Sigaba

Veterans of the armed services, especially army veterans with an 18-series MOS, bitching about American civilians having the temerity to live their lives as they see fit.

Contact graduate students and recently minted recipients of a doctorate. Exchange a couple of "get to know you" email and then have a conversation in person or on the phone. Similar conversations could take place between you and administrators and departmental staff. In any case, you will be well served by having these conversations face to face when possible but absolutely never in writing. A suggestion. Before initiating contact with those who may have the information you need, please think long and hard about the way you phrased your concerns in your OP. There's an edge to your question that can inadvertently antagonize people who want to help you get to where you want to go. Ultimately, your question is about trust. If you talk to trustworthy people from a position of suspicion, there is a good chance that they'll take offense. (I am speaking from experience; I've both asked and been asked questions phrased similarly.) A recommendation. Look through the many threads on this BB that talk about "fit." IMO, you'll find suggestions and examples on how to make the application process about convincing Powers That Be that you'll be a good fit. You'll find conversations in which the take away is that applicants may be better served by making an argument that they'd be a good fit rather than attempting to explain what they see as shortcomings. If this post proves helpful, please pay it forward by coming back to this thread and sharing your experiences for the benefit of future applicants.

ALCON-- It's never too soon to invest time in relationships with professors and graduate students whom you might ask to write letters of recommendation on your behalf and/or for more general support during the application process. Yes, there can be a certain awkwardness to initiating conversations with people you don't know, especially if you eventually intend to ask for a potentially life changing favor. A way to get over what ever hurdles you may think or feel are in your way is to understand that developing relationships is part of the profession you seek to join and that, down the line, it will be your turn to be asked for support. A way to prepare for an initial conversation is to develop a handful of talking points about history. It can be related to a course, a current event, or a matter of more general interest. Figure out the POI's office hours and either make an appointment or just show up. Do what you can to convey that you're knowledgeable about the topic and interested in learning more. Do what you can to see if you're talking to someone with whom you can develop rapport over the next month. You don't have to put all of your "cards on the table" during this first meeting, but if you want to be upfront, that's perfectly acceptable. The big picture here is that unless you already have individuals committed to writing on your behalf, you do need to start developing relationships with people who will, and you need to do it right away.

What is the subject matter? How advanced are the students? What is your skill level as a teacher? (FWIW, on average, a double-spaced page of text with one inch margins is about 250 words and it takes about two minutes to read a page aloud. So maybe you see what you can write in one page, while budgeting time/space to address the most likely question.)

Bosses...

HR should have coordinated the purchase of the desk with the operations department and/or your supervisor; someone not named @Substrata needed to spec out the desk for your height. Operations arguably should try to work with the vendor to get an exchange/refund.

This well-intended guidance has the potential to lead to catastrophic consequences. What is an acceptable practice for a BTDT who is either the "dean" of a field and/or writing for a general audience may not be a best practice for an up and coming historian writing for an academic journal. If you are actually writing a piece of diplomatic history (consider this a prompt to disclose the treaty), I recommend that you become intimately familiar with the historiography of the specific treaty, the broader historiographical debates surrounding the events leading up and following the execution of the treaty, and more broadly still, the debates about the practice of diplomatic history. If you research/skim/read the scholarly literature correctly (or if you just get lucky), you will find at least one article or book chapter that will provide a blue print for what you're attempting to do now. You will find that if you set up your introductory and historiographical remarks efficiently, the subsequent comparison of your findings to others can be equally efficient.

Were I in your situation today, I would prioritize my back and my state of mind. Physical pain and mental pain can feed into each other in an expanding spiral that can be overwhelming. Or so I've heard. See if your job will pay for a standing desk and/or a chair with better back support, if not, give thought to investing in one or both. Concurrently, think of tactics that will allow you to get off the chair and still be productive. For example, can some of your meetings be held during walks? If your work compensation includes health insurance, see if the policy will cover a visit to a competent chiropractor. In addition to the adjustments you may receive, the doctor may recommend stretches and exercises specifically geared towards the health of your back and your neck. Similarly, see if your company offers "wellness" benefits. Such benefits may include complimentary unlimited telephone consoling sessions and a very limited number of face to face sessions. In the event you decide to resign your position, understand that living off your savings and part-time paycheck may require a significantly greater level of sacrifice than you imagine. Even if you eat economically now, eating PB&Js out of choice is a lot different than eating PB&Js out of necessity.

As written, you're post conflates work and job. Perhaps the writer is indicating that there's a difference between working at one's craft and having a job where one works, and that scientists (and others) can find a higher sense of self efficacy when "vocation matches avocation."

Is the objective of writing a SOP to prepare a flawless document with which one is 100% pleased or to prepare a well written document that provides a roadmap of your growth as a scholar from the past, to the present, through graduate school, and to the career that may follow? FWIW, a cognitive psychologist specializing in expertise and expert performance said to his students that it takes 50% of allotted effort to get to 90% of optimal performance and the other 50% to cover the last ten percent. For me, a take away (but not the only one) from the graph he drew to make his point was that in an environment with limited resources, making a choice between "perfection" and "close enough" can save one a lot of heartache.

As you already have a MA, can you finish your SOP before the end of next week? Otherwise, you may have to manage your expectations for how helpful the draft SOP you provide will be to those writing for you. (I would not count on anyone revising a LOR upon getting a more polished SOP.)

Given your concerns IRT experiencing anxiety and depression as a doctoral student, I recommend that you consider renting / sub leasing a room with a bathroom in an apartment or house. You will get more bang for your buck and you can spend money on items the apartment/household needs. The biggest challenges you may face is understanding what your strengths and shortcomings are as a house mate and what you cannot tolerate in a room mate.

I think that you would greatly benefit from refining how you talk about your interests. Are you a Europeanist who focuses on nineteenth century labor history as it relates to wars or to military affairs? Are you a military historian who focuses on the changing nature of warfare in Europe during the nineteenth century? Are you a labor historian examining the impact of the rise of "command economies" on labor relations? Once you've refined your interests, I recommend that you take a long hard look at the faculty members at your preferred programs. Will you able to talking about the past in ways that make sense to them? As an example, will a social historian give you a quizzical look and wonder "why labor history and not working class history?" At present, the way you frame your past, present, and future, you strike me as a person committed to your SO and somewhat dedicated to the House of Klio. What can you do to shift that balance to the point where established professionals are willing to select you over applicants who have centered their academic, intellectual, and personal lives around history?

IMO, in previous posts I believe I've done an adequate job at indicating that I don't subscribe to a "real world" vs not real word POV. In my work experience, the workplace can be great, the team mates and managers can have all kinds of POVs, and there can be flexible schedules and relaxed dress codes. However, the bottom line is that the owners of a business, no matter how small or large, or what sector of the economy, or political views of owners, are interested in making money and ultimately that bottom line will mean that at times they're going to make decisions that worker bees don't like and they're going not going to be particularly interested to hear that you disagree.

I would strongly urge you to make an effort to get feedback from professors in your field whom you know. If you're going to incorporate the guidance provided by strangers, I recommend that you carefully weigh the feedback against the experience of the person offering the feedback. The fact that what I really want to do is direct should not obscure the fact that I have zero experience in film production and zero hours in film school when I give you a note. In case you're pressing on this path, my two cents follow. MOO, by leading with your "grade school...passion" and mentioning multiple moments of "discovery" your draft SOP suggests to me that you've drifted along the tides of an unfulfilling career as opposed to walking a determined, but winding, path towards an objective to which you're committed. Overall, the SOP reads like boiler plate with a place holder for the programs to which you're applying. The description of your research interests is vague, especially given your professional experiences and your education. (Is it really accurate to say your education up to this point has been devoted to the technical aspects of production? Did you not have classes that discussed theory of any kind? As written, would your professors/instructors at Drexel and Quinnipiac find your read back succinct or dismissive? ) I recommend that you refocus your draft SOP. Please focus more effort on discussing, describing your research interests. Spend more time discussing how your professional experience and education inform your research interests.

I recommend that you listen to your instincts on this topic. As the number three in your company, it's likely that meeting, much less exceeding, the expectations of your organization will become increasingly difficult. Simultaneously, an academic department is going to expect you to be "all in." Murphy being Murphy, at the worst possible moment, you're going to experience a situation where both your private sector and academic interests need your full attention and effort. I recommend that you put yourself in the best position to succeed in one arena or the other.

The gravitational pull of extra-academic forces can be tremendous. Or so I've heard.

The University of Southern California. There are at least two professors in the department of history who are right in your wheel house, but you'll want to bring your A game every day. Or so I've heard. UC Irvine I would read carefully the description of the culture and theory program as well as a careful look at the faculty roster. UCI stakes out a firm position in the ongoing power of culture debate. Will you have enough room to do what you want? The University of Texas at Austin.

As written, your posts indicate to me that your mind is already made up on a number of issues and that experience will sharpen long-held viewpoints. Moreover, you're setting the standard by which you will accept differing viewpoints. Questions. How will you make the case successfully that a program, even one that shares your views, would benefit from a student who already has it all figured out. Agreeing that water is wet in and of itself does little to help those who are drowning or dying of thirst. How will you convince people that, after staking out a position on principle, that you're willing to do the necessary horse trading to get people what they need?

This qualifier gets in the way of your point that everyone in Los Angeles needs a car, a generalization that was overly broad. https://exchange.aaa.com/automotive/driving-costs/#.W4RGv-hKi70

MOO, one does not need a car in Los Angeles if one lives within a convenient walking distance of a couple of Metro stops. FWIW, a recent report argued that LA was the second most expensive city for car ownership, trailing only NYC. 2. Los Angeles Car ownership baseline: $7,237 Parking: $2,405 Congestion: $2,808 Parking pain: $2,383 Total cost of driving in Los Angeles: $14,834 Even if one were to zero out the cost of "congestion" and "parking pain," one is still looking at costs north of $9k. So I don't know if the issue is as cut and dry as some suggest.

Why not contact current and recent graduate students in the programs you mentioned. http://arthistory.berkeley.edu/people/graduate-students/101116-current https://arthistory.ucla.edu/current-graduates/ https://dornsife.usc.edu/cf/ahis/ahis_student_roster.cfm https://dornsife.usc.edu/ahis/new-alumni https://art.stanford.edu/people/students/phd

Another reason not to blog is that unless you're an exceptional writer, your entries may not always represent your best thinking, writing, and editing. Will members of a job search committee give you the benefit of the doubt if you send them to your blog via your CV? Also, if you're a prolific blogger, the Powers That Be may develop the concern that you're going to be more focused on your social media presence and developing your "brand" than doing the actual job.

The master's you earn as a by product of preparing and passing qualifying exams may not be as useful as a master's you earn preparing a report or a thesis, either of which can be used as a writing sample that demonstrates that you can do research, think critically, and write well, even if the subject matter is uninteresting or alien to them. My current job hired me on the strength of my writing, which greatly improved from preparing an (overly) long report. Also, a master's degree is as easy or as hard to earn as a graduate student wants it to be. If someone in a doctoral program only intends to earn a master's, the motivation may impact the level of effort, and a department might notice; professors talk. This perception could impact academic's willingness to write good reference letters for a job seeker.