Catreus

I would agree with the above comments about fit. Reach out to the people you are curious about working with, and give them an idea of what you want to do. I sent a writing sample out with my letters of inquiry. I got a mixed, but generally honest, batch of replies. Most of the people you will be writing to are busy folk, and they won't take the time to give you a long, considered response if they aren't serious. One of the things that i asked in my letter was, if the person was unable or unwilling to work with me, who they could recommend for me to talk to in the field. Your language levels seem about on par with mine -- recent Latin and old, rust German -- and no one I spoke to really had an issue about it. The people in the medieval studies program at Cornell, where I am starting in the fall, told me that an appropriate way to come at the language question is not to ask, "Where do I want to be with languages in 3 years," but rather, "Where do I want to be with languages in 10 years? 15 years?" You might also consider looking into medieval studies programs, in addition to straight history programs. I am a historian by inclination and by training, but my work and my proposed project couldn't find a home in traditional history programs. I want to look at medieval maps and map usage, using methodologies primarily applied to studies of 19th and 20th century mapmaking. Most history departments to whom I spoke were unable to bridge those two fixed planes of academic work. The medieval studies program at Cornell, though, will let me include in my committee both medieval scholars and the fellow in the history department who works with cartographic and spatial history -- and he is a Mexicanist. I need to make sure that I come out of the other side of the program looking like a historian, rather than a medievalist...thats a real concern in terms of projected hiring. But the format of the program will -- by its very nature -- allow for a much more flexible approach to study and research. So its worth considering. Best of luck.

There have been a fair number of people in my masters program -- myself included, to a degree -- who have changed their interests over the course of the program. Thats part of the masters process, in my estimation. Everyone comes in with an idea about what they want to do, and sometimes you get into a topic and find that your interest isn't as deep as you thought. Or, as in my case, you take a class that opens up new paths of inquiry for you. Most masters programs should be flexible enough to facilitate a shift in focus. And most should anticipate the possibility, as well; its unreasonable to expect all first year masters students to know exactly what they want to do.

My experience this years suggests that your undergraduate GPA can be overcome. My college GPA was significantly worse than yours...something like a 2.7 or so. I was an indifferent student. But that was 17 years ago. In the interim I have earned 2 separate masters degrees (public policy and history ) with a 4.0 in each. I had very good GRE scores, and a strong, representative writing sample. Even so, I worried about those grades from my undergrad. In talking to the doctoral programs to which I was accepted, however, it became clear that the SOP and the writing sample weighed the heaviest by far in their considerations. Those, combined with my the grades from my masters work, showed committees that my current abilities and drive should be considered above the mistakes of my 20 year old self. So I would think the same would hold true for others, as well. Certainly your grades shouldn't dissuade you from investigating your options; you may have some heavier lifting to do than others, but it isn't beyond doing. As an aside, I would say that a poor undergraduate performance, followed by strong masters-level work, likely suggests a maturation of interest and focus that should (I would think) appeal to programs. That is just my opinion, but its also the mantra that I hung my hat on while waiting for decisions this spring. If untrue...well, at least it made me feel better.

With regard to the question of personal stories, I would add that my MA advisor -- also the graduate coordinator -- told me that beginning a SOP with a personal story is an eye-roll inducing cliche. Especially stories in the vein of "I learned my love of history at an early age, listening to my grandfather's stories..." Like Lafayette above, I included personal history that explained my reasons for returning to school, and to explain my less-than-stellar undergraduate record. But that only comprised a small part of my SOP. I would agree that the letter's primary focus should be on your interests and on any projects that you are bringing to the table.

Greetings! I have been accepted into the Medieval Studies program, focusing on medieval history. I will almost certainly be accepting their offer.