psstein

From the DGS: Wisconsin's decisions should be coming out in the next week.

I published a book review in a religious studies journal. An article and two book chapters is quite impressive for a PhD application. If you're going from a BA program to a MA/PhD, as many students do, then it's not a problem if you don't have publications. Once you're in the PhD program, it's a different story. Publications are apparently an important part of any job application.

Based on the UMN website, FLAS is about $15,000 for the year (it's the same at Wisconsin; the amount hasn't gone up in almost a decade).

That's fairly generous. Wisconsin gives $1500 the entire graduate career, though it's not tough to work around that loophole. As others have noted, it's important to know what you have to do for the money (TA/Fellowship? What happens after 5 years?, etc.).

Summer funding is always good. Many programs don't give summer funding. Is the conference travel amount for the entire graduate career, or is it yearly? As for the stipend, if it's a livable amount in the city, then yes, it's good. If not, it's not.

I have a friend at Tennessee. They apparently have funding issues. UGA is trying to build its program up. The department managed to poach Scott Nelson from William and Mary.

As someone in his first year, this really resonated with me. Looking back on my application process, I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do either. Now, I can name at least two or three other things I could've gladly done.

I generally agree, but I think there's something to be said for non-R1 TT placements. It's not as though they're in adjunct hell or living hand to mouth.

It really depends on what you want to do. Some approaches to everything are dying out (some of which rightfully so!), but others just need a new generation to reinvigorate them.

Relax and remember that acceptances come in waves.

It's heavily dependent on the university. If you're in NYC or Boston, your stipend has to be larger than it would be in Cleveland. Hopkins told me it was $29,500 in the 2016-2017 year, so it's possible it's gone up.

No, he and I spoke about it at AHA this year. He's suffering from some health issues and doesn't think he can devote the time/energy necessary to training a grad student.

Yes, there was a study published not too long ago.

Thanks, that's the impression I got as well. I'd rather spend the extra money and get Latin through a credible institution.

CUA offers an online course, as does something called "Erasmus Academy." CUA's is more expensive, but I haven't heard anything good or bad about Erasmus Academy.

You need Latin as a medievalist. There's absolutely no way around it. The other language will depend on your geographical interests.

In terms of interdepartment interaction? It varies, but generally good. Area studies (esp. African Studies) departments get along really well with history. The Gender and Women's Studies department has several professors with joint appointments. History also has a good relationship with philosophy, sociology/anthropology, and classics.

I didn't know Pincus was still there. I thought he was older than he actually is! By the way, Johann Sommerville hasn't taken a grad student in about 5 years, so I'm not sure where he is on that note. Lee Wandel, who'd be the other option, is phasing into retirement. A cohort member is her last grad student.

I should've been clearer, my mistake. If you don't get an interview request from a department who interviews, you're out of the running there.

I think I said something along the lines of "I'm not taking an unfunded MA." This was last Spring; you can probably find it in the results page. I know for a fact that Harvard, Yale, Chicago, Princeton, Columbia, and many other programs don't interview. I was accepted to Minnesota HoS, Wisconsin HoS, Indiana HPS (MA), and Chicago's Humanities MA (whatever it's called!). I accepted the Wisconsin offer after my campus visit; it was also the only funded offer. To be fair, I wasn't a great candidate (I had a grand total of zero HoS courses in undergrad; my undergrad didn't offer it).

Zotero is great. If you're a NT student, buy the Nestle-Aland. I bought one for my undergrad thesis and it paid for itself many times over.

It's not uncommon to be rejected from a lower-ranked program and accepted into a higher ranked one. I was tacitly rejected from Indiana HPS (unfunded MA), but accepted into a higher ranked PhD program .

It varies by university. Many programs do not interview. If you apply to a top program and don't get an interview request, you're probably out of the running for a spot.

Yes, someone was called a few weeks ago.

For history of science, Foucault remains important, as does Latour, though MANY dislike Latour's work. Kuhn's Structure shows no signs of declining in importance. Harry Collins' article on the TEA Laser remains a classic of SSK. Butterfield's The Whig Interpretation of History also remains important in HoS.