dr. t

May God have mercy on your soul

Welcome to the party :-)

See you there - Spatial and Network Analysis I

This is a bit of a prying question, but what's your publication record like?

This is going to vary a lot based on TA load and subfield. It's a constant and near-universal complaint from medievalists that the Americanists in the department don't understand why their students take so long to finish. Hint: it's the languages and the overseas archives.

A 5 year package which would guarantee a 6th if I got a Fullbright etc. to cover one of those 5, with the possibility of 7 in dire need. I get that I had some options not universally available, but I would definitely ask some pointed questions when you go to visit about how they expect their students to fund the last 2-3 years of their degree. Remember also that state schools tend to demand a heavier teaching load from their graduate students, exacerbating the problem.

I wouldn't take that deal. In fact, I didn't.

It's so goddamn convenient how scholars of Modernity all manage to find the origins of or the motive force behind the phenomenon they're discussing in the birth of Protestant Christianity. AAAAAAAAHHHHHH *hurls book across room*

"The number of job postings the AHA received in 2014-15 was down 8 percent from the prior year. This is the third straight year for which the association is reporting a decline. Job listings are down 45 percent from the 1,064 that the association reported in 2011-12." https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/05/report-finds-poor-job-market-history-phds

Gimli ground his teeth. "This is a bitter end to our hope and to all our toil!" he said. "To hope, maybe, but not to toil," said Aragorn.

Generally speaking, I have noticed that state schools will send out acceptances first to the pool of candidates they intend to recommend for university-wide fellowship, and once those come back from the uni they send out acceptances for departmental funding.

Thanks for the excellent case study in maturity, I guess?

No they didn't. If that's not the gist of what you meant to say, you need to work on how you articulate your argument.

Once they have accepted you, the shoe is very much on the other foot. They are now courting you, so enjoy it

No, numerical age does matter. The basic concern is that a PhD is (more or less) for people who are entirely committed to that subject for their entire life, and how do you actually know that such a thing is true for you if you've never done anything else? How could you? You haven't had time. Even a 4-year BA means you've only been studying the subject in question at a high level for two years at most. A grad student is an investment, and committees need to be sure of your staying power. This may seem unfair, but it's unfair in the same way that any other generalization is unfair when applied to individuals. So yes, age, real and perceived, does matter, and being young may count against you. It's never going to sink your application by itself, though.

Just don't make your interviewers think this

Your POI should be contacting you very soon, so, patience. A general FYI: I was told Brown's selection will be finalized and sent to the graduate school today; final turn-around is about a week.

You have $50k in tuition and $17k (maybe) in federal aid. How are you planning on paying the $33k difference, before you even start worrying about living expenses? Does attending actually make financial sense?

I am not particularly sure either of these things are true.

It's not too late! You can still turn to the light!

Sure. Have they gotten into a grad school worth going to without redeeming themselves through some other program (special student, low-ranked MA, etc.) first? No. Recovery from a poor undergraduate GPA is certainly possible, but doing so takes time, effort, and money. Look, there's a simple question you need to answer: what concrete things can you show an application committee to demonstrate your ability to excel at graduate-level work? It doesn't look like you can answer that question yet. Until you can, don't waste money on apps.

BHR and I don't often see eye to eye, but this is some flat truth right here.

I'm not young enough to know everything. - J. M. Barrie