[FLAS essay - edit SOP or new essay?]

i think different people will be reading it, so i wouldn't worry too much about recycling parts from the sop...

[GRE Scores for Art History Graduate Programs]

i think the big problem with a low AW score as a non-native english speaker is that even if your sop, writing samples are amazing, they might suspect that someone else wrote them...

[Stanford]

email the department student coordinator and ask them  - the person in the department im applying to was super helpful when i asked about my incomplete application (which turned out not to be incomplete after all)

[Grad school for the directionless.]

eh, but is it worth the debt? i think that's usually the bigger issue. and even if you enter into a funded program, the amount of time the program requires can eat up any and all free time, leaving you in an even deeper funk. i mean, i hate the fallacy that you have to love love love your field with all your soul. i mean, thats stupid. if you have such blind love for your field of study, how are you going to be able to engage with it critically? however, i do think you need to be committed - for your own sake. otherwise, you will lose time and money that could have been better spent developing a new career/traveling/etc. 

[Grad school for the directionless.]

actually, if you think you might enjoy teaching english abroad, you should come to china. once you are on the ground, finding work as a teacher is super easy (and can be quite lucrative) and after you have a teaching job, you will still have time to follow other professional pursuits (ive seen people advance very quickly in fields like hospitality, marketing, writing, business, design, tourism, etc that they wouldnt have had the qualifications/opportunity to pursue had they stayed in the states. cost of living is cheaper, and you can very cheaply explore places both within china and southeast asia. also, once you come back to the states you have "china experience" which counts for something on resumes. something to think about...

[yale m.a. in east asian studies]

hey, so a question for those of you enrolled in this program: is there a masters thesis? there is no mention of it on the website and i know it's a 1-year program, but i was hoping someone could let me know. thanks!

[best options for practicing on computer--GRE?]

the kaplan premier book comes with a cd with practice sets and 5 full tests online. i used that and think its pretty good but my test is tomorrow so we'll see how well it prepared me soon enough...

[successful letters for app fee waivers?]

i am going to contact my various schools regarding application fee waivers, but before i do, what has worked for people? tax returns? hard numbers? or just descriptions of circumstances? thanks!

["this will be difficult"....]

my professor (from when i was in undergrad 4 years ago) finally got back to me. she said she would do it provided she had enough time, but that it would be "difficult." what does that mean? is that a huge red flag that shes gonna write me something sub-par?

[2 weeks, 2 emails, no word. what to do?]

i graduated 4 years ago, so I knew it would be hard to get in touch with professors. while one prof did back to me, the other hasnt replied to my email (i fwded the email to her other address that i had and still no response). shouldnt she at least write back and say "no"? im not sure if there is anything i can do beyond contacting someone new to write the letter. ideas?

[Any tips for great History of Photography programs?]

check out rutgers

[GREs and admission deadlines--is this doable?]

Call the schools you're applying to - every school I called said a little late is ok, but it depends on the school/program/when they will be reviewing your app.

[recommender wants me to write a draft of recommendation letter... what to say?]

so, my recommender (former employer in a related field, not a professor) wants me to write a rough draft of a LOR. does anyone know how to go about doing this? thanks!!

[Acceptable GRE scores for Creative Writing?]

if you are applying for an MFA, i doubt that much weight is given to your GRE score.. I think your writing portfolio will be the most important factor by far...

[When is the latest I can take GRE for Dec 15th deadline?]

So, the GRE website says it takes 10-15 days to score, and then the scores are mailed? But other people have said to give it 6 weeks. I'm kind of confused - when is the latest you guys would recommend taking the computer-based test in order to get scores out on time? Thanks!

[contemporary chinese art history - best programs?]

thanks for the help/wu hung love. yeah, i am probably applying to uchicago, though i seems they only have a phd program, no masters option. any other places with strong faculty in contemporary chinese art? i appreciate any in-depth feedback. thanks!

[contemporary chinese art history - best programs?]

So, I'm planning on applying to art history grad programs this fall with my focus being on contemporary chinese art (I'm still figuring out whether I want to go for an ma or phd). Does anyone have experience doing an ma or phd with a focus on 20th century Chinese art? what schools would you recommend? Thanks!