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You should really trim that down. Don't try to think of it as "safety" and "reach," because that's not how it works. And trust me, 9 apps for HoS was a lot. You're going to go nuts with 14 (plus it's expensive).

The rankings don't really reflect anything, because they're dependent on a survey that has a pathetically low response rate. Hiring committees look at reputation of a program, though rankings are related to the reputation of a program.

I'm probably going to University of Wisconsin.

These ratings are nonsense, and pretty much everyone in the field knows it. Hopkins' HoS is one of the best programs in the country, especially for early modern. Harvard's HoS doesn't have an early modernist. You can't make a compelling case that Harvard is a better choice than Hopkins for someone who wants to do early modern science.

It depends on the funding offered/fit/what have you... but just on a strict, gut level, go to Yale. I was on an interview committee for a new 19th century Americanist at my university (still in undergrad). One candidate went to Yale, another went to... somewhere else (Iowa, maybe?). You better believe that my report included a remark about her Yale PhD.

Thanks. After looking at it, I'm a little less impressed with the results of the study. I think the general message holds true (e.g. people from programs outside the top 10 are less likely to get hired), but the details of the article and the study seem to be questionable. For whatever reason, it cherry picked Brandeis' American History program to rank it, rather than the history program more generally. The study may have been slanted towards American history, I can't tell you one way or the other. For HoS, the prestige rankings would probably look a bit different.

I read that Slate article; I suppose my program is in the "Top 8" as well, though if you read the journal article it makes reference to, it doesn't make mention any of them. Reality is that program reputation matters. You're going to have a lot easier time getting hired out of somewhere like Harvard (although their HoS is terrible in my area) than you would somewhere like Florida State (despite their excellent American history program).

I agree with you. A certain, highly prestigious program in my field told me that they focus almost entirely on preparing their students to be academics. I asked about alt-ac resources, and the answer was effectively that they're few and far between. Unfortunately for that program's graduate students, their placement reflects the lack of interest in alt-ac.

@jazzman, that's the kind of advice I wish I'd gotten before I applied. I'm probably going to Wisconsin, as I'm an excellent fit and they've focused heavily on Jesuit science. I was in the final 5 at Hopkins, but didn't get in. If I could do it again, I wouldn't apply to either Princeton or Harvard. Anthony Grafton (my PoI) is about to retire and isn't taking graduate students, so there's no good reason for me to apply. Rampling's work doesn't interest me. Harvard simply doesn't have anyone who does early modern (they just hired Hannah Marcus, but she's very junior). Another thing you did (that I should've): writing separate SoPs for each department. I feel pretty confident that I could've gotten into Indiana or Chicago with a better tailored SoP.

Scott Nelson is a phenomenal scholar and (from what I heard from my fellow undergrads at his previous institution) a pretty nice guy. I don't know much about the university proper, but I've been told that they're investing a lot of money into becoming a better, more well-recognized history program. It seems like a great place to go if you're into Southern history.

One of final five applicants at Hopkins HoS, but informed today that I was rejected. Barring a horrible experience at Wisconsin (and even with a horrible experience there), I'm going to Wisconsin.

To be blunt, go with the money. The academic job market is pretty bad right now and you ought to avoid debt as best you can. Five years of fellowship is excellent. Top programs in my field aren't nearly as good about that. Remember too that your interests will change. Two years ago, if someone told me I would do HoS in graduate school, I would've told him he was crazy.

Still haven't heard back from Chicago's HoS program, but I can't imagine it's good news at this point. Interviewed at Hopkins HoS last Wednesday (3/1), was told that I'd be informed of their decision in the next week. Question for the board: would you interpret the dept. chair telling you the amount of the stipend as a positive sign? I'm going out to Wisconsin on 3/11. Maybe I'll see some of you guys at the recruitment weekend.

Grafton was my PoI and the advisor of one of my LoR writers. I have a second interview/campus visit at Hopkins in two days, so hopefully it'll come down to either Hopkins or Wisconsin.

PhDs.org has a few, though rankings relative to history departments aren't exactly easy to figure out. Rankings for HoS seem to boil down mostly to institutional reputation, with exceptions, of course.

I agree with you. There is a certain degree of competence and ability required for a certain level of institution. As I said, though, there's also questions of fit/retirement/etc.

Grad school acceptances are, if I'm correct, intensely arbitrary. For example, I applied to (and was rejected by) Princeton's HoS. Little did I know that my PoI is in the early stages of retirement and is no longer accepting graduate students. Similarly, I was accepted to Wisconsin, which is a top 10 program, but I wasn't accepted into Indiana's HoS PhD, which while still prestigious, is considered a lower-tiered program.

That's unfortunately true. My undergrad advisor essentially told me to do something that crosses over between early modern history and history of science. He said he was hired as an early modern Britainist, though his PhD is technically from Princeton in HoS.

PhDs.org is a pretty good resource. There's only one ranking that really matters, IMO, and that's placement.

I think you get four free reports; I fortunately used three of my four wisely. One of them... well, not so much... ETS has an amazing racket running. There's nobody quite like them.

Email from Princeton HoS, got rejected. It sucks, but I was expecting it. Still haven't heard from Hopkins; I'm visiting there in 2 weeks.

I applied there as well, but I think they're a sub-department of history, which has sent out acceptances. I'm actually hoping I'm wrong too! Informed today I was rejected from Harvard's HoS, but it was an unfunded MA, so I'm not upset. Waiting to hear from Princeton HoS.

Thanks. I've already gotten into one of my top choice programs, and Indiana was pretty low down on places I want to go, so if I didn't get in, I didn't get in.

That's why I asked, actually. I'm not horrified if I got rejected, but it seems kind of early... the application deadline was 1/15.

Has anyone heard from Indiana's HoS?