Sigaba

I recommend that you first prioritize your academic interests (albeit provisionally) and from that ordering, your search for programs and POIs may be a bit easier. That is, if you were to list your interests which combination hits the sweet spot between what you want to do and with whom you want to work? Twentieth century American history African American history The Cold War American foreign relations (does not necessarily incorporate the Cold War.) World War I World War II Military history (A historian focusing on a specific war will often have a very different approach to the topic than a military historian studying the same conflict) Public history A point to remember is that you're going to be competing for spots against applicants who have a laser-like focus on what they want to do and why. While you don't necessarily need to have your interests nailed down as precisely, you will likely benefit from being able to conceptualize and communicate your interests concisely and consistently. I am a X historian who focuses on A and B as a means to understand better C and D... will resonate more powerfully than I am interested in A, B, C, and D, and E.

FWIW, I think your areas fit very well together. Do you see your research interests being similar to those of Meredith Roman at SUNY Brockport?

@NoSleepTilBreuckelen Pronoun confusion aside, it seems to me that you've been asking "How should I decide what should I do now?" when you might be better served by saying "Here's what I want to do and why I want to do it, here's how I need your help."

As an Americanist,you would benefit from knowing Russian but you don't necessarily need it if you already have French and German. (FWIW, John Lewis Gaddis initially wanted to be a historian of Russia but the language proved so difficult that he transitioned to American diplomatic history.) Unless you're a beast when it comes to acquiring language skills, you may want to see if you can substitute statistics for your second language. Also, as an Americanist, you may need to narrow down your interests sooner rather than later unless you intend to find a way to slice the apple so that your dissertation topic brings World War I, the Cold War, and the U.S. together in ways that existing Cold War scholarship has not. (For example, have historians missed the influence of World War I on post World War II U.S-Soviet relations?) If you do pursue Russian, I strongly recommend that you start thinking about what types of primary source materials you would use in your dissertation. The increased use of Russian-language sources is pushing Cold War historiography back towards the Orthodox/Revisionist debates for which historians of American foreign relations paid a high price within the profession.

The short answer is yes. Don't lie or mislead, but hold your cards close to your vest. Also, understand that if you take a professor into your confidence and she's okay with you working in the private sector, it doesn't automatically follow that her colleagues will agree. If you're set on working in the public sector, start looking at job listings now. You want to identify the types of skills employers are looking for that are unrelated to sociology examples include project management, customer service, technical writing, and certain software platforms. If you want to do think tank work, you may want to make sure your personal affairs in order so that you can pass various types of background checks up to and including checks for security clearances.

I recommend that one focus on the historiography on one's areas of interest by identifying and studying the must read works and the articles that define the state of the art. I think focusing on dissertation writing skills is putting the cart in front of the horse. The creation of new knowledge requires a certain mastery of the knowledge that already exists.

If you want to get a running start at building a relationship with this person, you can begin by studying everything she has written, reading the scholars who have influenced her, and becoming familiar with the POVs she finds controversial/objectionable.

Ultimately, the amount of power you have will boil down to how far the professor for whom you work and the department offering the class want to back you up. If a situation with a student goes south, you should document everything (including what professors tell you behind closed doors), you should maintain a disinterested temperament, and you should manage your expectations. The Powers That Be may decide that their priorities are different than yours and implement a solution that surprises you. (But I'm not bitter.) Something you could do is to include relevant passages from the relevant policies in an attachment to the section syllabus and then go over it point by point. If you go this route, make sure that your tone is neutral; explain the ground rules with no expectation one way or another that students will behave inappropriately. You can also establish an environment in which the discussion of controversial topics is deflected in favor of what you want to cover so the students can learn the materials. This approach will require both forward thinking and quick thinking on your part. Given your expressed concern, I recommend that when you receive your training to work as a TA, and if circumstances allow (and your situational awareness will be crucial) that you ask specifically what you are supposed to do with disruptive students. I recommend that you "sandbox" in your mind's eye how you would implement the guidance in an encounter with a disruptive student. You want to have as good a sense as possible of what kinds of behaviors and comments will press the magic button and your course of action if someone presses it. In the event something unfortunate transpires, do as you've been trained/told AND document everything AND consider initiating disciplinary action against the student as set forth in your school's code of conduct. (The Ivory Tower is taking cues from the private sector in these kinds of disputes more and more and, for better or worse, the person who complains first often "wins.")

MOO, your focus should be the honor's thesis (especially if it's going to be your writing sample), your statement of purpose, and developing further your relationships with the professors writing letters on your behalf. If you take the language class, which I do not recommend, figure out if you can take it P/F or P/NP.

@jaaaayciee Welcome to the grad cafe. Depending upon the degree you intend to pursue to fulfill the eligibility requirements for the James Madison Fellowship, spend some time here or there. You're more likely to get apples to apples guidance in a discipline-specific forum. If you aren't sure which path to travel, consider the following question. Do you want to be a historian that teaches or an educator that teaches history? In regards to your stress level, please note that you are ahead of the game in planning for your application season. In addition to the letters of recommendation and the GRE, you might also benefit greatly from looking into any research-oriented internships that are available for this summer or next fall. Also, if your major does not require a senior thesis, look for options that will require you to write one. (An internship, a senior thesis and an honor's thesis would be optimal.) #HTH

If this reviewer is an academic historian, she/he is telling you that your essay, what ever its merits, is not a good example of historical writing because it does not provide an adequate historiographical context and it does not reflect a good use of primary source materials. The proposed one page introduction is a quick patch. The reviewer is saying that she/he doesn't think you have the training/time/access to make the comprehensive revisions the piece needs. If her/his assessment is correct, go with the one page introduction. If you want to make revisions, understand that you need to do more than make minor tweaks and you need to send your FOIA requests ASAP.

My first time, I submitted my senior thesis. Don't have it handy, but it was long. When I changed schools, I submitted my master's report (18.9k words [≅ 75 pages] of principal text ) and a biographical/bibliographic essay (4.2k words and lots of footnotes). I am pretty sure no one on the admissions committee read the former. IMO, a very well written piece based upon a foundation of solid research will get you more than a solidly written piece based upon a foundation of excellent research. My $0.02.

There are certain books you need to know backwards and forwards. In the dark. If you don't know, ask. If you don't know whom to ask or how to ask, let me know. Others, you can use the approach outlined in @ashiepoo72's post, above. The rest you need to know the core argument(s) well enough that you can state it in one well-crafted sentence. A question: How are you feeling?

@fencergirl The objective is not just to do something that hasn't been done. The objective It is to do something that hasn't been done in a way that advances one or more historiographical debates. IRT reading works by non-historians as a means of preparation of writing a thesis in a field of history, I ask (rhetorically): Why? Why not instead read a work by or about a prominent historian in your field and/or that historian's master's thesis/report and dissertation as a way of getting a sense of what it's like to write a thesis in history? (At the very least, I very strongly recommend that you wait until you figure out the lay of the land in your department and a nuanced perspective on the debates over certain trajectories of interdisciplinarity before dropping Ecco's name.)

Discontinue the practice of peeing into the bowl of cornflakes of your happiness; your exams committee will do that for you. Often. (I think you made the right decision. One really has no way of knowing if a program is a good fit until one gets there and sees how the sausage is made. Small departments can be tricky even when there's a high level of collegiality among professors--walls may talk, but departmental administrators gossip, and professors chat. If one enters a doctoral program with a MA from another institution, one basically has to earn another MA before becoming ABD. By not having to worry about applying to doctoral programs while earning a MA, you can focus more on what you need to get past quals. The geography you're going to be most focused on is the quickest path from your place of dwelling, to your classes, to the library, and to the most peaceful bathrooms on campus [no way to sugar coat it.])

In the event firing or demoting your advisor isn't a viable option and salvaging the relationship is necessary, I recommend the following. Take another look at the edits your PI is recommending. Aside from the timeliness issue, are the recommendations sound overall or mostly nit picking or (most likely) somewhere in between? Are the recommendations consistent? The PI may be attempting to communicate to you that you need to scrub your work better before sending it to him and he may be dragging his heels (deliberately or otherwise) because his message is being lost in transmission. (Yes, he probably could/should do a better job at communicating his expectations and sometimes one has to read the tea-leaves multiple times instead.) Rethink your tactics for communicating timetables. Your PI has power over you and you need his help. You may be stepping on your crank when you tell him that you're going to do A if he doesn't do Z. Try to figure out different ways (in terms of tone, medium, and timing) to ask him for his help. (FWIW, I work for a consultancy and projects are often hung up on variations of the dynamic you described.) Talk to The Rock. Your department probably has a professor upon whom graduate students rely for guidance, counsel, and commiseration. This professor, if she/he exists, may have solutions that will help. If nothing else, talking to this professor may help you to understand that it's not you, but your PI who is the problem.

I very strongly recommend not getting a Surface Pro 4. The IT group has rolled them out at my job and those of us who have them are experiencing a wide range of issues. The one I'm using was recently re-imaged and is now having a new set of issues with Microsoft Office 2013. (Two existing issues--connectivity to external monitors and the fan working overtime--persist.)

IMO, this thread leads applicants away from what they can control. Specifically, face-to-face communication skills, knowing how to respond to inappropriate questions without burning bridges, and reading the fine print of an application before submitting it. This thread is also becoming a missed opportunity for developing research and critical thinking skills. In the case of the latter, if one believes that a public university is a haven for free speech, then what is the argument for issuing grades or moderated discussions or, if one extends the logic, syllibi, qualifying exams, and oral exams? If one does have a cause of action for a class action suit, how is one going to participate in such a suit while also going to graduate school? If one wins such a suit, what does such a "victory" look like? Even if a department/program is compelled to revise its admittance processes, does that mean you're going to get in? If you do, are the academics who have been dragged into court going to want to work with you? In the case of the former, a search using Google leads one to a 2002 article by David L. Hudson, Jr., a research attorney for the First Amendment Center. While the piece doesn't specifically touch upon the types of interview mentioned in the OP, it does outline circumstances under which public employers can regulate speech and reasons why courts are reluctant to rule against public institutions.

In earlier posts, you expressed an interest in .GOV jobs and potentially joining the ARNG. If those objectives are still of interest to you, I would strongly recommend against using wikileaks. Also, given that contemporary history remains a controversial field in some circles, is submitting a writing sample on such a topic the best way to get into a graduate program? (One could do it, but one would, IMO, need to nail the historiographical elements.) Finally, one can find archival documents related to American national security without university affiliation Examples follow. http://www.foia.cia.gov/ https://foia.state.gov/search/search.aspx http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/readingRoom.html http://fas.org/irp/offdocs/index.html

Hey, MTF, welcome to the GradCafe! Four quick suggestions. First, get a sense of how much longer Professor Sanchez at USC plans to remain active. There are few feelings worse than the one that comes from going somewhere to work with a specific professor only to learn that he/she is counting the semesters to retirement. Second, when you look at UCI, please give a look at Ana Rosas. Third, you're looking at people and departments that may match your interests, but don't neglect researching the libraries and archives with an eye towards potential dissertation topics. Fourth, I encourage you to start, as in right away, thinking of yourself as a historian rather than as an undergraduate considering graduate school. Please take a look at your OP. Then, look at @kafcat's . Please notice how @kafcat got right to it while you waited a few posts to define your specific interests? I very strongly recommend that you do what you can to lead with the portion in bold type when it comes to defining what you want to study and why. Please keep in mind that you are throwing your hat into a profoundly intense intellectual competition. IME, the more successful competitors are the ones who can demonstrate a sense of how they want to advance existing trajectories of historiography.

FWIW, I recommend designing one's outside field so that it builds skills that can transfer laterally to the private sector: technical writing, graphics design, digital cartography, data analysis, marketing, communication, and project management come to mind. I also recommend keeping an eye open for internships at consultancies--even ones (very) far from one's comfort zones. The competition for these positions is intensifying. At my job, before the recession, internships used to go to collegians entering their junior or senior years. Now, they're going to individuals with masters and professional degrees, and, on occasion, with years of industry experience. That being said, if you can make the cut, you may have a foot in the door to a permanent position down the line. The BLUF is that there's a tremendous amount of work to be done in the private sector, especially for those who can learn as they go, communicate effectively, complete projects on time and under budget, and be a good team mate. Sometimes the work is mind numbing and soul crushing, but the same can be said about evaluating blue books. I should add that if you're going to try route you may want to get started sooner rather than later. Drones and various forms of AI are altering the landscape and will make obsolescent skills that are relevant today. Those skills are the ones you will need to learn and master while demonstrating the critical thinking skills that, IMO, set historians apart from most other domains of knowledge.

Pick a minor outside field in that allows you to take classes in Purdue's School of Education. http://www.education.purdue.edu/Academics/graduate_programs.html

My reading of your OP is that your professors are telling you that you're going to have a hard time finding work as a professional academic historian if you go the HAUD/HCT route. So in addition to determining which path is better for your intellectual interests, you might also develop further your understanding of what kinds of trades off you may have to make to pursue them. My recommendation is that if you want to be a professional academic historian, look for history programs that will allow you to do your outside field in architecture or urban development--perhaps even at a nearby school.

Depending upon how you frame your primary fields of interest, TAMU is highly regarded. Moreover, it is only 3.5 hours' drive from University of North Texas , 8 hours' drive from Texas Tech, and but 95 minutes from the Forty Acres (and this resource). [HINT] Also, the City of College Station is the focal point of an incredible amount of economic development which may lead to solid employment opportunities for individuals with a historian's skill set. (Because depending upon how you frame your primary fields of interest... #NOTBITTER) #HTH

Where in this thread is this position argued? @rhiannonsdreams IMO, given the view that getting graduate degrees from one's undergraduate institution (UI) is bad form, you need to understand why no one at UI explicitly advised you not to apply. Or were you told but the message was lost in transmission because of your desire to get in or the message itself was too subtle? If no one told you, then you may have some fences to mend. If you misunderstood the message, you're going to need to work especially hard on decoding the guidance you receive from your professors at graduate school. Also, I recommend that you start talking like a historian rather than an aspiring graduate student in history. What are your fields of study and why? What historiographical debates do you envision advancing through your scholarship? What is your vision of your identity as a professional academic historian? How do your interests in your three minor fields inform your approach to history?