natsteel

This might apply... http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,78789.0.html

THIS. And THIS. In my first summer, I told my advisor that I would be willing to do any grunt work if he needed it. Since then, I've done three straight summers of paid research for him. The point is to make yourself available and, most importantly, ASK! If they say "No," then ask if they know anyone else in the department that might need an assistant. It's not even really a "favor." All my professors have said "it's part of the job."

I think Mac vs. PC is a false dichotomy when it comes to this debate. It should be Mac vs. Dell or Mac vs. HP or Mac vs. Acer, etc.... You all may have had different experiences, but I have found that, if I couldn't buy a Mac, of all the main manufacturers of PC laptops, I'd buy an HP. I've never been a big fan of Dell laptops, though their desktops are very reliable. I would agree with the person above who wrote about the difference in components. But Macs have a number of features that no PC laptop has which contribute to the higher price, e.g. the body, the battery, the magnetic power input, etc... all proprietary. Whether you personally consider these, the OS, and the overall culture of design innovation worth the extra price is up to you. But there is no doubt that more goes into the average MacBook than into your average Dell or HP laptop.

I had scores lower than yours (660V, 560Q) and a 4.0AW and got full-funding at Yale. So don't worry about that AW score. Your writing sample is far more important than the AW and most adcomms realize that. Your numbers are good enough to possibly get you in anywhere... It's the other parts of your application that will matter the most.

j, it's not only about how well known or well respected your advisor is. It matters far more whether your advisor is willing to go to bat and man the phones to help get you a job when you're done. Of course, having an advisor that is both of those things is the ideal situation, but the effort is far more important than the name. If you have a well known advisor that doesn't try very hard to help you get a job, search committees will wonder why.

StrangeLight is spot on, here. This is excellent advice for all incoming graduate students whether you are at a top program or not. In the end, the perception of rank is something that is beyond our control. All we can do, no matter what school we're at, is network and make contacts, publish, and produce the best dissertation possible. If you do those three things well, you will give yourself the best possible chance for securing a job. If, after all that, you still don't get one, then it's down to the market, which is also beyond your control, and you will have much less in the way of regret if you do the absolute best you can and realize the rest is out of your hands. This is a very tough time to try to forge a career in academia, especially in History, but, if you are intent on trying, know that it can be done without going to an elite school for all the reasons that StrangeLight mentioned. Look at the faculty at the top 10 programs, every one has faculty members who didn't get their degrees at Ivy League schools. In the end, it will come down to the vagaries of the market and your own individual effort and performance.

I'd be surprised if any advisor you have worked closely with for some period of time finds 1 or 2 emails a year annoying. If they've invested time in you, they want to see you succeed. I actually have four mentors at the end of my undergrad. I've developed really strong relationships with them... so much so that I'm actually getting married at one of their houses this summer. 2 of the other 3 friended me on Facebook a year or so ago so I will keep in touch that way in addition to emails. I had a professor in my field in both semesters of my freshman year at community college and I kept in touch with him with an email once a semester or maybe every other semester basically saying what was going on with me and my progress. Later when the PR office at my old CC interviewed us both, he mentioned those periodic emails and how happy he was to get them. I think a lot of us overestimate our professors' thresholds for annoyance. Most will want you to succeed and take pride in that success and so they'll want to hear it about it when you do. An email at the end of each semester or each summer is a good start to maintaining professional relationships with past advisors/mentors.

Generally, you do not transfer from one PhD program to another. Now, if you were in a terminal MA program that would be a different story, and is one of the reasons people pursue terminal MAs. The name of a school matters for maybe the top 15 or so (this is my opinion). After that, I think a lot comes down to your advisor. Is your advisor well-known and well-respected in the field? Is he/she still very much involved in the field and its associations? Is he/she willing to use all her contacts to secure his/her students jobs upon graduation? These factors I believe are far more important for students at reputable programs that are not in or around the top 15. Check your department's placement rates... ask your advisor about placement rates for their students specifically. This will give you a better idea.

It's incredibly important that everyone embarking on a PhD in History understand the state of the job market. It's not just History, but the Humanities in general. However, History is worse off than most, and Americanists have it even worse. Unfortunately, where you get your PhD still does carry a fair bit of weight. However, there are numerous other factors that will affect your career trajectory. When it comes your turn to hit the market, your advisor should be willing to go to bat for you and do everything they can to help you secure a job. One of my undergraduate mentors at a large public university also taught at the graduate school and gets almost all of her students jobs. Another factor is the work you produce. Someone who goes to Yale or Harvard and doesn't produce much in the way of articles will not compare favorably to someone from a so-called lesser school with an article in a major journal already and an important dissertation. Similarly, those who go to institutions in which grad students actually teach rather than just TA classes will also have experience many top-program students will not. So where you go is not the sole factor which will decide your career trajectory. If anything, those going to the top 5 programs may have a slight leg-up, all else being equal, but the name alone will not ensure them a tenure-track job. I think that in this market, those going to the top 30 or so programs will be able to compete for jobs (not necessarily get them). But on top of the economic crisis, there are 100s of schools you've never heard of producing History PhDs every year. The flooding of the market with people who have no real chance of ever securing a full-time job let alone tenure-track creates a situation of desperation in which many of these graduates will take adjunct jobs for $1200/semester. And, of course, why hire someone full-time with benefits or on the tenure track when you can pay a PhD from Podunk State $1200/course and no benefits? And, to be honest, I can't see a sudden reversal of policy or thinking on the part of administration any time soon. The generation that comes after us won't even be able to dream of tenure.

I'll be finishing my UG with around $13,000. Not bad considering I didn't work for the last two years. Because I have a wife and 2 kids to support I expect to take another 15 over the course of the PhD and will probably finish with around $30,000.

The New School is a smaller school with relatively high standards for admission and transfer. At Columbia, they only accept transfer students into their General Studies program, not Columbia College proper.

I don't think it's a big deal to have a signature that says: Firstname Lastname Graduate Student, Department University But putting in individual fellowships seems a bit too much. But, that's just me... It seems a bunch of people did just justify your worry about being (or "seeming") pretentious.

I think you are overestimating the weight placed on GRE scores overall but particularly the Q score. Unless you're doing a quantitative-based field like economic history or demographic history then most programs won't really care what your GRE Q score is. I also think you are putting too much weight on rankings. For example, my GRE V was nothing to shout about, my Q was below 600, and my AW was 4.0 and I got into Yale. Your writing sample, LORs, and SOP are much more important than your GRE scores. That said, language is extremely important for those outside of American history... if you have no language skills in your proposed field, that would be much more of a weakness in your application than your GRE scores. But, I agree with the others, don't limit yourself to Canadian schools or American schools that don't require the GRE... apply widely to schools of varying "rankings" or reputations to give yourself the best shot.

Is there something about that on the website, because I haven't even seen anything about it?

I encountered these questions on only one or two of my applications. However, I was not prepared to go anywhere without funding and answered accordingly. At one of the schools, I was waitlisted. I imagine if I had said I would consider an unfunded offer, they would have admitted me without funding. I already had a better offer so I took myself off the waitlist immediately. Therefore, I don't know how it would have turned out. If you're not willing to pay for your degree with loans (and almost no one should be), just answer the questions honestly. By answering "no," I imagine it may force the committee to consider you a bit more fully because they can't just give you an unfunded admission.

Like a few others said, I seriously doubt Franco is getting funding at any of these schools. I really don't think it's a case of Franco taking up a spot in the actual cohort. If, for the universities, it's something of a publicity stunt, then I imagine he would be considered for all intents and purposes as outside the cohort, if that makes sense. I'm not sure if what he's doing "cheapens the process." I'm not sure that it does, but, even if so, he's not keeping hardworking students from getting funding at any of these schools.

What Eigen says is true. However, I don't understand why anyone would want to follow a younger faculty member who, I assume, has been denied tenure to a lower-ranked university. Perhaps if you had a really good relationship with the professor you could complete your work at the new place while still earning the degree from the better university. For example, in the Humanities, once you finish your exams, you can write your dissertation away from the university. But that doesn't seem to be the case here and you seem to be looking forward to working with new people at the current school. Just stay firm.

I am currently serving as a "mentor" in my history department. Being a senior, and having done pretty well during the application process, I am constantly being asked by students about the whole process. So, rather than spend an hour or more explaining to each individually, I am working on a sort-of rough guide structured around a timeline of the process. But, I am just one person, and I would really appreciate it if anyone was inclined to take a look and maybe suggest edits or additions. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I am, of course, more than happy to share the document with fellow forum members. NOTE: Because it is a direct link, clicking it will begin downloading the document. So, if you are wary of that for whatever reason, do not click the link below. A direct link to the guide in .docx format here.

Generally, "In order to officially matriculate, your degree must be posted," means that you only have to graduate. If they did not give you a specific minimum target-GPA, then I wouldn't worry about it at all. I've seen some on here who have received "conditional offers" from British schools which hinged on finishing with a minimum GPA. But this is always specified when the applicant was originally notified of acceptance, if I am not mistaken. If it were me, I wouldn't even contact the department. As long as you're going to graduate, you're good to go.

I'm anticipating something similar. My family background is solidly working-class and I am a first-generation college student. I'm now going to an Ivy program after doing my undergrad at an open admissions community college and then a regional commuter four-year school. Just the admitted students weekend provided a significant culture shock. Though I think I handled it as well as I could have, I can only hope that my constant awe and self-consciousness wasn't too obvious. That said, I am already in my mid-30s and so I have a strong sense of self-identity. So, I don't see "the place" changing me much. I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity and the resources of which I will be able to avail myself. Though, I can imagine that for someone in their early 20s coming from a similar background and with less life experience under their (ever-lengthening) belt having significant issues with such a drastic cultural change. Just keep in mind... while it might be nice to go through life with things being quite easy, it's the challenges and struggles (and how you learn to deal with them) that have the greater impact in defining your identity. No trait truly worth having is hereditary. I don't have the family issues which many of you seem to have. Mine have been very supportive throughout my undergrad years and also of my decision to attend graduate school. Of course, getting such a good acceptance doesn't hurt. But, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you can't put a price tag on doing something you love for a living. Life is much too short and even more precious to not pursue YOUR OWN goals and dreams. (Sorry for the infomercial rhetoric!)

Perhaps the mods could post a sticky in the welcome forum with a brief acronym glossary for newcomers, i.e., POI, PA, LOR, adcomm, etc...

This is a common issue when choosing a thesis or dissertation topic. I am assuming you are in history or some related field. One of the keys to finishing a dissertation or thesis (and I've had this stressed to me by advisors at both undergrad and graduate level) is to pick a manageable topic. That is, pick a narrow, manageable topic for which there are enough primary sources, to which you will have relatively easy access. Is it too late to switch your topic to something more manageable and with more readily available primary sources?

Elm Campus Partners (elmcampus.com) manages all of Yale's non-campus properties. Many of them are really nice. I just secured a beautiful 2BR apt. for me, my wife, and 2 kids on Mansfield Street, less than a mile from HGS, and it was a very painless process. However, if you want to consider that, go to the website and put your name on the list RIGHT NOW!! I put mine on when I got my acceptance back in the first week of February. And they have provisions so that those who are renting from out of town aren't at a disadvantage. They sent me weekly emails detailing the properties they were showing (pictures and info for all on the website) and if multiple people choose the same apartment, the one who is highest on the list gets it. They will also send you extra pics of apartments being shown if you just ask for them. As for the rents, I'm coming from NYC so they seem VERY good to me. They have studios, 1BRs and up in all kinds of places from single buildings downtown to condo/townhouse complexes like Prospect Gardens, where a 2BR duplex with all hardwood floors and a parking space is $1115/mo. Of course, there are cheaper apts. to be had on Craigslist but as long as you're a Yale affiliate, the rental process is easy... no minimum credit ratings, references, etc... Hope this helps! ADDED: Like the poster above said... it's a college town and a college rental market so most Fall vacancies will rent in the spring. If you wait until late June or later, it will become significantly harder to secure a place with a proper start date.

Probably my favorite sandwich is bacon, egg, and (dripping, melty) cheese. For meats, I've never in my life had a better sandwich than the ones from a small mom-and-pop store in my hometown (Ham, salami, lettuce, onions, oil & vinegar, and oregano). Though my favorite late-night snack sandwich is chunky peanut butter and chocolate syrup on toasted white bread... yeah, I know...

My .02... It's not necessary that your professors know personally a potential POI. And while it is not a requirement that you make contact with POIs in September, it doesn't hurt. I got into one top program and that was the one program for which I had actually had a meeting with my POI. So, while it may not be necessary, it can't hurt (unless you do something really stupid) and CAN help. On the GPA, modern is right. Anything from a 3.7 or so and higher is basically looked at as being the same. Your major GPA will matter far more than your overall GPA. If you have a 3.0 in your major, that would be a problem for a lot of places. As for chichi, you wonder why you were not competitive enough but admit that your letters of recommendation were "not bad." Consider that many applicants have letters stating, "This is the best student I've seen in 20 years, blah blah..." Picking the right letter writers and developing relationships with them a year or two ahead of your application season is crucial. Also, you didn't even mention your writing sample. A top quality writing sample derived from primary sources is absolutely essential to get into any good program, and even more so at the top programs. Your letters and your writing sample are what really speak the most toward your potential. Then the SOP. GPA and GRE are often the least important as long as they are not unusually low. However, all of the prospective applicants for 2012 should keep in mind that this is a highly subjective process in the first place and is further affected greatly by factors both beyond our control and beyond our knowledge, i.e., inter-departmental politics. Just because you have a 4.0 and perfect GRE scores, it doesn't guarantee you anything. Fit with POIs is CRUCIAL. If you don't have a good fit with the faculty, you have no chance, no matter what your numbers or how good your application is overall. I believe I had a really strong application (including a publication, already took 2 graduate classes, a lot of research experience both on my own and as a paid RA, and LORs from 3 VERY highly esteemed historians in my field, all of with whom I had developed VERY strong relationships) and still ended up getting into only 2 schools, my top choice and my "safety," because those were where I had the best fit. Fit really has to be your primary factor in deciding to which schools you're going to apply. And while it may not be that helpful with applying, I highly recommend Gregory Colon Semenza's book, "Graduate Study For the Twenty-First Century."