Caligula

Wow, 5 acceptances to Madison so far. Does this seem like a lot to anyone else?

Congrats to those who got into Madison! I've counted three so far.

TerriM, I also applied to Oxford's Women Studies program! Did you apply for the November 20 cycle?

Yale offers both a terminal M.A. in History as well as the Ph.D. (with the M.A. en route). Does anyone know if some applicants to the Ph.D. program are denied admission to the Ph.D. track but offered admission to the terminal M.A. program? (even though they didn't apply).

The University of Georgia! I know it's the third or fourth time it's been suggested on this thread, but it's among the best (perhaps the best) for graduate students working in southern American history.

No love for Swat in this thread

Wait, you're doing 1930s/1940s France and didn't apply to Michigan?

Or, to flip the question: Has anyone ever not heard a peep from a potential advisor during the review process and then recieve an offer? One can only hope

As I read more and more posts, I have noticed that several people are getting positive responses from potential advisors and professors regarding their applications. I know that how quickly (if at all) professors/advisors respond to you varies by area of study, school, and programs within schools. I applied within the Humanities, and have noticed that several people are getting positive responses within the same field - and sometimes even within the same school and same program. While I'm genuinely happy and excited for these people, I can't help but think "Gee, I wish I was getting an email or a phone call." Is anyone else a little discouraged by the silence?

I want nothing more than to be a tenured professor at Wellesley. I want to have a bright, naturally-lit office full of books. And when I'm not in my office, I want to be in the library, completely disconnected from reality

Just my two cents: Where I'm from, McGill is by and large considered to be one the finest schools in the entire world. And Montreal, so I hear, is a lovely city. Also, Montreal has the largest gay quarter of any city in the world (area wise).

Does the US News and World Report rank graduate programs? I thought this publication only ranked colleges and undergraduate programs for universities.

I think this article serves as even further inspiration to be "the best" once enrolled in grad school. Make sure you do everything in your power to publish the best, highest-quality articles you can as often as you can, as broadly as you can. Attend conferences, present at conferences, make connections with others in academia. Of course, make sure that you don't sacrifice quality for quantity. But start in the beginning - your first semester - to make yourself stand out.

I absolutely hate negative attitudes and energy, maliciousness, and spite. I try my best to be considerate, polite, and positive to everyone I come across. That being said, welcome to academia. This is just the beginning. You're either hanging on the cross or you're hammering in the nail. Take your pick.

rockchalk, I think those two would be included if we expanded the list to the top 15. Perhaps: 11. JHU 12. Northwestern 13. Penn 14. Brown 15. WUSTL

I have a similar experience, it seems, as rockchalk. Hardly any one my friends are also applying to Ph.D. programs, and they have no idea how hard it is to get in. They assume that graduate school admissions are similar to college admissions - great grades and scores will get you in. So it does irk me when they suggest over and over again that I will surely get in. And then I feel guilty for feeling irked because I know they are just being supportive!

During the course of the application process, I have had several (too many) conversations with professors about the quality and reputations of the country's history departments. Based on the converations with various professors, I would say: 1. Berkeley 2. Yale 3. Chicago 4. Princeton 5. Harvard 6. Stanford 7. Michigan 8. Columbia 9. Wisconsin 10. Cornell Of course, this is just based on personal conversations I have had, and is not objective in any way. I'm sure other people's rankings will differ!

Socialcomm, Let's hope so!

I'm applying to MA and Ph.D. programs in the Humanities and so is my boyfriend. You probably know of him, he posts on the forums ALL the time

I don't think I've ever felt more horribly about myself than I did after reading this thread.

Who will you tell first when you get THE news? If it's good, I'll probably call my best friend. If it's bad, I'll call my parents just to get it over with.

Wow, I knew (openly) gay people were quite a rarity among the educated, but I didn't know I was this alone!

I applied for the November 20th cycle. Decisions are supposed to be mailed on or soon after January 15th. Is anyone else waiting to hear as well?

It's an unfortunate fact of life that gay people generally have it harder. But I was surprised to find that this was even true for the graduate school application process. Being an openly gay applicant presented its own unique set of challenges. My research proposal centers on gay/queer studies, and I found myself thinking things like "Will my professor, who I know is a proud member of the GOP, refuse to write my LOR when he finds out my proposed topic?" and "how detailed should I be about my proposal when my undergrad professors show in interest? Will they take me seriously? Will it change how they view me in their class?" I, of course, have only applied to programs / professors that have a strong focus on queer / gay studies, so I'm not worried about being accepted at grad school, but I still wonder if the larger academic world is going to take my work seriously. Have other queer applicants come across any similar trepidations or worries during / after the application process?

I'm almost positive that future historians will say this last decade began in 2001 (September 11) and ended in 2011 (?) or whenever the first major withdrawal of troops comes.