karatcake89

Thanks for the thoughtful response, neurominer I am planning to pursue a PhD after my masters, and I think you make a great point about having a more impressive thesis if I have a strong working relationship with my POI. I agree 100% that visiting each school would be the best way to determine which one is the better fit (my college visits during my undergrad search definitely led to a surprising, yet perfect, choice that I wouldn't have made if I hadn't gone on a tour). Unfortunately, I doubt I can afford to fly to Michigan or Vermont (I live in Oregon), but I'll take a look at flights, just to see if I can make it work. Maybe I can convince my folks to help cover the ticket cost if I tell them a stranger on GradCafe advocated visiting both universities haha Thanks again for the advice and best of luck to you too!

So, this week I received acceptance notifications from my top 2 programs (WMU and UVM). Now that I've started telling family/friends/professors, I keep hearing the same question: "Which university is your top choice?" A few weeks ago, the answer was very clear- WMU, all the way! I'm a medievalist, so going to one of the top MA Medieval Studies programs in the country seemed obvious. However, an email from my potential POI at UVM has me reconsidering. Although UVM only has a History program with a Medieval focus, the professor seems very enthusiastic and personable, and we have quickly developed a rapport through email. Also, although MA funding is limited, he has already let me know that he is strongly advocating that I receive one of the few first year fellowships. It's only been a few days, so I don't plan to make a decision right away (plus I haven't heard anything concrete about funding from either and that will play a role in my decision), but I wanted to see what others think about the situation. Here's my question: How important is the enthusiasm of a POI? Is it more or less important than the prestige of the program? Thanks in advance for any thoughts!

Aside from completing my applications by the deadlines, the part of this whole process that is giving me the most anxiety is waiting for word on funding. Just the other day, I received an email from a POI who was very upfront about the funding situation at his university and he told me that it was unlikely I would receive any financial support. Then, just a few hours ago, he sent me this email: Informally (this email has absolutely no binding force!) I hear that you may indeed be in line to be offered a first semester fellowship. Stay tuned, and I hope you will hear something formal to this effect. Voice one: *HAPPY DANCE!!!* 'Time to break out the good Scotch!' Voice two: 'Calm down. Don't get ahead of yourself.' Voice one: "But funding!!" Voice two: 'Nothing is guaranteed. Like he said, wait til you hear something formal.' Voice one: *sigh* 'Fine.' After a brief intermission, it looks like I'm back to waiting.

Hi everyone! So glad to see that I'm not the only one gearing up for the 2015 application cycle. I have a pretty odd undergraduate background- I have a BS in History and Accounting- and after 2 years working as an accountant and paying off some of my student loans, I've decided it's time to pursue my passions. My area of focus is Early Middle Ages, specifically Anglo-Scandinavian history, literature, art, and languages. At this point, I'm mostly looking at MA programs because my interests are still fairly interdisciplinary and my language background probably isn't strong enough to get into PhD programs. So far, I'm considering applying to University of Connecticut, Fordham University, Boston College, Western Michigan University, Columbia, Catholic University of America, and University College of London. Good luck to everyone!