chickadee21

I've bought a number of textbooks off half.com - definitely cheaper than Amazon, even with the shipping. Right now half.com is trying out a beta version of "Buying Wizard" - basically you type in the title of the book you need, click "Buying Wizard" on the result, and it will tell you the best price for the condition you want it in. You can do it for numerous books, and it will try to match booksellers to reduce your shipping costs too.

I'm the same way - I'll only listen to classical or music in foreign languages. I've never been able to study in coffee houses as a result. I also like to talk aloud to myself when I write, which always made writing in libraries awkward...

Also, for those of you looking to get rid of old textbooks, Amazon has a Textbook Buyback program - http://www.amazon.co...node=2205237011 you select which books you want to trade in, ship them to Amazon for free, and get an Amazon gift certificate. I now have a nice cushion for buying textbooks this fall

1. Read, read, read. 2. Exercise regularly (not easy I know with being overwhelmed with work, but I know it's important to keep it up) 3. Learn how to really cook - I don't want to spend the next 5 years on a diet of eggs, chicken noodle soup, and bagels... 4. Practice public speaking more - I always shied away from giving presentations in college, but I really need to improve my public speaking if I ever hope to become a professor. 5. Write outlines before I start a paper - I never wrote outlines in college.

goldielocks, the Goethe Institute offers proficiency exams at different levels - see here for the different exams: http://www.goethe.de/lrn/prj/pba/bes/enindex.htm It looks like anyone can sign up to take the exams - it's not limited to Goethe Institute students. I didn't take any of the exams, so I don't know how difficult they are, but I'm sure it'd be a plus on your application.

I'd check out DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse), if there's one near you. I hate hate hate wearing high heels, and I get all my shoes from DSW - they've got good prices and lots of comfy styles to choose from. I'm so glad flats are in style, I don't know how I would have survived work this past year if I'd had to hobble around on high heels all the time! You might also want to check out some of the outdoorsy stores like REI, Eastern Mountain Sports, and LL Bean - since shoes in those stores are primarily aimed for comfort, you might find some good pairs for you, and they have some nicer styles as well.

I think there are certain situations where it's a good idea to have a business card. If you're working on a thesis that requires a lot of coordination with groups outside your university, or if you're awarded an outside scholarship that requires giving a lot of talks about your topic, then having a business card is a good idea, since you'll be meeting so many people. I have friends in both these situations, and they say having business cards makes it easier to hand out contact information as well as looks more professional. But I have a feeling that this situation is more common in certain fields, like some science ones, than in the humanities.

goldielocks, are able to take any summer courses? If you live in a city, you might want to check out whether the Goethe Institute or the Alliance Francaise is in your area - I took night courses in German the past year at the Goethe Institute, and my German has really improved. Even one class before school starts in the fall could be a big help. I'd especially recommend a Reading Knowledge class in French or German - those classes are usually taught in English, but they give you a really good knowledge of the grammar and help build your vocab. Good luck!

hmm, interesting question. My area of interest is WWII, and when I was applying I had trouble deciding which country I wanted to focus on, France or Germany. UVa has great professors in France and Germany, so I'm lucky because I'll be able to do transnational research. Some of the other schools I applied to were really only strong in one country. From what several professors have told me, grad students who do transnational history may have an advantage when looking for jobs, because a school may choose to hire someone who knows about 2 countries instead of hiring separate specialists for each country. But it may not actually be that simple - I'll see in 5 or 6 years!

I like half.com a lot too. Also, for $25 a year you can become a Barnes and Noble member, and they just upped their membership perks to include 1-3 business days shipping with no minimum purchase required. So it's kinda like Amazon Prime but a lot cheaper. And you get coupons, which on history books (as long as they're not textbooks) you can actually use!

UNC is extremely strong in German history, especially for 20th century. They've also got well-known French history professors. I don't know much about their placement record, but I'd imagine that a degree from UNC is just as good as a degree from any other top-20 or even top-10 programs. If I were you, I'd be more concerned at this point about making your application to their program as strong as possible - they only accepted about 15 students total from 420 applicants this year. Since you're doing your Masters, I'd assume you've already got your languages down, and I really recommend that you emphasize your language skills in your application. I'm fluent in French but only in my 2nd year of German, and the UNC profs I spoke with were concerned about my non-fluency in German. None of the other schools I applied to seemed to be as concerned about my German as UNC was, and I'm sure it was part of the reason I was rejected. Anyway, best of luck to you!

I can definitely sympathize. I'd like to think though that most of those students end up embarassing themselves and learning from their experience. One of my favorite memories from undergrad is from a dry econ class, 70 year old prof deep in the midst of the lecture...when in the back of the room someone's cell phone goes off with the ringtone..."Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake. The entire class and professor laughed at him. I have a feeling he left his cell phone off in class after that.

That's WONDERFUL, congratulations! I have a friend who goes there undergrad and absolutely loves it. I've visited the campus before, it's really beautiful. Very happy for you

My advisor told me there was nothing in particular I needed to read, but since I'll be studying WWII and I haven't done general WWII reading for a little while I'm planning to read Richard Evans' Third Reich trilogy. It'll help me brush up my chronology, people, etc.

I'm not sure what kind of classes it offers, but the Alliance Francaise in DC - http://www.francedc.org/en/- offers French classes on a regular basis. It looks like the next set of classes ends June 28, so they may have some beginning in July. You could call them to find out, and even if they don't have the right classes maybe they can recommend other places that do? Also the USDA offers languages classes, but I'm not sure how intensive they are.