Submitting multiple thesis chapters for "two undergrad research papers" writing sample

[goghwithit]

I'm currently applying to several art history MA programs, and while most ask for one 15-20 page writing sample, one of them asks for "two research papers from undergraduate studies." I have taken a chapter from my senior thesis and formatted the intro/conclusion/necessary information to make a coherent research paper, but now I don't know what to do for the second writing sample. Should I frame another chapter from my thesis as a stand-alone research paper, or revise one of my research papers from another art history undergrad course -- written with much less supervision and revision.

Thank you for any help or advice on this question!!

[essiec]

I think it depends on how distinct each chapter of your thesis is. If it makes sense to treat them as separate papers (ie. they deal with different-enough topics/different focus, argument, etc.), and it seems possible for you to rework them into standalone papers, then do that.

In asking for two research papers, though, it seems like they're interested to see you deal with two different topics. So if you have a separate paper that's workable, you might just want to spend some time polishing it up. And--if there's enough time for this--you also can try asking the professor from that class if they could read it over and offer a few suggestions. 

Best of luck! (and clever username, btw!)