Winterthur Program in American Material Culture

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

Hello everyone:

 

I was unsuccessful this year, and I'd like to submit a stronger application for 2014.

 

Whether you are a current fellow, recipient of an interview invite, graduate of the program (or another field) at the University of Delaware, unsuccessful applicant, or have any information about this unique master's program, I would love to have your thoughts:

• I recognize successful candidates have all kinds of backgrounds -- varying academic degrees, different experiences in museums, disparate intellectual interests -- how can I make what I have going for me (MA in Museum Studies, couple of paid museum internships, curiosity about the passage from the styles of Chippendale/Rococo to Federal during the American Revolution) attractive to the committee? What do you suspect made you shine during the review of applications?
• With the hopes of making it in the second time, what are the things I should be doing over the next several months to prepare? Visit more auction houses? See particular museums? Sit in a class? I've subscribed to AFA and read The Magazine Antiques. What about books, publications, articles, theorists, or authors you'd recommend? 
• Hindsight, they say, is twenty-twenty. What are the things that you wished you had included in your application, or done personally to ready yourself for the rigors of the program?
• Related to the studies of decorative arts, design, and American material culture -- what other graduate programs were you considering, or applied for? Boston University's American and New England Studies? Bard Graduate Center? Yale's Art History Department (WPEAC grad: Edward Cooke, Jr)? Did you get funding (as I shied away particularly from BGC for fear of the high costs of living)? Did you matriculate in any of these or other academic programs, instead of Winterthur? Any regrets?
• Since being involved with Winterthur, what were or are your academic plans for the future? Did this involvement, in any capacity, help you? I'd like to work with decorative arts and furniture, ideally in a university setting, but I'm open to the possibility of auction house work. I'm particularly interested in artifacts from the 17th century through the 19th.
• Do you have any other suggestions for a Fall 2014 hopeful?

Lastly, I'd really like to hear any encouraging stories! Were any of you a repeat applicant, and then had success of an interview or admission?  

 

I'd also like to hear from alumni or students of University of Delaware, who were in other fields e.g. art history, history, museum studies, and who recommend striving for a PhD at the same institution instead (I already have a MA in Museum Studies)? Did any of you apply for both Winterthur and another program at UD in the same cycle? As PhD is the route I want to go eventually, I would be interested in a PhD program at UD which works with Winterthur, as I would love the adjacent ability to work with the early American collections and colonial revival interiors of Winterthur Museum. However, I worry without making it into WPAMC, I won't get enough training in connoisseurship, and all the wonderful things that the Winterthur Program does, such as the field trips, extensive study of decorative arts/furniture, museum work placements. Any thoughts? 

 

These questions all go without saying: I'll also be working to improve my writing sample, statement of purpose, supplemental essay, and GRE scores, in that order. 

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

Regarding the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, I would expect it is easier for information finding in the future, to keep this and any responses in a single area. That said, I'd also appreciate if I should post this topic in another section of GradCafe (e.g. history, interdisciplinary studies). 

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

< crickets >

 

Sad face, I'd really like some insights to improve for application cycle 2014! I'll give this another go on the Humanities forum. 

 

Yale University, Boston University, Bard Graduate Center, UT Austin (Art History, or material culture in American Studies)...

Now that I have a better grasp of the application process, and I am firming up what exactly I want to study, I hope to be as fortunate next spring to receive admission in a department of a truly excellent fit. Based on the information I provided in my post (and the fact I have an art history undergrad background) -- if anyone had any thoughts on university programs in art history I should also consider for Fall 2014, I'd be very grateful for the counsel. 

[Bearcat1]

Did you apply to any of these programs this cycle? It might be worth a shot to contact the DGS or your POI and ask how to improve. I know some places have a policy against discussing things like that, but if they don't, they may be able to give you some insight, and it can't hurt for them to know you are serious about improving. I don't know anything about the Winterthur program, specifically, or any of the other ones you mention, or I'd be happy to share. (I applied for the PhD program at the BGC, but I don't know what they look for in an MA candidate.)

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

Thank you so much for the reply, Bearcat1. I am going to wait a few weeks until application madness dies down, but absolutely, I do plan to follow up with the DGS.  By then, I should also be further away from my rejection, and I'll be able to ask with a clearer mind... 

 

About Bard Graduate Center: I just might pick your brain about it! Indeed, the PhD route may be the right way forward. The primarily reason I was thinking apply for a master's degree first such as Winterthur was to get the training/groundwork in decorative arts and furniture, as I am not at the point of knowing precisely my dissertation topic, and as I am still exploring. I also thought I would be able to prove myself through the MA program for specific research in the field, and then apply for PhD programs of the very best fit. I'd be keeping my options open that way. 

 

Regarding WPAMC, I realized after posting my topic that there would be a very tiny percentage on Grad Cafe who had applied. I imagine the up vote on my post indicates however someone is just as interested in improving their application (or at least curious)!

 

 

 

[Bearcat1]

I know you need an MA for the BGC PhD program, but I'd be happy to share any info I've picked up along the way about the program in general. Please feel free to PM me. Also, I visited UDel and the graduate students were all lovely, so maybe you could "cold email" one of them in the program if their info is on the website?

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

All sounds great, I'll be in touch (with you, with them, with DGS, everyone)!

[Crispina]

Hi ArtHistory, I've been lurkng for some time on these boards without posting, but I study American decorative arts as an art historian, and I've applied for several of these programs for fall with some positive responses already. I'm going to pm you, but I'd be happy to talk!

[ArtHistoryandMuseum]

Crispina, that would be fantastic. Thank you so much! 

[Pictureit24]

I've been wondering all these things as well-- how could I have made my Winterthur application stronger? I have an MA in Art & Museum Studies from Georgetown University, took decorative arts courses in London, and have tons of internship experience relating to research, collections, and even conservation, icluding working with a decorative arts curator at a major institution...

 

I didn't see my rejection letter because it went to my permanent address at my parent's house, but my dad said that rejected students could contact the office after April 15 to discuss their application and how they might improve next year! In all likelyhood I will not reapply because I applied to Decorative Arts programs at the Bard Graduate Center, Parsons, and George Mason. I would be just as happy to attend any one of those programs, but of course they aren't fully funded like Winterthur. Grad school applications are even more of a crap shoot than undergrad. Maybe I didn't have a 4.0 or perfect GRE scores. Who knows what they were thinking that day when they read our applications. It's best not to put all your eggs in one basket though-- I tried the whole 'strengthen my application for another year' once and was still rejected. Other programs are out there that are just as good.