HistoryGypsy

I had a dog when I did my MA, and I honestly would never have gotten through it without him. Every time I was stressed, there was Jasper with his crazy antics to make me laugh. I was forced to get outside regularly to take him for walks, which meant taking more breaks and also helped with stress. Every time I got home after a long day, he was there to greet me with such enthusiasm that it was as if Christmas had come again. Now that I'm going for a PhD, I'm once again entering a program with a wonderful little dog. Daphne is the most cheerful, bubbly, snuggly pet in the world! She got me through two stressful, horrid years as an overstressed teacher, and I've no doubt that she'll be the perfect cure for many graduate woes, too. Studies have shown over and again the immense value of pets for both mental and physical health of their owners. You do absolutely need to have housebreaking at least at a 75% success rate before you start your program, or else it will add way too much stress. Also, it's a good idea to invest in a baby gate (easy to find at garage sales or on Craigslist) so that you can pen your dog into a bathroom, kitchen, or other non-carpeted room when you're away if it's for longer than 4-5 hours at a time (a crate is great for training, but if a dog is in for too long, it can have an accident and then get stuck sitting in its own waste -- this happened to me before and I felt HORRIBLE for my poor dog). Also, another tip: Build your study/work-at-home schedule around the dog, with walk breaks, play breaks, and training breaks built in. This will keep you working in healthy chunks of time and will automatically ensure a healthy amount of breaks. I'm a bit of a workaholic in academia, so having a dog really helps me to keep healthier habits.

Yes! My iPad was the smartest purchase I ever made. There are tons of great apps that really help in grad school, plus iPads travel really easily for when you need to attend conferences, present papers, etc.

I bought myself a piece of art I've been eying for months, and a group of friends are taking me out for a special meal next week.

I found an anonymous ultrasound photo online and then used my Pixelmator program to edit out the baby in the womb and replace it with a teeny tiny dissertation (I also labeled it, just like they do a baby). Then I put the program info at the top where the hospital info would be, added the line "Fully funded + 25k Fellowship", and sent it out to my friends and family with the subject line, "I've got an announcement to make . . . " Everyone loved it!

Yesterday I was really worn out and went to bed early, but then had to get up again because of a nagging need to go check email (I'm sure many of you are familiar with this syndrome -- I call it "chronic futilitus). Lo and behold, it was an email with Penn State, offering up the most marvelous funding news ever on a metaphorical silver platter. Finally, I could say yes to my top choice program! I sprang to Skype to call my mother with the wonderful news (she REALLY wanted me to go there and has apparently been actively praying that I would have no other options because she was so convinced that it was the right place). And then . . . China happened. It was one of those evenings where the government has nothing better to do than hack into Skype accounts to eagerly listen in, which makes it impossible for the other side to hear me. So, best news in the world, and couldn't share it accept via email.

Lately, I feel like a bit like a dejected Disney heroine abandoned in a forest or locked up in the tower waiting for her decision to come: "Someday, my decision will come, Some day I'll find my reply And how thrilling that moment will be When the POI of my dreams comes to me He'll email, "We want you, And here's 20k, too." Though he's far away, I'll find my POI some day Some day when my decision comes through."

I think this is super important. There is so much bias that is unintentional, even within the most conscientious of people. And then there is also the perfectly deliberate bias that REALLY needs to get routed out. Honestly, I think that gender and race have no business at all showing up on applications. It should not matter if I am a white woman, a black woman, an Asian man, a purple hermaphrodite -- it is my qualifications alone that should be viewed and judged. For that reason, I also think it would be far better if we went by assigned numbers on applications rather than by our names.

perfect strangers

While it is frustrating, you do have to keep in mind that none of it is actually personal, so reacting bitterly toward them would not only be an inappropriate choice, it also would unnecessarily burn bridges. Telling a university to "go screw themselves" might satisfy your current frustrated self, but it's also extremely unprofessional behavior that could very easily come back to bite you later. Also keep in mind: A number of schools are delayed in their decisions this year because of missing so many days from snow, AND numerous universities have financial constraints that make them more tightfisted or cautious with approving funding requests from departments -- both of those issues can really gum up the works in terms of getting decisions sent out promptly.

Here's a question for those of you familiar with the area (I'm really not): I've been living in a city of almost 9 million people for the past four years . . . and I am really not a city person! I am an introvert who oh-so-sincerely dreams of having a personal bubble once again. I would absolutely LOVE to live in a small, quiet town, and I noticed that there are several that seemed appealing around the Harrisburg campus (where I'll be going, assuming the funding comes through). From a practicality standpoint, how is the commute if I lived in, say, Elizabethtown? Or Hershey, perhaps? I want to be in a quiet area that isn't next-door to campus but also isn't going to be a pain in the neck to drive to and from each day.

Thanks, everyone! My specialization is looking at Irish and Scottish immigrants during the 19th century (I'm particularly interested in folkways), but I like to read/study all sorts of topics from the century because everything kind of ties into everything else sooner or later. Foner, I agree, is marvelous -- he manages to be both informative and enjoyable, which many historians struggle with. Since race/slavery isn't my area of expertise, I am interested in filling in some of my gaps with a few of the books people suggested (plus, it actually does tie in a little bit to my area -- there was a movement among many Irish immigrants to support abolition because they felt a certain empathy based on what they had suffered from the English back in Ireland). City of Women also looked fantastic -- I added it to my Amazon list of books that I get to buy as soon as I get my guarantee of funding!

I'm about 95% certain I'm going to accept Penn State's offer. I am super excited!