Manuscriptess

I don't think you need to be nervous about telling people that. That's actually way more common in academia than you realize. My dad was my mom's TA in college and they've been together since the 70's! Definitely NBD.

Just saw this, but I did my BA at Cornell and took a bunch of courses with Julilly Kohler-Hausmann. She would be an excellent grad advisor. She does really, really interesting work on the Rockefeller drug laws and is just a wonderful human.

She is whom I primarily interested in working with (along with Juette and some people from IFA). I disagree that NYC isn't a great place for pre-modernists: my MA is from Columbia and I had a TON of support and worked with a bunch of great professors (not just in History). There were a bunch of full grad classes in History on Medieval and EM topics without needing to enlist undergrads to fill seats. There is also a really strong camaraderie among all of the Medievalist grad students across departments. Columbia just tends to be a bit more skewed to religious and political history so it's not a great fit for me, personally, for doctoral work. Fordham is also great for Medievalists. Also, as a book historian, there is no other city in the country that has close to the number of holdings as NYC. Getting to work not only at Columbia but also at the Met, the Morgan, NYPL, etc. has been pivotal for me. If you go on Digital Scriptorium and just look at where manuscripts are held by city, NYC has by far the most.

I should also add that one of the reasons I really like Brown is because they just got the AHA grant for career diversity for doctoral students and I could get an MA in Art History. It seems like one of the better schools for non-academic careers because it has such a flexible curriculum.

I appreciate your concern, but I actually have a different set of criteria/ career goals for a doctoral program than most people. Because I do book history, I'm actually more interested in a library/curatorial career than an academic position. I have a library science background, but in addition to an MLS, having a PhD (from anywhere, really) gives you an advantage in the job market. Because of that, it's really important than I go somewhere good and supportive rather than somewhere prestigious-. That's why I want to get in somewhere, because the job market for library/curatorial careers is more motivated by skills and writing than where you received your PhD. Basically, I want to know if there are any good and supportive programs aside from the ones I've already decided to apply to.

Hey! I just finished an MA in Med/Ren at Columbia and am now applying to History PhD programs*. I'm primarily interested in 15th/16th c. northern European book history and materiality, especially as it pertains to the transition from manuscript to print. I already have Latin and French. Mostly, I'm just anxious about the application process and want some more ideas for "safety schools". I know that the idea of a safety school is somewhat ridiculous when talking about doctoral programs, but I feel like I've been aiming too high with some of my top choices; I really just want to apply to a diversity of programs so that I can get in SOMEWHERE. My top choices at the moment are Penn. Harvard, Brown, and NYU. I'm also thinking of applying to Fordham, Michigan, Bard Graduate Center, Stanford, Yale (Medieval Studies), and U Chicago. Any other ideas for History programs with profs who do materiality would be really helpful. Thanks! *I know, everyone tells me I should also be applying to English or Art History to do book history; however, my background is in History and I feel like it aligns better with me methodologically.

Hey! Do you guys know anything about the Pratt MLIS program? I already have an MA in Medieval History and want to do special collections. It seems like they have really good internship opportunities at NYC institutions but I've heard some negative things. I have to stay in NYC for the next couple years if you guys know anything else about any other MLIS programs in the area. Thanks!