Williams (without images)?

[m-ttl]

Does anyone else find it peculiar that Williams College asks for the MA writing sample to have no images? 

 

Your uploaded document should contain text only. Illustrations are not needed for the purpose of assessing your writing sample; please remove them before uploading. 

 

On the one hand, I understand what they mean. On the other, we're art historians and it just seems strange to ask us to remove the very things we're talking about from our papers. One of my writing samples is image heavy, and the other uses images you can't find anywhere online (I had personal access to them in the museum.) The deadline's today so I'm uploading everything, but I can't help but feel like I hesitated because the request felt odd to me. 

 

Am I over thinking that one? 

[BuddingScholar]

I had similar thoughts about that too, but quickly got over it since it seems as if they are truly interested in gauging your writing more than anything else.

I did find disconcerting, however, that we didn't get to submit a CV. By the way, are you going to request an interview? if you don't mind me asking of course.

Best of luck...

[m-ttl]

I get why, but the idea of divorcing a text from the images we're discussing feels odd to me. (It's not as if they couldn't tell if someone had weak writing with the images available, you know?) 

 

I haven't requested an interview as of yet. Personally I dislike phone interviews and I'm on the other side of the country. It's not that I think I don't interview well (as far as I know, I've never really had an interview hurt me before; I've just had neutral interviews), but I'm a visual person (hah) and prefer to see who I'm speaking to, gauge their expressions, verbal cues, etc. Part of me thinks it would help me more than it would hurt me to interview, but then the part of me that has anxiety with with phones says maybe not...

 

Are you going to interview? 

 

But you're also right. The lack of a CV was bothersome to me. Sure, we had quite a bit of SOP space but that's not going to cover all of my CV (nor should it!). I'm hoping my professors will step in with their recs for that part. I gave them all my CV and I feel like they all know how much I do outside of class, and one of them supervised two of my internships -- so for that, at least, I will get some extra things touched on. 

 

Still, compared to every other application I've completed, Williams' application felt very brief. It felt strange for such a highly regarded program to want so little to go off of! Maybe I should interview. 

 

ETA: Best of luck to you as well!  

Edited January 6, 2014 by m-ttl

[stephd016]

I just sent my application in for Williams as well. I found that they didn't want images to be slightly odd. I assumed it was just to save some space on the application though. I wouldn't over think it!

 

I did find it extremely discomforting that they did not ask for a CV though...so I already emailed them about an interview. I'd love to have a face-to-face one, but temperatures where I am currently living are below zero and the roads are frozen solid. Just incase another storm hits, I am going to go with the phone interview for my own safety. 

 

Good luck!! I feel like I need to say may the odds be ever in your favor every time I refer to graduate school...

[m-ttl]

I don't think they're doing it purely because of space issues? Nowhere else I've run into requests that. It just felt odd to remove images.

 

Yes, I think they'll be getting mostly phone interviews -- with good reason! I'm lucky and am not in the part of the states hit by this terrifying polar vortex. I hope everyone who is is safe! You're certainly encouraging me to ask for an interview tomorrow. And....well, grad school applications certainly feel  like the hunger games, don't they? Hahaha. 

[BuddingScholar]

I emailed them requesting a face-to-face interview last week, but have not heard back. In fact, I had my air ticket on hold until today. Oh well, I guess I will book the flight once they confirm that they can see me when I am hoping to be there.

I also figured that if they take a look at my app ahead of time and decide that it's not worth interviewing me, then at least I will save my air miles for something else. ; )

I hope we all get some great news this year.

May the nail biting and the excruciating wait begin!!!!!

[febreze]

I submitted my writing sample without pictures to the schools I've already applied. I still have a few to go. My computer is old and I had a hard time getting the file to format so I removed the pics. Is this a huge mistake?? This thread worried me a little bit. (Or am I overthinking?)

[m-ttl]

I submitted my writing sample without pictures to the schools I've already applied. I still have a few to go. My computer is old and I had a hard time getting the file to format so I removed the pics. Is this a huge mistake?? This thread worried me a little bit. (Or am I overthinking?)

 

You're probably over thinking! fwiw I was concerned because I used images that are not googleable -- they're directly from a museum I interned for, which does not have their complete collection (and these pieces) online. It means it's original research...but also that the committee won't see the exact pieces I'm talking about unless they email the museum. 

 

I also find sometimes having the images not formatted directly in the text makes things look a little cleaner when you're having formatting trouble (which I often do). 

[febreze]

Ok good to know. I'm a little paranoid! I didn't really think it would be a big deal to submit without images because the committees aren't giving us a grade like in a class....they just want to see quality writing and original research?