goldielocks

At the risk of sounding a little too harsh... this is absolutely true. A PhD in History is not a fallback plan. It is grueling and leads to very few long-term job prospects. The competition is insane. For a good healthy scare, read anything by Benton/Pannapacker: http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846 http://chronicle.com/article/The-Big-Lie-About-the-Life-of/63937/ http://www.slate.com/id/2300107/pagenum/all/#p2 (There have also been some phenomenal responses to his latest article. My favorite is: http://jsench.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/working-classes/ ) But really, and truly... this is not a fallback plan. It is not impossible but it is much harder than many realize. What do you want to do with the degree? Professorships are hard to come by. Maybe that would help me to understand your motives for pursuing a graduate degree in History. What do you want to do with it?

Welcome to the boards! I agree with Teacher4PhD on all counts. I think many applicants forget that professional experience, or interesting backgrounds are not always detrimental to their chances of admission. Like you said, you received excellent marks, and graduated near the top of your law school class. You have a unique set of experiences that would probably lend themselves well to the study of History. For example, if you focus on US politics or constitutional policy, you have a big leg up on newbies to the field! What is your area of specialization? That's important to sort out before applying. I'm sure you've read up on the realities of pursuing a career in academia right now, especially in the humanities, so I won't go there. But the financial realities are certainly worth serious consideration, given the drastic reduction in your income that you'd be taking. I've talked with a few lawyers who decided they hated their jobs, and moved on toward a different career. They've all told me it was the right decision for them. Best of luck!

Sandy, how is the lecture writing coming? Making progress? Just think how great that teaching experience will look on your CV. Orient: I started a thread for applicants to chat back and forth about where we are in the process, without questions like "Should I go to grad school?" or "Can I get admitted to the program at ________?" and that sort of thing. (Please note that I absolutely do not mind helping to answer questions like these, but I thought those would be best served by their own threads.) Dimanche: I love the OED, too!

My cold meds are making my brain so fuzzy, and it is driving me nuts. I have been sitting here looking at the screen, ready to go nuts because I cannot think of the world I want to use. It has been almost 30 minutes. It is not coming. It's this word that means the way something develops over time, in meaning, (like evolution), and it's a big juicy word and the thesaurus isn't helping. Does anyone know what the ______ I am talking about?

Since so many of us are preparing for the GRE: has anyone set up any sort of structure for GRE studying? Mine has basically just been a designated amount of time each day, which might not be the most constructive way to study.

So, I received the program for my first conference. I feel... well, intimidated would be an understatement. I'm also doing two grad conferences this fall, but I'm starting out with a pretty big regional conference and I'm sort of terrified. But I guess everyone goes through this. More motivation to hammer out the thesis, and work on those conference papers.

Crater21, welcome to the thread! It seems like many of us are working on studying for the GRE right now. I am also planning to take the test in September. It will feel great when it's out of the way.

Safferz, sounds like have much in common. I'd really like to have my SOP done (at least revised for the most part) by the time I go back to classes at the end of August. I know that once courses start, I'll be losing my mind a bit.

I'm working on revising my SOP, and studying for the revised GRE. I've been contacting potential advisors, slowly but surely. I'm working on my MA thesis and two conference papers for this fall, trying to decide which part will serve as my writing sample. I'm spending time researching potential new cities/towns, especially when I need a little encouragement, and getting excited about the prospect of starting over in a year. I'm headed back to classes in less than a month now. I feel like it will be deadline time before I know it. This feels like both a good and a bad thing.

My gut instinct is to go with polishing up a piece of the thesis, because new projects are always much more work than we think, and you'll have enough other application details to worry about.

That's great! I was recently talking to an adjunct at my university, who recently finished his PhD, about his experience applying to doctoral programs. He noted that he took a year to teach at a community college between his degrees, and that he thought this really helped him to get into a good program. Since he had already taught, programs realized that they could throw him into teaching on his own very quickly, which was convenient.

sandy, that's fantastic. Congrats on the teaching position. As I'm sure you already realize, that will really help you to stand out as an applicant. Are you teaching 5 courses or 5 sections? Either way, that's a lot. Very exciting!

I'm married. This comes with its own challenges, but in all honesty, my partner has been my most valuable asset in this process. It's not the right choice for everyone, but for us, it has worked out better than I would have hoped.

I have two suggestions, which are pretty much common sense, and you've probably already considered them. 1. Be sure to emphasize the primary sources you will be using. I notice that some grad students still struggle with designing their projects around the available sources, rather than the other way around. Also, did you do an historiographical essay first? This really helped me, in terms of evaluating the body of secondary source literature floating around in my field, and deciding where/how I was going to enter the conversation. 2. The guidelines in the Turabian style guide are pretty useful in terms of going back to basics, and thinking about your project in an organized way. If I think of anything else, I'll stop by again. Good luck!

K of K, 1. For the GRE, have you considered taking a prep course? If this is financially feasible for you, you might consider it. I know that in my city, there are a couple of options for this, and the cost varies significantly. For instance, the Kaplan courses are pretty costly, but the local community college also offers a prep course for about $100 per section. Just something to think about. 2. The research project will be a definite strength on your CV, especially because of the grant. If you can publish the article, like you mentioned, this will look stellar. Definitely focus on that. And also, from what I've been told, conference experience looks great too. 3. The thesis and primary source research will help you too. 4. I also work on Britain, and while languages are not a huge deal in the long run, it does matter on your application. Since most programs require one (usually two) proficiencies, it will serve you well to demonstrate that you have some preparation in at least one. Be sure to point out your preparation in your SOP. Language prep will help to demonstrate that you are a well-rounded applicant, and also show the committee that you won't need a lot of time/$ to advance to reading proficiency, should you enter the program. 5. The MA vs. PhD debate doesn't really seem to have a concrete answer. When I was asking the same question, I got a variety of answers from my professors, which I'm guessing you are experiencing right now. I decided to pursue the MA because I went to a highly ranked public program for my BA, but did not write a thesis, and worked full time, so I didn't have many opportunities for things like conference experience, language prep, etc. I thought that the MA would be a great chance to really sharpen my skills, develop a stellar writing sample, work on my languages, and increase my chances at getting into a strong PhD program. For me, it was the right choice. Fortunately, I found a funded MA. I'd suggest applying to a mix of MA and PhD programs. It really depends on what you want to get out of it. Good luck! PS: This book is fantastic.

So anyway, back to the issue at hand, how is everyone's summer coming? I know there are several of us who are still working on the MA or BA right now, so that means going back to class soon. I am sort of excited to go back to classes and knock out the rest of the MA. I'm also excited because it means time will fly. I feel like application season will be here and gone before we know it.

Thanks. I didn't mean for this to be a duplicate so much as just relocating our discussion.

I'm confused about why I would receive a negative vote for this thread.

Well, some people agreed that we ought to start a thread for Fall 2012 applicants. Here it is! This thread is intended as a place for us to talk about the process, our progress, and general back and forth. This thread is not a place to ask about your odds of getting in somewhere, your competitiveness as an applicant, etc. We are very happy to provide suggestions about these sorts of questions, but please don't hijack this thread to ask them. So, how's it coming, everyone? Where are you in the process? I wonder how long this thread will be by the end of the upcoming cycle...

Safferz, good point. In all of my worrying, I hadn't thought of this!

Yes, I'll be glad when the GRE is over. I decided to take the revised version, so that I could have more time to study. I'm sad that this means I won't have my scores until November, though. I do have a decent earlier score, but it's just okay, so I'm hoping to get a higher score this time. To be honest, I didn't study at all when I took it before. Not even a little. I didn't even know the format, really. I just walked in and took it. I was just an irresponsible undergrad who decided to apply to grad school. Now, entering the last year of my MA, I feel much more prepared, and I'm actually studying this time. So hopefully, this will mean a higher score. I have had great luck in contacting potential advisors. However, I've only been contacting my top choices. I'm saving the rest until later this year.

Also, I was thinking about creating a thread just for chatting about the upcoming application season. I notice that on many threads, we get a lot of posters who want to ask about their chances, where they should apply, etc. I don't have a problem with this sort of thing (after all, that's what these boards are for), but I think it might be nice to have a thread that doesn't get hijacked that way. Like, a place where we talk specifically about our progress in the application process. Does this make sense? What do you all think?

The heat is so bad where I am right now. All day I've been thinking about getting in somewhere cool, even cold. I can't believe it's almost August. Those applications will be due before you know it. When is everyone's earliest deadline?

Lantern, I'm afraid I don't have any experience in this sort of situation, but I can imagine that this must be very difficult for you. Graduate school is stressful enough, and losing a parent (or any loved one) is difficult enough, but to go through them both at the same time... that's just a lot. I hope that you will consider seeking out help from the counseling center at your university. There certainly must be some resources available to you (probably for free!), and you'd probably be surprised how many graduate students take advantage of them. I'm sure that a counselor might have some suggestions or guidance for you, and it would probably help for you to feel like you're proactively taking control of a very difficult situation. I hope you find some relief soon, and really, CONGRATULATIONS on chugging along with school. It must be very difficult, but like you've indicated, it's what your mother would want you to do. Stay strong, and remember that the board is here for you if you ever need to talk! Best of luck!

It's great to demonstrate that you have already developed a strong, focused research interest. It sounds like your thesis is on the right track here. So I wouldn't worry about being too focused in your sample; this is your opportunity to show off this specialization. However, don't forget that you'll want to be able to find a job in academia (right?), and you'll likely never get to teach that really specific niche topic. So consider looking for programs that can help you to develop a strong, foundational, working knowledge of a broader field, too.