MA in Art History Program at Hunter College

[staxdo_21]

I was just accepted to Hunter's MA in Art History program and I am hoping that past and current MA students can share their experiences with me? I am looking to focus in Contemporary Latin American art, and Hunter seems like a very good fit for that. 

One of my former professors and mentors said that the school has a stellar reputation which I've also heard but I haven't found a ton of articles online regarding how it compares with other MA programs. 

[roving99]

Congrats! Hunter is a great school for an MA, particularly in contemp LatAm. If you can swing it financially I'm sure you will have a good experience there, though I think I have heard too large of a cohort can be a problem. (don't quote me on that) contemporary LatAm is my field exactly so feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Hunter does have a very good reputation for Art History regardless, particularly if you are looking to go onto a PhD. If so, work really really closely with your advisor and get to workshops, conferences, etc, and polish your writing as much as you can.

[staxdo_21]

4 hours ago, roving99 said:

Congrats! Hunter is a great school for an MA, particularly in contemp LatAm. If you can swing it financially I'm sure you will have a good experience there, though I think I have heard too large of a cohort can be a problem. (don't quote me on that) contemporary LatAm is my field exactly so feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Hunter does have a very good reputation for Art History regardless, particularly if you are looking to go onto a PhD. If so, work really really closely with your advisor and get to workshops, conferences, etc, and polish your writing as much as you can.

Thank you so much for your response! Its good to hear some more perspectives on Hunter, especially since I've read a few assessments where the poster didn't count any program outside of the Ivies as worth pursuing. I'd love to hear more about your experience in the LatAm Art History field. I've actually never taken a formal class on the subject but have been a long time fan as an artist myself. My writing sample focuses on a Latin American artist, and I feel so grateful that it showed enough promise for Hunter to extend an offer. I'm still waiting on the actual offer, and am crossing my fingers in the hopes that they offer me at least some funding. 

[roving99]

11 hours ago, LEANCO10 said:

Thank you so much for your response! Its good to hear some more perspectives on Hunter, especially since I've read a few assessments where the poster didn't count any program outside of the Ivies as worth pursuing. I'd love to hear more about your experience in the LatAm Art History field. I've actually never taken a formal class on the subject but have been a long time fan as an artist myself. My writing sample focuses on a Latin American artist, and I feel so grateful that it showed enough promise for Hunter to extend an offer. I'm still waiting on the actual offer, and am crossing my fingers in the hopes that they offer me at least some funding. 

Absolutely! Feel free to shoot me a message on here and we can get to chatting about specifics.

I'll say honestly, particularly in Contemporary LatAm, the Ivies are one of the worst places you can go. If you want to do anything remotely cutting edge or ground-breaking, you want to stay FAR away from the Ivies which are largely very stuck in traditional canon narratives. They emphasize colonial latin america through a Eurocentric lens and they focus on inserting Latin America into the pre-established canon rather than mapping it in its own right. 

Find an advisor who is doing the kind of work that you want to be doing, and go where the advisor is. Don't go to the "school." The field is still so small that you could end up at a great school with no advisor or a HORRIBLE advisor, and then the degree is worthless because you haven't been able to learn and frame your thinking in a way that is helpful for the field itself. 

[nudeinbrook]

Sorry for the incoming rant...

But I'm glad someone said it. Your comment gives me some hope. Year after year, I see so many students on this page apply to ivy league programs without really considering what they want out of a degree. Often their stated areas of study don't even line up well with Princeton, Harvard, IFA, etc., but they apply regardless. A so-called prestigious ivy-league program isn't always the best fit for their research or goals, but students apply because they (we) have all been trained to think they are bastions of excellence. I have watched many friends struggle to get attention from their advisors there, or end up in toxic and highly-competitive environments. 

Yes to finding an advisor doing the good work--the work YOU want to do--with a similar set of ethics and interpersonal skills. That takes a lot of research, but it's worth it. See what that person's former students are doing. How do their students feel about their advising style? Is this prof merely churning out students, or do their advisees get fellowships, postdocs, and ultimately jobs? Google Luce, Smithsonian, Kress, Met, etc. etc. fellowships and see who's advising their awardees. Look at the recent winners of book awards. You might see some ivies, but I bet you will also see a lot of other programs...

[staxdo_21]

On 3/9/2022 at 11:30 AM, nudeinbrook said:

Sorry for the incoming rant...

But I'm glad someone said it. Your comment gives me some hope. Year after year, I see so many students on this page apply to ivy league programs without really considering what they want out of a degree. Often their stated areas of study don't even line up well with Princeton, Harvard, IFA, etc., but they apply regardless. A so-called prestigious ivy-league program isn't always the best fit for their research or goals, but students apply because they (we) have all been trained to think they are bastions of excellence. I have watched many friends struggle to get attention from their advisors there, or end up in toxic and highly-competitive environments. 

Yes to finding an advisor doing the good work--the work YOU want to do--with a similar set of ethics and interpersonal skills. That takes a lot of research, but it's worth it. See what that person's former students are doing. How do their students feel about their advising style? Is this prof merely churning out students, or do their advisees get fellowships, postdocs, and ultimately jobs? Google Luce, Smithsonian, Kress, Met, etc. etc. fellowships and see who's advising their awardees. Look at the recent winners of book awards. You might see some ivies, but I bet you will also see a lot of other programs...

Thank you for this reassurance! Its helped me adjust my thinking as far as school selections, though my top Ph.D program has always been a public school. 

[jmrobinson]

As I've mentioned before, the Hunter MA cannot be beat, and IMO is the finest terminal MA art history program in the country.

Edited May 7, 2022 by jmrobinson

[Brycen Reed]

On 3/9/2022 at 6:30 PM, nudeinbrook said:

Sorry for the incoming rant...

But I'm glad someone said it. Your comment gives me some hope. Year after year, I see so many students on this page apply to ivy league programs without really considering what they want out of a degree. Often their stated areas of study don't even line up well with Princeton, Harvard, IFA, etc., but they apply regardless. A so-called prestigious ivy-league program isn't always the best fit for their research or goals, but students apply because they (we) have all been trained to think they are bastions of excellence. I have watched many friends struggle to get attention from their advisors there, or end up in toxic and highly-competitive environments. 

Yes to finding an advisor doing the good work--the work YOU want to do--with a similar set of ethics and interpersonal skills. That takes a lot of research, but it's worth it. See what that person's former students are doing. How do their students feel about their advising style? Is this prof merely churning out students, or do their advisees get fellowships, postdocs, and ultimately jobs? Google Luce, Smithsonian, Kress, Met, etc. etc. fellowships and see who's advising their awardees. Look at the recent winners of book awards. You might see some ivies, but I bet you will also see a lot of other programs...


Also, I wanted to ask you if you like reading books and immediately after reading some critical literature about that book? For example, on the page https://edubirdie.com/examples/beowulf/ I read quite useful and interesting articles about the book Beowulf, which I just finished reading.

Thank you so much!

[lolarapid]

On 3/4/2022 at 5:39 PM, roving99 said:

Absolutely! Feel free to shoot me a message on here and we can get to chatting about specifics.

I'll say honestly, particularly in Contemporary LatAm, the Ivies are one of the worst places you can go. If you want to do anything remotely cutting edge or ground-breaking, you want to stay FAR away from the Ivies which are largely very stuck in traditional canon narratives. They emphasize colonial latin america through a Eurocentric lens and they focus on inserting Latin America into the pre-established canon rather than mapping it in its own right. 

Find an advisor who is doing the kind of work that you want to be doing, and go where the advisor is. Don't go to the "school." The field is still so small that you could end up at a great school with no advisor or a HORRIBLE advisor, and then the degree is worthless because you haven't been able to learn and frame your thinking in a way that is helpful for the field itself. 

Also, I wanted to ask you if you like reading books and immediately after reading some critical literature about that book? For example, on the page  https://rapidessay.com/pay-someone-to-write-my-paper.html I read quite useful and interesting articles about the book Beowulf, which I just finished reading.

 

Thanks for the clarification!