time_consume_me

I was just told informally by my POI that I've been admitted to the NYU history department, after having received an erroneous rejection notice last Tuesday. Best of luck to everyone else!

For those wondering about NYU. Just had an informal interview with my POI 5mn ago, told me admission results will be posted probably next week (in the best case scenario) or the week after that. Visit day on March 27th. Said they're only able to accept 15 students: 4-5ppl for the History Programme, and 2 for each Joint History programmes.

@snackademic Your friendly reminder.   

We typically give out two offers, but this year the pool was very large (we had the second highest number of applicants) and very strong, so we're trying to get a third offer made. Otherwise we don't feel like it's fair.?

Hi everyone - I've been staying quiet and avoiding Grad Cafe as much as I could stand it. I was among the recent round of Yale rejects earlier this week, but other than that it's been radio silence and I've been struggling not to interpret that as a bad sign. If anyone is looking for something to keep you distracted, there was a wonderful podcast episode on NPR recently that was about the psychology of comparing yourself against other people: Counting Other People's Blessings. I don't know if it will help but I'm making the intention that every time I start getting anxious I'll remind myself of some event in my life from the past ten years or so that was a blessing. Going through old photos helps a lot to remind me of all the good things that have happened. Best of luck to you all.

I'd like to echo the poster on the results page, am curious about what fields the Columbia acceptances have gone out to. Congrats to all!

I have no insights, but I got into Columbia today. Still can’t believe it! I received an email to check my application status - and there was the offer with funding information. I’m surprised more people haven’t posted anything on the results page...

I am literally overcome with emotion ? I got into Yale!!! 

Penn sent out another wave of interview invites last week and it looks like they are following a similar schedule as in previous years. This means interviews in last week of Jan/first week of Feb, offers around Feb 16th, and rejections in a big wave the following week.

I applied in the Fall 2019 cycle to 5 schools and ended up with 4 rejections and 1 admit. My general background: 2 years at a SLAC/Ivy right out of high school (3 strong semesters followed by one disaster semester, withdrew with a 3.33 GPA), worked throughout my 20s, finished my BA in History during those years at an R2 state school (completed a thesis through the school's honors college, graduated with a 4.0), applied for PhD programs in my early 30s a few years after finishing the BA. My approach to the process and lessons learned:
1. Understand your research questions and why they are significant. Before you do anything else, you need a rock-solid understanding of your research questions, how you'll answer them, and why they matter. What has the existing scholarship said about your proposed topic and why do you think that historiography needs to be challenged/expanded? What methodological and theoretical approaches inform your work? This is the foundation of a successful SoP; it's the difference between passion for history and preparedness for historical work. Students in my program write an article-length research work by the end of their first year; you need to show you will arrive on campus already able to formulate and investigate historical research questions.
2. Do your research on programs and professors. Once I felt confident on point 1 above, I launched into research on programs and professors. Who are the big names in your subfield and methodology? Where do they teach? What are their former students doing now? Who are the early career historians whose work you admire and where did they train? Who else in a department aside from Dr. Big Name could be part of your training? If you are proposing interdisciplinary, transnational, or comparative work, look at other relevant departments' offerings AND make sure the History department will support that approach. I made a spreadsheet as I went, with information on the structure of the program (coursework, language requirements, when do students take comps, coursework outside of history, etc.), potential faculty mentors, and practical information (application deadline and requirements, funding package, teaching expectations, etc.). 
3. Choose quality over quantity. Once you have a list of programs you're considering, start narrowing it down. All available evidence says that where you get your PhD matters much more than simply getting one. On the advice of my faculty mentors, I decided at the outset that I would either go to a top-tier school with five guaranteed years of funding or I wouldn't go at all. That meant there were many schools that never made it onto my spreadsheet. For those that did, I emailed potential advisers a version of the following: "I'm a prospective grad student planning to research X. I am contacting you because of your work on X and the department's strengths in Y. Will you be taking on new graduate students in the upcoming year?" Some never wrote back, some responded that their department wouldn't be the right fit for my work and suggested others I should explore, some wrote back enthusiastically and we spoke via email or phone as I was preparing my applications. I applied to 5 programs and in retrospect only 1 or 2 of those were actually solid choices. My rejections make perfect sense in hindsight because my work didn't fit those departments' approach, faculty strengths, etc. There were several places I didn't apply that I should have (some out of oversight, some out of stubbornness about not living in Southern California).
4. Show them you can accomplish what you say you can. Your SoP is where you tell them what you plan to do; your writing sample is where you show them that you can accomplish it. Submit original primary source research, ideally showcasing the language and methodology skills you'll use for your graduate research. I considered submitting a section of my undergraduate thesis, but decided to revise and condense the whole work into a 20 page sample. I went through paragraph by paragraph and included only the sections most crucial to my argument. Once I had it cut down to sample length, I asked faculty mentors to read it and offer feedback. 
5. Behave as if you're already their colleague. You are applying for a paid apprenticeship on the path to guild membership. Do your best to show that you will be a professional, teachable, and motivated colleague. Although not focused on academia, the archives at Ask A Manager have excellent information on general professional norms in a US context. Some specifics from my process: sending thank you emails after in-person or phone meetings, asking thoughtful questions (i.e. not questions that are answered on the department's website), and being prepared to talk about my professional goals. That last point can feel especially fraught, because everyone knows the miserable state of the job market. But this is the time to talk about why you're doing this and what kind of professional academic historian you're training to be.  

I'd like to add that if you have an offer from a "top 10" program and are upset that you got "rejected" from "lesser" programs, it says so much about how you control your ego.  Such a "rejection" actually signify that your application is so strong that the committee is actually afraid that you won't come if you have a "better" offer.  Without actually reassuring the POI in the early stages of application that this so-called "lesser" program is a top choice (i.e. you would actually go to this program over Berkeley), the committee can't be sure, especially if it's a public school.  In these days when Graduate Schools are looking to encourage cuts in a program, it is in the department's best interests to choose applicants who it strong believes will 98% accept the offer.  The more offers accepted, the better chance of preserving the cohort numbers for the next cycle.

That's so disappointing. ☹️ Thank you for letting us know.

Just got a rejection from Northwestern 

We had the faculty meeting on graduate admissions on Monday, so most likely individual POIs are beginning to send out emails/make calls.

Confused about this Harvard acceptance result, especially since it's only one person. Wouldn't DGS presumably email everyone at once?
God, this wait is KILLING ME.

Oh I know, Emory and Michigan use the same system but Emory hasn't shown anything and Michigan has a completely different system for application status. But the UPenn changed from when I submitted it on the 15th and when they got my GRE scores put together with my application on the 23rd. So I just keep checking that Checklist until it tells me something.

Currently grappling with the reality that I probably didn’t get into Penn and UVA based on a lack of communication. I’m just reminding myself that I worked hard to get here and that no matter the result, nothing will change that. I hope it works out for myself and everyone else but just remember there’s always next year and if we are truly passionate about this field of study, nothing will keep us from eventually reaching our goals ? good luck everyone 

Northwestern spent early January in the later stages of an Assistant Professor search process, so it may be later than last year.

Does anyone want to claim the UChicago offer? Would you be willing to share the initials of your POI?

How likely is it that Northwestern and Brown will send out decisions this week? I saw that last year they were both around Jan. 31st. 
I am feeling a little anxious as the day gets closer.

Constantly waking up at night and checking your e-mail, since it is daytime in the US: The Foreign Applicant Experience™

Unless they specifically told you to contact them around a certain time, refrain from emailing them. You will always be waiting for things: TA assignments, fellowship decisions, answer from your committee whether you passed your written exams, a decision from a conference, etc. etc.  Use this time to work on building your level of tolerance and patience from molten lava to steel.

I think that you'll benefit in the long run if you discontinue the practice of trying to establish the rules of the road for most programs. Every department is different. Every program is different. Qualifying exam committees and dissertation committees within a program may also vary. Some students may receive waivers from requirements, others may not receive similar considerations. Many of the decisions can center around the graduate student and how she's perceived by the faculty.
Instead, I recommend that you focus on understanding what kind of an academic historian you want to be, what you need to do to realize that vision, and what specific requirements and obligations you need to fulfill. (It won't matter if most schools allow grades in language classes to establish proficiency if, during your orals, a professor sits down and asks the first question in German.)

I can't think of a single person in my program who is finishing or has finished before sixth year and that's including folks with MAs and people who I think of as having "finished quickly."
I'd plan on six years and take that into consideration when you make choices, i.e., ask about funding beyond the fifth year because it's very likely you will need it. Most schools cannot put it in writing that you'll get a sixth year of funding (hence the "five year package") but they have informal procedures— ask what grad students are doing for the sixth year? if they're getting funding from the department, in what form and how is it allotted? if you get an external fellowship, are you allowed to get that year "back" later on (e.g., if you win a prestigious fellowship that funds your 4th year, do you get that "4th year funding" back as a sixth year? etc)
 
 

As we are getting into decision season, I just wanted to wish everyone who is applying good luck! Remember, a rejection is NOT the end of the world. I was heartbroken when I received my first one, but after spending some time in my current program I know that I'm exactly where I am supposed to be. Sometimes decisions are based on factors that we do not know or do not understand. Celebrate your victories, but don't take time to wallow in any failures or take anything too personally. 
Breathe, work on your ongoing projects, go for a run, lay around and watch netflix for an evening, do your best not to get psyched out or worry too much. I know that is easier said than done, but it is the healthy decision. 
Good luck, I hope the best for all of you!!!