TMP

Are you going into your first year of the PhD program in the fall? If so, I highly suggest that you wait to publish. You need to get through your coursework and see what you end up doing as a dissertation topic and whether or not this paper you wish to publish has any connection to it. If it does, then wait. If it doesn't, feel free to go ahead and revise. Book publishers will not accept book proposals if at least 25% of the book (roughly 2 chapters) have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Productive ABDs usually have at least one article based on a dissertation chapter in the pipeline when they got on the academic job market. However, if you're not interested in publishing for academics, there are other ways of using your work and reaching out to the public through magazines and newspapers. Also as for book reviews, keep your acceptance rates to a minimum. Accept book reviews if the book has any direct relevancy to your proposed dissertation topic (killing two birds with one stone). Book reviews are good only for so long in terms of "value" on your CV. Peer-reviewed journal articles go much further.

hahahaha I was in Berlin during one cycle... yup. I feel you. Once my German classes were over and I was on my own, I changed my entire sleep cycle to EST.

Congrats OSU acceptees! PM with any questions; I was one of the early admits (February 8, 2012 to be exact ). I really have enjoyed the program more or less over the last (gasp) 4 1/2 years. FWIW, I'm in Modern European history with focus on gender/sexuality.

let me jump in the fray and put things in perspective.....after four years out. 1) Stay chill. Netflix, netflix, anything to get your mind off the process. If you're in a somewhat mindless full-time job, then I sympathize with you. I actually tried to do extra work to get my mind off and my boss was happy to help 2) Admissions process vary from one school to another. It may be possible that a prof is "glutted" with PhDs, but also remember that the prof may be in a position to have his/her pick (ranking, stature in the field, part of retention package) if s/he gets her way, particularly if you're a strong applicant. If you're hearing of specialists outside of your area looking at your application, it's a strategy on the professors' part to get you admitted. This is particularly important when PhD programs are looking to cut and need to figure out how to maintain graduate seminars (Registrars tend to cap them around 5 students). So the more varied interests you have, all the better for a program looking to downsize. Being thematic/transnational helps quite a lot. Your POI also doesn't want to be your *sole* adviser; it takes a village to raise a graduate student and s/he wants to be sure that there are other faculty membres interested in working with you. 3) While it is nice to have a "top choice" school to accept you, remember, all it takes is ONE funded acceptance to go. This is a very good experience for when you apply for grants/fellowships and the eventual job market (academia or not). You'll have to learn how to deal with disappointment and manage your ego so rejections don't destruct you and you dignity and ego. I was nearly destroyed by depression and anxiety and had to go into therapy in my first year of my PhD program to help me pick up the pieces (after 3 PhD application cycles!). Now I am much stronger and can handle rejections from grants/fellowships. While I'have my share of preferred funding institutions, I've learned to accept whatever comes along my way because money is money and I'm moving forward with my work. 4) Start finding a back-up plan if you don't have one. Have something in hand that you can be excited about if nothing pans out this year. It will soften the blow and give you something to keep looking forward to and feel productive. (Even if it's a job you hate. It still give some dignity, no?) Realism aside, I wish you all the very best of luck from the Buckeye state!

No go for me for Israel. And I'm in history... wonder what those history reviewers were thinking.... :/ Oh well. It was my first time trying.

Just go with it. Remember to review your application before the conversation to refresh your memory. Mostly, it's just to make sure you're for real. Not a robot or a clown.... It's okay to be nervous. Professors already know that.

As someone who had to study several languages for her field while in graduate school, I really, really recommend doing as much as language training as possible before you go. You'll be busy (and stressed) enough juggling the demands of a PhD program: courses, picking a dissertation topic, preparing for exams, teaching, applying for pre-dissertation research funding, etc, etc. I agree re: classical Chinese. I've been working with Chinese history professors for my project and was debating what kind of translator I needed. In my case for the 1940s, I definitely needed someone trained in Classical Chinese and high-level calligraphy. So, that was a fun process....

Don't overkill yourself. Do whatever you can to pass that reading exam. You'll improve your German as you conduct research. However, I should warn you that there are high expectations for mastery of German if you intend to research in Germany. A lot of grants and fellowships funded by the Federal Government (Fulbright, DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) and humanities-based programs in German universities do expect a certain level of proficiency and language evaluation forms. One definite exception, I think, is the DAAD's Intensive Language Grant as it sends you to Germany for 2 months to study German language. Having said all that, if you think you're going to need to spend time in Germany for research, I'd eventually start working on your oral skills, not just reading. French is excellent to have for diplomatic relations pre-WWII and culture. However, German was the business language for the sciences, medicine, and I think military. However, if you're thinking on transnational terms, then yes, you need German if you're looking to work in most of Central Europe to eastern part of Russia. But you won't really need it outside of Europe unless you're working on ethnic Germans. (haha sorry i got carried away.. I just love German history!)

Unless the POIs decide to look up your publications, there's not much you can do. Just hope for the best and know that you can always try again next time!

Jewish history (1492-1980s), Modern European history, History of Gender/Sexuality/Family Fun.... times.

I've been using EverNote. I have "notebooks" for each exam field (and now for different parts of my dissertation bibliography.) While there are plenty of books that cross-list, I put them under main fields and use the search function if I need to to find that book/article. I use the following headings: Research Question (what's the author's big question?) Primary Argument (what @Sigaba is getting at with one sentence) Secondary Arguments (what other arguments is the author making?) Historiographical Interventions (this is where I take notes on the historiographical questions/literature that the author engages with within the introduction) Sources/Methods Table of Contents (I have chapters and subchapters (and sometimes sub-subchapters)-- this is useful for getting a visual image of how the author's organizing the entire argument. If I have time, then I'll include the argument of each chapter under the chapter heading and incorporate any interesting evidence/information. But in all and all, I get the big idea from doing this exercise.

Then, I'd recommend working through a survey book or two in your field to further ground yourself in the general narrative. That's what i used my breaks for-- no interruptions for days to read an entire history of X.

Really take the first week to do nothing. Seriously. You DESERVE it. Once you get yourself together and sane again, you can begin to read at your own pace. I was morbidly exhausted for the first 7-10 days after handing in my last paper to do anything. I did not feel guilty at all. (Maybe because my adviser explicitly told me to 'take a break'.)

By now as a graduate student, you should know better what makes a competitive applicant from conversations with your professors who know your strengths and weaknesses better than a bunch of strangers. This includes your language abilities.

A couple things: 1) I felt exactly the same as you! Just ask any of your colleagues what their first semester was like. Most people really do question reading along the same lines as you are. I hear this sentiment every year. We "more advanced students" just kind of.... repress that memory once we pass our exams. 2) You will learn SO much when you're actually reading for your exams. I know it sounds incredibly improbable right now but there is actually no better time than exam reading to actually learn a lot about your field. Because there were no courses (only independent study) for my major field, I did not do much reading for my major field until my third year. I was overwhelmed for a long time but I kept reminding myself that I had been reading for minor fields during my courses in my first and second years. I also knew I should be be super happy to have all this time to read only in my major field before tackling my minor fields, it was... too much at times. I often threatened my adviser that I was going to take a break from the major field to read in other fields. She shrugged and said, "You're in control of your reading. You'll get everything done eventually." So yeah, it was keep reading in the field and meeting with her or take a break... there were no shortcuts 3) If your aim to is achieve ABD status by the end of your second year, then you need to be prepared to spend the upcoming summer actually reading for your exam. Most graduate students find that they do need at least 9 months of no interruptions (including classes and travel for research) to get most of the exam reading done. I needed my entire third year (no classes except for one audit in my field) before I felt more ready to take my exams after spending 2 summers traveling and 4 semesters of coursework. I really *should* have spent one summer reading but... life. My peers who came in with MAs actually spent their first summer reading whereas I went to Germany to study German and did zero reading for exams. They took their exams the following spring and it was definitely clear that I had to wait another year before I could take mine. 4) You do exactly what you're comfortable with. Your exam lists are just the basic foundations of what you need to achieve ABD status and "knowledge equity" with your peers and professors. I had no concept of Foucault or Marxist history until the end of my second year, FWIW. The exam lists are designed to get you minimally conversational for engaging with scholars and their presentations, anytime and anywhere (except for some high-toddity jerks, which people will quickly warn you if you ask about conversing with them). Through your seminars and conversations with the faculty (and your adviser), you will learn the art of conversing as scholars. I also went to a lot of academic talks and listened to the Q and As to pick up these soft--but important-- skills.

I should also add that your professors' offices are perfect for looking to see what's out there (and what they're focused on). I've always loved taking a moment to look at the bookshelves while my professors were distracted with something (like finishing up an e-mail or reading over my paper). I always make observations or ask questions about the books' titles and authors.

Let me rephrase it: "What theories/methods are you interested in?"

At least -- if you submitted your paper electronically -- you didn't get the treatment that i gave my undergrads. I simply turned on "Track Changes" and made appropriate adjustments if I see a "trick" with spacing/margins and then proceeded to grade the paper.

We are going to turn you around and tell you, go to your professors. They are the real experts in your areas of interest. They know the historiography very well and offer suggestions for potential research questions. Remember, you need letters of recommendations from your professors for graduate programs. How can they write one if they don't know what you're asking here? They want to engage with you to be able to write a strong and positive letter.

It's very dependent on the program and the POIs who are taking the first look at your application. Some programs that receive tons of applications, particularly for an overcrowded field, might cut through with GRE scores. But there are other programs that have incentives (such as certain number of waivers from the Graduate School or diversity or need more people in a certain field) will actually look through your application. I was a victim of low GRE scores and it did take me a while to make it into a PhD program. There were so many other factors at play according to my POIs. Just try to breathe and tell yourself that you have done all you can!

Better safe than sorry. I am sure there are some pages that you don't absolutely need. Just make a note at the end of page 30 that there is more. Professors understand that applicants have to cut. Honestly, they're reading only the first 10 or so pages and if they're interested, they'll keep reading and then perhaps ask you for the whole thing. There is a reason why Penn limits its writing sample to 10 (!) pages.

Think back to your favorite professors and teachers. What made them seem like they are successful in the classroom? Confidence, relax manner, and delivery are everything to the students. They may not be looking for a dog and pony show but they appreciate someone who they can respect. This means someone who is confident, clear, and ready to engage with them. I know some folks get nervous before teaching as a way to get them pumped but you cannot let your nervousness get in the way once you begin the class. You may not need to know everything and it's okay to acknowledge that (and that you will go and look up the answer on the questioner's behalf). Make yourself available to students-- remind them that you're available by office hours and appointments. The fact that they did poorly on their exams undermines their own confidence, which feed through their perception that something's not working in the classroom. They'd rather blame someone else than themselves. I agree with the above comments-- have folks from the university teaching center or someone on your committee (isn't your adviser supposed to evaluate your teaching?) to observe your delivery. Teaching is definitely different from public speaking/conference presentation. In fact, teaching itself should improve your public speaking/conference presentation.

Whoever can write you the STRONGEST and most positive letter possible and knows your abilities well enough to argue that you will succeed in a PhD program.

Were you thinking of Indiana University? The American Historical Review is housed at IUP. I think one of our posters there mentioned something about being able to work for AHR as a GA instead of a TA in the History Department.

Heh. Good luck with the dissertation fellowship applications when you reach that stage. I just sent off 3 copies of the same application (= 120 pages)... I mean... I actually went to the PO to mail that thing off. Yup.