lyrehc

I got the same message years ago when I transferred as an undergraduate from OSU to Western each time they received part of my file.

Don't pick a field based on employability. It's not going to give you more than a marginal advantage; TT-track positions in History are highly competitive in any field. Making any decision in Academia based on trends, whether they are to do with the perceived importance of that field or on employability, is a bad idea. Pick something that thrills you enough for it to be something you want to spend the rest of your life thinking about. The last thing you want to do is to enter a field only to find out, three years down the road, that your interest in it was never going to be deep enough for you to complete a dissertation in the area. 

You also need to narrow done your interests a lot more. To say that you're interested in "South Asian history" or a "combination of Middle East and African History" is incredibly vague. Within those three geographical areas you're looking at numerous countries and languages. Are you interested in Lebanon? Syria? India? Iraq? Do you have language training in Arabic, Hindi, or Bengali (to name a fraction of the languages that might be necessary)? Moreover, even when you are most specific—i.e. when you mention the imperialism/colonialism—you're still looking at a vast timespan that you would need to delimit. One could foreseeably write about colonialism in any period from the 15th century to the present (that is probably a conservative estimate as well, considering recent work on colonialism in the Medieval period). 

If you're applying to doctoral programs, you should be able to describe a fairly specific field of interest. This might look something like "feminist and gender history in early-20th century Bangladesh," or "urban space in postcolonial Algeria." Once you've done that, look at the languages involved; if you have minimal to no experience with these languages, you need to rethink your suitability for study in that field at a doctoral level. Not only will you not have access to vital scholarship in those languages—crippling your grasp of the historiography—but you also won't be able to complete archival research, which is necessary for any dissertation. 

I think you should step back and really think about a) what you're interested in, why you want to complete a doctorate, and c) how qualified you are to work in various fields at a doctoral level. Even though you have an MA, it seems as though you still have a lot of decisions to make before you apply for a PhD. 
 

I am entering my 2nd year in a Communication PhD program and I'm going to throw out some things for you to think about.
 
What will you do if your research interests shift?  I came to the program I am so that I could work in a specific area with a specific professor.  I had my entire committee together by November when I had my plan of study meeting (I set a department record).  By April I knew that although the professor I came to work with is amazing I really don't like that area of emphasis as much as I thought I would.  Fortunately, I have found a new professor who is a really good fit for me who is guiding me as I navigate this academic shift.
 
When you look at programs, what is the school's reputation for mentoring?  Do the faculty work with students or does the program pride itself on "weeding out" students even if those students could be very successful?  
 
What do you want the PhD to prepare you to do?  Some programs focus on preparing students to work at a research institution and are very focused on getting students conducting their own research and pursuing publication.  Other programs focus more on students becoming academic educators and working in a teaching institution.  Deciding where you want to end up should influence where you choose to apply.
 
Regarding your specific questions:
> How important was the University's prestige?
I only applied to one program because of who I wanted to work with.  My program is glamorous but it is solid.  In addition, once I made the decision to apply and was accepted, when I told established people in the field of communication where I would be attending they expressed that my program is much better than is often assumed.
 
> Was it more important the Advice than the University?
I believe that the most important piece in the puzzle is how well you will fit with the faculty.  Are they ego-driven?  Do they care about nurturing your interests or want to force you to study what they like?
 
> Are there really bigger future benefits if I study in U.S.A.?
The biggest benefit to studying in the US is that US institutions will automatically understand what your degree means if you apply to work for one.  There is a certain amount of suspicion about the quality of schools outside of the US if it does not have an international reputation.  Oxford will always be Oxford, but other schools which are lesser-known may be a stumbling block in the future.  I have a family member who has a doctorate from a Mexican university and she cannot get it recognized.
 
> Should I choose a place I like over a prestigious place?
Absolutely!  Fitting in with your department will help you stay focused and finish.  If you are accepted somewhere prestigious and hate it you are much more likely to drop out and never finish.  
 
> What about my future plans of marrying?
Are you worried that you can't get married if you get a doctorate?  I am married with 3 children and, with a very supportive husband, I am doing well in my program.  I'm not the only married PhD student.  I'm not the only PhD student with kids.  

My question for you is, why do you want a PhD?  If it is your passion and you want it more than anything, then you will find a way for it to happen.  
 
Good luck!

I am entering my 2nd year in a Communication PhD program and I'm going to throw out some things for you to think about.
 
What will you do if your research interests shift?  I came to the program I am so that I could work in a specific area with a specific professor.  I had my entire committee together by November when I had my plan of study meeting (I set a department record).  By April I knew that although the professor I came to work with is amazing I really don't like that area of emphasis as much as I thought I would.  Fortunately, I have found a new professor who is a really good fit for me who is guiding me as I navigate this academic shift.
 
When you look at programs, what is the school's reputation for mentoring?  Do the faculty work with students or does the program pride itself on "weeding out" students even if those students could be very successful?  
 
What do you want the PhD to prepare you to do?  Some programs focus on preparing students to work at a research institution and are very focused on getting students conducting their own research and pursuing publication.  Other programs focus more on students becoming academic educators and working in a teaching institution.  Deciding where you want to end up should influence where you choose to apply.
 
Regarding your specific questions:
> How important was the University's prestige?
I only applied to one program because of who I wanted to work with.  My program is glamorous but it is solid.  In addition, once I made the decision to apply and was accepted, when I told established people in the field of communication where I would be attending they expressed that my program is much better than is often assumed.
 
> Was it more important the Advice than the University?
I believe that the most important piece in the puzzle is how well you will fit with the faculty.  Are they ego-driven?  Do they care about nurturing your interests or want to force you to study what they like?
 
> Are there really bigger future benefits if I study in U.S.A.?
The biggest benefit to studying in the US is that US institutions will automatically understand what your degree means if you apply to work for one.  There is a certain amount of suspicion about the quality of schools outside of the US if it does not have an international reputation.  Oxford will always be Oxford, but other schools which are lesser-known may be a stumbling block in the future.  I have a family member who has a doctorate from a Mexican university and she cannot get it recognized.
 
> Should I choose a place I like over a prestigious place?
Absolutely!  Fitting in with your department will help you stay focused and finish.  If you are accepted somewhere prestigious and hate it you are much more likely to drop out and never finish.  
 
> What about my future plans of marrying?
Are you worried that you can't get married if you get a doctorate?  I am married with 3 children and, with a very supportive husband, I am doing well in my program.  I'm not the only married PhD student.  I'm not the only PhD student with kids.  

My question for you is, why do you want a PhD?  If it is your passion and you want it more than anything, then you will find a way for it to happen.  
 
Good luck!

Definitely plenty of time.  I took mine in late-November and had the scores by the February 1 application deadline.

I always considered myself a sociologist but ended up in a Comm program because a professor there does identical research to mind.  The academic switch is tough for me mentally - I still tend to think of things in soc terms.
 
That said, sociology as a field is running a deficit and graduating few new PhDs each year than they have retiring.  If you want to be an academic, sociology offers a lot of opportunity.