AP

I have a non-field-specific piece of advice: Drop the undergrad in your applications. Grad school is not about "chances", it's about having a strong application that evidences potential (which is ironic, right?). So, it's not about ticking things off a list, although sometimes it might feel like that. You should demonstrate ability to read your sources (so @telkanuru correct me if I'm wrong), so Latin should be a priority. Doing a secondary project besides your thesis could be useful, but I'd connect it to your thesis (either as a chapter or a section of a chapter). But my point is, do not think that more things is better. Graduate school is about the questions you have and how you try to answer them.

I'm sorry you are feeling isolated and alone. I was older than my cohort, so I was "organically" left out. That pushed me to make friends in upper years and other departments. I worked on campus a couple of hours a week and took some regular workshops (on teaching, GIS, etc etc). Encountering people outside my department (and seeing some regular faces over and over again) helped me create friendships that I wouldn't have if I remained in my department. Is there a possibility for you to do something like this? Two other things that worked for me were church groups and meet ups (www.meetup.com). I was a bridesmaid to a friend I meet in a white water meet up! But if you are worried about your cohort, maybe you need to accept the fact that they are just your colleagues, and that's ok.

For me, it was the determining factor. Not only in the offer, but also how much money might be available down the line.

What are you asking, exactly?

Just to be clear, ASK what those expectations are. Comps are (in theory) a learning opportunity so you are more than entitled to ask what the expectations are. This will help you discern how each faculty will evaluate your work.

Now this was so many years ago (four!) that I can't make any promises! One of the best things I learned about exams is how much they depended on me. Comps are not your typical exam, in the sense that they don't test just knowledge but expertise. What makes you an expert, then? Well, I was very vocal about having this conversations with my committees which helped steer exams into something that was useful for me. I am teaching this semester out of that third field that I mentioned above. Second, I learned more about my own interests that I had not anticipated. It helped me better position my dissertation within the literature outside of my field. I think that this perspective, training to be an expert in, my case, Latin American History but being aware of similar conversations going on for other places (especially the Global South) enabled me better "sell" my project (I think) for completion fellowships, postdocs, and jobs. As I mentioned, my exams were three fields examined in a 24-hour window each (written) and an oral 2-hour 'defense'. For fields I and II, the list was pretty much given, but not set in stone. Particularly, we did not have extensive literature on our dissertation focus. I focus on Central America so most of my geographical focus from the exam lists was from the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America. For the third field, I combined GIS, Environmental History, and Border Studies. Thus, exams were an opportunity to examine scholarly conversations beyond my tiny field and, eventually, was able to incorporate this into my dissertation. Needless to say, this type of training also facilitated my Q&A section of job talks!

Hello new applicants! I used TGC when applying for graduate school back in the day and now I hold a TT position. I'm not serving in committees yet, but I am working "on the other side". I hope you find my insight useful. In addition to the sound advice you've already receive, I'd recommend planning your field with a global perspective. Even if you focus on 19th century US, what would your research bring to the discipline as a whole? You don't need to answer this, but the fact that you are asking these questions might entice the AdComm (conformed not only of US historians) to make you an offer. In addition, more and more US history courses are being taught in relation to global issues. I often sit back and listen to what @telkanuru says in these cases as the semi-official resident medievalist. In addition to the language comment, which is not minor, I'd steer away of lists like this. Admission to history programs goes beyond the numbers you provide, it's about the questions you ask, the insight that you offer, and your potential to develop those questions and those insights professionally.

Following up on @Sigaba's post, I was an outsider so I was (maybe?) mentally prepared to being left out, which doesn't mean it didn't suck. As it turned out, I made friends in older cohorts so I was very quickly invited to "the" parties and events. I also agree with @Boolakanaka's advice: give. it. time. Coming in, I thought I was going to be friends with the other international student (who also was native in my native language). In the end, we ended up not getting along at all. Further, I became great friends with someone from the midwest, so there! My advice, in addition to give it time, would be not to force yourself into making friends with your cohort. Expand you horizon to other cohorts or other first-years in other departments. I've said this many times, I think your cohort is first and mostly a professional grouping, if you make friends, that's great. But if you don't, you can always make it elsewhere, where people see you, share your interests, and enjoy your company. Good luck!

I think you are right in wanting to include your history into the SoP, so long it relates to your research and not about your personal narrative of those experiences. Unlike college applications, doctoral program applications are more professional-oriented. For example, in my initial SoP I told the story of how a faculty member was unfair in his comments on my thesis. I remember being so bitter! A friend of mine read the draft and basically told me to f*ck off. I was even madder! I mean, come on! Despite that professor being a jerk, I triumphantly passed! That's gotta count! Nope. In the end, my SOP was something like "after graduating, I transformed the final feedback from the examining board into conference papers, which I presented in A, B, and C". I strongly suspect that your personal experiences are by far more profound than my little tantrum, and you should show exactly how they shaped how you see the world and how this unique way of looking at the world is what AdComms want. Good luck!

For the school-wide orientations, casual is fine. For the department one, it doesn't hurt to look a little more professional (i.e. jeans and nice top in lieu of ripped jeans). I wore a summer dress for the SoCal heat! Take notes wherever you prefer. Chances are that in the big you won't take much notes anyway!

I doubt you'll find them, they are private documents that not even applicants see. I'm sure there are sample letters around the internet. As you probably noticed, they vary in length, tone, type, etc.

I think only one of the schools I applied for offered graduate housing (dorms), which was furnished.

I moved across hemispheres. I packed two suitcases. Friends of mine that moved to California from Michigan, Texas, Florida, and Georgia all had help. Some were married, so their spouses kind of earned enough money to hired some service. Others packed everything themselves and drove. In one case, they moved in sections (first they moved a part and then, say when coming back from Fall break, they drove the rest). Others just did it in one trip, their parents driving their cars. A couple of these folks sold their cars before coming. Regarding furniture, I think it depends on what you own and how you are willing to live. I first moved to a furnished place owned by the university, then I had roommates who brought in their furniture, and then I moved in with my SO (who had their own furniture). So I only recently bought furniture and only because I can afford the more expensive IKEA stuff (and only a little bit). I did the bulk of my writing in Georgia and I drove from California. My new position gave me a moving allowance that covered the shipping of the car. Unfortunately, moving is expensive and as from 2018 it is not deductible from taxes. I'd try to keep moving expenses to a minimum. Remember that in addition to the "moving" per se expenses, settling in involves getting all sorts of new stuff at the same time such as cleaning supplies, some cooking ingredients, and the like. Also, remember that you'll have other non-moving expenses at the beginning of the semester such as books and fees. I think it is very wise to weigh in the location of your programs as you apply (though do not allow it to limit you). I did apply to places that offered a good stipend because, as you mentioned, moving is expensive.

Typically no, because they don't test the same thing. TOEFL examines language proficiency. If you get a very high score, it can be comparable to Cambridge Advanced Exam (though not exactly because CAE tests much more use of language) or IELTS highest scores. GRE Verbal, however, evaluates language more in the aspects of reasoning than "level". This is hard because it basically tests if you "reason" like US Americans learn to think in school/college. Needless to say, it's highly problematic. If you are applying to a PhD program, I can assure that GRE scores are the least important aspect of your application. (but check with your program).

Congratulations on you acceptance! I as an international graduate student in the West Coast. Although I came at an older age and having worked, I had no idea what to expect or what the culture would be like. Now I am a professor, so my advice is based both of my graduate experience and my (still very recent) conversations with students in my department. General Advise Treat graduate school like a job as much as possible. This means several things. On the one hand, you are now an adult responsible for your time and your own progress. As any adult, you are of course entitled to your own life. My advise: keep the dog! (I wish I had one!). Try to keep a routine the best you can and set an amount of work hours. I am assuming you have no kids and/or no partner, based on you OP? If that's the case, it is very easy to work very long hours. Treat yourself to your favorite hobbies: running clubs, church meetings, frisbee, what ever. I was very good at this in my third year. Grad school is also a job in the sense that you are being trained to be a colleague. I don't think no one will tell you this in your department, but try to dress professionally in tone with the department's culture. You'll always be a little less formal than faculty, of course (especially when you are only writing). Similarly, pick up the way people treat each other. I'm not talking about how to address professors (I'd err on the edge of formality, if you don't know your department's culture yet) but especially the collegiality among peers (or lack of). Stay with the good ones. [Eg: I had my first meeting with a graduate student earlier this month and I've noticed that I planned it more or less how a female advisor had always structured hers: first asking about how you are doing and then going into business]. Age-wise, you are not an UG anymore. Don't behave like one. But graduate school is not a simple job. Be resilient. Your priorities and working style will change in the next five to seven years. I was very active until year 4, once I started writing the dissertation and going into the job market, I was siting down all day, writing. In addition, graduate school is more than a job because we give a lot to be here. I gave up my country to be here. Others move their families. Others left jobs. So it is very personal in a way that it is not faculty (trust me, I am one of those now). So, take care of yourself. Do not postpone your own health and wellness for a paper, it is never worth it. Believe it or not, life happens when you are in a PhD, so allow yourself to deal with what life throws at you. In addition, look for allies in the program, especially other graduate students. I say allies and not friends because I have the theory that we don't have to be friends with the people we work with. I'm not sure it's true, but for me this idea helped me relax and not feel the pressure of "you have to make friends". I did make great friends and with others I have great professional relationships. You want that. Take the time to learn. I think it's impressive that you are starting a PhD program so young. Unfortunately, that means that you might be still learning about yourself, especially about how you learn. Now, everybody is there to learn. Remember the friends and colleagues part I mentioned earlier? Well, there is a third group of fellow students (the smallest, for sure) with whom I never wanted anything to do with: those who are speaking and saying nothing, and do not accept feedback.We are all students, we are all learning no matter what stage in life you are. Do not allow anyone believe that you have "more" to learn than others. I came at age 31 and still needed to learn how to read and write, because my foreignness made me a complete outside to American academic writing. You might encounter something like this, so give yourself the space to learn what you need to learn in order to succeed. You have more power than you think. Although a PhD program is structured (coursework-exams-research-dissertation), you have a lot of agency in how to do each (or some) of the stages. Take a look at graduate certificates, workshops, and the like. I have friends all over the place that started off as part-time (5hs/week) editors of an in-house journal and now they are directors of Digital Scholarship in two institutions. I have friends that began working for the university's center for teaching and today, as they finish their PhD, are leading workshops on teaching, technology, and pedagogy to university professors. Depending on what your interests are, do expand them beyond the halls of your Department. This is also from the job market point of view. Search committees are looking more and more for people who can partner with other areas in the university, who can bring in novel teaching strategies, who can collaborate with others, and who engage the public. There are many, many programs on campuses trying to articulate these needs. Check them out, if it's something that interests you, because you might find yourself collaborating with someone after attending their talk! Academic advise Coursework is not just coursework. Work with your advisor to design a curriculum that works for you. Remember that the goal is to be a scholar, not pass courses. Courses should build into your interests and help you develop a sense of the literature and the debates in your field. Sometimes you'll take courses outside your field, but be conscious about why. Times is precious. Research well how your exams and prospectus are done. Every institution is different. In many cases, expectations are unwritten so have as many conversations as you can with your advisor regarding the purpose of exams and/or prospectus. Choose a bibliographic manager TODAY. Like, right now. I would strongly advise you to take notes in your laptop, since that's easier to search when you are writing papers, prospectus, dissertation, etc. I would advise you not to get a printer. I got one and then got a job on campus where I could print for free. Maybe you department supports some printing? Check that out before spending money. Miscellanea Take control of your online presence. People will Google you. Do not shy away from grant programs, even if you are not applying for anything yet. Grant writing programs are great to a) have grant applications drafts ready and b) basically boil down your project! (and it's never to early to think about your project). There are many events on campus that are free and/or include free food. Keep them in your orbit. A weekly international lunch fed me during my first three years. Begin all e-mails to professors with "Dear Dr. Smith" unless they tell you not to (I asked once, and they said that although we can treat each other by first names, they prefer formality over emails because you never know how emails get circulated). Get your eyes checked (we spend a lot of time in front of screens) Experiment with ILL in the first week or two so you get a sense of how it works. They will be your best friends! Do not get rid of the dog (I know, I've said that, but I insist) Shoot me up if you have further questions.

Like others have mentioned, having an undergraduate publication might be more about the experience than the line in the CV. It is a nod to your professional aspirations, but that's it. I second @Sigaba's advice of moving away from metrics as the structural force in your application. What @TMP and @psstein have mentioned also relates to articulating your application around your goals as a scholars, not location or fixation on certain programs. Furthermore, in doctoral programs the prestige that you see in rankings is often blurred by other factors, especially the specifics of departments. There are many programs ranked in the top 20 that were useless for me since there was virtually no Latinamericanist when I applied. Your geographical, chronological, and thematic interests underpin a strong application. Focus more on the questions that you bring in than scores, GPAs, and undergraduate publications.

If they are in the CV, why would you use precious writing space repeating them? Unless they are crucial parts of the narrative, leave them out. AdComms read CVs.

Sure! I see what you mean, and I agree with you being prepared with a name in mind. I think that shows initiative and autonomy, both very important assets in grad school. I suggested you didn't drop the name but I should have been clearer. I would approach the conversation with your current supervisor not as "I want someone else to jump in" but more of "we would both benefit if someone else jumped in". If you play your cards well, they will agree with you. If so, I'd allow them to drop names first, so that you also know who they are comfortable working with (I have done this when deciding my committee and avoided working with a person I thought was great for my project but, apparently, was not a good advisor). Once they say, "Great, Na_arf, I would suggest you talk to Prof Smith", you can also play your hand saying that you had already thought of that or that "mmhm I found that interesting, I wouldn't have thought of that...". What I do want to emphasize, and I can't stress this enough, you should be comfortable with whomever you work. Do not get stuck with someone just because you are afraid to hurt their feelings. I know that your situation has other variables, but really. I have a friend who hasn't told his advisor he is not looking for academic jobs... a year into the job market. You need allies. As you very well said, you need their support. Sadly, this means that you will be a little selfish because if you don't look after your interests, no one else will. I truly believe that having an honest conversation will play out to your advantage. Be sure of what you want out of it and go for it!

Wait, you want a co-supervisor for your PhD, which you haven't applied yet? PhD advisors can change, so I am not sure what's the big fuss about wanting to add someone into the mix, especially since you might be doing your current advisor a favor. The way to do it is: request a meeting to discuss your doctoral application(s) and very respectfully but firmly suggest that you think it might be better to include another reader so that your current advisor doesn't have as much work. If you frame it like that, they will be relieved. Don't suggest someone yourself, allow them to drop a name they feel comfortable working with. Just talk to them, it'll be fine.

In that case, and assuming you are already practicing the presentation in that language, I would also have people that speak that language listen and ask questions. I think the key part will be the after-the-talk, when people want to know more about you and you want to show your work. I've done that for friends who presented in my native language but in the end the audience asked the questions in English so they were fine

Could you request presenting in a language you feel comfortable? Could you ask that the Q&A be in the language you feel comfortable?

Are you saying you didn't find anyone? Or are you looking for further recommendations?

I'm interesting in knowing the answers to the questions posted by @Glasperlenspieler. In addition, I know people working in my university as directors of the writing center and the English support center who are simultaneously doing a PhD in Linguistics part time in the other state school (very reputable). Do you have that option?

Hi there, Based on what you are telling here, I think you might benefit from being "outside" higher ed for a little while. Like you, I started my PhD in my early 30s and it's true, you begin to be more demanding? impatient? about money. (Eg: I ate organic and never, EVER from a can, but that had a cost). So, I understand the desire to wanting to dive into a career sooner rather than later. I began my PhD after 10 years of work experience so I tend to recommend people get "out" before getting "in". Of course, this is based on my experience, which doesn't make the only valid one. Yet, it sounds that you might benefit from that. I don't think so. I don't think degrees tend to be synonyms for job security any more nowadays. I have several friends who work at my university as directors of programs (diversity programs, English support programs, etc) and they are doing their PhDs at the same time in another institution (part time, obviously). Do you think this might be something you might look into? Ultimately, their job experience informed their career paths much more than the the research per se, if you know what I mean.

Ditto. Also, both times I did the F- interview (first time and renewal) they asked me what I intended to do after my PhD. Here you have a chance to say "find a job in my country". Remember an F-1 visa is a temporary permission to pursue postgraduate work so, when given the chance, show that you are aware of this temporality. They also asked me about the topic of my research. I do Latin American history so they tend to have a background in some sort of Latin American studies to work at my country's embassy.