Help! Should I Stay or Should I Go?

[jpngrl]

Dear All,

I am a frequent reader of this site, and I have the feeling that many of you were at one point (or maybe are still) in the situation I am in. I graduated a private liberal arts college earlier this spring, with a 3.8 GPA. I'm now living in New York for a year, doing some internship work. I definitely wish to begin Grad School as soon as possible, but when I realized that many of the applications were due as soon as December, I began to panic. The thing is, I'm torn between two academic loves. One is Japanese Art, which I wrote a 100 page Senior Thesis on in undergrad, and currently I'm interning at an auction house under that department. The second is Design/Decorative Arts, for which I have begun a second internship at the Museum of Arts and Design. Both of these subjects will take me in radically different directions, and there aren't many (or any!) programs that allow for an intersection. My question is this: do I delay until next year, after I figure out which area I prefer more? The only problem I have is that I will need to wait an entire year more before I can begin applying again and then several more months until I would begin school. I admit that I am rather young, and lack perspective on this issue, but I cannot get over the feeling that it's a smarter and more practical solution (especially with this economy), that I begin early getting an advanced degree so that I have a better chance of finding something secure and better paying while I'm still in my 20s. Also, personally, I feel like I would be happier in an academic setting, doing work that is meaningful and exciting to me. So, fellow grads, what is your advice? Remain in the real world for a couple of years, working and doing more internships, or dive back into the warm, safe bubble of school, where I risk becoming locked into a subject that I'm not entirely sure I can commit to down the line? Especially in a school where a terminal MA is not advised and I face several years of PhD work? I apologize for rambling, but you guys are the only ones who are or have been in my shoes, and I know my parents are sick to death of hearing this subject. So please, share your experiences and let me know what you think!

Schools I'm Thinking of Applying To: Columbia, Harvard, Bard Graduate Center, Cooper-Hewitt Decorative Arts MA Program, UPENN, Sotheby's MA Program. (Also, let me know if you guys have any suggestions of programs that would maybe let me combine my two interests!)

[jpngrl]

Also, I should mention that the only language I studied is Japanese. I know most schools prefer French/German, so I would need to factor in learning to read and write French before I begin a program. How have you guys dealt with the language requirement? Do most people just take lang. classes during the term?

[MAbound]

Hi Ukiyo91,

I am also looking to apply to MA programs that focus on the decorative arts soon so I can understand how you're feeling. What I am confused about is why you think that there are no programs that allow yours interests to overlap and why you have to choose between them. Bard, Sotheby's, and the like all allow you to study asian decorative arts/design. I have no doubt that even the more "academic" programs (Columbia, Harvard, etc) would not demand that you only study fine art. So unless I am missing something....

I can also relate to your dilemma about school vs. the real world. I graduated last year and decided that I would take 2 years off (I'll be starting in Fall '12) to get a taste of life outside of the classroom. I have been working full time for the past year at an art market information company and so far, I have learned a ton. I have no regrets about doing this. Based on my own experience, I believe that getting some work experience before you go back to school can do nothing but benefit you. It will probably make you a more attractive candidate when applying (they are looking for serious, committed students after all) and when you go to apply for jobs afterwards, you have something convincing to show on your resume. Now, if you don't go back to school right away, do you plan on getting a full time job? Doing more internships? I can give you a more specific response if I know what you plan on doing.

As for school, I wouldn't go just to be more "practical." Given the state of the economy, I know that school seems like a safe option. Yet consider how many people are thinking the exact same way! I have so many friends for example who went to law school straight out of undergrad thinking that they would escape the current economic situation. Most of them now can't find jobs and still have to pay off the debt they accumulated. A MA or PhD is a *big* commitment--time wise for sure, and possibly a monetary one. If you're on the fence, I would either wait and become more confident in my decision or apply and see how you feel then. Applying to programs will cost you very little time and money in comparison to the degrees. You know yourself best--go with your gut!

I can't really say much about the language issue--I graduated knowing French and German. While having those in advance is certainly a plus, I don't think a program (at least an MA anyway) will discard you based on that alone. If you express your willingness to learn one or both of them--and you will have to since a lot of programs have a language requirement you have to fulfill--then I think you are good.

Hope this helps a bit!

Edited August 28, 2011 by MAbound

[fullofpink]

First question: do you have any POIs for either field?

[losemygrip]

It depends on what direction you want your career to take.

It sounds as if you want to go the auction-house/commercial route. If so, I'd say go ahead and indulge your love of decorative arts. It will be easier to find a place that focuses on that, and has Asian art secondarily, than would be the reverse. You should not, however, treat them as mutually exclusive. The terminal MA programs you list are really designed for people who want to enter the art trade business, so if that's your goal, your path is clear. In that case, taking another year or two to work would be fine. In fact, that might be a good idea, just so that you could be certain of your career path.

If you decide you want an academic career, then go for the Japanese. Asianists are in demand. HIGH demand. (As long as you can teach a range of Asian art.)

Skip the French for now. Do German instead. Many grad programs will substitute another language for French, but not for German. Some (like Columbia) require three.

[jpngrl]

Wow, thanks for everyone's replies! As for the question about me thinking that these two programs are mutually exclusive...I guess I do in some part think that way. But that is only because I definitely thought that to study one would take me down a different career path than the other. For instance, it was pointed out by a replier that decorative arts (with a concentration on asian works) would be more suited for an auction business, while mainly Japanese is suited for an academic/museum world. I guess that's my biggest dilemma, is whether I'd like to be an academic whose field is really specialized, and therefore could be in more demand, or take a route that would mean rushing more quickly into a career. As for professors, I read on this forum that I should choose the school based on the professor, rather than the prestige of the name. Bard has a number of good professors, but only one who does Asian Decorative Arts, and Chinese at that. Columbia still seems to have everything I need, and I believe they would let me substitute German for another language. The consensus here seems to be that I should wait another year or two to figure out my options. What I'm hoping is that by participating in these two internships, I should come up with a more solidified idea for my future. It's just that I'm so eager to jump right back into school, but I guess that could just be the time of year Thanks for everyone's opinion, and please feel free to keep responding! I'm eager to know if anyone else is interested in Asian Art, and what they are doing about that.

[fullofpink]

Taking time to figure out what you want to do is never an issue. I feel like a lot of recent graduating undergraduates think that if you do not immediately go to grad school after getting a BA then you have less of a chance of getting into a program (and finding a job that affords you more than ramen noodles every night ;P). This is very untrue. Programs are looking for people who know what they want to do and are ready to take action to do it. Having opportunities in these two (very different) fields is a great experience and should definitely shape your decision about the future! So, TAKE YOUR TIME

Also, personally, I feel like I would be happier in an academic setting, doing work that is meaningful and exciting to me.

You can do "meaningful" work outside of being a professor, it just depends on what you want to do, the skillset you bring to the table, and how proactive you are about it. There are people who have worked in the commercial sector of art history (ESPECIALLY the dec arts) who have curated shows in major museums, published wonderful books on the subject matter, and contributed to the study of the materials. Whereas, you have some professors who might step into a museum once a year - the object is inconsequential to the theory behind it - spend 3 years writing on one topic/artist and teach the same course materials year after year to very uninterested undergraduates who are only taking the class for a grade (or worse, to find a husband!, lol). [You can also flip these roles really easily - there are professors who curate constantly and publish often, while some commercialists could care less about the object and only the price tag attached].

It's hard to figure out what you want to do in art history if you don't have a lot of exposure to the business of it. So, definitely take your time, explore what you like about the field, and then from there proceed.

Also, it's very ok to be interested in a program with only one professor whose interests align with your own (Bard may have the best reputation for the dec arts), especially for the dec arts. I have a pretty extensive dec arts background myself, and I would like to warn you that it might be the most difficult subfield to pursue if you decide to go into academia/museum route. It's a much smaller field than any of the other categories, and jobs are very hard to come by and pop up. But, when they do, you have a MUCH smaller pool of potentials who will apply for the same job you are. (My favorite dec arts curator likes to remind me that it took them nearly a decade to find a dec arts job with their degree; but whenever they applied, there less than 10 candidates and usually about 3 were taken seriously.)

In short, know your field. haha.

Edited August 31, 2011 by fullofpink

[MadameNon]

Unless I'm quite mistaken, if you're going to be an Asianist, you have to know two Asian languages for your PhD. Learning German would be pretty unhelpful, as most European writing on Asian art tended to be pretty, um, let's call it unfortunate, back when so much important Western art history was being written in German (and obviously, still is). I'd go for Chinese if I were thinking of focusing on Japanese art.

I'm surprised there aren't opportunities for your interests to intersect. Japanese design principles heavily inform dec arts and design in the West at certain times, and I don't see why you couldn't specialize in Japanese design if you found the right department.

Also, the OP said that academic work is meaningful and important to him/her. Reading comprehension FTW. No need to sell everyone on this forum on a non-academic career. Unless you're trying to take out the competition early in which case, well played.

To the OP - definitely figure out what you want to do before you jump into anything.

[losemygrip]

German is generally required for most art history PhDs, no matter what the specialty. It's because it's the founding language of the discipline. The other language(s) are the ones related to your specialty. There is of course some variance among specific grad programs. At the masters level you typically only have to pass one translation exam; it's unlikely your program would require it to be an Asian language. But there is no question that you'll be expected to learn those languages in order to do your research.

[fullofpink]

Some programs won't budge on the German + 1 language in your area, other programs realize that learning German as a Asianist is a little unnecessary and will require 2 Asian languages instead. In that case, Chinese and Japanese might be best.

Hm, OP, maybe instead of rushing to apply (I know it is enticing), you should really look through the programs you are interested in and see if not only do they have specialists within your area of interest, but also to see if their requirements match what you need to know to become a scholar (language and otherwise). I mean, do you really want to attend a program that won't budge on the German, though you might be positive that you will never need it? Also, most programs would like an inkling of what you want to do with your degree - it's not the sole factor to acceptance, although it is nice to have a end goal in mind while going through grad school so you can plan accordingly. Maybe the extra year should not be dedicated to just knowing what you want to do, but also taking command of the languages so you don't have to worry about it too much for your own sake. [Also, many art historians actual know more than 2 foreign languages, though a degree requires just 2. Learning Chinese in addition to German and Japanese will help you our professionally no matter what anyways]