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Hi all! Having stalked read through the thread so far, it's nice to see some familiar faces and be in such stellar company on this board again After an unsuccessful round last year, I'm giving it another try. It feels like a late start to things, but work has been a horror show lately. On the upside, I'm hoping to work the "more years of professional experience = beneficial" angle in my SOPs. Broadly, I'm interested in war cultures and cultures of violence. I'm proposing an American history (post-Vietnam) project with the potential for transnational scope, partly because I jumped around a lot in undergrad (Russian, British, Modern European) and ended up in an international history MA, so it would be nice to find a program that welcomes that instead of considering it dangerously flighty. That said, I'm mostly looking at American history programs. My undergrad GPA is okay (the last two years are great, the first two... just okay), my GRE scores are okay (verbal is great, quant and essay... just okay) and my MA grades are okay (non-credit essays throughout the year were great, exam scores and crisis-rushed dissertation... just okay). So I'm not in the greatest position to get into a top school, but I'm counting on the hope that a carefully worded SOP and a highly polished writing sample will pull it out of the bag. For now, I'm working through emails to POIs. It's slow going, but it was such a worthwhile process last year. I think I was able to eliminate half of my long list based on POIs kindly explaining why they or the school would not be the best possible fit, and a couple even made alternate suggestions. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Ideally, you'd be able to show how studying a different area gives you a unique perspective on what you'd like to study now. The difficulty, as others have suggested, is backing that up with comfortable awareness of the historiography. Do you have anything in mind in terms of your research project? Is there anything you could (and would want to) bring in from your previous experience? This would seem the easiest way to bridge the gap. For example, something to do with Polish communities in post-war America. I'm a bit urban history dense, but there might be some thread between settlement patterns and memory/experiences of war. Or are you looking to get away from your previous interests altogether? I would imagine that the more you can show how your previous work has led to your current interests, the better. (I'm trying to do something similar, for what it's worth.) It's hard with American history because it's such a competitive field, but it could also be what makes you stand out. Good luck!

Hey all! I've been off the board since my last rejection (not so much licking wounds - more like being too crazed at work to think about grad school for a while). Back online to get in gear for the next cycle and want to wish everyone good luck with their programs! Looks like some of you have already started and everything. Hope it's all going well, enjoy it guys!

Congrats Heimat and KBHistorian!! Telkanuru, that's definitely infuriating - but if that came from the professor I *think* it did (and my info could be way off), he genuinely would care about a) making that mistake in the first place and offending anyone. (And even if it's not the person I have in mind, isn't it nice to remember that there are loads of great faculty members out there who do care? After all, they're the ones so many of us hope to work with!)

Thanks MVLChicago and Ashiepoo! (I ran out of upvotes just in time for your post, ARGH!) I would love any feedback you have the time to share MVL, that's really great advice to echo, because it's bound to help future applicants as well. All of my LOR writers also asked those questions, did anyone else have that experience?

Wow JJWS, that's a major change in direction! Are you putting academia on hold or saying goodbye? (And would a waitlist -> acceptance from Penn State change your mind?) Ashiepoo, you're totally right, I just like thinking that until they say no... well, y'know.

Thanks Gambaosaka I felt pretty great about my SOP, but on reflection I wonder if it may have been a bit too project-centric. It's good to be excited about your research topic, but I think I may have been too fixated on the little details. Next time around I'll try to do a better job with the broader context. (Another issue on that front is that there are several broader contexts, which vary by school - I guess I'm still pulled in too many directions, so maybe I need to narrow it down instead of hoping admits will decide for me.) I also dug out an essay from my MA course which connects closely with the overarching theme that ties together past and future research. It's going to need some supplementary primary material though. It kind of kills me not to use my MA thesis considering the hours spent in archives (and traveling to/from), but this paper definitely does a better job selling my "story." (You're right, it sucks, but my new job is editing marketing content. It's the grind.) This feels really cheeky to ask, but would anyone be willing to cast an eye over my 2014/15 SOP? I had a friend (finishing her PhD at Cambridge) look over it and she gave it her blessing, but my MA advisor is absolutely killing it with speaking engagements etc. lately, so I didn't bug her with it. I'd like to fix it up before bothering her for feedback! Thanks again to everyone for all the support throughout the waiting game. I wish I'd joined earlier in the cycle - it's hard not to feel like a bit of an impostor now we're all looking ahead

Hey all! Anyone still playing the waiting game? I'm hesitant to make contact with Davis, if only because it's nice to cling to hope. Congrats to all the new admits and final decisions. It's been a hell of a ride, guys

Gah I accidentally downvoted you sneezing during an upvote, can someone fix please? U of T's history department really is great, despite the current drama.

Apparently full-time work is the best thing to kick a Grad Cafe/email checking habit. Congrats to everyone who's had good news (or made their own by choosing a final destination) this week! I've still got my fingers crossed for all of us hoping on some good news. Once this new routine settles in a little, I'm really looking forward to hearing more about everyone's decisions

What Chiqui said. I kept bursting into tears for a week after getting the "no" from Northwestern. The pep talk stuff is just cos you deserve some credit for everything you put into this, not because anyone thinks you should be peppy. It's a sucky day.

Agreed with Gambaosaka, this process has serious swings and roundabouts. Today will suck. You probably don't want to hear how awesome we all think that teaching job sounds (at least I wouldn't). Just look forward to drinking ALL the beer tonight. You've earned it. Tomorrow (and today, if you're up for it) we'll still be here to cheer you on towards the next cycle, if that's where you're headed, and to support you pursuing your many awesome options in the meantime. Remember you're awesome and you're way further ahead than many just for getting through this process. It takes guts.

Josh, fingers crossed UCLA may yet have some good news for you. At this point, I get how no news seems like bad news... But hell, I'm hoping for ya. As for job stuff, I'd recommend anyone looking for temporary but relevant stuff check with the US equivalent of a Canadian vocational college (skilled trades ie culinary school). They often have 5-6 month projects on the go over the summer, whether it's parsing survey data or new program launches, etc. Try a speculative letter explaining your current situation and the kinds of work you'd be interested in (ie research focus). Also, some of these institutions offer humanities courses, so it's an interesting chance to see if you'd be comfortable seeking a teaching post in that setting one day. All about the back up plans...

Awesome JTE!! Congrats!!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/why-u-of-t-york-strikes-are-more-than-labour-disputes/article23279298/ They've got a lot on their plates at the moment, I wouldn't be worried just yet...