AP

Hi! I have friends who are finishing their doctoral programs with kids, but yes, it's very hard. One of my friends gave birth in her first semester! All of them with little kiddos eventually took a semester off, so you might want to factor that in just in case. There are a couple of FB groups that you can join (one is Academic Mamas). There are also a couple of IG profiles to follow. Also, check out if your programs have health benefits, day care (some have emergency care, for when your normal care is unavailable), etc.

Ok, this certainly blew up. First, @histofsci, no need to calling out names. We might be anonymous, but we still foster a collegial environment. Sheer honesty does not equal rudeness or assholery, and I am surprised that after reading @Sigaba's interventions you'd still think it's ok to call them that. @whatkilledthedinosaurs, if you are not sure what I meant, you are welcome to ask for clarification. I am not sure why you would assume otherwise. Anyway, those of you getting rejections, hang in there. One of my happy moments this year is that I am not getting rejections because I didn't apply for grants or anything. It's one of the only years when that didn't happen. Rejection is part of the game, a big and horrible part and I am truly sorry you are going through it. To those of you accepted, hooray! Congrats! Those of you still waiting... agh... I can only say: just binge on Seinfield. Or the Toy Story movies. And to the rest, colleagues, have a great week!

1) Offers and rejections are not made by programs, they are made by the schools. So, it's not 20-24 people they have to deal with. Further, when you apply to big/small grants and jobs, same thing will happen. Blimey, I still get rejected by jobs I applied in 2018. 2) The reason for rejections being handled by "outsiders" to the program is twofold (or even threefold). First, it is fair to all applicants to all programs in the school. Second, if someone, a person (as opposed to "the system") sends you the rejection, it opens a conversation which faculty can't and shouldn't have. The system, as distasteful and horrible as it sounds, it is more just. This happens too when you apply for jobs, you do it directly with HR in many cases and they are the ones that tell you you've been rejected (unless you've made it to the campus visit). 3) Programs are often understaffed to handle even yet another huge responsibility.

Emory typically does interviews but it might depend by caucus.

Yes I wouldn't count on going to Princeton for a visit on their dime if you are waitlisted. I seriously doubt anyone would reject the offer before the visit in time for them to arrange your visit.

Some departments have official waitlists and others don't.

Yes, rejections suck. Remember, however, that a PhD program is not a checklist. You may have a stellar application, but that doesn't mean you will be offered a place. Further, you might fit perfectly, and still that doesn't make it. Programs are shrinking. And, as I've said many times, there is more to PhD admissions than your application. Graduate school pressure, budgets, department needs, previous cohorts, leaves/retirements/searches, etc etc etc.

I'm sorry you are going through this. Rejection is not fun. Even though grad school is "like a job," we put too much personal investment in it so it's hard to even begin to disentangle it. That said, rejection is part of the game, from admissions until retirement. So, a couple of things: 1) If you are still convinced you want to pursue a PhD and go into academia, by all means apply a third time. If you do, I would suggest having an honest conversation with your closest mentor to find out what you could have done better. I doubt they will have the answer, though... Would you apply to the same places? (I applied three times to one school and never got in). 1 bis) "but it's primarily qualitative" makes it sound as an apology. Qualitative research is research. Actually, most historians do that, so I'm not sure why you are upfronting a "but" there. All the career paths I mentioned in 1) would be happy to have a candidate with research experience. (I'm not sure what "professional history research experience" means, though. I'm international so maybe that's it). 2) In addition to the wanting to have something published for next year, I'd also try to go to a conference and shamelessly introduce yourself to people. Many POIs sometimes schedule coffee hours with potential students (I've met two at the AHA). 3) I would approach the "no-PhD" issue differently. What if you find a job that enables you to build a doctoral career in a couple of years? Eg: museums, archives, libraries, HS teaching, NGOs, political campaigning, college administration, etc. Rather than taking rejections as a final stop, what if they are an invitation to regroup and apply again in a couple of years? Given the job market as it is, my senior colleagues in my department and other departments I know (non-Ivy) are increasingly leaned towards taking students that have a strong non-academia plan. Thus, having work experience will strengthen your application while providing you with tools to navigate the job market down the line. 4) I strongly, firmly believe that you have not "messed up." Admissions are hard, everyone is qualified. So do not absolutely not think that this is on you. Cohorts are shrinking (except Yale, apparently), departments are shrinking too, and this means less faculty are admitting students. If I am going to give you any advice on rejections, be humble enough to acknowledge many, many, many things are outside of your control (unfortunately!).

Which greatly differs from the humanities, where exams typically comprise monographs and, as a result, many of Pacheco Vega's tips need to be adjusted. Glad you found it useful.

Sorry, those sounds like typical lines of rejection letters.

Utterly irresponsible. I don’t know why I’m so surprised....

You wait.

Wait, am I reading this correctly? The 2019 cohort is 24 students?

If I remember correctly you are in the social science, right? So by publications you mean mostly articles? A good resource for note-taking can be found in http://www.raulpacheco.org/resources/note-taking-techniques/ I haven't used much of his techniques (though I borrowed ideas) because in history we read mostly monographs. However, based on his Twitter interactions, students and faculty have found these techniques useful. Do remember, however, that what works for someone may not work for you so, ultimately, the figuring out part rests on your learning style, your needs, and comps goals.

As faculty, here is how prospective students contacted me: started emails with Dr or Professor, not Miss/Mrs/first name. Formality throughout. Full signature so I know who you are helps. I’m writing because I’m interested in University X doctoral program in History. Explain interests and research experience in 3-5 sentences. Then one sentence explaining why you’d like to work with me. now here comes the tricky part. In general, al. This would suffice to put you in the POI’s orbit, even if they don’t respond. However, it’s better to have some question along the lines of “I wonder if you are accepting any advisees” but not like that. You could say something like, “ I wonder if you find this research compelling and you think it might be a good fit for your program”. Then, you are inviting the other person to respond. Now, typically, assistant professors don’t take graduate students, unless they are close to tenure. I will always advise everyone to write to senior POIs, they might suggest contacting the junior one you are interested in working with. if a POI suggests talking over the phone, do so. Sometimes it’s easier for profs to squeeze a 15-min phone call between classes than writing an email. It is not a bad idea to attach your CV.

Each program has its own process depending on field, graduate school policies, department needs, and cohort sizes. There is not one way to it. If you have another interview, you can ask them what happens next.

No, I was talking about people posting to TGC results page. I wouldn’t know about Harvard. Until you get an official notification, you don’t know your status. That said, yes, if a DGS sent out unofficial notifications and you didn’t get one, your application probably didn’t make it.

I'd like to piggyback on this. The fact that a program did not admit you this round or that you declined an offer does absolutely not mean that that door is closed. I've seen my program organize workshops/seminars and invite a couple of students they wished they came. I've also met POIs that rejected my application and am now close collaborator with their students. One, actually, was a member in my dissertation committee. So, yes, your professional reputation starts today, no matter what happens.

In addition, and this is very important, reiterate your interest in the program. I'd argue not include the possibility of your circumstances changing (everyone knows you might have other offers). I'd highlight your interest.

Also admits may not post them at the same time.

No

I second all of this.

Yeah, don't worry. Also, my typos. ?

Two things: 1) Emory, like many other departments, is shrinking its cohorts. 2) Sometimes, subfields slots has to do with other cohorts. Eg: if the last two cohorts has too many Europeanists* and no Africanists then the this year the AdComm might try to balance those numbers with more slots for African History. * and we could have an entire thread on what "too many" means.

In previous program, people with MAs could get one course release. Of all the people I've known coming into my program with a MA, only one got this. The release was more dependent on advisors than program. Here is why: a MA and a PhD are very different graduate programs. They have different requirements, different expectations, different times. Further, in the humanities you encounter less structure in MA and PhD programs, especially in the US. Not all MA students in the same cohort take the same courses. Thus, not even the students in the same cohort have encountered the same authors, read the same sources, undertaken the same research. In a doctoral program the difference is even greater. What I mean to say in all this is that no one can really quantify how the MA counts towards the PhD. If they do, make sure is a way that benefits you. If they are going to exempt you from a language exams, make sure it's because you know the language. If they are going to exempt you from a methods course, make sure you know the methods. A PhD coursework is the last chance you get to read about topics/regions that are not necessarily connected to your own interests. This is a gift, take advantage of it. I can assure you it won't hurt. Regarding time of completion with or without a MA: No, it has absolutely nothing to do. Maybe others can chime in here, but in my experience (both as student and faculty), I haven't seen a difference in time of completion. I didn't go in with a MA and it took me the same as some one with. I know people with MAs in their 9th years. I know people with MA that graduated in 6. So, no. Now, the question of why some programs run longer is a strange one. Typically, doctoral programs run for five years: 2 coursework, 1 for exams/developing prospectus, 1 for research, 1 for writing. However, the vast majority of graduate student do not finish in five years (it's not impossible, but I'd say I know two people who did). It usually takes 6 or more. The reasons for this vary enormously from person to person and from program to program. Besides personal reasons, some programs prefer to fund their students for another year if they didn't find a job. Some advisors can be hard to work with and maybe you just end up writing for more time than you thought. This is a very, very important question that you should check in the programs' websites and ask graduate students. It is a very valid question, so do ask when you visit! First, you get a feel of the department. I'm a firm advocate that the department is your workplace (as opposed as your buddies-space, which it can be, but it's not mostly that). So, when you travel and interact with everyone, you'll see how they get along, how they treat each other, how do they live, what worries them, etc. You'll see if most of them are younger, if they are married/with partners, if they are older, etc. You'll also see for yourself what's like to be in the city where you'll be. Do you see yourself here? Is it hard to move around? Is campus accessible? You will probably meet faculty outside your department and probably envision collaborating with some. I'm a Latin Americanist so our prospective students usually meet with faculty in Art History, Romance languages, and Sociology. You'll also meet your advisor and other faculty, and get a sense of their style. (As I mentioned, I didn't attend my visit but this is what people that ended up coming told me they enjoyed from our visit). Are you coming from abroad with nothing in the US? If you are, then valid questions include: Where do grad students typically live? Are there furnished apts? is there a roommate service? (usually yes to both of these). Can you get a car? Can you get a driver's license? What do you need to get insurance? What fees are not covered by the fellowship? etc. Do contact other students that came from abroad, trust me. They will be your biggest allies! Good luck!