Ken5566 Posted October 19, 2017 Posted October 19, 2017 Hi all, I thought I would start a new thread since no one has started one thus far! A little introduction - B.A., M.A (from a UK Uni); GRE registered for late-October; 1 conference paper and 1 journal publication; some research and museum experience Area: Contemporary / East Asian Schools: Harvard, Stanford, NYU IFA, Princeton, USC, Toronto, UBC, and perhaps 1-2 schools in the UK Where are you all applying and in what area? Any advice for Fall 2018 applicants?
ArtHistoryHopeful2018 Posted October 20, 2017 Posted October 20, 2017 (edited) Current: I'm just about to graduate from a state school with a BA in Art History, minor in Art, certificate in International Studies. Area: Renaissance and Baroque Experience: This is where I'm concerned - I'm working on some volunteer stuff at a local museum, but I haven't published anything or had an internship. I was, however, part of a very prestigious exchange/study abroad program where I worked mainly in my proposed area of focus, and one of my recommendations is someone from that program. I do however also a paid position at my school that allows me to present to classrooms and meet with/advise other students. GPA: 3.5 overall/3.9 in major GRE: Don't know just yet, will update that! (last minute, I know! I'm nervous about that too) Applying to: Harvard, Columbia, Emory, UGA, perhaps one or two others, I'll be settling on that within a week or two. Edited October 20, 2017 by ArtHistoryHopeful2018
roving99 Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 Woohoo!!! I'll finally be tagging along in this group of apps! I'm so excited! I'm mainly looking at PhD programs, but there are a few good MA programs on my list, as well. Current: Graduated from a state school in Pennsylvania with a BFA (two majors) and a BA in Art History. I'm an Artist-in-Residence at the moment, and working a few other jobs to save up money for apps. Area: Contemporary Latin American/American Experience: I'm a little overboard here: 4 museum internships, 3 research assistantships, 5 or 6 (small) publications, 3 conference presentations and 2 lectures, I tutored in two subjects in college, worked as a sculpture shop manager for 2 years, several volunteer experiences as artist assistant's gallery help, etc. Also, lots of exhibition history for my own work - not that it will really help me as I pursue a PhD, though. GPA: 3.75 overall, probably a little higher in the major but I don't actually know Languages: intermediate German, beginning Spanish GRE: 163V, 156Q, currently waiting on AWA scores Current Shortlist: Harvard, MIT, Princeton, NYU/IFA, Williams (MA), Tufts(MA), Rutgers, The Grad Center at CUNY (Side note, I also applied for a Rhodes scholarship, so if the stars align and that magically happened, I'd be going to Oxford most definitely) I'm hoping to actually apply to 8 as long as I can save up enough for application fees! LORs: 3 pretty dang fab LOR's from professors. (I've done a lot at my school. Very small faculty, LOTS of direct contact.) I could get another from one of my internship mentors that would also be pretty good, but I'm not sure if that or a 3rd academic letter would be best. Concerns: Even typing this all out, I'm still concerned that I'm not good enough to be looked at by places like Harvard and Princeton. Especially coming from a super unknown state school background. Is my GRE score high enough? Is my GPA high enough? Ugh. I've got enough anxiety for forty applicants, I think! I have a penchant for self-deprecation and paralyzing insecurities so this process has been a difficult one for me, regardless of the strength of my background. It's definitely been a learning experience thus far but I'm looking forward to seeing how much farther I can grow in the next few months as deadlines start rolling through! ClassicsCandidate and Caravaggista 2
kindellrenee Posted October 27, 2017 Posted October 27, 2017 Program: MA/PhD in Art History OR Museum Studies Schools Applying To: UCLA, Williams College, University of Texas at Austin, SMU, University of Rochester, John Hopkins Interests: Modern and Contemporary Conceptualism Undergrad Institution: University of Texas at Austin Undergraduate GPA: 2.9/4.0 Undergraduate Major: Art History Undergraduate Minor: N/a Major GPA: 3.5/4.0 GRE: V 154 / Q 144 / AW 4.5 Age: 24 Languages: English, French, some Spanish (studied abroad in high school and in undergrad in France and Spain) Experience: Experience in multiple art museums, children's museums, and art galleries Experience in internships in museums and art galleries LORs: 1 from art history professor that I took 4 classes with, 1 from art history professor that I took one class with in a fairly small classroom, and 1 from history professor focused in French History SOPs: Eh, still working on and getting feedback from above professors Concerns: I am concerned about my non-major GPA, and my GRE scores. I don't think that I am as competitive as I should be? Program: MA/PhD in Art History OR Museum Studies Schools Applying To: UCLA, Williams College, University of Texas at Austin, SMU, University of Rochester, John Hopkins Interests: Modern and Contemporary Conceptualism Undergrad Institution: University of Texas at Austin Undergraduate GPA: 2.9/4.0 Undergraduate Major: Art History Undergraduate Minor: N/a Major GPA: 3.5/4.0 GRE: V 154 / Q 144 / AW 4.5 Age: 24 Languages: English, French, some Spanish (studied abroad in high school and in undergrad in France and Spain) Experience: Experience in multiple art museums, children's museums, and art galleries Experience in internships in museums and art galleries LORs: 1 from art history professor that I took 4 classes with, 1 from art history professor that I took one class with in a fairly small classroom, and 1 from history professor focused in French History SOPs: Eh, still working on and getting feedback from above professors Concerns: I am concerned about my non-major GPA, and my GRE scores. I don't think that I am as competitive as I should be?
Ian Takaes Posted November 15, 2017 Posted November 15, 2017 Hi guys, I'm from Brazil and I'll be applying for some American Ph.D. programs. Applying to: NYU IFA, Columbia, UPenn, University of Chicago (Art Hist. Dept. and the Committee on Social Thought). Current: Bachelor of Fine Arts (Universidade Estadual de Campinas); M.A. in Art History (Universidade Estadual de Campinas) Area: Renaissance, Historiography of Art History, Aesthetics Interests: My MA dissertation was on Edgar Wind, so I'm particularly interested in correlated subjects (Platonic art theory, High Renaissance art and philosophy, Warburgian tradition etc.) Experience: 2 articles, 2 book translations, conferences, internships, curatorships, abroad research (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa)… GRE: V 168 / Q 154 / AW (don’t know yet) TOEFL: 116 GPA: around 3.5 (after conversion) LoRs: 1 from my MA supervisor, 1 from my Italian MA co-supervisor, 1 from an art history professor I had as an undergrad. SoPs: Working on it. Age: 30 Languages: Portuguese (first language), English, Spanish, Italian, French, and German. Basic knowledge of Latin. Concerns: As a foreigner? Well, many. But I try not to think about them too much.
killerbunny Posted December 3, 2017 Posted December 3, 2017 (edited) I'm finally joining the party now that I've come up for air after taking the GRE, writing my SOP, and polishing my writing samples. Some of my answers to the survey: Program: MA in Art History Schools Applying To: Williams College, University of Texas at Austin, Tulane, University of Oregon Interests: Modern and Contemporary Latin America Undergraduate Major: English Age: 42 Experience: Tons of experience, just not in the professional art world; my work background is in scholarly publishing. Concerns: I have them (my age, non art historical background, the popularity of my interests, yada yada), but weirdly for me, I am pretty calm. Just getting to the end of this process of applying feels like I'm summiting the mountain. From the beginning of summer until now, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride as far as my confidence levels have gone. Just glad to be out of the darkest of the dark times: studying for the GRE quantitative. This was when I was most questioning the point of everything. (I'd underestimated the 25 years between now and my last math class, and realized that yeah, 12 years of primary school covers a lot of ground math-wise.) Hints and tips: If you're still working on the SOP or your writing samples, try the writing center if your school has one. I took my sample and lucked out with an advisor who happens to be a rhetoric and writing major. Her attentiveness to syntax, lack of art knowledge, and rigorous questioning of what I actually meant when I said this or that really helped me to clarify and develop my paper. I wish I had gone to her sooner instead of staying in my echo chamber, getting very used to how my draft sounded. If you don't have time to do this, a shortcut is to take my advisor's advice and read your writing aloud. This is so helpful. I knew this before we met, but it had felt like extra work (and I just don't want to hear the sound of my voice that much). Even better, have someone you know read your writing to you. This will make any part that's unclear, too dense, or overly academic jump out at you. Another SOP tip: I found this essay to be quite helpful, particularly the bit about prewriting: https://honors.uiowa.edu/sites/honors.uiowa.edu/files/wysiwyg_uploads/Personal Statement Invitation to Frustration.pdf My other hint is don't forget to order those transcripts! I've screwed myself in the past with this step, and I feel like I almost waited too long again this time. (The community college where I took dual enrollment courses so many eons ago in high school only does mailed transcripts). Edited December 3, 2017 by sheshekabob Caravaggista 1
Allegorica Posted December 7, 2017 Posted December 7, 2017 (edited) Current: Graduated from decently ranked liberal arts college last spring (currently age 23) Applying to: Some MAs and some PhDs Area: Early Modern/Colonial Latin American Undergrad Major: Art History GPA: 3.92 overall, 4.00 in art history Experience: Writing mentor for 200 level art history course, 3 years working in the special collections at my school (im interested in books, manuscripts, early printing) Languages: Spanish, French, Italian, hopefully starting Latin this spring after I quit my job GRE: 165V, 152Q, waiting on AWA Applying to: UT Austin, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, U Florida, Cornell, Tulane, UT San Antonio LORs: two art history professors, one Latinx studies professor SOP: NOT DONE YET yikes Concerns: the whole thing freaks me out! right now im worried that my GRE scores won't arrive at the first schools on time (I took it yesterday and my first apps are due on Dec. 15) I'm also worried about not having enough people look over my SOP and I haven't had anyone edit my writing sample (undergraduate senior thesis) Questions: Have you guys talked with/met your POIs? Does the future financial situation worry you? I am not wealthy, nor do I plan on being wealthy, but I would like to have children someday! I'm only 23 but already worried about when I'm going to be able to fit in starting a family.... Edited December 7, 2017 by x0x0x0
roving99 Posted December 7, 2017 Posted December 7, 2017 52 minutes ago, x0x0x0 said: Current: Graduated from decently ranked liberal arts college last spring (currently age 23) Applying to: Some MAs and some PhDs Area: Early Modern/Colonial Latin American Undergrad Major: Art History GPA: 3.92 overall, 4.00 in art history Experience: Writing mentor for 200 level art history course, 3 years working in the special collections at my school (im interested in books, manuscripts, early printing) Languages: Spanish, French, Italian, hopefully starting Latin this spring after I quit my job GRE: 165V, 152Q, waiting on AWA Applying to: UT Austin, Johns Hopkins, Harvard, U Florida, Cornell, Tulane, UT San Antonio LORs: two art history professors, one Latinx studies professor SOP: NOT DONE YET yikes Concerns: the whole thing freaks me out! right now im worried that my GRE scores won't arrive at the first schools on time (I took it yesterday and my first apps are due on Dec. 15) I'm also worried about not having enough people look over my SOP and I haven't had anyone edit my writing sample (undergraduate senior thesis) Questions: Have you guys talked with/met your POIs? Does the future financial situation worry you? I am not wealthy, nor do I plan on being wealthy, but I would like to have children someday! I'm only 23 but already worried about when I'm going to be able to fit in starting a family.... Latin American hype!!!!! So glad to see a few of us in here. Financial -YES HORRIFYING. I only have the means to be applying to fully funded programs right now, so I'm mainly looking at PhD's. Also, for what it's worth, I've had several professors say if you WANT to have kids, one of the best times to do it is during your PhD studies/dissertation writing when you have a semi-stable income and guaranteed health insurance. POI's-I haven't contacted any. Everyone's busy, and I know who I want to work with and where. I can't imagine it affects admissions decisions much, either. Adcomms aren't necessarily comprised of your stated POI's! Definitely get on that SOP train! I know it's super hard to both start and finish. I just submitted my first app on the 1st, (pun intended) and it was like pulling teeth to finally get it to a place that I felt comfortable. Allegorica 1
Allegorica Posted December 12, 2017 Posted December 12, 2017 Where is everyone else? Considering insane admissions statistics there must be more of us... please join the forum, friends!
BelleEpoque Posted December 15, 2017 Posted December 15, 2017 Good luck everyone! Only 3 more apps left for me to submit, and then it's the waiting game! Program: PhD in Art History Schools Applying To: USC, UChicago, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, CUNY, Duke, UPenn Interests: 19th - 20th century European art Current: M.A. Art History student, Tulane Undergrad Institution: UC Berkeley Undergraduate GPA: 3.7/4.0 Undergraduate Major: Art History and Studio Art GRE: V 167 / Q 146 / AW 5.0 Age: 30 Languages: Advanced German, advanced French, intermediate Spanish Experience: year-long fellowship in Germany, 2 conferences, 1 publication, museum internship, semester abroad in Paris in undergrad, work experience in art galleries, art consulting firm, art non-profit orgs, and teaching Concerns: Actually getting accepted somewhere since it seems to be such a crapshoot. Also, hoping that tax plan doesn't get passed...
Sad! Posted December 17, 2017 Posted December 17, 2017 On 12/12/2017 at 5:18 PM, x0x0x0 said: Where is everyone else? Considering insane admissions statistics there must be more of us... please join the forum, friends! Want to know why many of us don’t “join the forum”? Because it’s full of topics such as “TOP 10 ART HISTORY PROGRAMS” and “let’s all compare scores and accolades to make ourselves feel important.” Nah, I’m good! I sincerely wish everyone the best of luck, but please, stop this sh*t. Caravaggista and Noscrubs 2
cluelessandpanicking Posted December 17, 2017 Posted December 17, 2017 Yeah I really don't see why some people are using what should have been a commiseration+empathy thread to stroke their ego. We all know that you are scared and everyone is insecure from time to time, but posting gpa and gre on an internet forum to ease your angst is hardly the answer. Noscrubs, Caravaggista and Zopata 3
modmuse Posted December 19, 2017 Posted December 19, 2017 On 12/17/2017 at 1:40 PM, cluelessandpanicking said: Yeah I really don't see why some people are using what should have been a commiseration+empathy thread to stroke their ego. We all know that you are scared and everyone is insecure from time to time, but posting gpa and gre on an internet forum to ease your angst is hardly the answer. As someone who is in an MA program now and applying for Ph.D’s Fall 2019, seeing stats like this is extremely helpful. It’s nice to see where people are at, rather than hoping that the person with a 3.9 from their Columbia MA isn’t the one writing “omg I’m so stressed this sucks I’m not gonna get in.” I’m not sure why there’s a problem? Like, why can’t people share stats *and* commiserate. Also, @Sad! the top 10 thing is subjective. Like, obviously some schools are better for some subjects than others. No need to take it so personally, if you have a different perspective on what programs are good for a certain specialty, then please share! It could really help someone find a good program in the future. roving99, Allegorica, Zopata and 1 other 1 3
roving99 Posted December 20, 2017 Posted December 20, 2017 On 12/19/2017 at 1:20 PM, modmuse said: As someone who is in an MA program now and applying for Ph.D’s Fall 2019, seeing stats like this is extremely helpful. It’s nice to see where people are at, rather than hoping that the person with a 3.9 from their Columbia MA isn’t the one writing “omg I’m so stressed this sucks I’m not gonna get in.” I’m not sure why there’s a problem? Like, why can’t people share stats *and* commiserate. 2 I'm gonna agree on basically all counts. Not all people studying Art History are blessed with an overarching knowledge of what gets you in and what doesn't. Especially if someone is coming from a smaller program with minimal resources. I honestly have NO idea if my GRE and GPA are high enough to get into good programs, even though I feel they should be. From everything else I see in this forum, it paints the picture that the only ones who get into good programs are the Columbia/NYU 4.0's with a 169V/6.0AWA GRE, 10 publications, and a current position at the Whitney. For those of us who are coming in from diverse backgrounds that prepare us in a less traditional way, absolutely - the stats are INCREDIBLY helpful. It has nothing to do with feeling important and everything to do with understanding how the pieces of your own background fit into the pool of current applicants. As with all things on the internet - if you don't like it, don't read it/don't post on it. Simple as that. BelleEpoque 1
jbc568 Posted December 20, 2017 Posted December 20, 2017 3 hours ago, ReichenbachFalls said: I'm gonna agree on basically all counts. Not all people studying Art History are blessed with an overarching knowledge of what gets you in and what doesn't. Especially if someone is coming from a smaller program with minimal resources. I honestly have NO idea if my GRE and GPA are high enough to get into good programs, even though I feel they should be. From everything else I see in this forum, it paints the picture that the only ones who get into good programs are the Columbia/NYU 4.0's with a 169V/6.0AWA GRE, 10 publications, and a current position at the Whitney. For those of us who are coming in from diverse backgrounds that prepare us in a less traditional way, absolutely - the stats are INCREDIBLY helpful. It has nothing to do with feeling important and everything to do with understanding how the pieces of your own background fit into the pool of current applicants. As with all things on the internet - if you don't like it, don't read it/don't post on it. Simple as that. A word of caution: I have observed a few application rounds on these forums. Often it's the people spewing information with the most authoritative tone who get rejected from every program they apply to. It seems that admission to humanities programs often depends on the unquantifiable aspects of an application, and stats mean next to nothing. Also, remember that your fellow applicants are not experts. Why not direct your questions about admission to the faculty members who will be writing your letters of recommendation? Noscrubs 1
bellehooks Posted December 26, 2017 Posted December 26, 2017 (edited) Hi, guys, this is my first GradCafe post, and I'm really excited to meet other aspiring art history grad students! Program: MA/PhD in Art History Schools Applying To: UCLA, UNC Chapel Hill, Northwestern, Harvard, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Interests: Race & gender in modern/contemporary Undergrad Institution: University of Kentucky Undergraduate Major: Art History & Visual Studies Undergraduate Minor: Music Performance Age: 21 Languages: English, German, starting beginners French in the spring Experience: Experience in small galleries, but most of my internship experience comes from nonprofit arts administration organizations LORs: 3-4 art history professors. I share a strong personal relationship with two of them, and I've taken many classes with the other two. Like others who've posted on here, my program is very small, which fortunately means more opportunity for intimate student-professor relationships. Concerns: My concern is really about my lack of relevant experience. My professional goal is to be a professor, but I also have little teaching experience (unless you count working with kids at various summer camps...) Edited December 26, 2017 by bellehooks
cluelessandpanicking Posted January 11, 2018 Posted January 11, 2018 Hey y'all, just wanted to share some good news. I got admission from UC Davis's master's program! The department website says that it usually offers funding to all its students so I am so very thrilled at the moment. Noscrubs and Zopata 2
roving99 Posted January 11, 2018 Posted January 11, 2018 13 hours ago, cluelessandpanicking said: Hey y'all, just wanted to share some good news. I got admission from UC Davis's master's program! The department website says that it usually offers funding to all its students so I am so very thrilled at the moment. Wow, that's so early in the game! Congratulations! How early did you apply to the program?
cluelessandpanicking Posted January 11, 2018 Posted January 11, 2018 @ReichenbachFalls On the last day of the extended deadline, so it's a pleasant surprise!
Caravaggista Posted January 13, 2018 Posted January 13, 2018 Greetings everyone! I can see I'm a bit late to the party, but I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying some freedom now that most applications are in. Congrats on getting your applications in! It's no small feat! I've applied to 6 PhD programs in the US and 3 in Canada (most Art History, some Hispanic Studies). I focus on colonial Latin American / Early Modern and it warms my heart to see fellow Latin Americanists in this thread (on some level we are competing against each other, but am elated to see our field grow!). If I'm being honest, I'm not dealing with the uncertainty and constant expectation very well. Realistically speaking, I am not expecting admission to many of the schools I applied to, but the waiting game is taking a toll on me. I know refreshing my email, checking my app statuses, and lurking the forum you won't do any good, but I can't help it! I've tried to pick up new hobbies/will be busy TAing, but still! I hope the waiting game is treating you well and look forward to get a sense of where everyone will be headed! killerbunny 1
killerbunny Posted January 14, 2018 Posted January 14, 2018 (edited) On 1/12/2018 at 11:35 PM, Caravaggista said: I focus on colonial Latin American / Early Modern and it warms my heart to see fellow Latin Americanists in this thread (on some level we are competing against each other, but am elated to see our field grow!). The professor of my modern Latin American art class last semester said that the colonial era needs more scholars. FWIW. Edited January 14, 2018 by sheshekabob Caravaggista 1
Caravaggista Posted January 14, 2018 Posted January 14, 2018 3 hours ago, sheshekabob said: The professor of my modern Latin American art class last semester said that the colonial era needs more scholars. FWIW. Thank you for mentioning this, it's always nice (and re-assuring) to hear that our field is acknowledging the relevance of (colonial) Latin American art.
artsytype Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 Hi, I'm new here Anyone else applying to Courtauld for a PhD?
Noscrubs Posted January 20, 2018 Posted January 20, 2018 Wow, already a rejection from UCSD? I still haven’t heard anything and it’s driving me crazy. UCSD is my dream program ?
Caravaggista Posted January 22, 2018 Posted January 22, 2018 Does anyone have the faintest idea why JHU might have extended their application deadline?
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