Savannah-in-the-world

Hey there fellow PH (and traditional history) folks. I hope you can help me. I had always intended on getting a MA in PH, but after meeting with one of my LoR professors, she suggest that I get a PhD. I feel confused on whether it would be worth it. Since I have been working toward applying to MA programs and so intent on obtaining a MA, I feel bewildered to consider a PhD. However, the more people I talk to, the more I am being influenced to go straight into a PhD program. I hope to be able to curate exhibit and work for NPS, by the way. Can anyone help me consider a MA vs PhD constructively? Thanks.

Yeah. that's the thing right? It's okay to be her decision. All I can do is prepare my butt of. Well, she doesn't write it I don't have a second reference, so wish me luck!

I have a meeting this Monday with a professor that I really want/need a recommendation from. I have had her for two upper division classes that we had a good relationship in. Along with my advisor/professor, I should have two really good letters. When I first contacedt her for a letter she was more than willing and offered to meet with me to discuss my plans. She is a straight history professor and I am looking at public history programs. When she learned this, she tried to withdraw her offer until I defended choosing her briefly through email. She has agreed to meet with me to discuss it further. The thing is, it is not out of the ordinary to ask for a history professor's rec for a public history/museum studies program because there are very few public history undergrad programs. However, I am worried that she may still pull out, which screws me over. I am brining the rough draft of my SoP for my #1 choice and the rough draft of my CV. What else can I bring with me/say to obtain the rec?

I hate this attitude so much. If a major does not lead to a specific career path with a high rate of employment right after a BA, then its useless?

Edgewater is generally okay. Just exercise common sense and you should be fine. That being said, I am not much of a runner. I know that the Lakefront trail is popular, but I don't think it goes that far north. Are you on Reddit? Try https://www.reddit.com/r/RunnersInChicago or http://www.reddit.com/r/chicago. (r/chicago loves to downvote posts like mad, but we are nice people in real life).

The area around Loyola should be okay. I believe it is north Rogers Park that is kinda shady. The closer to the Howard stop, the worse its gets. There should be a lot of students there anyway due to LU.

I see this a lot from people who are not familiar with Chicago. First of all, Chicago being a dangerous city is seriously hyped up by the press. Violence sells papers and I am not sure if it is Chicago's size and its place as a Midwest city or what, but it gets picked on. That being Chicago has crime. Its a large city, it has crime. But per capita, it does even crack a lot of lists. It is not on the FBI's most dangerous cities (http://www.cheatsheet.com/business/the-10-most-dangerous-cities-in-america.html/?a=viewall), not in the top 30 highest murder rates per city (http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/top-lists/highest-murder-rate-cities/) and what is dangerous is limited to pockets of Chicago, mostly south and west side neighborhoods, but not all of them. For instance, U Chicago is in Hyde Park on the south side, but it is very safe. So treat Chicago like a city. Don't take a bus or train after midnight or one - take a cab instead. Carry pepper spray if you are walking late at night, stay on well-lit streets and do not walk home at night with ear buds in. If you need to use the phone, don't lose track of your surroundings. These are not extreme safety checks, its common sense. Stay out of unsafe neighborhoods, don't want home alone drunk, stuff life that. I promise, you will be safe and have fun.

Hey fellow Chicagoan! I know Loyola Chicago has a MA in Digital Humanities. Reputation? Not sure, but if you want to stay in the area it may be worth looking into.

Thank you. I never thoughts of it as how I view myself in my discipline. I think that is best advice you could have given me.

I won't start my thesis until next year (my senior year of undergrad) and even then, It won't be finished until March. Past the deadlines for most programs. My undergrad concentration is public history so I have been doing research that ends in a tangible project, not a paper. I do have a primary source paper from a historical writing/sources class. It is 15 pages with cover page and bibliography and it was at least good enough for presentation at my school's student history conference. However, I don't know how good of a writing sample it actually is. Also, I feel like my second attempt at some kind of research paper would be better through a natural progression of learning and applying skills. Should I polish and submit my primary source paper or start from scratch? Is it out of the norm to work on a paper specifically for a writing sample? Thanks.

Every program is different, but I really appreciated the time that was taken in my history classes that helped us learn how to use primary and secondary source documents. It was not just lecture, but seminars and discussions that pulled apart each idea. We learned how different elements can change a source then we put it into practice. These basics are being built on in my upper-division courses through different settings and historical focuses. My upper-division classes are building on the methodology and practice of the discipline more than the actual history of something. I feel like this would be really hard to learn in an on-line environment.

I am coming from a large university with a concentration in Public History. It is a very practical program and I have already been given a lot of oppurtunities to practice publc history itself. I am so glad I am going into this field. Through the experiences I have been given, I found that I absoletely love it.

It is not what I want to do with my degree at all. It is working with kids and doing activities. If I wanted to do museum education I would be worried, but I want to do local history. Preferably with some kind of heritage site. Right now I am working with a local historical soceity for a class and I absolutely love it. This volunteering was just to fluff my CV to get into grad school.

Hello. Current Chicago resident. Glad to help. A studio for $600-$700 is still a little high for some parts of town, but 1. You can get lucky and 2. Loyola is closer to some of the North Side's cheapest rents. Rogers Park should be a good bet, followed by Edgewater. Both will be close to the CTA and the lakeshore. Below Edgewater is Uptown, which will have rent in your range, but is not the best neighborhood. Of course, almost any neighborhood will have good and bad parts. Also, you will be taking a cab and not a train home after a certain time of night anyway, does not matter how nice the neighborhood is.

The general consesus I have seen regarding volunteer work is that it does not matter too much when you apply for your MA. Other elements are going to weigh in a lot more when it comes to getting accepted. I am wondering if this is true of all departments. I am currently volunterring at a museum and while the people are really nice and it is within my field, I really don't enjoy it. It is in the morning after I work third shift so I am always tired and it is working with school groups. Kids are alright and I love my friend's kids, but I am not too keen on interacting with them in this way. It is only a few hours once a week and I don't feel like it is interefering with my academics as much as it is interfereing with my sleep and general happiness. I honestly thought I would enjoy it, but I guess you have to do something to know for sure. So, is it worth putting on my applications? I am going for a Public History MA, and am already in a very practical and hands-on Public History concentration in undergrad, have high GPA, and I should have very good LORs. Also, because my undergrad is so hands-on I already have a few projects with historical societies and other entities that I am credited for. Can I quit please?