His Wallet for the Completion of his Residence, Monticello. Phaidon, 2005. Architecture of England and It's Influence in the New World, a study. Art Bulletin 75.1, 2008. Courses: [usually there is a bulletin to download that contains previous courses from the department. However, I always post every course (graduate and undergraduate, and those in other departments if I can find one) of my POI(s), as well as courses that are interesting to me. I always include when they taught it (does it seem every year? OR every three years they offer this course?), if there is a description, any books listed, language requirements, and if the class requires travel.]

This.

BYG, I understand that you are not an art history major, but here's one example of a graduate program where it looks easier to be EU citizen than not: http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/degreeprogrammes/generalinformation/international.shtml They also point out Europa regarding international affairs: http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/index_en.htm

I am NO expert on visas, but from my understanding (regarding UK graduate programs) A EU citizenship is looked more favorable upon than a sole US citizenship. I may have read somewhere that some schools can offer funding and discounts to EU Citizens that they can't offer to other foreigners, but I honestly cannot recall those sites and I do not remember which circumstances they stood in for.

Regarding Harvard: One of the sites (Phd.com?, and I think Harvard's website does too) states that average PhD length is 9 years. Yes, you get paid to work on your PhD - especially schools with good endowments and tons of fellowships (Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Berkeley), but the amount depends on the schools and if you need to acquire department/school/university or even outside funding. Most schools have a single person whose sole job it is to help you find financial relief for graduate studies. Who gets into Harvard? Luckily, Harvard has posted their last two incoming classes on their newsfeed along with some biographies. It's really interesting who they've selected. http://haa.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k11229&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup94907 These people have a wide breadth of experience in the field, in their studies, most have higher degrees, studied abroad and come from top schools. However, Harvard isn't the end all of art history programs. In fact, some people prefer to stay away from it lol. Most people don't get their PhD's under 30 - some do, but it requires a LOT of foresight, planning and ironwill. Almost all the curators in the museum I work for and the professors I've studied with all received their degrees between 29-35. And then, most have spent about 2-5 years teaching after receiving the degree before they reach tenure track or landed a relatively safe job. It's really important to know how this field works before pursuing the degree. I know right now in your early 20s, that not getting your dream job until you are 34 is a pretty terrifying thought, but really, it's not unusual in this field at all. My favorite story one of the curators tells me is that between getting his degree and getting his first real curator position took nearly 10 years, and even then the job was at a museum of no reputation with ridiculous expectations - now he's the curator of one of the best collections in the US for his field...25 years after taking that first job.

Some schools require it, others don't care, and some say don't do it unless the image you are referring to are really obscure.

Take your car, it will be best when it gets cold and you need to get around the city easily. It's so easy to drive a car around here it hurts, lol. We don't have the best public transportation system, even though it's free with your VCU card. We are a biking and walking city, so if you feel that you will live near campus, bringing/buying a bike will be best to go and get groceries.

I've lived in Richmond for 5 years now and I can confirm that it is probably one of the most awesome places to live . If this helps anyone, I like Boston a lot better than New York so you might want to take that into consideration when evaluating my judgments. Richmond is a very diverse city with very specific neighborhoods. Reading the forums, I know a lot of people who live in Virginia go "Richmond has a not-so-great reputation." It's true -- it the past, it has been ranked on some of the highest crime ratings in the country and I think we were in the top 10 of "Murder capitals" for the country. However, this has significantly changed in some ways. One way is gentrification -- mostly because of VCU's expansion (it inhabits two large parts of the city about a mile apart). People with less criminal intentions and the desire for cheap rent have moved into areas of the city that had terrible reputations. Therefore, this has pushed some criminal aspects into the areas that TRULY have the bad reputation. One area is just north of church hill between Broad and Main streets. Church hill itself is a wonderful, beautiful area where a lot of people who are retired and young professionals live. North of Broad Street (and this area) and between I-64E, there's an area of the city you don't even want to look at. To give you an idea, the juvenile court and the jail are located in this area -- oh and an elementary school is less than half a mile from these two areas -- if that gives you an idea. Northside and Manchester are less dangerous (again, gentrification) but it's not to the level of the inner city. What constitutes the inner city? In my humble opinion, if you are inside the interstates then you are in the inner city. I-95 N, the River, and 195 border the city very well. In this area you have MCV (no one lives here although there's graduate housing and another dorm, but it's where city hall, the state capitol, the colisuem, the convention center, and Philip Morris headquarters are -- it's a very, very "downtown" place. Lots of parking lots. Lots. No restaurants, etc.) Then you have Downtown, which is between Cary and West Grace north and south, between 16th St and 6th St. It's very small and operates much like a downtown in any other city -- completely abandoned on the weekends and holidays, little housing (though there is some) and some bars around for happy hour after work. Shockoe Slip is on Cary street. You can't miss it - it's cobble-stone street with some fancy restaurants and specialty shops there along with some ritzy hotels. It's not that long -- maybe 4-5 blocks, but it's a neat little area. Shockoe Bottom is where a lot of clubs, bars, restaurants, and cafes are with some speciality shops. East of there is tobacco row with a LOT of new, really nice lofts. West of MCV is Jackson Ward, one of the largest neighborhoods of the city. Whoever gave a figure of cost is right, you can rent an entire townhouse (between 3-4 bedrooms) for less than $1000/month. There's also been some recent development along the Broad street corridor where they have a lot of restaurants, galleries and shops. Some areas of broad are bad (between city hall and 1st street), but otherwise, it's a decent area to live if you want to live cheaply. Monroe Ward is south of there and smack dab in the middle of the city-- other than some portions of Grace Street, it's really nice (especially Franklin and Cary streets). They have a lot of new housing developments. I lived in a two-bedroom in Linden Towers and walked to Monroe Campus (about a mile) every day. There's also a bus route that goes between the two campuses -- it's a nice quiet area to live. There aren't that many shops or restaurants, but Broad Street and downtown are just a few blocks away. The Fan starts East End at VCU and ends at Boulevard and is bordered by Cary and Broad streets. Because of the recession, petty crime has risen on and off campus (people see you have an iphone? They'll ask you for it. Carrying around a large backpack? Must be a laptop inside!). VCU police lists all their crime statistics online, so if you browse you can see what is going on. I won't talk about housing, since people have already discussed this. However, there is a good 50/50 of housing in the fan between families and college students and sometimes these two factors butt heads. Hanover, Monument, West Ave, Grace (west of Meadow) and Grove (west of Meadow) tend to be very family-oriented and run streets. And by "college" students, we don't really have a frat society here -- it's very low. There is an occasional party, but the fan has a "party patrol." Also, a lot of landlords specially state that they prefer "young professionals" and "grad students" as renters -- most likely you will live on a floor above/below the actual landlord. You can find quiet if you want it. You can also find a party if you want it. Oregon Hill is just south of the fan. It's run down and poor, but there are some recent developments. It's much more of an authentic "neighborhood" than I would grant the rest of Richmond. There's a large college population, but there is also some working class folks who own homes (very blue collar) as well as old VCU professors who bought houses there in the 70s and just never left. However, it's not uncommon to walk down a street and see old couches, beer bottles, weeds, and general disregard of aesthetic in Oregon Hill. Randolph is a neighborhood of families and is also South of the Fan, west of Oregon Hill. You can find cheap rent there (a one bedroom apartment for $400), but it's not the best area for college students. Museum District is, again, young professionals. Housing is cheaper and smaller, but there are some idiosyncrasies mixed in. MD also hosts some of the private schools and is a little bit safer than the Fan. But, you can get screwed on housing here too. Carytown is a shopping district about a mile long. It's in the museum district, but shopping center itself is called this. Just north and south are some apartment housing and houses for rent. It's generally a safe area with low rent. Byrd Park is a safe area, with some ranch style houses and other more family oriented places. They have fewer apartment complexes and duplex town homes, since it's mostly family style. The homes in this area are really nice, a bit more expensive than museum district but way nicer. What a lot of people haven't mentioned is that Richmond is a really great biking/walking/and driving city. We don't do public transportation well (although, VCU's campus connector is pretty decent and free with your VCU card. It connects MCV campus with Monroe Campus), you aren't more than 2 miles than where you need to be - grocery store, bank, movies, museum, restaurant, campus, etc. Also, the definition of a VCU college student should be addressed. VCU has a top 5 art school, so you find a lot of "alternative" people here and a nationally ranked medical school. VCU has students who range in goth, prep, hipster, nerd, krusty, jock, and anything in-between. Unlike some schools, these groups tend to merge and you will have classes and friendships with all types of people -- older, younger, professional, those who have never had a job. We also have a HUGE international student population (we have a school in Qatar) as well as students from around the world. My German student tutor in college was actually from Germany -- go figure. A large percentage of the college students drop out of VCU and tend to stick around, so there's a humungous "alumni" population here -- everyone in Richmond has gone to VCU or has some affiliation with it (less so with UVA and VT, but there are some University of Richmond kids, but they generally stick West of 195, termed "the West End"). There is no school rivalry between these schools, although stereotypes occur, we mostly laugh them off. Also, we don't consider Richmond "the south," although there are some southern tendencies. I run into people all the time, and everyone knows each other here by at least two degrees of separation (once you are here long enough -- you'll realize what I mean). We look at each other in the eye, say hello/hey to strangers on the street in passing, and we stop and help people with questions all the time. It's a pretty friendly city on the terms of "city," so that comes a shock to some from the North. It's also a pretty liberal city (you can find the millionaires, blue bloods and old money in the West End past 195). When Obama won, the streets were crowded with parades and you couldn't drive anywhere because of it, haha (this is at, like, midnight the election night). Otherwise, I agree with a lot of what everyone else has said about RVA.

Imposter Syndrome! Don't let it fool you! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2008_02_15/caredit_a0800025

Have you made a pro and con list? Sometimes something so easy can provide some new insights. For me personally, I would go where the financial aid is, but if that is not a factor to you, then I can see why the decision is difficult. It sounds like the professor at SUNY is working hard to get you in their department - at least you know that they have your interests at heart. Have you visited SUNY's campus? That may change or strengthen your opinion. However, it's not so much the reputation that will make or break your career, it is how hard you work in graduate school that will determine that. Have you contacted both professors and asked where their students work? How many have completed their dissertation/thesis? What research opportunities are available at each school? What research funding is available? Where and how often are their students presenting at conferences? Where have current students published their work? Those are questions you should ask your POI in order to determine the worth of the program. Again, the reputation of the school is only a factor -- NOT the determining factor. Even if you go to Yale, if you don't publish and present during your career, someone who went to a lesser school and did those things will get the job over the name. If both schools will provide you those types of opportunities, then go Hunter - at least you know you will be happy in the city. Did you ask the editor why SUNY's reputation was better? I would be curious to see what attributes this person points out. Good luck!

Here's old forum posts that may be worth resurrecting: Here's a nice little history about it: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_6_42/ai_113389504/pg_7/ If you do a quick google search for "whitney ISP alumni" it will bring up a list of those who have attended the program and their bios. It would be interesting to see what these people are doing today. A lot of them attended the program pre-2000, so it would be interesting to find what current/recent graduates end up doing. Edit: This is a nice review. http://markmaking.typepad.com/markmaking/2006/03/isp_art.html