JustChill

How's South Bend itself? I've heard so many negative things about it that I don't know what to think.

I'd go for the free MA and then reapply to fully-funded PhD programs. You should be able to get a stipend at a PhD program.

Anyone here been accepted into Stanford's REEESA MA program?

I agree with the first part of your reasoning (experience over money), but how is the second part a fact? People who enter a program with an extra fellowship or whatever might be more actively recruited by the faculty, but once you're in, I doubt that means that it's a done deal in terms of other grants. I doubt that a department would be so obviously biased, as to award extra grants to someone who already came in with extra funding. Of course, if you were referring to external sources of funding, then that's a different story. My choices are down to two schools, and the funding offer from one is way above the other's. When I emailed the latter school to see if they can match it, they said that 1) they can't afford to do that, but 2) they don't like to create too much of a difference in funding packages between their students, because it creates animosity within the department. I had never really thought about this until I read that explanation. (Yes, I do realize that they might have just been saying this to have a b.s. reason for their poor offer, but it does make some sense.)

Someone already touched on this, but I am sure that by the time we're done with our doctorates and are applying for jobs, stipends that seem great now will appear much more ordinary.  That is, of course, one of the reasons you rarely (but not never) see dollar signs on a CV for grad funding.  I doubt anyone is going to be all that impressed if you got paid 4 or 5k more per year than the next guy, even though that can make a big difference when choosing a program.

Well, usually as soon as you accept an offer you have to sign a legal contract, from which it's hard to get out of. Once you sign that contract, you're gonna have to get that school to officially release you from the contract to go somewhere else.

After careful consideration, I have decided to accept your offer and enroll in the [PhD or MA] program at [X] University. I look forward to joining your department. They will tell you what else needs to be done after you send that.

There are many more auto than manual cars in the US. Most Americans prefer auto, and manual transmissions are starting to be more and more rare in new cars. You could find tons of auto cars that are used and in good shape.

Does anyone know if grad stipends are taxed as regular income or are there some special regulations for that? I can't find anything too reliable online. Can anyone ballpark what kind of a percentage we're looking at here, with local, state, and federal combined? Some people have been telling me that it might be as high as 30%.

It depends on TONS of factors, but overall I would recommend studying more and getting those scores higher. But, don't be too discouraged, I got into Stanford and Harvard with 480 quantitative (24th percentile or something)!

I absolutely suggest that you email the DGS of the program and clarify their offer. I did this with all of my offers, just so that there were no surprises in a few years. Remember, once you accept an offer, you have to sign a legal contract - you have every right to know exactly what you're agreeing to.

Go to KU, you will never, ever regret it. I guarantee you.

I agree, I am very lucky to have this problem. Both of the offers are fully funded, but ND's is much better. You're right -- UNC does seem to be having a lot of financial issues, and ND has been more than clear in telling me that they have plenty of cash. The two professors at each school that I'd be working with are great, and I'm sure I'd enjoy studying with either of them. I'm just worried that UNC doesn't seem to have the kind of placement record that you'd expect from a top-15 program. On the other hand, I think ND's history reputation is really buoyed by their strengths in medieval and religious history, and I'm not sure whether a degree in Russian history from there would be as well regarded. I hate to make a decision based just o funding, but the fact that ND is offering me quite a bit more makes it more attractive right now.

Any of you guys have any input on the Notre Dame vs UNC dilemma for Russian history?

I'd follow my dreams. These don't sound like they're preparing you for an academic position, so I'd think that a Duke degree in the "real world" would get you a pretty nice salary, so you'd be able to pay off your debts.

Hi! I was also accepted into Oxford's REES MPhil program, but since they offered me next to no funding I have already declined their offer. In my case, I have also applied for a few Russian history PhD programs, and since I have been fortunate enough to receive a couple of fully-funded offers, I have decided that I will not be going for a REES master's. In the US, it is pretty common for people to go straight from BA to a PhD program (they pick up an MA on the way to a PhD in the same program), however, there are no Russian studies PhD programs in the United States.

UPDATE: I contacted Harvard and they ain't budging on funding. Not too surprised. After careful thought, I've decided that I'm going to go for one of my two fully-funded PhD offers. Now, the last decision -- UNC vs Notre Dame. Notre Dame has one professor who is very close to my research interests and has been recruiting me actively. But, their program is not as highly ranked as UNC's. UNC has two professors in my field, but their interests are not really very close to mine (especially one of them, who works on a totally different century). ND's funding offer is a lot better -- about 20k more overall. However, I have heard a lot better things about living in Chapel Hill than Notre Dame/Great Bend. ND's program in my subfield is much younger and their faculty haven't been there as long, so it's hard to really get a good sense for their placement record in my subfield. As a department overall, I know that it's pretty damn good. So, my future colleagues, what would you recommend?

I'm doing exactly that right now! So far so good.

Once you formally accept an offer, especially for a PhD, you will have to sign a legal contract. Releasing you from that contract later on is completely up to that university, and is usually considered pretty hard to do. Most people also argue against doing this because it burns bridges and creates a bad impression.

I dont see page 206.

They get asked about that all the time, especially if they didn't mention it in their acceptance letter. Just ask about it straight up. It's not a problem at all.

I'm doing 19th century political, urban, and cultural history. If I go for the REES MA now, I will definitely reapply to history PhD programs afterwards.

Privet! I am also one of the Harvard REECA admits. I have offers from REES MA programs at Oxford and Stanford as well, but Harvard is my top choice out of these. My biggest question now is whether I should go for a PhD in Russian history or accept this Harvard offer. It's a tough call, but I'm glad to have these options. Are you planning to go onto a doctoral program after your REES master's?

that sounds nasty. most schools' history and english departments combined don't get that many applications.

that sounds nasty. most schools' history and english departments combined don't get that many applications.