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I know that this question has been asked before but I assume circumstances differ in each case so didn't feel like I'd be stepping on toes by asking this once again. Today, I received a note from one of my graduate seminar instructors, who to paraphrase said that my work was quite good and he could tell that I was carefully reading the books which he appreciated but wondered why I wasn't voicing my opinion very much in class. He voiced his concern and offered to meet with me during his office hours. Part of this stems from me being nervous, which is obviously no ones fault but my own and something I need to get over. I'm not a very boisterous person by nature and often the adrenaline kicks into high gear when I do talk. (My heart apparently thinks it's on the last lap of the race and needs to move into 4th gear. ) I'm fine answering questions if someone directs them at me but just jumping headfirst into the discussion unnerves me for some stupid reason! The other part is that while this class is on American history, it's not in line with my research area which is fine, I like diversity. However, others in the class seem to be able to name drop all these other sources pertaining to this field while I cannot really add much other than what's been discussed in the books we have and are currently reading. I guess I feel as though what I'm going to say wont add to the discussion or will seem out of place. This is my first year in grad school and we've only been in class for three weeks so perhaps I'm being too cautious early on? As for "concerned professor" should I take him up on the offer to meet with him? I don't want to seem like a whiney baby who needs someone to hold their hand. That's not his job nor do I expect it to be. It's not as if he can wave a wand and cure me of my nerves and I do not want to waste his time over trifling matters. Any advice is welcome!

As the summer goes by at a rapid pace, I've been consistently mulling over a few concerns about my first year in grad school and thought I might as well ask them here and get some advice. 1) I've been advised by another grad student who is further ahead in our program to reach out to my major professor/advisor via email and introduce myself. While I have no problem doing so, I'm at a loss as to what to say. Do I go into detail about me and my academic career or do I keep it short and simple? I just do not want to come off as dumb/vain/arrogant before having ever met this woman in person. 2) I was also advised to not overload myself with reading seminars. At the moment I'm registered at 9 credit hours with one being the required History: Theories and Methods course along with 2 reading seminars (American Colonial History & Epidemics ). I know that graduate level courses require a lot of work and I was just wondering if this was too extreme. There are only a certain number of courses offered to graduate students and was told by the graduate office to really try and stick with areas that were of interest and would fit within the realms of my own research area which is US History.

I would just like to thank everyone who replied to my previous often desperate posts for their solid and very kind advice. I was going through a period of turmoil and it was of great help to get some incite from you. However, I thought I would follow-up and let you know that everything worked out in the end and I was accepted off of the waitlist and into a fully funded PhD program with a salaried TA position back in April. Needless to say I was beyond thrilled and grateful that someone somewhere saw potential in me. Maybe the academia gods were smiling down upon me that day lol jk. So again thank you!

Just to provide some background, I'm a History major, triple minor (sociology,ethnomusicology and music) at IU with a 3.83 GPA. GRE: 157/148/4.5. Thus far, I've been rejected by 4 schools including my alma mater which needless to say crushed me (the feeling of shame/failure has not lessened since I got that news) accepted by one for an MA and wait listed at another. I've yet to hear back from 2 of my schools but I feel my prospects are fairly dim. As the rejection letters have started rolling in I've become increasingly anxious about what to do. The MA program that accepted me is 6 hours away and because I'll be considered an out of state student I'll be paying much more for that degree than if I were to complete it in my home state. I've already been told that I won't be funded by the school so financial aid is a negatory. So, my question is basically whether it's worth it to fork out the extra cash to get an MA and later reapply to PhD programs once I'm done or would it be more beneficial to take graduate courses at my alma mater as a non-degree seeking student for a year and then try to get back into a graduate program after that.

At several of the universities I'm applying to they give you the option of also being considered for their terminal masters program if you are not accepted into their PhD program. Of course I'd like to do this since it's a potential safety net that will still allow me to continue my schooling in the off chance that I'm accepted into any PhD program (praying that doesn't happen lol). However, the schools ask that you attach a smaller statement of purpose explaining why you'd want to do the masters program. So, my question is, will admissions see that I also want to be considered for the MA and think "ah, well see she just applied to both because she's afraid she won't get in at all" and then they will take my PhD application less seriously by default? Probably a silly question but as the application season heats up, my mind travels to these pessimistic realms quite often now.

Long time lurker, first time poster so please tell me if this post doesn't belong in this forum Just for some background info: I'm currently a senior at Indiana University with a 3.81 GPA. Since some school look at your last 60 credit hours for your I'll include that which would be a 4.0. I'm a history major and triple minor in folklore/ethnomusicology, sociology and music in general studies. I've worked for the Jacobs School in the past and am currently an intern with the Kinsey Institute. I would really love to stay at Indiana University for my graduate studies in American History and it's my top choice. However, I am very nervous about getting in. I have other schools that I'm applying to of course but if IU would take me I'd be eternally grateful. (Any other schools you think I might be a good candidate for?) That being said..... I took the GRE last week and received a 157 on Verbal, 148 on Quantitative ( not great i know but they say if you're an intended field is in the humanities your math scores don't factor in as much) and a 4.5 on the analytical writing. On the old scoring system this would have been an 1160. I also looked up the average scores for US History grad students and I'm right on average. However, after seeing some other scores on here I feel like the village idiot but I digress. So, what I am asking is are these scores alright and should I worry with taking the test again? I mean I really don't relish the idea of dishing out 200 dollars to take it again but I would absolutely do so if necessary. Also, does IU have a set GRE score minimum or is it more vague than that? Should I contact admissions and ask if my scores would deter me from applying?

Long time lurker, first time poster so please tell me if this post doesn't belong in this forum Just for some background info: I'm currently a senior at Indiana University with a 3.81 GPA. Since some school look at your last 60 credit hours for your I'll include that which would be a 4.0. I'm a history major and triple minor in folklore/ethnomusicology, sociology and music in general studies. I've worked for the Jacobs School in the past and am currently an intern with the Kinsey Institute. I would really love to stay at Indiana University for my graduate studies in American History and it's my top choice. However, I am very nervous about getting in. I have other schools that I'm applying to of course but if IU would take me I'd be eternally grateful. (Any other schools you think I might be a good candidate for?) That being said..... I took the GRE last week and received a 157 on Verbal, 148 on Quantitative ( not great i know but they say if you're an intended field is in the humanities your math scores don't factor in as much) and a 4.5 on the analytical writing. On the old scoring system this would have been an 1160. I also looked up the average scores for US History grad students and I'm right on average. However, after seeing some other scores on here I feel like the village idiot but I digress. So, what I am asking is are these scores alright and should I worry with taking the test again? I mean I really don't relish the idea of dishing out 200 dollars to take it again but I would absolutely do so if necessary. Also, does IU have a set GRE score minimum or is it more vague than that? Should I contact admissions and ask if my scores would deter me from applying?