Pacifist101

I've also been hoping to see one at last. Someone needs to take one for the team!

OP, check out Miami University. They have a funded MA history program and a couple of people working on Early Modern stuff. Also, there is a post with a list of funded MA programs somewhere on this forum. You may want to go through the list and see if any of the programs have your areas of interest.

I want to add that while many schools don't offer good (or any) funding packages for master's students, there are some that do. I'm doing my master's now, and it's fully funded with a livable stipend and some funding for research. So if you're not sure about doing a PhD but may want to do a master's first, you could look around and find schools that would offer you funding. I had several offers from master's programs all of which were fully funded. Don't look for these offers at top-20 schools, because they generally only offer funding to PhD students, but check out schools that are lower ranked but support their MA students.

Thank you, guys! You've made me feel better about it

Hey guys, I am currently a first-year master's student, so I will be applying for PhD programs next year. I think I have a good idea of the relative importance of the writing sample, languages, GRE and GPA, and rec letters. How important are conference presentations and the place where you present? I am just now settling on my thesis topic within my field, and I won't get to the archives until this summer. Once I have something, should I try to present it at one/several conferences or it does not matter much as long as my writing sample is solid? Does the place where you present (e.g. national conference for your field/local conference across many fields) matter much at this level? I haven't seen much on this forum or anywhere else regarding conference presentations and their weight in the application process, so I'd appreciate any input.

I totally understand how you feel; I was in your shoes just a few months ago thinking that my background (I majored in a science field) could prevent me from going to grad school in history. However, I got accepted by a few funded MA programs, and I did not even minor in history, so everything is possible.

Hey guys, I am a prospective graduate student trying to figure out the financial side of things. Obviously, a lot depends on each person's situation and lifestyle, but I am always interested in learning other people's experiences. Would you mind sharing how you live on your stipend? It would be interesting to see how much you make (after fees and taxes), where you live (i.e. big city on the coast, middle of nowhere in the South, etc) and what kind of life you can afford (live with a roommate or alone, own a car, have pets, eat out a lot, etc). Please specify if you get any additional financial help from family (health and car insurance, living at home for the summer, spouse with a real job, etc) or elsewhere.

Thank you for your input, guys! I think I will be able to visit both schools, even though I won't be able to meet with my POI at one of them.

Wow, thank you for the work you have done! I will save this and will probably return multiple times throughout my master's career.

@TakeruK thank you for your input. I am trying my best to go visit both schools, but the timing, the distance and the expenses aren't making it easy. Would you mind sharing why you opinion changed drastically after visiting? Was it interaction with grad students/POI, the place itself or just the general feel?

Yes, there is no formal itinerary from either program. They are both master's programs, so I'm not surprised. How bad is it if I won't be able to visit one of the programs? How much impact on your decision did visiting make?

Mine are all funded master's programs. I should've specified since I assume these things are approached differently at different levels.

How common is it for graduate programs to pay for your campus visit after you have been accepted? Only one of the programs offered to help with travel costs and I'm wondering if it's worth asking other programs if they would be willing to help me out with that as well.

Hi everyone, I would like to visit two universities I have offers from. They are about 3 hours apart from each other and far from home. I'm wondering how much time should I spend touring campus, talking to faculty and chatting with grad students? Would a full day (or almost full) per school be enough to get a feel of each place?

I absolutely loved reading the answers. You guys are awesome and keep up doing great things! As I said, I'm switching from a STEM field, so there's a lot of anxiety associated with such a drastic change of fields. There was never a moment in my life when I didn't love history, but it took me a while before I realized I was willing to take a risk and make it into something more than just a hobby. Of course, I did my research before deciding to change my professional path, but people's personal experiences are an invaluable source of both inspiration and reality check.