Kirialax

Just received a letter in the mail granting me an award. This is excellent news for those of you on the waitlist, since I'm almost certain to decline it, go elsewhere, and re-apply in a year.

Indeed. My supervisor stresses reading as many book reviews as you can before reading a book, as that may mean you don't have to read it. I've found this works great, and has especially saved me from plodding through a lot of German. I do, however, find that my reading load tends to be a lot lighter than that of my colleagues who work on modern history. Since I don't read modern history, I have no idea why this is, although it's possible that having to do a bunch of it in non-English languages may be part of the cause.

Rejected from Princeton. At least there is a silver lining - I don't have to cross into the US for my Ph.D.

Very much the same, although I must admit that I find some pleasure in writing into the wee hours, long after the city around me has gone to sleep (despite actually being a morning person).

Not yet. New England Nat would know more, but I'd expect it quite soon given how many of the other big ones have made offers.

American History R_Escobar (20th century, American Indian), crazedandinfused (antebellum, intellectual), hopin'-n-prayin' (southern, religious), stevemcn (transnational), Simple Twist of Fate (early American), zb642 (20th century, labor/working-class culture), BCEmory08 (19th-20th century Catholicism, labor), irvinchiva10 (20th century, immigration/immigration reform) natsteel (early American political culture and intellectual history) unforth (19th century US political and military history, US Civil War) hbeels (colonial, early national, 19th century, transappalachain west, historical memory of these eras/areas) thedig13 (20th century U.S.; built environment, modern consumer culture, race, and immigration) Weepsie (North American Mapping, Exploration and Trade, Anti-Communism/Socialism in Interwar period, bit of a mixed bag) lafayette (19th c. [with a dash of 20th], urban, intellectual) vtstevie (Revolutionary/Early Republic New England, infrastructure/economic) macmc (Feminist, gender, and LGBT history) HistThrift (early America, indigenous history) junotwest (19/20th century African-American, Cultural/Intellectual, Gender & Sexuality) calhoun&caffeine (19th cen. Southern [political]) European History Kelkel (Modern Germany, political), goldielocks (Britain), SapperDaddy (Eastern and Central Europe), kotov (Modern Romania, Holocaust, labor), RevolutionBlues (Modern Western Europe/France labor and leftist politics), theregalrenegade (18th/19th cent British Empire/environment), jrah822 (19th century Britain; emphasis on colonial relationship to India), grlu0701 (Intellectual & cultural history,fin de siecle Germany and Italy), naturalog (modern European [mostly German] intellectual and cultural/sexuality and gender/political radicalism), runaway (Eastern/Central, memorialization & visual culture), Sequi001 (Modern France, gender and sexuality, colonialism/imperialism) Abetheh (19th/early 20th century Germany and France, religious politics vs secularization) NeutralKate (Modern Russia, modern European economic history) Crackerjacktiming (Modern Germany, gender and sexuality) GloFish (USSR, Stalinism, Soviet-American Relations) jamc8383 (19th/20th century France, interwar culture, relationship between body, mind & place) Heimat Historian (19th/20th century Germany, migration, settler colonialism) African History Oseirus (precolonial/early colonial West Africa), Singwaya18 (20th century East Africa), Safferz (20th century Horn/Northeast Africa), The People's Scholar (Spanish colonialim in Africa- i.e. middle/West Africa) Jogatoronto (Psychiatry in early colonial West Africa) ronwill06(Social and political radical movements) Heimat Historian (German settlements in Southern Africa) Latin American History CageFree (20th century, Southern Cone), BH-history, The People's Scholar (18th-19th century Colombia) StrangeLight (20th century Central America) Heimat Historian (German settlements in Southern cone and Mexico) Mujereslibres (German informal colonization of Peru, Brazil, and Chile) East Asian History alleykat (Modern China) getitlow (Modern China: Republican, Women, Gender and Sexuality) kyjin (Pre-Modern Japan) aec09g (Modern Japan) pudewen (Late Imperial China) kdavid (Modern China; focus on the Republican period) Near/Middle Eastern History uhohlemonster, (modern Israel, Iran, Palestine) oswic (modern Egypt, gender) Conmel (modern pan-Islamic thought/networks) Atlantic World sandyvanb crazedandinfused Global/World History cooperstreet (Cold War) melissarose8585 Heimat Historian (German settlements throughout world) Jewish History uhohlemonster, (modern Israel) hopin'-n-'prayin, kotov (Holocaust), naturalog (sometimes modern European/Holocaust), runaway (memorialization & visual culture), ticklemepink (20th c. Germany/U.S) Science/Technology/Environment shaxmaty1848 (Cold War) StrangeLight (environmental history, ecological distribution conflicts) Social annieca (Cold War and Post-Cold War East and Central Europe) Classical and Medieval Hogs of War (Monastic Studies and Conflicts in Authority) telkanuru (high Medieval intellectual and social history, Cistercian studies) AbbeyRoad (Monastic History, Gender, Cistercians) Kirialax ("Dark Age" Byzantium; the Komnenoi) Cultural StrangeLight (gender, race, ethnicity, and religion) hbeels (race/ethnicity, religious, masculinity/feminimity, print/literature) crazedandinfused (race, nationalism, performance, rhetoric) alleykat (religion, race/ethnicity, cultural relativism) Heimat Historian (German culture in transnational context) Canadian History truthfinder (New France, religious)

Is this a weather-related thing?

I only applied to three. Two are top-tier programs. At one I expected an admit but no funding and the other is a longshot. The backup plan is at such a desirable location that there's a tiny sliver of me hoping that I'll go there, even though going there means a rejection from my top choice.

Bad timing seems to be part of SSHRC's mandate. I was supposed to be spending this term at Ludwig Maximilian Universitat in Germany this term, but since I hadn't heard back from SSHRC regarding the travel supplement I decided it was too much and that I was not going to go. Lo and behold I return to my university in Canada to find out that they just awarded me $5200 after the term started, which would have been just about what I needed. Since it was too late to go and I already had accepted a TA position here, I had to decline the award, and like you, won't know about further SSHRC funding until after I had to decided where to do my next degree.

I was notified by my university by email, perhaps a week ago.

NEN, do Princeton grad students have a role in the selection of incoming students? I had an uncle who was there and had to do it, but that was around two decades ago.

I have not made any use of professional editing service. My supervisor is a Brit with a firm grasp of the King's English, and so he tends to refine my writing. If I wanted a proofreader, though, I'd probably just exchange chapters without someone in my program, ie: I'll proofread their chapter and they proofread mine. Saves money, and you might just help out one of your colleagues along the way.

I just met a couple of Americanists in passing in the department. I was invited to take part in a paper discussion between the students who are early medievalists (which I suppose is what I am) and I was really impressed with the engagement and atmosphere of the graduate student community at Princeton.

I popped by for a visit in late November. I don't suppose we met in passing?

Thanks! I'm really hoping to hear back from Princeton during the next or so, since that's really the major deciding factor. It looks like some of the offers in classics have already been made from there, and if Berkeley is sending them out I'm guessing the other top American schools won't be far behind.

Just received an offer from Oxford. Accepted, but they don't make funding announcements for a little while yet. Still waiting to hear back from the other two, which I'm guessing should take place by the end of February or so.

I don't think you have to worry about it. I suspect that there are a lot of us in the same boat (although I have the advantage of having been accepted to my choice program in the past but having turned it down, so I'm confident about getting in again.)

Has anyone succeeded in getting into top programs without ever doing certain sections of the GRE? From my research (searching the internet, talking to faculty, talking to current students) these things are handled at the department level in my program of choice, and they don't really seem to care much about the GRE in general. I've seen no evidence for a minimum cut-off despite much searching.

I always have. The professors who can't be bothered to answer a five minute email and probably the sort you won't have much of a working relationship with anyway. I've even been emailing people who I would never work under given their institutions (sorry, Wisconsin-Madison, I'm not paying US tuition rates unless it's for an Ivy) just for ideas. My field is pretty small and pretty friendly; most seem happy just to hear from someone who has similar interests. That said, I found the emails I sent out to potential MA supervisors had about a 50% response rate. It has been easier for PhD programs. Once you mention those words I guess they know you're serious and they always respond. Some of this may be because now I always mention that I'm a student of my current supervisor, who is quite well known. If you have the time, snail-mail letters do show a certain commitment and respect.

Perhaps I was a bit calculating with this, but I chose my MA supervisor based off of two factors: how good they are going to be as a reference for when I apply for PhD programs, and how well they answered emails. Now, I wouldn't recommend the email thing as a rule, although I've found those professors who were seriously interested would provide a lot of information and went out of their way to promote themselves. Remember, just as we compete for spots in programs, programs compete for the best of us. I only applied to my current Canadian university and Oxford for the MA. I was admitted to both, but I had figured out that around the time I was making applications that unless a miracle happened (it didn't) affording Oxford was beyond my ability. Thus I wanted a supervisor who could get me there or an Ivy for my doctoral degree. I picked my current supervisor because he was very friendly and personable, an Oxonian himself, and highly respected in his field. We don't quite work on the same thing (he does early Byzantine, whereas my interests lie in the middle period), but I compromised and went to work on the early period under him. It has now been a year. He has hired me for several projects in that time and speaks highly of my work. I have little doubt that his letters of recommendation will carry a lot of weight this fall for PhD applications. As for program versus supervisor, I just don't know anything about your field so it's hard to say. I came where I am for the supervisor and I don't regret that, although the program has sub-standard language training. I don't know just what sort of extraneous skills one might need to pick up in US history at the MA level, but I would base program choices on whether it will provide whatever skills you need.

Hi all, So, here's the situation. I have a BA and will soon have an MA from reputable Canadian institutions. My grades are high and my recommendation letters are good. My MA supervisor is a famous professor who really likes my work and supports my Ph.D. plans elsewhere. I've made some conference presentations, including one at a major graduate conference at a major university. I recently had a book review published in one of the biggest journals in my field. I've served as a TA, a research assistant, and was hired to help edit an edited volume. I read three ancient languages and two modern ones, and am working on another modern one. I'm not short of qualifications, but what I am short of is whether I want to bother applying to US schools. The problem is the GRE. I've been studying off and on for the past several months, but I haven't been able to devote myself fully to it. I know I can succeed, but whether it's worth putting the effort in is the real question. There are only two American schools I'm considering: Princeton and Harvard. Both have abyssmally low admission statistics, but a POI at Princeton (who also happens to be the director of graduate studies) suggested that I have about a 50% chance there based on my CV. However, that does me no good whatsoever if my application is tossed out before it even gets to the department in question because it fails to meet some mysterious university standard. I've hunted for what the minimum scores are, but I've had no luck in finding it. The averages are posted, but there is no indication at what point they start tossing applications. This is compounded by my other main option for a PhD program: Oxbridge. I was admitted to Oxford for my MA but I declined. I've spent time there and am on good terms with many of the faculty and students. In many respect it's the centre of my field in the Anglophone world, and I really want to go. However, it's expensive. I'll probably get some grants from the Canadian government, and while those grants are generous, UK foreign tuition rates are ridiculous and things will be tight. That I have little doubt that I'll be admitted and at least partially funded at Oxbridge is part of the problem: I'm cheap and I look at the funding at Princeton. The POI there is also a very big name, and seems very positive towards my application. I'd rather be in the UK, but I can't deny that the US system has some merits. The five-year program is much more well-rounded than the research-based UK one and provides opportunites to teach, which is beneficial in this tough academic job market. I'd have a great supervisor and good funding in the US (possibly better than the Oxford supervisor, and perhaps equivalent to the Cambridge supervsor), although I'd lose the Oxbridge community, since the Princeton/Harvard academics are basically lone wolves in larger departments. Essentially, is it worth going to all the trouble of the GRE just to possibly turn it down anyway because my first choice is elsewhere? I'm in the midst of thesis writing and learning (yet) another language, and it's one more burden I'd really like to avoid. Thoughts?

I would definitely recommend that book as well. It's designed specifically for graduate students who just want to read. That said, it doesn't even going over the alphabet, and will not help you speak French at all. However, if you're just looking at reading French you're in luck because it's not really that bad. There are tens of thousands of English cognates and the word order and grammar are mostly pretty simple if you're just reading.

I second this. I've made quite a few copies of books for personal use, especially hard to find or expensive tomes I had to ILL. As for buying books, I tend to acquire quite a few. My personal academic library consists of around 250 volumes in my main field (Byzantine Studies) and another 200 or so in ancillary areas (ancient and medieval history). I tend to like books, which doesn't help, but my official justification is that too often in my field books get a single print run and then you can never find them again, or they only appear for obscene prices. Just the other day I saw an Amazon listing for over $3000 for a little 100pp volume that I picked up for something like $12 a few years ago before it went out of print. Thus if it's something I think I'll need and I have the money, I buy it. My living expenses during my MA have been much lower than projected, and thus my library has expanded as a result. I would place particularly high priority on primary texts. I don't know what field you study so this may not be relevant if you get your main material from an archive, but my Greek texts tend to be published in edited editions, and when lucky, with an English translation. Since competition at the library can be fierce for the best editions, I tend to invest if the money is available and it's a very important text. Sometimes these texts can be several hundred dollars, though, and that's when it's time to make use of the overhead book scanner...

1. - To Avoid J.J. Norwich, both the trilogy and the abridgement. It's written very well, but it's a century out of date despite being relatively recent. L. Brownworth, 'Lost to the West'. Basically Norwich into 200pp, with some better stuff on the crusades. 2. - General History G. Ostrogorsky, 'History of the Byzantine State'. Standard scholarly narrative, but getting a little old these days. T. Gregory, 'A History of Byzantium'. I've only read sections, but they have been very good. That said, this book has a definite textbook feel to it that I don't particularly like, but at least the information seems to be first rate. W. Treadgold, 'A History of Byzantine State and Society'. A massive work that I've only read bits of, but generally well-received. C. Wickham, 'The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages'. W. is an amazing scholar, but he's also married to a prominent Byzantinist which makes the Byzantine history chapters to this book absolutely top-notch. J. Haldon, 'The Palgrave Atlas of Byzantine History'. Can be a bit dry, but it's rather comprehensive for a small book filled with maps. 3.- Period Histories (all these work together really well) M. Whittow, 'The Making of Orthodox Byzantium'. Probably the best narrative of the "dark ages." W. has some interesting ideas, although some are more controversial than others. P. Sarris, 'Empires of Faith: The Fall of Rome to the Rise of Islam, 500-700'. Recent and really, really good, although the scope may be a bit larger than what you're looking for since this also covers the west and the rise of Islam in the same period. M. Angold, 'The Byzantine Empire: 1025-1204, A Political History (2nd ed.).' Very, very good, and a good follow-up to Whittow's book. I will not recommend a post-1204 volume since I am but a novice when it comes to the scholarship there, but I have heard good things spoken about Nicol's book. 4. - Civilizational J. Harris, 'Constantinople'. One of the best introductory works on Byzantium, this book tells you many interesting stories in an abbreviated format and reveals how they shaped the Byzantine world and mindset. It's colourful, it's amusing, and it's fascinating. If I had to pick one book to recommend from my list as an introductory volume, it's this one. It's popular history, but it's good popular history by a noted scholar and the notes are full and useful. A. Cameron, 'The Byzantines'. A more thematic introduction to Byzantine civilization taking into account the latest research. Very good, but a very rapid sweep. J. Herrin's 'Byzantium: A Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire'. I've only read sections, but it generally seems quite good, and the author is well-regarded. G. Cavallo (ed.), 'The Byzantines'. A series of essays on Byzantine society and civilization by some of the biggest names in the field today.

The job market is pretty dismal, but it always was. There seems to be an increasing recognition amongst medievalists that Byzantinists should not be shut out, but that hasn't really translated into a lot of real position. The problem is that as a Byzantinist you are an expensive novelty that neither a history nor classics department needs to function, unless there happens to be no one else able to teach Greek. I did my undergrad in classics, and my MA is in a new program in late Roman history in a classics department, so I'm torn between eventually selling myself as a classicist with Byzantine research interests or as a Byzantinist/Islamicist (since my main interests are on state-level conflict between Byzantium and the nascent Islamic and Bulgarian states.) Apparently history departments are hiring Islamicists, so this may be a road to employment, although it will require learning Arabic. As for favourite books, I have to say John Haldon and Leslie Brubaker's Byzantium in the Iconoclast Era: A History is a very good read. Well, the first half of it, anyway. Then the rest turns to tedious state level detail and is basically Haldon's Byzantium in the Seventh Century rehashed and brought up to the ninth century. In the more readable category, Wickham's The Inheritance of Rome: Illuminating the Dark Ages is excellent.