Rochester or Cornell

[Averie Tk]

Hi everyone,

I'm an International student from an Asian country and I have to decide between Rochester and Cornell for art history and visual studies.

I have external funding that our government offers me tuition and living stipends $17,000/year for four years. I plan to go back to Asia for work afterward.

Rochester: Visual and Cultural Studies: offer me enough living stipends for years [pros: I like ambiance there and I love to study theories and new media, contemporary art; cons: not so famous in our country]

Cornell: Art history and Visual Studies($0): no funding [pros: the school is famous in our country; cons: Following my advisor's specialization, I have to take Asian contemporary art as my primary focus, especially art history about my country. But I think there are too many Ph.D. students (in the U.S.) now working on related topics. Also, the government scholarship may not be enough for living in Ithaca, so I need to get into debt after graduation or to take TA jobs in the fifth and the last years.] I've also heard about that Cornell's art history is not so reputed.

I would like to ask if anyone has experience studying at Cornell or living in Ithaca. Is that $17,000 enough to make ends meet in Ithaca? I haven't had any experience studying in the states so please give me some advice or any information about these two schools. Thank you!

Edited April 5, 2019 by Averie J

[cyborg213]

15 minutes ago, Averie Tk said:

I'm an International student from an Asian country and I have to decide between Rochester and Cornell for art history and visual studies.

 

Congratulations on both acceptances! I know it's hard to make a decision, especially when you are an international student and don't have as many references as people in the US have in regards to schools, prestige, etc. Have you been invited to visit any of these schools? Have you visited yet? How's that been? I think visiting would give you the chance to gather relevant information about each program in order to make a decision. As to whether the school is famous or not in your country... it's hard to say something without knowing how much importance this has when it comes to hire someone in your country... but generally speaking, I think it's far more important to choose a program in which you feel you can thrive and do your best work... 

[Averie Tk]

Thank you, cyborg213. I have visited Rochester in early-March. And I received the acceptance from Cornell during my trip, so I haven't had the chance to visit Ithaca. But I met the faculty of both universities. They are supportive and knowledgable. Rochester's have strong student's community. Their faculty and students work closely and they build up a positive ecology. Compare to this, I have little information about the culture between their teachers and students at Cornell. As an international student, I would like to find a supportive place to study.

Now I tend to join Rochester in consideration of finance and research interest. Yet I also want to know how US students evaluate these two programs. And how important will prestige of school affect one's future career. Thank you.

[cyborg213]

13 hours ago, Averie Tk said:

 Now I tend to join Rochester in consideration of finance and research interest. Yet I also want to know how US students evaluate these two programs. And how important will prestige of school affect one's future career. Thank you.

If you check the USnews general ranking Cornell is listed #16 and Rochester #33. I know the Art History program at Cornell has a good reputation for East Asian art, so if this is what you want to focus on, I would say it is a good place for you - at a prestigious, Ivy league school (regardless of the fact that the program itself is not as well reputed as the school as a whole). However, they're not offering you any extra funding, which could be problematic... I don't know about the cost of living in Ithaca, but I imagine it tends to be low.. and if you manage to live on a budget, with roommates, I would say it's doable. 

On the other hand, Rochester's program would take you on a very different path... as you said, it would allow you to focus on a different range of topics, and develop a type of work that fits your interests better. However, you would be earning a degree in “visual studies”, as opposed to a more traditional Art History degree, which is something you would want to consider - whether it is for good or bad. If your country doesn't have many scholars who are specialized in “visual and cultural studies”, maybe this could work on your favor - you will have a sort of strange, specific degree that could make schools want to have you. However, this could have the opposite effect: schools in your country are more conventional, more traditional, and would only hire Art History PhDs. So this would require you to think of the academic situation in your country and envision which type of degree and education will be most wanted in the next decade... are there departments in the humanities or art schools, who are starting to build strong visual and media studies? In which university / department do you see yourself working after you complete your PhD? What type of contribution would you like to make, and in which area of study? 

I think these are questions that would  help you clarify your goals and be as strategic as possible. I would also recommend you to search on this forum for more information about these programs. There are many posts and comments on both schools, and you could learn a lot about what people think about them after a quick search. 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2019 by cyborg213

[Averie Tk]

2 hours ago, cyborg213 said:

However, you would be earning a degree in “visual studies”, as opposed to a more traditional Art History degree, which is something you would want to consider - whether it is for good or bad. If your country doesn't have many scholars who are specialized in “visual and cultural studies”, maybe this could work on your favor - you will have a sort of strange, specific degree that could make schools want to have you. However, this could have the opposite effect: schools in your country are more conventional, more traditional, and would only hire Art History PhDs. So this would require you to think of the academic situation in your country and envision which type of degree and education will be most wanted in the next decade... are there departments in the humanities or art schools, who are starting to build strong visual and media studies? In which university / department do you see yourself working after you complete your PhD? What type of contribution would you like to make, and in which area of study?

 

 

2

2

Thank you, Cyborg213. I think I have an answer. In our country, we allow different voices and the new media area is burgeoning, waiting for more art theorist to work on.

Edited April 6, 2019 by Averie Tk