hi!! i’m starting my BA in history this fall and i plan on minoring in museum studies! (which i just noticed you have a masters in!!! wild!!!) i just wanted to say i love your account! and i was wondering if you had any advice!
Hi! Oh wow thanks so much!! That’s so sweet of you to say!
That’s very exciting!! I wish you all the best with your studies!! Here’s some advice I can offer you as you go through your studies
Have fun! Seriously. Have fun with your studies.
Study the subjects you love/have a lot of interest in
But also study some subjects you’d otherwise never explore. For example, I took an Islamic History course and a Russian Revolution course because why not even though I wanted to focus on Colonial America. It’s good to learn about a lot of different subjects
Get to know some of your professors. Talk to them about the subjects you like, ask them questions, etc. Their knowledge and their resources will be invaluable. I still speak with several of my undergrad professors and they’ve helped me with resumes and job connections.
Keep really good notes during your lectures! Make sure to keep them organized and neat and try to write down as much as you can. They will prove to not only be useful for your course studies but I continue to refer to my notes now years after I’ve graduated.
If you can, physically write your notes rather than typing them. Even if this means writing them down after the class time in a notebook. The process of writing cements things in your brain better than typing them out. Writing things more than once is even better for memorizing things.
You’ll write a lot of essays so be prepared for that. Make sure you vet your sources well and credit properly.
When it comes to essay exams, it always helped me to write out a few sample essays and outlines beforehand based on the subjects on the exam. It helped calm my test anxiety if I knew how I was going to structure the essays already.
Do internships! As many as you can handle because not only will they give you great practical experiences in museums/historical societies/etc but the contacts you make at them will be so useful in the future.
Try to keep in touch with professors, classmates, internship advisors etc for the same reasons as above
Make timelines. It can help you understand the progression of events more easily
Try to teach what you’re learning to someone else every now and then, even if it’s a history major study group type of thing. The act of teaching it to someone else can help you remember it and understand it better.
And a few that are specific to the Museum Studies :)
This one is for after your degree is done really but good to know. Be open to relocating for work. I’m currently not willing to move from my home but I know if I really want the jobs I want I may need to move and I’m okay with that.
Volunteer and intern at a variety of museums. Science, art, natural history, etc. Get a variety of experience
Take classes in a variety of subjects from collections care and exhibition studies to business administration and marketing. It’s important to learn about all aspects of museums
Follow some museums on twitter and join some museum professional Facebook groups. It’s sounds silly but that’s a really good way to keep up with what museums are up to and meet fellow museum people.
