MikeTheFronterizo

Thanks a lot! This makes me feel more reassuring. I had a professor too tell us which parts are more "important" in terms of class content and themes. He also proceeded to sum up the same steps on how to skim/read books.

Hi all, Just wanted to resurface this thread since many of use just started school. I also wanted to ask a question about the amount of time it usually takes you to skim/read a book? I am trying to break the habit of wanting to read a book cover to cover but it is just super hard. I am in my first year so I am trying to adapt to a more efficient way of skimming books that I either do not have to write about or that are not related to my research interest. So far I have followed the steps mentioned in the thread and it has been a great help. I feel like I have a good grasp on the book. It took me about 3 hours of work to feel comfortable with it and I can not shake the feeling that I a missing out of a lot of content and only taking 3 hours feels like a cop out since I technically have a week to read the book. (albeit, I have 2 other books and 3 articles to read this week as well) How long does it usually take you to skim/read a book? Do you feel like you have enough content for class discussion? Should I not be worried of "reading" a book in a day as long as I "feel" that I have a good grasp of it?

That sounds like a very tough decision! I hope that your visit next week clears up any questions or concerns you might have about doing interdisciplinary work.

Congratulations Ford recipients! I am interested in applying in the future but I am a recently admitted PhD student. When did everyone apply? In your first, second, third years?

I am pretty much in the same exact situation! My second option makes way more financial sense, but my first option offers better archival material and professors that I can work with. This option is also tailored exclusively to my area of study. I would suggest thinking about how integral music is to your research. If you are going to use the strengths of having a music library and an adviser from the music department in your committee then the first option seems to be your best bet. Especially, if the music library holds essential materials for your potential dissertation. Now, if music is just a sub-field that you are going to incorporate into your research then I would suggest looking into the financial strengths of the second option and potential travel to music libraries.

Well after almost a day of silence from everyone, I would like to get back on topic and see how everyone is doing. The deadline of April 15 is fast approaching. Have most of you already committed to a program or still deciding? I am currently waiting to visit before committing. I am going for a two day visit at the beginning of next week, however, I feel like I am already committed to this program and just want to reassure myself before pressing the "accept" button on the portal.

Hi All! Anyone have info on UTEP and El Paso? Housing, recreation, nightlife, best places to eat? Can anyone suggest apartment complexes to check out?

There is a $364 student fee every quarter that includes bus pass, gym, and other student expenses. They frame it like it is an option but you are forced to pay it. It is not included in tuition.

Hi! I just finished my undergrad here. Did you mean $20,668 for three years? If so, 19k a year will be hard but you can make it work. Everything everyone has mentioned is still true but rent is skyrocketing here. I currently have a two bedroom apartment and we pay (among three of us) $1785 a month plus electric and internet. We have had our rent increase twice in three years. I live pretty far for commuting without car: 15min walk to bus stop plus a 20 a minute bus to campus about 10 minutes with car but traffic can take up to 30 minutes. A single in a house could cost you upwards of $700 without utilities. The closer to campus the more expensive it gets. Even if you have roommates, expect to pay at least $600. Other than rent, everything is really the same price as the rest of the US. UCSC students have a bus pass incorporated into there fees. All you have to do is show your id card on any SCmetro bus and they let you one. A huge plus when commuting around town. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Agreed.

Many questions and comments became volatile when people did not agree. It was not even in a "constructive" from rather it turned into bullying and condescending replies. Anyways, I still want to encourage everyone to continue asking questions and advice. I would love to go back to reading thoughtful comments and actually discussing grad school.

Honestly, I agree with this. As someone who has had there question highjacked and turned into a flaming debate, I feel like I do not want to ask or contribute anymore. A few pages back on this thread someone had her whole life come out and multiple posters constantly disparaged her. It has become more of a toxic environment rather than a useful forum for grad school.

Thank you. I apologize for my wording. It is definitely something I have to continue to work on as others on this forum have pointed out. I did mean the cost of living. I am only asking about this question because it seems as if most recently accepted grads have recieved remission. I forgot to mention that my top choice offered me a TAship. So I will be technically paying for tuition. My second choice offered remission and a combination of mostly TAing with two fellowship years. I am trying to weigh both of my options.

How common is it that universities do not offer tuition remission? I really want to go to my top choice but they take tuition out of my stipend. My stipend is $19500 a year and after tuition it will be $14500. The standard of living is pretty low: rent will be about $500 with utilities included leaving about 950$ for other necessaties. I have tried to negotiate with the department and they where only able to give a few thousand dollars extra as a one time award during my fist year. Has anyone ever encountered this?

I was further contacted by the program director at UT El Paso about questions I had regarding funding. They stated that during the fifth year many candidates receive guaranteed funding either through internal fellowships, TAships, and competitive awards that many PhD students usually get. They also mentioned about the ability to design and teach classes during the said time at the program. In addition they offered to fly me out for a day to look at the school and the program. I was also told about the TA duties which regard 20 hours a week. Apparently they only require attendance a few hours a week, office hours, email availability, and grading a few times a semester. He essentially alluded to the fact that it doesn't even take 20 hours a week to fulfil these duties. I am really torn between both programs. UTEP has better placement and most grad students look as if they have overwhelming support. Most of them also have publications in journals. UTEP also has a yearly borderlands conference that many scholars in the field attend. UTEP grad students are an integral part in making this conference happen. A potential plus when networking with scholars at multiple universities. In addition I will have a $5,000 award to fund my research and travel during my fourth year. SMU is offering a better package. While both schools aren't super prestigious, SMU is definitely the bigger name. Though, the UTEP program is more respected in terms of my field. One major thing I have noticed is that history grad students at SMU do seem to just be an "afterthought" as someone mentioned before. Their program also seems to be struggling in terms of awarding PhDs and placement. (Did not have any PhD awarded last year or seem to have placements). We all know how the market is right now and UTEP graduates seems to have tenure, adjunct, and lecturer jobs lined up after graduating or a few years after. I am not sure what will be more marketable once I get a PhD. UTEP potentially offers TAship, course teaching, funded research and travel, and networking every year at conferences. As well as a very good POI name recognition in my field. SMU offers course teaching, school recognition, obtainable funds for research and travel, and more "unorganized time" dedicated to my studies. I think I am just going to take the opportunity to visit UTEP and get a good feel of the program as possible.

Thanks for the advice. Dallas is really centered in the middle of the country. It is only a 2.5 hour flight to my geographic area of study. I do infact have a few different interest for dissertation topics. Both schools fill both pathways and hopefully any unforeseen interest.

Thanks. Unfortunately both schools are located in Texas and have really hot weather! Since you figured out SMU is option#2 I will announce that option#1 is UT El Paso. I have been living in the California central coast for the last four and a half years so I am spoiled when it comes to weather. I did grow up in the Inland Empire as a child so it will be reminiscent of the smoldering heat. I feel that it comes down to the money. While UT El Paso's PhD program is completely focused on my area of scholarship, SMU makes up in funding, gives me the time to go deep in the scholarship, and provides me the possibilities of completely changing my area. I do feel that UT El Paso has a better graduate culture over SMU and I will feel more comfortable over there. However, both schools have their merits and downfalls. A week ago I was dead set on SMU. UTEP was the last school to respond and made me reconsider. I swear it is more easy to make a decision when you just have one school to consider!

Well said. I have contacted both POI's and they seem ready to work with me. Other grad students also mention that they are great. This is definitely something to think about. Option#2 definitely has a a way better archival holding as well as library. However, it's farther away from my geographic area of study though still accessible.

Thanks for the advice. I definitely did not mean to undermine any established historians. I was really referring to the how they fit along with my research. I will be more cautious next time.

Hi everyone! I am looking for a bit of advice! I am currently debating between two options and have no idea what to pick. It is really coming down between excellent fit with decent funding or decent fit with excellent funding. Option#1- Great POI and more than 3 potential scholars that can push my research. School is not even in top 100 but the entire program focuses on my area of study. . Funding requires me to be a TA for four years and pay tuition. Stipend will be $14,500 after tuition no guaranteed funding for fifth year but most candidates received some monies. I am also recieving $5,000 recruitment award to be used for research, travel, or any potential needs of a PhD student. Option#2-Decent POI and other faculty that can help my research. Better known school for my sub-field but not my main field and not as focused as option#1. Funding is ridiculously excellent. I was offered a fellowship guaranteed for five years- full remission of tuition and fees and a $20k stipend each year. Terms also stipulate that during my fourth and fifth years a candidate will develop and teach a few courses as a requirement to the fellowship. In addition, the GSA offers guaranteed travel funds each year for conferences. Research centers on campus also offer travel grants though they are very competitive. It really comes down to whether I want financial security and time to conduct my studies without having TA duties (option#2) or having a great fit with the possibility of pushing my research even further.

HI @krystasonrisa I am not a full Latin Americanist since I do U.S.-Mexico borderlands and Chican@ histories. I too only applied to three: UC Santa Cruz, U-T El Paso, and SMU. Got accepted to UCSC and SMU. Still waiting on El Paso. Funding for SMU is amazing so I am currently leaning that way! Good luck on your interview!

Received an email from graduate program coordinator at UCSC of acceptance! Its an unofficial notice so no funding information. Anyone else get accepted?

Just got my acceptance from the SMU PhD program! Anyone else applied?

Hi! I would definitely recommend you look at UC Santa Cruz in the Latin American and Latino Studies PhD (LALS). The LALS (Link to program) department is interdisciplinary and has a lot of scholars from various disciplines. For childhood and youth movements look into Jessica Taft. There are also various professors that focus on Central America. Good Luck!

Hi, I am about to start writing a lengthy thesis (minimum 40 pages) and wondering which way to go. Google docs has been my go-to for a very long time but doesn't offer full Chicago style footnotes. I have encountered several formatting issues. For example, when the footnote is too long and goes to the next page, there is a large gap left between written text and the footnote line making it look like I am attempting to make the essay longer. I also get the same issue randomly even if the footnotes stay on the same page. Google docs also has a weird format to it when it prints. The margins always seem to huge and cut off the page numbers. Though I have found a fix for this but not the footnote situation. In Word, I never get formatting issues but requires me to have the program on my device. I have a Chromebook and while they do offer an online version of Word it is slow and just buggy at times. I have also never been fond of carrying my work by USB or even in Microsoft cloud. Docs is simply more convenient than Word. Google docs works better for me because I prefer writing on public computers as opposed to my laptop at home so I can access my paper on any computer. But when I need to work at home, Docs is better. However, for the sake of formatting the paper and for future professional publications of papers, Word seems to be the way to go and I should get familiar with it? What do you use? In your experience, and if you have ever sent a manuscript for publication, what is better for a long paper that requires heavy footnoting?