[Tips for a beginner]

Undergraduate research in the humanities is (from the way way I look at it) usually limited to the writing of some kind of senoir or honors thesis or the publication/presentation of papers. There is a movement to expand these kinds of opportunities for humanities undergraduates to mirror the opportunities for science students to get their work out in public earlier. I would suggest trying to get something published in an undergraduate or graduate journal (Colorado State University has a good one) or going to an undergraduate research conference. An expereince which was absolutely marvelous for me was to present a paper at the undergraduate conference held by the Kule Institute at the UNiversity of Alberta http://www.kias.ualberta.ca . They provide support for attendance most of the time, and its a great opportunity to practice giving a paper. Some of your professors might know of other opportunites as well. Doing an ISP is also a good way of showing graduate schools that you can work on a large project outside of a class structure and would also give you the opportunity to explore some of your areas of interest further.

I would also suggest that you use your senior year to try and narrow your focus a bit. Even if you are applying for an MA program, you need to know in what sub-field you envison doing your research in. People do change their minds often, but to have a good SOP you need to have some idea at the start. For a Ph.D. track program, you need to be MUCH more focused. I was unable to really articulate what I wanted to study even within my own specialty field in my first set of applications and I believe that that really hurt me at the more competitive schools. You are thinking about your options early though, which is great and I wish you good luck in your applications!

[What Has Been Your Biggest Challenge In Applying To Grad School?]

LORs, absolutely. I had someone not send one the first time I applied and had a close shave this time. My tip is always request one more letter than you actually need so if the worst happens, at least your application is complete. Also for me contacting POIs was INCREDIBLY nervewracking as I am quite shy and have a horror of bothering people so it took alot of courage for me to email people I didn't know.

[STARTING OVER... JUST WHERE DO I BEGIN?]

You have about as good a chance as anyone getting a job as a Japanese specialist, especially if you are also willing to teach other kinds of Asian art (if teaching is your thing). Like my speciality of Pre-Columbian, there are certainly less jobs but also less people, so I feel it kind of evens out. The language would be an issue though, as you will probably be expected to do one of your language exams in Japanese so be prepared for that. For me, getting a job in art history is so tough for all of us that you might as well work on what you really have a passion for, as that will sustain you through the tough times. If you love Japanese art, do your research, find a good prof and then go for it!

[GRE Scores]

I took the test under the old system and got a 740 verbal the first time and a 690 the second time. I retook the test because I only scored a 3.5 on the essay section the first time. I was advised that as long as you had a 1200 or above as an average in the old system and at least a 4 on the essays you would be fine. I would wait and get your essay score and then decide. Personally, your score sounds good to me and there is a lot of debate on how much these scores really count anyway. Your SOP and writing sample are much more important. Maybe get some advice from your undergrad professors or student advisor on this as well before you make the decision.

[Northern Renaissance Programs]

Is Emory on your list? Walter Melion works on NR (this isn't my field so I don't know much about his research) and if you haven't looked at the school I suggest you check it out. The department is SUPER nice and VERY supportive, also they give full funding. Good luck!

[Question about Internships]

I am a strong advocate for not overlooking small institutions because in my experience, you will get much more experience and skills out of working in them than in larger ones. In larger institutions with a large staff, even being in a curatorial internship may not get you much independent research experience and you most likely will not be involved in the day to day running of the collection. I started as an intern at a small historical society and ended up as the curator in charge of the entire collection, which has given me FAR more skills moving forward than being a virtual volunteer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I would do all you can with the languages, however my experience (and this probably not universal so take with a grain of salt) is that many programs are not going to be that picky about you only having one language to start with if they are really interested in you. I am fluent in written French but my Spanish (which is the necessary second language for my subfield) is non-existant . I was accepted into a top program with this language situation well known to the department and no one cared at all. My advisor told me to just do Spanish when I got there, and many of the other graduate students I met during recruitment were still learning languages as well. If you can get both in the year, that's fabulous, but if you don't learn languages that quickly don't think that it will automatically sink your application.

[Tension in undergrad when decisions start rolling in?]

I think it also makes a difference what subfield you're going for. I am the only person in my subfield that my undergrad institution has ever produced; I could have lied straight through my honors thesis class presentation because no one there had ANY idea what I was talking about so I think that put me out of the orbit regarding grad apps. Amoung the students who were applying for the same schools and professors, they were all very polite and helpful to each other (some were even "application buddies" and assisting each other) but once people had their options on the table the atmosphere definitely got more stressful and I think there was some resentment that certain people got better options than others. Nothing near the nastiness you are describing though.

[CHE article]

As someone entering a humanities Ph.D. program, this is a very tough article for me because there are two very good sides to this story, and I don't see that the one side should cancel out the sympathy and the call to action for change which the other raises. The reality in this area of academia (as it has been presented to me) is that you have to be ready and able to sacrifice pretty much everything else you might want in life to break in to the market and establish yourself. You cannot expect to raise a family, buy a home, choose where you want to live or work until you get a decent full time job, which can take one year or several. This SHOULD be unacceptable in our society, but it's not. The other hard truths are that you are competing in an international pool of applicants, prestige (of both institution and advisor) matter, and that brillant publications right out of school or even before you graduate are a virtual requirement for a good position. Do I think that the person at the heart of the article really wasn't prepared for what she was undertaking? Yes. Does that mean that her situation, and that of the permanent class of non-tenure track faculty is not a shame to our institutions? Absolutely not. People who spend much of their lives devoted to the improvement of others minds should be able to raise a family and have a decent life. Universities are equally responsible for continuing to accept as many graduate students as they do when they KNOW there are not positions or decent futures for them.

[Joint degree programs worth it?]

An MA/PhD is not a joint degree. It is a track program which you are eligible to enter as a bachelors student with the expectation that when you graduate, you will do so with a Ph.D. If you do not already posses a Masters degree, than in your second or third year depending on the school you are either granted an MA automatically or you can apply to have the degree granted. You do not have to do anything extra usually, since everyone in most programs has to submit a Qualifying Paper (the equivalent of an MA thesis) to progress to Ph.D. candidacy. You are encouraged to get the degree granted at most schools since it makes you eligible to seek employment as an adjunct during your dissertation.

[Archaeology in an Art History Dept. for PhD?]

Since this is old I doubt you will read it but for what its worth, I wouldn't go with art history simply because it doesn't sound as if you have any interest in the displine at all; your research sounds so far off that I would be double checking this professor's assurances to you with the department chair and the head of the graduate program. I would also speak to these new students. Just because someone has a background in archaeology and is in an art history department doesn't mean that they are still pursuing straight archaeology as it seems you want to do. Many students in ancient art have switched over from classics or archaology since many art history departments still don't have much to offer in this area (I am Pre-Columbian and that is definitely the case with us). Marketability is definitely going to be an issue unless you want to work in a museum, where crossover is very common and as long as you have the curatorial skills and experience they don't care much. As a museum person I have limited experience in the academic track but I would think that you will have difficulty because no matter how many outside classes they allow you to take, you won't be getting the same kind of theoretical base as an anthropology Ph.D student or a Classics one. I have actually heard from art history Ph.D. students that many (but not all!) classics departments really look down on people who choose art history as a focus within their department.

[Graduate school for Archaeology]

I would REALLY think long and hard about why you want to do archaeology and what you want to get out of a graduate degree in it before committing to a program. As someone who works with archaeologists and on the same type of material but in a different discipline, I can tell you that the job situtation is every bit as bad as others say and probably worse. Do you have a specific career in mind or have you simply enjoyed the classes you took? If the latter is the case than you need to do much more research and get some experience in the kinds of jobs people with archaeology degrees hold.

[Does undergrad institution matter? (article)]

That's not true. They're usually funded by the department or the university, especially at the top.

They certainly are. In fact, most people in the humanities are being currently advised not to undertake graduate study unless it is fully funded.

[How would one rate McGill anthro PhD?]

I took a couple classes in the department when I was an undergrad (when formed the basis of my interest in the Inka) and I would say, as with most of the humanities departments at McGill it REALLY depends on what exactly you want to study. Their archaeology/ancient cultures areas are pretty weak in general, but they have some top people working in other fields. Who are you plannning on working with?

[Art of the Ancient Americas/ Pre-Columbian, anyone?]

I am entering a PhD program this fall focusing on Andean art, and I was wondering if there was anyone else on this forum who is entering grad school for this sub-discipline or already in a program. I though it would be nice to create a thread for our group to share advice and comiserate. Anyone else really hate the split between Native American/First Nations for the US and Canadian area and "Pre-Columbian" for the Mexico/Central/South American area? Not all programs use it, but that is the dissertation catagorization for CAA.

[European MA programs]

Although I am not a graduate of any of these programs, many of my former classmates are currently pursuing MAs abroad and I have met several people in my museum work. From my limited experience, I would by no means discount any of these programs BUT I would proceed with caution, especially as you seem to want to return and work in the United States. Since many European MAs are shorter than American ones, if you want to continue on to a PhD you may not be granted any transfer credits (my new school won't even give advance standing to MAs from U of Toronto and that program is much closer to an American one than even the British degrees). If an MA will be a terminal degree for you, I would speak to people currently holding the jobs that you would like to pursue and see what their thoughts are or even the professional organizations such as AAM if museum work is your goal. I know many people who have had a wonderful experience at University College London and have returned to have VERY successful careers in conservation and collections management in the U.S. so this is a school I would recommend you take a closer look at.

[Getting a Ph.D in Art History with no background]

If this is really what you want to do, then you can't let the negativity get to you. Those working in museums are very wary right now of advising others to enter the field because of the job situation, which is almost as bad as that for academics. I am not a folk art person but as someone already working as a curator I can tell you that it is a very hard life, but loving the work makes up for it. The key as far as I can see is not only the degree but a matching level of experience since being a curator requires practical and administrative skills as well as academic skills. Start volunteering and interning in collections as early and as often as you can, and try to get some experience in every aspect of curation.

[jobs internationally?]

I think that the availability of positions really depends on the country and the field. I hope to do this too, as I received my bachelors degree in Canada and am now going to the States for doctoral studies. From what I have seen in Canada it is very much a reality there, as many of the professors in my field of art history hold either an American or British doctorate. Many Americans teach in Canada, and many Canadians come to work in the States. In, Europe, I really don't know. The only suggestions I can offer is try to forge connections in the countries you are interested (looking at a postdoc there down the road might be a good way to get in the door). If you are looking to teach in a language other than English than you need to have a credential of some kind certifying your language abilities (far beyond your language requirement test!). I hope to work in French at least partly so in about four years I will take the D.A.L.F. C2 exams which are required to show you have a university-level understanding of French and which are regulated by the French government. Keep the dream alive!

[In need of advice for applying to grad school]

I would try to find out which specific avenue of museum work you want to do (and in what kinds of museums) before commiting to any post-grad ed. If you do want to curate in an art museum, than I would consider a Ph.D. as that tends to be the norm in art. But if you are more interested in other types of museums such as history along with art, I would think twice as history and community museums do not require that credential necessarily and it may over-qualify you (I currently consult for a historical society's curatorial division and hardly any of the people who curate for history museums have Ph.D.s). If you are interested in communtiy activisim or education, definitely do not get a Ph.D. as you will waste a great deal of time and not receive the training you really need. I would also STRONGLY recommend that you begin Spanish as soon as possible if you do not already possess competency in the language if you want to have any serious involvement in the Latin American community.

[Contacting POI]

I can share my experience, if that helps. I asked my program advisor this question last year and she told me late august was a better time. Because I was nervous I waited until September- October and met with sucess in making contact. However, I would suggest, particularly with more well-known (and thus more solicited) professors, you actually contact either the graduate coordinater or program director first, stating your interest in their program and in that particular professor. My first admissions try, I did not do this and never heard back from anyone. My second time, I noted on Emory's art history page (the school I will be attending in the fall) that it was advisable to do this and I was sucessful in making contact with my now future advisor. Get some other opinions on this from professors if you can and good luck!

[Waiting it Out on Canadian Universities - 2012]

Thanks for the very through response ^__^ I like reading as much as I can about others opinions who have been through it all so I appreciate you taking the time. Yeaaa everyone in the states just goes into PhD. Personally I don't get that, and looking at how most of academia is outside the USA others don't get it also. Like you said, getting the MA is standard in CAN... I don't think I have ever seen a program that accepts anyone without an MA into PhD. I'm glad you like York, I REALLLY want to go there. I hear they have some faculty that are into the reflexive social theory thing which I would love to learn from. It was too bad their deadline was really early because I didn't have my "make up" semester grades posted yet. I'm also glad you like Trent. If I get rejected from everywhere I might see if they have spots open for the Canadian Studies MA.

I can't speak for sciences or social sciences but the reason the MA is being bypassed in the humanities is simple: money. The average American student is over $30,000 dollars in debt for their undergraduate education and there is NO funding for humanities masters. One at a decent school for my field (art history) will set you back at least $20,000 dollars in tuition alone. Couple that with the fact that the majority of the high paying jobs in museums and academia go to PhD holders makes the choice pretty clear. Only PhDs are fully funded, and very few people can afford to go to graduate school holding that kind of undegraduate debt for less. Most professors are advising students who want to enter careers which require the PhD in th long run not to go to gaduate school without that kind of funding as the job market is so insecure.

Personally, I like the Canadian system better but who listens to me...........

[Spinoff: Rejected from PhD, accepted to MA - thoughts/experiences?]

I am also moving out of my lurker cage as well. I am a student who was accepted at a fully funded PhD program in a very good school for my sub-field with only a BA. I applied last year (to an MA and a PhD) and was only admitted to the MA with no funding. I thought it through, deferred my admission at the MA school for one year and tried again. Many of these things are luck and timing; if I had applied to the same school/person the first time I probably would not have gotten in simply because she was not ready to take more students. I have spent the year in doing two internships, one at a "name brand" museum which was pretty boring but gave me another collections database to add to my C.V. and at a smaller historical society at which I am now the curator in all but title with full responsibility for the collection. I completely rewrote my writing sample and refined the language that I do know (I was actually admitted with the professor knowing full well that I did not know the language which will be the most practical for my field so take some of the language stuff with a grain of salt, it depends on the prof/school). My advice is to thoroughly think through your situation and decide what's best FOR YOU. Everyone's financial situation is different, and the sub-field you are entering may also dictate some of what you need to improve on. Best of luck to you!

[Breaking into a new (sub)-field]

Which non-western art field is it? I am entering an MA/PhD program for Pre-Columbian Latin America in the fall and was in a similar situation, although I did have a 400 level seminar in Mayan art (as an Andean person it doesn't help me much) and did research on new Mayan and Teotihuacan accessions for a museum. For non-western art, switching is a bit different since many of them are sub-fields relatively new to the discipline of art history (Pre-Columbian only began in the 1930"s with George Kubler). Because of this many schools still do not have many courses in them or even have resident professors who specialize in them so the fact that you have not had tons of coursework tends to be a bit more forgiven, especially if you have a lot of experience in a related field; My archaeological coursework was every bit as valuable as my art history work. It really comes down to what your professor of interest wants in a student in my experience. I did not have a single letter of reccomendation from a Pre-Columbian specialist even at the second attempt and still got into (for my field) a top school.

If you do not get the results you are looking for this season (my first application process was bad) and feel that lack of coursework is a problem for you, I would agree with the above post about Masters programs. However, for me this simply wasn't an option financially, so I took a year off and did two more internships (one which turned into a curatorial position). I also revised my honors thesis, which I would say is a MUST for you if you are unsuccessful (Although I hope for the best!). I am positive that my writing sample, largely based on my future advisor's work, was what got her attention.

[Rejecting Offer: Notify POI?]

Was your contact with them limited to a brief email about a visit or did you have a longer dialogue with them? If this is someone you have had sustained contact with I would say absolutely yes. If not, its more doubtful, but not contacting them might result in burning a bridge (depending on the personality of the professor). As your poi, this is someone that you will probably run into at conferences and might end up on a job search committee (you can never know the future).

[The State of tenure-track teaching positions in the Humanities in the near future]

I've always felt that one of the unique things about my field (art history) is that at least half of the graduates in many programs have the non-academic career preference of a museum position, with the full support of the faculy and department. Becoming a professor or teacher has always been my back-up because I enjoy working with objects and the wider public more.

[Contacting my advisor]

I am entering an art history graduate program (track PhD) and am wondering is it is appropriate to email my advisor (at this school you are only admitted if you are selected by the person you want to work with so I already know who she will be) about classes and RAing for her. I don't want to be annoying and know that we will have a formal meeting when I arrive at the school in late August, but I'm really excited and interesting in starting a dialogue with her before then. My biggest worry is making sure that the relationship starts on the right foot.