TMP
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Everything posted by TMP
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Middle Eastern history for sure....
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Do you want to be viewed as an undergrad or a professional?
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Workload, community involvement and graduate school
TMP replied to Adelaide9216's topic in Officially Grads
As a TA, I honestly don't envy my undergrads' courseloads because it's a lot of classes and sometimes they're studying topics that they have no interest in. Meanwhile, as a graduate student, all the work that I do are labors of love... which makes graduate school more bearable than undergrad. Yet, my work is still demanding. Unlike my undergrads who focus more on facts and are only learning critical thinking skills, I have to perform thinking, reading, writing, and speaking skills at a much higher level, akin to thinking like my professors who are scholars themselves. To do that, I have to put a lot of thought into preparing for my classes (and exams). Just remember, first semester will always be rough, no matter what anyone says. -
Short answer: No. Long Answer: No because as long as you're in good standing in your program, nobody cares. And @akraticfanatic just, don't. Nobody cares about the "upward trend" except for admissions committee.
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Actually, that's not unusual. That's good approach to helping new TAs adjust to teaching (especially the culture and make up of the student body at your particular institution). There's almost always a "TA orientation" prior to the start of classes to get students hit the ground running when those undergrads walk in. No undergrad wants to see an unprepared TA.
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Interesting... I think you'll have to decide what methodology you want to focus on more. Also, what appeals to you more-- teaching Western Art 101 or World History 101? Pick one, and that's your main discipline.
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- art history
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Question. Are you interested in spatial history? As in history of how space and environment were used by the society and the government? Then, that's part of the history discipline. If you are more interested in the art movements and designs of buildings, then it's to Art History you go.
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@angesradieux glad we could help you rationalize!
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Congrats! See, we told you to keep your name on the list! Enjoy Boston
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History all the way if you wish to get a job as a professor. Unless it's Yale. Because... Yale.
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For a two-year master's program, it's not unusual. You have to do something over the summer, whether researching for your thesis, working in labs, taking classes, etc. What is typical for the students in your program who want to finish in two years? Go with what they did. While 3-4 months is a long time but can often feel too short when jammed with to-dos before school year starts up again. September will be here before you know it. Your adviser or anyone here is not trying to be mean-- this isn't undergrad where students are completely free to do as they please. Graduate School is your "job."
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I haven't figured that out either now that I know I'll be gone for 15 months. I do have someone co-signing the lease and willing to stay there. After that... not sure... I'll probably try to sublet the place for the summer or just cough up the money and pay the rent. My apartment is a rare find for its price and I'm not willing to lose it if i have to come back to my university for dissertation writing and teaching (hello, university library). But I do know that I'll see what I can pack in my parents' car when I return to town briefly in a month and go with it. I'd do the U-Haul option, honestly to be on the safe side.
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Honestly, I have a hard time believing that the psych field is oversaturated-- including clinical- given so much need on college campuses and centers scrambling to expand their staffing. Honestly, what brings you to history? What kind of other careers can you see yourself doing? Also, if you're serious about research and academia, you might want to spend plenty of time.... researching... on this board as there have been numerous threads with similar questions as yours in the last ...oh... 8 years or so I've been on here the general advice for switching disciplines/fields remain the same.
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When to tell advisor extenuating circumstances
TMP replied to Revenant's topic in Coursework, Advising, and Exams
If your adviser is a parent as well, he'll understand -
I struggled with depression and anxiety as well. You'll want to join a group through counseling so you can get feedback from other graduate students how to manage your adviser, coursework, etc. with the issues you raised. The participants might be able to offer coping strategies. You'll also want to ask around in your graduate program to find out who are the most sympathetic professors and which ones to tread carefully with (the irony, you're in a psych program) when it comes to being open with your issues. Make friends with the DGS-- the DGS' job is to be on your side in this case (and they are bound by Council of Graduate Studies to maintain confidentiality, unlike your adviser who can keep confidential at his/her discretion). What really threw me off the loop was the timing of preparing for and taking my exams. Accommodation-wise, I did very little for my exams other than extensions, My anxiety got the best of me and I nearly failed my written exam and failed the oral. During my last prep session with my adviser before the re-take, I had a nervous breakdown that my adviser pushed it off to another 2 months. She wanted more accommodations in place to make sure I could pass. My depression/anxiety definitely ate up 1-2 semesters worth of my guaranteed funding package, putting me slightly "behind" schedule. As a 5th year with one guaranteed semester left and not even close to beginning dissertation writing, I have every incentive to apply for external funding to keep me going. I really am thankful for my adviser, for being understanding and encouraging. You'll want to be open to the unexpected when it comes to keeping your income going while receiving appropriate services when you need a medical leave or course reduction (more independent study courses, fewer lectures/seminars).
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@SarahBethSortino Don't withdraw. You won't get a phone call in middle of the summer telling you you got in. PhD admissions do not operate like undergraduate admissions where calls are made in middle of the summer. PhD programs with funding packages are operating on a very specific university (and for public institutions, state-level) budget schedule whereas admissions office check in with the financial aid office to see if there's extra cash available to provide appropriate funding aid package for the student. The fiscal year ends on June 30th and departments usually hear of their budget for the next academic year in May and begin to close up their current budget around that time. You will certainly know if you're on or off by late April, no later than that. Hang in there. Your daughter will have time to adjust if she knows by early May and have some weeks left at school to say good-bye to her teachers and friends. I wish you the best of luck with these waitlists. I know how nerve-wrecking it is as I have been on waitlists.
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When my department had searches for American historians, we were definitely drawn to candidates with solid research in thematic field (race, urban) or transnational. You may be speaking of old-school, white male, political U.S. history. No matter what, U.S. history still has it worse than other geographical areas. What made these job candidates really stand out for my department was their ability to teach interesting courses and fill the needs of the department (i.e. we had lost a Latin Americanist and we asked a U.S. historian with transnational focus on Latin America if she could do a survey course if needed to, she said yes). The key for our U.S. historians to be able to teach a full survey of U.S. history (pre-1877 and post-1877) and something way out of the field (i.e. non-Western focus or world history). If all of your fields/teaching abilities are focus on the West, then getting a job will be an uphill battle.
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I did. I transferred 30 credits. I just did what my PhD adviser wanted me to do: 2 years of coursework and then spent a year studying for my exams. Non-American History PhD rarely take five years....like mine. I know of another student who came in with a MA and did American history. He took his exams by the end of his second year (he spent all summer reading between his first and second year). This is definitely something to discuss with your adviser. Share your concerns.
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This is honestly starting to become no-brainer that you should choose Vandy over UNC. Celia Applegate should do well with you. Ari Joskowicz (who did comparative history between Germany and France) is definitely a nice, brilliant scholar who is definitely making a name for himself. I've met him at a conference but not Celia Applegate so can't quite speak for her directly. In this case, follow the money.
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@angesradieux This is striking. If you are not comfortable applying for funding and becoming competitive, then how do you think you will make it as a professor? If being a professor is your goal, then you need to "hit the ground running" with your comfort level of writing endless number of funding applications for your research. You have to bring in external sources of funding to increase your value to the university (both as a graduate student and a faculty member). Successful grant applications can be learned with time and experience, akin to teaching. Professors have to rely on funding to get their work done. Having the experience of writing grant application will help so much more than you think when it is comes to apply for jobs; you're selling your research. Applying to the PhD programs is... actually surprisingly not as stressful as applying for dissertation year fellowships and other opportunities to come.
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If you're doing German history, I'd take Vandy over UNC. Hands down. The UNC German professors are definitely on the older side and I'd question their retirement dates. It is true that UNC is more prestigious in the eyes of external fellowship committees but you *do* need more internal funding to keep you going when external stuff can't. Helmut Walser Smith's and David Blackbourn's names is quite excellent and will make up for everything for going to Vandy over uNC. I'm not familiar with UIUC's European history program other than it's quite strong in Eastern Europe. PM me if you want to discuss. I'm also in German history.
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Tell the waitlist school point blank that you have a full-funding offer from School X and you would strongly prefer to attend their program. Leave it at that. They'll scramble if they want you. It would be different if the waitlist program isn't as prestigious as the offering program. You're in a good position.
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@angesradieux Your hesitation is absolutely normal! Once you submit your decisiosn to the program, try not to look back and keep looking forward. The feeling of "what ifs" will never, ever go away.
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Continue taking language classes; you never know. You can make connections between China and Latin America. Keep track of topics/themes/periods you're been interested in and a pattern will emerge. It took me a long time to realize that it did not matter which geographical field I wanted to study but rather it was these particular themes of belonging and migration that interested me. I was literally jumping from one country to another! Argentina one day, Germany, another, etc. Keep fostering relationships with your professors. They know the profession the best and offer you mentoring as you go about finding your interests. Listen to their advice first and foremost! If they see that you listen and follow through, they'll be excited to recommend you to their colleagues. Graduate advisers do want students who can listen, respect, and engage. Don't worry about publishing-- not even worth it on the long, long run. Focus on getting yourselves to the archives for your undergraduate research, which means finding financial support at your university (summer research programs may be helpful here). Doing archival research is the best preparation for the PhD-- you will spend anywhere from 12-24 months in the archives for your dissertation and you need to learn how to work efficiently and effectively. Learning how to write letters for funding for your research paper(s) will definitely help you develop important skills because you will be endlessly applying for funds to support your dissertation research. Best of luck!
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OP- I would step back and ask yourself, why a history PhD? Why NYC specifically? Why those schools in particular and why not CUNY (which is respectable) or Princeton? Also consider the fact that graduate stipends at those places aren't high enough to afford you to live in Manhattan unless you're willing to room with 2-3 other people in an apartment. You need to think of yourself as a historian and with whom you would like to learn from. Indeed, where you get your MA won't matter as much as making sure you that you graduate from a program as close to debt-free as possible. While it is a good goal to have those schools in mind, be mindful that if you are serious about the PhD, you will apply to 5-8 PhD programs including NYU and Columbia. Don't put all of your eggs in one nest (NYC). Get a solid MA degree and GPA and see where life takes you.