dflanagan
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Posts posted by dflanagan
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Do you believe in miracles...YES!!
Just got the email from Brandeis! I've been accepted off the waitlist!
Woah a Brandeis friend!!! I mentioned before that I'm going for modern European and French history... what do you work on/who's your advisor going to be? I'll PM you... So exciting! I hope my little bit of reconnaissance in that other thread made you more confident, not less...
-Drew
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I'm still hoping a spot is going to open at Brandeis- it's my only shot. Have you heard anything about people turning offers down there?
I went to the admitted students' gathering, and here's what I saw. They took five people this year- Three Americanists, an 18th century Russia person, and a 20th century France person (i.e. me). One of the Americanists had already confirmed his intent to come and wasn't at the meeting, another one was likely to confirm, and a third was leaning toward confirming but was also accepted a couple of other places. The Russian person was choosing between Brandeis, UCLA without guaranteed funding, and UI-UC with funding, and seemed pretty torn. In sum, it's possible if not likely that one or two slots will open up. Not sure how they do it, I figure if the Russianist declines they'll take another European historian, but one of the Americanists may still decline so we'll see...
Good luck Rockeater! maybe we'll be colleagues next year.
Also, my acceptance was with full funding (tuition remission, 20k stipend, health care) which seems pretty awesome to me.
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I've just accepted my offer at Brandeis! Which thins the herd for anyone on Emory's wait list, as I'll be withdrawing from consideration there. Good luck to all! Anyone else settled on Brandeis/other Boston schools?
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Wondering if anyone else is feeling the same way:
I've spent three years getting my MA, all the while praying that I would get into a PhD program at the end of it. I had listened to all the warnings from my profs about the horrible job market, having to chase jobs all around the country, the extended poverty, the grueling workload--all of it. But in the excitement of applying I brushed aside all of those warnings. After I applied and time started to pass, a couple of things happened. 1) I really really liked not being a student anymore. Weekends were free to do whatever I pleased, I came home from work and rather than study I was able to go to movies, surf, read fiction--all guilt free. 2) When mid-February rolled around and no word had come in from potential PhD programs I assumed that I was not getting in anywhere. And shockingly, I began to happily plan for the future. The idea of beginning the rest of my life now, not in 5 years, was a liberating thought.
So now I have three weeks to decide to accept my offers, but I am terribly conflicted. On the one hand, the prestige of the PhD, the possibility of an academic job in a pleasant setting, and the culmination of my academic journey sound pretty good. On the other hand, I love living in California, and I (and my girlfriend) will likely never be able to live here again after I finish school and look for jobs all over the country. My girlfriend will have to accept living anywhere I can get work, and she has life and career aspirations of her own that don't involve living in the midwest or the northeast.
Am I the only one here that didn't react the way they assumed they would once they received acceptances?
Freaking out about the job market in European history. It's keeping me up nights. I won't turn down my offers, but I am losing morale dishearteningly swiftly.
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E-mailed the DGS at Indiana today... figuring I've been rejected as VampireLincoln and tourist have been notified already.
I'M ON THE WAITLIST!!!!
At this point, I am so happy to know that I am actually good enough for a Ph.D. program. *happy dance* And yes, I am going to hold out my hope as this is one of my two best fit, top choice schools. The e-mail was very nice it was on the tone of in a normal year, I'd be in.
Now I just have to wait for two more places...
Congrats and good luck!! Have you heard back from Brandeis Judaic Studies yet?
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Go to www.irs.gov & you'll find a publication on this topic. Graduate awards are generally taxable for one of two reasons: either you work in exchange for the money, i.e. TAing, or its used for non-qualified expenses such as living expenses. Any tuition scholarship is generally not taxable because tuition is a qualified education expense.
You can get a credit though for other expenses that will come out of your stipend such as books.
Its hard to say what rate you'll be taxed at without knowing the amount of the stipend and your entire financial picture. Unless you're one of those lucky few who are getting $30k stipends, I'd say you'r e far from the 28% bracket though.
Most stipends (between about 8500 and 34000 dollars a year) are in the 15 percent tax bracket. My stipend next year will be 20k, so the first 8.5k or so is taxed at 10 percent and the remaining 11,500 is taxed at 15 percent. This works out to about 2500 a year in federal taxes. State taxes vary. In Massachusetts, it's 5.3 percent regardless of income. That's another 1000 dollars a year, so I'll lose about 3500 a year in state and federal taxes. Only the stipend portion of aid is taxed. You can also deduct things like books and education expenses from your federal taxes, as I hope to. I'll really only have about 17,000 a year to live on, which in Boston/Waltham isn't much... but I didn't sign up for grad school to make money :/
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man... this thread is depressing.
so many of these posters were so positive back in january. i know this is a hard time for people, but i do have to smirk a bit at the accusations by a few people (none in this thread, mind you) that all the people who were rejected or bumped to MAs last year were simply unprepared slackers.
anyway, let me assure the OP... admissions will be very tough next year. FIT, as others have said, is most important. if you want to study comparative slavery, i suggest applying to programs where you have someone that specializes in the southern US, someone who specializes in african (preferably west african) history, AND someone who studies slavery in latin america or the caribbean (look for cubanists, brazilianists, or specialists of the french or english caribbean). with three people on the faculty, all from different regional specialties but with a similar thematic concentration, you will be a very attractive candidate.
it can be difficult to find schools with that mix of professors in the faculty. that's how you'll narrow down your list of places to apply to. don't just apply to "top programs" unless the fit is perfect, you'll be throwing your money away. apply to places where it seems glaringly obvious that your interests are ideal for their program. michigan might be some place to look into (they have rebecca scott, who does comparative history of slavery in cuba and louisiana, among other things, and she's both an amazing scholar and a lovely, genuine person). there are other places that fit, i'm sure, and you'll find them. but be picky. with the way admissions have been going, you'll need at least 2 or 3 people on staff to fight for you to get one of the very few funded spots.
i'd probably refrain from applying to places that are strong only in african-american history. if you want to do comparative slavery, you'll need a school that also has strength in the caribbean, in africa, and (even better!) in atlantic/maritime history.
also, as others have noted, funding is scarce and there's no telling if next year will be better or worse than this year. this doesn't mean you have to go unfunded. look for external sources for funding. fulbrights, FLAS, mellons. i don't know the list of external fellowships well myself because i'm canadian and not eligible for most of the ones you'd be applying for, but you can definitely find your own funding. and if you're applying to schools with some funding (1 year, 4 years, 5 years, whatever) already secured, then you will be a VERY attractive candidate. if they don't have to give you a stipend and only need to cover your tuition, many places will be willing to take you on.
I may have been too positive in my first response! haha. I agree with most of what's being said here, in terms of the insane nature of the competition for just a few spots (my advisors, like many other people's, were sure I'd have a few choices and were surprised to learn otherwise). Fit is definitely the most important part, as well as a strong and focused background in history. I've known one person who I was fairly certain had her PhD from Rochester in African American history, and was a finalist for a tenure-track job at Wesleyan so... it varies from person to person, but yes, Rochester is not a tip-top program and if you can you should try to go somewhere better. Transatlantic and transnational focus is important, as well as strengths in varied areas. This might limit you to larger universities with large and varied faculties. Apply widely, but selectively. Don't just apply to three or four places, but don't apply places that lack the requisite fit. Your SOP is key as well, make sure you make your case to each department individually, emphasizing the things that make their department in particular a good fit. I understand the pessimism on this thread, this has been a difficult and (for many) disappointing year in grad school admissions. Brandeis, where I'll probably be next year, cut admission to all 19 of its doctoral programs in half this year. In history, two programs merged into one and instead of each accepting five funded candidates, the new combined program took five altogether. That said, if you have the right fit and a good dose of luck it can still be done. It might take more than one try, lots of applications, etc. but I don't want to tell everyone to abandon their academic ambitions like the proverbial sinking ship. By the way, the Brandeis programs that combined were in American and comparative history, but while the program is strong in comparative European history it's not worth applying to for Africa or Latin America. Good luck to all!
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English and gender studies are both favorite fields of mine, but I'll be attending the PHD program in history next year! It's just sort of sinking in. What's your work on specifically? My specialty is 20th century France, the world wars, comparative fascisms and the history of the right. I'll be working with Prof. Jankowski and possibly Prof. Binion. Feel free to PM me if you want to talk about Brandeis or related things!
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University of Rochester is good in African-American studies and history, so I'd check that out. So is Ohio State, from what I understand. Don't worry too much about your GPA, mine was 3.46 (likewise from a top undergrad school) when I applied and while I didn't hit it out of the park I do have a funded offer from a place that I'm genuinely excited about (Brandeis) and a wait-list, plus MA offers from Chicago and NYU. The one place where I got a funded offer was the place with the best faculty fit- it was easy to tell from the beginning of my correspondence with my potential advisor that he was genuinely interested in the same things that I was. That overcame any GPA problem I might have had (I likewise had a weak freshman year and have improved since). Your GRE scores are definitely strong enough. Good luck starting your search! Definitely take a close look at the individual faculty members in your subfield at each place. Find at least two places outside of the top 25 that you would be happy to attend, because the process is such a crap shoot that even those places aren't a sure thing.
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I agree. If you can financially swing it, by all means go to Harvard.
Honestly, there should be no real rush to get the PhD just to find yourself in a spotty job market with a degree from a non top-ten program.
Are there positions for those with a PhD from non top-ten programs? Sure, but nothing fantastic. All of the profs here at UPenn have said that if you don't get your PhD from a top-ten school, don't waste the time. That even though there are great programs out there that are not top-ranked, and that offer great funding their graduates have a very difficult time getting a tenure-track position.
Remember... every year, every single year, each top-ten program puts out say 6-8 fresh PhDs. Now... say of those near 80 graduates, most will be looking for work in academia. At least 75 of those 80. So... when you're applying for a tenure-track position somewhere not only are there those 75 new "top graduates" on the market, plus top-ten graduates that have been teaching somewhere for a few years and are still not in a tenure-track position, plus those from your lower ranked school that have been out there gaining experience, beefing up their cv.... Oh, and then you and all the graduates from the lower tiers that are new.
Look... It would be great if these rankings were meaningless, if having an Ivy PhD was equal to one from the University of North Dakota (not a real school), but it's not. Where you get your PhD from is everything. Do not listen to people who say "oh, it's all about fit, and where it 'feels' right." IT IS NOT!!
It is a lie that we all say to ourselves to justify the fact that we're not a part of the 3% of the applicants who were accepted into a PhD program at Harvard, Stanford, etc,... Obviously there are always exceptions, and I'm sure that someone who reads this and is all upset can find half a dozen or so examples of profs at top-ten schools that didn't get their PhD from a top-ten. So what?!? These are most likely extremely brilliant academics who would have succeeded no matter where they went.
Whether we like it or not, whether we want to admit it or not, this is the state of America today: Rank matters, prestige matters, pedigree matters, bigger is better.
We all want to have a PhD from Harvard, Princeton or Yale. And so does every university when they're reviewing applicants for that new tenure-track position.
Step back a second and look at the question that you're asking.... Your asking: "Should I go to Harvard, or a non-top ten school?"
Also.... in 10 years what are your possible situations. I mean in either case you should have a PhD. So...
Situation 1: You've gone to the non top-ten school and received a PhD.
Situation 2: You've gone to Harvard, received a MA, and received a PhD from (most-likely) a higher ranked school.
In both situations, you may or may not have a job. Ask yourself which one seems more likely for you to have a tenure-track job though.
As far as I can see it, the only thing really pushing for the benefits of situation 1 is to shave off two years. Honestly ask yourself: "what is better in the long run?"
If the financial means are there, in my opinion, there is no debate.
Good luck though, and congrats on all the offers too by the way!!!
This is my reading. You did your undergraduate work at an Ivy (UPenn), then didn't get into a top 10 history program. That happens, the process is a crap shoot. However, you seem to have the idee fixe that an ivy league degree (such as an area studies MA) will not only ensure your admission to a top ten program, but will be worth the 30-70,000 dollars borrowed to earn it. My advisor, a distinguished older historian of France, once told me that "the MA isn't worth a hill of beans" and all of my advisors and friends with PHD's at my top-15 LAC have told me never to borrow money for graduate school, because academic employment doesn't pay well.
I have a similar offer to the one that the OP has, a 1/3 tuition scholarship for a non-history MA (area studies isn't precisely history) at the University of Chicago. A 1/3 tuition scholarship from a top-5 university is a lure, not really a compliment. If they really wanted you, they could fund you adequately. MA's are a source of income for graduate schools, and in many cases the revenue from MA students funds PHD students. In addition, the Chicago program in question sent all of the history students who attended on to fully funded PHD's this year. However, out of the seven, one got into Oxford, one into Chicago's own program, one into an Ivy, and the other four got into programs that are ranked at the same level or below the level of Brandeis, my one funded PHD offer. Common sense says that there is absolutely no guarantee that my Chicago MA would get me a top-10 or even a top-25 phd. For my own part, I will be going with the recommendation of all of my (non-Ivy league but still pretty prestigious and Ivy league educated) faculty and attending a program at which I can receive funding and a living stipend that shows that the program actually supports my work, rather than giving my money to the University of Chicago (or Harvard) because its name. Best of luck to all, and if OP feels like it's possible to afford this MA without having to be paying for it ten years from now or more, then sure. But if you have a funded offer from a top school, going to a Harvard MA won't guarantee you any return on your investment. Just my two cents.
- NorthernStar, Russophile and JustChill
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I must say that strangely enough, I would agree with some parts of this statement, although I would phrase it differently, and it would (hopefully) be a more accurate representation of the truth. First, I was here last year, and got into a good school. I am revisiting to see if I could help. I go to an ivy league school, and I would agree that the faculty and the department takes immense pains to ensure that their students get placed into tenure track jobs in good schools. To rephrase StrangeLight's statement more precisely (and with less prejudice, I think), more faculty in Ivy League schools are more likely to watch out for their students than at other schools. HOWEVER - they also *have* to do that to keep their reputation up, and not solely out of the goodness of their hearts. Further, this does not mean that other faculty elsewhere would not do that. Baseline: make sure that your you *really* get along with your adviser. Not just in terms of fields etc - but as a personal connection. I am friends with my adviser. well, almost.
The second "truth" about a good school (not only Ivy L ones) is a good library. Most university libraries are good for some things, and not so good for most others. Please factor in library resources (specific to your field) in your decision - it would be VERY annoying to get most of your books via inter-library loans.
Third, I would like to point out that most students, esp. in History programs, change their minds about their specific projects after they get to school. In part due to evolution of projects, but sometimes because you meet a new (and different) faculty who changes the way you think, and suddenly you realize that you didn't want to be say an early moderninst anymore, but actually say a East Asianist. This may sound absurd, but I have met people who have made similar radical changes. Most good departments would be able to handle such a change. Your funding would continue, and the department would be as *strong* in that field as well. Please factor that in your decision as well!
Best of Luck!
As a Brandeis admit myself, I would argue that a small program like the one at Brandeis allows for more productive adviser-student relationships, not less. My situation is a bit different than yours in two ways. My advisor at Brandeis would be one of the scholars whose work is most like mine in the entire country, Paul Jankowski. However, if you're applying in U.S. history you must know that the U.S. program at Brandeis has an especially strong faculty and reputation. If your fit is not so good, though, I understand your hesitancy. Coming from a top undergraduate college, I've had pressure on me to go to a top ten school as well, but in this economy with cohorts cut in half even the former naysayers amongst my faculty advisors have expressed relief and pride at my admittance. Brandeis' ranking is at least partially due to the program's small size, and the fact that it is not comprehensive (can only train people effectively in U.S. and modern European history). However, its phds teach at top universities (as evidenced by Prof. Hartog) and the program seems to be well respected despite its "rank" assigned to it by a third-rate news magazine.
My verdict would be to attend Brandeis if your faculty fit is strong. As David Engerman said to me recently, they would need two to three times as many faculty to have a comprehensive program, and so they can really only train scholars in their areas of strength. Honestly assess whether your area is one of them, and if it is then I honestly think you can do really well with a degree from there. Not to mention the funding is good, the teaching load is light, and the location is tough to beat. In my area, modern France, I would pick Brandeis over my likely other option, Emory, any day. This is because the faculty fit for me is better, and although Emory's rank is higher (28th) its placements are mainly at tiny colleges in Georgia which is not where I want to end up (rather be at a tiny college in New England). It's a personal decision, and a tough one at that. Best of luck to you! What's your other option? Maybe I'll see you in the fall! But don't go if you really don't want to. And remember, there are only five of us accepted with fellowship this year. Five. In all disciplines. That's an accomplishment. Don't think about where you didn't get in, that's water under the bridge. Become the best historian you can be! corny... but true.
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This is seriously what I used to do professionally (and encapsulates a good deal of my historical research), so I the guy to talk/type to. I'm just going to go off of region and a average price of under 15 a bottle. France: Alsace or white Rhones. Alsatian wines will be sweeter and more floral while those from the Rhone will be dryer. Italy: Soave or Falanghina Spain: Any white is good, but particularly those from Rueda. United States: New York and Washington Reislings, Non-Chardonnays from California, like Viogeniers. South Africa: I have to give love to Chenin Blancs from Mulderbush. Argentina: Torrentes is a great varietal that goes underappriciated and is really exciting, especially with the occisional banana and rose aromas. Desert wines: A great option is a muscat from northern Italy, which is often under 15 dollars US, but sometimes more (I recently got a bottle for $18 here in New York).
Gotta represent the Andre. That said, I had a great white wine at a book signing (my advisor is retiring and they had an event for him) but I forgot the make. Always looking for cheap wine, seeing as one of the requirements for the PHD at any top-50 institution is a near-constant intake of wine. A good white is really refreshing, because so much of the white wine served at academic gatherings is crap.
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I prefer extraordinarily cheap champagne.
Dude you and I are on the same wavelength! Cheap champagne is joy in a bottle. Ever had Andre Blush? that stuff is my poison of choice. But I wouldn't object to a six pack of Sam Adams (Winter Lager, Oktoberfest, or Boston Lager).
Must be our shared birthday that gives us similar taste in alcohol.
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If I was getting a PHD to impress people with the name of my school, I'd be losing my mind (especially as I just got my rejection from Harvard haha). Brandeis is super strong in my interests, and the people there seem kind and pleasant as well as knowledgeable. The school itself has a good deal of prestige, but people are mainly aware of it as an undergraduate institution. I guess my only problem with names is that I go to a very prestigious LAC, and while some of my classmates haven't gotten in anywhere I know of one person with very similar interests who just got into Hopkins. I'm happy for her, of course, but I guess there's pressure somewhere like Wes (or Swarthmore, or Middlebury, of Williams, or...) to impress your peers. That said, I'm actually really happy to be in where I'm in, so I'm not gonna worry about the knee-jerk responses of non-historians.
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Hey, thanks! I'm actually a producer/etc. of the film (my husband directed it). You can watch it on YouTube at
Perhaps I should have sent copies of The Transient to the admissions committees. It might have have helped my cause...
sorry for assuming you were a guy! that said, the history geekiness of that video was just too much for me. perfect.
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I knew I forgot a Boston area school! Do you know much about it?
I'll probably end up at Brandeis so... up until this year, they had two programs: one in U.S. history and one in comparative history. Their comparative program seems significantly focused on Europe, but they have faculty in a variety of areas and a global outlook. Check out the faculty list on their website. The new history program is going to combine the old ones, so that if anything your classes will combine students studying a greater variety of regions. My own research is pretty straightforward, focusing on the history of the rightist leagues in interwar France, but my work at Brandeis will probably take a more comparative outlook. For a small program with a (I think unfairly) low rank on the U.S. News list (36th tied with Georgetown and Notre Dame), they get a lot of respect (at least from my professors at Wesleyan) for the quality of their program and the successful careers of their phd's. They're really strong in early American history (with Pulitzer prize winner David Hackett Fisher on faculty) and transnational European history I believe, but I know of people writing on topics including "French religious orders in China during the Third Republic" and other global stuff. The department is very warm, welcoming, and not at all cutthroat from what I've seen, and the financial aid is pretty generous (tuition remission, 20k stipend and health care for everyone). Definitely worth checking out, I'm pretty psyched about it.
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Dudes, I hope some of you are rejecting Indiana and Chicago, because I'm wait-listed there and rejected everywhere else (except Wisconsin, which hardly counts without funding).
And I really don't want to go through this process again next year!
P.S. Hi everyone, I've been lurking for like a week here.
Good luck with your waitlists! also, I just watched your movie, The Transient. That shit was awesome. "A torso divided cannot stand, Mr. President." Everyone should go to this guy's website and watch his movie. That is all.
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do you think it's that way for French history too? It seems like most places I applied, they have one or fewer grad students working on early modern or modern France. The one place I'm accepted, I'm the only French historian in the last four cohorts. crazy. I know there's not much demand for us Frenchies, but geez. I feel lucky to be in anywhere.
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hahahahaha i wonder
yeah, i think i may end up doing this (though im waiting to see what columbia says). anyone spent a significant amount of time in new haven before? i've heard it's not a great place to live (boyfriend very ambivalent about moving there), but i hope that i'll be proved wrong!!
I'm an undergrad at Wesleyan, which is near New Haven, and I think New Haven is great. Lots of really top notch restaurants, a first rate rock club (Toad's Place), a train station so you can go to New York any time you want, and all of the amazing resources of Yale. I would be happy to go to their MA program if I didn't have a PHD offer. Plus, Brandeis offered me the same finaid for the PHD that Yale offered you for an MA. That's awesome.
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bingo
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waiting
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I haven't gotten an acceptance, rejection, or waitlist from Brandeis. I've seen all three on the board. Should I call about this? I confirmed the status of my application. What could this mean?
Hm I don't know their system, but it seems like you should be able to find something out by calling... you're one of at least two people on this board who've had that problem. Good luck!
Bourses Jeanne Marandon?
in The Bank
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No word for me either - it's shrouded in mystery