ashiepoo72

In my MA methods course we read Gaddis' Landscape of History and Howell and Provenier's From Reliable Sources. We were unofficially expected to read Bloch's The Historian's Craft and Novick's That Noble Dream. I also like Davidson's After the Fact, which I read in undergrad.

Do you have any teaching/tutoring experience? Fellowships? Scholarships? Were you on dean's honors? Are you a member of any professional historical associations (like the Organization of American Historians)? Are you a member of phi alpha theta? You should definitely include language training on the CV. Don't worry, many applicants have sparse CVs.

I would be vague about it, but frame it in a positive way. I didn't take time off from my MA but I did during undergrad, so I basically said I took time off but came back stronger and more dedicated to my field. It was one sentence in my entire SOP. Show them taking time off doesn't mean you'll falter in the PhD. Show them the you that came back after hard times and finished the MA, the you that didn't let struggles end your grad career. Statements for US schools generally focus on research experience and interests, fit with the program and only briefly (if at all) on hardships or peccadilloes. It's important that you take ownership of whatever happened and put it in a positive light, showing you learned/benefited/became stronger from the experience, if you're going to mention it at all. Emphasize your training, research experience and anything you've done that make you a strong candidate academically, because that's what'll impress. For programs with an additional personal statement it's another story, although I'd still be fairly vague since it's basically meant to show how your personal experiences make you an interesting/diverse candidate, inform your research interests and improve your skills, not meant to bare your heart to the admissions committee (they might get weirded out if you overshare, keeping it professional is always a good idea). I should say I was certainly far from a "perfect" applicant. You don't need a spotless record to get into a great program...you need a strong writing sample and statement and solid fit with the programs to which you apply. Your record matters, don't get me wrong, but you can overcome blemishes, be they grades or longer time-to-degree or whatever, by shoring up other parts of the application and knocking it out the park with the writing sample and statement.

Have you done the GRE and do the program's you're considering require it? My MA didn't. If you need it, you should take it no later than the end of October, as it takes about 4 weeks for the writing score to be released. You'll have to order and send scores without seeing the writing score at this point (at least for apps due in December), but you'll know the verbal and quantitative. Applying to the MA requires a statement and a shorter writing sample than PhD apps, so if you have a workable writing sample you'll probably have enough time. That is, if you've already secured the necessary recommendation letters. My MA required 2, others will require 3. If you haven't asked rec writers yet, do that immediately. Some of them may say no because it's so close to the earliest deadlines. Also, check the due dates at all the different programs. They tend to vary considerably, which means you may actually have til February or March for some of them and only need to get the applications due earlier ready now. All of this advice is assuming you've researched and have a list of programs ready, know the advisers you're interested in, have a clearly defined area of interest, etc. In my opinion, that's the part I'd be worried about if you haven't done it already.

At all the programs I applied, they require their own language certification. This is even required for students like me who've spoken the language since childhood. Some advisers might waive the exam (there's one in my program who does when he has international students using the language of their country of birth in their research), but you should expect to have to take it unless you're (and even despite being) a native speaker.

mvlchicago is right. When my MA department had a job search, the chair told me many U.S. departments view the U.S. PhD as more rigorous because it emphasizes breadth of knowledge a la coursework and comps. It's meant to make us literal experts--to have "comprehensive" knowledge of our fields. If you teach in the U.S., you are almost guaranteed to have to cover beyond your dissertation in survey and other courses. Since many of us hoping to get U.S. jobs are bound to get those jobs at institutions that emphasize teaching over research, if we get jobs at all, that's a consideration. Unless you go to a "name brand" UK institution like mvl said, your chance of getting a job in the U.S. will be lower than with an American PhD. I don't know how an American PhD translates for jobs overseas, though.

I second everything that's been said, and want to highlight what TMP said about the writing sample and statement of purpose. My biggest piece of advice to any applicant is to make those pristine. Scrutinize every word. Research languages are very important. Not necessarily deal-breaker important depending on your field, but can definitely set you apart. Programs would love for you to not need 1-2 years of language training during the PhD that could very well slow your progress to degree. You should definitely apply to at least a few more schools. Think about the reasons you want the PhD and apply to programs that'll make those attainable down the line. And definitely apply to places that'll fund you. As an international, paying out of pocket would be obscenely expensive. Good luck!

That's something you could mention in the SOP, though. "In an effort to gain the tools necessary for my proposed research, I am participating in [insert language immersion program] in summer of 2017, blah blah, etc..." I wouldn't include it unless you're completely committed already (as in, already enrolled and ready to start in the summer).

Yay, glad to see you back JJWS

I think that's pretty typical in the first few years after finishing. I had a prof who got a PhD at a top 10 in American history, was working 1 or 2 year visiting appointments for nearly a decade before getting tenure. Not saying all grads are going to get a TT job, but a lot of the Davis placements in the last 3 years are as lecturers, visiting professors and postdocs--these are, again, typical positions in the first 5ish years post-PhD. And I should say the list on Davis' site is updated with current jobs, not the jobs people got when they actually graduated. I know this because at least 3 Davis grads teach at my MA institution and their job titles have been updated to reflect their current position. So if you go 10 years back and see a bunch of assistant and associate profs, I wouldn't assume the grads of 10 years ago landed way sweeter gigs than recent grads--they've just been in the game longer. All that being said, why not contact your POIs and find out THEIR placement? My adviser spoke very frankly about where her students have landed.

Where are the stats that placement is going downhill? If you look at the history department's website, the majority of Davis PhDs are in academia or related jobs, including the more recent grads. Keep in mind many people don't stay at their first job out of grad school, but move around several times, so who knows where these people will end up. I'm at Davis and I love it. For one, the program funds everyone the same (unless you get special fellowships from elsewhere), so it eliminates funding-based competitiveness that I witnessed at other programs (everyone knows who is funded term to term and who came in with a full ride, and trust me, there's bitterness). I'm close to a lot of material for my research...you'd be close to Berkeley, for example, and would have access to material across the UC system. Davis is already ranked pretty high and is one of those 20 programs that disproportionately places people in TT jobs (see telkanuru's multiple references to the study done on placement...Davis is ranked 17 of the 20 I believe). The vibe here is pretty awesome. My cohort is super friendly, engaged and thoughtful. People in the other cohorts are nice. The professors I've interacted with are brilliant, helpful and active in their fields. Granted I haven't met all of them, and I'm sure it's not all roses, but I have yet to feel like an imposter or regret my choice despite turning down some pretty heavy-hitting advisers at other programs to go here. Davis is a nice, safe, clean little city with a surprising amount to do. If you feel claustrophobic here, Sac is down the street and the Bay Area is about 1.5-2 hours away. It gets really freaking hot in summer, but it wasn't unbearable. Also, wild turkeys and a bajillion bugs. Other than that, this place is pretty fab.

I mentioned it in the SOP. Basically said my fluency in Portuguese would aid my doctoral research. Tie languages in as a tool for your research. On the CV, I would list the language and your speaking and reading proficiency level. So in my case I wrote "Portuguese - advanced (conversationalist) speaking, reading with dictionary"

I used The Google, my trusty friend, and Duke, UMich, Cambridge and Johns Hopkins came up on the first page. Not sure what the geographic fields are, though. Hopefully some other people on here have more specific knowledge, although The Google rarely fails me

You've posted this in 3 places that I've seen, which isn't necessary. If you're out of time, you're out of time. The scores you have are the scores you're going to send. I don't think they're low enough to warrant immediate rejection. Right now it's better for you to focus on the things you can control, like your writing sample, statement of purpose and figuring out how well you fit in those programs and showing that in said statement.

I don't think anyone is arguing against you, but there are lots of reasons why people don't get TT jobs. If you aren't willing to go wherever those postdocs and 1-year visiting appointments are located for the first decade or more after you get the PhD, and instead settle for an adjunct job or drop out of academia entirely, the chance you'll ever land a TT job drops exponentially. Some people decide adjuncting is the best thing for them. I had a brilliant professor who got her PhD from an elite school and she chose to adjunct because of her family circumstances. In a decent world, she'd be teaching at an R1 and training grad students. In her world, that didn't make sense. Obviously it IS an uphill battle, and anyone going into this should know that. Choose a program that has good placement, funds for research, etc. Make sure you network, apply for fellowships and grants, and bust your ass on the dissertation. Write something that has meaning, not just something that fills a gap. Volunteer, teach, do stuff to make your life fulfilling. Realize that the PhD is one moment in your life, and you may not (and likely won't) get all you want from it. Obviously I'm just a lowly 1st year, but I'm not going to pretend I don't know anything. I managed to get through undergrad and a MA (where I killed it, if you don't mind me bragging) as a single mom. Others may have the dream of a TT and will die without it, but most of us are practical adults who know stuff doesn't work out. I'll happily teach at a secondary school or go work at a coffee shop for the rest of my life as long as I show my daughter I tried to follow my dream, and I accomplished a huge milestone on that journey. Besides, I have a guaranteed income for 5-6 years and I get to do what I love. That's freaking sweet. Even when I worked in accounting I didn't have that security, and I certainly didn't have insurance. Someone has to fill the positions that open up. It may, or (statistically) won't, be us. Knowledge about how dire the situation is--great. We are all armed with the same information, the statistics, the well-meant warnings from professors and also the snarky and bitter warnings from many others. But we are all very different humans with different experiences and lives and very different reasons for doing what we're doing. I won't tell anyone not to get a PhD just because of the job market. From my own experience, I know there are so many factors involved in the decision and it is not my place to project my reasons on others.

Honestly, it's bad across the board. Fields that were not impacted are starting to be. 20th century US is just the one traditionally and more significantly impacted. Although I find the chance of this unlikely...if anyone on this board hasn't gotten the "there are no jobs and it's awful" talk from a professor--I got it from every single professor who helped me with applications, even though they supported my efforts, and even from some potential advisers--let me tell you this: there are very few jobs and it's an uphill battle to get them. Half of PhDs in history will not get TT jobs (at least). A TT job can be the ultimate goal, but I hope for everyone's sake the PhD means more to you than just a TT job.

When I applied to MAs, my professor told me to show I know what grad school in my field meant. It's not about having a specific topic, although a specific area of interest (mine was modern U.S. History, so very broad) is good. I would emphasize any research experience you had as an undergrad (just to show you know what research looks like and know that it's a huge part of grad school), some methodologies you're interested in or have experience with and any upper division capstone type course you took (for my field, I talked about how I took two capstone historiography courses and books I read in those classes that helped me find my general area of interest). You could mention you want to get an MA to hone your interests and gain skills that'll help you in a PhD program later on. Like the above poster, I recommend focusing on fit with the program (something I didn't do, so I'm very lucky I even got into my MA program). Think about professors who interest you, centers/library materials/resources you could use, etc. Good luck!

I'd almost say your quant score matters less for top schools than for lower-ranked programs or ones with less funding. Some programs use GRE scores to determine funding so they have a specific threshold you need to meet. Usually this is because some funds come from the university--basically, the university sets the threshold, the department wants to fund as many people as possible and can't do so through their own funds so they look for higher scores that'll meet the university's requirement. I know UCSB wanted an average of 85th percentile (I think of all your scores combined). OSU also encouraged me to up my quant scores for funding purposes, but didn't have a specific score to aim for.

Remember, it only takes one acceptance...then the question changes from "if" you will get a PhD to "where" I would make sure each program has other (tenured) professors you can work with just in case the non-tenured professor doesn't end up getting tenure/leaves for another job/etc. This is good practice for everyone, including those applying to work with tenured professors. You don't want to hinge your entire grad career on a single professor. Make sure you have good coverage and support from multiple people in the department/university.

Grad applications were, for all intents and purposes, written in a dead language when I applied to MAs. It's amazing how much you learn by getting an MA that goes beyond your field. Its almost October! This is getting exciting for you 2016 applicants!

Yes it is. I've been on semesters for 3 years so switching back to quarters will be interesting!

TA orientation tomorrow and first class on Thursday...now that this long summer is ending, I'm wondering where it went!

Even so, you're trying to get a graduate degree through that department, therefore they have the prerogative to guide your progress and enforce whatever requirements they want for you to get that degree. Why not talk to the grad adviser in the department and make sure you're on track? It sounds like, despite reading the handbook closely, there are still ambiguities. It just makes sense to talk to the people who write, edit and enforce the handbook and degree requirements.

You should definitely talk to the department to make sure the courses you're taking are approved or acceptable. It's not uncommon in the humanities for students to take extra coursework outside their department (languages, methodological training, etc) but you should definitely be talking to your adviser about your coursework plans. At least at my program, students choose their coursework the first year (in addition to some required courses like historiography, a central component of history education), but in the second year students consult closely with their adviser to make sure they stay on track to finish major and minor requirements (and I'm assuming stuff like languages and methodological training if necessary, but I don't need any extra courses in this area so I'm no expert). I was also told some students take more time to complete coursework because their choice in major/minor fields, so it's not unheard of. Talk to your adviser and the graduate adviser. Don't go out on a limb if you aren't sure your program will approve, especially because they're funding you and view your funding as contingent on certain progress goals. You're worrying yourself sick over something that can be cleared up with some frank conversations.

I, too, have a school-age child and it helps me maintain a somewhat normal, or I should say consistent, schedule. The way I operate is, the work that needs to get done will get done. I do the bulk of it while my daughter is at school (so say 9-2), with a break for lunch and little 5 minute breaks here and there as needed. Then when she's home, I'm in mom mode. I clean the house, cook dinner, play with her, read stories, whatever. She's in bed by 8, so then I wash dishes and do last minute tidying up, shower, and spend 2ish hours doing more work. If your partner is willing to pick up and drop off the kids, entertain them, etc then a 9-5 schedule might work for you, but it would never work for me...my schedule revolves around my child's, and she isn't in school 9-5 and won't be quiet when it's convenient for me. Even with a partner it's hard to imagine being able to work when the kids are home, unless you can go to a coffee shop or have an office with a lock on the door (although my kid would just bang on it until I relented). Unlike some parents or people with spouses, I do use weekends to do work because I operate better when I'm not following a Monday-Friday, 9-5 schedule. I'm also a firm believer in my daughter learning independence, so I'll sit and read for an hour at a time, or spend an hour here or there writing, while she plays, works on art projects, etc. This doesn't mean she doesn't interrupt me (she's a kid...my life is defined by interruptions), but for the most part it's pretty productive. I figure I'm hoping to be a career scholar, and she's going to have to get used to me bringing work home. My situation is a bit different because I'm a single mom and don't have a spouse I also have to fit in my schedule, but I think you basically just need to figure out what the most productive schedule is for you that allows you to be both a mom and student. For me, I know reading a book won't take me more than 2-3 hours, so I try to knock out most of my reading while she's at school. I write better at night, so I like to spend the hours after she's in bed to write. At the end of the day, if I'm able to wash all the dishes, cook my daughter dinner and play with her, I feel like I've done justice to my "mom side." Some days cooking turns into a quick sandwich because of work load changes, and that's ok too...it HAS to be ok sometimes. When it doesn't work out, dust yourself off and keep trying to build a workable schedule. Things come up when you have other people to answer to or take care of...the key is not to be devastated when things don't go according to planned, another reason why I do better with a consistent, but rather flexible, schedule. Good luck! If anyone can successfully juggle things, it's a parent...remember that.