herakles1 Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 It may boost your confidence to know that my undergrad GPA and GRE scores kind of suck. I had a 3.25 overall GPA in undergrad and a 3.95 in my MA program. Did so-so on the GRE - the first time I took it (before my MA program) I had 590Q/600V/4.5AW. I took it again this fall and got 690Q/610V/5.5AW. ... I'm really nervous that these numbers are going to get me knocked out of the running. Everyone else has such impressive standardized testing scores. i wouldn't fret. the gre is always relative to other considerations (i.e. your publications will compensate for the so-so test scores). and, they are still pretty solid at that - - plus, you have teaching experience! quite rare to have your own class. :mrgreen: you're so right about not needing a FAFSA form if they fund everyone, but i guess their thinking is they have to give uncle sam something....so as not to make him feel out of the loop? lord knows he'll take his hunk once your award comes in!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halifax Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halifax Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Regarding languages: I know that NO8DO probably has us all beat in this category, but how is everyone feeling about this requirement? Most schools require at least two, with one having to be mastered just about as soon as you arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Hey, at least your fluent in the one that is arguably the most necessary for your discipline! I remember looking back I guess a year or two at the requirements and every single Art History site said, German no matter the case, and then either French or Italian, depending on the area of specialty, and then if your specialty requires another language (such as in my case with Spanish), then that is just an extra that you just need to know. If you are applying to mostly PhD programs, and that is your goal no matter what, I would definitely get a start on either French or Italian (I'm assuming you'd go with Italian because of your research interests), asap. Although since you already have German, you'd probably be able to delay the other one (ie take the German test first) for a bit so that you'd have time to take an Italian for Grad learners course or something - which a lot of people have to do. I personally pick up languages like a sponge. I had four years of Spanish in high school, and then went and double majored in it for my BA (which will be done May 2008), and decided, since I knew that grad school was on the horizons for me, that I would minor in French to be one up on admissions. I actually am a bilingual babysitter for a French family at the moment and will be travelling to France au pair with them in the summer before first semester of Grad school so that is certainly keeping me on top of my French. Because I'm also interested in Medieval Spain, I've taken Arabic also (though I can't say I know more than an elementary level), so I have that at least under my belt so I can easily at least get into another more intensive class since I'm already familiar with basic grammar and the alphabet (which is really half the battle). I also know conversational German (my dad's family is also German, haha wunderbar!) and Italian, so that when I need to know those for the Medieval Studies PhD (whenever I end up getting that), I'll just need to take a reading course or something. Latin is sort of my main worry right now, because I just haven't had the opportunity to study it yet and I know that it will be a major req for some future PhD programs that I'm looking into (this all assuming that I don't go to Penn for that PhD, I'm that convinced I won't get in this cycle, haha). How's everyone else with that req? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 oh, and on a side note, I forgot to mention it Halifax: Italian and French, assuming you remember at least a little bit of your training in Spanish, should be quite easy - at least just to acquire a decent reading knowledge/ability. Both Italian and French grammar will look a lot like what you've already learned in Spanish, if not the same (ie. the same verbs that were irregular in Spanish are irregular in French and Italian, that's how closely related they all are). What is different, especially in the case of French, is pronunciation - which if your just trying to get a reading knowledge shouldn't be that big of an issue anyway. If you want to try and get a conversational knowledge to start, the Pimsleur (though there are definitely some other goods ones like Michel Thomas, etc.) series is great (just the beginner cds, they tend to not be that overpriced). It at least gets you started with the listening/speaking aspect, which will definitely help your ability to then read it - even though French is hardly a phonetic language, unfortunately, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herakles1 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 well, i have a reading knowledge of latin, but greek is still greek to me. i'm expecting they'll understand as i'm coming straight from undergrad. work. it's sad because i have good grades, gre scores, etc. but i have no professional experience and this could cause me to lose out. you guys with MA's and theses under your belt must look mighty fine to a committee that needs to know you're cut out for graduate school. ARRGHH!! from what i've seen: only about 1/3 to 1/2 (depending on the dept.) are students straight from undergraduate departments. so, yeah, i'm only 'competing' against others coming straight in from B.A. programs, but i'll bet they go for joe schmoe from princeton before they ever look at the guy from Ohio State. i could be wrong. after all, my letters of rec. are very good as i knew my professors on quite a personal level. i need a drink... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Are you applying to mostly MA or mostly PhD programs? Did you also apply to safety schools, etc.? I think that in general the PhD programs -for people without MAs or some graduate work under their belt already- are difficult to get into, which is why I've become less and less confident that I'm going to get into the PhD program at Penn that I applied for (even though I had an internship with them, and I also have publications, conference papers, I def throw up a red flag w/ my gre scores). So here's to hoping that the applicant pool is full of unqualified people this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herakles1 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Are you applying to mostly MA or mostly PhD programs? Did you also apply to safety schools, etc.?quote] yeah, all Phd programs. my major was art history and i did quite well for myself, but to get funded through both MA and PhD work is obviously quite difficult. and, no, safety schools weren't on my radar. i only went to places that had faculty i felt would be fantastic for my studies. i'll do the same next year, too! i'm not going to land in some school that doesn't fund me and has lackluster professors in my field....ya know? just can't do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Yea I definitely agree. The only 'safety' schools I applied to I made sure were still good fits, but that still doesn't mean they're at the top of my list..haha the schools I really have my heart set on are the competitive ones - which I'm a definite fit for, it's just a matter of if they take me or not! I def wouldn't settle for mediocrity either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herakles1 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 ok, no8do, next year (should we not get our way this time around) we'll combine our applications. with my art history background, good gre scores (v: 700, q: 650 aw:6) and your language abilities, internship at penn and publications....we'll be a shoe-in. my only question is: are you with me? :x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Haha I just had a scare, the Spanish & Portuguese Dept from NYU just contacted me regarding missing GRE scores (which are there, just aren't on the initial application I gave them since I took the test and sent the scores after the app was submitted), and said they are needed so that my app can finish being 'processed'. Phew, I opened it up thinking it was an early reject/admit. Sounds like a plan though, we can make up a false identity and everything, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halifax Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 If you want to try and get a conversational knowledge to start, the Pimsleur (though there are definitely some other goods ones like Michel Thomas, etc.) series is great (just the beginner cds, they tend to not be that overpriced). It at least gets you started with the listening/speaking aspect, which will definitely help your ability to then read it - even though French is hardly a phonetic language, unfortunately, haha. Thanks for the tip! I really like the Pimsleur approach after going to their website, plus they are big supporters of NPR (I guess PRI now) so I would love to give them my business. I considered enrolling in a community college just to be able to audit a language course, but they wanted transcripts and all sorts of stuff so I nixed it for the time being--I don't ever want to SEE a transcript again, much less take the time to send them to a jr. college. I'll probably order the cds as soon as I get my first acceptance (I am in the ACTUALIZATION phase of my post-app mania.....it consists of pretending you are already there and visualizing your life unfolding as you want it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halifax Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Hey guys... I found this on the U Penn website....kind of demystifies the admissions process, at least for undergraduates-- but even though we're all applying to MA or PhD programs, I think it might help to see how the process could possibly unfold. http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1998/1 ... -csm.shtml Let me know what you think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Hmm, I really am liking this quote: "It's a myopic view to say we should all just take those with the highest test scores, which alone are a poor predictor of success in college," Very true statement! A person's entire application package is the indicator of how that person will succeed in grad school (or college/undergrad for that matter). Thanks for the article! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halifax Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Glad you liked the article. I realize that the committees who sit down and review our apps will probably give us much more consideration than the two minutes given to the early undergrad applicants in the article, but it kind of eased my worries a bit just to be privy to their overall thought process..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 I sure hope so! There is a drastic difference between reviewing thousands of applications and looking over, say 100, give or take. I really wish this process would get a move on, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lxs Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 Thanks for the link! Have any of you been using other grad sites? From whogotin, it looks like the earliest people have started to hear back from art history programs is early Feb. - only a month but it seems so far away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herakles1 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 oh yeah, lxs, i've been there and every other crusty nook available on the www! i've probably invented a new level of OBSESSION...previously unknown to man. i'm trying to move on, but it's tough...good thing netflix has over 16,000 titles, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herakles1 Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 the end is near!!!! oh, wait. another month to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lxs Posted January 17, 2008 Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 According to whogotin on livejournal and yuster.com, people heard from Northwestern and Columbia at the beginning of Feb. - so potentially less than a month for my top choice! I need a drink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halifax Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 lxs and No8do: Did you ever get the UPenn thing cleared up with regards to your transcripts that were labeled as missing? Mine are STILL missing according to the website, and I'm starting to freak out again. Do you think it is just that they have not updated it? And perhaps because it is so far gone, they may not update the site? No one in the grad. admissions office or the graduate group will get back to me (and of course, I don't want to make the department secretary angry with me for emailing too much). I have decided to wait and see if I am notified as to the fact that I truly am missing stuff before going off the deep end. :cry: On another note, does anyone know if we have to fill out the FAFSA in order to receive fellowships and stipends from universities? I'm not interested in loans of any kind, which is the only thing I ever qualify for when I do fill out this pointless document, but I wanted to make sure before it's too late. If we do need to fill them out, can we do it before we know our acceptance/rejection status? Hang on everybody!!! Only a month left to go!!!! Look at it this way.........at least it's not September anymore (which is when I started the application process). Everyone should take some time out and go see Juno or No Country for Old Men----both awesome viewing experiences (if you're not completely broke after all the application fees). Thought you guys might find this interesting: It's an exhaustive survey on current art historians with PhDs and their feelings about the field, the doctoral programs, and everything in between. http://depts.washington.edu/coe/cirge/p ... apter2.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 Thanks for that link halifax! Really thorough and pretty revealing about the discipline - really made me think again about if I were to be accepted to the History of Art MA at UDel And as for my Penn situation, my prediction was correct - the foreign university only just sent the missing transcript so it wasn't Penn's fault at all. The grad secretary/dgs was extremely happy to help though and it wasn't even an issue for her - I feel like I've been only slightly annoying through the process so as not to make her (or anyone for that matter) particularly angry with me for any reason that could affect my application haha - if only all of that reflected my ability to get acceptance letters! haha FAFSA ( = :twisted: ) haha not sure for other programs but for the ones I applied to I didn't need to fill it out...it would have been worthless anyway because through my undergrad all they ever tell me is that I don't qualify (even though I'm paying for my undergrad on my own through loans they still go based off of my dad's income which is ridiculous in the first place - but that's another story haha). Also really wanted to see no country for old men but I'm not sure if I'm gonna make it while it's still in theaters..also heard that Juno was great but haven't seen that yet. I recently saw (and read) I Am Legend (although I must admit I was incredibly unimpressed by the book...maybe one has to be a horror genre fanatic to appreciate it) which was a pretty awesome movie - otherwise I've been sticking to my dvd collection for the most part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 FAFSA ( = :twisted: ) haha not sure for other programs but for the ones I applied to I didn't need to fill it out...it would have been worthless anyway because through my undergrad all they ever tell me is that I don't qualify (even though I'm paying for my undergrad on my own through loans they still go based off of my dad's income which is ridiculous in the first place - but that's another story haha). Well, the FAFSA for graduate school is completely different. You're considered an independent so they no longer take into account your parent's income or assets. It's just you and what you have in the bank, which may make you eligible for federal subsidized loans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NO8DO Posted January 18, 2008 Share Posted January 18, 2008 thanks for clearing that up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mew27 Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 hey guys... so glad i finally found a forum for art history applicants! has anyone else applied for programs with a focus in northern ren? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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