Annalistasaxo89

I would ask for a Skype chat and see if you could chat with both your professors and the coordinator for the history dept. I was at the campus visit for Chicago, which solidified my decision for that program over Berkeley, and had a great experience all around. The fellow admits, grad students, and profs were all extremely friendly and helpful, while my interactions with the professors, whether in formal or non-formal settings, were all positive.

Well I made my decision on Chicago. It was a hard one but I feel it will be the best fit.

Congrats! Medieval history (Germany) with a focus on law, lordship, and violence.

I agree. With the joy of acceptance comes the stress of decision making and also recognizing how blessed we are to be able to pursue a doctoral program.

Any rejection stings even when you get into a top school so don't feel bad about feeling bummed out. The impersonal notifications can be harsh though, at least my POI at Columbia emailed me and said that my application was more than adequate but my research interests did not match with the dep (which I already though was going to be an issue).

Perhaps as enjoyable as possible due to the standard opaqueness of German academic writing. I always wonder who one should blame for this. Perhaps Hegel?

I think that will be the case ie., where I feel more comfortable during the campus visit. The very close match of interests between me and my potential adviser at Chicago is weighing me more towards that program though.

I was told that there are two Chicago Phd admits for 2015 in Medieval history, not sure of the other sub-fields, but I do not know if they are going to visit from what I have heard. I would set up a skype chat with your POI and get in contact with some of the current grad students to make an evaluation on the program. What is your field?

High medieval Germany though I also have an interest in that period as well.

Right now I am reading Heinrich Mitteis' Der Staat des Hohen Mittelalter which is something like a German take on Strayer's On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State. It is really interesting because it presents a comparative approach with a focus on Germany, though covering Scandinavia, the Iberian peninsula, central Europe, and Italy, from the Carolingian period onto the 1300s. I actually enjoy his prose style as compared to some of the other German historians I am reading now.

I received the full fellowship so I think that it is why it is so high. I am most interested in working with Mauereen Miller, especially being that she has worked allot on episcopal authority, lordship, and reform. My primary interests lie in episcopal lordship (secular to), especially within Germany, and its paradoxical role in reform, the resolution of conflict/dispute, and of course questions about its place in the 'territorialization' of high and late medieval Germany (the German historiography on the middle ages has become an obsession as of late).

I have two campus visits for Chicago and Berkeley (admitted to both), which were my top picks, and having to decide between the two is going to be agonizing. Berkeley gives better funding all around and will pay for my trip out though Chicago is only giving 2,000 less per year. However, the cost of living in both respective cities may tip the balance either way.

Thanks! Jonathan Lyon. He is one of the few scholars who focuses on medieval Germany, which is my primary area of interest.

I just received an admit from Chicago via email. Looks like this week is when things start to heat up.

I just received via email an acceptance from Kings for their Masters in Medieval History. It is however conditional upon the maintenance of a certain GPA this semester.

The same thing happened to me and I did get accepted so I would not worry. Congrats by the way! What field of history are you focusing on?

I just had an interview with Columbia yesterday. Apparently they are at the final stages of making a decision for 2015.

I began Ernst Junger's In Stahlgewittern this week though I doubt I will have much time for it. Last semester I read Lolita- now one of my favorite novels. Honestly I wish I had more time to indulge in reading for pleasure, but some of the secondary sources I am using for my senior thesis are quite interesting if obscure.

I got accepted by Berkeley. I should hear back from Chicago soon I think.

I applied to Yale's Medieval Studies program, having missed the deadline for history by literally a minute. Does any one know if due to the later deadline the Medieval Studies Program sends out their decisions at a latter date?

Well I got accepted by Berkeley. One of the Prof sent me a personal email letting me know, the paper work should arrive in the coming weeks. A Prof from Chicago also sent and email notifying me that he would be lobbying for me to get accepted and was very interested in working with me (my writing sample fit in with his current research).

I am studying for the GRE,which I will be taking mid September, and have been having some trouble on my essays. Mainly in regards to organizing my ideas and creating coherent arguments (either I have to much background knowledge or not enough) within the time frame. If any one has the time to look over this essay and give me a critique and some feedback it would be greatly appreciated. Issue Topic: "Educational institutions have a responsibility to dissuade students from pursuing fields of study in which they are unlikely to succeed." Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most compelling reasons and/or examples that could be used to challenge your position. Any educational institution must bear the burden of both providing the resources for students to excel at their field of studies, but, also, more importantly, guide them toward that field of study where they will succeed, conversely dissuading them away from those they would be less likely to do so. Thus, above all they must examine the efficaciousness of those fields of study their students may choose to pursue. While there are those who of course could point out how this impinges upon the freedom of students, bringing the undue authority and judgment of academic authorities over a student’s educational development, the risks that can be incurred by not dissuading students away from less successful fields of study outweighs any talk of rights and freedoms. Additionally, the role of providing advice and guidance in regards to a field of study fall under the traditional relationship between student and teacher, central to the mission of any institution of education. Foremost, education today is a significant economic investment. Students regularly incur thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt, often without the prospect of future employment in an increasingly bleak economic environment. This is further compounded when a student is engaged upon a course of study that proves academically fruitless, frustrating, and ultimately futile. Those students who are not encouraged to pursue a major or concentration that allows them the possibility of academic success could find not only their future jeopardized, but their economic livelihood seriously compromise and possible that of their family. With the proper guidance from their college or university, one which pushes them in the direction where they would most likely succeed, such an outcome could very well be averted. Still it may be argued that education should not couched in such utilitarian terms but rather eschew them in toto. Education, as John Henry Newman argued in his Idea of the University, should not be beholden to the dictates of practicality, but rather aim at the moral, intellectual, and cultural development of the student. While it cannot be denied that this remains a highly laudable goal, a needed perspective of dissent against certain aspects of modern education, and important to the holistic formation of an individual, ultimately it neglects the very serious economic realities facing today’s generation of students. Newman’s ideas were addressed only to a small section of society at his time, not the mass society of mass education of today. Thus, the economic security of those attending institutions of education in Newman’s ere were largely secure, rendering this argument idealistic and superfluous. Furthermore, a student's field of study, say of history in favor of his dream of pursuing a career as a physicist, or vice versa, will allow the aforementioned student an actual chance to development far more intellectually speaking then if he or she had not be persuaded away from a less fruitful field of study. The very fact that institutions of education are invested with the authority of this task necessarily entails their duty to guided students, who in the very position of students should at least acknowledge. Just as in the classroom, a professor is responsible for assigning tasks and grading assignments, providing guidance to their students or advisees, on a larger scale the university or college holds the responsibility of guiding students to where they shall best succeed. Now of course one may retort that this is an infringement upon the rights or freedoms of students, their education is in their hands, paid for by their money, invested with their time and effort. All of this is no doubt correct; however, it neglects to notice very purpose of education, literary to lead out from, from the Latin educere (ex-duco), lies in both the acceptance of student to be taught and the teacher to teach and provide guidance. The specific field of study a student wishes to pursue falls under this relationship and thus is only a natural extension of the primary teacher-student relationship, constituting the foundation for all institutions of education. The effects of such a policy mandating the responsibility of institutions to guide students towards fields of study more suited toward their inherent skills and abilities not only is supported in an economic context, but morally as well. No doing so would undermine the very authority, trust, and responsibility we have placed in our institutions of education both in the past and present.

You are right on the other schools. I typed this in a rush. I would be applying to them for a Phd. However, I am more interested in a Masters because I have been consistently told how competitive the field is by numerous individuals. There is also the fact that I have not had the chance to discuss my prospects with all but a few professors, some who have more optimistic views then others, which has only been compounded by the fact that I know of no others peers going through this process or individuals who have recently done so; therefore, I am quite intimidated by the whole process and my prospects.

I was wondering if I could get some perspective on going about the process of applying to masters programs for medieval history and any general advice that could help me along way. In regards to academics I have a 4.0 GPA, a number of prizes won for my seminar papers, selective scholarships awarded, experience working for a medieval history professor in the capacity of assisting his research and the editing of his book (to be published by Cambridge next year), and a very solid background in Latin (3yrs upon graduation) and a basis in German (2 yrs). All of these I believe gives me a solid chance. My primary area of focus is continental and English medieval history, especially in the central and high middle ages dealing with conflict, violence, and social order (what has been dubbed conflict studies in recent years). The schools I would be applying to are Chicago, Cornell, perhaps Princeton, Harvard, Berkeley, Kings College London, and St. Andrews. I was interested in Toronto but the lack of funding for non-Canadian citizens make it economically unfeasible, My one worry is the GRE. I have over a month to study and review, however, I am afraid that my quantitative score would significantly lower my overall score as well as my horrible skills in typing which make the essays daunting. Any advice or experiences of others who have gone through this process would be greatly appreciated.