PhD Film Studies

[Shae]

Hi,

 

I'm hoping to apply to the PhD in film studies program at NYU and am currently working on my dissertation for my Masters in the same subject (in Iran). I'm starting to slightly freak out about my chances so I'd really like to know the opinion of someone more familiar with the university and the field. The ideal situation for me would be getting accepted to the PhD program; however, I know that the competition is high, so I'm also going to apply for the MA program as well as several other PhD programs (Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Northwestern).

 

I have a 4.0 GPA, I'm almost done with my MA in film studies and I have a BA in architecture.

On the GRE I got: 160 Verbal / 167 Quantitative / 5.0 AW

I also got a 120/120 on the TOEFL exam.

 

My dissertation is on the evolution of the musical film and so that's why I think that New York, with its proximity to Broadway, would be the best fit for me. I've emailed a professor at the university and he's offered me advice on my SOP and my writing sample but I was under the impression that professors had to approve of the PhD applicants beforehand and well, he hasn't done that, all he's said is that my application will be considered along with everyone else's. I wanted to know whether having a professor's acceptance before applying is necessary and whether I actually have a shot at the PhD program or if I should set my hopes on another university instead.

 

Any help/guidance you guys can give me will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[juilletmercredi]

It really depends on the program, but generally speaking you don't have to be accepted by a professor before you apply even in the STEM fields.  Many students contact professors ahead of time to see if they are "taking students" into their research lab because many programs require students to work in a specific professor's lab if they are admitted - but that doesn't mean that the professor has to say that they are willing to accept a certain student before they even apply; it simply means that at least one professor needs to be amenable to taking the student in order for the student to be admitted.  That determination may happen during the regular admissions process.  FWIW, I didn't contact any professors before I was admitted to my PhD program in a social science field.

 

In addition to this, I am under the impression that in the humanities and arts there's even less of a need.  In STEM fields students often work in professors' labs and are funded by professors' research funding, so you need a professor who wants your particular knowledge/background/skill set in their lab and who is willing to apprentice you, basically.  However, I don't think humanities and arts students work with professors in quite the same way - you will get an advisor, of course, and ideally that advisor's research is close to yours so that she can give you better direction in your scholarship.  But given that she is unlikely to fund you directly out of her grants, I don't think it's as necessary to have contacted them before hand - and it's definitely not necessary to secure permission to apply.

 

Other than that, film is not my field so I can't offer advice about your competitiveness, but I will say that it doesn't seem prudent to get another MA if you already have one.