Bluebird

Glad to hear that you recommend Kaplan because that's the book I have been using for my prep. It's easy to understand, they lay it all out very nicely. I've been using Barron's Essential Words for the GRE for high frequency words. It has definitions, matching exercises, fill in the blanks and sense or nonsense practice in context. As you mentioned, it's really just a measure of how well you take the GRE so that takes some of the pressure off, I think.

Lucky you! I take the GRE in 30 days. I also hated the analogies so I'm hoping I'll do better this time. Overall, I dread it because I hate standardized tests but all I can do is my best!

I agree. Prof. Y may be the person who will encourage you to apply.

That's so encouraging to hear! Thanks for sharing that piece of info. I think most M.A. advisors in my department strongly encourage us to present because they are convinced it will look better on our applications. I felt rather insecure when I presented but at least I got lots of comments/interest. I just don't feel the need to "get out there" just yet. Did the faculty member who made that comment indicate when he thought was the best time to start presenting?

Hi crazedandinfused, Two of my letter writers asked for my CV and for info reading my involvement on campus. So if you have received any academic awards (not only for $$ but for service) or if you worked or volunteered on campus or if you were actively involved in any student government or student associations, if you were involved in department activities or symposia, you might think about making a list of those activities and including it in your LOR request. This type of info could help the professor portray a more well-rounded picture of you, your abilities and your enthusiasm. If you have a letter from at least on Historian I think that will help your applications. It sounds like the professor you mentioned, the one who thinks well of you, will write a positive letter. My undergrad and first Master's weren't in History so one of my letter writers is a Linguist (and she's the Dean now). I feel her letter will carry a lot of weight because I've known her the longest and she is very familiar with my character and activities. I don't feel too nervous about this. The weakest place in my applications is conferences. I've attended numerous conferences but have only presented once. *sigh*

I also took the GRE several years ago and I also didn't study for it! I don't know why I thought I could just do it on my own without preparing. This time I really want to do my best so I need to be much more prepared. Unfortunately I can't afford one of those expensive GRE courses (and who has time?). I am sitting for the test on 30 September. 2 months to go! Does anyone have December deadlines? I have one on 1 Dec, but most are in Jan/Feb.

Makes sense to me. I quite enjoy having this support and sharing the experience.

Hi goldilocks, You've described my summer exactly! When I work on my thesis, I worry about the GRE and when I study for the GRE, I worry about completing apps, All the while I feel guilty about not getting more work done on my thesis . . . and round and round I go! YOu're not alone in your feeling about the GRE experience. Standardized tests are the worst. If you only took it 2.5 years ago, I believe you can still use the same score. Or do you prefer a more recent score? I got 2 GRE books at the Borders liquidation sale and may join a campus GRE study group. Wouldn't it be great if we could choose our own personal method in the GRE? Just an essay only or just the reading comprehension, etc. My semester starts the 3rd week of August. I no longer have to take courses because I'm basically done ~ I only need to write my thesis but my advisor is offering an informal palaeography class (no credit) on Saturdays so I'll join that. So have you had much luck getting a response from potential advisors over the summer? I decided to hold off until mid-August, thinking many profs wouldn't be reading their uni email accounts over summer. But I look at their profiles every week!

I'm at the exact stage you're at, goldielocks. I just registered to take the 'new' GRE in September. I loathe the idea of taking it and I don't have lots of time to prepare for it. Started two of my applications and contacted 3 more potential advisors, but need to focus more on my MA thesis so I can hand my draft in to my thesis chair by the end of August. Care to share your nightmare?

I'm applying to Birkbeck, King's, Queen Mary, Warwick; and possibly Cambridge, Essex, Leeds and IHR. Still have a few more to look at. A contact on Twitter directed me to a list of UK schools in my field so I am trying to get through it. And you're right ~ it is overwhelming. There is someone at Cambridge I would love to work with and I intend to apply for a Gates Scholarship for that. I also feel it's a long shot but worth a try. Cambridge is tricky to understand because you have to apply to 2 colleges. And I have no idea how to choose the colleges. One of my profs said choose the one my target advisor is in, and another prof said to do exactly the opposite! So who knows...but if I fail to get shortlisted for the Gates Scholarship this Fall, I think that will be the end of my Cambridge pursuit. I went to a Postgraduate Open Evening for Birkbeck. They don't offer much in the way of funding but my first choice PhD advisor is there. Everyone I met was personable and the library rep gave me a free pass to their library. It's small but conveniently located. The experience made me feel very comfortable with my intention to apply there. Are you applying to any US universities as well? Do you plan on an academic career?

Thanks, goldielocks. Do you have any idea yet to which schools you might apply? Don't forget Fulbright opportunities, Rotary, and Rhodes (for Oxford).

I'm applying to British PhD programs for 2012 entry. So far I'm 100% sure about 4 schools I'm applying to and I have 3 more as possibilities. I have even gone over to meet a few of professors (who were all very welcoming, and one keeps in touch via email regularly). I was lucky enough to meet up with one of the professors twice when he came here to give a talk near my university.He was kind enough to spend a second afternoon talking with me. While in EngIand I attended a few Open Evenings and took a few campus tours, met some prospective students and even took a bus ride with a professor who suggested we lengthen our meeting en route to a lecture. I lived in England for awhile so I'm really comfortable with the idea of going to school there. I admit I am also a bit unclear about how the funding works. I missed the funding deadlines earlier this year. You really have to dig around on some of the university websites for info, while others readily tell you all about the funding. My understanding is that you can apply to British schools any time - there is no deadline and there are several entry dates, typically April, June and October but double check department info. One of my prospective PhD supervisors told me about that after I missed the funding deadlines. Funding often has deadlines in February but sometimes announcements are sent out in spring and summer saying that new funding has opened up. You have to keep checking the websites or get on any mailing list they might have. Each university website has a section for research degrees/post grad degrees and a section for International Students. Read both of those sections closely as they will give you clues about the available funding through that university. Some also include a bit of info on external funding (websites, dispensaries, etc.). You may qualify for a Marshall scholarship - I don't. Once you start familiarizing yourself with the website info and narrowing down which schools look like a good match, make sure you keep everything in a file (physical or on your computer) so you don't get confused about deadlines, requirements, faculty, etc. I have already started 2 of my applications and I keep all info in a small file box (Target $ 8.99). I have a folder for each school and copies of target faculty pages, funding info/resources for that school, copies of blank applications and drafts of my research proposals. I tried an Excel file but it didn't work well for me...probably due to my low technological skills/interest! If you're interested in a UK student chat forum try The Student Room. It has a postgrad section. I'm a bit of a lurker there but sometimes people have good info. If you're on Twitter you might want to follow the UK Chevening scheme as they announce their application opening dates (if you're interested in applying for their funding). Twitter is amazing for fast, up to date info. Another way to get scholarship info is on H-Grad. Contacting the professors seemed a bit intimidating at first. The best thing you can do is be prepared by reading some of their work first. Then make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to study. In the first email I introduced myself, said where I was from, what I study and asked them if they will be taking any new students in 2012. Keep it simple the first time. I received some good, friendly replies (with questions about my interests) and have been able to keep up the correspondence. But I still have 4 or 5 more to contact...I'm dragging my feet. I hope some of this makes sense. Maybe someone with more funding info can help us out. But if anyone has questions I'd be happy to share all my info. I've been researching all of this for over a year now. I'm so ready to be there! One more great thing about going to school in UK: no GRE!

Nice to hear from you! I have to gear up for the GRE. I took it many years ago but I plan to take it over again this summer. I have also found that most of my professors say the GRE score is usually only weighed in if the applicant has a low GPA or other weaknesses. If your LORs are strong, that's a big plus. Like you, I've made contact with many potential PhD supervisors and I've had very good luck with their encouragement. My advisor also recommended applying to History Depts that know her. Never thought about that before she suggested it.

Congrats on getting in! I'm applying to several UK universities for grad school (if I can figure out the funding). Cambridge is on my list . Hoping I can start Spring 2012. Do keep us informed on your experience, it's very exciting!

There 2 reasons for my two MAs: #1 When I finished my MA in Linguistics, I knew did not want to take my PhD in Linguistics and I wanted to have more teaching options. Since I had a huge historical component to my research, I joined the History Dept. #2 I wanted to shave a bit of time off my PhD. I guess it's a little bit like having a double major as an undergrad. I'm actually in the U.S. but have done a bit of teaching in the UK and I like the 3-year cap on the PhD program. It's research-based all around and suits me perfectly. But the reality is that I will apply to both US and UK programs. There are a lot of excellent programs and professors in my field in the US as well as UK. All of this means that i have to try to stay as sane as possible while navigating two application processes!