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thelowendhz

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    MA/PhD History, UCLA

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  1. I apologize for not responding until now; I've been busy moving across the country and starting my program. I did state in my personal statements that I was working on a senior honors thesis and elaborated a little on what the topic was; however, I did not explain why it wasn't my writing sample and hoped that potential advisors would arrive at the conclusion that given the time I was applying (mostly late November through December) I most likely didn't have anything substantial to show them yet. One potential advisor ended up e-mailing me and asking me for the first chapter of my thesis regardless of whether or not it had been edited. Anyways, it worked out fine for me. I hope you have the same luck!
  2. I really believe that the quality of the paper is the most important thing, so go with number 1. At the time that many of my applications were due, a 15-page US history paper I had written was much more vetted than some early drafts of my senior thesis in my field (medieval Europe), so I decided to go with the US paper. My decision turned out to be a good one as I was admitted into my top program with full funding. I think what is important is that your paper clearly demonstrates the quality of writing and your ability to do historical research. Being in your exact field is of course a plus, but overall quality is the most important factor.
  3. hbehrens - I'm asking this because of your signature, but is UMass one of the programs your applying to for medieval history? I just finished my undergrad there and can confidently say (also as a fellow medievalist) that I would not recommend trying to do medieval history there. The History dept. just hired a tenure-track medievalist this past year (their only medievalist) and other humanities departments are lacking in medievalists.
  4. On the housing website it says that specific housing information (roommate, apartment/townhouse address) will be released in mid-August. Also, the website says that Weyburn residents are allowed to sublet their apartment during the summer, which would suggest that you get to keep it for the entire year.
  5. I've received two e-mails from the department clarifying when we're supposed to register for classes, picking an advisor, applying for housing and a university ID, and stuff like that. I don't know anything about when I'll get my stipend, though.
  6. Hey everyone, I'm starting at UCLA in the fall and I'm going to be investing in a new laptop (my current computer is 4 years old and breaks at least once a semester). I was wondering if people out there could give me some pointers in picking out a new machine for all my fancy upcoming grad school responsibilities (i.e. researching, writing, teaching, traveling). I currently own a PC, but I feel like the majority of grad students I see around campus own Macs. I hear that Macs are much more reliable; also, since I'm not really going to be playing games, then program compatibility issues with Macs would not really be a problem. So, what do you think?
  7. I just want to add to the apartment and location post above. It should be noted that the bus lines run through Noho, Belchertown, Deerfield, and all around Amherst, but when you aren't living in Amherst proper, they come less frequently, so you're going to have to plan your day accordingly. I also want to add my apartment complex, Rolling Green in Amherst, to that list. It is on a bus route - in fact, the bus stops right in front of the apartments - that runs late and comes often (from about 7:20am - 5:30pm the buses are every 15 minutes during the week, and runs until midnight or so everyday). I'm not sure of the exact rates because for 2-bedroom places there are townhouses and apartments, but if you go to equityapartments.com and look up Rolling Green in Amherst you can get their current rates. The staff is friendly and it's very quiet (there are undergrads, but also many families); I really don't have a single complaint about living here. Just my two cents.. good luck!
  8. I'm not sure of your academic career thus far, and by that I mean whether you're coming straight out of undergrad or you've already done MA work, but I think very few people going to grad school out of undergrad are really expected to have a really definite plan of what they're going to study. For example, at this point and time (I'm coming out of undergrad) I can say that my interests are in medieval Germany and the Church, with topics like the development of Roman primacy, the Empire, and Church-state relations (i.e. the Investiture Controversy) interesting me. But I personally at this point cannot date my interests as being solely in the early or high middle ages, and in visiting UCLA this past week (which is where I'm going) I got the impression that no one was expecting me to be able to name the years I want to focus on or a real specific project. I have a general area that I want to focus on and I will do the necessary coursework (i.e. languages) and seminars in my field and see where all this work leads me. I think there is a very strong possibility that my dissertation won't have anything to do with the topics I listed above, but I do think it will evolve in some way out of my broad interests in Germany/Germanic people and Christianity/the Church. Also, regarding your question, if you're an American you could apply for a Fulbright to do research in England and ask this guy to be your sponsor (I'm not an expert on applying for these, but I'm fairly certain you not only need a sponsor or two, but you also need to demonstrate that some sort of resources [i.e. library] at Cambridge are necessary to your research). Otherwise, I'm sure you could find some sort of grant money to go there for the summer or for a year to work this guy. I still wouldn't bet around $100,000 that my interests will not change at all in grad school.
  9. Hey everyone, Formally accepted my offer from UCLA yesterday! I'll be in the PhD history program, specifically working in medieval history. I have applied for housing and put Weyburn as my first choice, but I listed the two person setups as my top choices over the studio. Personally, as I learned when I studied abroad, having a roommate in a strange new place is generally preferable to being completely alone. Of course, I'm sure I'll be humming a new tune once I become more accustomed to LA. I know my department has 17 guaranteed spots, and I'm fairly positive I have one of them (I think it's first come first served), but I don't know any particulars beyond that. Good luck to you all!
  10. If it were me, I would absolutely go to the Ivy League school. The item you brought up that concerns me most is the financial aspect. My advisor has told me time and again that only under the rarest of circumstances should someone pay for grad school. If you go to Cambridge you are going to accrue 40-60,000 pounds of debt (or spend that much), and should you get placement at an American university (and the dollar remains weak), then that translates to roughly 80-120,000 dollars in debt. Even if you remain in GB, that is an absolutely insane amount of debt to have out of grad school, particularly in the humanities. It is totally realistic to expect that your interests may shift a bit during your time in grad school, especially as you take graduate level seminars and begin to explore thesis topics, so I really wouldn't worry about your potential advisors not being absolute experts on your current research interests.
  11. I was recently admitted into the MA/PhD program in Medieval & Byzantine Studies at CUA, but the folder I received that had all sorts of info as well as two different letters stated nothing about whether or not I was receiving any aid. Can anyone who has been admitted to CUA and knows how their funding works tell me if this means I'm not getting anything? Or will the department contact me in the near future regarding funding? I've e-mailed the program director, but I haven't heard back from him yet. Thanks.
  12. Hi everybody, I'm new the forums and I hope that everyone is having some success. I've applied to ten programs in all and have thus far been admitted into UCLA and UNC, both with five years of aid. I'm planning on visiting them both in April before making any decisions, but for my field - medieval - I think that UCLA would probably be the smarter move in terms of my future. However, I won't make any decisions until I meet with these professors and visit the programs. Any other medievalists in here? Anyone actually manage to get into Notre Dame's Medieval Studies program? Ryan
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