Right, so.
I've received offers for postgraduate programmes at The Royal College of Art (Ma History of Design), The Courtauld Institute (MA History of 19th Century Design and Interiors), and The Bartlett School of Architecture (MA History of Architecture). Got rejected from Oxford after all that annoyance smh (program is eh anyway).
I'll try to sketch out my own general interests and then I'll get into the subjective pros and cons of each program.
Really looking for advice on people's perception of a given programme, as filtered through my presentation of it, as well as more general advice on postgraduate level education, it's value or lack thereof etc.
Right now I'm very interested in the experience and perception of urban environments, especially the street. Both in a contemporary instance and also in Victorian London. I want to look at how people move in the city, what conditions their movement, how the architecture/other pedestrians attempt to control/define the experience experience, how people's perception and memory of place might affect their interaction with the street. I'm also interested in people who try to remap or recapture space and experience away from its intended/commonplace use (via Situationist International, psycho-geography, activists, skateboarders etc.) Recently also been obsessed with the underground (things that are under the ground/city) literally/figuratively/emotionally and I think that can fit in somewhere.
More generally, I want to go to school for several reasons. Here they are in no order of importance.
1. I still feel like I don't 'know' 'anything'. Graduate school would provide the intellectual environment and motivation to read more and become more engaged with the topics I'm interested in. I'd be able to develop new ideas or new ways of presenting my work. (ideally would like to incorporate some visual/film/arts elements into my dissertation.)
2. I would like to improve my writing and general level of intellectual discourse. I feel hopelessly inarticulate sometimes. I'd like to cultivate a calm and semi-colloquial style of writing that conveys ideas clearly and isn't pretentious.
3. The types of careers I currently would like to pursue (working in museum, research, academic, cultural critic, arts person) usually expect either a master's degree or a large amount of experience for most semi entry-level positions. In combination with the other reasons, I'd rather go to school instead of working to gain the required 'qualifications' or 'experience'.
4. I want to live in London. I have wanted this for the past three years. All of the schools are in London. All of the topics I'm interested in are very much present in the academic and urban environment of London. I feel my soul is hiding in London somewhere, and I need to at least give it a go trying to find it.
Royal College of Art (History of Design) http://www.rca.ac.uk/schools/school-of-humanities/hod/+ 'good' school/programme/reputation, especially in London.
+ In partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum. The course actually takes place at the V&A. So 'practically' it would be very good because I would meet lots of people at the V&A and I would have access to the museum, their archives, libraries etc. Probably could work there or intern or volunteer or something.
+ Two years long. For both personal and academic reasons, the two year course appeals to me in that I'll have much more time to work everything out. And if I want to get a job or something after school it will be easier.
+ Small class sizes, good professors. tutors are from the V&A and the RCA. I was accepted to the Contemporary specialism, the woman who is the head seems really nice and is into fashion stuff, which is what I would do at the RCA.
+ It's part of an art school. I'd meet lots of people doing actual art and fashion stuff so I would get to know what's actually happening/what people are interested in. Art school people are more fun than history people.
+ Could study fashion 'academically'. Still trying to work out my exact plan because it relies heavily on the experience of London and what people are actually wearing so that's a bit hard to plan ahead. Really need to figure that out. Frankly surprised they accepted me.
- EXPENSIVE. LIKE REALLY EXPENSIVE. £28400 expensive. And that's just for tuition for one year. I'll need to get a job (well I will regardless). It's hard to tell if it would be a wise 'investment'.
- My topic isn't fully developed. I could run into some trouble if I don't have a solid plan from the start. Obviously this can be changed over the next several months.
The Courtauld Institute (19th century design and interiors)http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/degreeprogra ... rt/johnson+ 'good' school. Like very well recognised in academic circles, student satisfaction is 100% (whatever that means), lots of people who work in museums went to the courtauld. Excellent location (the Strand, like hidden next to Kings College)
+ very specific option, and only 8-10 people in the course. The content of the course aligns very closely with things I'm interested in, especially relating to housing in victorian london/the experience of London/how London changed etc. The tutor was really nice, and the way she plans to structure the course (around the rooms in a house) seems really fun and interesting. She seemed like she had big plans and good ideas.
+ Somewhat cheaper than the other two options, and I will receive notice if I get a scholarship in the next few days. Not holding out much hope though obviously.
- If I don't like the course/approach or tutor or my classmates for some reason, i'm fucked. Because the school is so small, there's no time/way to change courses and i'll be stuck doing something i don't want. This is the first year this option has been offered so I would kind of be a guinea pig. That could either be a good or bad thing.
- Has a pretty conservative reputation according to most people I've talked to. It was originally created because Oxford didn't have a history of art department iirc. The people might be really boring and or the 'girls/boys with pearls' type who want something 'nice' to study before getting a job at Sothebys or an investment bank etc.
-Only one year long. no time no time no time.
The Bartlett (History of Architecture) http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architect ... al-history+ also 'good' school. Really good/interesting faculty members who are really well known and seem to be invested in the programme. Many of the people who I have been reading books by are from this school. Would also be a good network builder.
+ takes place at the Architectural design school so i'd be interacting with actual architecture students and well as PhDs from Slade (the bartlett professors teach there as well and the buildings are physically connected).
+ The programme encourages a more experimental/conceptual approach. I.e not just papers but visual works, models, interviews etc. I've heard for the student shows it's hard to tell where the Bartlett show ends and the Slade one begins. They seem pretty open to working in the 'expanded field'. Most of the professors are quite active in activist/artist/critical circles.
+ Could try my hand at more experimental approaches to research/criticism/what have you. This could either be amazing or a disaster.
+ Have reasonably well developed topic that I could improve in the coming months. And being at the Bartlett surrounded by students and by the professors who developed the theories i'm using would be pretty nice.
- Again, it's only one year long. I'm still a bit worried I would be able to produce something fully developed. And it will make it harder to continue living in London after the program finishes. Although I've heard that it's pretty easy to keep on going at the Bartlett after one degree finishes.
- Expensive, not as expensive as RCA, but still not cheap either.
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As you can see, I'm definitely leaning towards the Bartlett and the RCA. I'd say the RCA is my first choice, but the financial considerations give me the cold sweats. I don't have any form of debt right now so the prospect of acquiring some (especially in the shitty climate for loans in the US) is pretty scary. Also In theory I feel like I could have a really cool topic, I just haven't properly landed on one yet. The longer length would again be beneficial. The Bartlett is a bit cheaper and also seems like a great intellectual environment. It would just set me off on a slightly different path that's closer to Architecture. Ideally, at either the RCA or the Bartlett i'd like to do something relatively 'interdisciplinary'.
Sorry this is so long. But it felt good to get my thoughts properly in order.