Quickmick

I don't know if they do it for the 'secret' aspect, they just might release admits from that list as they hear rejections (declines) back. Before I started my MS I had also applied to law schools, and while I don't know if PhD wait lists work the same way--I would guess they don't--for law they often keep the wait list going through summer and right up until august. Law schools obviously operate on a different business model, though (attendees pay, so the school wants a full cohort). While its not possible for everyone to get the result they want, I hope everyone gets what they need from this cycle. This time I have been more of an observer, and it has reminded me how anxious I was heading into my MS so hopefully has helped as I prepare to go through it again this fall. I have appreciated the comments and the community here, so thanks and good luck!

Just curious, did the unofficial copy from the degree granting show the grades associated with the transfer work? If not they may want a copy of the transcript from that institution too, but I am not sure. If it doesn't, it may affect your GPA calculations if they factor it in but it depends on the program (some only look at last 60 hours etc). I don't think it would raise red flags, unless your transfer coursework has much lower grades and they get the impression you were trying to be dodgey about that, hopefully it is just a box that needs checked off to complete your file and move on.

You probably didn't. Hang in there and hope for the best, if you put your best effort into your application materials its really all you could do no matter how it works out. Good Luck! @archersline just thought I'd give you another chance to give me a a minus heart thingy

Of course it does, I just wouldn't guess it to be statistically significant (unless it is one of ours! ), though I never learned how to count countless.

That being said, I know several programs that people have yet to hear back from so I'm less inclined to think it's doom and gloom just yet. I do recommend emailing though, I found out I was rejected from William and Mary from my POI and I haven't even heard official from the college. I am just curious as to what the possible upside of emailing is? Everyone has the same deadline to accept admission (though when I was in the process of applying to law schools and my MS program I did say 'no thank you' as soon as I knew I wouldn't accept something). I did have the urge to reach out to people, but I ignored it. I guess I just don't see the upside. "Oh SMITH! Thank heavens you emailed! I would have never realized that I didn't send your response!" If anything, during this crazy busy time for them I would think that if it had any effect it would be detrimental. If there are 3 folks left for one spot and someone just can't stand to let the process happen without emailing, maybe it makes it easier to say there are 2 folks for one spot. I have no idea, but it does seem like a possibility or at least as possible as it having a positive effect. I know the waiting is no fun and I hope you get a positive result. Any suggestions on what the possible benefits of email are, other than making us feel like we are being proactive in some fashion when in reality the die has been cast?

From a suggestion I found here I picked up Semenza's Graduate Study For the 21st Century... so far its pretty good--particularly enlightening are the portions relating to how the future of tenure in intertwined with the adjunct/graduate labor pool. In this regard I had no idea that the graduate assistants in some communities have/are trying to unionize! I got the book for just a couple of bucks online and so far I would say it's worth it.

Thanks for the info!

Hours of fun at the GradCafe?

Sheesh! I was looking at their program and a POI said,"Most likely, you would need to complete the MA before proceeding to the PhD program," which, given that my MS is in Environmental Science, doesn't seem completely accurate (it probably needs to read "you will need..." In any case, I didn't look to see if/or in what capacity they fund MA students but do wonder if this policy has to do with that. In any case I will be in Seattle and am not going to visit. Sorry about your experience, I'm sure it was, as you indicated, frustrating.

You'll be fine! I had some reservations starting my MS...pretty much of the irrational fear variety. There are a couple of questions I wish I wouldn't have asked and one topic I covered where I may have overreached. I think people know there is a learning curve and after a semester I could tell my thinking was elevating (and in hindsight those questions were very pedestrian!). Luckily I didn't have dreams of showing up naked or anything

When I was looking at what MS to accept funding was a big part of it. I was a TA for a semester then got put on some funding that doesn't require a teaching obligation. I wonder if that timeline was to kind of see how I was going to do/fit in/etc. In any case, my point is that being a TA doesn't mean other things won't develop.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2015/02/university_hiring_if_you_didn_t_get_your_ph_d_at_an_elite_university_good.html http://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-diversity-for-historians/career-diversity-resources/the-many-careers-of-history-phds Info that is pretty easy to find, but I found it interesting and thought someone else might too.

I was going to leave this one alone....but... I think maybe this would benefit from being re-framed, maybe the question should be why are you doing a PhD. If PhD=Job and Job=Happy/Secure/$ whatever there are a lot of easier ways to land a lucrative job (and if you are in sales, and good, you don't even need a BA!). If you feel somehow called or compelled to go then I suppose that is our lot, maybe we just have to make ourselves as desirable as we can, try have a couple or original thoughts along the way and hope for the best. Life is full of uncertainty, there is an entire field devoted to making decisions amid uncertainty, so you have two choices. If all actions cause some ripple of uncertain consequences in the world, then the safest bet is to do absolutely nothing, or you can roll the dice and do something. I am a nontraditional student having spent 10 years on a trading floor in Chicago and another decade as an advisor. I am no spring chicken, I have a lovely wife and a wonderful daughter who I have an obligation to provide for. My point here is I am pretty sure I could pick up the phone today and have a 'good' job tomorrow, but it takes more than money to make me happy. Am I going to lose any sleep over what might or might not happen in the future when I am doing what I feel is right? Heck no. Another point to consider is how much do you need (materially) to be happy? I have found that the spending of money can be fun, but it is just a vehicle, what is far more important to me in the long run is that my work is important--that I am striving to be in a position to help the world make sound decisions regarding the impacts to my daughter's future and her daughter's future. Anyway, if you want to be a quant in a HFT trading outfit then a PhD in applied stats will pay. So will engineering and working for Big Oil. I would wager that most people in this thing, while they know they need to work/earn/etc, aren't in it for the money. Besides that, the cream rises to the top.

I mentioned something like this yesterday and nobody seemed inclined to jump in... I was thinking if top 20 schools get 400 apps each that is 8000, but a lot of those are counted multiple times as a lot of people are applying to 10 schools. if people are 10 schools each that might mean 800ish apps? for 200-300 spots in the top 20? Doesn't sound too bad, really. But I am just making up numbers. Even if 100 people per state applied that would be 5000 which just sounds like a big number. Does anyone know how big the average applicant pool is in a year for PhD history programs? I am curious to know! Is it possible that admissions from diff schools 'compares notes' to limit the number of multi-admits? This could provide leverage in terms of funding packages and keep the admit/attend ratios high...while that sounds wacky each admit decision is basically a +/- quarter million dollar investment.

Interesting and good point--in contrast if you are in the sciences around the Gulf Coast the Deepwater horizon money is getting figured out so they a bit more to work with. In any case, I was thinking about overall chances of admission in terms of the number of applicants/spots without regard to talent. If we look at the top 50 programs and say they take 15 each (maybe high?) say 10 each that is 500 spots. It looks like the top 20 programs (maybe the others [20-50], I didn't look) get 300-400 applicants each. The unknown is how much overlap there is between schools and applicants. I wonder if anyone knows the number of total individual applicants that usually throw their hat in the ring? 1000? 2000? Obviously there are a lot of other factors (specialization/fit/talent/etc), and the schools don't have a minimum # to accept but I was just curious. Anyone know how many individual applicants there are in an average year?

@j. john too early to tell, I am exploring... Merchant at UC Berkeley is no longer accepting students, nor is White at Stanford... the list is evolving.

@prculus Generally I seem to gravitate toward 20th cent US but do think there are interesting possibilities looking at views/land use in other areas and pre-industrial revolution on a comparative basis. Ive done some work on the history of US wildfire management, BLM (USBR) from Powell to present and of course I enjoy Muir/Leopold/etc. I also enjoy trying to incorporate a systems approach and like to think about the pedagogy involved. @nevermind I am gearing up to apply this fall so have been making lists and reaching out to POIs. I am happy to talk about the possibles/strong possibles but it is probably premature until I get the rest of the feedback from POIs. I will probably keep the apps in the 5-10 range.

@rising_star makes some great points. I used a rubric and liked to see an "a" paper first, then I kind of had a mental yardstick. Depending on what you are testing, for the quizzes I made them all multiple choice (and one super bonus fill in), that way I could really zip through them. I would try to meet folks that might be able to offer you funding too. I was lucky enough to pick up funding after a semester so your time TAing might not work out to be as long as you are thinking it will. good luck!

All good points. I would mention that I sent out a couple of emails that were similar in form yet tailored to specifics, and got a quick reply. It did say 'interesting background' which was encouraging (I guess lol) also said the email was getting cc'd to the other person I mailed! As @TMP mentioned its probably best to be ignorant. I'm sure this type of cross pollination happens pretty often as the higher we go the smaller our circles become. All in all, in this case, they would both be good 'fits' for slightly different reasons, and while trying to make some connection I hope I was able to gently convey that this is the type of community I would like to be a part of. So many little things we (I) fret over that in the big picture probably don't mean much--just can't help sometimes worrying that a slight err to some is a gross faux pas to others. I guess all I can do is be myself, be honest and polite, and see how it all works out.

got it! thanks!

Hi all! I am reaching out to some pois via email and have tailored them to the individual while maintaining the general nature of my interest. These people will probably chat and if my name comes up I would hate for them to get the impression that I am being some kind of chameleon or something to come off as a good fit. So I thought about sending an email to three people at once. This would mean the email would be less 'tailored' yet then everyone would be on the same page. I wonder, too, if this would seem cold/impersonal or even lazy--all things I obviously want to avoid. has anyone considered this? good idea? bad idea? terrible idea? thanks!

Hello all! this looks like a great place in general and a spot for my first post. I--like most of you--am beginning the cycle. I am looking at Environmental History programs and like looking at the interaction between man and the land and what land use decisions have meant for both. I am cut from a bit of a different cloth from a CV standpoint, and while some may see it as a weakness I am hoping that some see it as an asset. Undergrad I studied liberal arts with minors in History and Philosophy. I am currently in a MSc Environmental Science program (luckily with funding). My V is good (94%) and quant not no much (48%) ugrad 3.88 grad 4.0. I am hoping that someone at a top notch program will see the value the MS brings to historical analysis. I also have worked in the Environmental Science realm in a socio-economic context. I have TA'd and am a research assistant at a research institute. Professionally I might have a different experience as I was a floor trader in Chicago for a decade then an advisor before going back to school. For those considering Environmental History there are some good resources here: www.aseh.net That is were I started my list of possibles which include Brown, Yale, Harvard, Northwestern, Oregon, GTown, UC Boulder, UC davis/berk. Also on the list are U Chicago and Princeton for other reasons. This list will get cut down to probably 4-7 apps. I have a number one choice (for now) and have reached out to a few professors. I am in a position where I can probably continue on with my current institution in a favorable position, and I will be happy however this all shakes out as I would be happy to continue here if that is the upshot of all this. However that would keep me more in the sciences. That is part of the reason why I plan to limit my number of apps, as something is going to have to be pretty compelling for me to go. Also I am a little weary of the process having both gone though the MS admissions and Law School Apps (had some success and partial funding but I didn't want to borrow the diff)only a year and a half ago. In any case, I look forward to reading more from you all and thank you in advance for your help! Anyone who has suggestions regarding professors I might want to research at these (or other) institutions I would love to hear it. This thread has already given me ideas (i.e. Michael McCormick) so thank you. Regards, QM