AP
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Posts posted by AP
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On 3/21/2021 at 3:05 PM, AfricanusCrowther said:
In my department, advisors are publicly assigned to students upon entry and in practice it is regarded as a sign of a serious problem if you have to change your advisor. In one's first year the advisor plays important roles in shaping the course of study for the student. I recognize that other history programs are more flexible, but I'm not sure what you mean by "no one owes you an explanation." Surely if the program has given this person an "interim advisor" they can ask what this term signifies.
Of course they can ask. My point was that the program will not give those explanations unless you ask for them.
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2 hours ago, Yeseung said:
I have a problem regarding advisor.
Actually I was accepted by a certain school, but before the application I reached out to A professor, but I was noticed that prof. B was nominated as my ‘interim’ advisor. I cannot figure out if this situation means that the advisor is changeable or not. Is there anyone who experienced this kind of thing? What a complicated atmosphere it is
Actually, it's not complicated.
Many things could have happened that are not up to you. Maybe Prof A is on leave next year (academic, medical, or family), maybe they will serve at another capacity (like chair or DGS) in the department and they want to make sure you have another professor to reach out to, or –worst case scenario for you– they are leaving the department.
In any case, no one owes you an explanation.
Until you receive instructions otherwise, you continue to correspond with the person you were corresponding. At some point, they will let you know if you need to do something different. When the time comes, once you are enrolled and (hopefully!) come to campus to meet with your advisor, if they don't bring it up, then you can say "I've noticed in the system that I have an interim advisor, do you know why is that?"
You are not married to your advisor. Of course you can change your advisor (though there are specific moments to do so). Your advisor doesn't know you and you don't know them. I've known several people that change their advisors after comps because they realize they work best with other professors. They also polished their projects, which means they have a better sense who can serve in their committees.
Re: @AfricanusCrowther's experience, I have never seen anything "in writing" and I wouldn't know how to do it myself with students. However, I think it is important, once you begin your program, to talk about expectations. I'm of the opinion of not writing to POIs now about expectations for the Fall.
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1 hour ago, sonnybunny said:
What is protocol for checking in about a waitlist status? Is it appropriate to send an email after two weeks of notification to check in/assure that the program is still my top choice and I would accept if given an offer? DGS said March 10th that there was a "distinct possibility" that they could make me an offer. Thanks for any advice, don't want to step on any AdCom toes.
The advice I always give is:
1) If you have an offer in hand, you can email them to inquire and let them know you have an offer.
2) If you don't have an offer but they gave you a date in which something might happen, you can inquire about a week after that date.
3) If you don't have an offer nor a date in which something can happen, you won't probably hear until after April 15, when accepted students have to give a response. In that case, you don't have any reason to contact the program before then. I don't agree contacting the program, but I've seen people suggest it here (and people that did so). YMMV
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17 hours ago, LeSamourai said:
Hi all - long time listener / first time caller here. This has been a super helpful thread throughout the application process this year - thanks especially to all the more seasoned folks who take the time to engage with all us grad school noobs on the forum.
Curious if people have any thoughts on the protocol for reaching out to programs after getting waitlisted. For context, I was waitlisted at my top choice program, and had a brief, polite e-mail exchange with the DGS right after getting that notification, in which he shared that they will be able to give a final yea/nay to waitlisted applicants by mid-April, but not much other color on the process (or the size of the waitlist).
Basically, I want to know whether it's a good idea to reach out to POIs to (politely) try and get a better feel for the decision rules the department uses to make offers from the waitlist, given that I haven't talked to my POIs since November/December (i.e. haven't gotten any inbounds from would-be advisors).
Additionally - for folks that have done a 2nd (or 3rd, or 4th) application cycle, curious what parts of your "package" you think changed the most with each iteration. Was it mostly about fit (& communicating that better in the SOP)? A new writing sample that you were proud of? Recs or credentials from an MA/MPhil program? Maybe this second question is a separate discussion in which case, happy to start a new thread.
Thanks!
They are saying mid-April because that's when others will give their final decision.
By a rule of thumb, my advice would be to only contact POIs if you have another offer and/or are waitlisted elsewhere.
However, you have seen that regarding waitlists everyone has a different experience and so we are all giving you different advice. YMMV.
Note: I wasn't waitlisted, I was outright rejected/admitted. I have no idea if there is a waitlist in our program or how it is handled.
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2 hours ago, bakeseal said:
How often do faculty members at schools that rejected you reach out to compliment your application? I've gotten emails from multiple people in the same department telling me that I had a great application and they were sorry they couldn't offer me a place. I hadn't been in touch with any of them before, so I really never expected to hear anything after I was rejected because I had absolutely no relationship to the department or to any faculty member.
Has anyone else had any similar interactions with faculty members this year? I kinda don't know what to say because obviously I'm grateful that some academics out there think I have a cool project but I'm also not sure how to respond or what kind of conversation is worth having, though I'd like to keep up the conversation a bit to at least make connections with historians in my field. They've offered to meet with me to discuss further, but what kinds of questions should I be asking?
It's not that common. Faculty don't have the time to send emails to every applicant who wasn't admitted. You should thank them and sign something like "I hope our paths cross in the future." If this were a different year, you could ask specific faculty if they were thinking of going to an upcoming conference and maybe grab some coffee.
I would take the offer to discuss your application further, if you are thinking of applying again. Questions you could ask are: How can I strengthen my application? What type of conference/workshop/seminar would you suggest I eye this year in preparation for my application? You can also let them speak. If they are willing to invest time in you, even if you don't apply there again, it's feedback that you get for free.
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It's in the student's best interest that someone senior writes the letter. You will serve them better by letting them know they should approach other professors. You can be a third recommender.
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5 hours ago, Mayúscula said:
I have been waitlisted at two unis: Miami and UC San Diego. I am doing Latin American history. Does anyone know if people usually apply to UCSD and Miami as a back up to top 20 unis? Therefore, making it likely that someone might accept an offer elsewhere?
I have resigned myself to accept that it is highly unlikely that the students with offers have more than one offer during a year of reduced spaces. But I thought I would check if anyone had any forecasts/thoughts.If you are thinking of Florida and if you are thinking of re-applying if nothing opens up, I'd suggest looking into FIU. They have a great program and top notch Latin Americanists. Besides UCSD, did you apply to other programs in California?
4 hours ago, gabrbz said:I am applying for Latin American History too, I have been rejected by every other university I applied to, and I usually got answers on the same day other people were accepted. It's so weird because no one contacted me, I've sent 3 emails to a potential advisor since the summer, and didn't get a single email back. Every other university that I was rejected also contacted me for an interview but UCSD was the only one who didn't. I am at loss here as I think it would've been nice to get the answer so I could move on with things if that was the case. Also, just wondering, if you feel inclined, would you mind sharing what was your SoP topic about? I've got answers that implied I was qualified and in interviews they seemed interested in my topic, but in the end I didn't get in because they couldn't offer 'resources' I think that's a way of saying my topic was too specific (indigenous warfare culture 1500-1700) thanks and good luck
A faculty may be on leave and that's why they didn't respond. You are right in feeling at a loss. Admissions are really secretive and this year more factors than we know played a role.
4 hours ago, TagRendar said:Just a note, it might not be that your research interest is too specific, it might be that they just don't have anyone that would be able to guide you with regard to that particular interest (or anyone that feels qualified enough to guide you in that particular research interest).
No.
Unless the program has eight Latin Americanists (one modern Mexico, one colonial Mexico, one Brazilianist, one Southern Cone, one Northern South America, one Colonial Latin America, one Caribbeanist, one Afro-Latinamericanist) this will never be the case. As long as you have someone specializing in your time period, it doesn't matter how specific a topic is, with some exceptions (Brazil and Mexico).
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4 hours ago, kchistory said:
Hi everyone. I have a few virtual recruitment events coming up in the next few weeks. I'm not even sure of what questions to ask at this point. Can any current PhD students share questions they wish they had asked or things they wish they had known before starting their program? Thanks!
3 hours ago, TMP said:Ask about living expenses, funding opportunities for conference and research travels. Ask if their 9-month stipend is livable for 12 months (spoiler alert: most grad students don't think about stretching their 9 month payments over 12 months). Ask about summer support. Ask about unexpected expenses of attending that PhD program.
Also, ask about how easy it is to get mental health support.
Additionally, ask about fees. While programs cover tuition, there are usually some fees (mine amounted to about $250 even during the summer, because you had be registered to get paid. We got paid one month during the summer).
As faculty now, the "best" questions are usually the ones that make me talk, like what's my favorite thing about the program, the school, or students; what opportunities I had to mentor students (I'm a recent hire, obviously), where have I encountered other grad students outside of our program. Usually like talking about things that make them proud
- psstein, TagRendar and AnUglyBoringNerd
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On 2/22/2021 at 12:06 PM, SAM311 said:
I am accepted, but waitlisted for funding (anyone thinking of passing on NCSU, plz do
).
Please read why this right here is extremely inappropriate:
On 2/18/2021 at 12:21 PM, aco2 said:Hey folks, I have gotten a bunch of messages since posting my one acceptance, asking about my application process, etc. and I am happy to provide any feedback and answer questions whenever I can (as long as people know that this is not like a magic potion. I'm very lucky to have gotten in, but I don't pretend to know the secret to applying that nobody else knows). I have long felt that the nice thing about this community is that it's a group of wishful scholars supporting each other and providing a little clarification where possible to the more mysterious parts of this grad application process.
That being said, I got an message this morning asking me if I was admitted to a particular program because it was the only program the writer had applied for and they stated that they hoped to "influence the outcome any way I can." This is so unbelievably inappropriate. It makes me sad to think that members of this community are going around trying to talk others out of attending programs that they were admitted to in the hopes of clearing their own way. Deciding on a program is a hard and intimate decision, and nobody should be trying to influence each other in any direction, let alone out of a good placement.
I am going to step back here, and won't be reading any new messages. Please everyone try to be good to each other, and supportive rather than covetous when it comes to others' admissions. I know we are all desperate for good news in a hard year, but just be kind.
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1 hour ago, AnUglyBoringNerd said:
I just noticed the "dr." part added to your name! If it means what I think it means, then congratulations!
I joined the GradCafe when I was applying for the first time (and didn't get in anywhere) and now I am third year into my program and preparing for orals while applying for dissertation fellowships (and mostly just lurking)... It's so surreal to see things change a bit (though more than often they stay the same) here! O_O
I join this congratulatory message. We've known each other for far too long!
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When you submit an article to a serious journal, you will have to state that you are not submitting that piece anywhere else. Don't do it.
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If you already have an offer in hand, ask the program administrator to refer to the person that can guide you through healthcare questions.
There is a steep learning curve: I suspect that healthcare in the US is purposely confusing (lots of jargon, illogical policies, etc.). So, ask everything a million times. If you have an offer that includes healthcare, ask for the complete list of coverage. You'll find there if appointments with a psychiatrist are covered and how much. Also ask very specific questions about your medication. Personally, I push very hard for concrete answers because sometimes healthcare professionals tend to fly around the bush.
I don't know if you could do this, but I went to my eye doctor everytime I went home to get contact lenses because it was way cheaper. Could you have that as a back up plan?
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12 hours ago, TMP said:
I would email the DGS at the school you're waitlisted at and ask a very simple question if you secured external funding for a year, would the program consider admitting you? The problem is that the program would then need to come up with funding for you for the next 3-4 years form of TA/RA-ships. Don't go to a PhD program without minimum of 5 years of funding altogether, upfront.
@bakeseal ditto.
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8 hours ago, scarletwitch said:
Thanks, honestly I was purely going off the advice of someone who told me that was a good filtration process but I agree with you that it is not. I definitely am not going to operate in this manner at all, and see now that was probably bad advice. I’ve had a hard month with two family members having surgery and at times I’ve latched on to any advice on how to proceed with applications as it’s been a stressful time. I really don’t want that previous sentence to be held against me as it was written under bad faith and at a highly stressful time. We all make errors in judgment and I realise now this is no way to decide where to apply.
Scarlet makes a good point on setting up a good filtration system and probably one that relies on multiple things. Eg: if a POI does not respond by x date, reach out the the DGS.
Other forms of filtrating:
- Programs that offer waivers on application fees or standardized tests.
- Funding, not only your stipend but also the fees you'd pay (there are always hidden fees), healthcare coverage, available competitive funds, dependency of funding on your labor, etc.
- Additional support: mental health, digital humanities, graduate certificates, nearby consortiums of libraries, etc.
- Location, especially for those doing international research or from abroad, is there an airport? does it fly to your area? etc.
Additionally, I mentioned this already, but also remember that that a POI that doesn't communicate much does not mean they are not interested in you. There are a million reasons before your project that could prevent any faculty from writing back: they are on leave, they are busy, they are doing research, they are prioritizing their own students, they are busier, etc.
Similarly, when they do respond, while a great sign, it also doesn't mean you are in, as sadly many of us have learned. My best conversations during application season were in schools I was rejected.
So, I agree with Scarlet in setting up a more intentional filtration system that matches your interests with the strength of the program, without paying so much attention to arbitrary rankings.
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12 hours ago, bakeseal said:
Thinking a lot of thoughts and feeling a lot of feelings right now. I did not receive any offers this year— I was waitlisted at Berkeley, and rejected everywhere else. I technically haven’t heard from Princeton yet, though I assume rejection at this point.
I did however just receive an extremely thoughtful and affirming email from a POI at another school. She wrote to tell me that I had one of the strongest applications she had ever read, but my area of interest was outside of the department’s target for the year. She is now the second POI to reject me personally who said they hoped I was not too disappointed because they assumed I was accepted somewhere else. I’d like to very gently recommend to any faculty in contact with potential graduate students that they not assume the applicants they’re in contact with were accepted at other schools, because while I’m sure it was meant to be a compliment, it was upsetting and frustrating to hear after the string of rejections. Also, ??????? Really not sure what to make of that after getting this outcome.
Anyway. I may not have come out of this cycle with any actual acceptances (still keeping my fingers crossed for Berkeley), but a historian whose research I admire a great deal wrote to tell me I would make a great historian. It was a much needed reminder that these setbacks, as upsetting as they are right now, don’t need to stop me from producing work that matters and that I (and hopefully other people) care about. So while I wait to see if Berkeley can offer me a spot this year, I’m going to be shifting my attention away from stressing about applications and acceptances and prestige and towards my research (before I have to worry about looking for a job next year. Yikes!)
Sending lots of good vibes and gratitude to other applicants and to the many helpful current grad students on this board! If/when I reapply, I will definitely have a lot more insight than I did this time around.
Sorry for the lack of offers.
You know that somewhere in the application you can add if you are applying to other schools, right? In general, it's not a stretch to know people elsewhere. If you apply to work with me, and you application was very strong, but I see you also apply to work with my colleague in this other school whose research is up your alley, then faculty make the very informed decision you are probably going to be better served elsewhere and that here, we can better serve another student.
True story, when I was a grad student and we had the admitted student weekend, the students in my field that were very indecisive of where to go were between my advisor or their super-pal at another institution.
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9 hours ago, SAM311 said:
That's fine. However, this was LITERALLY something that came directly from a professor at Duke. They mentioned that they are tired of seeing people who want to seek careers in the field directly because the careers are dwindling. Show them your passion and WHY you want to do this even if there isn't a job at the end of it - obviously not explicitly by saying "I don't expect a career."
Yes, it's the debate many of us are having in our departments. I stand by what I said: you and 200 other people are passionate about history. This is not what gets you in.
If you are trying to word it in the SOP, I think you could phrase it as your commitment to doing something with that passion, like answering questions about inequality, advancing the field in terms of accessibility, organizing events for the dissemination of scholarship on campus, etc. These are concrete ways in which your passion is visible.
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3 hours ago, HRL said:
Not doing so well this cycle and just have 4 schools left out of 11 that I originally applied to (Duke, Georgetown, UT Austin and Indiana). I'm hoping Duke and Georgetown get back to us by end of this week or beginning of next to get ever closer to closure on this cycle. And to shift more fully to thinking of how (and whether) to approach next year's applications.
In particular, I wonder if next year will in fact net out as less competitive than this cycle - if cohort sizes will rebound (albeit not necessarily to pre-covid levels), if schools that didn't take students this year (NYU, Columbia, Brown, etc) will resume taking students, and if there was a greater surge in applicants this year than people who (perhaps wisely) decided to postpone applying to next cycle. What are other people's thoughts on these factors? And any early ear to the ground on schools that plan to increase cohort size next year? Would be great to aggregate this information upfront (insofar as it exists currently) to better assess the situation for next year as early as possible. I know I number myself among the folks on here that would probably have not applied this year if they knew a little more concretely just how dramatically cohort sizes were going to be cut before submitting applications.
I seriously doubt that in programs where they care about students they will increase cohort sizes, unless they care for their cheap labor. Top 20 programs that insist of admitting 10+ cohorts with absolutely no jobs is irresponsible. I'd also advise you against such programs. You want your program to be straight with you and support you.
8 hours ago, scarletwitch said:Hi all,
I'd appreciate some advice just re applying next cycle as I'm pretty sure that's what I'll be doing. I'm going to spend a lot of the summer working on my statement of purpose for each school and really show in each one that I'm a good "fit" for the department and relevant POIs.
So by the time I start filling out applications next September I will have graduated from a top UK university - UCL - (hopefully with a 1st) and will be heading to Cambridge for my MPhil. I'm hoping that will put me in a better position when I apply next year.
I'm an Americanist, specialising in 20th Century US History - Race & Ethnicity and its connections with the Cold War/US Foreign Policy.
I'm thinking that I'm going to reapply to the following schools - Yale, Princeton, Michigan, Wisconsin, Duke, Berkeley, Emory, Illinois, Vanderbilt, and UT Austin. And then newly apply to - Northwestern, NYU, Brown, Cornell, UCSD. I'm wondering about also some smaller ones like UMass Amherst, Indiana Bloomington, Boston University and Ohio State.
I don't want to apply to as many as 20 places but more like 12-15. Is it worth applying to some of these smaller places? I read that there's no point doing a History PhD unless you get into one of the top programs so am a bit wary but still open to applying.
Also, in terms of writing sample, I have a MA-level essay (I'm taking an MA level module in my final undergrad year) I'm working on that corresponds to some of the themes I want to pursue in the PhD, but then I am also working on my dissertation, which also tackles issues of race and incarceration in US history. Would it be best to submit the MA-level essay or a section of the dissertation for the writing sample? Or simply perhaps adapt based on the required page length for each institution?
I think next cycle will be my last as I can't afford multiple application cycles. This one itself has been costly enough. I think my backup will be to try to get a job teaching Social Studies/History at middle or high school level after I'm done with my masters - either in the US or at an international school abroad. It seems like a more practical path in many ways as you can focus more on teaching rather than the 'publish or perish' culture of academe. That said, if I got into a top PhD program next cycle, I'd be ecstatic.
Thanks all. I think after this cycle ends I'm going to hop off Grad Cafe as I think I'm going to try to not go on here as much during the 2022 cycle and also as I need to focus on my final dissertation for undergrad
- I know Cambridge and UCL are excellent schools (I have friends that attended them and friends that teach there). However, don't think that just because you went to these schools, that would put you farther up in the list. The best schools for US history are... in the US and you would be competing with graduates from these schools. Focus on what you bring that is different, not on pedigree.
- Writing sample: The most recent polished work. It's about showing you can do research.
- I don't know if you did this, but you are applying to a lot of programs. Are you tailoring your SOP enough?
7 hours ago, SadriannaM311 said:I don't have a ton of advice to offer as this is my first application cycle as well, but I will say this:
- If you get into a smaller school with good funding, that's wonderful. I haven't heard the "no point unless you get into a bigger school" but my philosophy in pursuing this PhD is to do so without the expectation of a career at the end of it. Yes, that's all of our goals. BUT I believe that you should do this because you're passionate about the subject and it brings you joy. For me, getting paid (even a small amount) to do something that's life-giving for 5 years is worth it...even if it's at a small school. That being said, the faculty and board that you'd be working with is far more important than school name (at least that's what I have been told at every stage of this process).
Sorry, no.
I mean, yes, it's nice to do things that bring you joy, and I'm all for that. But absolutely no one questions people are passionate about history if you are applying to twenty programs.
If in your SOP you say something along the lines of "I don't really expect a career," then you are not giving them any reasons to make you an offer. Passion doesn't get you in.
If in your SOP you say something along the lines of "I'm passionate about history," welcome to the club, you and 200 other applicants.
These are the things that put anyone in the no list.
AdComms are looking for colleagues, for people hungry to change the field, for teachers eager to get into the classroom, for administrators ready to advocate for the humanities. Some others, sadly, are looking for cheap labor, a huge problem in our system which exploits people's "passion" and sucks them dry. I've seen it.
What do you mean by big/small school? Size of cohorts? "Rankings"? Funding?
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4 hours ago, TagRendar said:
I feel like this season is especially a bit of a mess because everyone's department funding is a bit of a mess. Everyone still seems to be in a bit of a scramble mode with everything constantly shifting around them. I imagine that a lot of schools were thinking that maybe by September the world would be a little closer to normal but the reality that's emerging is that we're probably going to be into 2022 before we hit that benchmark, at least in the US.
Actually, our budget has already been decided. Nothing in the departments is "messy" or "chaotic." What is uncertain is our current doctoral students, their funding, their prospective job market, their research opportunities. They are our priority right now. A commitment to a new cohort would take into account these uncertainties. As the reality in our country and abroad changes rapidly, we sensitive to those realities.
3 hours ago, boydivision said:What do you mean by the above? Has there been a huge number of applicants interested in Europe, fewer slots for Europeanists, etc? And why do you think that is?
(If you can't tell, anxious modern European applicant here!)
From where I stand, the situation is more complex. There are no jobs for Europeanists and too many of you. Also, departments are trying to diversify their cohorts by admitting more research on the rest of the world, as well as Americanists. That said, they are also grappling with the challenges posed by the pandemic as mentioned above. No one is in a hurry of creating a cohort of students who won't be able to do research or find jobs.
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10 hours ago, clinical.psych said:
Hi everyone!
So I recently got waitlisted at my top choice university. Although it is great that I was waitlisted, I am gutted that I was not the first pick. I wanted to ask a question if it is ethical to reach out to the other interviewees, ask if they got the offer, and how likely they are to take that offer? Or would that be inappropriate?
Any input would be helpful as I deal with the pain of being waitlisted. I am fairly certain that I will not get off this waitlist in the upcoming months.
No, this wouldn't be appropriate.
To @coffeehum question of private vs public: In my case there wasn't much choice because private universities tend to have more funding for public ones for international students.
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On 1/30/2021 at 10:51 AM, LtotheOG said:
I have also posted this elsewhere:
Can a single negative LOR (amongst 3 or 4) ruin your chances for good?
Pls excuse the long story.
I was already pursuing a phd in History at nyu from 2019. A year later (during the height of the pandemic in NY), my department and my advisor declared me unfit with the discipline of History, and recommended that I withdrew. I have historically been a student of Literature (in Eng), having completed both my bachelor’s and my master’s in it.
I subsequently redirected my energy and resources towards securing a PhD position in Lit. Unfortunately for me, all the places I applied to this cycle kinda demanded that I supplied them with at least one LOR from the last school I attended. And it turned out that nobody but my former advisor eventually decided to help me with the recommendation. (Initially she was reluctant, but she proved quite prompt at the end).
However, I have good reason not to trust her given our history, and now I’ve had my first rejection from a program I thought was a good fit.
I would really appreciate any thoughts you cared to share on this. Thank you!
It depends. Based on the information you are providing, it seems you did not "click" with the discipline, not with the work. If the recommender makes this distinction, I'm sure it won't hurt.
Let me also add this: it hurts more not to have a LOR from your last school than a non-stellar one.
On 1/30/2021 at 10:50 AM, LtotheOG said:I have been speaking to my POIs on and off throughout Jan, and cannot imagine this being a problem. It is a delicate time true, but I do not surmise our reaching out would make a difference one way or the other.
in fact, i can think of one reason to do so: consistency. I can also think of a reason not to: impatience. So I’d probably ask myself, do I want a potential show of consistency more than hate being a potential nuisance?
so while I do not think it is consequential, whether or not we make contact is entirely up to us!
Hope this helps, and all my best!
Faculty here, this is not necessarily true. You don't show consistency by emailing people just because you emailed them before. Unless you have a specific question, there is no need to email anyone.
22 hours ago, TagRendar said:I legit just signed up for the forums based on the last reply after lurking for a little while.
I, too, just got a dreaded rejection from Northwestern and it stings like mad. I'm going to be reaching out on Monday to see if I can get any insight into the reasons for the rejection, but I suspect that I already know the answers: smaller incoming cohort and no exact fit with professors currently available to mentor Ph.D students.
That makes two rejections for me (I was the one that reached out to Loyola Chicago and found out that they were only taking two Ph.D students this year) with two still pending (UIC and U Chicago). Crossing fingers but trying to steel myself for the possibility of having to do this all again next year when this non-traditional student is a year older.
Before you email a POI looking for answers, remember that:
- Nobody owes you an explanation, no matter how bad the rejection stings. I've said this many times in this forum, so apologies for those re-reading this but: applying to grad school is already part of your graduate training. You will get rejections in the future from grants, fellowships, and jobs. No one, except maybe one of the big grants, will offer feedback.
- There are reasons that are bigger than you, your program, or your professor. Sometimes it has to do with long-term funding. Sometimes with TA/RA appointments availability. Often, faculty at not at liberty to discuss these with you (and some other times, they don't even know).
- This one is the one I use on me a lot: A rejection of your application is not a rejection of you as a person. We sacrifice a lot to apply and go to grad school, so it is very easy to take things personally. However, this rejection does not speak to you as person, and not even as an academic. Trust that.
If you do email them, be strategic. Instead of asking "Why was I rejected?" (which makes you sound bitter), ask "Is there any advice you could share so that I can improve my application?" Remember that you might not have gotten into Northwestern, but that doesn't mean you won't cross paths again. In a couple years, you can organize a panel for a national conference and invite this POI to comment. You might collaborate with one of their students. This is not the end.
21 hours ago, scarletwitch said:Yeah, for sure. One of my POIs at Northwestern wrote me later after I had sent in all my applications to say he wasn't taking students this year anyway and he's who I would've wanted to work with mainly so I'm not going to beat myself up too much for not applying there.
Wishing you all the best with the rest of your applications and I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties you experienced while getting your MA, but congrats on completing it!
It's always, always fundamental to contact POIs before applying!
When I was at that stage, I almost didn't contact one POI who was the POI. When I did, he said he school was not prepared to fund international applicants (me). Then I almost didn't contact another POI because they did something different from me. In the end I did and, well, they became my advisor.
Good luck everyone.
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On 1/19/2021 at 1:32 AM, NoCapMoon said:
Hello everyone! I'm applying for a PhD in history as well. Can anyone speak on what any of these programs are doing to be more diverse? I know Vanderbilt is making some really big pushes, but aside from that I've felt a lot of schools have very hollow diversity messaging. I'm applying to 8 schools and all of them have maybe one or two (if any at all) Black students. I think it's very weird considering all of the buzz around Black history and the ADOS movement.
This is a good question that you can ask in the interview/admitted students (digital?) weekend.
Also, diversity is a vast term that different departments might address in different ways depending their audience and their resources. In some departments, their initiatives led to admit and retain students of the LGBTQIA community. In other cases, their commitment might be oriented to admitting students from non-traditional backgrounds (like students who started their education at CCs or that are first gen). In other departments you might find a strong international component and, thus, a robust support system for students whose first language is not English. And some others, as you hinted, might focus on diversifying their student body in terms of racial and ethnic identity.
Ideally, of course, we want all of the above.
At my graduate institution, initiatives came from the school. There was a diversity office, who would listen to our grievances, several scholarships for the study of race and justice (which typically attract minorities), the library had a dedicated librarian for Af-Am studies, etc.
In terms of department-wide initiatives, I would suggest (in addition to what you've been suggested) to look at past/future events. Who are they inviting? Who are the recent hires? Who got a prize recently? Why? How do faculty engage in public? Do they write Op-Eds?
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23 hours ago, eh1688 said:
The MPhil isn’t really geared towards one region or another. You are more or less free to research what you want (within reason). Though my dissertation itself is still on British History. Either way, I’ll be applying without much of the work from that degree finished so I’m not sure how much help that will be.
This is a good point. However, I'd invite you (and others who are finishing a degree) to think differently about where they are and where they are going.
In your SOP, you basically argue that you have the potential to become a cool scholar. By 'cool' I mean someone that has interesting questions and/or interesting methods. You don't present yourself as the "past" because people that admit you are looking into the future. So, when you outline your research trajectory, the current degree is very much part of that trajectory. I'd dare to say that the master's might be even more relevant than your first degree, because in an advanced degree you usually go deeper into the weeds of historiography and archival research (even digitally).
I'm not picking on you specifically, @eh1688. For everyone in your position, I would encourage you to outline in the SOP how your current degree is equipping you and what skills, thus, you'd be bringing to PhD program.
2022 Application Thread
in History
Posted
Late summer, early fall.
As many as you can afford. It's nice that some faculty think that students have $800 for admissions... that was not my case.