Anyone applying for PhD programs in Fall 2012?

[jilly11]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to apply to the IFA and a couple others for Fall 12. I think PhD is the way for me but I will still apply for some MA programs.

I would love to hear from others who are doing the same as the process is quite daunting!

Cheers,

Jilly

[jilly11]

Hi,

What is POI? (Professor of Interest?) Also, what article did you read about Harvard?

My field is Italian Renaissance and I also find it somewhat difficult to find profs I want to work with.

One more question....why is the IFA so low on your list.

Sorry for all the questions!

Cheers

[fullofpink]

Yes. POI means that (or Person of Interest), just a cute acronym for potential adviser.

It wasn't an article I read about Harvard, it was an article that this particular person wrote and published. Since there is SOME possibility of me applying to the place, I do not feel comfortable saying their name or even quoting it, but let's just say it this particular passage I read was borderline absolutely ridiculous and really dropped this professor's POV 10 flights of stairs with my interest level.

IFA is low on my list for many reasons:

1: It's a HUGE program. They have 300 students in the program (at all levels). I am much more interested in a smaller department where I can bond with all of my classmates and where I know my professor will have time to be interested in my own ideas. I don't want to compete with adviser time, resource time, and I don't want to be an unnamed person within the department. I really want a smaller community.

2: Since IFA is so low on my list, I'll just say that Linda Nochlin was on my list of potentials, but she's been around FOREVER, she has TONS of (current) students and I don't see her staying around for another 5-7 years to make sure she stays for my dissertation (I know I could simply email and confirm or debunk these theories, but I'm just not even that interested). Plus, a lot of the professors I want to work with at other institutions are students are hers so it's like she's secretly my (potential) academic grandmother. There's another 2 names on my list at IFA, but both are older scholars too and they are a bit on the outreaches of my research interests.

3: I have no desire to live in NYC as a graduate student. It's a bit difficult and time consuming to move around with the city's public transit and I am a person who really likes to live 2 blocks away and be able to get to my major destinations within 5-10 minutes. I also have a car, I wouldn't want to live outside of Manhattan, I have a lot of nice furniture, a boyfriend, and cats and just... I rather live in a more cost-efficient area where my costs of living won't weigh me down each month.

4: NYC is GREAT for opportunities and networking, but it's also VERY comptetitive. For my personality, less stress is best!

Don't let me personal issues deter you from applying to the problem if you really want to! I just recognize that it's not the place for me and I would probably be miserable there.

Let me know if you have other questions! It's 4:40AM here and I'm suffering a wonderful attack of insomnia. Bored.out.of.my.mind!

[jilly11]

Hi,

Thank you - so helpful!

I still want to give the IFA a shot but there is definitely something to be said for smaller programs (I went to a tiny undergrad school and it was wonderful).

If I have any other questions I will be sure to ask.

Thanks again

[Guest mckee002]

I assume by applying in the Fall of 2012 you mean applying next year for admission Fall of 2013. If so, I'm in a similar boat. I'll apply after taking a year off to polish my German, do more extensive reading in French, and pay down my student loans(!).

Unlike fullofpink, I'm trying to find my way to a major metropolitan city for my PhD program (I really want to jump right in and see if I can't write a dissertation before 30). This is partly a personal thing, as an out gay man in a long term relationship I refuse to live somewhere where I cannot fully be me with my partner. And, to be honest, I hate non-urban living :]. Thus, the IFA, Columbia, UoC, Northwestern, et cetera are relatively high on my list and they have some fantastic people in my geographic/temporal field in addition to my ideological field (gender/queer theory). Berkeley is a dream, but I'm here for undergrad and think that moving on for graduate school is a smart move.

However, Canada seems to keep cosmically calling my name and McGill has suddenly made its way to the forefront of my consciousness. It's a fantastic school and has a good international reputation, but unfortunately does not have the name recognition of top US schools.

Anyway, here is my quagmire that I've essentially already posted in this forum. It's comforting to know that others are in a similar boat.

[losemygrip]

McKee, sorry we hijacked your other thread! Kind of took a squabbly turn.

Good luck to all you guys, and don't sweat it too much. Just remember to apply to a wide range of schools, and try to avoid expectations. It's a little like a lottery--throw in your entry and see if your name pops up. Sometimes what you think would be best really isn't.

[cleisthenes]

Unlike fullofpink, I'm trying to find my way to a major metropolitan city for my PhD program (I really want to jump right in and see if I can't write a dissertation before 30). This is partly a personal thing, as an out gay man in a long term relationship I refuse to live somewhere where I cannot fully be me with my partner. And, to be honest, I hate non-urban living :]. Thus, the IFA, Columbia, UoC, Northwestern, et cetera are relatively high on my list and they have some fantastic people in my geographic/temporal field in addition to my ideological field (gender/queer theory). Berkeley is a dream, but I'm here for undergrad and think that moving on for graduate school is a smart move.

I don't know what your temporal focus or object of study is, but if you're interested in film, especially asian, what about Jean Ma, who works on gender at Stanford (where there's also Scott Bukatman, who writes on the body). Also, what about USC for Richard Meyer (although last I heard he might not be staying...) or Harraway at History of Consciousness.

If Berkeley is really the right place for you it's not the end of the world to do your grad work there, but I'm not sure who works on gender on that faculty. There are others in the humanities of course, e.g., D.A. Miller, Trin Minh-Ha, Linda Williams, Butler, et al., but none of them are art historians.

[Guest mckee002]

I don't know what your temporal focus or object of study is, but if you're interested in film, especially asian, what about Jean Ma, who works on gender at Stanford (where there's also Scott Bukatman, who writes on the body). Also, what about USC for Richard Meyer (although last I heard he might not be staying...) or Harraway at History of Consciousness.

If Berkeley is really the right place for you it's not the end of the world to do your grad work there, but I'm not sure who works on gender on that faculty. There are others in the humanities of course, e.g., D.A. Miller, Trin Minh-Ha, Linda Williams, Butler, et al., but none of them are art historians.

Thank you for the suggestions they are warmly welcomed. I had not even considered USC before this point and after taking a look at their program I am intrigued. They have a cool certificate program in both gender studies and visual studies. What is the reputation of USC's art history program in terms of post-doc jobs and such? I would be interested in working with Kate Flint who seems to be a pretty hot (scholarly) ticket.

[losemygrip]

USC has a decent reputation. They just don't seem to put out that many grads--I think it's because their program is relatively small. It's not because the faculty aren't good or well-known.