eiren8 Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hi everyone, I've been skimming the forum and it doesn't seem like East Asian art history is too hot right now, or are you all just hiding? I'm applying to PhD programs for Fall, 2010, and would love to commiserate, I'm feeling pretty out to sea. I studied French and Western Art history as an undergrad (rebelling against my family of China specialists), but after graduation I gave into the pull of the dark side, and I'm currently completing and M.A. in East Asian art history. I'm pretty interested in Chinese painting in general, but especially in the post-1949 Chinese artistic diaspora. I'm applying to NYU, Princeton, Columbia, Berkeley, and possibly U Penn and the University of Washington. I know U Mich has a great program, but for personal reasons will not apply to any schools that are not on the East or West coasts. Is there anyone else out there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summertouch Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Hi everyone, I've been skimming the forum and it doesn't seem like East Asian art history is too hot right now, or are you all just hiding? I'm applying to PhD programs for Fall, 2010, and would love to commiserate, I'm feeling pretty out to sea. I studied French and Western Art history as an undergrad (rebelling against my family of China specialists), but after graduation I gave into the pull of the dark side, and I'm currently completing and M.A. in East Asian art history. I'm pretty interested in Chinese painting in general, but especially in the post-1949 Chinese artistic diaspora. I'm applying to NYU, Princeton, Columbia, Berkeley, and possibly U Penn and the University of Washington. I know U Mich has a great program, but for personal reasons will not apply to any schools that are not on the East or West coasts. Is there anyone else out there? Hi eiren8, I'm applying to PhD programs with a focus on contemporary Asian/Asian American art. While my interest does not specifically lie on modern Chinese art, I am interested in diasporic artists of Asian ancestry in general, who oftentimes work outside Asia. Have you found professors who could possibly work with you in the future? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplepepper Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 hey eiren, where are you doing your MA? Your background in western art won't hurt you a bit, as the MA should prepare you for the phd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiren8 Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 Hi eiren8, I'm applying to PhD programs with a focus on contemporary Asian/Asian American art. While my interest does not specifically lie on modern Chinese art, I am interested in diasporic artists of Asian ancestry in general, who oftentimes work outside Asia. Have you found professors who could possibly work with you in the future? I too am interested in the Chinese artistic diaspora. There is a professor at U Mich who specializes in the Chinese diaspora, but as I wrote above I am only considering east/west coast schools. You should check out their department (you probably already have). I haven't found anyone specifically I could work with, it's frustrating because most schools only have once Chinese painting specialist. I was advised by one of my undergrad professors to look into East Asian Studies programs more generally, which is what I've been doing. Thus far I really like U Penn's East Asian program, and NYU's East Asian program. I just wonder if they'll let me focus on art history. What about you? Any luck finding professors that match your interests? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiren8 Posted October 17, 2009 Author Share Posted October 17, 2009 hey eiren, where are you doing your MA? Your background in western art won't hurt you a bit, as the MA should prepare you for the phd. I'm doing my MA in London, at the Sotheby's Institute. It's been a good experience and a good intro to East Asian art, but I know many professors don't take Sotheby's very seriously, which is silly because it was a really rigorous program. What are you studying mims3382? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplepepper Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 I'm doing my MA in London, at the Sotheby's Institute. It's been a good experience and a good intro to East Asian art, but I know many professors don't take Sotheby's very seriously, which is silly because it was a really rigorous program. What are you studying mims3382? I'm already in a PhD program for east asian art (you can PM me if you have any specific questions by the way). I know the MA Sotheby's program...is there any particular reason why you chose that as opposed to say SOAS? If there is a reason you might want to address that as well becuase I"m sure someone readign the app. might want to know the same thing. If there isn't a good reason just leave it out. I dont' think it's a matter of how good the program is but rather, if you are prepared to undertake a course of study at the Phd level -- your SOP demonstrates that. I never really had that much formal language training but I did live abroad for several years which helped a lot. Otherwise recs are really important, but they have some pretty good people at Sotheby's don't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summertouch Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 (edited) I too am interested in the Chinese artistic diaspora. There is a professor at U Mich who specializes in the Chinese diaspora, but as I wrote above I am only considering east/west coast schools. You should check out their department (you probably already have). I haven't found anyone specifically I could work with, it's frustrating because most schools only have once Chinese painting specialist. I was advised by one of my undergrad professors to look into East Asian Studies programs more generally, which is what I've been doing. Thus far I really like U Penn's East Asian program, and NYU's East Asian program. I just wonder if they'll let me focus on art history. What about you? Any luck finding professors that match your interests? It definitely hasn't been an easy road to find professors who are specifically interested in, let's say, Asian American art, but oftentimes, I find that what I'm interested in pursuing is at the intersection of contemporary art, Asian art, and Americana art. So far, I have contacted a couple of professors, and heard back from scholars with various backgrounds. At the moment, I'm trying to finalize my list. I'm not sure how many is enough or too much, given that application fees are just plain expensive. Some people recommended cultural studies/interdisciplinary/Asian American studies to me as well, but I feel I'm trained as an art historian and would like to continue my degree in the same field. That said, I am still looking into universities Asian Amer departments, it will do no harm eventually when the time comes for me to choose a committee member outside art history. Edited October 20, 2009 by summertouch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ying_na Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Hi everyone, i am also applying for Phd programs focusing on contemporary Chinese art or maybe prints after the Yan'an period. I did my undergraduate study at Rutgers University. I am now doing my MA at SOAS, and I am applying to Princeton, NYU, UBC, Oxford and maybe SOAS. I am an international student from HK. I have been doing internships in different museums, like Beijing Capital Museum, Shanghai Art Museum. However, I totally screwed up my GRE verbal test... and am wondering if that will affect my applications..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiren8 Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hi everyone, i am also applying for Phd programs focusing on contemporary Chinese art or maybe prints after the Yan'an period. I did my undergraduate study at Rutgers University. I am now doing my MA at SOAS, and I am applying to Princeton, NYU, UBC, Oxford and maybe SOAS. I am an international student from HK. I have been doing internships in different museums, like Beijing Capital Museum, Shanghai Art Museum. However, I totally screwed up my GRE verbal test... and am wondering if that will affect my applications..... Hey ying na, If your application is strong in other ways your GRE score shouldn't matter THAT much. That said, if you're really unhappy with it, why not retake the GRE? That way at least it looks like you made the effort to improve... Have you had much luck getting in touch with the people at NYU? They seem pretty unresponsive, and I'm wondering if it's me or just NYU... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summertouch Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Hello, all- What are your thoughts on submitting a writing sample that is not on your suggested area? I am not writing my thesis yet, which means, I don't have a strong writing sample in the area I am trying to carry on in my PhD. The one that I am currently considering to submit is on contemporary Native American art. As the deadlines are coming up soon, do you think it's better to spend my time on editing this paper then on writing a new one right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ying_na Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 (edited) Hey ying na, If your application is strong in other ways your GRE score shouldn't matter THAT much. That said, if you're really unhappy with it, why not retake the GRE? That way at least it looks like you made the effort to improve... Have you had much luck getting in touch with the people at NYU? They seem pretty unresponsive, and I'm wondering if it's me or just NYU... I still haven't tried to contact the people this year yet!!! Actually I tried to contact the Professor at Princeton last year!!! He was really nice, and he spent an hour talking and giving advice to me!!! Last year, I contacted 5 professors in the US!!! Wu hung is the only one didn't reply (Actually i went to Wu hung's talk today in London, he seemed to be pretty nice)!!! I am not sure about NYU!!! I will for sure let you know once I have contact them!!! Edited November 10, 2009 by ying_na Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ying_na Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hey ying na, If your application is strong in other ways your GRE score shouldn't matter THAT much. That said, if you're really unhappy with it, why not retake the GRE? That way at least it looks like you made the effort to improve... Have you had much luck getting in touch with the people at NYU? They seem pretty unresponsive, and I'm wondering if it's me or just NYU... I actually got in touch with the Chinese art professor at NYU... Who have you contacted, by the way?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiren8 Posted December 3, 2009 Author Share Posted December 3, 2009 Hello, all- What are your thoughts on submitting a writing sample that is not on your suggested area? I am not writing my thesis yet, which means, I don't have a strong writing sample in the area I am trying to carry on in my PhD. The one that I am currently considering to submit is on contemporary Native American art. As the deadlines are coming up soon, do you think it's better to spend my time on editing this paper then on writing a new one right now? Sorry, responding a little late! I think you should definitely just edit a pre-existing paper, even if it's not in your intended area of study. The point is to show that you can write, right? Good luck finishing your apps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summertouch Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 Sorry, responding a little late! I think you should definitely just edit a pre-existing paper, even if it's not in your intended area of study. The point is to show that you can write, right? Good luck finishing your apps! Thanks eiren8! Indeed, that's what I decided to and I am now done with editing that paper. Good luck on your apps, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summertouch Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 I'm wondering what happened to everybody? For those of you who got admissions, congratulations! mind sharing your stats and background? I am yet to hear back from a couple of schools but I feel I'll have to be ready for another round of applications...maybe. ugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiren8 Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 I'm wondering what happened to everybody? For those of you who got admissions, congratulations! mind sharing your stats and background? I am yet to hear back from a couple of schools but I feel I'll have to be ready for another round of applications...maybe. ugh. I was accepted to Penn for EALC with a focus on Art History. Obviously, I'm psyched, but it seems like I'll probably have to change my intended area of study from Modern/Contemporary diaspora artists to older art (Tang or Yuan silk road most likely), based on the specializations of the profs there. This is fine by me, rah rah Tang art! As for stats and background I majored in Western art history/French lit as an undergrad (in the US), have spent time abroad in Taiwan, and have an MA in East Asian art history from a school in the UK. I did pretty well on the GRE and my undergrad GPA was pretty good as well. The profs I talked to at Penn told me upfront when I visited last fall that GRE/GPA mattered because the dean wanted to keep their averages high, which seems a little ridiculous, but is probably the case with a lot of schools. I think the one thing to work on to strengthen your app in any art history (or cultural studies) area is languages. If you have grad school level capacity in at least two languages I think you stand out. Also, art history departments are reassured that you won't have to spend time making sure you pass your language exams and can focus on your classes/teaching/research. I don't know how helpful this is for you, but good luck, I hope you get a positive response soon! joancccen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Letika Posted August 23, 2010 Share Posted August 23, 2010 Hello, all- What are your thoughts on submitting a writing sample that is not on your suggested area? I am not writing my thesis yet, which means, I don't have a strong writing sample in the area I am trying to carry on in my PhD. The one that I am currently considering to submit is on contemporary Native American art. As the deadlines are coming up soon, do you think it's better to spend my time on editing this paper then on writing a new one right now? Hi Summertouch! Sorry for the late reply. Where did you apply for contemporary Native American art Ph.D. programs (if you decided to do so)? I'm considering this option for Fall 2011. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cs2343 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Hi everyone, Thanks for the useful info. Is anyone doing their MA or PhD in Korean Art (Modern/Contemporary) or South East Asian Art (Modern/Contemporary)? I am going to start my MA History of Art at SOAS next month and just wondering what people think would be a good option for a PhD in Asian Art following a MA. SOAS is definitely one option but I'm wondering if there are any US universities that have strong PhDs in Asian Art History. Also would they count my SOAS MA and dissertation into my PhD so I can shave off one year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choat Posted August 11, 2021 Share Posted August 11, 2021 On 8/15/2012 at 1:24 PM, cs2343 said: Hi everyone, Thanks for the useful info. Is anyone doing their MA or PhD in Korean Art (Modern/Contemporary) or South East Asian Art (Modern/Contemporary)? I am going to start my MA History of Art at SOAS next month and just wondering what people think would be a good option for a PhD in Asian Art following a MA. SOAS is definitely one option but I'm wondering if there are any US universities that have strong PhDs in Asian Art History. Also would they count my SOAS MA and dissertation into my PhD so I can shave off one year? Hey cs2343, I'm not sure if this will get to any of you, but I was really surprised to see the same questions I have being asked almost a decade ago. I'm from Singapore too, and I'm also thinking of doing an MA in art history, but in Korea itself. SOAS' MA is one of my dream programmes, but I can't afford it. I wonder how you (and everyone up there in the thread) are doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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