junotwest

Reading many of these definitions of fit really could have saved me some time and a lot of agony during the application process. I thought of "fit" as finding a professor who does almost exactly what you want to do, and didn't spend a lot of time, initially, evaluating departments as a whole for their ability to work with me as my interests inevitably change. When I went on my visits I heard this holistic approach to fit over and over again, so it's the way I've come to see fit now. I just wish I thought that way when I started this thing!

Seeing as this current admissions cycle is winding down for most of us (congrats to all admits!), I think now's a good a time as any to have a frank discussion about "fit." What does fit mean to you? Does it mean the same thing to you now as you make your final decision as it did to you when you began the application process? Do the ways that we talk about fit, particularly the value we should place on it when evaluating graduate programs, in the abstract, with our peers, and our advisors match up with the ways we think about fit when alone with our thoughts? Does fit really trump all? Does fit really mean anything? These are just a few questions to get discussion going. Feel free to disregard these if you feel they're suckish and to pose/answer some of your own. Cheers!

-The voices in safe spaces aren't homogeneous, folks with similar subject positions can and invariably do express different opinions. -OP, do your work, stay in your lane, write compelling and serious scholarship, be generous to those who've come before you, don't worry about it. If the work you're doing is important, folks'll let you know.

Well, OP, you don't discuss time at all in your thesis, let alone a time period, which would help you think about how things have changed during that period. And phrases such as "overcame Anti-Sikh immigration policies" don't tell us much either. This sort of sounds like an essay question for an exam? But you're not really answering your prompt because you're not actually discussing the experiences of Sikh people. Your prof could be looking for a descriptive answer, one in which you compare the experiences of Sikh people to other Canadians, and bit of analysis regarding why their experiences have varied, and if you're feeling bold, perhaps an attempt to explain what that tells you about Canada (assuming this is a blue-book exam). If this is a "thesis" as in a major research paper, you'll really have to narrow this down. A lot. Like a lot.

A few questions to consider: Are you able to contact any current students to ask how realistic it is to expect to earn a 3.5 in your first year? Do you know what the grading system is? Can you ask current students to see sample "A" papers? Additionally, you can ask your POIs what you can expect in your classes, and perhaps request to see sample syllabi from past classes, anything that better enables you gauge the work required of you so you can determine if you think you can do it. But, chances are, you're a rock star student and will do exceedingly well!

Everything I've read about the MA in the humanities seems to suggest that what is important is that you produce a quality writing sample, propose an interesting research project, and have three letters from professors who can confirm that you are a solid researcher and would produce quality work as a doctoral student. Having said that, I think both programs would provide you with the means of accomplishing these things, granted you take the thesis option. I'd be weary of paying more for the MA than is necessary, but I would also encourage you to also consider the reputation of the professors with whom you would work at each institution, as a professor's reputation in the field can affect the valuation of their letter. Does this outweigh the additional costs incurred at one institution? I'm not sure, but it's something to consider. Also, program structure would be sort of important. Which permits/encourages the most specialization? I say this because increased specialization would make it more likely that you can persuasively propose an original research project. What I'd like to conclude with is that you can still be a competitive applicant from either institution, but I'd argue that most of that is dependent upon the caliber of work you produce as a student there. Congrats and best of luck to ya! *disclaimer, I'm a senior undergrad and all I know about MA's are what I've read when I considered applying for them, so please feel free to discard my opinion if it seems ill-advised.

Congrats on the Northwestern admit! That's a big deal and cause for celebration . I PD'd you btdubbs

It seems that folks are beginning to hear back from Yale; I'm incredibly nervous! Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled by all the offers I've received thus far and consider myself all too blessed, but I find myself now compulsively checking the website and my email again just like I was at the beginning of the season before I heard anything from anyone. Am I alone in this feeling, or is it about the same for everyone else? Anyway, here's to hoping for good news all around!

What would be important is that if you earn an African American studies MA your writing sample should be historical in nature, and that you have a couple letters from professors who have been trained as historians, though all of your letters do not need to be from history PhDs. So, yes, you would have a good chance to be admitted to a top history program. In fact, here is the CV of a prof with a similar record admitted to Indiana Bloomington a few years back. http://www.tanishacford.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/CV-for-website-copy.pdf

Reply with a brief thank you for reaching out, mention how excited you are about the possibility of working with him in the fall, close w/ how you're looking forward to talking more w/ him @ the visit, and ask any questions you may have about the visit or him in general. I would say yes, read a few publications, if only so that you can have a better feel for what this prof is all about. Best of luck to ya!

I hadn't realized mentioning your university name could be a boon to SOP. I mentioned mine in the first sentence as a way to temporally ground my hook. I mentioned my GPA indirectly in the opening of the third paragraph where I talked about my uni not having a lot of classes relating to my specific subfield (basically said I aced all the others) and sought out fellowships to supplement coursework (stated amount earned). Don't know if that's helpful to you, it worked for me though.

Hi there. Your stats are totally fine and won't disqualify you from any program. Perform as well as you can on the GRE and apply wherever you'd be happy to study. I don't think being a 4.0, decorated student from a top-tier university will affect your admissibility as much as having a solid writing sample and speaking the language of your field in the SOP will. I don't have a 4.0, I attend a public liberal arts college, and I've received some offers that I'm pretty stoked about. You can PM me if you're curious about what my applications looked like.

I had just written a really angsty email to my McNair research coordinator at like 8a before prepping for class, asking if I should apply to English MA programs in addition to history PhD programs because my work is pretty interdisciplinary, which caused me to worry that history adcomms would not look favorably upon my proposed project. Mind you, this was really early in the application season so I was really letting undue anxiety have too much hold on me. I checked my program's website out of compulsiveness at 8:30a and there was notification of my acceptance! I ran around my apartment screaming (luckly my roommates were awake prepping for class as well), as this was just a huge shock because I expected to be shut out. I called my mom, my grandma, and I was (and stil am) just exremely happy and I feel really blessed. Congrats everyone!

First, congrats those who have received acceptances today and throughout this season! Second, how are most people dealing with rejections? I felt as though I could see mine coming, so when I got the email wasn't too surpised, but I still feel sort of icky and keep wondering what it was about my application that made me sink among that particular pool of applicants and what to expect from similar pools.

I've gotten INTP every time I've taken one those D: