vtstevie

As far as whether that means I'll be paying tuition or not, I was told to expect funding info sometime in April, so I won't know for sure until then.

It reads: "The required Tuition Deposit Fee of $200.00 will reserve your place in the incoming class. Please make the check or money order payable to Temple University. Your cancelled check will be your receipt."

I don't think so - sending in a deposit is just a method of officially accepting an offer and ensuring I don't go back on it after the fact. I imagine I'll get the check back at some point after I enroll in classes (though perhaps someone else can shed some light on this process).

If I didn't live in Capitol Hill I'd probably live in the Highlands. They are significantly more expensive and going up in price as they gentrify, but have lots of cool restaurants and bars and are close to Confluence Park, which is a nice spot where two little rivers come together and has lots of place to sit and swim and ride bikes, etc. The bikepath that cuts through town goes right by there too and is a nice way to get around and avoid traffic. It's across town from Cap Hill so feels insulated from that side of town, but is still close enough to Lodo (Lower Downtown, near the baseball stadium, has a number of the nicest restaurants, breweries, etc) that you can walk there. It's also significantly farther from DU, but maybe a little closer than Cap Hill to the light rail stations that take you to campus. Wash Park always felt to me more like the neighborhood where 30-sometimes who bought their first house would move. Not that that's a bad thing, but it's very residential for the most part and has always seemed out of my price range (more houses, fewer apartments). It's nice and quiet and safe and near the city's biggest park though and is relatively closer to DU than Capitol Hill (though still not walking distance). I don't know a lot about Congress Park as a distinct neighborhood - it's close enough to me that I tend to lump it in with Capitol Hill (same with Uptown). I've never looked at apartments in that specific area but I imagine it's comparable to the rest of Cap Hill. Another neighborhood to check out is South Pearl, which is very close to campus (almost walking distance, I'd say) and has plenty of businesses and little boutique-y shops and a farmer's market in the summer. I don't venture out that way often so I don't know much else, but I've been there a few times and it always seems pleasant. EDIT: Whoops, a correction regarding Congress Park - I was mixing it up with Governor's Park, which is more an adjunct to Cap Hill than a distinct Neighborhood. CONGRESS Park neighborhood is on the other side of Cheesman Park, the other major Denver park and is somewhat more expensive and farther away from downtown than Capitol Hill. It's more upscale and doesn't feel quite as weird (weird in a good way here) as Cap Hill, a little more buttoned down, but still very apartment oriented. It's quieter but has somewhat fewer businesses to keep you occupied than Cap Hill - though 17th Ave has Vine St. Pub which has some of my favorite burgers in town (and a number of coffee shops/restaurants surrounding it). I have a friend who lives in a gorgeous apartment up there (8th floor, hardwood, balcony) that runs him around $1,000 per month and that's sort of a steal up there for a place that nice. I looked at a basement apartment in that area that was $800 for a 1 bedroom.

This was the feeling I got (in North America) when I was writing my thesis on memory and the legacy of the American Revolution, so I'm surprised to see so many people here saying the opposite.

well she posted here a bunch, for one

Borderlands is definitely still big but maybe somewhat on its way out of fashion - it's been "the big thing" in US history since what, the mid-late 90s? My understanding is environmental history is the hottest topic today. Someone give me a primer on digital history, I don't know much about that outside of the archival context.

I definitely understand being worried by that, but there are so many factors that A. you don't know about in her application and B. that go into the decision making process that you really can only take student to student comparisons so far, you know? It's entirely possible that had she applied to the same array of schools last year she would have gotten into one or more. It's also possible that she did not have great relationships with her recommenders so her letters weren't as glowing as yours will surely be. I did my MA at an institution not known for getting people into Ivy League schools. One of the top students in my program applied to almost only Ivy League schools and no institutions known (in the department) for accepting our students. Thus, she was roundly rejected despite being in a trendy field and having great grades and an excellent thesis. All you can do is do your best, work your hardest and rely a little on luck.

highest congratulations to you

Oh, I am by no means disappointed or ashamed by my Temple acceptance whatsoever, please don't mistake my meaning (though rereading my post I can see how that may have come across a bit). I just think that there is a lot of merit to what ChibaCity and New England Nat are saying and, as with virtually every aspect of this process, it's incredibly important to know and really understand the realities of the field. Temple is an excellent program overall, but does not have the same placement rate as Columbia or Chicago, and that has so much to do with facts that are represented (whatever else the system's faults) in the rankings we're talking about here. And you're right wicked_problem, this is my calling and I am in no way going to walk away from it. It's just really hard to realize that folks from U of Michigan will have a leg up on the rest of us, basically before we even step foot on campus. All the more reason to truly excel, right? As far as deferring goes, I don't know a whole lot about that process. My (very basic) understanding is that deferment differs from program to program and even year to year. I've already put two years between my MA and PHD though and I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. When would you say is a good time to ask about funding? I know it's only mid-March, but I'm anxious to start truly planning my move and I'd like to know if it will happen or not. I still have not gotten any official notification from the school (just an unofficial e-mail from the DGS and a tuition deposit form from the department administrator via e-mail). I e-mailed the DGS right after his acceptance e-mail wondering if I would get funding information with my official acceptance letter and never heard back (this was over two weeks ago) - has enough time passed to ask him again? Or would it be better to wait. I'm pretty sure the answer is the latter, but I'm hoping to be convinced otherwise!

As painful is to admit as someone who did not get into a top 20 school, any perusal of history department websites, even of smaller liberal arts colleges, will show the majority of professors have PHDs from the "usual suspects" (Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc) with one or two having degrees from more specialized schools. So, as much as I agree with riotbeard, it's worth saying again that anyone like myself who is considering going into a program for 5-7 years that doesn't have name recognition, superior funds and an amazing placement record across the department, think long and hard about what you are doing; you're going to have to be THE BEST in order to get a job anywhere after. (this post partially just for my own benefit since this was a painful thread to read and I'm trying to come to grips with my future )

Although literally as I was typing that I received an email from Temple asking for a tuition security deposit to reserve my spot in classes next Fall, so I guess they really have accepted me, which is nice

Anyone else have yet to hear things? I still have not heard officially from two schools, and the one school from which I have an unofficial acceptance has yet to send me any official material (e-mail OR paper).

I do not go to school in Denver but have lived here for ~2 years. I live in a large studio for around $600 per month in Capitol Hill (I'd say $800-900 for an upper story 1 bedroom isn't unreasonable), which is "downtown" but still a 20 minute walk or so from the downtown light rail stations. Cap Hill has a great nightlife and is very close to a few other (basically adjoining) neighborhoods that have excellent restaurants, bars etc. as well. I can't really imagine living in any of the other neighborhoods if you don't have a car, have somewhat limited funds and like going out. I personally would not want to live close to DU campus - it seems more expensive, is quite a bit more undergrad-focused and is sincerely lacking in "better" food/drink options than neighborhoods closer to downtown.

Congratulations to all the Binghamton acceptances today - I had no idea they had such a sought after program!

I think some of us are just bristling a little because we know there are excellent historians at University #85 that may fit very well with a prospective student's research interests and just to ignore them because the program as a whole isn't as highly regarded as, say, Stanford (or even Michigan) seems a little silly, even allowing for the realities of future job prospects and the vagaries of hiring committees.

wait what are we betting on again?

I got $50 on red!

whoops, got you mixed up with Simple Twist of Fate it looks like - but my point still stands, I think.

Well not to go round and around on this subject again, but as you mentioned in the other thread, a school with a particular specialization (Temple, in my personal case) which is well respected can counteract an otherwise weaker department - and Temple is ranked number 64 or something on that list. So it's a little more complicated than that.

I would say yes, and perhaps have your recommenders address this as well.

I suppose it's worth noting that even with my (relatively) low MA GPA all my advisors, including the teacher who gave me the B+, encouraged me to apply to PHD programs (one of which has accepted me so far!) and wrote me recommendations. So, a (again, relatively) low GPA is not a deal breaker by any means, especially if you have an especially strong writing sample or glowing recommendations to make up for it. The expectations are just far higher in graduate school and you're expected to show that high level history classes do not phase you and that you can succeed under considerable academic pressure.

This was my GPA for my Master's program. 3 A-s and one horrible, ugly B+ in an independent study.

my MA gpa was like a 3.88 and one of my recommenders called it a liability

I'd argue it's easier to stay warm in the cold than it is to stay cool when it's 102 degrees F outside