AP

I am more familiar with Emory, so I can help with that side. There, you are offered at least five-year waived tuition, 100% health insurance, and 11-month stipend. I have friends there that are on a 12 month but they said is rare. This is not service-based. You have to TA and teach as part of your PhD requirements, but that's it. I went to the AHA in Atlanta and hanged out with Emory grads, they were quite friendly. Were you accepted? If you were, you should definitely consider going to the Admitted Students Weekend. That will tell you a lot about the atmosphere and you can ask students about connections and job placements. Have you contacted any graduate students? Also, consider talking to Allen Tullos, who is the director of the certificate in digital scholarship (at least he was last year). You might also want to contact people that had a digital track but in other examples. For example, Brian Croxall (now in Brown) did his PhD in English there and worked for the Emory Center for Digital Scholarship for many years. Finally, you might also want to weigh living in Athens vs living in Atlanta. I hope this helps! PM if you need more help!

Absolutely. Also, do you also want a comparison about broader issues (resources, funding, etc).

This is a great thread! Thanks @Marshalltown!!! Ok, my past me has done a lot of the stuff you said! Phew! (Applying to multiple programs, not burning my savings, pay attention to gut and money, etc.). But I did it not because I not it through but because I am just insecure (multiple programs), was working as a teacher (i.e. not much savings to spend), and was an international student (had to weigh in the financial offer). I also took time off after undergrad to work not because I am superwoman but because it is just the way it works where I come from. Actually, most undergrads start working full-time by the time they are 20. I'd advice to my past self to be more assertive during college. I didn't know then what I wanted to do, and I could have taken advantage of some publishing and research opportunities. I could have made time for these and I simply didn't. Also, I was/am very naive because everything turned out so well (advisors, department, city, everything). This is OK, but I would advice myself to be careful. I have had some responses from some people that I did not expect, especially people that somehow took advantage of that in a selfish manner. It ok, nothing serious happened but I got hurt a little. AP

Mhm. You know, we go to grad school to learn, to change, to grow. The *very* sure I totally buy it, but I don't think *any* advisor really thinks that their students cannot change in grad school. Otherwise, what would be their job? In the humanities especially, I think it is not *that* terrible. (PS: I am using ** not as a mock, but because I really want to make my point). I'd say that you are at the perfect time for having this conversation with faculty/advisor. Also, remember the graduate committee in your department could also guide you/assist you. An advisor cannot "own" you, it is not up to them, it is up to you. Really.

I have not been in your situation but a student ahead of me was. He came in for one field and changed in his second semester. He is now in the field with the support of a major fellowship. My advice is whatever you do, don't do it because of your advisor/potential advisor. This is your project, you have the power to steer it however you want (with the guidance of advisors, of course). If you have strong reasons to change the field, I don't see why anyone would feel alienated. Further, there was one person in our department who did not changed fields, changed advisors because she felt her original advisor prevented her from doing her project. Advisor B is not from her geographical field, but this did not stop her from getting a tenured track job. Be professional about how you tackle this, but also be true to yourself. AP

Unfortunately, it could be anything... I know you want to hear you are a maybe, but no one except committee members can know that. Admission processes are SO dependent on departments! For example, in my department we don't have recruitment weekend, we have "admitted students weekend" whereas others around campus invite people before they make the decision of admitting them. I really hope you get in and that this waiting turns a "maybe" into an "in". AP

Yes! I do want to know about the individual experience. This is great, although I see you might think "personal" is not good for giving advice. @TMP Did you travel abroad for research?

Mmmm, I have not expressed myself clearly. I know how the schedule is going to be (both yearly and daily, I had to prepare grant applications) and I have read/am reading the latest in my field (comps + prospectus do the trick). I am asking for more day-to-day advice. A year before taking the comps we organized a panel with students that had sat for them. They provided things that worked for them and didn't work regarding note-taking, organization, time management, etc. We are organizing something similar later in the semester, but I want to hear (read) what other people have to say about it. For example, how did you organize your notes? Did you start drafting paragraphs as you also did research? Did you use any particular software? (I have my preferences, but I have discovered some new ones recently...). AP

A rejection can mean many things, especially things that you cannot control. I try to focus on the things that I can control. For example, you are not going to get "feedback" on the application so you might as well focus on your next steps. Now, you have not been rejected from other schools, and that can play a role in your next move. I'd say be patient and allow things to unfold. Again, you only had so much control over the process, and now it is not up to you. Lots of variables are at play in the admission process that might not even have anything to do with your application. All the best! I'm sorry, I don't understand this post. Is it a response to the topic? Is there a question? I might be tired because I don't see the connection with the thread. Could you elaborate please? AP

So, I am going to the field next year. Everything until now has been about exams and prospectus. We don't really know much of the ins and bits of what we are supposed to be doing next, how to organize information, how to start writing, etc. Hence, I am asking a *lot* of people about this: other grads, former grads, professors, and you guys out there. Any tips? AP

I am third year now but was a first year when I read this post for the first time. I cannot begin to explain how helpful it was and how thankful I am to @juilletmercredi for having taken the time to write it. I feel compelled to repost it and encourage those of you who haven't read it, to do so. Save it in your laptops and go back to it every now and then.

No. No. No. I had a conversation about this with my advisor. My issue was that sometimes I need to say things/think things in my native language in order to put my thoughts in order. My advisor urged not to do this. He claimed that by doing this, I would never fully learn to write/think in English and thus would find academia more and more difficult. Specifically, he encouraged me to bear the dissertation in mind: What would I do with 300 pages? It is a difficult exercise, but it is ALWAYS better to try to say things in English. Further, you can even just "hear" if it sounds good or not. When I am stuck with English (that is, when I have the idea in my language and have not a clue how to say in English), I literally say it out loud. It helps me a lot. The brainstorming that TakeruK mentioned I would not do it in my native language. However, it is true that you are at the beginning of the process so I'd suppose it will be ok . I third the suggestion of asking as many people as you can to read your SOP. I had a friend in grad school already who basically destroyed my first three drafts that forced me to write a forth acceptable SOP. As a reminder: Avoid very long sentences (my language tends to make loooooooong complicated sentences. English is simpler). Avoid passive voice (although this depends a little on your field ) [Needless to say, these were/sometimes are my most common mistakes )

My home currency had a 25% inflation per annum since I moved to the US. There is no relationship between your home currency and US dollars because a. You live in the US, b. you are employed in the US. If you have some sort of income from your country (as it happened with my brother), they should adjust the salary. Note here the word "should". Their doing so depends on your government, the agency/university that is providing this funding, your visa, etc. Not necessarily. When I go home prices increased more than inflation (although because of inflation). In my case it became more expensive to live there on a US stipend.

While I was waiting, I needed surgery. I remember waking up from anesthesia, getting an e-mail for an interview. I then focused on recovering on time for the interview.

I have tuition waiver, stipend, and health insurance. My waiver does not cover fees, so I pay roughly $320 per semester from the stipend. I also work on campus to finish covering for my living expenses costs.

The first time I came to the US was when I moved to grad school to live with two people I did not know. Before then, I lived with my siblings, so I had my share of fighting and tolerating stuff. I like living with other people for all the reasons mentioned by @fuzzylogician but also, it teaches you to be patient and mindful of others. This may seem unimportant but think about it: collaborative work depends on us being able to tolerate the minute obsessions each of us have. I know I can be difficult sometimes and my roommates help me improve my people skills. I mean, eventually I'd suppose I'd live with a partner so I'd better train myself to be flexible hahaha. For example, whenever I have a party I am anxious about the carpet being ruined, cups being broken, people messing up the toilet. Last party, I relaxed and had a great time, and when everybody was gone, my roommates helped me clean everything and woke up the next day before I did to continue tidying stuff up. If anything, living with people helps you be more empathetic (I my sound like a bitch to you! but I am not!). NOTE: I moved in with people I know from the program (not the first two that I had when I just moved to the US). This helped a lot because I wanted people to whom I could talk to about money, garbage, etc. without it being awkward. Also, my top priority was to get a car so I needed to save money. NOTE 2: I rewrote this like three times. It's Sunday morning, apologies for my lack of style and overcharged sensitivity. AP

This is a good question. There's no point in worrying now if you don't have an answer. Because funding was crucial for me, I asked this before I applied. Faculty were honest about it and many recommended not applying for their schools. Just wait a couple of more days and then you can solve the mystery. If you look at my school's website you wouldn't know that we all get funding somehow (I applied because a faculty and a student explained how things were). So hang in there!

Pretty cool! It is easy to visualize that you need high GRE scores to be admitted into History programs but high scores are not as important as one may think: There are equal amount of rejections than admissions. Well done!

I am an international student and I go to the dentist in my home country because a) the US dental system is SO expensive and b ) the US dental system is SO expensive. I have never heard student insurance covering dental. In my country, dental and eye is party of "health" so I was shocked that here it is not covered. I paid dental insurance for six months so I could go to the dentist and it was a waste of money. The dentist would tell me one thing in his office and then bill me for stuff he said were covered. I figured that it was easier for me not go to the dentist here.

Ok, it is different everywhere in the planet, but we sort of have to do it. Those of us who sat for comps, let's pass on our tips, what worked for us and what didn't, for upcoming fellow exam-takers. Some guiding questions (not binding, of course) Can you briefly describe the format of your exam? (No need to name school) How did you organize your fields? How did you organize your notes? What have you learned in the process? What was useless/didn't work? My two cents Format: Three fields (one modern, one colonial, one of my choice), 24hours open book in the span of ten days, plus oral exam. Roughly 120 books per field. Fields: The first two were given. For the third field I framed it as my theoretical framework for my dissertation. It was tough, because I read theory and history from different places, but totally worth it. Notes: I used OneNote. I created one copybook for "exams", and there I had my three fields sections. Each book was one page. In my notes I included table of contents, reviews, summary, and general notes. Not for every book, of course, haha. Outcome: I read in a forum that we need to imagine exams as going to a conference, dropping by a panel and being able to have a conversation. That was very helpful for me (I am sorry I don't have the quote, I promise to look for it). My committee also saw exams as that: the opportunity to learn about fields (extensive coverage) and engaging in a conversation with someone outside your geographical field but within your thematic one. Also, exams are a test of character. I focused on not gaining weight (I gained it afterwards), but I was very stressed and feeling that my life swirled around something so trivial as exams. I mean, really, there are more important things in life than exams. That was very frustrating but I could talk about it with my advisors. I learned a lot about myself, as naive as it may sound. Negative results: I feel I forgot everything. It is good I have notes and I wish I had started studying earlier. I am not a very good self-disciplinary person and exams pushed me to be so. It was painful. Start with working habits super early, like the moment you come to grad school. Really, they will pay off. I mean, I have to write a prospectus now and a dissertation later on, so good work habits are never extra work. Additional note: ASK ASK ASK!!!!! Ask for advice from EVERYONE in your department. It helps a lot!!!!!! Hope this helps a little! AP

Ok, I did not go to my weekends and it was OK. However, I got to participate in the organization of two of these events and I can see the benefits of it. I would suggest going to as many as you can. You will get a sense of the program, the "culture" among students (competitive, friendly, distanced, all of the above), the PI's styles, the campus, the town/city... and I could go on forever. When we organize it, incoming students have a balanced schedule between meeting professors, touring the campus and places in town, mingling with their fields, and sometimes attending classes. I think this is a great opportunity because you get to see "live" what's going on. If you are not sure you want to go to X school, maybe the campus visit will change your mind, depending on your reasons for not being sure. For example, I had one offer for a good school, great faculty, but little funding. It didn't matter how much I liked campus, I knew I could not go there because I needed full funding. Now, if you are uncertain because of something you might clarify during the weekend, go ahead! Good questions to ask: 1) Funding in general and for research/training (eg languages)/conferences. Also, don't be shy to ask about how these are taxed. Finally, be sure to know what fees you'd need to pay (eg sports and recreation). 2) Professional development: teacher training, job market training, writing centers, grant writing, graduate student events, professionalization outside academia, digital scholarship, etc. Also, I would find it interesting to hear what PIs have to say about any of these. Do they train you to be an academic? Are they open about your interests? 3) Governance. I cannot find a better word, sorry. But one thing I came to discover is that each department works differently and each PI relates differently to his/her students. How do faculty make decisions about the program? How they advocate for your interests before the Dean? What regulations oversee exams, coursework, requirements, etc? These are questions you will not imagine when applying. Yet, I think that knowing that a department allows a graduate representative into their meetings might work differently than one that does not (mine does not, and it is fine). Hope it helps!!! And I can't wait to meet those of you who are coming to our weekend! (BTW, I host my field's party which is legendary). AP

Yeahhhhhh there's a light at the end of the tunnel!

Dear all, Greetings from a third year student. When I was applying for grad school, these forums helped a lot in venting and advice. Those of you who are receiving letters of acceptance, congratulations! There's nothing like the feeling that you got in somewhere. Those of you still waiting, despair not. Responses will come in due time. You need to trust that what ever you do now has nothing to do with your acceptance/rejection. Now, those of you who had negative responses from some schools, rest assured that the right one will come along. I don't know how, but life shows us that the end of the world is not actually the end of the world. I only say this because I have been there and now, I can vouch that things always turn out the best way possible. Or at least, you try to make the best of it. I came back because I thought in all the people that helped me during my application and then moving process (I am an international student) so I might as well do the same for any one who needs just someone to talk. I wish you all the best, colleagues! AP