Joe Lordan

My understanding about the Rosetta stone is that it acts as a great compliment to a language course, but on its own merits isn't nearly as powerful as one. I've stolen my buddy's copy for french and, a few lessons in, it seems to do well with vocabulary but not as well with syntax (I was told that it is a good idea to go out and buy/borrow a grammar book from the library before you start). It is true, though, that both the military and the State Department use the programs, so there are obviously some high ranking bureaucrats out there who approve of the program - in fact, I know that the military has their own unique version of Arabic that has more of a military emphasis and contains vocabulary not in the civilian version. Really the biggest thing against the Rosetta Stone is the cost. Like I said, I am borrowing my copy, but my pal had paid 500 bucks for all 5 "levels" of french; At 100 dollars a pop I suppose it isn't that bad of a deal, but still, we're all worthless humanities students here - what do we know about having that much money on hand?

Oh, you use one of those pens! How do you like it? I recently learned about them and I'm very interested in picking one up. Do you think they're worth the cost? Also, do they use ink (if so, where do you go to buy refills) - or are they entirely electronic? Another question for you mac users: have you ever had trouble using your laptops with projection units? I hope to be doing a lot of power point as a TA so the thought of not having that work properly is worrying

What i also found surprising was that it said something to the effect of the top 25 programs producing something like 44% of all history PhDs. That seems like an awfully large number for such a proportionally small group of schools... if it wasn't for this acceptance season I might even allow myself the chance to hope that it is actually "possible" for me to be admitted to one of them after I get my MA!

Northeastern is the same way

I'll be going there for my MA in history!

So it looks like I'll be going with Northeastern's MA program/certificate in public history this fall! Is anyone else going to the program? We need to form an exclusive internet clique STAT

I got a rejection letter from them in the mail this afternoon. The way they folded the letter was magnificent (I have become a conosur of rejection letters this season)

I was rejected from their MA program a few weeks back

BC is incredibly obnoxious, especially since some people have evidently heard from them (if the "results search" is telling the truth). I wonder if we late hearers were on their waiting list or some such... anyways, as it is the only thing that school has succeeded at is preventing me from telling my other school that I'm accepting their offer :/

Thanks for the update! I'm waiting (to be rejected) from them so that I can finally make a decision about where I'm going. I don't know if it is funny or sad, but before admissions season I was something of an optimist

Well I'm going to be going to Northeastern next year, so we may have to put that drink on hold! It looks like a really good program, especially since due to its certificate in public history (after graduating from college I worked for two archives and a historical society so it is right up my ally). They also claim to be able to help 80% of applicants with financial aid PLUS the chance to be a TA. Not a bad deal, all-in-all!

haha well if it makes you feel any better I too was rejected, so we can wallow in our sorrow together! I'd invite you out to get a drink tonight, but I fear the drive from Florida to connecticut may not be worth the trouble

I'd say Umass is a strong second for me, with BC coming in first. With that said, though, I'm also strongly considering Northeastern. I was accepted to their American History/Public History MA program, and it was hinted by a professor there that I'd probably be able to get most of my funding taken care of. Not a bad deal, and it is nice to actually have options - when I first started this awful application season I assumed I'd be accepted to one program and rejected from all the rest!

I wonder if they'll fix the problem by just not letting the people who only applied for a terminal MA in? It could explain why I was rejected from some schools I should have gotten into easily, UConn for one. I had a good gpa/lors/gre score but I certainly am not as good as a potential PhD candidate - hell, that's the entire reason why I want to get a MA anyhow, so I can be competitive when it is TIME to get a PhD. As annoying as it sounds, I guess it makes sense for programs to give my potential spot to a PhD applicant they had to turn away who had better credentials. It is still annoying and frustrating, though :/

Nope, I'm just a masters student. As for the two waves, I'm not quite sure if they actually have them... although it goes to reason that if some people have received acceptances in the mail while others have not then that means that they're still deliberating (a theory that is backed up by Rachel's last post, where she was directly told that the department is still considering her application)

Well, for what it's worth I guess UMass is having two waves of acceptances? I live an hour away from the campus, so anything they send out I should receive immediately - and I heard nothing today, neither a rejection nor an acceptance (and I am still listed as 'applied')

Well, thank you for the prompt replies! Anyways, to the nitty-gritty! Both waiting a year "and" applying to schools in DC are sadly out of the question, since I'm sort of dealing with a fairly strict timeline. My Fiancee is an OBG/YN resident and she has two years left of her program before she becomes a fully-fledged doctor - since she'll obviously be the main bread winner for our family (even with a PhD I probably could never hope of making the amount of money she will, even if I was tenured and about to retire) we need to take into consideration the hospitals that she'll be hired to and the monetary deals they make her. By waiting a year and then applying to schools she'll have to either take a year off from work (which is obviously out of the question) or she'll have to take a job and then immediately quit it, which would be an awfully sore mark on her newly minted resume. At the end of the day her job is obviously much more important than mine. With that in mind, I totally agree that less money from a better institution is probably more valuable than a lot of money from a less prestigious one. With luck I'll be accepted to Umass or BC and there wont be much more to worry about.. there is just that nagging voice in the back of my head that is telling me that I should go home, after all of these years spent out of state. It is hard to divorce the emotional from the practical :/

I posted this in the History 2010 thread, but the question is fairly pressing so I thought I'd get more views if I posted it directly here! So I was accepted to Northeastern University today, something I am pretty happy about because it is 1) in my hometown of Boston and 2) has a professor who is specializing in the field I'd most like to study in (World War 1). The rub, though, is that of the schools I've applied to it is further down on the list of ranked history programs (I think it is in the low 90s). Not all that good, but that isn't where the question I have lies! It has been hinted that I'll probably be able to be a TA and get a tuition waver, which is a big deal for me since as a masters' applicant I was expecting to take loans out and pay most of my own way. By going to Northeastern I'd be able to save even MORE money since I'll be crashing at my parent's house and be covered by my wife's health insurance, so I wont have to pay for either of those things too. Now, here is the problem: I'm not entirely convinced I want to be a professor; I'm torn between using the MA as a stepping stone to either academia or to government employment as an analyst. So, with that in mind, does it make sense to go to a worse school if they're offering a ride? Does it matter where I get my MA from (if I choose to get a PhD) if I do well there and have sweet writing samples and LORs? I'd think that being a TA for a spell will give me a better idea about the particulars of teaching and the rest of the schools I applied to don't have that option. So there it is! I turn to you, dear internet, since I don't know anyone else who is going through the application process. You are my only hope! Anyways, thanks in advance!

Hello guys, I have a question for you! So I was accepted to Northeastern University today, something I am pretty happy about because it is 1) in my hometown of Boston and 2) has a professor who is specializing in the field I'd most like to study in (World War 1). The rub, though, is that of the schools I've applied to it is further down on the list of ranked history programs (I think it is in the low 90s). Not all that good, but that isn't where the question I have lies! It has been hinted that I'll probably be able to be a TA and get a tuition waver, this is a big deal for me since, as a masters' applicant, I was expecting to take loans out and pay most of my way. By going to Northeastern I'd be able to save even MORE money since I'll be crashing at my parent's house and be covered by my wife's health insurance, so I wont have to pay for either of those things too. Now, here is the rub: I'm not entirely convinced I want to be a professor; I'm torn between using the MA as a stepping stone to either that or government employment as an analyst. So, with that in mind, does it make sense to go to a worse school if they're offering a ride? Does it matter where I get my MA from (if I choose to get a PhD) if I do well there and have sweet writing samples and LORs? I'd think that being a TA for a spell will let me know if I want to spend the rest of my years as a teacher, so there is that... but I've gotten into better schools, they just wont nearly do as great a job at funding me. Anyways, thanks in advance!

I think I am going to wait until later in the month to call. If you look at the results page some people listed that they didn't hear until the latter part of this month... granted, that was years ago, but still, hopefully the pattern of late admits holds edit: I am still "applied" too

argh double post from my phone

Hopefully that isn't the case, but if it is... well, then I guess the only way to find out is to have someone call and see if they are accepted or not! I'd do it, but I'm out the door and wont be home for the rest of the day

I have literally spent the last two hours of my life watching "Seven" and checking for status updates every other minute; I graduated from that department as an undergrad. and had one of the (now) emeritus professors there write me a rec., so if his clout doesn't get me in then I'll be having words with him >: (

As a history MA, so I guess my fingers are still crossed!

Ugh, I am still listed as applied