halifax

It does seem as though people have abandoned the board for the last few days....hardly any posts at all. This is not good considering I check it every five minutes. I suppose we are getting into no-man's-land right about now. The earliest any of my schools notified last year was at the end of February, so I'm in for a bit of a wait...... How's everyone else holding up? Mew27, I think you did a very nice thing by emailing the prof at Berkeley...someone else will be very grateful! So I guess you and Chicken Dan will meet in person at some point You've already got a built-in network if you choose U of C. :mrgreen:

What were their intentions? To send us into cardiac arrest in order to thin the herd a bit? Well, the person who signed the letter had actually reassured me months ago via email that everything was there, which is why I was in total shock when the envelope came today. I thought, "This must be it...." and then tore into it like it was manna from the heavens. I wonder if they'll do interviews? I bet your GRE scores will show soon. Gahhhhhhhh....the waiting is slowly driving me insane. On another note, should we be filling out FAFSAs yet (before we are even accepted)? And do we need to fill them out in order to receive fellowships/scholarships from schools?

I agree with lxs...you must have had stellar grades and worked your butt off!! Yes, Cornell is actually one of my top choices--the other one being UT Austin. Hopefully I'll find out soon!! lxs: back away from the cake.....slowly....it's only the first round, I'm sure. You'll get your day

Congrats!!! What a great feeling that must be!

... The acceptance to U of C was also posted on the results page here....I thought it was probably either you or mew27...gosh, how nerve-racking!

Another thing to do while "Waiting it Out": string together random phrases comprised of words like 'admissions, decisions, committees, acceptances, meetings, graduate, forums" and google them, sometimes to great effect Check out the results of my queries: HILARIOUS!!! A couple of squabbling Ivys.... http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/v ... ?badlink=1 I found it amusing....will I, too, have virtual fireworks?? :evil:

How exciting mew27!!!! You must be thrilled! I just about jumped out of my skin this morning when I checked the results page and saw that an art history interview had taken place The first one on the forum...I then immediately went to the history of art thread to see which one of you guys it was! Congratulations and let's keep our fingers crossed for more art history notifications soon. Is interviewing for art history programs the norm?

Well--I screwed that one up then didn't I? I'll remember that for next year if I don't get in anywhere in the next few months! I could totally have lived in Chicago, too..... :cry: Is that one of the schools you are really leaning towards? I was already lamenting the fact that I'd only applied to 5 schools--you know, at the time, I felt that I was being excessive. Talking to other people in the humanities has made me realize that the average is around 8 schools, give or take.

To answer your question, yes, I did briefly consider U Chicago, and Zorach seems like she'd be a great professor, but I got the feeling that it would be alot harder to get fully funded there. Well, I guess I'm going to obssess some more!!!

Mew27: Sorry for the confusion regarding my assumption that you were working on an MA thesis. I guess I was just thinking from my own experience---I actually never did a Senior thesis, although I wish I had. Had I known that one could apply for PhD programs out of undergrad I would probably have tried. I was a bit one-track minded though, because I was ready to get back to my husband, then fiance, as we had been long-distance for so long. I don't think it makes you any less competitive than someone who has an MA! If anything, it shows that you are driven to succeed and are a very serious scholar, committed to the intense coursework of a PhD program. Thanks for the anecdotes about UT...that school is sounding better and better! I'm so glad I applied...I've heard alot about grad departments that are very cut-throat and this does not seem to be the case there from what you've told me ... In your case, because you have German, Dutch will be relatively easy to learn, I bet! Especially because it seems as though you probably pick up languages pretty easily (what with the French and German under your belt!). Until tomorrow!

Gosh, my opinion of him and the school in general continues to skyrocket. What he did for you was beyond the call of duty I would think, which just goes to show how committed he is to teaching and also gives an indication of how important relationships between professors at different schools can be. Too bad funding can be an issue at huge state schools...... What was your MA thesis on, if you don't mind me asking? Also, are you prepared to learn Dutch or German for this focus in the Northern Renaissance? I need to get on the ball with French or Italian, but am unsure which one I'll need most!!! Too bad there aren't any med schools around Austin for your SO. Austin is an amazing city--the vibe is awesome and I love the fact that so many great independent filmmakers have come from there. Also, who wouldn't love a city in which the coolest resident transvestite, who can always be seen lounging in a wading pool on Sixth Street, ran for mayor and almost won?!?!?! My husband's work allows him to move wherever, and we both chose cities that we could stand to live in for 5+ years so we're lucky in that way THANK GOD my stuff with UT finally got cleared up today (my application was found under my maiden name due to a glitch in their system)....I was told the adcoms will begin reading applications this week!! I'm so nervous. :roll: Back to work.....

He does seem awesome and he was very nice when I emailed him asking about the program at UT. He responded within hours and even then apologized for taking so long to reply! Good ole southern hospitality, I suppose. Are most of your schools pretty close? That must be so difficult--coordinating two graduate careers when the whole process seems to be a complete crapshoot. My husband and I were long distance for four years during my undergrad, but I feel that the whole experience made us so much stronger as a couple. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you two, and hopefully those acceptance letters for us art history folks will start coming in soon! On another note: have you had any issues with UPenn not posting that they have received your transcripts?

No, they still haven't been received according to the website......bleh......no one has contacted me regarding this issue, though, so I'm going to assume they are still in the process of sorting....The program at UT on the other hand emailed me Saturday stating I never filled out the general application, even though I submitted it on the 25th of Nov and can see my submission status online which is "Application completed (with all transcripts gre scores and fees paid) and forwarded to the graduate committee for review". I swear they are just trying to give me a heart attack!!! UT is so big, though, that things like this tend to happen--the right arm knows not what the left is doing. Hopefully tomorrow this will all get cleared up :?: and I won't have to do it all over again.................................... :cry:

Welcome mew27!! I'm actually a huge fan of 17th century Dutch Art, especially genre scenes, but am applying for Southern Renaissance at UPenn and Yale, so we won't be in direct competition! How are you holding up emotionally? This is such a stressful time!!! :shock: Well, maybe the addition of a new Art History person will keep this thread alive for the foreseeable future.

lxs and No8do: Did you ever get the UPenn thing cleared up with regards to your transcripts that were labeled as missing? Mine are STILL missing according to the website, and I'm starting to freak out again. Do you think it is just that they have not updated it? And perhaps because it is so far gone, they may not update the site? No one in the grad. admissions office or the graduate group will get back to me (and of course, I don't want to make the department secretary angry with me for emailing too much). I have decided to wait and see if I am notified as to the fact that I truly am missing stuff before going off the deep end. :cry: On another note, does anyone know if we have to fill out the FAFSA in order to receive fellowships and stipends from universities? I'm not interested in loans of any kind, which is the only thing I ever qualify for when I do fill out this pointless document, but I wanted to make sure before it's too late. If we do need to fill them out, can we do it before we know our acceptance/rejection status? Hang on everybody!!! Only a month left to go!!!! Look at it this way.........at least it's not September anymore (which is when I started the application process). Everyone should take some time out and go see Juno or No Country for Old Men----both awesome viewing experiences (if you're not completely broke after all the application fees). Thought you guys might find this interesting: It's an exhaustive survey on current art historians with PhDs and their feelings about the field, the doctoral programs, and everything in between. http://depts.washington.edu/coe/cirge/p ... apter2.pdf

I agree with Minnesotan, although this is the first year I am applying to PhD programs, and do not really know whether or not my MA will be enough. I did my BA in three years in Greek and Roman Civilization with a conc. in Mediterranean Art and Archaeology, then promptly entered a program in order to receive my emergency teaching certification in Sp. Ed. (My bread and butter for the last 4 1/2 years has been teaching elementary and middle school students with special needs). I then went back to school for my MA, but I was still teaching middle school full time (this way, I didn't have to take out loans and could actually pay for it as I went). Sometimes I thought I would collapse with all the effort, but it paid off in the end--I now have a stellar thesis, great recommendations due to professional relationships I cultivated during the process, and I even received an adjunct professorship for two survey art history courses at a state university the very week after conferring my MA. While I had to turn down their offer of a third course in order to teach my young 'uns this school year, I feel that the MA was an excellent stop on my road to a PhD. Now as I apply to doctoral programs, I am more confident than ever of my writing skills, my GRE verbal score jumped 130 points, and I feel that my app will show I have the dedication it takes to be a committed graduate student. I will keep my fingers crossed, and whether or not I get in to these top tier programs, I have certainly grown as a student and will apply again next year. I hope that helps a bit, grifter. Good luck to you!!!

Glad you liked the article. I realize that the committees who sit down and review our apps will probably give us much more consideration than the two minutes given to the early undergrad applicants in the article, but it kind of eased my worries a bit just to be privy to their overall thought process.....

Hey guys... I found this on the U Penn website....kind of demystifies the admissions process, at least for undergraduates-- but even though we're all applying to MA or PhD programs, I think it might help to see how the process could possibly unfold. http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1998/1 ... -csm.shtml Let me know what you think!

Thanks for the tip! I really like the Pimsleur approach after going to their website, plus they are big supporters of NPR (I guess PRI now) so I would love to give them my business. I considered enrolling in a community college just to be able to audit a language course, but they wanted transcripts and all sorts of stuff so I nixed it for the time being--I don't ever want to SEE a transcript again, much less take the time to send them to a jr. college. I'll probably order the cds as soon as I get my first acceptance (I am in the ACTUALIZATION phase of my post-app mania.....it consists of pretending you are already there and visualizing your life unfolding as you want it)

Regarding languages: I know that NO8DO probably has us all beat in this category, but how is everyone feeling about this requirement? Most schools require at least two, with one having to be mastered just about as soon as you arrive.

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Wow, lxs, I am really glad we are not in competition for more than one school (and even then, we're in different areas of specialization) Your scholarly endeavors of the last few years are very impressive, and I wish you all the luck in the world!! I know what you mean about feeling as though you've done just about everything in your power to have a heck of a chance at these Ivys, but that certainly doesn't stop me from worrying constantly. I suppose if I am unable to gain admission this year, I will most likely try again next, after fattening up my CV a bit with more Adjunct positions and publications--I will also make sure to apply to at least 8 programs. I didn't feel as though I could handle more than five this year but now I wish I had reconsidered! ..... I just about had a heart attack when I received an email today from Yale's Graduate School, but it was just a form email giving instructions on where to send extra materials....I knew it was too early for an acceptance or rejection but that didn't keep me from breaking out in a cold sweat when I saw it!! It seems that U Penn is still in the process of gathering all transcripts---how funny that we are all kind of in the same situation...there's safety in numbers. Have a great day.

Thanks for the reply NO8DO. I'm glad to see I am not the only one in this state of limbo. I suppose they just have SO many pieces of mail go through the graduate admissions office that sorting it out can take some time. Let's keep our fingers crossed that everything is there!!

I am pleased to see the positive feedback regarding my "approach"...I've planned it carefully since my first year of undergrad, simply because the relationship between the two was extremely intriguing to me from the very beginning. I hope the admission committees will see it my way! Herakles: What areas of ancient art are you interested in? I am glad we aren't competing as well! Many of the people on this board certainly have their act together and shall be considered foreboding in this race to the Ivys! My only issue right now is that U Penn is only showing one of my transcripts as being received by the graduate group. I sent them in late October so they may have been misplaced during the onslaught of all the other applications in November and December. I have contacted them via email numerous times regarding the issue, asking if perhaps they just didn't make the transfer from the graduate admissions office to the graduate group, but the contact in the history of art program seems to think they are there somewhere and I shouldn't worry. Should I be worried? No one has actually attempted to contact me directly about this, so I'm going to settle back, somewhat uneasily, and see how the situation unfolds. Apps were due on the 15th of December, so the date has long passed. SO nerve-racking! All the other institutions have received each of my transcripts. Has anyone else had this problem?

lxs: I too am applying to PhD programs in the History of Art. My interests lie primarily in the Italian Renaissance, although Northern Renaissance and Baroque is a close second, especially due to my fascination with 17th century Netherlandish Art. My BA is in Greek and Roman Civilization with a concentration in Mediterranean Art and Archaeology and my minor was Art History. I feel that my background in classical art has and will serve me well when studying many aspects of the art of Renaissance Italy. This was especially the case as I wrote my MA thesis, which examined classical influences of Renaissance artists. The programs I've applied to are notable in that they would allow me to merge both of my interests. I received my master's degree in May of '07 as well, and am looking forward to February and March, so I can stop wondering what my life will be like a year from now!! I think it will drive me crazy. It's a good thing winter break is over and I can throw myself into my work. I am in my fifth year as a special ed. reading and language arts teacher--and between NCLB and my students, I have my hands full! Will any of you apply again next year if things don't pan out?