ToomuchLes

I am applying for a PhD in American History, so I can maybe help; so long as you read my SOP and give me your opinion =) Youre welcome to PM it to me, or post it on here.

In regards to SOP length, for one school that I will be applying to, there are four questions that need to be address. 1) Your aptitude and motivation for graduate study 2) Preparation for your field of study 3) Academic plans or research interests and experience in your chosen area of study 4) Your future career goals, and how youre a good intellectual fit. My questions are : Whats an average length for SOPs? Concerning my preparation for my field of study, do I ONLY address research Ive conducted in my area of interest or can I mention research projects that are completely irrelevant to my area but they still have similar background interests? For example, I would like to study the roles of adolescent slaves after certain legislative actions to halt the slave trade in the US during the 19th century. However for two of my seminars, I discussed the growing adolescent involvement in cartel matters while examining their gang roles, their justification in joining – including how recruitment efforts worked – and their social image in Mexican society. Additionally, I also investigated how sixteenth century New England adolescent trials broke away from traditional legislative cases, by comparing trial procedures and verdicts to adolescent witch trials in the Germanic states. Unfortunately, I do not have any research papers revolving around 19th century US slavery. Lastly, can I use my SOP for more than one school if they ask similar questions? I will tailor my SOP to address the professors Id like to work with, and how Im a good fit into the program. EDIT: Also, when I discuss my motivation for graduate study, should I mention that I would like to become a higher educator and be part of a community that produces knowledge? Sounds corny I know, but those are my main two reasons why Im going into grad school. Also because I have a deep passion for history =P. In addition, when I address my intellectual fit, how much space do I spend talking about my POI's research projects, and how it ties in with my own?

Excellent questions about the language requirements. I will do some research on that for UCLA and some of my other interested schools and get back to you =) In regards to the Acorn, I will mostly edit, and proof-read articles before they are published in the newspaper. The assistant director said that after about a month, my responsibilities will expand and by winter, theres the possibility of reporting and writing articles myself, but it all depends on the quality of my work in the first few months.

Id like to study 19th c. slave family roles, with a special interest in children, and therefore, I don't believe theres any languages that would benefit my research. I do already speak fluently French, and Hungarian, but again, theyre not pertinent to my area. I already have a internship at LA Museum of the Holocaust, doing exactly what you advised. Moreover, I will be working for the Calabasas newspaper, the Acorn (since my internship is unpaid =/). EDIT: My primary concern is the time I'll spend away from academia, and how that'll reflect my application.

As the title delineates, I would like to audit a class during my gap year, which will be led by one of my POIs at UCLA in the Fall. I have a few questions that I'd like your opinions on. First, when should I email the professor asking if I can audit the class? Should I mention that I am applying to study under her? Since auditors cannot have their papers graded and therefore cannot demonstrate my writing abilities, should I still audit it? Would this be a good move to make connections with a potential adviser, and thus improve my chances of acceptance?

@ForlornHope I've heard similar anecdotes from professors, but Im curious if this applies to potential graduate students studying American history. I speak Hungarian, and French fluently, but I dont think I'll ever use those languages in my research (Im focusing on family roles in African slaves, with emphasis on children, in Antebellum America).

I have similar interests Bloop. Id like to study African child slavery in 19th c. Antebellum America, and I know a few professor who, dont necessarily focus on children, but study slave families as a whole. A few names Id recommend : Brenda Stevenson at UCLA, Winston James & Jessica Millward at UC Irvine, Abosede George at Columbia (she does mostly African gender history but I have a friend studying under her whose research free African-American family roles), and Tiya Miles at U. of Michigan. These are just a few names I procured by looking at my Kindle reading list. Hope it helped tho.

Appreciate it, Riotbeard. I'll look into these books. =)

I looking for books about 19th century slave politics concerning two disparate themes. The first is I'd like to read more about the slave trade in the U.S after 1808, when Congress prohibited the importation of slaves. I already have a few books regarding this topic such as Carry Me Back, by Deyle and American Slavery, American Freedom by Edmund Morgan, but unfortunately not many. The second theme that I'd like to read more of is anything concerning child slavery in the South in the 19th century. One of my professors, Clarence Walker, mentioned the marginal amount of literature about this topic, so if you have a book that discusses child slavery before the 19th century, I'll gladly look into it =) Many thanks!

Excellent question! I dont mean to hijack your thread, snoozzberryjunkie, but would someone also elaborate on the role of a POI in the History Department at a large school; for example, UCLA. I've heard disparate reports that in larger universities POIs play a marginal role, while at small institutions they play a greater role in deciding candidates for graduate programs.

^ One of the disadvantages of being a guy lol. Great story though!

@awells27, I sent you a PM =D Thank you very much for your help!

One of the many universities that I will be applying to, this upcoming Fall, will be UCLA; however I cannot find any available admission statistics, besides the ones provided on their website. Therefore, if anyone has any credible outside sources regarding graduate admission, I'd greatly appreciate it

I'd recommend buying Manhattans GRE Flashcards (two sets) and Kaplans Flashcards. They each have 500 cards with synonyms, and so, after mastering all three sets, you'll increase your vocabulary by 2000+ words. Similarly, read alot of esoteric articles, newspapers and books, and make your own flashcards when you come across an unknown word. There are also a few games on smartphones that you can download and play. Unfortunately, the only one that comes to mind at the moment is Magoosh's GRE Flashcards, but if you search 'GRE games' you'll find quite a handful. Likewise, there are games online, with my favorite one being : http://gre.tyrannosaurusprep.com/Vocabulary/Quiz-Games. Personally, I would start studying with 20-30 Flashcards a day, while following a study plan on Magoosh. When I started, I felt isolated with the books, and so, Magoosh was the cure with its problem solving videos, and available instructors. I'd also like to recommend that you do one practice test every two weeks, and at the end of each week, you review everything you learned (flashcards, and practice questions).

I'd recommend buying Kaplan, and Manhattan's GRE (two sets) Flashcards from amazon. Each set holds about 500 words with synonyms; therefore if you manage to memorize all three sets, you'll increase your vocabulary list by at least 2000 words. Afterward, I would buy a set of blank flashcards from your local grocery store (cut them in half to save money ;D) and make your own flashcards. Contemporaneously, you should read esoteric articles, books, and newspaper, and make sure to add words, of which you're unfamiliar with, to your flashcards, along with the sentence that you found them in. Likewise, there are many fun (and quite addicting) smartphone games that you can download. I know Magoosh has one. Similarly the internet has them too. Heres my favorite one : http://gre.tyrannosaurusprep.com/Vocabulary/Quiz-Games On a personal note, I'd recommend starting small. When I first started studying for the GRE, I felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of abstruse words that I had to learn. In the first week, I'd recommend doing about 20-30 flashcards a day; however make sure to review previous day flashcards before going further. After the second week, then you can increase the number of flashcards to 30-40. Remember to be diligent in your determination to raise your score to 160, and with that image inculcated in your mind, after a month, or even sooner, you'll notice a significant improvement in Verbal scores. Also, dont forget to take a practice test once every two weeks. You dont necessarily have to do a whole mock test, since they can take 3-4hrs, instead you should do one section of Verbal, and Quantitative, or about 20 questions each. Best of luck!! ^.^

Im currently finishing my undergrad at UC Davis, and yes it is a sweet place =D

@TakeruK Im glad all the GRE words that I've learned, and continue learning are paying off lol. On a personal note, I've heard many times about the "Imposter Syndrome" that many grad students suffer, and so, I've taken the notion to continue making flashcards of words that I don't know the meaning to. Although, I realize that this particular ailment concerns the disciplinary knowledge, Im still very much afraid of graduate work surpassing anything I ever tackled. Anyways, returning to the topic at hand, if not all LOR are read, then can we identity those specific LOR that are read? I hypothesis that once an adcoms have a dozen or so potential applicants, they begin to really peruse the individual's info, along with his LOR; however, even a dozen applications possess 36+ LOR, and I truly doubt they'll read all. Therefore, since we (forum members) established that LORs are, in fact, an important staple, at what point do they actually become essential in the individual's acceptance?

I have supporting evidence for the second observation in the article. One of my strongest LOR was written by a retiring professor, famous for his contribution to African-American History of the 19th century. Before finalizing my LOR, I had the chance to peruse it, and I was shocked by the lack of a proper, professional format. Regardless, when I talked to a POI over the phone (casual non-formal conversation), I mentioned who I worked with, and the LOR I received; without missing a beat, the POI was like "ohhh I know that professor very well! Never met him but he is very well known in his discipline." I'd like to believe that LOR written by famous professors go a long way, but many forum users remonstrate the idea.

Helpful tip, awells27. Anyone else like to add their suggestions?

@astroyogi, Odd. I used to believe that a professor's recognition in his field will yield a better (not stronger, since this is based on what the letter is saying) LOR; however since my time on the gradcafe, I heard it doesnt matter. If someone would like to add onto this discussion, I'd very much like to hear other opinions.

Do you guys have some tips, suggestions, or methods that improved your Reading Comp score on the GRE? I've already grown accustom to reading esoteric articles from the New Yorker, and Economist. Likewise, I read 1-2 books for my history seminars. I doubt my vocabulary is to blame since I excel on the other portions of the test, and I do read critically and actively; however for some reason, I also pick the "second closest answer." Moreover, once in a while, I pick the correct answer, then later (I flag questions that I have mixed feelings over) change it and get it wrong. So, I have additional question to add: Once you've settled on an answer, but you still feel uncomfortable, should you look over the question again once you've completed everything else?

@ UCLA & UCSB admitted applicants By sheer curiosity, what was your undergrad GPA/GRE?

As always, enlightening responses; therefore many thanks guys/girls =) Unfortunately, my university offers limited courses pertinent to my topic-of-interest, and so, I try to take branching seminars. For example, I'd like to study the economical transformations of a slave economy in Antebellum America during the late 18th to early 19th century. We have 2-3 traditional lecture 19th c. US classes (which I've already taken), and only 2 (or at least in the time Ive been here. Im a transfer student) seminars concerning my disciplinary. Nonetheless, currently Im taking a history of capitalism seminar, which may not specifically relate to me, but still paints a larger picture that may be useful. Then my other seminar is Hist 101, a History on Historiography, which is required for graduation.

I've heard many a times how adcoms weigh in undergraduate gpa with the classes the individual took; therefore, Im curious what constitutes the difficulty of a class? The obvious would be A+ in (idk .. ) Underwater Basket Weaving < B+ Upper Div German. Im more curious concerning traditional lecture classes (history to be precise) vs. seminars. Reason I ask : I've fulfilled all (but one) of my undergrad graduation requirements in the summer between Junior and Senior year. Last Fall quarter I took 2 history seminars (none pertinent to my interest), presently Im taking an additional two seminars, and I aspire to finish in my last subsequent quarter with 2 more. By graduation, of this year, I should have 7-9 seminars completed. Overall, my lowest seminar grade was one B+, while a majority were A-, and two A. Im just curious if I should take, in my final quarter, 2 more seminars, rather than a traditional lecture class of 100+ students that'll yield me a better grade. Before anyone asks why I've taken so many seminars, I must confess I have a deep love for smaller classes, intense conversations with my peers/professor, and I find research papers to be more engaging compared to the typical analytically essays we do in lecture.

Nearly all the institutions that Im applying to have no word/character limit on the SOP, or Personal Statement. Currently, my SOP is four full pages long; however Im pretty sure I can cut it down to three. Nonetheless, whats the average length for a SOP? Is there a golden rule on the length? Is it better to be short or long? Any available information would be nice. Many thanks.