Klonoa

I have this book and will be starting it in a few days. It has received some mixed reviews. Some vets really went at her book.

Currently reading Edward Humes's Over Here: How The G.I. Bill Transformed the American Dream, which is social history of the GI Bill. It's a more entertaining and easier read compared to Michael J. Bennett's When Dreams Came True: The GI Bill and the Making of Modern America, which is political history of the GI Bill. I'm also reading Yingjin Zhang's The City in Modern Chinese Literature & Film: Configuration of Space, Time, and Gender, a difficult read about Beijing and Shanghai literature and film culture that I'm still trying to understand the thesis and contribution of this monograph.

I'm currently skimming Christopher A. Reed's Gutenberg in Shanghai: Chinese Print Capitalism, 1876-1937 (2004). This is a very boring read, I must say. Reed examines the mechanical and technological side of Shanghai's print industry. I'm also reading Gail Harris's A Woman's War: The Professional and Personal Journey of the Navy's First African American Female Intelligence Officer (2010). The title pretty much sums up the book. I'm about to start Michael B. Katz's The Price of Citizenship: Redefining the American Welfare State (2001).

Another recent release is Charissa J. Threat's Nursing Civil Rights: Gender and Race in the Army Nurse Corps (2015). I have not read the book, but I came across it a months ago while I was researching for my thesis. If anyone is interested in race and gender in the military, Brenda L. Moore is the leading scholar on black women in the United States armed forces. Judith Hicks Stiehm looks more at gender, specifically women.

Yes, please track that down if you don't mind. It is topics such as that that I'm interested in.

My focus is more related to military policies - domestic military policies. I'm really interested in military welfare policies and institutions, military integration policies and how these policies have impacted success of servicewomen, racial minority service-members, and the military overall. There is a book that was released in October 2015 titled The Rise of the Military Welfare State by Jennifer Mittelstadt of Rutgers University. It is about how the Army began to expand as a welfare institution during the Reagan administration while the social welfare institutions in the United States were shrinking. I have not actually read the book yet, but I have it prepped and waiting on my coffee table. I can't wait to dig into it.

Hey guys! My history program doesn't really specialize in U.S. military history, and I'm looking for a community to discuss military history books, articles, as well as military historians and military historical actors, events, and policies. So, I have decided to create this forum to do just that, if that is ok? I hope we discuss our different interests in U.S. military history.

Getting through the first semester was rough since I was full time (12 credit hours). I thought my slow reading would get in the way of completing my work, and while though being a slow reader makes the work load heavier than what it actually is, it did not prevent me from having a great semester. I really enjoy my program and the staff, even if the history program is Eurocentric and lack professors that specialize in non-white history. This coming semester I will spend my time prepping for my thesis. I spent some of my winter break accumulating sources, but I have not really read anything. I hope this early start and motivation stays up, as I do not want to get lazy and drop the ball later down the road. Lord's willing.

We should have all made it through our first semester now. Congrats everyone!

I studied a foreign language for my undergrad since it was a requirement, and I did not like it. While I am very interested in different cultures and have traveled to a few countries, I have never been interested in languages and can not concentrate well studying other languages. I lived abroad for awhile and I did not pick up the language of that country as I was not interested. I know it's sad. I don't plan to obtain a PhD, so I'm happy to hear that I don't need to pick up a second language while studying American History.

I'm not a well read historian yet, but I found Robert Marks's The Origins of the Modern World: A Global and Ecological Narrative from the Fifteenth to the Twenty-first Century (World Social Change) very interesting. It is more of an overview rather than a deep read of how different races and cultures became interlocked economically through trade and the creation of modern capitalism from a non-Eurocentric lens. He does a great quick analysis of globalization towards the end.

I don't think earning an AA from a community college puts a smudge on your academic career. If anything, it helps. Community colleges are smaller, which allows you to become closer with your professors, unlike at a big 4-year university. I am still friends with my old community college professors today, and they have been wonderful at providing advice to help me guide my academic career. Every time I visit my home town I also stop by to visit my old community college. Do top name schools discriminate against those who have attended community colleges?

I have always preferred hard copy over electronic copy, as it is better to take notes (in margins or place sticky notes inside, as well as highlight). I did my undergraduate abroad, which made me depend on my Kindle because didn't want to be weighed down by texts books when it came time to move. When reading sources, I found it more confusing to take notes and stay organized on my Kindle, though the search option that Kindle allows is awesome. Being able to type in one word and go directly to what you are looking for saves a lot of time. But, it has always been hard for me to concentrate reading with my Kindle because I have found myself browsing the internet on it, and browsing has usually turned into an hour on Facebook or Skype. Many professors in my undergraduate years had strict no-electronics policies, but waived it for students who had electronic readers or the Kindle app on their phone or laptop. I have started purchasing my books, and I have only purchased hard copies now that I will be studying in the States.

Thanks ashiepoo72. I really have no interest in studying any language, that is why I asked would it have a negative impact. I plan to study American History (MS), so I was curious to know if I had a chance of getting away with only speaking and researching in English.

Is there anyone working towards their MA/MS or Ph.D in history only able to speak their native tongue? Will only speaking your native tongue negatively impact your graduate experience and studies, such as reading primary sources and historical texts?

I have already ordered a few books, but I haven't skimmed through them and probably won't either. I don't know if my undergrad has prepped me well enough, and will not know until the semester starts. I am have been reading a couple of history texts, but reading academically and leisurely are totally two different things, and right now I'm reading leisurely. I'm tired of stressing myself out about starting grad school, and just want my mind to relax. Due to stressing I have started to see a few gray hairs. Not cool for someone my age.

To prep for grad school, has anyone been reading any assigned readings for the coming semester or reading other texts to prep for the coming semester?

I'm starting from scratch, so I'm still buying furniture. It has been a very expensive process, but the Lord and my family has truly been there with me providing great support.

You have pointed out my fears perfectly. I already feel stupid in general for not being a fast reader. I have met students in my undergrad years and have read here on the forums of people being able to read a book in one sitting, or able to read three books in one week. For me to accomplish the task of reading, it will take up many hours of my day (thank goodness I don't have children to compete with my reading time). One top of that, I have not done any in-depth research. For my undergrad I only had to take two writing intensive courses, which only required critical analysis, opinion response, and a 10 page (3,000 word) research assignment. I honestly do feel that on the first day of class I will be the most stupid person in class. When I am alone using my free time to read history texts or watching documentaries I feel confident in my comprehension, but when I'm in an academic setting having to listen to other's brag about their abilities and accomplishments I feel very small and insecure. I'm afraid that the professor will want me to be on the level of the best student rather than judging me on my own ability.

I don't know if people have already posted what I'm about to post, but I thought I would add my two cents as I have lived in the St. Louis metro area for 15+ years. - St. Louis isn't public transportation friendly. Well, at least not on the level of Chicago, San Fransisco, or New York. The buses and MetroLink do not get you close to your job or cool social areas. Its public transportation gets you somewhat close to your college campus, such as SLU, WashU, Webster, and UMSL. STL is easier to navigate with a car, bottom line. - STL is very family friendly. There are many museums, a really nice zoo, active sports centers, and beautiful parks. - Easy to find career in higher education, but difficult to find a career outside of higher education. There are many universities and colleges in STL, but also many across the bridge in Illinois such as Southwestern Illinois College, Lewis & Clark College, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and McKendree University. Major companies/establishments outside of higher education worth looking into: Purina, Ameren, Anheuser-Busch, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and Boeing. - The St. Louis AmTrak station links north to Chicago, Illinois and links south to Dallas, Texas. - There are many nice and affordable apartments and duplexes in Maplewood. Maplewood has a cute boutique environment where there are small independent shops, restaurants and bookstores. It is also close to downtown area.

If you are part-time you will not receive the monthly stipend. I plan to use my benefits, but I will be full time so I can receive full coverage and receive my monthly stipend. During my undergrad, I was full time and had no hiccups with my benefits and hoping the same as I move on in my academic career. I'm not using the Chapter 35, so I am sorry I can not be of more help to you.

I'll be starting my M.S. this Fall semester at the age of 27. I feel very old now due to the fact that I can not stay up the way I used to when I was working on my A.A. in my late teens and very early 20s. As I get older I have found myself thinking more about marriage, buying a house, and career... basically settling, and just hope I can keep my mind focused completely on my academic career.

Thank you all for your wonderful advice and input. It has helped me calmed down a little.

Reviving an old thread. I will be staying in the graduate apartments. I haven't heard anything about it - good or bad. How are the apartments? Also, how is the town and night life? As a graduate student I will probably not have a social life, but I would like to get out at least once a month. I will not have a car, but I know there is an Amtrak station that connects to Springfield and Chicago.

Hello everyone. I will be attending my first semester of grad school this Fall 2015 semester at Illinois State University studying American History. Everyday I have been thinking about the difficulty of grad school and do I have what it takes to succeed. A little about me: - Graduated with B.A. in General Studies (concentration in history) from Temple University with a 3.49 GPA. - History courses were the most interesting to me and came natural to me. - I hate exams (though I do not have an issue with history exams) and prefer research, mainly pertaining to African American history. - I'm a fairly slow reader, and this is the biggest part of my stress about grad school. When I was studying for my B.A. I would spend a lot of time reading, staying up late at night to get the reading assignments done. - I love lectures and discussions, but have a strong personality and very opinionated. - I will be working towards a M.S. non-thesis track. Like I mentioned above, I'm a slow reader though I really love to read. I have already contacted my professors, and on average each class will be assigned to read one book a week. I will be full time (12 credit hours/ 3 classes), so I will be reading three books a week on average. In my undergrad career, I never did a research assignment over 10 pages (3000 words), so this will also be my first time doing 30-50 page research assignments. While I am very scared about attending grad school, I really love history and the only thing I want to study in my academic career. Am I overreacting? Scared about nothing?