Bachelors to PhD path

[ellengloria]

Hello GradCafé! 

I'm in my final year of undergrad at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) and am planning on applying directly to PhD programs in Art History after a gap year. My advisor very emphatically told me that I should take time off to increase my chances of being accepted to a top program – I'm working on a thesis and she told me I should wait until the thesis is finished to apply to programs so I can show them a finished product. Since I know I want to complete a PhD, I'd much prefer to go directly into a doctoral program than to do a terminal MA somewhere first. I worked on my thesis research in Paris this summer (at the INHA, the Orsay Archives and the Quai Branly archives) and have gotten several grants to fund travel but I haven't published anything yet. Do you think it's realistic to apply to top PhD programs without any MA coursework or publication experience? My GPA is strong, I've taken a lot of advanced coursework and I know my recommendations will be strong but I've also heard that programs look for publication experience and prefer students who've already completed an MA.

Thanks in advance!

[artemisia]

IMO, it really just depends on how prepared you think you are. Some programs require an MA before applying to the PhD program, some highly rec it, some don't state a preference. The pros of a terminal MA are that it allows you to hone your focus and have graduate-level writing as your writing sample. Perhaps also having stronger letters of rec than you have right now. The con is obviously cost. Also, if you're taking a year in between you should have something tangible to show for it. If your SOP states you want to be a curator, you would ideally have a museum job.

[Bronte1985]

Your advisor is right. It's an excellent idea to take time off between your BA and applying for grad school. After you finish your thesis, he or she will be able to write you a much stronger letter. Beyond that, it's good to get space and spend some time in the "real world" before you plunge into grad work: you'll be more mature and more sure about what you want in life, in ways you probably can't appreciate you right now. If you're interested in France, it wouldn't be a bad idea to look for opportunities there to sharpen up your language skills. But, really, you should feel free to do whatever you want in your gap year, if your credentials are already strong. In general, if your grades are stellar, your work of high quality, your recs glowing, and your personal statement sophisticated and compelling, you will be able to get into a top program with just a BA. And I'm not sure where you heard this, but you certainly do not need publications. In fact, it's probably a bad idea. You're not a mature scholar yet, however strong you work is, and when you are you will likely regret having your "student work" widely available. By the time you finish grad school, though, you will certainly want to have one or two articles under your belt.