rising_star

Is it a topic you'd already need to do research on as part of the literature review for your dissertation or as part of your comps preparation? If so, then it might make sense to do it. If not, I'd either politely decline or find collaborators with whom you could share the workload.

Maybe you could ask about scheduling a Skype session to talk through the paper, his feedback, and the revisions you should/will undertake?

Getting a research assistant position and making money seems preferable to me, but I'm also extraordinarily debt-averse. For me, anything that didn't set me back financially and still gave me good experience would be the priority. But, a bird in the hand is also better than two in the bush (in this case, an offer to do something is better than the unknown). Do you have any leads on RA positions? Can you furiously apply to those now in the hopes that you can land one before you have to decide about the master's programs?

Does the master's program offer you any funding?

Even for a one year master's, it's an important factor. For example, if you move from Dallas, TX to Madison, WI for a one-year program, you have to consider the cost of buying proper winter apparel (and enough of it to last you through 5-6 months of winter), of purchasing snow or four season tires for your car, etc., when comparing the cost of programs and the stipend amounts being offered. It can be hard to find good, used winter stuff in some places and purchasing four new tires will set you back $600-800 or so. These are very real considerations, at least in my book. There's also the fact that, in some ways, the PhD program could be the last time you truly get to pick where you live. You can't choose where job openings are or which openings will lead to an offer when you're on the job market. Plus, landing multiple job offers and being able to decide between them is rare compared to having a couple of funded PhD offers to choose between. In that sense, while you can choose where not to apply, if your choice is between applying for everything (AFTDJ in Chronicle forum speak) and unemployment, people generally choose to apply widely to anything that seems even remotely reasonable, weather be damned. To me, that makes being able to choose location for graduate school even more important because the next stop in your career as a VAP, postdoc, teaching fellow, or even TT faculty may not be in a place you really want to be (the stepping stone approach to building one's career). I had far more choices about location and the associated weather as a PhD applicant than I have ever had since.

It depends on what you mean by fit. If you're interested in German history, then you'll ideally attend a program that has a German historian. But, maybe you're really interested in German labor history so you go to a program that has an American labor historian and a few historians of Western Europe. The latter wouldn't (at least at first) seem like a perfect fit but could still let you draw on the expertise you need to do the project you want to do. My point is that you don't need to find someone that is doing exactly what you want to do. Rather, you can find people who do things similar to what you want to do and can help you do whatever project most interests you. Here's an example (not a historian but this is still probably relevant). My master's advisor and I didn't work within the same theoretical/methodological framework, the same country, or the same broader context. BUT, we were interested in the same overarching theories for explaining things. I put people on my MA thesis committee who were more familiar with the methods I was using or the specific theories but, ze read everything I wrote and gave me fantastic insight. My MA advisor had a perspective on things that others didn't have precisely because it wasn't their main thing. In the process, they made me a better scholar because I had to more clearly justify my project to someone outside the subfield. On paper, my MA advisor would NOT have been a great fit for the project I did but, it worked out really well and I got into all the top PhD programs in my subfield to which I applied. I know that my advisor helped make that happen because they made me a better researcher, writer, and thinker.

A few thoughts: - Will the MA program give you the chance to do what you need to improve your applications for a future PhD admissions cycle? Will it give you full funding (stipend plus tuition waiver)? If the answer to both questions is yes, then by all means attend that program and don't worry about rank. - For MA programs, what you do is as important, if not more important, than where you go. You want to have an awesome writing sample, gain research experience, and start networking with scholars in your field. Ideally, you'll submit something for publication (even a book review is fine), beef up your language skills, get some teaching experience, and garner some kickass rec letters. Any program which can help you do those things is an asset because it will give you the chance to show PhD programs that you can do this academia thing. - The literature folks have been discussing this as well:

I am an academic. I also know what does and does not make me happy. If given a choice, I know I would be (and have been) less productive academically in places where I don't like the weather because the weather makes me not want to do anything (work, read for pleasure, exercise, etc.). I don't think there's anything wrong with considering your mental well-being when choosing a program. Would you choose to work with an advisor who will berate you for small mistakes if that person is also a top advisor at an excellent program? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on your ability to deal with constant belittling behavior. To me, weather is no different. If it affects your mental state, then it's a factor when considering what program to attend, what jobs to apply for, where to move for work, etc. But, thanks for saying that I can't be a serious academic and care about the weather. You sound like a certain dissertation committee member of mine, whose advice I ignored when deciding how to go on the job market.

If you're talking Fulbright, you have basically 2 single-spaced pages to describe the research you plan to do. It's really not that much nor are you required to do exactly what is in your grant statement if you are awarded funding. Basically, you should try to get something together this spring/summer so you can apply in the fall. That way, you have two chances at getting funding without significantly delaying the time to completion for your degree. If you wait to apply and aren't funded, then you're looking at reapplying for year 6 or having to switch to a backup plan.* I would apply as early and as often as possible to as many opportunities as possible. Fulbrights to Western Europe are extremely competitive. Good luck! *BTW, I highly recommend that everyone whose research is dependent on funding to do international research have a Plan B project which they could see themselves doing and which isn't as reliant on external funding.

A master's program is two years. It doesn't have to have a POI who is the perfect fit for your research interests. Really, you need someone who can help guide you in your interests and give you the historical grounding to put the work you want to do at the doctoral level into the appropriate context. Working with the absolute perfect POI is not necessary, especially if that person is in a department which either doesn't have or doesn't fund master's students. You could take a two-pronged approach and apply both to the PhD programs with the perfect POI and to funded master's programs, which should maximize your chances.

All you can do is ask. If they don't reply, you'll be in the same place you are now.

This is an interesting one. I don't really understand why it would take 7 years either way and why none of the time spent doing a master's would lead to a shorter PhD program. It's also bizarre to me that two different programs/departments would have identical coursework which leads to degrees in different fields. Some considerations: - Is there any value in having the interdisciplinary MA on the job market? It's hard to know without knowing the specific area but, could you see yourself applying for jobs where the interdisciplinary MA would be helpful? - Would you/your project benefit from having an interdisciplinary perspective? Would the committee for the MA program be exactly the same as it could/would be for the PhD program? If not, could the differences be ones which enrich your project? - Are you guaranteed admission with funding to Program B upon completion of your MA? If not, then you're taking a gamble by not going directly into the PhD program. - How certain are you that your interests won't change? - Is the stipend the same for each program?

@yaygrad's advice about how to ask the older professor is right on track, though I'd only use the second question. Asking people whether they plan on staying in the department is a dicey question. For those without tenure, it assumes that they will get tenure, which they can't know. It also assumes that people are happy where they are. In reality, few faculty know whether they'll be in the same department in 5-6 years for all sorts of reasons. My dissertation advisor never said he might be leaving until he was actually considering leaving (he was being headhunted by other top departments, which isn't uncommon for good faculty). So, even if they say they will remain, that doesn't mean they actually will.

Patience is the key to all good things.

You really can't say anything about this without coming across defensive in all likelihood. Were it me, I'd probably drop it. But, if you wanted to bring it up, you could ask your advisor how far in advance they like to know things and how often they like to be reminded about upcoming deadlines. And you would want to ask without talking about this scholarship unless specifically asked about it.

Given your situation, I would first put all my effort into bettering my employment situation. Once that is stable and you're not working 7 days a week, then you can spend time trying to figure out what you want to do for a career. Right now, there are way too many options for anyone to really be able to help you pick a career. One thing that could help is doing informational interviews with people in those careers to find out what a day in their life looks like and what steps they would recommend you take to pursue a career in that area.

You probably just need research experience in the field you plan to go into. Why not contact your POIs or the DGS at places you weren't admitted to see what you could do to strengthen your application?

@MicroMan42, it depends on the department and where you are on their list. It depends on what those already admitted do (whether they decide to accept or decline their offer). It depends on the funding situation for the department. In other words, it's impossible for us to say.

I've never heard of it, though I have heard of people doing a second PhD in a different field. In fact, I was joking about it the other night while out with friends (because really, who wouldn't want to study sharks for a second PhD?) but, there's no way I'd do comps and a dissertation again. Coursework doesn't bother me, so I could see myself picking up another master's in the future. It also seems like it would be awkward to explain spending 3-4 years in one PhD program and then 4-5 years another when interviewing for jobs...

If you transfer now, you'll likely have to spend extra time in undergrad. I'm not sure how that would help you. You would also need to make sure you got the most of your transfer by getting to know professors, working with them as a research assistant, etc. It might be easier for you to do those things where you are. Plenty of people go to FAU and schools like it and get into graduate programs. It's as much (or more) about your research experience than where you went to college.

What @TakeruK said! Accepting multiple grants is actually really common, especially when they don't cover the same thing. If they don't and you need all of the funding, definitely accept all of the grants you are awarded.

Look around here for threads on questions to ask programs, @Unimpressed3D. There are a number of them both general and discipline-specific.

I wouldn't move to London without funding. If you don't get funding, then the program isn't ready to invest in you. Your specific questions can probably only be answered by the department/school in question.

I would consider the money, the atmosphere of the department, and the weather. Assuming the funding packages are the same (as in, could afford you the same standard of living in each city), I'd focus on weather and location. I hate snow and Tempe is too hot for me in the summer, so I'd probably choose UGA based on weather. Also, Hanover, NH is way more rural than Tempe, AZ or Athens, GA. I like small towns but Hanover is way too small for me.

They could be. How low are your GRE scores? The easiest way to find out would be by asking places where you were rejected for feedback on your application.