luneaty

Good to know, I'll look into the Arizona State program as well. Спасибо!

Yes, I've heard that Chapel Hill is one of the best institutions for my area of history. It's definitely among my top choices. The Indiana program looks excellent and I may look more closely at it. But cost is a factor, considering that I'm working on getting rid of most of my undergrad debt before starting a doctoral program. I'm planning on taking several community college courses, as Tulsa Community College has quite a thorough Russian program. Obviously a more intensive program would be ideal and it's something I may look into, but cost and time could prove to be a barrier. Many of the programs I've looked at state that Russian proficiency isn't necessary for admission, but will be necessary by the time you begin the dissertation process. Many also have additional language requirements, but I've got that covered with French. I'd be fine with taking a couple of Russian courses in the early part of my PhD if necessary. Anyone have any insight on this?

So as the title implies, I'm beginning to prepare to apply for a Ph.D program in history. I'm not actually planning on applying for a couple of years, but considering that most reputable programs are quite competitive, I'm looking to do whatever I can in the meantime to increase my chances. I graduated this past year with a B.A. in History and a B.S. in Education from a state school. I graduated magna cum laude with a 3.791 GPA. Member of Phi Alpha Theta (history honors), ran three campus organizations, multiple on-campus jobs (including "real" ones) etc. I was accepted into Teach For America, currently teaching 8th grade US history in a low-income community. I'm planning on finishing my corps term here and completing an additional year before going back to grad school. I'm looking to study 19th century Russian history for my doctorate. I'm currently tossing around a few potential dissertation topics (Circassian genocide, Caucasian War, comparative imperialism). I did a decent amount of research in this area during my undergrad, and presented at local, regional, and even one national conference. I've been keeping in contact with my European history professor and a few others in the department. Ultimately, I'm trying to see what I can do to improve my chances of admission into solid programs. While I believe that my grades and campus record are solid, I'm hoping that the lack of a "prestigious" undergrad institution on my transcript won't hinder any chances. Here are some things I'm doing to prepare: - Learning Russian. I already speak/read fluent French and can get around in Spanish. I'm planning on taking Russian courses at a local community college beginning this summer, but I've begun on the basics of the language. - Continuing research. I've got a decent library of Russian history titles going, and I've been trying to narrow my focus within the realm of 19th century Russian history. - GRE. I haven't taken it yet, but I've got a few people I'll be studying with. I'm not terribly concerned about the verbal or writing portions, but the quantitative reasoning one may become a challenge. And lastly, here are the programs I'm currently looking at (in relative order of preference): McGill, Yale, UNC Chapel Hill, Brandeis, UMass Amherst, UC San Diego, UM Ann Arbor, University of Oklahoma, Boston College, Queen's University, University of Ottawa. I'll be narrowing this down with further research. Thanks to anyone who has advice on how I can further prepare (and took the time to read this, hah).