abenz

Hi again! Wisconsin-Madison came back to me and said it was fine, they were still sorting out the received documents so no need to worry. They did say they had 250+ applicants ? and that decisions would be made around early Feb. 

I worked until last week for the research team of an NGO, based in country. Hoping for something similar!

I worked until last week for the research team of an NGO, based in country. Hoping for something similar!

Hi again! Wisconsin-Madison came back to me and said it was fine, they were still sorting out the received documents so no need to worry. They did say they had 250+ applicants ? and that decisions would be made around early Feb. 

@soc4315 thanks for sharing! I agree that doing an MA first is really helpful, though it's very different in the UK - we don't really have MA funding so the application process is slightly different. I could not have put together an application for a PhD when I graduated from my undergrad six years ago! 
Question for everyone - I haven't seen anywhere ask for interviews except for Emory, but on the forums a while ago someone posted about Yale interviews. Are you all expecting to interview before acceptances or is that rare? I thought it was rare but I'm now unsure ...

Last time around I applied to a mix of masters and PhD programs (I was accepted into 2 PhD and 1 MA). I ended up accepting a funded position in an MA program to strengthen my application for next time, hopefully it pays off! 

Also, to everyone who is yet to submit - I can tell you now it is the best feeling to know that it's over! Until the dreams begin that your top choice school has accepted you, which makes waking up so cruel! ?

Hi! I can't speak for all universities but I think that a few of the ones I've applied to covered this in their FAQ section. I think the consensus was that you should apply with a single-authored paper, even from outside your field, because then they know exactly what is "yours" within the writing sample. And I think a lot of people change focus, what matters is the ability to write well, synthesise complex ideas, argue persuasively - all of which you can demonstrate in a history thesis.

Hey, 
You might find this helpful as a lot of people have submitted in there!
mine are all in my signature.
 
 

Thanks @Jay.B! Good luck to you too, where are you applying? What are your interests?
I've kind of betrayed this forum by applying for Sociology over Gender Studies (except for one program) ...

Thanks both! Yes, 5-10 sounds like good advice. I think for my own sanity I will stick to the 6 I have for now - the 7th program's deadline is in January so I'll see how I feel after a couple of weeks break. I don't have a waiver - unfortunately international students don't get offered waivers, even if I am working for very little in international development!