tendaysleft Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi all, I have a couple questions for you all and I would be very grateful for any help you can give. I'm in my final semester of undergraduate study and I'm looking to take a year off and work and apply to art history/visual culture MA programs. My field of interest is, broadly, modern and contemporary Western art in a more traditional sense, but I'm interested in programs that are less about "straight" art history. I'm interested in visual culture (and why we privilege some cultural forms as art in the first place), postcolonial, critical and feminist theory, transnationalism... that kind of thing. I also really like the idea of programs that are interdisciplinary I've looked at the Media, Culture and Communication program at NYU Steinhardt, the Williams MA (although it might be a bit more traditionally-minded [though, please correct me if I'm wrong!], it just looks like a wonderful program with a great reputation), the MA program at U Connecticut, Columbia's MODA, and some programs in my native Canada (for example, the McGill art history MA that has a Women's Studies option). First, I'd love any other suggestions for interdisciplinary-type MA programs, or art history programs that are more critically-focused. Second, I'd like to apply to MA programs that won't limit my chances of potentially applying for doctorate programs later on. I've been looking into Duke's Humanities MA, but it doesn't seem very research-focused, and it seems like that might be a negative factor in applying to doctorate programs later. I know there has already been a topic on the advantages/disadvantages of having a terminal MA when applying to doctoral programs, but if anyone has an idea of whether the kind of MA would be a factor, that would be great. Third, I know it's really important to focus in on a particular professor you'd like to work with when applying for a PhD, but does the same advice apply when applying to a Master's program? I'm sure more stuff will come up, but thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone who is still waiting to hear from their schools! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skamp Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Check out the School at the Art Institute of Chicago. They're pretty contemporary focused and have a Visual Studies (I forget the exact title) that sounds cool. They're definitely an exciting place to be. Also, in my experience, you don't have to have a particular professor in mind when you apply for an MA. I'm sure it could be helpful to have someone to advocate for you, someone who you've been in touch with, but I didn't have contact with any specific professors and I've been accepted, so far, at 5 of the 6 MA programs I applied to. Still waiting to hear from Williams. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venus_of_Urbino Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi all, I have a couple questions for you all and I would be very grateful for any help you can give. I'm in my final semester of undergraduate study and I'm looking to take a year off and work and apply to art history/visual culture MA programs. My field of interest is, broadly, modern and contemporary Western art in a more traditional sense, but I'm interested in programs that are less about "straight" art history. I'm interested in visual culture (and why we privilege some cultural forms as art in the first place), postcolonial, critical and feminist theory, transnationalism... that kind of thing. I also really like the idea of programs that are interdisciplinary I've looked at the Media, Culture and Communication program at NYU Steinhardt, the Williams MA (although it might be a bit more traditionally-minded [though, please correct me if I'm wrong!], it just looks like a wonderful program with a great reputation), the MA program at U Connecticut, Columbia's MODA, and some programs in my native Canada (for example, the McGill art history MA that has a Women's Studies option). First, I'd love any other suggestions for interdisciplinary-type MA programs, or art history programs that are more critically-focused. Second, I'd like to apply to MA programs that won't limit my chances of potentially applying for doctorate programs later on. I've been looking into Duke's Humanities MA, but it doesn't seem very research-focused, and it seems like that might be a negative factor in applying to doctorate programs later. I know there has already been a topic on the advantages/disadvantages of having a terminal MA when applying to doctoral programs, but if anyone has an idea of whether the kind of MA would be a factor, that would be great. Third, I know it's really important to focus in on a particular professor you'd like to work with when applying for a PhD, but does the same advice apply when applying to a Master's program? I'm sure more stuff will come up, but thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone who is still waiting to hear from their schools! UTexas has an AWESOME art history program with a very good and diverse faculty. Many professors are doing interesting work on theory and material/visual culture, and many faculty in other departments are doing interesting work on theory--especially Anthro. You can also do a certificate program in Women's Studies. The MA program at UT can be very general (or specific, depending on your needs) so you have the option of exploring your ideas through many different channels and faculty members. I certainly benefited from the ability to explore my interests with such an awesome faculty. UT students also have great luck getting into top schools--one girl in my class is going to Princeton, someone recently went to Yale, we had a Columbia waitlist. However, even if you are a SUPER qualified candidate, getting into an Ivy is still a crapshoot. The people I know who got into Columbia/Princeton are both highly, highly qualified, but tended to have very unique interests that fit absolutely perfectly with senior faculty members' interests. I got into several good programs, but my academic interests (Italian Baroque) are in a dying subfield, but I have a fresh dissertation topic and the language and travel experience needed to undertake such research. I think the few Italian Baroque scholars at PhD granting institutions (of which there are only a handful, surprisingly) are senior faculty and are hurting for students. I think I got extremely lucky with my interests and the state of the field in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tendaysleft Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Check out the School at the Art Institute of Chicago. They're pretty contemporary focused and have a Visual Studies (I forget the exact title) that sounds cool. They're definitely an exciting place to be. Also, in my experience, you don't have to have a particular professor in mind when you apply for an MA. I'm sure it could be helpful to have someone to advocate for you, someone who you've been in touch with, but I didn't have contact with any specific professors and I've been accepted, so far, at 5 of the 6 MA programs I applied to. Still waiting to hear from Williams. Good luck! Thanks for the advice! The SAIC program looks quite good - for some reason I was under the impression that they only gave out studio degrees; I'll have to take another look. Congrats on the acceptances, and good luck with Williams! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra4681 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Ugh, Williams, everyone is waiting on you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tendaysleft Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 UTexas has an AWESOME art history program with a very good and diverse faculty. Many professors are doing interesting work on theory and material/visual culture, and many faculty in other departments are doing interesting work on theory--especially Anthro. You can also do a certificate program in Women's Studies. The MA program at UT can be very general (or specific, depending on your needs) so you have the option of exploring your ideas through many different channels and faculty members. I certainly benefited from the ability to explore my interests with such an awesome faculty. UT students also have great luck getting into top schools--one girl in my class is going to Princeton, someone recently went to Yale, we had a Columbia waitlist. However, even if you are a SUPER qualified candidate, getting into an Ivy is still a crapshoot. The people I know who got into Columbia/Princeton are both highly, highly qualified, but tended to have very unique interests that fit absolutely perfectly with senior faculty members' interests. I got into several good programs, but my academic interests (Italian Baroque) are in a dying subfield, but I have a fresh dissertation topic and the language and travel experience needed to undertake such research. I think the few Italian Baroque scholars at PhD granting institutions (of which there are only a handful, surprisingly) are senior faculty and are hurting for students. I think I got extremely lucky with my interests and the state of the field in general. Sounds like UT has treated you well! To be honest, I've been wrestling whether or not to apply to schools that are significantly further away from me than the one's I've listed--I've lived in the same Canadian city all my life, and I'm afraid relocating to somewhere so distant would feel too isolating. But the UT program does sound very interesting--perhaps I'll apply to some places further away from me. After all, I wouldn't have to make that decision unless I got accepted. And I've heard that Austin is a great place to live. My understanding has always been that it's more important that you study somewhere that matches your interests, even if it isn't an Ivy. A professor of mine did her research on South Asian photography at the University of Minnesota because it was the best place to go at the time, but I never would have predicted it. I'm surprised there isn't more interest in Italian Baroque! But good for you for taking advantage of the situation, in any case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venus_of_Urbino Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Sounds like UT has treated you well! To be honest, I've been wrestling whether or not to apply to schools that are significantly further away from me than the one's I've listed--I've lived in the same Canadian city all my life, and I'm afraid relocating to somewhere so distant would feel too isolating. But the UT program does sound very interesting--perhaps I'll apply to some places further away from me. After all, I wouldn't have to make that decision unless I got accepted. And I've heard that Austin is a great place to live. My understanding has always been that it's more important that you study somewhere that matches your interests, even if it isn't an Ivy. A professor of mine did her research on South Asian photography at the University of Minnesota because it was the best place to go at the time, but I never would have predicted it. I'm surprised there isn't more interest in Italian Baroque! But good for you for taking advantage of the situation, in any case. Austin is the best place to live ever. I am from Massachusetts and used to be an East Coast snob. I loved living here SO MUCH. And it is one of the few awesome cities in the country that still has a low cost of living. I live in a 2br apartment less than 2 mi from campus next to an awesome grocery store and a great bar and I pay $400/mo. Also, if you have never lived in a warm climate (I hadn't until I moved here), don't underestimate how awesome you feel when you can be comfortably outside all year except maybe Dec/Jan. It feels so good. I am dreading moving back to the cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skamp Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Thanks for the advice! The SAIC program looks quite good - for some reason I was under the impression that they only gave out studio degrees; I'll have to take another look. Congrats on the acceptances, and good luck with Williams! Thanks! Good luck with your search! Ugh, Williams, everyone is waiting on you! I know, right? I'm getting so antsy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artanon Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Ugh, Williams, everyone is waiting on you! FYI, I heard from Williams on March 11 that I was on the waitlist, and then I was accepted on the 19th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skamp Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 FYI, I heard from Williams on March 11 that I was on the waitlist, and then I was accepted on the 19th. Can I ask: how did they get in touch with you? Mail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artanon Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Can I ask: how did they get in touch with you? Mail? Email from the program director, both times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooze Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) Email from the program director, both times. Congrats! Was that for this year...? Did you happen to post that on the results board? I'm still waiting on them too. I spoke with them on Monday and they said they had sent some letters out (rejections, presumably) but of course I'm on spring break and won't be able to check my mail until Sunday night. Edited March 24, 2011 by snooze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artanon Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Congrats! Was that for this year...? Did you happen to post that on the results board? Thanks! Yes, it was this year - I haven't been posting on the results board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artmuse Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 At this point I just don't know what to do with Williams. Are we on some second-tier waitlist they just won't tell you about? It seems like this is a new way of doing it since they sent out all the decisions earlier in years past. I've been coming home expecting a rejection letter for the past couple of weeks but it hasn't come yet. sigh....i hate waiting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooze Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 At this point I just don't know what to do with Williams. Are we on some second-tier waitlist they just won't tell you about? It seems like this is a new way of doing it since they sent out all the decisions earlier in years past. I've been coming home expecting a rejection letter for the past couple of weeks but it hasn't come yet. sigh....i hate waiting I know. I've been calling them all week hoping to talk to someone, but for some reason I'm not getting through. I just sent an email to them, but I'm worried I won't get a response until next week and by then I will have received a nice rejection letter. Either way, if we get accepted this late in the game I doubt any funding will materialize... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artmuse Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I know. I've been calling them all week hoping to talk to someone, but for some reason I'm not getting through. I just sent an email to them, but I'm worried I won't get a response until next week and by then I will have received a nice rejection letter. Either way, if we get accepted this late in the game I doubt any funding will materialize... snooze, were you able to get in touch with them??? I'm desperate for an update besides my empty mailbox. I doubt my chances at this point but I really just want to know by April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooze Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 snooze, were you able to get in touch with them??? I'm desperate for an update besides my empty mailbox. I doubt my chances at this point but I really just want to know by April. Nope, no response yet. Maybe that rejection letter will arrive today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra4681 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 Nope, no response yet. Maybe that rejection letter will arrive today. I don't know how much I'm allowed to be angry. Does this seem rude to anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artmuse Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 I don't know how much I'm allowed to be angry. Does this seem rude to anyone else? It feels very rude to me but apparently not something unusual this year. I'm still waiting on three schools, which is half of the ones I applied to this year. All of them seem to have just put me on hold until the end and won't get back to my requests for information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooze Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 (edited) I don't know how much I'm allowed to be angry. Does this seem rude to anyone else? I meant for me!! My rejection letter!!!! I'm so sorry I should have clarified that! I'm not a jerk, I swear! I meant mine. Oh man. I feel awful. Edited March 28, 2011 by snooze Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra4681 Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 (edited) I meant for me!! My rejection letter!!!! I'm so sorry I should have clarified that! I'm not a jerk, I swear! I meant mine. Oh man. I feel awful. hahaha! I was totally talking about Williams and them not letting any of us know! Williams as rude, not you, Snooze! Sorry! Edited March 28, 2011 by ra4681 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooze Posted March 28, 2011 Share Posted March 28, 2011 hahaha! I was totally talking about Williams and them not letting any of us know! Williams as rude, not you, Snooze! Sorry! Aaahaha. Okay got it. I'm glad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snooze Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 If you haven't heard from Williams yet, I recommend emailing the DGS. I wasn't officially rejected, but he basically said it's a rolling admissions process and it is not looking good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ra4681 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 If you haven't heard from Williams yet, I recommend emailing the DGS. I wasn't officially rejected, but he basically said it's a rolling admissions process and it is not looking good. Thanks for the head's up about emailing the Director directly. The department secretary contacts did not have much to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skamp Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Hey guys, anyone else get their official rejection letter from Williams? Mine came in the mail yesterday. I'm actually happy about it. At least now I know, right? And I have a tough enough decision between two other really great programs. Anybody else? Stories of Life After the Williams Rejection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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