Last time we talked romance and passion. Great. Wonderful. We all love historic buildings.
But now it’s time to talk real life. Grad school is a beast of an endeavor, and the beginning of the pursuit is exciting, but very overwhelming. So let’s start with the basics:
Is preservation grad school a good idea?
Spoiler alert: I’m not totally sold on MSHP yet. One of the biggest issues I have faced thus-far is pure practicality. Even my father, a former history professor, was confused by my interest in grad school – he wondered why I wouldn’t just gain more work experience. The financial burden of school is massive, particularly considering most MSHP programs are preferably done on a full-time schedule – and many are exclusively so (Clemson University + College of Charleston joint program, Columbia, and Penn, to name a few). That means you’re taking out loans for not only for tuition, but housing, food, gas, and other daily expenses, and if you’re like me and have other debts, like a car payment, you have to factor that in as well.
So how do we do this in an economy that is struggling already to employ qualified preservationists? How realistic is it to invest tens (or hundreds!) of thousands of dollars in an education that may not provide us with career opportunities even well after graduation? Is our time better spent volunteering (say, with HistoriCorps) and/or working our way up?
The trouble is – and what your friends and family may not realize – it’s hard to go the distance in Pres without a Master’s. Even with a B.A. in HP, the discipline requires too much specified knowledge to progress to leadership positions without an advanced degree…or am I wrong? What do you think? I still don’t have the answer! This leads me to my second thought…
Examine all the dimensions of the field preservation.
Chase Williston, Sarah Kollar and Laura Burghardt conserving headstones at St. Philip’s Cemetery in Charleston, SC.
(Sounds lofty, but I have a point.) Grad school is a mix of interest and marketability. Pres programs have a lot of avenues down which you can travel – the most obvious of which is straight up Historic Preservation, but even within HP, there’s planning, conservation, design, or theory. Then there’s an even wider purview of programs that have to do with things like sustainability, landscape conservation, or urban design/planning, which is especially important to consider if you already have a B.A. in HP. I never considered other facets until an admissions counselor at UC-Denver told me it didn’t seem like a smart move for me to get my Master’s in HP when I already have an undergraduate degree in the exact…same…subject.
“It’s basically telling your future employer that historic preservation is all you know how to do,” he said. My instinctual response is: “Duh.”
But he makes a good point. Maybe Urban Planning is worth a second glance, no?
Just take the GRE already.
Every MSHP program I’ve looked at requires the GRE so if you think you might apply to graduate school any time within the next five years (your scores expire after 5 years), you may as well get it over with. I have friends who bought classes online and attended $600 prep courses that lasted months. That’s all well and good, but if you’re broke as a joke, both on time and money, like I am, those options are not realistic.
The author’s well-worn GRE prep book. That’s the one you’re looking for! Photo by Claire L. Lanier.
My advice? Sign up for the GRE right now (and be prepared to kiss $160 bye-bye.) Register to take it six weeks from today, then pop on to Amazon and snag a copy of The Princeton Review’s GRE study book (seriously, get this specific book). It’s under $20 and gives a realistic approach to acing it. Giving yourself a short amount of time to prepare will force you to study, and ultimately, most of the information on the GRE is stuff you’ve already learned (or been taught, at least) several times throughout your education. Do the best you can, and move on. Grad school is a daunting enough task as it is – don’t let yourself get stressed over the preliminaries.
Ask everyone about everything.
Did your cousin’s roommate’s best friend go to the same program you’re looking into? Get her email address. As historians, we know it’s important to examine a multitude of sources, and this is no exception. As you’re drinking your morning coffee and stumbling through your favorite pres sites, take a minute to scan the staff bios. I’m not suggesting you stalk every preservationist whose name appears on a website, but most people are more than willing to give an honest overview of their graduate experience, particularly to a polite prospective student looking for advice.
In fact, 100% of the people (mostly strangers!) I’ve contacted have not only responded, but given me lengthy summaries of their programs and offered valuable insight as to what they would and wouldn’t do if they were to go back and do it again.
In the end, you’ve got to do what feels right for you, regardless of all that noise people throw at you, but I’ve also realized that I may never know for sure if this is the perfect choice. Going to grad school in America right now is a bit of a leap of faith, so you may have to prepare yourself for that level of instability, or at least uncertainty, in your decision.
Think it over, friends. Next time, we’ll start looking at specific programs.
The series
Part II:
Where, oh where, will I get my degree? (Coming in November!)
Prologue:
How I Fell In (and out…and then back in) Love with Preservation
Claire L. Lanier is a native east coaster and studied Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. Last year she moved to Denver on a whim with some friends and can’t get over just how incredible the Rockies are. One day she hopes to restore and operate a historic movie theater where she can show Indiana Jones marathons and finally have her own Add-Your-Own-Butter machine.
I just wanted to offer to be a resource if you have questions about the process. I commend you for really thinking about whether to go and if so, what direction to take.
I went to law school, and my first year, decided to do a joint degree in historic preservation/urban planning along with the law. I’m glad to talk to you about that experience and offer my opinions on grad school generally! I now work as a city planner, doing primarily historic preservation/cultural resource planning, but I also do general planning and natural resource planning too.
HistPres Note: We connected Claire with Adrienne by email following this comment. See, ask everyone everything!
Hi Claire – I’m a 2010 grad of UMD’s preservation program. I would say you need to really have a better feel for what PART of preservation you want to be involved in. Jobs are scare – many of my classmates are still hunting for a job that pays them a living wage & many needed to take an internship after graduating to find a job. Those already working in the field have had the best job offers. UMD offers a dual Planning & Preservation degree, which I think is a great option for today’s preservationists. Also schools have specific focus – such as Penn State is where you want to go if you want to do hands on preservation – repairing window, paint analysis, etc. So – get at least 5 years experience – in preservation – before you head to grad school. Oh – and to help pay for it, look into the Common Academic Market. VA has no state Masters of Preservation degree, so I was able to go to UMD on on-state tuition. Good luck!!
Thanks for the input! Especially about getting 5 years of work experience – that’s one I’ve heard a lot – and luckily, I was able to crack into the field, but it sure is slim pickins out there…best of luck to those classmates still hunting down positions!
Next month I’ll delve into a few specific programs to get a better feel for the nuances among schools – and in December, I’ll look at how to handle the financial aspect (you’re two steps ahead of me!) so thanks for the head’s up on the Common Academic Market – a HUGE help. Stay tuned….
So question, does 5 years experience volunteering and interning count as 5 years EXPERIENCE? While in school I have been consistently involved in the field and I’m just wondering if that still counts?
Great question! My two cents:
First of all, yes, they “count” in terms of resume-builders, but don’t focus on the numbers. Evaluate honestly the work you’re doing in your internship and volunteering – are you learning and seeing real preservation in action? Or are you more of a grab-coffee kind of intern? I am by no means knocking that type of experience, especially because it’s often unavoidable, but since pres is such a hands-on field, think more about the actual work you’re doing and skills you’re learning than the amount of time you spend with any given organization.
Secondly, as beneficial as those experiences are as an undergrad, you need to work in a professional setting full-time (or fully part-time, if that makes sense – you know, without the distraction of the undergraduate lifestyle) not only to see “real-life” preservation in action, and not only to show employers you understand the basic concept of the professional setting (i.e. how to conduct yourself as an adult in an office), but to give yourself a chance to explore.
You may have enjoyed spending a summer working on a project as an intern, but working on it 8 hours a day, all year long – or for several years! – when you’re underpaid (and you Will be underpaid) in the confines of a budget and in the balance of your personal life may show you it’s not how you want to spend your time. Your capabilities, priorities, and interests may – nay, will – change in your 20s, and it’s probably best not to rush into anything.
The biggest benefit of getting post-college work experience, at least in my opinion, is to find out how you function in the field and what part you want to pursue further in graduate school. And as a bonus, you get to put 5 years work experience on your resume to make your future employers’ eyes twinkle with delight.
Hope this was helpful!