viridian

hi @grubyczarnykot! there are quite a few STS/HoS people here too, so you're not crashing at all I saw your post in the Interdisciplinary section, too. I'm sorry to hear you're in such a weird spot. Good luck, I really mean it. Hang in there. That's all I can contribute but maybe the more advanced/experienced students on here can give more specific insight to help you feel calmer while you wait.

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I don't have any brilliant advice, I'm afraid. I have also been going through fee woes because I've had to change/cancel tickets a couple times now. In the best/worst case scenario, I guess you would be accepted to all remaining four, at different times, and then be unable to accommodate all into your travel plans. But maybe then you could group a few late visits together, separate from the official visiting day. the department would generally be happy to schedule meetings with a few profs/students for you while you're there. it won't be the same as the proper prospective student event, but i bet you could still draw a lot from those visits. congratulations on your offers, and good luck!

This is amazing. Amazing, I tell you! Thank you so much for clarifying everything I was confused about.

Hi everyone, I have a question about food budgeting in Cambridge (more specifically for Harvard). From seeing how difficult good & cheap housing is to come by, I'm wondering if there are any ways to structure my food budget to maximize a humanities grad stipend. I'm also very eager for more advice on this because I have some dietary restrictions (nothing I can't work around when I eat out, though) and would prefer to be able to cook often. Is it safe to assume that housing, HU or non-HU, located near decent affordable grocery stores, would be even more crazy expensive and competitive? Is there a a particular neighborhood you would recommend for me so that I can live near a grocer and still get to campus easily? I don't know how to ride a bike, so this might limit my options even more. Also, re: Meal plans --- would anyone recommend a new student to go ahead and sign up for a graduate meal plan or no? I'm tempted by the convenience of Cronkhite & Dudley dining, but I wonder how the food is, and if there are any alternative ways of budgeting for food. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

Good lord. Did you ever get back to them? Did they notice their own flub and reach out? I need to know how this story ends.

Hard to be 100% certain without parsing the wording some more, but when I received a similar email from another school, I was told it means I'm in with the department, and just needing the final seal from higher-ups. Does UCLA grant full funding to every admit? Maybe thats what the fellowship is signaling. The surest answer would come from the DGS - maybe you can just email and ask? Either way, congratulations on such promising news!

Congratulations @OHSP! From your signature, it seems like you already have several options to choose from. Yay!

oooh yes this is all stuff that bangs my happy gong. I took a few courses in history of medicine & bioethics, and was fascinated by the history of heredity/genetics/eugenics. I am curious to hear if those interests intersect in any way with the history of the book -- not that they have to. I know next to nothing about the latter, to surely my own detriment. But it seems like uchicago would be fantastic fit for you, if you choose to continue with a phd. I plan to attend the prospective students' event in march, so if you want some pre-applying info just let me know. I also understand how obligations can get in the way -- i am finally applying for phd programs this year, after many years on the back burner. is the dual MA/MLIS program 2 years? or longer? do you still have some time to mull over your next move?

@nevermind - just thought i'd follow up with you here (felt more suitable, & didn't want to crowd out a thread about one school/interview). thank you for the encouragement, i'm really excited to (finally) embark on the phd journey. i graduated from college 8 years ago, so it's certainly taken me some time.no questions just yet, but i'm sure i will be needing lots of advice in the coming weeks/months. i'm really happy to see that you are also into environmental history! good luck to everyone else applying! i expect this thread to get bedazzled with much good news.

Hi everyone, another HoS person here. Yes, I also wonder why the boards are so quiet...there's another thread in this forum called "science and technology studies 2017" where a couple of us HoS people found each other. @Neist and @nevermind -- I've seen your posts here and there! Really appreciate your contributions. I'm interested in histories of biology, evolution, and the environment. Just received my first unofficial offer from uchicago, and have an interview at MIT (HASTS) coming up, which I am very nervous/excited for. Have a few more places to hear back from, but I'm already thrilled about UofC and the research fit there. If anyone has any advice or insight into their program, I would really appreciate it (I'm an international student, so I have limited resources to go visit and take a look. I've been to UofC's campus a couple times before, just never had the chance to explore the history or HoS department).

@SarahMoon I can give some tips as another international applicant, but since I am only an applicant and not an enrolled student, I won't have precise details of what it's like from within the program. Usually, and I must emphasize *usually*, the funding package implies a full tuition waiver unless otherwise stated. But you would have to check with your school to nail down the precise conditions. For example, I know that at some universities, even if you go over the expected timeline -- writing up for a sixth year instead of finishing in five, which seems to happen very often for History students -- then that sixth year tuition is severely reduced so that you are only paying a nominal fee to remain in student status. Some universities also have lots of internal grants available to students seeking additional funding for dissertation completion. Or, if you manage to secure outside grants to support your studies, then the departmental funding can be "frozen" temporarily and reinstated once your outside grant runs out. However, this is not uniformly the case across the US, and the rules and rates of assistance will vary dramatically from school to school. I did my undergraduate studies in the US, so I would also like to add that you should look into cost of living. If you attend a school in a major metropolitan area, everything will be more expensive than at a school in a more rural area. Rent, food, transportation -- it all adds up to make a huge difference, in my experience. Since you say you cannot afford to take on any debt, you should really double check to make sure the funding package alone is enough for a student to get by in that city/town/area. You could google some of that information, and there are some websites that help you estimate costs based on your location, but in addition to that you should also reach out to current graduate students and ask them if your funding amount is enough to study debt-free. So long story short, there are many factors to consider: what exactly the $$$ covers, and what kinds of back-up funding options are available alongside the initial offer. All this should be measured against the cost of living in that particular area. As well as other expenses like health insurance, car, parking & gas (if it's a region where driving is necessary). If there are any current PhD students out there reading this -- and I know there are many of you! -- please share your wisdom. **edited to add: congratulations on your first offer!

i did my masters in england, and i have a phd offer standing (a deal similar to your phd-track option i think?) but funding is so difficult to come by there. so i've applied to several US universities where acceptance and funding go hand in hand. when are you expecting to hear back? wishing you the best of luck -- and i'm sure adcomms will appreciate your cultural studies/film background!

Thank you for this. As a fellow historian and an international applicant, I feel replenished by this thread. I've been following images and footage of the airport protests to keep despair at bay (please keep those meme-able protest signs coming). I thought to myself how, in my home country, this kind of protesting would not happen. This level of courage and commitment to democratic values is, I think, what remains beautiful about America.

Hello hello, another STS/ History of Science person here, looking to secure a PhD. Mostly applied to HoS programs though, with a master's in HoS. I'm interested in biology and the environment. I think it's great that you also went for funded MAs. My master's was not funded (I was fortunate to have enough in savings) but I think it was still a good investment for my particular situation and needs. Certainly couldn't have decided on an academic career or solidified my research interests without it. Although I do feel a bit old, coming back to school after many years away... Do you plan on going the PhD route later on? Would you like to stay in academia?