Kai210

I guess this was not such a big deal after all.

I guess this was not such a big deal after all.

What are your research interests? You cannot choose programs simply based on rankings. Rankings matter to some degree; however, it is more important to locate the right "fit." Better for you to go to a lower-ranked school but a place where you can study with a top scholar in your field than to go to a higher-ranked school but only work alongside a marginal scholar, that is, if you even find someone there who research is germane to yours. Because the 20th Century is broad in scope you would have to pinpoint for some of us the specific areas that excite you and we would better be able to guage places where your reesarch could be situated. If you rely simply on rankings it is my belief that you will find the task of locating the right place for your research to be daunting. Worse, you might not have the success in gaining admission if programs determine that your research just does not fit what the scholars they have in place are doing.

What are your research interests? You cannot choose programs simply based on rankings. Rankings matter to some degree; however, it is more important to locate the right "fit." Better for you to go to a lower-ranked school but a place where you can study with a top scholar in your field than to go to a higher-ranked school but only work alongside a marginal scholar, that is, if you even find someone there who research is germane to yours. Because the 20th Century is broad in scope you would have to pinpoint for some of us the specific areas that excite you and we would better be able to guage places where your reesarch could be situated. If you rely simply on rankings it is my belief that you will find the task of locating the right place for your research to be daunting. Worse, you might not have the success in gaining admission if programs determine that your research just does not fit what the scholars they have in place are doing.

Spot on! I tend to only call a professor "Dr." on my CV as well; I also will do it sometimes if I am in the company of undergraduates. I do so to prevent undergrads from believing that they have the license to call professors by their first names. I saw a situation like that once with someone, and it was not good. I think it is important to be formal when the situation arises, and I tend to find that even professors will incline themselves to being more formal with each other around undergraduates.

The other point I'll make is this. Students who tend to keep things formal even after they are given the opportunity to be less-formal are not respected more for doing so. And in some cases, it can work against you. As my advisor often says, when you travel to X and Y for a campus interview, you want professors there to see you as a colleague. It doesn't start when you finish your defense; it starts now. I think during the application season, there's a tendency to think of professors as otherworldly or supernatural beings who have the other ultimate authority over the life and death of your career. And to some degree, it is true. But what you will find is that these intellectual giants are human and as normal in their approaches as you are. They want to be respected. They do not, however, want you to be obsequious. Sometimes, it can come off as fawning when you are told/given the indication to call a professor by his or her first name and you deign to a more formal approach in which you position yourself as an ongoing neophyte. To that point, I know a young lady who refused to call a professor by her first name after being asked to do so. The professor asked her one day, "When are you going to grow up and start seeing me as your colleague? The job market is atrocious and you are making things worse for yourself." A bit much but the point there was as Strange Light Pointed out: "Once that door is opened graduate students should take it."

Spot on! I tend to only call a professor "Dr." on my CV as well; I also will do it sometimes if I am in the company of undergraduates. I do so to prevent undergrads from believing that they have the license to call professors by their first names. I saw a situation like that once with someone, and it was not good. I think it is important to be formal when the situation arises, and I tend to find that even professors will incline themselves to being more formal with each other around undergraduates.

The other point I'll make is this. Students who tend to keep things formal even after they are given the opportunity to be less-formal are not respected more for doing so. And in some cases, it can work against you. As my advisor often says, when you travel to X and Y for a campus interview, you want professors there to see you as a colleague. It doesn't start when you finish your defense; it starts now. I think during the application season, there's a tendency to think of professors as otherworldly or supernatural beings who have the other ultimate authority over the life and death of your career. And to some degree, it is true. But what you will find is that these intellectual giants are human and as normal in their approaches as you are. They want to be respected. They do not, however, want you to be obsequious. Sometimes, it can come off as fawning when you are told/given the indication to call a professor by his or her first name and you deign to a more formal approach in which you position yourself as an ongoing neophyte. To that point, I know a young lady who refused to call a professor by her first name after being asked to do so. The professor asked her one day, "When are you going to grow up and start seeing me as your colleague? The job market is atrocious and you are making things worse for yourself." A bit much but the point there was as Strange Light Pointed out: "Once that door is opened graduate students should take it."

Spot on! I tend to only call a professor "Dr." on my CV as well; I also will do it sometimes if I am in the company of undergraduates. I do so to prevent undergrads from believing that they have the license to call professors by their first names. I saw a situation like that once with someone, and it was not good. I think it is important to be formal when the situation arises, and I tend to find that even professors will incline themselves to being more formal with each other around undergraduates.

The other point I'll make is this. Students who tend to keep things formal even after they are given the opportunity to be less-formal are not respected more for doing so. And in some cases, it can work against you. As my advisor often says, when you travel to X and Y for a campus interview, you want professors there to see you as a colleague. It doesn't start when you finish your defense; it starts now. I think during the application season, there's a tendency to think of professors as otherworldly or supernatural beings who have the other ultimate authority over the life and death of your career. And to some degree, it is true. But what you will find is that these intellectual giants are human and as normal in their approaches as you are. They want to be respected. They do not, however, want you to be obsequious. Sometimes, it can come off as fawning when you are told/given the indication to call a professor by his or her first name and you deign to a more formal approach in which you position yourself as an ongoing neophyte. To that point, I know a young lady who refused to call a professor by her first name after being asked to do so. The professor asked her one day, "When are you going to grow up and start seeing me as your colleague? The job market is atrocious and you are making things worse for yourself." A bit much but the point there was as Strange Light Pointed out: "Once that door is opened graduate students should take it."

i don't call any of my professors "dr." except on my CV when i list my committee members. but that's just a product of my non-academic background. when someone yells "is there a doctor here?" they don't mean the dude that studies the antebellum south. (i know this will anger some people here, but i don't care. i still think it's pretentious).

while grad students are not on equal footing with professors, grad students are also not on equal footing with undergraduates. in fact, grad students are probably given far more respect and weight than adjuncts, and adjuncts certainly refer to profs by their first names. again, i don't go to first-name basis until they start addressing themselves by their first names to me, but i think once that door is opened graduate students should take it. you may not begin grad school as their colleague, but by the time you finish you want those professors to think of you as a colleague. even better if they say that about you in an LOR for a job.

I call most professors by their first name, and I think many of you will find that your professors prefer it this way. In fact, I have one "superstar" professor who will DEMAND of his students to call him by his first name. His rationale: your in training to become his colleague. This is not undergrad, and the idea that first-name calling compromises the professional relationship is misguided. Now, to be certain, there are some professors who still prefer to be called "Dr. X and Y" or "Professor K and J." But I have found that more with professors who have held long tenures in the academy, and are still attached to a more mature approach to the graduate student-professor relationship. I do think that emails are key. It is always easier when they just tell you what to call them, and some will actually do this very thing. But some will send other cues and how they sign their email is as clear a message to you on your professor's preference as it would be for him or her to express it verbally. If a professor signs his/her full name, they are attempting to be less pretentious but are signaling that they desire for you to still call them "Dr." or "Prof." If they sign off "Dr." or "Prof," well it is clear what their preference is for you. But if they sign off with their first name, it is an indication that you are able to call them by their first name. I have also had professors sign off their emails with the first initial of their first name like "R" or "H." But what I have found is that professors who do that already allow me to call them by their first name. To me, then, it only furthers the less-than-formal relationship we are developing. My advisor used to sign all his emails with the title of "Dr." and the first initial of his last name. And I would call him that just as I did another professor who did the same. I noticed after I passed my candidacy exams, he started signing off his emails with his first name. Other professors I have worked with or know in the department allowed me to call them by their first name even earlier. I WILL CAUTION that this matter should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Just because one professor allows you to call him or her by a first name is not carte blanche to do it with others. Similarly, just because a professor allows one particular student to call him or her by a first name does not give you the license to do the same.

All this said, I think the transition between undergraduate and graduate school can be steep. Even when professors gesture to students to be called by their first name, you have students immediately out of undergrad who have problems embracing the casual relationship. I think the transition is a little less daunting in this regard when you work for several years/pursue a MA prior to your matriculation in a doctoral program. It gives you a chance to move beyond seeing your professors as an authority and more glimpsing them as colleagues. And, in the final analysis, I think the latter point is most important. You are training to become your professors' colleagues. You're closer to them than to the students you will be teaching as TAs. So accept the practice of calling your professors by their first name once the chance to do so is extended to you.

I call most professors by their first name, and I think many of you will find that your professors prefer it this way. In fact, I have one "superstar" professor who will DEMAND of his students to call him by his first name. His rationale: your in training to become his colleague. This is not undergrad, and the idea that first-name calling compromises the professional relationship is misguided. Now, to be certain, there are some professors who still prefer to be called "Dr. X and Y" or "Professor K and J." But I have found that more with professors who have held long tenures in the academy, and are still attached to a more mature approach to the graduate student-professor relationship. I do think that emails are key. It is always easier when they just tell you what to call them, and some will actually do this very thing. But some will send other cues and how they sign their email is as clear a message to you on your professor's preference as it would be for him or her to express it verbally. If a professor signs his/her full name, they are attempting to be less pretentious but are signaling that they desire for you to still call them "Dr." or "Prof." If they sign off "Dr." or "Prof," well it is clear what their preference is for you. But if they sign off with their first name, it is an indication that you are able to call them by their first name. I have also had professors sign off their emails with the first initial of their first name like "R" or "H." But what I have found is that professors who do that already allow me to call them by their first name. To me, then, it only furthers the less-than-formal relationship we are developing. My advisor used to sign all his emails with the title of "Dr." and the first initial of his last name. And I would call him that just as I did another professor who did the same. I noticed after I passed my candidacy exams, he started signing off his emails with his first name. Other professors I have worked with or know in the department allowed me to call them by their first name even earlier. I WILL CAUTION that this matter should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Just because one professor allows you to call him or her by a first name is not carte blanche to do it with others. Similarly, just because a professor allows one particular student to call him or her by a first name does not give you the license to do the same.

All this said, I think the transition between undergraduate and graduate school can be steep. Even when professors gesture to students to be called by their first name, you have students immediately out of undergrad who have problems embracing the casual relationship. I think the transition is a little less daunting in this regard when you work for several years/pursue a MA prior to your matriculation in a doctoral program. It gives you a chance to move beyond seeing your professors as an authority and more glimpsing them as colleagues. And, in the final analysis, I think the latter point is most important. You are training to become your professors' colleagues. You're closer to them than to the students you will be teaching as TAs. So accept the practice of calling your professors by their first name once the chance to do so is extended to you.

In my opinion, grad students are not on equal footing with their professors, and as such should defer to saying "Professor_____". I actually say "Dr. ______", but thats based on my own theory of what people really want to be called.

To me, "call me Bill" is an invitation to adress your professor by first name, not how they sign their e-mail.

Just one more opinion to throw on the pile, Crater!

PS: I also second what virmundi said above...

I call most professors by their first name, and I think many of you will find that your professors prefer it this way. In fact, I have one "superstar" professor who will DEMAND of his students to call him by his first name. His rationale: your in training to become his colleague. This is not undergrad, and the idea that first-name calling compromises the professional relationship is misguided. Now, to be certain, there are some professors who still prefer to be called "Dr. X and Y" or "Professor K and J." But I have found that more with professors who have held long tenures in the academy, and are still attached to a more mature approach to the graduate student-professor relationship. I do think that emails are key. It is always easier when they just tell you what to call them, and some will actually do this very thing. But some will send other cues and how they sign their email is as clear a message to you on your professor's preference as it would be for him or her to express it verbally. If a professor signs his/her full name, they are attempting to be less pretentious but are signaling that they desire for you to still call them "Dr." or "Prof." If they sign off "Dr." or "Prof," well it is clear what their preference is for you. But if they sign off with their first name, it is an indication that you are able to call them by their first name. I have also had professors sign off their emails with the first initial of their first name like "R" or "H." But what I have found is that professors who do that already allow me to call them by their first name. To me, then, it only furthers the less-than-formal relationship we are developing. My advisor used to sign all his emails with the title of "Dr." and the first initial of his last name. And I would call him that just as I did another professor who did the same. I noticed after I passed my candidacy exams, he started signing off his emails with his first name. Other professors I have worked with or know in the department allowed me to call them by their first name even earlier. I WILL CAUTION that this matter should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Just because one professor allows you to call him or her by a first name is not carte blanche to do it with others. Similarly, just because a professor allows one particular student to call him or her by a first name does not give you the license to do the same.

All this said, I think the transition between undergraduate and graduate school can be steep. Even when professors gesture to students to be called by their first name, you have students immediately out of undergrad who have problems embracing the casual relationship. I think the transition is a little less daunting in this regard when you work for several years/pursue a MA prior to your matriculation in a doctoral program. It gives you a chance to move beyond seeing your professors as an authority and more glimpsing them as colleagues. And, in the final analysis, I think the latter point is most important. You are training to become your professors' colleagues. You're closer to them than to the students you will be teaching as TAs. So accept the practice of calling your professors by their first name once the chance to do so is extended to you.

CONGRATS TO THE STANFORD ADMIT! Stanford may or may not be my alma mater. I may or not be so madly in love with the school that I will talk to anyone admitted and convince them to go there over all other offers. Seriously, best place in the entire world. I know almost all of the Americanists well, so feel free to ask questions.

PMs welcome . Rejecting a Stanford offer is NOT welcome .

Congratulations to everyone who has received acceptances today! To those individuals who have not or continue to wait, keep the faith!

For Yale acceptances, Modern Apizza is your friend!

TMP, I can remember when you first started this journey. Thus, I can truly feel your joy over the success you are having this season. Sometimes, it is about timing. And I think the key for everyone here is to remember that these decisions are not personal. I think a lot of people tend to post stats, and do not really consider that this is not an exact science. I am so thrilled to see that you have received fully-funded offers from The Ohio State University (called this because it is the "official" name) and Wisconsin. As a person attending OSU, I would strongly recommend choosing to join the program. But I know that wherever you choose to go, you will do wonderful research. And I think the time it took for you to get to this point will give you the perspective needed to finish the journey!

Best of luck, my friend!

TMP, I can remember when you first started this journey. Thus, I can truly feel your joy over the success you are having this season. Sometimes, it is about timing. And I think the key for everyone here is to remember that these decisions are not personal. I think a lot of people tend to post stats, and do not really consider that this is not an exact science. I am so thrilled to see that you have received fully-funded offers from The Ohio State University (called this because it is the "official" name) and Wisconsin. As a person attending OSU, I would strongly recommend choosing to join the program. But I know that wherever you choose to go, you will do wonderful research. And I think the time it took for you to get to this point will give you the perspective needed to finish the journey!

Best of luck, my friend!

TMP, I can remember when you first started this journey. Thus, I can truly feel your joy over the success you are having this season. Sometimes, it is about timing. And I think the key for everyone here is to remember that these decisions are not personal. I think a lot of people tend to post stats, and do not really consider that this is not an exact science. I am so thrilled to see that you have received fully-funded offers from The Ohio State University (called this because it is the "official" name) and Wisconsin. As a person attending OSU, I would strongly recommend choosing to join the program. But I know that wherever you choose to go, you will do wonderful research. And I think the time it took for you to get to this point will give you the perspective needed to finish the journey!

Best of luck, my friend!

TMP, I can remember when you first started this journey. Thus, I can truly feel your joy over the success you are having this season. Sometimes, it is about timing. And I think the key for everyone here is to remember that these decisions are not personal. I think a lot of people tend to post stats, and do not really consider that this is not an exact science. I am so thrilled to see that you have received fully-funded offers from The Ohio State University (called this because it is the "official" name) and Wisconsin. As a person attending OSU, I would strongly recommend choosing to join the program. But I know that wherever you choose to go, you will do wonderful research. And I think the time it took for you to get to this point will give you the perspective needed to finish the journey!

Best of luck, my friend!

I can verify this to be the case. I am a PhD student in History at OSU. Last year, I learned of my admission very early on because I was nominated for--and was later awarded--a University Fellowship. Those nominated for fellowships typically learn of their acceptances early on while OSU will notify others later in the month.

That said, I suspect that we will see a lower number of acceptances this year than we did last year. Of the 30 or so acceptances, about 24 matriculated, which was far higher than OSU expected. I think, as Strange Light suggested about other programs, you'll see OSU only accept the amount of students they actually want to see enroll this year.

Good luck to those you still waiting!

Great news!!!!!!!!!!! I had been hoping that Brandeis would pull you off the waitlist, and am excited for your good fortune! Good luck!



Sorry to hear that things did not work out with Chicago. Are you attending Wisconsin?



Sorry to hear this. I had really hope you would hear something positive. Still, I trust that the contacts you have made will prove beneficial to you in the future.

Do you believe in miracles...YES!!

Just got the email from Brandeis! I've been accepted off the waitlist!

Really? Exactly what good would it do you Septimius if you found out tomorrow rather than on April 16th that you were in? I have no intention of replying until the last possible minute and I don't feel even remotely bad about it. I feel completely differently about getting a PhD now that I have been accepted than I did when I was applying, and I will be absolutely certain before I accept any offers that have been made that this is in fact the direction I want my life to go. Take a deep breath, think about something else for a few weeks, and for god's sake, quit using all caps to emphasize your point.

I completely agree that teaching experience is crucial when it's time to get a job, but most fellowship students TA at some point in their careers prior to putting themselves on the market. Fellowships usually just free students up for a few years, after which most students supplement their income by teaching. Graduate coursework is so much more demanding than undergraduate coursework that being freed from teaching in the first one or two years can make a big difference in a student's performance. Also, it gives the student time to pursue research interests and give conference papers, which in turn increases CV quality.

nytusse, i'd send them an email rejection in any case. send it to the DGS, your potential advisor, and the grad secretary. it won't take long but it's more polite than just never responding. these are people you are going to see at conferences for the next forever years, so it's best to be exceedingly polite.



yes the fellowships are important. at my undergraduate institution, my thesis advisor told me that i should not accept any offer that came without a fellowship. she told me that there is a definite hierarchy that comes from holding fellowships. i know that in my program now, the students that entered with the best fellowships are the ones winning (year after year) the top dissertation research or dissertation writing fellowships. the students that started off as TAs are, for the most part, remaining TAs.

why? well, how else can you compare students? almost everyone in graduate school has an A-/A average (otherwise they're in a bit of trouble). so what on their CV will stand out? the only MA students with enough time to actually publish their theses are the ones on fellowships. teaching takes far longer than the 20 hours they claim (especially if you have a heavy grading load) so you're working hard just to finish your thesis and coursework, never mind polishing that thesis for publication before you start your comps and dissertation prospectus. and that's right around the time you're applying for these other fellowships anyway. what else could set you apart? conferences. but conference papers take time to write, too, and in general (there are always exceptions), i see people with TAships going to far fewer conferences than those without, due almost entirely to the amount of time they have.

the GPAs are the same. the LORs will either be good or glowing (and again, you're in trouble if they're neither). unless you're applying for a teaching award, they don't care if you're a good teacher or not. so what makes the difference? existing fellowships on the CV, publications, conference presentations. so no, holding a fellowship isn't the sole determinant for future fellowships, but it's about 1/3. more, when you consider that fellows have more time to work on publications and conference papers. there's not really any other way to compare students, unfortunately.

as for getting a job... holding some incoming first-year fellowship isn't that important, other than adding a line to your CV. but holding the dissertation research and dissertation writing fellowships do matter, because it attests to your ability to secure future fellowships and grants, which departments want their faculties to be able to do, even at teaching-oriented LACs.

i don't mean to discourage anyone with TAships only. it's definitely possible to secure fellowships throughout your graduate career, but you'll have more difficulty getting the best ones. every single professor i have ever heard talk about funding (at my grad school, undergrad, some prospective grad schools, and the mysterious realm of teh internetz) has said incoming fellowships are important for securing future fellowships which are important to have on CV when you apply for jobs anywhere, even LACs.

WOW! I am so glad I decided to take a week off from the grad cafe; it is probably good for everyone to back away from this forum for a moment just to breathe and not allow "PhD-related" talk of any kind to permeate the entirety of your existence. Go do something random!

With regard to the ongoing conversation, I think it is appropriate for those who have made decisions to make those decisions known as soon as possible; there some individuals who have been waitlisted, and could possibly benefit from your punctuality on the matter. That said, I tend to agree with ResPublica and StrangeLight on this one. It is not inimical to fairness to hold out for the most prestigious offer that you can get. Just as those waitlisted want to desperately gain admission into a program, there are individuals who have already been accepted who desperately want to put themselves in a position to ascertain future fellowships that lead to greater opportunities. In a sense, those who have been admitted but are holding out for possible fellowships are feeling sort of waitlisted themselves; as other admits decline their offers, fellowships could possibly fall to them as StrangeLight pointed out.