Sigaba

Based on these insights, I may have been one of the exceptions that proves the rule and/or I got lucky. I went one for two with TAs writing two of the three LoRs for each program and I was told that I didn't get into Happyland University because of "politics" in that department.

Some of the comments in this thread about LoRs from TAs are over generalizing. At some schools, like the University of California at Berkeley, TAs/GSAs do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to teaching undergraduates. Admissions committees are aware of this dynamic and do not out of hand say no to applicants who have TAs writing for them. The key to LoRs is having academics who know you and your work, and your potential.

The reason why the concept of safety schools is controversial is because it implies that there are sure things when it comes to getting into graduate school. Yet, each year some members of this BB get rejected by all the programs to which they apply - - even the "safe" ones.

FYI, one can be in the OP's position if one goes to the University California at Berkeley.

Make sure you read the fine print on the application materials before taking this suggestion. IME, one's signature (physical or digital) affirms that the information one provides is both accurate and complete. Moreover, consenting to a background check may also include unannounced future background checks as well.

Were I asked by a person who displayed low SA (e.g.asking via email), I would let the person eat static. If you are going to ask, talk to the ABDs. I would take the guidance of 1st and 2nd year students with a twenty-five pound bag of salt, especially if they raved or groused about the program. Professors are not going to tell you if things are going to be... difficult... IRT your advisor even if he/she is really... difficult. (When you do figure it out, though, they will grin like grinning grinsters. I am not bitter, though.)

I think you should look at the faculty rosters of several dozen departments where you would like to work. Compare the number of professors who have MAs and PhDs to those who have BPhils and DPhils. If the differences are significant, find out why.

There are previous threads on this topic that may be useful to interested parties. Keep in mind that different programs and professors are going to have different views on language requirements. Make sure that the information you use to inform your language choices is accurate. More generally, in the coming months be very careful about the advice you offer and the guidance you accept.

If you are allowed an outside job, make sure that you get the blessings of one or more of your POIs. A job that seems great to you today could be a stone around your neck down the line but you have no way to know because of your limited experience relative to professors who have the inside dope.

By "tension" I meant inconsistency. Knowing what you want and holding to that standard is one thing. Ragging on this person is another.

There's a significant tension in your post. If you accept people for who they are then why are you bothered by the guy's approach to his work and why are you comparing him to your ex?

Keep your heads up. Save those rejection letters/email messages. Put it in your mind that you're going to do work that makes those who doubted you say "Oops,"

I think it depends upon how you define "transfer." Does it count as a transfer if one starts at School A, decides that one would be better off at School B, gets a master's degree at School A and then goes to School B?

I think that members of this BB need to do a much better job at keeping personal information out of their posts while also scrubbing their on line presence at other BBs and social media. The effort to find someone is as time consuming as highlighting a username, right clicking, and telling TinEye to do a search. I think that aspiring graduate students should consider that just as members of a department might do some on line research on an applicant, so might other students who are looking for every edge they can find to improve their chances for admission. My $0.02.

One of the many challenges that some of you will face is learning to trust the guidance you receive from professors that are in your corner, especially when that guidance doesn't square with your expectations. IRT the concept of reputation, I think that some are putting the cart in front of the horse.

K, I understood that it was your plan B. I am suggesting that your plan A might benefit if technical writing is a part of it.

MOO, it would serve you better if the professor mentioned it in a LoR. (Provided that you offered substantive comments and suggestions as opposed to scrubbing the copy for grammatical errors alone.) ETA: I mentioned this benefit as something in the good deed/own reward category. You can learn a lot if the professor asks you for comments.

K-- Consider doing more in technical writing for your "outside field," maybe even earning that certificate. The skill set will you find work while you're completing your degree and may open up other opportunities directly related to history (e.g. editing professors' manuscripts).

ALCON-- Notice the highlighted word. There is an increasingly deep generational rift centering around it. By his presence on this BB and his contributions to the conversations, it is clear that Professor Plum does not agree with many of his peers that today's students are governed by a misplaced sense of entitlement. However, there are others who subscribe to that stereotype which they use as an excuse to focus on research to the determent of teaching and mentoring. I urge you to do what you can to not feed into the stereotype. Manage your expectations. Assume that people are acting in good faith until you have overwhelming, verifiable evidence to the contrary. Temper your emotions and the way you articulate them in public (including this BB). Keeping calm and responding professionally to adverse circumstances, unlucky breaks, and bad news will earn you respect from people who can help you down the line. Conversely, speaking your mind and/or going out in a blaze of glory can put you on a perilous path towards alienation and self isolation and deepen further the "entitlement" stereotype. Here's a true story. As a junior (IIRC), I earned a summer research internship. There was a snafu in the disbursement of the first stipend check. I went a bit bonkers. I pitched a fit with the people running the internship. I stalked away, went into a classroom and proceeded to throw a chair through a wall. #winning In my fury, I completely and utterly disregarded offers from an administrator to use her good offices to make things right, including talking/writing my landlord. For the rest of the summer, I kept my distance from this person because...for no good reason at all. A couple of years later, now a graduate student at a different school, I bumped into this administrator. She was doing some recruiting for that same program. We exchanged pleasantries. I offered a belated apology for my reprehensible conduct. She forgave me with a grin and said "You've grown up." I took the backhanded compliment on the chin. We each went on our way. Here's the thing. While I did not pay too high a cost for failing to manage my expectations (other than feeling like a jackass the rest of the day), I likely screwed myself out of an opportunity to pay forward the benefits I received from being in that program. Counter factually speaking, if I had kept my temper and stayed in touch with this administrator, I might have had the opportunity to support her recruiting effort and, thereby, gotten more undergraduates from under represented cohorts to consider graduate school.

Confidence is a fleeting companion in graduate school. My suggestion is about getting the most out of moments when you have choices--feeling empowered, relaxed, unhurried, and inwardly directed to the point of being selfish in one's thoughts. The other side of this coin is not when one is waiting to hear yes or no from programs, but rather when one is in the stacks preparing for qualifying exams and later, when one standing/sitting in a hallway as your committee decides if you did or did not pass those exams.

Just two cents of IMO/YMMV. An advantage of holding offers in hand is the experience of being "in demand." In the coming months, years, decades, you all are going to be told "No" more frequently (and often brutally) than you're told "Yes." While being told "no" is how the craft is taught/learned, it is important to know how "yes" feels so that one doesn't make rash decisions down the line because of the relative novelty of the experience.

The "confusion" is yours. The comments you quoted were in reply to post #14, not the OP. Moreover, had you read the entire thread carefully, you would have seen that your interpretation of the OP's situation disregard information provided by the thread's title, the OP itself, and the additional information provided in post #7.

Agreed.

How would you want to be told?

My comment is based upon my experiences in the private sector and in the Ivory Tower. I've had bosses and professors and administrators tell me things in confidence even though in some instances the information was not necessarily unknown. Similarly, I've been briefed on highly qualified people not getting jobs because hiring authorities were not comfortable with candidates' abilities to mind their p's and q's or to otherwise conduct themselves in a professional manner. In the event you still find my POV "ridiculous" or consider yourself "hard" send the link to this thread to people higher up in the food chain and ask for their thoughts.