Fall 2017

[MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou]

7 hours ago, feelthebern16 said:

 

That sounds very similar to what I did. I tailored each SOP to that specific school and revised my writing sample. Also did not bother with the GRE. (Very very sorry to hear about the loss in your family.)

That's really interesting about the reapps being common. Feels good to hear that. 

I think this year is definitely stronger than last, but given that I struck out majorly last year, I don't want to get my hopes up! 

Hoping you get in to a program this year. Crossing fingers! 

I feel the same way about my app getting stronger - we'll see! I'm hoping we all get in this year - good luck to you, too! I'd love to have that holycrapigotaccepted feeling. :-)

Edited January 9, 2017 by MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou
Lol typos

[MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou]

On 1/7/2017 at 6:31 AM, Caussin said:

Hi guys! I hope 2017 will be our year!

I was wondering, what is your take on approaching prospective supervisors before applying? I hear mixed stories about this; some say it is crucial, while others have advised me not to do it. Would love to hear what you all think. 

Also, is anyone applying to UK/EU programs this year?

I wasn't aware of what louisamae said about contact advice being field-specific. I made an effort to email my main POI at each of the schools I'm applying to, and have received some responses, even a few informal phone calls (including one from my first choice), as a result. Normally, the caution in contacting profs seems to be "don't be surprised if you don't hear back." 

My committee chair advised me to do it, and I can't see anything worse happening than that they don't respond. At best, you might get to talk with someone with whom you're really interested in working. Even if they're not on the adcomm, you at least get your name in front of them, as they likely have at least SOME input on whether they would work with you. So, I say it can't hurt.

I would also actually recommend you get in contact with a current student or two. The students I've spoken with were really honest about the department's environment, gave me suggestions of other profs who might fit my interests inside and outside art history, and painted a great picture of grad student life at their school.

 

[feelthebern16]

@MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou I saw that you mentioned Bryn Mawr. What's your opinion of their program? It seems great but small. What compelled you to apply there? Have you visited? 

[igotangels]

Anyone applying to MA programs? 

I'm a few years out from undergrad and am hoping to do a MA and jump back into a curatorial position (contemporary art). I'm currently working as a curatorial assistant and have worked in museums/universities for the last 3 years. I'm applying to the Courtauld's MA History of Art, CSS Bard, Williams, and Columbia's MODA program. 

Good luck, all!

[louisamae]

With regards to the differences amongst fields, I mostly meant that you're less likely to hear back from Modernists/Americanists (not that you should be more cautious in reaching out), though that can also be said of any scholar (in any field) who presumably has a lot of interested applicants. @MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou That's awesome that you saw such enthusiastic responses from your POIs! 

For what it's worth, I'd also recommend people be thorough in reading their POI's pages before reaching out...some of them specifically ask students not to email them/to direct their questions about graduate studies to the DGS. Worst case scenario, you've explicitly disregarded your POI's request and quite possibly ticked them off in the process, all within your (presumably) first interaction. That's obviously the worst case scenario, but it's well within the realm of possibility. I'd just be cautious and thoughtful, as I'm sure all of us here are. 

Also, I definitely second getting in touch with grad students in the programs. It's been one of the most helpful/insightful things for me, and definitely guided my decisions in where to apply/who to name as POIs. 

Edited January 9, 2017 by louisamae

[MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou]

4 hours ago, feelthebern16 said:

@MaytheSchwartzBeWithYou I saw that you mentioned Bryn Mawr. What's your opinion of their program? It seems great but small. What compelled you to apply there? Have you visited? 

I'm actually drawn there for a number of reasons. Dr. Mary Saltzman's research aligns very closely with mine, and I'd be thrilled to study with her. To your comment about the small department, I actually prefer a more close-knit core group, and you can take courses from the other two colleges in the area (UPenn and Haverford). I've also heard the atmosphere there is a little friendlier and more supportive than in some departments, which, hey, if you can get that and still feel challenged...

i have not visited (lol I'm poor). Have you been there?

[ArtDance20]

hi all, first time posting in this forum. I'm applying to five programs and of course I am super super nervous. i think at least two of the places will require interviews so i'm just refreshing the gradcafe results page to see if anyone has gotten updates yet. field is contemporary/transmedia/cultural studies, which really narrowed it down. by the end of this process i will likely have bitten off all of my fingernails...

[feelthebern16]

ohhhhh my god the wait is killing me. Has anyone seen any good movies lately? 

Suggestions:

In theaters: Nocturnal Animals, Lion

Classics: any off beat/lesser known Hitchcock film. They're weird and super interesting.  

 

Waiting sucks! I remember last year, Fridays were always a big day for decisions. 

 

[Popmochi]

Hello everyone!

It feels great to see art history people chatting here, since art history is never a huge program. So I might as well join you!

It is my first time applying for art history phd, and I am super super nervous (certainly I'm not the only one).

Let me briefly introduce myself first! I got a BA in art history, and am doing an MA now in an east asian program with a focus on art history.

I haven't heard back anything yet. Knowing that Princeton and UCLA send out decisions super early (end of Jan or early Feb) is killing me.

How's everyone else doing?

 

 

[ESSpressO]

On 2017. 1. 9. at 0:45 PM, igotangels said:

Anyone applying to MA programs? 

ME! I am applying to 6 MA programs - 5 in the US, and 1 in the UK. 

I have two applications to go (both have deadlines around the first week of February so I'm trying to finish up by this week). 

SO NERVOUS! I have weak GPA but strong resume...which does not sound like a good thing (sob)

Most of the programs say the announcement will be in March or April, so I will just have to wait, wait, wait.

I wonder if anyone else is still filling out the applications like I do. 

Anyway, good luck, everyone!

[Guest tarsila89]

Hi everyone - great topic. 

I applied for a PhD in Art History at UC Berkeley and Stanford - anyone else? Right now I'm trying to think about interviews, if I can prepare, etc. Not that I have been asked for an interview, it's still early. Anyone else has an idea about how these interviews go? Do they ask about art, or about us as candidates, our ideas for research, etc?

 

 

[ArtDance20]

15 hours ago, Mazinha88 said:

Hi everyone - great topic. 

I applied for a PhD in Art History at UC Berkeley and Stanford - anyone else? Right now I'm trying to think about interviews, if I can prepare, etc. Not that I have been asked for an interview, it's still early. Anyone else has an idea about how these interviews go? Do they ask about art, or about us as candidates, our ideas for research, etc?

 

 

Hi! I also applied for UC Berkeley and Stanford, as well as Irvine, Penn, and USC. I have no idea about the interviews at all... I figure if I get invited to interview I'll just ask all the alumni and current grads I know in these programs and do a ton of practice. Probably they want to know about our ideas for research and to maybe discuss in more depth what we wrote in our statements? 

[louisamae]

@Mazinha88 & @ArtDance20: I'm not sure Berkeley does interviews, but Stanford does--it looks like those invitations will be going mid-February?

I had a brief phone interview earlier this month and I was almost exclusively asked to speak about my statement of purpose and proposed research questions. I would recommend that you know that document like the back of your hand--and of course, know exactly what you want to study, why, and how you plan to do so. Understanding the stakes of your research questions seems key here. 

Also, listen, listen, listen--to what they're asking you and what they're saying. I think I started the phone conversation feeling super formal and was giving somewhat canned responses to the Professor's questions. As soon as I loosened up and started really listening to what the Professor was asking (and therefore, what they were interested in with regards to my Statement), our conversation became much more natural, and I think much more successful. 

And ask your own questions! I asked a handful of questions about the Professor's research and pedagogical approach, and our conversation took off in those moments. 

[Charlsa]

Hello All! Glad to see I'm not the only one to re-apply. I was accepted to Virginia Commonwealth last fall but only completed one semester (in good standing, at least...)

Is there any chance that one of you means University of South Carolina and not University of Southern California? I applied to the former and would love to hear about why others have applied and if they have visited the department. And if anyone is interested in print culture or Weimar-era German art, hit me up.

I'm pretty pessimistic about my chances of being accepted since I left my last program, but hopefully my writing sample and SoP have improved since my undergraduate years (and my GRE score in verbal reasoning increased slightly, but I don't know how much that matters).

[baddie]

Welcome to the waiting lounge everyone! 

@Charlsa, do you mind if I ask why you left VCU? 

[Charlsa]

Mostly depression and anxiety. I was fresh out of undergraduate with a studio degree, and everyone in my class either had a Masters or a previous career in the museum setting. This did wonders for my growing case of "Imposter Syndrome." Also my advisor was on the other side of the country, which made it difficult to foster any sort of relationship. And I was misguided by my alma mater Kent State into thinking it was normal for studio and art history departments to be close. This is not the case for most programs, as it turns out.

There was nothing wrong with the program. My advisor and my instructors were decent people and knew their stuff. I loved Richmond, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the graduate teaching assistantship, and even the historic building. It was just... incredibly isolating, since the building was only open 8:30-4:30 and there was no graduate study room at the University library at the time. I consider myself very introverted, and I was just going crazy not being around people or having any friends.

SO if this is your first time going into graduate school, the best advice I have is don't let yourself become completely isolated, even if you think you can handle it. Make an effort to put together a study group and to get dinner out sometimes.

[baddie]

1 hour ago, Charlsa said:

Mostly depression and anxiety. I was fresh out of undergraduate with a studio degree, and everyone in my class either had a Masters or a previous career in the museum setting. This did wonders for my growing case of "Imposter Syndrome." Also my advisor was on the other side of the country, which made it difficult to foster any sort of relationship. And I was misguided by my alma mater Kent State into thinking it was normal for studio and art history departments to be close. This is not the case for most programs, as it turns out.

There was nothing wrong with the program. My advisor and my instructors were decent people and knew their stuff. I loved Richmond, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the graduate teaching assistantship, and even the historic building. It was just... incredibly isolating, since the building was only open 8:30-4:30 and there was no graduate study room at the University library at the time. I consider myself very introverted, and I was just going crazy not being around people or having any friends.

SO if this is your first time going into graduate school, the best advice I have is don't let yourself become completely isolated, even if you think you can handle it. Make an effort to put together a study group and to get dinner out sometimes.

 

I hear you.. thanks for sharing your experience. This part of being in a PhD program was actually something I had never considered. 

 

[Popmochi]

7 hours ago, louisamae said:

@Mazinha88 & @ArtDance20: I'm not sure Berkeley does interviews, but Stanford does--it looks like those invitations will be going mid-February?

I had a brief phone interview earlier this month and I was almost exclusively asked to speak about my statement of purpose and proposed research questions. I would recommend that you know that document like the back of your hand--and of course, know exactly what you want to study, why, and how you plan to do so. Understanding the stakes of your research questions seems key here. 

Also, listen, listen, listen--to what they're asking you and what they're saying. I think I started the phone conversation feeling super formal and was giving somewhat canned responses to the Professor's questions. As soon as I loosened up and started really listening to what the Professor was asking (and therefore, what they were interested in with regards to my Statement), our conversation became much more natural, and I think much more successful. 

And ask your own questions! I asked a handful of questions about the Professor's research and pedagogical approach, and our conversation took off in those moments. 

Hi Louisamae,

Thank you for the advice. I'm sure it greatly benefits all of us. 

Would you mind if I ask which school you had a phone interview with earlier? I'm also curious whether you are expected to comment on various existing approaches towards your research interests or even your potential approach?

Good luck! I hope you get into your dream school!

[louisamae]

@Popmochi I'd rather not say publically (sorry to be weird, I'm a bit cautious about these things!), but feel free to DM me. 

RE: your second question: I imagine the specifics of who gets asked what varies from program to program--and even professor to professor--but I mentioned being committed to a specific theoretical lens, and the professor asked me to speak to how I see that approach as one native to my research interests. I think it's common to be asked, at least in some regard, about your methodology. 

All my well-wishes to you, too! 

[baddie]

Congrats to the poster who heard back from USC!!! Would you care to share more information with us? 

[feelthebern16]

many congrats to the UNC interview! Care to share more? Best of luck in your interview!! 

[Guest tarsila89]

On 1/17/2017 at 7:55 AM, louisamae said:

@Mazinha88 & @ArtDance20: I'm not sure Berkeley does interviews, but Stanford does--it looks like those invitations will be going mid-February?

I had a brief phone interview earlier this month and I was almost exclusively asked to speak about my statement of purpose and proposed research questions. I would recommend that you know that document like the back of your hand--and of course, know exactly what you want to study, why, and how you plan to do so. Understanding the stakes of your research questions seems key here. 

Also, listen, listen, listen--to what they're asking you and what they're saying. I think I started the phone conversation feeling super formal and was giving somewhat canned responses to the Professor's questions. As soon as I loosened up and started really listening to what the Professor was asking (and therefore, what they were interested in with regards to my Statement), our conversation became much more natural, and I think much more successful. 

And ask your own questions! I asked a handful of questions about the Professor's research and pedagogical approach, and our conversation took off in those moments. 

Thanks for responding, everything you said was very helpful. Did you do the interview you mentioned with Stanford? 

[louisamae]

@Mazinha88 No, it wasn't! Sorry for any confusion 

[JellybeansGalore]

@Mazinha88 & @ArtDance20 I also applied to Berkeley!

[yvz]

On 1/14/2017 at 8:33 PM, Popmochi said:

Hello everyone!

It feels great to see art history people chatting here, since art history is never a huge program. So I might as well join you!

It is my first time applying for art history phd, and I am super super nervous (certainly I'm not the only one).

Let me briefly introduce myself first! I got a BA in art history, and am doing an MA now in an east asian program with a focus on art history.

I haven't heard back anything yet. Knowing that Princeton and UCLA send out decisions super early (end of Jan or early Feb) is killing me.

How's everyone else doing?

 

 

Glad to see someone doing East Asian art here! Are you dealing with Chinese, Japanese or Korean topics?