junotwest

Amazed no one here's mentioned reading reviews as a strategy for getting basic arguments down. In history sometimes these are just a few paragraphs more or less summarizing entire books. I really wish they were available for volume chapters or articles.
 
Often searching for citations of a work in question will bring up a brief takeaway description written in another work as well. 
 
I should warn you, though, there are tough profs out there who will really expect you to churn through detail in a way that will catch you out if you don't at least get down the basic points in each chapter of a book. 

Not quite on topic but related: a POI recommended Pierre Bayard's very entertaining "How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read," which I found to be a good way to break the spell of the "I'm illiterate if I didn't read every word" panic. He argues roughly that the ideas in books rarely matter as much as their relations to other ideas, and that figuring out those networks of ideas rarely requires reading whole books. Even more relevant to grad school coursework, he says that sometimes reading carefully is actually a hindrance to the comprehension of broad context, which is really why books matter in the first place. 
 
I don't mean to suggest any particular conclusions from that about how you should approach course reading, but it seems important to remember that at least in some cases, "not-reading" is just a different kind of reading, not an inferior one.

Friendly advice from the art historian: there are tons of great books out there that can give you a little extra boost on the "reading pictures" critically. Ways of Seeing by John Berger is a really short effective read for that (it's also a documentary you can find on youtube), but I've also browsed "How to Read World History in Art" and I think that could also be helpful. It's more of a laymen's book and I found it at barnes & noble's, but it was interesting from what I recall. Captions are very important, and incredibly helpful as sources of further information/citations. The best captions explain not only what you're looking at, but where it is found/came from/other non-immediate context. 
 
I also suggest that you should definitely read the index or appendix of your books, as well as the bibliographies. I'm still in my UG final semester but have had about 5 seminars with graduate students and I'm always amazed when they complain the databases don't give them everything and research is hard -- but then never back track on the bibliographies of their monographs! If I'm just doing my own research or trying to find something "specific" I look for keywords in the index/appendix, and mark the pages they show up on with post-its, similar to reading chapters based on "reasons why the book was assigned". If I own the book I also highlight and annotate key phrases/points in chapters or paragraphs. That's especially helpful for when I need to recall a citation for something or I'm bringing the article/monograph in for seminar discussion. 

Congrats! That's a good choice to have.
 
I guess it comes down to the differences between a British PhD and an American PhD (which have probably been discussed in more detail on another thread).
 
But, in a nutshell, in an American PhD, you get to take classes for at least a couple of years before starting dissertation research. In comparison, in a British PhD you jump right into the dissertation. So, you should think about where you are academically, and what your needs are: do you feel like you need course work, or are you ready to start your dissertation work?
 
Then, there is the job market to think about. Do you see yourself working in the US or in Britain/Europe? Which program is right for you will depend on the answer to that question.
 
Another issue to consider is teaching. Generally, in an American program you can get TA experience (though not always), whereas in British programs it is rarer to come by. So, you should think about whether teaching experience is something you are keen on developing or not.
 
Finally, apart from all of these differences, a big part of your decision will come down to your individual field, adviser, and department. You didn't mention what your field is, but maybe one of these departments/advisers is stronger than the other for that particular area? 
 
Good luck with the decision!

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 would think the more important thing is that you're doing enough quality work that your professors think highly enough to write good letters for you.  I can't imagine that happening and not having good grades, generally speaking.

It's a little difficult to disagree with this post, but apparently some people did.
 
Again, I can't believe that institutional racism/sexism and privilege are concepts that are really coming as a surprise to people here. I mean ... really? No one said it was okay to discriminate or call white people/men derogatory terms, and I think that most people here agree that no one should make a man feel unwelcome in women's studies. Certain posters have pointed out only that the use of derogatory terms against those who have been systematically denied power serve to dehumanize those people in ways not experienced by the dominant culture.  
 
Furthermore, in terms of language itself ... I'm not even sure that there *are* any derogatory terms aimed exclusively at heterosexual men--at least not any that function like cunt or slut or cooze. We operate within a language that privileges heterosexual maleness at every turn. The only way, in fact, to really insult a heterosexual male is to simply imply that he is not a heterosexual male (fag, pussy, girl, etc). So even if a woman wanted to use language to alienate and dehumanize men, she couldn't. So the entire discussion of using language to oppress the dominant group ... seems all hypothetical and immaterial to me.

-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.

In light of the depressing application year, how about we gather around the campfire to hear some good ole stories?

Here's one that my professor told me, though I'm not sure how well it will translate to text. 

My professor (I shall call him John) was sitting in one of his first M.A. classes, eager and ready to learn, surrounded by like-minded, eager individuals. The class covered 17th and 18th century British literature, and the professor gave off the air of being a generally calm, collected individual who likely still enjoyed reading by candlelight.
 
Just as the professor handed out the syllabus and began to go over the reading selections for the course, a Chinese student threw open the doors and, having stopped in the doorway,  looked up at the professor with pleading eyes. Breathless and in a heavy accent, he managed to ask, "Um, excuse me. Excuse me. Is this where we read the Awakening?"
 
The professor, puzzled, responded, "No, this is a British literature class. We won't read Kate Chopin in here."
 
The Chinese student responded, "No Awakening? Oh, ok.Thank you," and took a seat. Still perplexed, the professor went on explaining the syllabus and handed the Kate Chopin fan a copy.

Approximately five minutes later, the same student raised his hand, the syllabus clasped in his other hand, and asked, "Um, excuse me. But, we read the Awakening in this class?"

The professor with patience more vast than the Pacific Ocean responded, "No, this is a British literature class. The Awakening is an American novel."

"Oh, ok. Thank you," the student responded.

Again, after another five minutes of what must have been agony for the Kate Chopin fan, he raised his hand and asked, "Um, excuse me. We read the Awakening in this class?"

Finally, the Pacific Ocean had run dry. The professor, with all of the constraint he could muster, responded, "Kate Chopin is an American author from the 20th century. This class will only cover British authors from the 17th and 18th centuries. We will not read the Awakening in this class." 
 
Although not an event of deja vu, the student responded, "Oh, ok. Thank you."

The class went on without any further interruptions until, approximately ten minutes into lecture, John, my professor, relates that he heard the most dire, depressing sound he had ever heard emitting from a human being coming from the direction of the young Chinese student. 

He recalls that, with all of the pain and misery ever experienced through this young man's ancestry, centuries upon centuries, since ancient China, the student released the most agonizing moan he had ever heard, collected his things, and exited the classroom.

My professor still wonders to this day if that young student ever found his paradise among the 20th century American literature classes.

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.

Just got the call tonight. IN AT PENN!!! Can't believe it. 8 straight rejections. I am overwhelmed.

Based on your acceptances line, I would go to which ever one is at Ohio State.  They have a SERIOUS history program, and the contacts you make there could be huge.  Also ditto about doing a history MA thesis.

Waitlisted at Brandeis!  After ten rejections in a row, I had officially lost hope.  SOOOO happy for this small validation! 

Thanks so much, this is very helpful.  And I see that we both were accepted into Ohio State's program!!!

I do not think the insinuation that this is used against you in the decision-making process is at all true. There are a number of full-time PhD students at in the history program at Harvard who do have kids and families. Given that the questionnaire popped up after the rest of the admission was complete, I believe that the questionnaire is primarily for use by the graduate school as a whole—hopefully to help decide whether to better support graduate students with families through institutional means (i.e. subsidized child care, expanded student family housing, dependent coverage on insurance, etc.).

I usually say may the odds be ever in your favor.
 
Nobody has complained thus far, but sometimes I don't hear back. I wonder if there's any causality link here.

Here we go, it's Monday morning! Hoping for good news all around!

I agree with the others who've urged you to stick it out for another cycle or two if you really would prefer to become a historian rather than a programmer. Last year, I was in a very similar situation as you and was even rejected by most of the same schools. The difference? I applied to more schools and was accepted by one. Your Princeton waitlist result is impressive (there were only five people on it last year) and probably means you have the right stuff for an acceptance somewhere (it was indicative for me), but just weren't a perfect fit due to various contingencies at any of the limited, highly-selective schools you applied to this year. If you weren't in touch with POIs this year, maybe do so next time and apply to either a wider pool or one where you have some confirmation not just that your interests are a lock, but that logistical circumstances would permit your admission that cycle. 

You guys are cute.

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. 

The difference between top 10 and top 5 to me is so small as to be irrelevant, especially when one has "very very good research fit" and the other has "decent" research fit.  They're both prestigious programs.

I like TakeruK's advice.  I have found that my actual research interests and projects have shifted a bit since I began school, and have also found that I am intrigued by a lot of different kinds of projects.  If I were applying over, I wouldn't be so concerned about the exact projects as I would be about 1) the skills I could learn and 2) the people I would be working with.  I am also definitely not completely 100% in love with my PhD dissertation work, but I like it well enough to finish it, and I think it's interesting.

Honestly, it's like work.  I don't know too many people who are completely, 100% in love with their jobs. But they like them well enough to work at them for 50-60 hours a week.  That's what you need.

So happy to be contributing to this thread. I've read through all the posts here for the past month, hoping I would one day write about my own acceptance; today, it came.
 
I was sitting in a boring meeting at work - when an email came through. It didn't excite me, since I completed my FAFSA application a few days ago and was receiving many emails from schools about financial aid that were unrelated to my admission decision. However, this particular email had the subject line containing the word "Congratulations!" It could only mean one thing.
 
Yup. I had been admitted. I did my best to keep my  cool throughout the rest of the meeting (no one knows I applied to graduate school), but I feverishly emailed my family and friends to share the good news.
 
I didn't apply to a single school that I wasn't excited to attend. The fact that I got accepted meant I was going to an institution where I would be proud to call myself an alumna someday. Even if I don't receive another acceptance, I'd be content.
 
Edit: Grammar. Sorry. Shaky hands.

I received an offer of admission from the Ohio State University this morning!! (I'm the early-bird poster).  I'm so thrilled and I feel so incredibly blessed! I'm not religious at all but I will most definitely be in church this Sunday lol! Ten minutes before I checked the website I was telling my roommate about how I should probably go to church soon, and then bam! There's this.  Not sure what the forum protocol is but I thought I'd share!    

Thank you! My first acceptance letter! What a relief!

I'm currently in my final year of an MA program at CSU Sacramento. I don't think it really has a reputation for anything. It is just a middling state school(don't get me wrong, I've loved it here and the professors are great). I don't think any of the PHD programs are considered the very elite, although they are in the top quartile of rankings. Anyways, I've been accepted at UC Davis, and last year one of the students from our program was accepted into Yale, and I don't think she was the first. One of my professors noted that a student he wrote a letter of rec for got into Cornell, and he himself went to a middling state university for an MA program and got into Cornell.