stillalivetui

I'm still waiting for my recommenders to submit their letters to five schools with deadlines on December 1st. Let the stress commence.

UCLA is 10 pages as well. It's frustrating since it's my top choice and I have to figure out how to narrow down a sample.

I pretty much followed ashiepoo72's template. Only two of eight POI's did not respond to me, but that might have been because I emailed them extremely early in the process.

I mainly emailed them to check if they were accepting advisees and to gauge their interest in supervising my research project.

It doesn't matter. The department will get the score as long as you put the correct school code in.

I don't recall Michigan stating that on their website. They merely recommend that you correspond with someone to aid you in the process, so I think you should still apply. My POI there told me they tend to accept applicants who can work with a number of faculty.

How long did it take you to get your Michigan student ID number? I started my application over two months ago and just got mine last night. That would have been handy to have when I sent my transcripts last month.

Just submitted my first application the other day. Can't wait to have them all in.

In the case of the UC's, the personal statement/history is used for particular fellowships the department nominates you for.

Are your transcripts from Indiana University, by any chance? I ordered their PDF option, printed out the transcript, and scanned it with no such problems. You may want to try that.

I agree that the University of Washington application seems a little confusing initially. I applied there three years ago when I had thought I only wanted to do an MA, then I discovered sometime later that they only accepted students that they thought would continue to pursue their PhD there.

What particular themes or topics are you interested in American History? This would help you tremendously in narrowing down programs to apply to.

I don't think you should ask him to submit a LOR if you've only been at the school and known him for 2 weeks. He won't know you or your work well enough from now until December. You want a quality recommendation, not a lukewarm one.

Don't sweat it. I know of a tenured professor at a top 20 institution who went to a CC initially.

Maybe he wants us to use our training to write a paper on his chances with evidence from the past.

Well it sure trumps my 145Q! But in all seriousness, I am inclined to say it most likely won't. As most everyone will tell you, the whole package (academic record, LOR, SOP, and writing sample) really care much of the weight in the process. The verbal is what really matters, and it looks like you've done a good job on that section.

They seriously are. I was amazed by this. Edit: I meant to say "aren't." I apologize.

Indeed! Here's to hoping my MA pays off like yours did! If I recall you killed it last cycle.

It's strange, I'm finally relieved and excited to get the ball rolling on my applications. I don't feel at all lost compared to when I applied for MA programs three years ago.

You should probably reschedule the test for a month earlier, or else your scores are not going to make it on time and your application will be incomplete.

I'd recommend you check out Indiana University's MA in United States history (MAUS) program if you have zero background. Their program is really strong and aims to prepare you for further study at IU or elsewhere. The bulk of my coursework during my undergraduate years were in U.S. history, but I found that the MAUS program really grounded me more heavily in the historiography and solidified my research interests. I now feel more prepared as I apply to doctorate programs this winter.

You may consider researching into these schools and seeing if they are of interest to you. You can obtain a fee waiver via the CIC program. More information is here: https://www.cic.net/students/freeapp/introduction

I think you're putting too much weight on the significance of the GRE, as justinhayes stated, focus on other parts of the application, which are much more decisive in admission than the GRE. Sure, your AW could be better, but they're going to read and pay much more attention your SOP and writing sample. That's where they'll gauge your writing ability, not on the GRE.

I got a 145 on the quantitative section (no shame) when I took the test 3 years ago, with a decent showing in the analytical and verbal sections. It managed to get me into three out of five MA programs, one funded. I refuse to give the GRE more money than I have to because standardized testing is so subjective and it doesn't prove anything. With that being said, I'll update this post next spring when I receive notifications from my PhD programs.

They charge $27 per score report after the free four.