TMP

You may want to e-mail that Dearborn professor and get his/her feedback. S/he may say that s/he'll be happy to work with you even if you're in Ann Arbor. You'll get a PhD from Michigan, that's just the point. Or s/he may suggest relevant faculty members at Ann Arbor and just serve as an outside mentor. Definitely take a quick glance through 2009 and 2010 threads. One of the key mantras you may notice is that just *one* acceptance (with funding!) is all you need if you are humble and want this bad enough. People have applied to a range of schools from Yale to Brandeis to George Washington. Wherever they looked, they faced very stiff competition. GWU surprised many because no one had an idea how competitive their program was- only 7 offers out of 120 applications and this was/is a mid-ranked school! Brandeis was also very competitive as well- filling only 5 spots. It's just so important to apply as broadly as you can and making a department fit your priority at this time. Fit is their top priority as well for the departments because money is so tight and students are investments (time and money-wise). When the results do roll in, you can then be completely subjective. If you get into Columbia or Stanford then, by all means go. But you gotta get in first!

Yes, you are being a total idiot, however bright you are with standardized exams. It's the percentiles that matter. Anything over 90th is just fine. Focus your energies elsewhere like your SOP, which is even MORE important than the GRE.

First of all, adcoms could not care less about knowing your GPA all the way down to one-thousandth decimal. Your GRE scores are just fine. But your Q score is debatable for political science programs, especially for those focusing on quantitative thinking. You just need to focus better if you're intending to do history. Sparky's right, you do need some kind of idea of which part of the world you'd like to study in depth. To extrapolate on Sparky's thoughts of the job market, what courses would you really like to teach/TA for? If you're thinking "world/international/global", fine, there are several programs that do that. But for most part, programs would like to be able to label you as Americanist, Europeanist, etc. If you can't say it straight in your SOP, your choices of faculty member and background will determine which category you'll fall under. 20th century US and Europe are the most competitive fields. Even though I'm most of thematic history, programs tend to label me as an Americanist because of my strong background and training in that geographical field. My thinking is that you'll most likely want to find professors who fall under these sub-categories, never mind their actual geography: -Conflict/Peace -Military -history of psychology/science -Diplomatic/foreign relations -Any specific war (Civil War, WWI/II, Mideast conflict, Korean War, etc) -Genocide (it *is* an act of terror) And whatever you do, don't write your SOP like a dissertation proposal, so that you're open to other ideas.

You mean Ann Arbor, not Dearborn? Dearborn doesn't have a history department. Michigan (Ann Arbor) would be a great choice. Those are very competitive programs that you're looking at.

There are so many different scenarios why a MA would be good. You should always try to apply to a mix of MA and PhD programs for your first time round, if you're really set on going to graduate school regardless of the outcome. There are funded MAs out there but you'll need to do a lot of research. You also really need to examine your application carefully and objectively and see exactly what you would actually get out of the MA. If you're just going to waltz into a MA program expectig a magic acceptance into a PhD program just because you got straight As, that ain't gonna fly. You need to be able to set specific goals that are going to be meaningful in improving your PhD application. Your professors in the MA program will certainly take note of your progress. For example, my goals were just these: 1) Pick up a language 2) Get LOR from well-known professors 3) Explore my subfield with specialists that my undergraduate college didn't have and gain a more solid foundation of knowledge in that. I accomplished all of those and wrote a stronger thesis to prove it all. There is, I think, indeed a high standard placed upon applicants with MAs because they did spend 2 years with doctoral students and are most likely going to expect you to perform just as well as them. Certainly the classes that my best friend and I shared (she was doctoral), our professors didn't treat the two of us any different despite being in different fields. I didn't realize this until the last few weeks of classes together in my last semester of coursework. But the upside is that adcoms will at least see that you got your feet wet in the academia and with supportive LORs, they can take a chance on you. I have mixed feelings but for what it's worth for my field, I'm glad that I did it. It was certainly busy two years.

First year is always the toughest. You're jumping into the unknown- graduate school, life without your partner by your side at night, and a new location. It's still too late- people take a few months to settle down. Remember freshman year of college? Same concept. Stick it out, especially with teaching. You'll at least be able to show for it by demonstrating that you gained some skills for jobs you'll apply for.

Nah. Things are rosy at the moment, really, for everyone because we're all doing our best to make the best applications possible! Don't worry, things will pick up in a month or so when people start freaking out over the smallest details. I know I am already!

It's more of a hurricane. The calm before the storm is sometimes the first few weeks of January. The hurricane comes when Wisconsin sends out their first round of acceptances (about 25%+ of its total pool), followed by Yale's rejections in late January/early February. Then that's the eye of the storm until late February. That's the most tense time! Then you have the rest of the hurricane through the end of March...

Here's the first thing about graduate school you need to know- don't take everything personally. It's only you who makes a big deal of anything you care about. People will give advice if they feel qualified to do so. It's hard but it'll take time to develop a thick skin. I really discourage anyone from applying to graduate school just because they are too frustrated with the job market and want to use it to escape the reality of the job market out there. Graduate school is truly different from undergraduate. You really are expected to study that specialized subject intensively and think at higher level. It's all extremely self-motivated, which is difficult for most students. Graduate students have very little life, even with excellent time management, outside of coursework/thesis/research. When you have a job, you're out at 5 and don't have to think about your work again until 9 AM the next morning. Your job experience will go much longer way than a MA at this point. I just graduated with my MA (went straight after undergrad) and most employers cited lack of job experience on my resume as the primary reason for not offering me the job. While I don't regret having gone onto grad school right after undergrad, I do wish I had actually worked for a while to give deeper thought to what I want to do with my PhD. Also, remember there are a lot of people out there with MAs as well who were laid off and have all the experience- that's my trouble in my field. The MA will only be a good way to get your feet wet and see what graduate school is about if you're thinking of the PhD. But be sure it's worth going into debt.

I disagree with Sparky somewhat. Getting a MA in Ed can go both ways, really, I think. There was a poster a few years back who got her M.Ed while doing TFA and was accepted to top programs (in a very competitive field- US history!). Her classmate, whom I know, got her MA in Ed as well but as a stand alone MA (just doing what you did). She took time off though to actually work in higher ed. While her admissions results weren't as impressive as the TFA applicant, she still got into top 10 programs. But it's true, education schools get a pretty good beating by other academic departments. Also your high verbal will definitely help in a good way with fellowships (whether you decide to apply to MA or PhD). I would certainly take this paper and professor seriously as to demonstrate that you are capable of thinking like a historian. In your SOP, you can discuss how your interests evolved from your coursework in education to your interest in doing a PhD in history. They want to see that you are willing to change academic interests so as long as this part comes out as thoughtful. What kind of slavery are you looking at, geographically-wise? If US slavery, definitely look in Southern schools. If Latin American slavery, scholars are all over and you'll definitely need to look. Latin Americanists are known to do comparative work in their particular area of interest so you may want to look for professors who are doing comparative history and/or slavery in Latin America.

Agreed with others! Now that you've taken it, you KNOW what the GRE is like. You'll aim for a REVENGE! If it's any consolation, my re-take was in a different location from my first GRE exam. That location was not on a college campus BUT a tiny place in a shady neighborhood with a diner, and my ride could only drop me off at 8:30 AM, despite the exam being at 1 PM. Really shady neighborhood with just one diner down the block to entertain me for 4 hours. My GRE scores went down... enough said. If you're generally a late sleeper, go ahead and schedule your re-take at 1 PM (some places do offer 4-5 PM slots). But most people I know would rather take it first thing in the morning and get it over with.

You can scroll. The passage stays on the screen while the questions change. And you can still scroll up and down.

Maybe you might want to poke around programs that have strong cultural and social history?

I did a lot of those last fall. It's a hit or miss in terms of getting in- largely it's just politics at the end. But the more professors you can talk to in the same program, perhaps the better. But it can go in a very long way in terms of network contacts. 1. Has anyone done this informal phone meeting thing? How did it work? Professors will usually indicate how they want to continue the conversation- via e-mail or phone. They usually prefer phone first just to get all the details as to avoid writing a long e-mail. Definitely visit any school if you can because everyone's just better in person. 2. Will the PA ask me questions (like a more formal interview?) or just expect me to do the talking? They'll expect some talking from you because you're the ONE who asked to talk. Keep your answers brief. The conversation will flow once the two of you hit a good spot to start from. As someone said, you're going to try to establish chemistry. If you can laugh at one point, preferably sooner than later, that's good! You'll want your adviser to share similar sense of humor if possible... makes the whole PhD process easier. 2a. If "Yes," what kinds of questions? Typical ones are: Tell me about your research interests (Scary! But keep your answers concise if you can!) Tell me about your project. What languages do you have? (Don't worry, they won't switch languages here just to test you ) What can I tell you about our program? What questions do you have about the program? How can I help? A lot of the questions will be quite open-ended. The last ones will especially make any applicant felt uncomfortable because the tone can come off as pretentious as if you're wasting their time. Academics don't always realize this so don't take the tone too personally. If they thought you were wasting their time, they won't even bother to pick up the phone, right? 3. The PA said I could ask any questions I had about the program, but I really cannot think of anything that's not answered on the website? What are questions people typically ask at these things? You ARE interviewing so ask interview-type of questions. You will get a feel for the professor's expectations, not necessarily the department's. 1) Ask about other graduate students they're advising. This serves two purposes: the attention s/he can give you once in the program and the chances of the PA getting a new student the following fall. Where are they in the program? 2) Ask about languages- do you have sufficient preparation? 3) Summer funding opportunities- what do first and second year students do over the summer? Definitely ask them about their CURRENT projects- professors change interests too! This also will give you an idea of how busy they are. 4) Try to express your thinking about your fit with the department and other professors and see how the professor responses. Some are quite easy enough to divulge details on the admissions process and whom you should also work with- this signals a very cooperative and helpful professor who wants to work in a team. Others are pretty tight-lipped about other professors, possibly signaling that the professor may prefer to be in strong control of your academic studies and probably doesn't offer a lot of flexibility. But if s/he does talk about the department in general, it's a good sign that you'll get a responsible and reasonable advisor who will manage you well but is willing to let you explore the whole department. In sum, this question will give you a basic sense of the professor's expectations of his or her graduate students. Then you can think afterward if this is the right person at this department to be your #1 professor or is there a better alternative in the same department? I actually switched professors in two separate programs for PA because of their responses to questions such as these and I'm/was actually happier this way. And actually, I think the professors are happier too. 4. Any ideas how long this "talk" will be? Anywhere from 30-45 minutes, like a regular job interview. Good luck! Don't forget to stand up and smile while talking!

Ugh. After looking at ETS' site, I decided not to bother. I *should* get more time on the exam but my IEP is, what, 6 or 7 years old and it listed accommodations for the SAT that I really doubt that ETS would even accept it. I don't want to be more nervous than I need to be.

It is possible to have a scholarly career. It won't be easy. I met an exceptional woman who only has a MA and made something out of herself. She tried to convince me that a MA was all necessary for one to get research grants and if one can string together grants, it's all possible to have a career publishing articles and writing books. Now she is the head of a program that's of her geographical interest in a foundation, and she really enjoys her job. She's respected in academic circles- I didn't think so at first until my adviser praised her when I said that I met with her. Huh. Still, the idea of just writing grants in order to survive isn't all that appealing to me. Thus, I'd rather take any other job with an actual employer. And just make do with any free time that I have to write and publish. It won't be easy as one won't have all the freedom as academics have and thus the CV's growth may be slower than a professor's.

It's tough out there. Although I did graduated from a top-20 LAC with decent GPA, I ran into several key issues when I tried to apply for PhD the first time around. Professors in PhD programs were very concerned about my writing sample and languages (I was applying for American history with a focus on an ethnic population). No one mentioned the GRE even though I did awful. Hm. Then I decided to go for MA, unfunded. I was just too anxious to go to a grad school in the fall and didn't know what else to do (you're so smart to take off this year!). The rejections were coupled by the fact that my LAC professors didn't publish much even though they wrote very good LORs. I think that if the adcoms don't know your LOR writers well, they'll pay more attention to your SOP, writing sample, and GPA. (Of course, that's when the economy was doing fine so it seemed okay to take out loans at the time...) I went a top graduate school for my MA, got my languages under belt, and wrote a knock-out thesis. I went through the process again for this fall, with everything anew except for my GRE scores. I got waitlisted at 2 places- I was thrilled, really because of the increased competition. I didn't even expect to be waitlist at a top-20! I was still disappointed though, exacerbated by the fact that my adviser had a student who graduated and was trying for the same spots and she had gotten in 3 of the programs that we applied to together, including my dream school (which I was waitlisted). So I came out with mixed feelings. Nonetheless, my professors are still supportive as they have read the final product of my MA thesis. They were disappointed as well but urged me to try again. All (but my adviser) want me to re-take the GRE and said just to shot for 650 (about 85%) and stop it there. Still, it's intimidating to me at the thought of trying to raise over 200 points on one section. Otherwise, the rest of my application was quite solid, even my SOP. So here I am, conquering my fears of the GRE. And I'm actually pleased with my progress. Just go into it easy. Take a practice exam and find out your weak spots. If it's vocab related, study those roots- they will help you pick up vocabulary quite fast. Of course, part of it is that now I don't have anything else distracting me! So I am able to focus on it quite a bit. Nobody wants to admit it but a low GRE verbal CAN keep you out in some respect. I'd like to think that if not department politics at my wait-list schools, it was my GRE that determined my place on the waitlist. Just thinking about this makes me want to try really hard and *kill* the GRE because I was just *that* close. If you want the PhD, you will push through anything. Because if you don't and let your fears get the best of you, then you won't be doing yourself any justice.

I'm a long distance runner as well. But in the minority- I'm a morning runner! So, that often means I'm always alone But I have to do it in the morning, not just to get it out of the way but it's an opportunity to have a good start of the day as I love to run. It also takes all the anxiety and nervousness out so I go to school all calm and ready to work. Long distance running has done wonders for me in terms of thinking. My adviser was incredulous at my progress with my master's thesis. She never knew that I spent 3-4 hours every weekend thinking and writing my thesis in my head all through the summer as I did my fieldwork, in which I'd sit down at my laptop the next afternoon to write it all down, plus more. She never knew that as a result I was able to run the Detroit Marathon! By the time I ran that marathon, I never felt so positive and energetic because so much of my thesis was typed up that i was actually able to enjoy the course You just need to make time in your schedule that's all. No ands, ifs, or buts. I never scheduled any appointments or classes before 10 AM just so I can work out. If someone insisted on an early morning appointment, then I'd schedule it on my day off or when I can spend less than an hour total with my workout (including stretching). It's all worked out, even if it meant waiting a few days longer...

As I told my SAT kids, repeatedly, even though there's a lot of information, READ THE QUESTION! Skim through the paragraph until you get to the question and infer from there what you actually need to pay attention in that all information. Not only ETS wants to get you confuse, they also want to trick you as well by making you do a problem that you shouldn't have done in the first place if you hadn't seen exactly what they're asking for.

Freaky. This is freaky. You just missed one of our old posters by a year. She had very similar interests as you do and got her MLS from Rutgers (and took a lot of history classes there). She did apply to Rutgers for the PhD but I can't remember if she was actually accepted there. She's now at Minnesota and is loving it. She also applied to Delaware, UVa, Temple, and a few other places that I can't think of right now. Hopefully she'll come around these boards and send you some advice.

Be choosy. Be very wary about anyone who wants a copy of your paper. This doesn't just happen in the sciences but in the humanities as well that professors will steal unpublished papers and turn them into their own. If the professor's very close to your field, there's no reason to send in a paper. Show him your bibliography. That's it. If he wants to write it, he'll have to do all the research. But if this professor happens to be a friend of your adviser, ask your adviser about this. It'll be harder for the professor to mess up if your adviser is in the loop in some form. At this point, send in your bib and a sketch of what you're thinking of doing with those sources and your main argument. Wait for his reply. You can have a discussion based on the sources and evidence found. Keep the conversation even. You offer some analysis. He bounces back with some thoughts of his own. You respond. Play fair.

LOL agreed. Just buy clothes as you go along with the season. I definitely second Columbia's two-layer jackets. I've had mine for about 10 years now! It's holding up pretty well but I'm convinced that last winter was its last winter... just because... I want a new jacket Then when you have the money again, you can get a down coat. And please, don't break out all the super-warm clothes in October/November. Northerners will seriously laugh. We love those California kids who scream and run around when they see their first snowflakes and then grab a camera and take pictures. Seriously, unless the snowflakes are seriously fat, you can't really see them in pictures. I've always picked out my winter stuff for comfort, not fashion, and I'm really glad that I did it. Especially when my more fashionable friends get a little...cranky that their clothes got all wet and they're all wet and cold... You will survive!

Let it go. If you've been admitted already, the program won't even look at your final transcript. The only place that's getting your final transcript is The Graduate School to confirm that you did get your BA/BS. That's it. This is your last chance to bomb something for the heck of it

Another on here too... not from UVM though! Still wearing my Delta sweatshirt to the gym...

Let UVA kick itself in its pants for not doing a better job of reassuring you. OSU still has better funding package. It's still an excellent history program. Don't let prestige factor get to you too much. You need to be at a place where you can truly thrive as an academic and that includes quality of life. When your potential advisor at UVA sees how well you're doing at OSU, s/he is going to be sorry for not trying hard enough in recruiting you to come. Go back to the DGS at UVA and say that you've already received excellent funding from OSU (spell it out). See what they say. If they can't come up with substantial more money or better package, just say thanks but no thanks. Also, at this point, you would be burning bridges with the faculty at OSU if you decide to go with UVA. You would have to ask to be release from OSU in orde to attend UVA... there are legal consequences...