boristhespider_1

I'm an editor with the History News Network, and I'm working on a story about the job market and grad school applicants. I don't know how many of the forum-goers here are members of the AHA or read the Chronicle of Higher Ed regularly, but Rob Townsend, the deputy director and all-around numbers guru, just released his latest report on the state of the job market. http://www.historians.org/perspectives/issues/2011/1112/The-Ecology-of-the-History-Job-Shifting-Realities-in-a-Fluid-Market.cfm The title alone ought to indicate that things aren't as unequivocally bad as they were two or three years ago. Still, things aren't good. Tony Grafton and Jim Grossman, the president and the executive director of the AHA, respectively, have been writing up a storm recently about alternative career paths for history PhDs outside of academia. http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/10/03/leaders_of_history_association_call_for_new_view_of_the_job_market I'd like to prevail upon the wisdom of this forum and talk to you (the plural you--English can be such an imprecise language) about your decision(s) to apply to grad school, your plans for grad school, and your post-PhD career. I can be reached at editor@hnn.us. David A. Walsh Editor HNN http://hnn.us (651) 270-3945

Thanks... and you're right, of course. I actually posted that right after I came out of class, and I was less than impressed with the discussion today. But on reflection, that's probably because the majority of the people in my class were not history majors or even majoring in the liberal arts. I like engineers, I'm friends with some engineers, but they don't necessarily make the greatest discussion partners in a humanities course. :roll: And it would also be wrong to imply that students at my college are not "bright," because there are certainly plenty that are. I actually get more concerned with other people's perceptions of my school, but I think that's just because I read the NY Times comments section too much, where everybody is completely hung up with their alma maters.

Thank you very much for your comments. I have said that war and society and terrorism studies are my research interests, but that doesn't really specify what geographical and historical areas I'm interested in. The geographical areas I'm interested in are France, Russia, and the United States, and obviously my focus is on modern history. Here's the thing: I'm really not interested in attending a program that's not in the T20, preferably the T10. I hope it doesn't sound shallow or vain, and I know that the overwhelming majority of grad students will tell you to apply to the scholar and not the program, but I'm somewhat skeptical of that. Furthermore, I was not exactly thrilled with my undergraduate institution - although I was more than happy with faculty and the support from my department, I frankly was not impressed with the caliber of the students, and I think standards were deflated to an extent. Anyway, what kind of application would I have to have to be considered for some of these top programs (say, for example, UNC Chapel Hill, Northwestern University, or the University of Chicago)? Would I necessarily have to publish an article, for example, to be considered? Would it be expected that I be a scholarship winner or have won paper prizes? I did come runner-up in two awards at my school...

Thanks for your comments. I have a new, rather interesting dilemma. As I said, I am graduating in spring 2010 on a 3-year grad plan, but I have just been offered a full-time job as an editor. The pay is decent (certainly more than a grad student's stipend), I'd be learning some new skills, and without revealing too much, I'd still be involved in the history community. I'd still like to go to grad school at an unspecified point (probably within two or three years), but my undergrad advisor told me today that at the top programs (say ranked within the top 10 or top 15) mark it against you if you took time off after you get your B.A. because it shows that you are a "dilettante." Is this true?

Hello! I thought I'd post this here - I am a rising junior at the University of Minnesota, and I plan to begin the application process to graduate school for a history PhD this year (that is to say, applying for a slot in 2011). Here are my stats: I am a double major in history and political science. GPA is going to be around 3.8 when I graduate, maybe a little more, maybe a little less. I will have spent a semester at Trinity College in Dublin. I will graduate summa cum laude (I'm currently at work on my honors thesis). I can count on strong letters of recommendation. My language skills aren't great by any means, but I have a background in French and to a certain extent Russian. I have a fairly interesting resume - I've worked at an archive on campus before being laid off due to budget cuts, and I'm now interning with the History News Network and have written a few articles for them. I will graduate at the end of my junior year (3-year grad plan), and then will take a transition year, primarily to work so I can replenish my depleted funds. I haven't been working on my SOP yet, largely because I'm more concerned with finishing my undergrad before I start on that. Haven't taken the GRE yet, and don't know how I'll do. I exceptionally well on the ACT, but that isn't necessarily an indicator of future perfomance. I honestly don't know what programs I wish to apply for, except for the University of Wisconsin (a good program, and cheap for me as a Minnesota resident - we have reciprocity) and UNC - Chapel Hill. I am interested in the general subfield of war & society and the history of terrorism (I'm writing my thesis on this subject). Any thoughts? Where could I stand a reasonable chance of getting in?