geigwm6

I cut my paper down from over 9,000 words to about 7,000 words. Since I am an Americanist there is no need to include foreign languages in my Civil War paper. My professor is one of the best Civil War scholars out there and the toughest grader in the history department. It is a pretty unique paper called: The Eastern Band of Cherokees and William Holland Thomas: Questionable Confederates or Staunch Secessionists? Examining Paradoxical Loyalties, Perceptions, and Nationalism I am working on it very hard and having everyone read it who has eyes and a brain. Thanks for the advice!

That makes me feel better, I go to Wake Forest and will have above a 3.0, but in the 3.2ish range :\

I was planning on using my thesis which is on m research interest (Eastern Cherokees under William Holland Thomas during the Civil War). However this is rather long (I just cut it down and its still 20+ pages). Furthermore, this paper still needs a lot of work. I have another sample that is very good (better than the other one) on interfaith marriage in Al-Andalus and was nominated for a Women's and Gender Studies award, and its only 10 pages long. I'm going over it myself and with m professors. So I have a good writing sample that has nothing to do with my interests and one that needs work (albeit on an interesting/unique topic) that fits my research interests.

Nikki, can you give us any advice for things to do differently in the process?

I hope all of your summers are going well. So are any of you all doing anything yet for applications for History admissions 2010? I am doing a fair amount of reading, researching schools, working on some essays, and refining my writing sample. I'm applying for American History in the 18th and 19th centuries with an emphasis on the US South. I'm probably applying to MA programs, because I'm not a super qualified applicant and am not sure what exactly I'm studying.

Can someone transition from a MA in American Studies to a PhD in History America, is this common? My final goal is definitely a PhD in History--not American studies. I'm just becoming more and more concerned that my GPA will not cut it for a decent program (possibly as bad as a 3.1 cum/3.5 history albeit at a tough school), so I'm trying to figure out what to do.

This may seem like a trivial question, but what is the difference between American Studies and American History, because some schools talk about their overlapping. Thank you.

Well I am an early American historian, but I like American Indian studies too, so I am going to market myself as an American Indian Historian. I wrote my undergraduate research thesis on American Indians, so I hope that it gives me some qualification.

So is GWU a reasonable school for me to get into for a PhD? I want to live in Washington, DC, they have a few great faculty in my field, but while the qualitative aspects of my application will be fine, my GPA will be so mediocre (although i do go to a very rigorous school).

so worst case for my grades would be like 3.0-3.1 cumulative 3.4-3.5 history. i test very well and will have great LoR's and i'm working very hard on my writing sample/SoP Could I get into a mid-level PhD program like George Washington, UNC Greensboro, American University?

This might sound like a dumb question, but how does one go about contacting potential professors that they'd be interested in working with? Thank you! Will

Does anyone have any advice for someone like me: My GPA is not strong (3.2 cum. and 3.6 in History), I don't have strong languages skills (my worst grades are in my Italian classes, and that is the only language I have taken although I will be able to demonstrate *proficiency*). However, my research interests are in Colonial American History/up to 1865 American history, but I know I need at least one. My writing sample is very interesting--a thirty page paper on a very unique topic. Does anyone have any advice for someone like me? Although I go to a top 30 school with rigorous grading, I feel like a very, very mediocre applicant. History is something I love and want to pursue and know that this is not enough, so what should I do?

I'm planning on applying for History MA's and PhD's next year. My area of interest in Colonial American. I'm not sure if my grades are good enough. I go to a pretty competitive school and have a 3.2 cum. GPA and a 3.6-3.7 History GPA. I'm really not sure how great my writing sample will be. I just finished it, and it is a very unique topic, but I really have no idea how it will compare in the grand scheme of things.

Thank you for all of your responses. I am taking Italian up to literature level, and I don't like languages which works out well, because I like American history, and I know I will generally only need 1. I'm considering trying to do some research or just getting an internship in something unrelated to see if I like it (I'm also going to apply for jobs in the world of sports business/finance and I might as well see if I like it). Otherwise, I'm going to work hard on my SOP and on my research thesis (I'm going for honors). On another note, the appeal of working is that school is expensive. They just raised tuition almost 5% for next year, so the sticker price will be around $50,000. Thankfully I have FA, some scholarships, and I am an RA on campus so that puts a dent in it, but regardless I will have a fair amount of debt. And yes, money is a consideration. I was looking into doing William and Mary's Colonial Summer program, but it is just too expensive and they don't give aid (W&M is probably my dream school to go for graduate work).

As someone who wants to probably pursue History as an Academic Discipline, I am a bit concerned about what to do over the summer. Many of my friends are doing things in government, interning for financial firms, law firms, accounting firms etc. Last summer I worked at two museums in Washington DC as a researcher/intern, but to be honest I didn't find those jobs very fulfilling (and DC is very expensive) as I was working on Women's History and Holocaust History, which is very nice, but I like Colonial American history. My advisors and professors tell me to just keep working hard, but summer is approaching and I don't have a plan. I don't want to go home (in this economy particuarly) and work part-time and hang out at the beach--that just isn't me. Any help/advice/experiences would be much apprecatiated! Thanks!

What is the best way to purchase a metro ticket? I will be using it everyday and was not sure whether it was discounted if you purchased like a two month pass...

I am interning in Washington D.C. this summer and I was wondering if anyone knew of any apartments or townhouses that are in a relatively nice area, near a metro line, and between 800-1200 dollars per month? Anywhere in the DC, Maryland, VA vicinity would be just grand. Thank you!

Now when you all talk about GPA are you talking about your major GPA or cumulative? because I see there is a very large disparity between the two. My History GPA will hopefully be in the 3.7-3.8 range, but my cumulative is marred by some poor grades in my math/science classes. Are Masters programs easier to get into? I talked to some of my advisers about them, and it seems as though it would serve to help bolster your credentials before applying to a Ph.D program and not get "stuck" in a field that did hold your interest. Unfortunately the one professor who I talk to a lot, have taken several classes with, and who already had wrote me a recommendation, AND who went to the school that I would really like to go to in the field that I am interested in is apparently leaving Thank you so much everyone, all of this is so helpful. I have been scouring the internet for weeks looking for this information!

Hello, This is my first time posting here, and I am sorry if this is not the appropriate forum for this (because I am only a college sophomore). However, I have really decided that a MA/Ph.D in History is something I want to pursue. However, I have a few reservations, primarily because of my GPA. My cumulative GPA is nothing to write home about, but my History GPA (with 18 hours so far) is pretty good. I am imagining when applying I will have a 3.3 cumulative and a 3.6-3.7 History GPA. My school is known to have grades that are a bit lower--I go to Wake Forest University--but I have no idea how that will be taken into account (our average GPA is a 2.8). As many of you have/are going through the admissions process is there any advice you can give me? I have talked to some of my professors about it. I am interested in American History, primarily colonial American History (and to be even more specific the role of religion in colonial America). So I know decent programs are William and Mary, UVA, and UNC-Chapel Hill. If any of you all could provide any insight it would be much appreciated. Thank you!