Rogue856

Apologies! I am in history. It's a grant to conduct pre-dissertation summer research. It will allow me to spend about 8 weeks overseas. That is helpful though. The feedback was literally "it's an exciting project, make this more exciting." I will give a read through with those questions in mind.

HI All, Just received some feedback from my advisor on a grant proposal. Main comments: it's good, make it more exciting...which is exactly what I thought I did....So, just curious, how do you make your grant proposals "exciting?" I tried really hard to balance making big claims with the evidence I actually have....should I just go for broke and make some huge claims? Could this be more of a style problem? I went for the intro hook method...and I modeled my own proposal after others (successful) for the same grant....so I am not sure where to go from here. Thanks!

I'm not sure I would ask about the racial climate on campus/in the community. Not so much because it's a faux pas (it's a really important question), but because a recruiter might be inclined to give a rosier picture than say, a current graduate student. During campus visits I did ask different folks (grad student and faculty) what sort of resources existed within the department and university for underrepresented students. Perhaps you could ask a question along those lines, about resources for women of color, etc. For me anyways, part of my training as a historian, and the development of myself as a professional academic historian, was going to have to involve navigating the complexities of academia as a person that does not traditionally end up here, and I wanted to make sure I wound up in a department that could help me do that.

Also just posting in solidarity...I just posted something similar in a thread in "The Bank" about students from low-income backgrounds, which may or may not apply to you, but certainly applies to me. Thread is below. I made a similar jump, from a well-regarded but low ranked state school for my MA, into the top 15 for my field, and top 3 for my sub-field. I figure I have a similar breakdown, 15% imposter, 85% just really not used to this. I don't have any easy answers, but I will say I have worked on accepting the fact that my in-class contributions will not necessarily be an accurate reflection of my intellectual capabilities, at least in part because I am simply not good at thinking on my feet. It has helped increase my participation a bit, has not helped feeling out of place, but I guess being an active part of the conversation is the point.

I really relate to this post as well. I grew up well below the poverty line, struggled with homelessness, I have no relationship with my family, etc. I have been having such a tough time with feeling like I belong here. I feel so behind all the time. I never thought I would graduate high school, let alone go to an elite PhD program. I sit in seminars with people who are so articulate, so skilled at speaking and putting their thoughts together, and I can't even work up the courage to open my mouth. It's a struggle for me everyday to: 1. Believe I have something valid to say 2. Believe I have a right to say it...let alone the courage of saying it....and none of my peers ever seem to doubt those things. It's hard with faculty, they want to know why I don't speak up more, and I don't know quite how to explain that when you do not grow up with the privilege of believing you have a right to an education it's a tough road.

Thanks all for the advice! I would not say the change is solely because of my advisor, but it is a factor, especially now that my co-chair is gone, and before that another member of my committee...I think I am worried about alienating people because I did walk in *very* sure of what I wanted to do, and so my advisor and I have already begun designing my comps exam. This is a 180 that's really taken me by surprise. I have been holding back on taking any action because I want to be sure, but I am also worried that the more I wait the worse it will be. Part of my concern is there is no feasible way I could ask my present advisor to stay on my committee, or approach them with the idea that they would stay. The change is drastic enough that they would no longer make any sense. That's where the concern about appearing flaky comes in.

Hi All, My thoughts are with all those waiting to hear from programs, I was in your shoes this time last year! For a slightly different issue.... I am in the second semester of a PhD in history and I am wondering if anyone in the forum has any experience changing fields in a very significant way. By that I mean needing a new advisor, new fields, etc without the possibility of keeping my present committee. I have most of the prerequisite language skills, etc for the switch. I came in with an MA, which is supposed to serve as a chapter in my dissertation. Consequently, my advisor and the department have treated me like a student much further along in the program, I have found myself, however, becoming seriously interested in a very different project. There are other factors, key faculty members, one of whom was my co-chair, have since left my present institution, and my present advisor and I haven't quite clicked, but I think (and would like to hear if others agree) that I am better off keeping the focus solely on my changing research interests. I am fairly certain the person who would be my new advisor would be happy to do so. So, for those who have been in this situation, how did you handle it? Do you recommend it? Would I be better off sticking with the research I have already invested in? How do I handle this within my department without alienating anyone or appearing flaky? Thanks!

I would like a whole series on academic etiquette....and now a question of my own... I was accepted into my top choice where I had mentioned 3 POIs in my SOP. When I spoke with my primary POI (who I contacted before submitting my application) she said she was happy to work with me, mentioned that another POI would unexpectedly not be accepting new students, but she did not mention the third POI from my personal statement. Do you all think I should just go ahead and contact that third person, and if so should I just directly ask if they are willing to work on my proeject? Or should I assume that person is also available? The person unexpectedly unavailable was not a big deal, but the primary POI and the person I haven't heard from were my two main draws to the program.

Forgive me if this is a rookie question, but when you say "outside the top 24" are you referencing NRC rankings or...? Thanks!

Thanks for the response! That was very helpful. Cornell is quickly moving to the top of my list of programs.

Just curious if czesc (or anyone on the forum generally) knows what the relationship between the History Dept. and ILR at Cornell is? Jefferson Cowie, for example, is listed as a member of the field in history, but it's not entirely clear what that means so far as dissertation work/fields goes. The Cornell website strongly suggests contacting potential faculty so I am unsure if I should stick to faculty members in the Dept. for that as well as for the SOP. For what it's worth I did not see anyone in ILR listed as an advisor for current students, but that does not necessarily mean it's not done...

Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely add Cornell. I knew Jefferson Cowie was at their ILR program, and I certainly sympathize with his reservations about the field. So anyways, yes, great suggestion. It's now on my working list. If work was not on my agenda for the summer I might try for that camp! Can't hurt to dream big right? My debate here is whether or not I *really* want to waste the application fee just to get a piece of correspondence with Harvard letterhead.

Yikes, I cannot believe this is here already. I'm in my first year of a MA program at the moment. My focus is on 20th Century U.S., history of capitalism and labor. Particularly interested in multilateral institutions. I have not compiled a serious list yet, but I am fairly certain that UCSB, Georgetown, and Yale will be on it.

I use foreign language sources for nearly all my research and just use my own english translation within the text with a note that all translations, unless otherwise noted, are done by the author in the footnote for the first bit that I've translated. Usually I'll have talked about sources and lack of translation in the intro anyways. I do not translate the titles of books or articles in footnotes. I've never been corrected on it so that's what I've stuck with. I would say it depends on what you're translating too...my foreign language primary documents are mostly newspapers so the translations are relatively straight forward. If I translated something in a more literary style I would probably put the foreign language text in the footnote.

My situation was very, very different than yours but I took about 8 years off between finishing up my undergrad and going to grad school. I spent that time pursuing a career completely unrelated to my academic interests. It never came up as an issue on my applications. I think, regardless of time spent away, the most important part of my application was my research background. Professors I spoke with at schools I applied to didn't even ask me about the gaps in my education but they had lots of questions about my research experience, my writing sample, etc. If you have those things, and a year spent doing something positive for your community I honestly can't imagine you'll be at any disadvantage. If anything you'll grow a lot spending that time in a professional environment and that will come across when you do apply. It will show committees that grad school is a conscious choice you are making. Like Jim84 said, there is no 'right' path to a PhD. Do what feels right and you'll get where you're supposed to be.