History of Art MA/PhD 2008

[lxs]

hey chagrin falls,

what exactly does the fellowship you were offered entail? i'm not entirely surprised that i haven't been offered one, both because i've had such horrible luck elsewhere and because the prof i applied to work with was on sabbatical and not involved in the decision making process this year. i really can't decide! the TA gig sounds much better for me than adjuncting. you bring up my fear, as well, about applying next year. i don't know what i would conceivably do between now and than that would make a huge difference. i went over my SOP and writing sample time and time again with different faculty members/advisers, i re-took the GRE, i have both museum and teaching experience, i have five publications and four professional and grad student conferences, i have a MA. no one has shown any interest in my research interests, though, and i honestly don't know where else i could apply next year that has a reputation good enough that i could get a job someday and where i could pursue the kind of studies i'm interested in. CUNY is one of three schools i found where there's someone actually teaching courses on german art (my interest) on a regular basis. many have suggested working on a german project with a french specialist, but that really did not work out for me. at all. as well, a lot of the schools i applied to offer support in the means of tuition remission mostly, so i could really just be in the same boat next year, stuck with a way to come up with living expenses. everytime i think for sure that i've come up with a decision, i second guess it. CUNY is a great fit, and it sounds like i could make it work....but what if i can't? i don't want to shoot myself in the foot academically. who did you apply to work with at CUNY? feel free to PM me...i'd love to obsess over the school a little more

[travelingartmuse]

lxs & all -

Your decisions sound like good choices and more importantly that you are all happy with your decisions. Isn't it nice to have the ball in your decision-making court? Welcome to NYC for those of you coming here.

lxs, all I can say from someone with a very similar background who has had no offers, really consider the CUNY offer for this year. You can make it work. When I decided to sell everything after earning my MA, move to NYC, take AH grad classes at Columbia through Cont. Ed (and pay for them!), work part-time at the Guggenheim and volunteer doing research at the Met, it has been the most challenging and rewarding experience. Yes, I agree do not pay for grad school blah, blah, blah...but is this your dream? Is this what you want to do with your life? Why postpone it? Take the risk. It sounds like CUNY is a great fit for you now. Take the offer. PM me and we can talk about specific ways to make money and survive in New York. You can make it work. Geez, maybe I should publish a survival guide and forget about Art History! (just kidding...)

[charis]

Michigan professor emailed me again, "Are you still interested in Michigan or have you committed to another program by this point?"

Does this mean that I still stand a chance? Or are they just trying to prioritize their waitlist?

Ugh, I do not understand the whole admission process AT ALL!

[lxs]

charis - I don't know what is up with UM. I emailed the prof and she never responded so I emailed the department admissions coordinator and she never responded either. I've tried to call for three days now but no one answers the phone. uhh....am I still on the wait list? I'm really not impressed by their ability to communicate.

[the17thscream]

NYU can't even find a grad student to take me on a tour, so I'm on my own showing up at class and the profs' offices...I know it's like, one building, but it still would have been kind of nice to not have to grab a random student on the street to ask questions. This is not looking good...

[charis]

hey the17thscream,

that's pretty lame. when are you going to BMC? have you talked to your advisor about your decision? i'm really curious what he/she has to say about the prestige issue. my undergrad advisor has not been helpful at all throughout the whole process and when i asked his opinion on the programs i was accepted to, his answer was one simple sentence on each, "small but caring", "can benefit from florence program", "i don't know what's going on with X".

i came across some post about choosing grad school under political science thread on this board.

hope this helps in your decision making process, everyone!

viewtopic.php?f=48&t=13311&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=decline#p40205

[hardkore]

17thScream

If my memory serves me correctly, which it certainly may not so please disregard this if you have other information, but when I was given a tour of the IFA by a very kind student, I could not enter the building without him. There was a security desk at the front entrance, and they made me sit until he picked me up. I'm not sure how you can enter the building without an escort, but I'm sure NYU has already thought of that so it won't be a bother. If you can go in on your own, I'd email a professor and ask permission to sit in on their class, and then after class, ask some of the students questions. The students there seem very eager to express their thoughts on the school and actually came up to me to talk on their own.

[charis]

Hi all,

Is anyone going to U of Michigan in the Fall? The professor I've been emailing told me they give uniform financial aid packages to all incoming students for four-and-a-half years including tuition and stipend. How are you going to support yourself after the ninth semester?

If you have visited U Mich, could you share your experience?

lxs,

I don't know what's going on with UMich either. It's so weird that they don't even answer the phone? If you are willing to go to Michigan if accepted, try being more agressive? My contact professor has been relatively quick to respond.

[lxs]

charis, I finally heard back and she said it didn't look like they were going to be able to offer me a place. she said that most people apply to the program to work on modern art, and that the guy i applied to work with was already too overloaded with advisees.

as far as the financial aid package, that sounds pretty good...i'd imagine you just apply for dissertation grants and fellowships and/or work after you finish up your coursework.

[charis]

updates:

UMich professor got back to me and told me they admit around six people each year. Surprisingly, the department is much smaller than I expected.

I'm feel so fortunate even to make it to their waitlist.

Looks like I need to do the phone interview to be considered. It wouldn't hurt trying, right?

How should I prepare for the interview? I've never done any interview in the process and am clueless on how to approach it. What kind of questions should I expect?

[the17thscream]

charis,

I have spoken to two professors about the prestige issue. The first, the director of graduate studies in the German dept, told me that it basically all comes down to the dissertation, that plenty of people from great programs turn out weak dissertations and plenty of people from less well known programs turn out amazing dissertations, and the dissertation is what most search committees will judge you on. Certainly, coming from a big name school will get a committee's initial attention, but if the dissertation is only so-so, then this attention will not last very long. She recommended that I go wherever will allow me to do the best work I possibly can, if that's within a large prestigious program, great, if not, my work will speak for itself.

My advisor, who's coming from the German university system, said that she didn't know very much about rankings and their effect on decisions in the US, as she always bases her recommendations for positions on the dissertation, and she recommended that I talk to other art history faculty here to get a better sense of where Bryn Mawr stands in comparison to other programs. There is one art history professor at Columbia who did her PhD at Bryn Mawr, though, so it's certainly feasible to attain an Ivy league tenure track position with a Bryn Mawr PhD. She also spoke very highly of Hertel and Saltzman's work, and said that at both BMC and NYU there are fantastic professors turning out fantastic work, but that doesn't really speak to the advising chops of any professor, and she is confused by NYU's split focus between academic types and museum/auctionhouse types. She also said (just between her, me, and this board) that many of the students who come to Columbia/any super prestigious program are surprisingly weak and that if I write a strong dissertation, I would easily be placed before them at any university worth working at. Prestige does remain an issue--an advantage or an obstacle depending on what program you are in--but in the end, solid work and sheer luck will ultimately be the determining factors in placement.

Just some food for thought...

[herakles1]

congrats, lxs! go!! this whole thing is too big a crapshoot to do over... it's your dream, right? you'll make it work then.

[charis]

the17thscream,

Thanks for sharing! i guess the bottom line is wherever you end up, the quality of your work should speak for itself. I guess you're also holding your decision till the last minute. Visiting both campuses will give you a clear sense of where you fit better.

Now that getting into UMich seems plausible, I'm deeply torn between UMich and BMC. I figured I've got nothing to lose and am scheduling a phone interview with UMich. So nerve-racking!

[the17thscream]

charis,

Yes, I'm literally visiting BMC on the April 15, so here's hoping I don't like NYU (I'm terrified that I'll love it)...

[charis]

charis,

Yes, I'm literally visiting BMC on the April 15, so here's hoping I don't like NYU (I'm terrified that I'll love it)...

that's literally "last minute" i must say...

[smellie]

I just had my last, the LAST class of my undergrad career. woohoo!

This thread has been my life support the past few months, and I'm glad that everyone seems to be landing on good schools

Go us!

[charis]

I just had my last, the LAST class of my undergrad career. woohoo!

This thread has been my life support the past few months, and I'm glad that everyone seems to be landing on good schools

Go us!

Congratulations! It seems a little early for the last class. I know for sure that the spring semester goes on until the first two weeks of May for my undergrad school.

I just got off the phone with the Umich. I was so nervous and I don't think I made a really good impression. She said they don't have an opening yet but they expect to figure out who's going to enroll within the next few days. She told me the admission is field-specific and whether I get accepted or not depends on the field of the person declining offer. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

[smellie]

Congratulations! It seems a little early for the last class. I know for sure that the spring semester goes on until the first two weeks for my undergrad school.

I just got off the phone with the Umich. I was so nervous and I don't think I made a really good impression. She said they don't have an opening yet but they expect to figure out who's going to enroll within the next few days. She told me the admission is field-specific and whether I get accepted or not depends on the field of the person declining offer. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

My school ends earlier than most US schools

I thought you were in school, too, for some reason. Are you working currently?

UMich: I just found and read a wonderful article written by the prof I wanted to work with at UMich. It made me very sad that I didn't get in

I'll keep my fingers for you- good luck!

[charis]

Smellie,

That's sweet... What's your plan for the rest of the spring/ summer?

I graduated last May and am working in a totally unrelated field. I don't like my job that much but it's a compromise that I made in order to be able to afford living in New York and enjoy the city to the fullest.

[smellie]

charis:

I've decided to take this summer easy. I used to work internship/job every summer, and going straight back to school after 3 months of work was physically, mentally exhausting after doing that for 3years.

I plan on expanding one of my papers over the summer+fall and going to try publishing it in a grad-run journal. It may not get accepted, but I want the experience, if anything. Other than that, getting driver's license (no.. I grew up in cities where public transportation was excellent), travel, read, helping mom's business..

[charis]

Sounds like an excellent plan!

I need to get a driver's license, too. I grew up in a city with fabulous mass transportation system as well and somehow managed to survive 4 years in college without a car.

Good luck with your paper and let us know if it gets published!

[the17thscream]

Hi all,

So I went and visited NYU...and I actually really really liked it. The professors are fantastic and approachable, the grad students are intelligent and friendly, and the building is beautiful; everyone who has decided to go there is very lucky indeed! Unfortunately, funding (or lack thereof) is certainly a huge issue for me. I brought up my situation, and they are looking into it. An increase in funding is "very possible" but by no means guaranteed, and it is very unlikely they will match Bryn Mawr's offer. The professor and admin I talked to both said BMC is an excellent program and they can understand how difficult the decision is. What I was less than impressed with:

-apparently ALL students there work one or two part time jobs, and the jobs available at the IFA will only cover "food and books", not rent and tuition, so another part time job is necessary. At BMC I would not have to work beyond a work-study job in the library or something to pay for books/food (everything else would be covered by my fellowship)

-grad students do not receive a huge amount of feedback from their professors--usually a couple of comments and a grade on written work (I only asked this because one of my profs here told me that it is standard to write pages of comments on student work and meet with students to discuss submitted seminar papers, etc.)

-some, but not all grad students I talked to have trouble meeting with their professors whose offices may be downtown and who are jetting off to conferences all the time

So this all gives me a lot to think about...I really love the overall program and the environment and the faculty, but unless I get more funding, it looks like BMC (which I desperately hope to fall in love with on Tuesday!). If I do get more funding, I'll be in a whole different boat...

[the17thscream]

Yeah, I don't have a driver's license either...yay boarding school followed by 4 years going to college in NYC...I've never been behind the wheel of a car. Not gonna lie, the idea of it is pretty terrifying to me.

[charis]

I just checked my email and guess what...I got into U Michigan!

I don't know what to do...I'm so torn between Bryn Mawr and Michigan.

What to do??? I'm freaking out.

[the17thscream]

Congrats on UMich, charis!

You should definitely try and visit if you can, since you also visited BMC. After that, just write a list, literally, of the things you like and don't like about each and compare. It sounds stupid, but it really helps to see everything written down. Or, flip a coin. If you are unhappy with the result you get, go to the other place...in other words, go with your gut.

BTW, luckily I kind of hated the advisor I would have at NYU even though I loved the rest of the program. He just spent the entire time badmouthing Columbia, and even though I agree with some things he says, if he can't say nice things about someone as respected as Krauss, then I fear what he would be like when advising my dissertation. Also our interests really didn't match up at all. But I do still prefer the program overall, so if I feel at least equally about BMC I will go there