navyblackmaroon

I think they do it in waves because a friend of mine received good news from UCLA a long time ago (over two weeks). Then again, he was currently working with a faculty member there so perhaps he was told that in an informal manner.

Yeah, that is pretty much the case: roads turned into sheets of ice and supermarkets running out of some food. I am just glad I am not in town right now.

No problem, if you have a question PM me.

Actually, the worst letter I got was from Texas (during my first cycle). They linked the email to a website that had a brief sentence along the lines of "You have not been accepted. Please send any inquiries to history@austin.utexas.edu." I actually felt embarrassed for them when I read that.

I'll be honest. I changed my project quite drastically once I started graduate school. I came in as a "pure" cultural historian, which was a great fit in the department. However, my interests and outlook on history evolved during my years in the program. I became interested on urban planning, zoning ordinances, public works, popular resistance towards "urban renewal" in Latin America, and the relationship of the state with the local population. By the time I decided to switch institutions I had become a hardcore urban historian interested on social and political history. Gone were the days of flirting with cultural studies and art history. Therefore, be honest about what your current interests are. Just tell them: this is what I really want to do and I don't think I can pursue that here.

Yeah, I basically focused on the notion of fit. The lack of fit in my case was pretty obvious, so it made it easier to sell my idea. Creating an outline of what you will say is very useful. The only issue is that in the heat the moment you may forget the outline in your head.

It was really difficult, so it took me a couple of weeks to basically choreograph how I would approach the topic. I set up an appointment to discuss the updates on my research. Once we covered my latest findings, I admitted that I had been doing extensive thinking about whether my project fit the program. I told him that I had been thinking about exploring the possibility of applying to other programs for several months. Also, I tied my line of thought to a comment he had made in the past regarding the necessity of being in a program that was congruent and conducive towards the development of a successful dissertation project. We ended up meeting two more times to follow up on the conversation. I explained the reasons why I thought the program was not the best place to pursue my project. He also offered counterarguments. At the end, it was a matter of demonstrating that I had fully thought about what I was doing. Regarding the letter of recommendation, my advisor offered to write me one before I asked him to do so. That made my life much easier.

I am actually in the process of moving to another PhD program. I have told my current program I am leaving, and I have been accepted to other ones. I prepared myself to the idea of doing everything else. However, one of my potential programs has been very generous regarding the idea of transferring my credits. An undergraduate advisor warned me that the notion of changing PhD programs was extremely rare. Well, turns out I am the fourth person from my current program to move to another one recently (because of different reasons).

This is my second time around doing this, and I think orientation/prospective week is key. A great visit may make the difference when evaluating your options. Sure, its great to have the raw data to compare (funding, local taxes, transportation, housing, etc). However, you have to feel comfortable when you are visiting the university.

I got admitted into Chicago. I am very excited, but this is making my decision very difficult.

It's likely Vanderbilt will notify soon. The committee is meeting on Monday to decide their admits.

Steve Stern has a trilogy of books on Chile, Pinochet, and issues surrounding the memory of the coup/violence. Reckoning with Pinochet: The Memory Question in Democratic Chile, 1989-2006 may be useful, but it is quite a long read.

Absolutely! Otherwise I would be listening to funereal music...

Just got a rejection from UC Berkeley. I am not heartbroken (because of a flimsy fit and the funding issues).

I did, from Northwestern. A lot of schools don't interview (or if they do is really informal).

To all those despairing: this is not my first time going through this process. I did it four years ago and I did not get an acceptance offer until February 19th. In fact, I got 4 rejections before I got that offer. That the offer came from my top school only made it sweeter. So, don't despair yet!

Today I got my (long awaited) rejection from Yale. However, yesterday I received an acceptance offer from Northwestern. I spoke with the POI on the phone and I am set to visit the campus during early March. I am still awaiting to hear from 6 other programs.

I also applied to Yale. I do urban history of modern Latin America, specifically Mexico since 1940. I think I can fit in the department, but that's for the committee/POI to decide.

I just started reading Christopher Klemek's The Transnational Collapse of Urban Renewal. I am in an urban planning mood these days. However, that won't stop me from constantly checking my email or check the latest blueprints for public transit systems/buildings.

This is my first post (although I have lurked around for a while). I am already in a doctoral program but I am trying to get into another program (since I changed my area of concentration and my current program is no longer a good fit). My case is a different one (as some programs may look at me with certain suspicion). Applying to: University of Chicago, University of California-Berkeley, Yale University, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Columbia University, University of California-San Diego Good luck to everybody! You would think that you get used to the anxiety of waiting for responses. You don't. It's actually worse this second time around.