post grad stress: second bachelor's degree or master's

[flower!]

I am in desperate need of advice and any information, words of encouragement/discouragement, would be very welcome. I've spoken with several professors, mentors, academic advisors, admissions counselors about my unusual situation, but I remain very confused.

I previously created a post that addressed issues encountered while switching from a BFA in studio art to an MA in art history.

I graduated with a BFA in 2010 from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), and then completed curatorial and editorial internships at a Smithsonian art museum, MoMA, an academic press, a prominent art magazine, an established non-profit in New York, and a well known commercial gallery in New York. Through these experiences, I decided to pursue graduate studies in art history rather than studio. However, I was rejected from Hunter, NYU, Columbia, and Williams, which, in retrospect, is not surprising.

I made the decision to enroll at Columbia as a post-bac in order to strengthen my transcripts. (I have 126 credits in art or art history from MICA, and, at the end of this year, I will have 36 credits in art history from Columbia and 16 credits in German from Columbia)

I'm worried that if I complete an MA, I'll be rejected from PhD programs and unable to find a job. Perhaps it would be better to pursue a second bachelor's from a good school with a major in art history and then apply directly to MA/PhD programs.

Another reason that I'm considering a second bachelor's degree is because I've been having second thoughts about studying contemporary art in America. I'm hoping to focus on the historical avant-garde in Europe and I feel that I need a stronger understanding of European history, German language, etc.

I'm worried that, should I apply, I'll be rejected from MA programs, but also that I'll be rejected from second bachelor's programs, including U. Maryland College Park, Indiana U. Bloomington, University of Southern California, UT Austin (I've spoken to representatives at all of these schools and they seem very friendly + I've heard good things about their art history departments).

Any advice is welcome—Has any ever pursued or considered pursuing a second bachelor's degree? Has anyone else completed a BFA prior to completing a Master's?—if so, please be in touch.

[LLajax]

Hi Flower!

First off, I just want to offer you encouragement/good thoughts From what you've written, it seems that you've experienced some success (internships! All those lovely internships!) and some setbacks, but that you've got some goals, committment, and some serious chutzpah. Go get 'em sister/brother/sibling! Honestly, everyone gets rejected, and it sucks the big one. Every single person who is in a program managed to get rejected from a few/lot (I was rejected from 7 schools, some PhD, some Masters). A LOT of people stick with it and do a second/third round of apps (as tortuous as I'm sure tat sounds/truly is). It sounds weird, but you have to know, and understand, that no matter how extraordinary you may be as a candidate, you will get rejected by schools; the hope is, that magically, wonderfully, one (or more!) will accept you. Of course, there are myriad things you can do to try and bring about that magical moment (voodoo comes to mind)- some of which you've already done (classes, German, internships...), and I'm sure there are other suggestions running rampant all over this site.

As for advice (lowly and unqualified to give it as I may be), I can't say that I've ever heard of anyone doing a second bachelors degree (with the exception of the few scholarship programs that send Americans over to Oxbridge for them), and I'm sure there are lots of considerations involved in that (yikes- I could barely afford the first BA!). I have definitely heard of BFA folks doing both Masters and PhDs (roam around this site, and you may find some of those people from previous seasons). Depending on what you're looking to study, there might even be some programs that are more BFA-friendly than others. I'd say, look into things, decide what you want to do- what jobs do you want to pursue, what degree/s do you need to reach those professional goals, what can your budget stand, etc. You may want to consider applying to a mix of programs/program types (MA, PhD, art history/museum studies/curatorial stuff/American studies) to find things that work for you more perfectly (more perfect for you, higher chances that you're perfect for them...theoretically).

All the best of luck! Defnitely look around this site (cue robust search feature) for people in previous years who have had similar backgrounds and who have sought out similar advice!

[runaway]

Flower!, reading your post made me think of the graduate certificate at the Courtauld: http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/degreeprogrammes/postgraduate/cgdha/index.shtml

Off the top of my head, I don't know of a similar program in the US, but I'd be surprised if there isn't one.

Good luck!

[losemygrip]

I'm worried that if I complete an MA, I'll be rejected from PhD programs and unable to find a job.

Wait . . . what?! This makes no sense. Why would completing an MA make you ineligible for further study as well as unemployable?

You don't need a bachelor's in art history to pursue graduate study. You have a related degree. You've now strengthened your transcript. So you're ready to apply for grad school in art history. You'll apply to a range of programs, from PhD to terminal MA, from unlikely to likely. And then you'll go wherever you get the best deal.

Case closed. No need to fret.

[flower!]

Thank you all so much for your responses. I applied to two bachelor programs and two MA programs, and—despite the best laid plans—some of my transcripts were lost in the mail on route to both BA programs, but the MA materials were received without a hitch. I decided to apply to the Courtauld and the MODA program at Columbia. I'm hoping what I lack in undergraduate academic stability I make up for in strong recommendations and experience, plus over 60 credits in art history.

 

I know that PhD thing is silly—someone just said that to me one day, I think someone insecure about their own career and eager to discourage.

 

I'm a bit nervous about the Courtauld application since after it was sent in I found an error in my writing sample—an obvious typo, but nevertheless a sign of sloppiness that made me cringe. 

Thank you again.

[MyWorkIsDone]

Hi flower! Just wanted to send some good vibes your way and let you know that you're definitely not the only one in this situation. I'm finishing up my BFA in fine art photography and planning on applying to PhD programs for photo history next fall. I've talked to several faculty at my school, one of whom is the dean of the photo school and has a PhD in photo history, and they've all said that this is not an uncommon degree path at all. I even spoke to a POI who said that his department sometimes gives preference to BFA students because they've practiced art, and therefore have a fresh perspective on it. 

So I would definitely suggest bypassing the second undergrad degree and jumping right into grad school apps. Not to mention that you have about 300 times more internships that I have. You'll do great!

[BuddingScholar]

First of all, a master will NOT keep you from being accepted into a Ph.D. program.  Check the websites of the programs you are hoping to getting in, and look at current graduate students profiles.  You will notice that, in fact, most of them started their PhDs with a masters already.  Second of all, I contacted two POIs from "very" competitive programs and both said that they love [their word] when students come in with experience as an artist.

 

You have an ABSOLUTELY amazing profile, and I think you are a strong candidate ready to get in pretty much anywhere you want.  Best of luck...

[Seeking]

I agree with Losemygrip and others.

 

You have a very good chance of getting accepted into a funded PhD program in Art History. Just try.

[peach112]

I've never posted on any of these forums before, but I just wanted to let you (Flower) know that in the Fall 2011 application cycle I also sent in a personal statement to the Courtauld with a very obvious typo. One and a half months later, I was accepted to my first choice MA option. So, don't fret! At least in my case, one typo was not the difference between acceptance and rejection. You sound like you have a very strong professional and academic background, so I'm sure everything will turn out as it should. Good luck!

[neongolden]

Dear Flower,

 

i also sent in my application to MODA a few weeks ago. Maybe we should stay in touch about our progress?!

 

First of all, I am almost positive that a BFA will do you more good than harm. A LOT of the most profilic and most prestigious curators and critics (think Schjedahl, Storr, Schaffhausen... and that's just the beginning of the letter S) have trained as artists. And those are the professions that the MODA is supposed to prepare us for, no?

 

I myself am getting my BA in art history from Humboldt University, Berlin this April. I also had a few academic hiccups towards the beginning of my studies, because I had to work full time to support myself, but stabilized on a pretty high grade level afterwards. I've also worked as the director of a big private collection for 2 years and have worked as an art critic for a national newspaper for the last year...

 

One of my main problems was my statement of purpose. I know exactly what I want to study and with which professor (B. Joseph), but I wasn't really sure as to how specific I could be about that with an MA program. Well, I ended up being super-specific and we'll see how that turns out.

[flower!]

I've never posted on any of these forums before, but I just wanted to let you (Flower) know that in the Fall 2011 application cycle I also sent in a personal statement to the Courtauld with a very obvious typo. One and a half months later, I was accepted to my first choice MA option. So, don't fret! At least in my case, one typo was not the difference between acceptance and rejection. You sound like you have a very strong professional and academic background, so I'm sure everything will turn out as it should. Good luck!

 

 

Thanks so much for this! It definitely helped ease my anxiety while I was waiting for the Courtauld response. I need to be more careful about these things from what I have heard from others it is more about the way you structure your argument than anything else when it comes to the writing sample. You were right, the Courtauld accepted me even with the typo. So relieved, now I have decisions. Thank you again so much for your support!