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sankd

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Everything posted by sankd

  1. My decision is not that impressive as some of the others, but still vexing. OPTION 1 Pros: Staying at my MA institution. I got a nice offer for four years of funding as a TA. There is an expectation that I would teach a section of the Intro to Global History after defending my prospectus. I know my advisor already as well as my future committee. I don't have to move - which costs money - and a good portion of my friends will still be here. Income tax - no small matter - is lower here. I am closer to my family and major urban areas via car here. Cons: A lot less money than option 2. Funding is tied to public/federal sources, which have their problems. Cost of living is marginally higher here. After two years of the social scene here, I am pretty tired of it. Placement is okay but not really that great lately. I would be the only student in my field (not good or bad). There is no real money for travel, whether for study or conferences. The department, while rising in reputation and graduating good numbers of PhDs, is the kid in the campus family the red-headed stepchild beats up. There is a large portion of the school that sneers at the liberal arts, and we don't even get respect from the humanities administration. The town is really segregated at times, with graduate students avoiding undergraduates, townies not really hanging out with students, etc. OPTION 2 Pros: When you factor in the lower cost of living, I end up being paid almost double the amount of money. $$$$ for conference travel. Partial funding for language study or research abroad. Funding tied to private sources, so dependent on stock market alone. Really incredible placement rate. Better weather. Better facilities for graduate students (computers per student, office space per student, etc.). Department one of the most well-respected on campus, so administration is a big fan. Advisor is more experienced and more established in the field. More professors and students in my field. New place, new start. The town has less divisions, whether it be undergrad-grad or town-gown. Cons: Moving costs money. Going to a new place is always a gamble. Teaching obligations from Year 2 onward (this is a con for amount of work, but a pro for job prospects). Income tax is a little higher. Not really near anything, at least under 2 hours driving. The closest person I know is 5.5 hours away, and that's only for a year. Department reputation is good regionally but not nationally yet, for some reason. While there seems to be professors that fit my intended minor fields, I don't know them yet. Should it be all about the money? Because if so, Option 2 wins in a landslide.
  2. Oh yeah, I should have noted in my case that I came in knowing German and then took two years of Arabic (summer intensive + 2 semesters) during my MA. Changing fields is some work, I agree.
  3. Short answer: No, yes, probably. I changed from German history to Middle Eastern history during my MA, for instance.
  4. sankd

    UNC-CH

    Judging by their fields of study, the American South, military history, WomGen, and Early Modern/Modern Europe. Not really something they hide.
  5. sankd

    UNC-CH

    Not really a consolation for the Middle East folks. They don't have anyone, so either all of us really sucked compared to the non-globals (possible) or they just don't want the department going that direction (likely). This makes my life easier, though. Now I know where I am going.
  6. Maryland rejections are out. They said I could find out why I was rejected, and while I am curious since it was such a great fit, I think I know already. Now to decide where to go. Two choices > No choices, right?
  7. sankd

    Conferences

    I really wasn't making a comment about Oakland, which is a pretty good school. I was curious if another Michigan school had any success sending a student into Michigan's history program. I don't think Eastern, Wayne, or Central have done it, or at least not in a long time. No idea about Western. People from these schools, BA or MA, have gone on to fine PhD programs and even fine jobs as well, though.
  8. sankd

    Conferences

    This post reminded me I need to schedule a moderator for the last panel at our conference here. Let me tell you, planning these things is wonderful stress on top of writing a thesis. On another note, you go to Oakland? That's cool. What's the track record on students from OU getting into UofM's history program? This is not a dig.. My BA is from a Michigan school and well, we haven't had a single one as far as I know. A lot of people have tried.
  9. sankd

    Conferences

    Don't try to talk about your whole paper. Don't talk about pieces of evidence. Think big picture, arguments, etc.
  10. sankd

    Waitlists

    I've been to campus for a conference, it isn't so bad. Urban campuses usually aren't my cup of tea anyway, though. I've seen worse. Who holds a history class outside anyway? Haha. Good luck with the waitlist!
  11. sankd

    UNC-CH

    Haha, this isn't the most ringing endorsement for attending.
  12. You will never take an in-class essay exam ever again. Well, probably not. You may end up with some cross-referenced undergrad-grad class (this happens some places), but that's pretty much it. From now on, get used to grading them! Today I had a student grumping about their exam essay.
  13. There's a lot of variation depending on how much work the professor wants to do, but the basic principle seems to be: Write a seminar (hence the name) paper. That's the class. Have fun. "Read" a lot of books, write a lot of reviews, and show up to class to critique books/classmates/authors. The end paper component of this usually is a syllabus or a historiography paper. Option one taken to the extreme is... writing your dissertation. Option two taken to the extreme is... prelims. That's the endgame, after all.
  14. sankd

    Florida

    Didn't you get funding from LSU already?
  15. Anywhere else besides craigslist? A local forum or newspaper?
  16. This is really the funding window. Since most MA deadlines are later, they tend to notify later. That also means that funding is probably not in the cards.
  17. Arizona is a pretty big name in Middle East studies.
  18. Bummed I didn't get waitlist at Michigan, but it was easily the best place I applied to and they actually sent me a letter from the department and not from Rackham. Oh well!
  19. Keep fighting the good fight!
  20. If you do guerrilla/irregular warfare and tie it to sociocultural things, you can sort-of find a viable niche for yourself. God save you if you are interested in doing operational armored warfare history. Or gosh. The Civil War.
  21. Two new additions to the "probably rejected" pile means "Still Possible" has met its end. Congrats to everyone! Now I wait for funding..
  22. I'm bumping this in hope of getting more info on house/apt rentals in Fayetteville.
  23. Plus, you'll spend a year or more in Europe anyway.
  24. I think my natural inclination to hate on the actual CMU campus is part of being an EMU alum. I agree with all of that, though, especially the last. Michigan is a state that hates mass transportation - though the bus system in Washtenaw County isn't terrible. Also, from my earlier post.. Indian reservation. Not Indiana. The state must be infecting my brain after two years.
  25. sankd

    UNC-CH

    Here's hoping I get waitlisted.
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