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etoile89

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Everything posted by etoile89

  1. My stats were as follows: - 3.79 GPA (3.93 in major) at the undergraduate level - I think that 161 V, 147 Q, and I can't remember what I pulled on the writing section. I took my GRE in 2012 and chose not to take the exam again for the 2017 application cycle. It was a bit of a risk, because my scores could and should have been higher... there was a lot going on at that time. - Resume including research assistantships at two universities, credits in a book (but no publications). - Department level awards, Phi Alpha Theta, etc., etc. - Transferred twice, had credits from a community college. I was admitted directly into my top choice PhD program without my MA. What really helped were my letters of recommendation, personal statement/statement of purpose, CV, and writing sample. I was out of academia for about 5 years, so my CV was very thorough. I also reached out to the professor I wanted to work with and we had a great rapport... I went out of my way to visit the program, attend events as I was visiting, and socialize with the cohort. It looks like you're applying in a pretty broad geographic area... I would definitely apply to more than 3 schools for the MA and consider MAs that offer funding. My two cents.
  2. This. There are quite a few posters on here who got fully funded or well funded positions on MA programs from non-Ivy schools. Some are in great PhD programs now. Do you know what type of history you want to study? The history programs for some of those schools are just different, too -- for instance, Columbia's MA in history is World History. So is NYU's. I applied to the PhD program at Columbia and was rejected (not surprising, but why not apply?) and I made sure to select no on my application when asked if I wanted to be considered for the MA program if I did not get into the PhD program. I received an email from Columbia back in March asking me if I would allow them to consider my application for the MA program. At the bottom of the message there was some fine print mentioning that the tuition fees were $56K/year not including housing. This begs me to ask the question -- were they looking for some MA students to pay for their PhD students?
  3. Don't give up! I'm sending positive thoughts.
  4. I thought I'd chime in with my results. I'm legit sitting at a wine bar drinking a much deserved glass of wine I won't be able to afford when I'm a Phd student. I'm happy to announce that I was offered a spot at UConn with a full stipend for 5 years. I will be focusing on US foreign relations in the late 19th century UConn was actually my first choice! I was rejected from Northwestern (not surprising) and Columbia (not surprising). A former advisor urged me to apply to Columbia and it was a HORRIBLE FIT. I'm not surprised at all and it was for the best. I intended on applying to Boston College and Boston University, but decided not to submit my applications after thoroughly reviewing fit and culture. Now that I got that off my chest, I'm going to dive into this thread! I purposely avoided GradCafe after I submitted applications to save my sanity.
  5. Thank you for making this! It's been very helpful as I'm going through applications.
  6. One of my advisors from undergrad accepted a fulltime position at a private school teaching history. He loves it. He fell in love with secondary education while he was writing his dissertation and teaching. The benefits are also excellent. A tenure track position in academia is great, right? But there are many roads that lead beyond the PhD.
  7. Question for you guys regarding languages -- in lieu of mentioning this in my personal statement, can I just include my language proficiency in my CV? Has anybody gone that route?
  8. Hi all! I am finishing up my applications right now, and I am curious about correspondence with prospective advisors. I recently flew out to meet one and tour the department, and we have a great rapport via email and in live conversation. I have a few others who I have been emailing back and forth a bit, and they are interested in my research. For successful (and current, even) applicants, how much email time or face time did you get with these professors? How much did this contribute to the success of your application?
  9. Do you have a particular monograph / secondary source that is particularly helpful? Many comprehensive monographs on a particular topic review the historiography in a particular field. You'll get a good sense of the debates up until now, as well as the current state of the field. I also recommend reading through published dissertations in your field -- again, historiography is usually discussed when laying down the framework for a new approach to an idea. If you are looking for more books and articles to read, it is always helpful to look at the bibliography if a book, article, or dissertation that you enjoy. You'll get a sense of what's really big in your field. I hope that helps... this was a broad question.
  10. Thank you. I work full time hours outside of academia and time is passing by QUICKLY. This time is going to pass by quicker than we think! While I am not an expert, I recommend the following -- all based on advice that I am taking to heart: - Nail down your references. If you have been outside of academia for more than a year or two, this is going to be a big one. Your references are likely professors with full course loads, tons of current students, and other former students who need references. Under no circumstances should you assume that this is their top priority. You need to be more than a little blip on their radar. Get to the top of their email inbox. If they're okay with a phone call, call them. If they ask questions, get back quickly -- some will ask for history of your past papers, books that impacted you, etc. - Make time. Restructure your day to work on these applications. Applying for a job is a full time job in and of itself. If you are applying to a PhD program, you are applying to a job within a history department. I recently had to reschedule my workouts to fit in application time. Do I enjoy getting up at 4:30 AM to go to the gym each morning? No. I'm not willing to stop going to the gym, but I can't go after work and then have enough time to sit over these applications with a fresh mind. I'll reschedule my day accordingly after I get my applications together. - Pay close attention to personal statement. Look at it every single day. Edit it. Have your friends read it. Have successful PhD applicants read it. Have professors read it. - Get face time. It's not too late to get face time with potential advisors and departments. I used my beloved frequent flier miles last weekend to meet with an advisor I hope to work with, and it was worth it. - Do not be in the 70%. Be exceptional. My prospective advisor at one of the schools I'm applying to mentioned that out of 100 students who apply, 30 of those applicants are serious contenders. Who is a 70%er? A 70%er doesn't reach out to their prospective supervisor, give the personal statement the time it deserves, or thoroughly research the department that they aspire to be part of. I am not, under any circumstances, saying that I have all of the answers here. I'm not sure how I will do in this application cycle. I'll be damned, however, if I don't give it 100%. October and November will go by quickly. Keep in mind that many schools have time off during Thanksgiving -- that can also slow down response time from your references. This is the final push, and we need to finish strong.
  11. I've been lurking around this thread for a while. I suppose I'll throw my hat in the ring. I am also applying to programs for Fall 2017. I completed my undergrad back in 2011 and have been working outside of academia since then. I want to focus my research on late 19th century / early 20th century American foreign relations, with an emphasis on Anglo-American relations, race, and American exceptionalism. I'm applying to a few PhD programs in the US as well as some MA programs in the UK. I've nailed down my POIs and we've corresponded. I'm flying out to meet one department and attend a foreign policy conference this weekend. I'm in the process of editing my first SOP drafts and polishing up my writing sample. Good luck!
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