Heimat Historian

THERE HAS BEEN SOME SHENANIGINS WITH THE FORUMS AND SOME THREADS HAVE BEEN MERGED THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MERGED. I'VE MOSTLY UNTANGLED THEM BUT CAN'T FIX THIS ONE, SO I'VE APPENDED THE ORIGINAL POST TO THIS THREAD TO SORT OF FIX THINGS.   - @telkanuru, 3/8/19

Posted February 26, 2015 by @Sigaba The purpose of this thread is for those who applied in 2015 to graduate programs in history to do some chalk talk. What would you do differently and why? What parts of the process did you nail? Did you take any risks and how did they pay off? Were you surprised by any hidden fees? What role did campus visits play in making decisions on where to apply or where to go? Did you apply to too many programs, too few, or just the right amount?
 
Because many are still learning where they've been accepted, if you post in this thread, please provide a "snap shot" of your current status. Perhaps the easiest way for many to provide this snap shot is to copy and paste the biographical information from your signature. Or, you could employ a short hand to indicate the number of schools to which you applied, the yesses, the nos, and the wait and sees.
 
Here's the deal. Year after year, many aspiring graduate students come to the history forum of the GradCafe and ask a lot of questions and provide a lot of blow by blow details of the process. Year after year, many aspiring graduate students stop posting soon after getting offers of admission and/or letters of rejection. When they leave, they take a treasure trove of useful information and invaluable experiences. The aim of this thread is to provide an opportunity for a cathartic "exit interview" of sorts so that future members of this BB can use it to build tool kits to use when they apply.
 
For those of you who have not had as much success as you would like, it may be especially difficult to share your experiences. But I say if you did the best that you could under the circumstances, you should be proud of the hard work you've done. Hold your heads high and tell us what you have learned.
 
If this concept has legs, perhaps down the line there will be additional lessons learned threads that will run almost hand in hand with other annual threads.
 
A caveat. Many of you may be emotionally raw right now after years of very hard work, months of highs and lows, and weeks of checking your email every five minutes. Please do what you can to manage those emotions if you post in this thread. Do not betray any confidences. Do not do too much venting. Do not post anything that you would not be willing to say to a DGS or any of the other Powers That Be at any institution you would like to attend as a graduate student.
 
Ideally, among the first respondents to this request for information will be the lurker
the highly respectable telkanuru.
 
 
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@Heimat Historian's original post: 

I think this is a fantastic idea.   Once I've made decisions I'll be happy to post my experiences. 

How does one know if one is a "priority candidate?"

THERE HAS BEEN SOME SHENANIGINS WITH THE FORUMS AND SOME THREADS HAVE BEEN MERGED THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN MERGED. I'VE MOSTLY UNTANGLED THEM BUT CAN'T FIX THIS ONE, SO I'VE APPENDED THE ORIGINAL POST TO THIS THREAD TO SORT OF FIX THINGS.   - @telkanuru, 3/8/19

Posted February 26, 2015 by @Sigaba The purpose of this thread is for those who applied in 2015 to graduate programs in history to do some chalk talk. What would you do differently and why? What parts of the process did you nail? Did you take any risks and how did they pay off? Were you surprised by any hidden fees? What role did campus visits play in making decisions on where to apply or where to go? Did you apply to too many programs, too few, or just the right amount?
 
Because many are still learning where they've been accepted, if you post in this thread, please provide a "snap shot" of your current status. Perhaps the easiest way for many to provide this snap shot is to copy and paste the biographical information from your signature. Or, you could employ a short hand to indicate the number of schools to which you applied, the yesses, the nos, and the wait and sees.
 
Here's the deal. Year after year, many aspiring graduate students come to the history forum of the GradCafe and ask a lot of questions and provide a lot of blow by blow details of the process. Year after year, many aspiring graduate students stop posting soon after getting offers of admission and/or letters of rejection. When they leave, they take a treasure trove of useful information and invaluable experiences. The aim of this thread is to provide an opportunity for a cathartic "exit interview" of sorts so that future members of this BB can use it to build tool kits to use when they apply.
 
For those of you who have not had as much success as you would like, it may be especially difficult to share your experiences. But I say if you did the best that you could under the circumstances, you should be proud of the hard work you've done. Hold your heads high and tell us what you have learned.
 
If this concept has legs, perhaps down the line there will be additional lessons learned threads that will run almost hand in hand with other annual threads.
 
A caveat. Many of you may be emotionally raw right now after years of very hard work, months of highs and lows, and weeks of checking your email every five minutes. Please do what you can to manage those emotions if you post in this thread. Do not betray any confidences. Do not do too much venting. Do not post anything that you would not be willing to say to a DGS or any of the other Powers That Be at any institution you would like to attend as a graduate student.
 
Ideally, among the first respondents to this request for information will be the lurker
the highly respectable telkanuru.
 
 
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@Heimat Historian's original post: 

I think this is a fantastic idea.   Once I've made decisions I'll be happy to post my experiences. 

Hi all.  I'm applying for the intensive language scholarship and I still have "selection made" in my portal.  I guess we'll be waiting a bit still huh? 

I'm a 1st year PhD in history but had comps for my MA, so take this with a grain of salt. Professors expected us to gut books. I was told not to spend more than 3 hours on a book for comps and to only read the intro, conclusion, bibliography/footnotes closely, then skim the rest and supplement with scholarly book reviews (I read 2-3 per book). I empathize with people who enjoy reading the entire book, but I'd recommend saving a closer reading until after comps so you can get through everything. 
Good luck!

I know this is a bias, but I have little patience for journalist who pretend to be historians. 

I actually think that would make for a fascinating panel mvlchicago.

Here are some places to start:
http://www.sts.rpi.edu/pl/science-studies-reading-list
http://depts.washington.edu/hssexec/library_list.html
 

Just thought I'd let you guys know that I passed my dissertation defense on Friday. Committee wanted a couple of revisions but that's about it.

It just means we'll all have to do it next year!

You jest, but I would totally do a panel with y'all called something like "The Digital Network Generation: A Selection of type-A grad student research who've been chatting about their projects semi-anonymously for a year." 

It just means we'll all have to do it next year!

I turned in my last paper on December 23rd and my classes start again on January 26th. That is a nice long break!  I'm still deciding whether I should go to the AHA conference this weekend.

Made it through the first quarter about 2 weeks ago and now winter quarter is days away...I have never missed semesters more than I do now. However, I'm a contrary person by nature (and a glutton for punishment) so I'm also stoked to start classes again.
You guys...it's been a year since we finished applications and were waiting for programs to respond, wondering where the hell we'd end up. Crazy.

A year since the mutual freak-outs already?! Damn. And look at us go.
I've got an accepted article I've gotta edit for February and some conferences coming up! Eat well and have a great second semester everyone.

I get to spend winter break in my primary archive. I have a chapter (somewhat divergent from my history research) coming out in an edited volume early 2016. I am full of Turkey dinner 2.0. Life is good, basically. 

I'm pretty much done with one final paper and working on a rough draft for the other, with the final draft due in about 2 weeks. I have one more week of reading, then I'm done with courses for the quarter.
I have to say, I'm pretty floored that I got through this term unscathed. I guess the MA prepared me way better than I thought. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I'm sitting over here loving grad school, enjoying classes, not overwhelmed by the work, still able to get some good research done even though it's not really expected in the first quarter. I know it's gonna be miserable sometimes--I absolutely loved my MA program, but it totally kicked my ass sometimes--but right now I'm feeling good and wondering if that's a bad sign haha
I hope everyone else is doing really well and the end of the term goes smoothly for you all! I wanna hear some recaps of your first-term experiences

Both are right.  It's okay to be bummed a bit if it seems like someone "took' your dissertation topic. 
Believe it or not, a lot of dissertations don't get converted into books.  So, read those dissertations that didn't get converted and find a way to make them your own.  How do the dissertations fit with the kinds of intellectual questions your'e asking and methodologies you wish to pursue.  
Heimat Historian, how would different sources change the narrative of that focus?  Will your methodology and sources advance that author's argument or reject it?  If the latter, how so?  A great example in German history would be the use of Nazi family policy.  Lisa Pine focuses on the top-down process while Michelle Mouton looks from bottom-up.  Nonetheless, they're asking similar questions but using different sources.  The conclusion to the effects of the Nazi family policies is generally that they were inconsistent throughout the years for a variety of reasons which some had to do with local bureaucrats disagreeing with the principle, resistance from individuals, and preparation for a war.  Another example in German history is the notion of heimat.  How do Celia Applegate and Alon Confino talk about it?
You will be doing A LOT of reading for your exams that will help you think about your dissertation in so many different ways.  Hang in there  

Guys I have two classes with mvlchicago on Thursday this is such an odd feeling.

It's my daughter's first day of school today. After I dropped her off, I got this overwhelming sense I'm in the exact place I'm supposed to be, the only place where I can make it work well for both of us. What a good feeling.

I started classes yesterday.  So far so good with both teaching and learning.  Hope everyone has a great start to their semesters! I also still hate the new layout.

I started classes yesterday.  So far so good with both teaching and learning.  Hope everyone has a great start to their semesters! I also still hate the new layout.

So happy seeing y'all get settled! I'm so excited to get started, and so is my advisor--so much so that he's decided to send me abroad to do a preliminary archival trip already before the year starts. Ahhhhhhhh, this is so great.

I'm not sure I love this new layout...

I'm not sure I love this new layout...