Assotto

This is what you should focus on. To be a strong PhD applicant you will need research experience, not the professional experience you would get interning at a museum. I would suggest looking into doing an independent study with a History professor at PSU with similar interests as yours for a semester or a summer. There are also summer research programs at external schools that provide funding for undergrads looking to have academic careers in the social sciences/humanities. These allow you to get your feet wet so to speak and try out doing historical research to see if its something you actually like. Exposure to the field at large and increased familiarity subfields/geographic locations/time periods will help narrow your interests over time until you are able to at least develop a somewhat realistic project that you will eventually propose in your PhD application. Expect your interests to constantly be changing. It is nice to know you are thinking about graduate school so early though. I second @TMP's advice and strongly encourage you to browse old threads like this one: and also as @psstein suggested familiarize yourself with the abysmal stats of the academic job market for History PhDs here: You have quite a bit of time between now and the end of your undergrad to decide if a PhD/MA in History is what you really want.

Between now and April you will either get acceptance offers or interview invites via email/phone, rejections via email, or waitlist offers via email. Expect for these to happen at any time between now and April 15th. The months between submitting my applications and waiting to hear back seemed like the longest waiting period of my life. I had things like work and vacation to distract me but I did check TheGradCafe and my email several times each day for about three months straight. At some point though I stuck with a regimented schedule to only check the app portals and my email like twice a day. I actually do not think staying off the TheGradCafe necessarily decreased my anxiety of waiting. You'll be anxious whether you check this site or not. TheGradCafe really for me was a rich source of information during the wait. You can look back to the Results board from previous years to get a sense of when to hear back from programs and average cohort sizes, etc. There are so many lively discussions that take place during the wait period that honestly got me more excited about getting accepted. Quite honestly, aside from peers that were also applying to graduate programs, no one else outside of academia really seemed to understand the agony of waiting and what awaits on the other side after being accepted (funding, insurance, resources, etc.) Despite the collective anxiety, this site was one of the few places where everyone understood the pain of waiting and the high stakes of being accepted. The most painful part was of course seeing other folks post acceptances via email/phone from programs I had yet to hear back from. The rejection does hurt for a bit but after receiving two rejections in the same day it becomes a tad humorous. Honestly just keep reminding yourself that each day is a new day to possibly get accepted to one of your top choices.

It is not a passive rejection. Your application is quite literally just waitlisted. This leaves room for you to be invited for an interview and become accepted should someone else turn down an interview. What the "waitlist" actually looks like is arbitrary (some departments have a ranking system) and you could very well be #1 on that list. It would certainly not hurt to respond by thanking them and re-expressing your interest. Anything is possible between now and April 15th.

I was initially surprised at the negative reaction students got not from professors, but from administrative assistants that spoke on behalf of the professors who are suspicious of students eager to study at another school. The suspicion does not come from wanting to stifle the intellectual growth of students, but there are many political, administrative, and financial hurdles that must be worked out which does not always work to the benefit of the student. Working with one department is already a headache, working with two is a migraine. Of course, this is department specific, so it may very well may be that you will have a more positive experience expressing interest in these programs. IMHO, mentioning inter-university programs in the SOP could be perceived as presumptuous, distracting, and perhaps not the best use of space. Above all things, the SOP is meant to articulate the intellectual fit between the student, faculty expertise in the department, and resources at the institution. This can be expressed in numerous ways (identifying specific professors you want to work with, ability to access archives held only at that institution, close proximity to fieldwork sites, etc.) The key is to really emphasize resources within the department that foreground it as the first and foremost place that is best suited for you and your scholarly interests. Do not leave any indication that would cause a professor to question your intent to apply. Once you get in, then it is a bit safer to express interest in studying at a consortium university.

Gerard Aching at Cornell would be great considering your interests.

Adding to this. Although these inter-university programs exist, some advisors and programs are actually resistant to the idea for their own reasons. At my university (which is in the Exchange Scholar Program), it's unspoken that participation in these inter-university programs could raise suspicions about a student's commitment to the particular intellectual orientation offered by our department. Of course, everything in academia is political. Some professors can read this as you not valuing the faculty in your program or as something that might delay your progress, etc. In other words, when it comes to these programs, you might have to make a much stronger case as to why you should leave your department (albeit temporarily) other than simply just being able to.

Just found out the two professors I wanted to advise me during my program are leaving the department. Its not the end of the world, though. Also, I start my program in August, but I wish I had known about the second one leaving before I committed to the program.

So sorry for all the rejections everyone. If you've appplied to more than one schools and are waiting to hear back, the wait it not over yet! Be sad first, then do something fun today to cheer yourself up and try your best to stay positive.

Congratulations!!!!

That's interesting that your mentor would make that comment, as my mentor in AA told me last summer that there are more and more schools seeking AFAM/AMStudies scholars since many are establishing formal programs and departments to keep up with an ever-diversifying academy. My main concern applying for AFAM was indeed the job market, so hearing his advice totally reassured me. I've read elsewhere that out of the core 10-ish doctoral programs in AfAm Studies/Africana Studies, many faculty in the field are likely to retire over the decade which would leave about 10 doctorate granted in the field per year. That leaves a serious need for new scholars in the field. Perhaps shrinking the incoming cohort over time will help balance this out.

Hey everyone! Has anyone on this thread applied to NYU for American Studies and University of Michigan for American Culture?

Hey everyone! Just wanted to check in and see if anyone has heard back from their programs yet? It feels like every other discipline except ours is starting to hear back.

I check each Google tab just in case as well "Primary, Social, News."

That's pretty much my routine. I wasn't really on here much previous to seeing interviews in my field go out. News is starting to seep out in a twisted way. Those that got rejected have gotten rejected, and then there are those of us who have not heard back but still feel disheartened because of those rejections. Someone told me last night "no news is good news." I'm not sure I believe that anymore ?

I find myself to be checking this site more and more as things start to move along. Only a few people in my circle know that I have even applied to PhD programs so at least I don't have people constantly asking me if I've heard back yet.

Looks like NU just sent its first wave of rejections.

The same happens to me due to ETS super blasting my info to schools I have no interest in (like NYU engineering, UNC Greensboro). And they are usually from the DGS with a super attention-grabbing headline.

I've also checked spam 4 times. I have my email set to alert me on my phone so I rarely have to log in (although sometimes I don't get notified for emails. It's so sad when its not a POI or DGS.

It looks like they have started early then. Congrats!

I agree--it seems totally way too early. In fact, UT-Austin classes have not resumed yet and their AMStudies doctoral program website says decisions notifications will be sent out Late Feb/Early March.

First time applying as well. I think it is a long shot at this stage in my career but I will be satisfied if I at least get honorable mention.