psstein
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Everything posted by psstein
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Still go to Delaware. SMU is not a highly regarded grad program.
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Go to Delaware. UF has a very tough time on the job market. My acquaintance got his PhD in American History from there. He's currently teaching high school.
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Two things here: FLAS may not be renewed and the FLAS stipend hasn't increased in over a decade.
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It may be wise to say that your acceptance will depend on whether or not you receive the FLAS. If you're going to invest your time in one, that program ought to invest in you.
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I'm not clear what your relationship to history is. Are you doing something with material culture and the history of science?
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Yes, though I'm not among them. History of Science tends to have a split between history BAs interested in science/medicine (probably 65% or so) and science BS students interested in history (about 35% or so). It's more common these days to have a history degree as a history of science student, but not unheard of not to. To your question, it really depends how you sell it. If you can argue that you're prepared for a history program despite not being a history major, you'll do fine. Had I decided to pursue something like church history or New Testament, I would've been in the same boat. The SoP's purpose is to persuade an advisor and a committee that you are capable of doing what you say you want to do.
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Keep in mind the difference between what they report and what actually happens. What's going on with the people they didn't report? If they've anything like "adjunct" or "adjunct assistant" in their titles, then stay away. "Independent Scholar" is often a bad sign too.
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Not to be rude, but I think you ought to reconsider. The vast majority of PhD graduates in history will never have TT jobs, so "I want to get a PhD so I can become a professor" is likely to end in disappointment. It may not be fair, but it's the reality. Do yourself a favor and take some time off, then re-apply if you want. Honestly, I started a PhD program right after I graduated, and I think I should've waited a year or two. There are other things I could've done with my life, but they weren't apparent at the time.
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Apparently the money is awarded in four-year blocks. The issue is that nobody knows whether the program will be continued after this block's money runs out. When I attended a FLAS meeting a few months ago here, we were encouraged not to hold our collective breath.
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No, what matters is where you got your PhD, publishing record, and a great number of other things that have nothing to do with the MA. Almost every program I can think of requires you to complete coursework in their program, even with a pre-existing MA.
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Building a bit on @VAZ's comments, I wouldn't go to McMaster if I were doing history. Biblical Studies, sure (Stanley Porter is phenomenal). History, no.
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Not even for Columbia. Most unfunded or partly funded MAs (Columbia, Yale, NYU, Chicago, etc.) are well known as departmental cash cows. Yes, you'll have a MA from Columbia, but that doesn't mean you're going to get any attention or support from faculty. To be totally honest, nobody gives a damn where you get your MA. The PhD institution is what matters. Just to take my program as a microcosm, I know people with MAs from Florida State, Central European University, Indiana, and quite a few others. The MA is supposed to develop you as a scholar, which Columbia's MA probably won't.
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DO NOT assume a large debt for a history MA.
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Yes, history isn't a big world. Let's say you're up for a job, and Professor X knows about you from his friend, Prof. Y at the university you flaked out on. That's not going to end well for you at all. Even if you've a Harvard PhD and 3 books + 10 articles in top journals, you might not get the job for "character reasons." Part of getting along in academia goes beyond your work proper and to relationships. I've been in my program less than a year, and I already know people I could never in good conscience vouch for.
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How many applications are too many? - English Reformation
psstein replied to AGingeryGinger's topic in History
On the whole, their placement isn't good. They seem to average about 2/3 TT placements of any kind a year. -
How many applications are too many? - English Reformation
psstein replied to AGingeryGinger's topic in History
They don't take placement into account, don't care about advisor reputation, don't really care about sub-fields (I realize there's a "sub-field" category, but it's functionally useless). The only thing they're good for is department self-praise. They're also horrifically out of date. My department is ranked #2 for Latin America. Half the Latin America faculty have retired in the last 2/3 years. The program is currently being rebuilt. The "European History" category is so broad as to be useless. There's a huge difference in top programs for, say, medieval and early modern Europe and a top program in 20th century Europe. Yes, though it requires more legwork. Go to the department websites, look up the recent graduate list, and figure out what they're doing. Some departments (Hopkins HoS, for one) are kind enough to put their placement up. -
How many applications are too many? - English Reformation
psstein replied to AGingeryGinger's topic in History
Vanderbilt is assuredly not a first tier program. DO NOT RELY ON THE US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT RANKINGS (I'm very passionate about ignoring them). The only Vanderbilt grad I know of in a R1 has had a very non-traditional career path and is an exceptional scholar. Almost every department will provide a list of recent graduates. Google them, plus the university and see what they're doing. Anything like "adjunct assistant professor," "adjunct," or "independent scholar" is bad news. -
Something worth thinking about: if you have a job that gets 120 applications, how many go in the garbage straight away? I'd imagine 80% are thrown away rather quickly.
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This is a half-truth at best. It means that, instead of 300 applications for one job, there are only 150 applications for one job. They're right in saying that the market is less awful for some rather than others. I would not want to be in 18th century Britain or medieval science right now (one of the reasons my interests are gradually shifting towards history of medicine).
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Perhaps tangential, but don't do 20th century American diplomatic history. It's a very dead field. Go for the cheaper option that keeps you out of debt. The history market is BAD, and going into debt is a bad decision.
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Where Top-Tier PhD Students Got Their BA/MA
psstein replied to TheHessianHistorian's topic in History
Generally speaking, most (if not all) top programs require you to receive a MA from their program, even if you matriculate with one. It's a pretty safe bet to assume that someone with an Ivy League MA received it in cursu. A very good friend of mine has a Cambridge MPhil and is required to receive the MA from his program. -
Are you interested in using the MA en route to a PhD?
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Makes sense. I'd suggest learning a European language like German/French before reapplying. European languages are critical to secondary literature.
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Princeton is a good HoS department, but lacks faculty in a few critical areas. Tony Grafton's quasi-retirement has left them in a very tough spot with regard to early modern work. Jenny Rampling is a good scholar, but Newman/Principe/their students have done early modern chymistry to death.
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What is your research area? Cambridge is far better than Princeton/UPenn in some areas, but pales in comparison to others.
