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Just got rejection email at 3:49 PM EST. Too bad!

Gotcha, thanks! I haven't received an email so obviously I'm grasping at straws before the end of the day and all of the award emails have gone out bwahaha.

Does anything in the portal look different once you've been awarded?

Omg wow, congratulations!!!!

Ouch. Good luck to you then!!! I've got my fingers crossed for you too!

Indeed, still waiting and hoping! As I mentioned above, from what I can gather, decisions usually go out around 3 PM ET. This is also the second Monday of April which, as I mentioned above, was the usual release date prior to 2020 (again, from what I can gather anecdotally from people who have posted information). So, fingers crossed!

Through 2019 at least though, I’m seeing the second Monday of April as the release date, but you could be right after 2019. Also, I’m seeing release time as about 3 PM EST. Could be wrong, but this is what I’m seeing from old grad cafe posts!

Oh I sure hope so!

Just got news that the department of education notified awardees (schools) that they have won funding. As of now, as far as I understand, schools are waiting to hear the details of the funding, including how much they’ve won (so, students have to wait a bit longer to find out if the FLAS award is coming their way).

Anyone heard anything yet?

I am in the same boat! I was told I’d hear back in August... which is a little late if you ask me!

I dissect the books and keep what I’ve written in zotero with the source. Dissection is usually about .5-.75 pages, has main argument of book, place in the historiography, sources, etc.

130 double spaced pages (except footnotes and bibliography), 3 chapters along with an intro and conclusion. Normal formatting requirements, so word count was 20-25k I believe, can't remember if that included footnotes and bib (but the page count does). School expected around 100 pages, but more was acceptable, and I had a fairly large topic. Edited first two chapters into a book chapter being published this year. Edited third chapter into journal article that is currently being reviewed.

I would also recommend taking some time off. On the other hand, I did get an MA first. Going into I did not know what specific interest I wanted to pursue besides German history (which is not narrow enough). I found my interest during the MA and writing a thesis. I also was not entirely certain I wanted to do a PhD when I started the MA. The thesis experience solved that issue for me. But, you shouldn't pay for an MA to meet these goals. And also the MA by itself isn't particularly helpful over a BA. Therefore, I would only do an MA if you know it can help you for something very specific career-wise or you have a decent idea that you probably want to go for the PhD. for me, I was pretty certain I wanted to do a PhD, and the MA was something of a practice run (also I didn't do so hot in undergrad so I needed an extra boost). but I also paid very very little out of pocket for it and worked full time. That also helped, because I figured if I could work 50 hours a week at a job and also do an MA with a thesis, I could handle the time commitment of a PhD. But if you aren't in a similar situation, I would take some time off, even a year. For me, I am starting my PhD at age 30. Sometimes I feel bad about the "wasted time," but it actually wasn't wasted. I grew up as a person and as a scholar. I was able to make the decision to do the PhD because it is a passion that outweighs the better financial prospects of continuing my current career. It also gave me a chance to make money and also experience life as an adult with a comfortable lifestyle. This was important to me because I was weighing passion vs money. Passion won (hands down actually). It made me want the PhD even more because there is almost nothing worse than dreading going to sleep at night because when you wake up you will have 10 hours straight of something you hate. Even though I wanted to follow my passion, it was the desire to wake up excited for the day that truly solidified my desire for the PhD. I would have done it regardless, so maybe what I mean is, it made me very very appreciative that someone was willing to PAY me to do something that I would wake up in the morning and do for free (in a world without money). So, at the very least, I recommend you take a year or two (or more) to experience "the real world" if you aren't sure that history is your passion. Not everyone needs this wake up call, but I truly did, and I am thankful for it even if i disliked ten hours of my days for four years. I wouldn't even go back and change it, knowing i didn't enjoy it because the experience was worth it. That may sound foolish, or a glutton for punishment, but it really does cure indecisiveness and instills a sense of appreciation.

I agree with this. Whatever side anyone took in all of that, this was not a very fun, relaxing, or constructive thread in that regard. I usually like GradCafe but this particular thread was rather shameful. It's actually the reason I didn't say much in this thread.

I was just told by the graduate director that they are still in the midst of application season.

It would be nice if this topic would get back on the rails. Honestly, most people are here to discuss the application season, results, etc. Nobody really cares about this petty argument. Take it to PM, please.

Like the poster above me, didn't find anything wrong with either one necessarily, but the juxtaposition of these two sentences in the Brown email might be rough for some people. Part of this may be because there is such an emphasis on fit that many rejected applicants chalk their rejection up to a lack of fit, whereas in reality, many applicants may be a great fit but their writing sample, GPA, or GRE is not among the very best.

I'd like to visit if I can. They offered to pay part of it, but I'm a little short on cash (presenting at a national conference three weeks later) and I am also saving up leave at work so that I can move to my phd program in August. So, I will if I can, but it'd be pretty rough.

Thank you! Happy to say that I received a very nice offer from Illinois Urbana Champagne along with a few others! Rather surprised though! Had a very good fit at Vanderbilt!

Contacted POI last week. Rejected. This year's cohort will only be 7. Low year for them, they said.

On its face, I would say yes in terms of academic jobs. I can't speak to museum jobs. As far as government jobs (which I have some experience), it kind of depends... Many job openings specify a particular degree title, but they often also list "30 graduate credits in history" (or some variation of the number of credits and field). The degree title is rather unimportant in the government sector unless it is a science field. Honestly, I don't think it will hurt you much for government jobs (GS jobs). Academic jobs... It's going to be kind of tough getting a job at a community college these days with an MA, but it is possible. I think it will depend on how you market yourself (i.e. highlight that every course was history). There is also still a stigma for online schools, so it depends on whether the person reading the application realizes it is an online school. By the way, I'm in the same situation... online MA (though called history) with a thesis, defense, and residency on campus. I'm going the PhD route, so I am still waiting to see the effect that the school has, but my backup is another government job and I seem to be quite okay for that in this regard.

Got all of mine in on thanksgiving day! Now just verifying that all material was received! The long wait begins...

There is simply no way to know. Applications are hard to predict. I can say, however, that a "couple" (assuming two) is generally not enough. Most people recommend 5-8 schools. There are just so many reasons you may not be accepted that are out of your control. But don't apply to schools that you would not attend.

From my experience, due dates can differ... A lot of times it is up to the professor. Sometimes it is your time zone, sometimes it is based on the school's time zone. Don't forget that many times the professor is in a different time zone from the school as well. I'd say that 90% of the time it was your time zone (every student was in the US, so that probably helped), 10% based on school's time zone. This was my experience at one school, so it may very well differ elsewhere.