psstein

You shouldn't bring this up with anyone outside of the people in a position to do something about it. I would also recommend sending an email saying something along the lines of "I want to attend Harvard for reasons x/y/z, but I currently have a slightly better offer from Yale, etc. Would it be at all possible for the department to increase my level of stipend?" Or something like that at least. You want to be as polite as possible about it, because money can always get touchy, even at places richer than God Himself.

See you Wisconsin folks this weekend!

OK so there has been some nonsense and someone merged 3 threads into one. I've tried to pull them apart to the best of my ability, but I'm sure I've left some posts behind in this thread. If you see one, please report it using the report function and tag me in the comments. I'll move it to where it belongs.

IF you can afford the MAPSS, then it's a far better option. If you can't, my answer is "take neither."

See you Wisconsin folks this weekend!

IF you can afford the MAPSS, then it's a far better option. If you can't, my answer is "take neither."

IF you can afford the MAPSS, then it's a far better option. If you can't, my answer is "take neither."

Are you crazy to turn down a cash cow program that looks great on paper, but may not provide you the resources to become the scholar you want to become?
Unless you're independently wealthy, there's no persuasive reason to take it.

There's an existing thread pinned on the same subject; I merged the two and changed the title - does that work?

Controversial statement but US PhD programs are just rigorous in a very different way. I think people outside of the US, unfamiliar with the US system, assume that the two years of coursework are "unnecessary", time-wasting, etc (these are opinions I encountered when I was writing my MA outside of the US). Coursework years are better considered as focused reading years that both compel you and provide you with time to establish breadth of knowledge, to diversify research interests, and to work towards your project with faculty you might not otherwise encounter (and who often have thoughtful advice to offer re your work). Sometimes I've hated the coursework, but it's already made the dissertation I'm working towards so much better. Being in the US has made me even more skeptical of 3 to 4 year PhD programs--it's enough time to write a focused dissertation on a specialized subject, but I don't think it's enough time to become truly well-versed in literature across multiple fields. I'm really glad I didn't enter a program that would have had me writing my dissertation proposal and dissertation (and little else) right away--which isn't to say that I won't use the writing I've worked on in coursework years. US departments know about these differences, and so Oxbridge prestige doesn't mean all that much. 

I'm already attending, but broadly speaking, my interests are in late medieval/early modern astronomy/chymistry (yet to see where the latter is going!).
Last year, I applied to Indiana HPS, Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Wisconsin, Yale, Minnesota, Hopkins, and Chicago. I shouldn't have applied to Yale, Princeton, Harvard, or Chicago given my interests at the time (much more focused on Jesuit science and the like). I was accepted to Minnesota and Wisconsin for the full MA/PhD, Chicago gave me the MAPPS, and Indiana an unfunded MA.
In terms of the best programs, it depends specifically what you want to do. Hopkins HoS and HoM are phenomenal for early modern and late medieval. Principe and Portuondo are really great people. Harvard is strong in later periods, but is rebuilding its early modern, as they've had to replace Katie Park and Mario Biagioli. Princeton is obviously very strong, though Tony Grafton has stopped taking grad students.
With regard to Wisconsin, I'm of two minds about this program. Obviously I go there, so I have my own biases. I think that if you want to do something closer to STS, you ought to go somewhere like Cornell or Penn. Nicole Nelson is excellent, but she's the only formal STS scholar. The Medical History dept. here is very focused on 19th/20th century, so it's tough to do anything earlier. Lynn Nyhart remains one of the best historians of biology, and Pablo Gomez is great if you want to do Atlantic history of medicine/science. If you want to talk about Wisconsin further, PM me.
Indiana's HPS is a good program, but has bad internal issues. Bill Newman and Domenico Meli are top scholars on the history side, but philosophy runs the department. Minnesota has funding issues because it's somewhat placeless.
I can't say anything substantive about Pitt, Berkeley, ND, UCLA, Stanford, or Oklahoma. @Neist knows way more about OU than I would.

No--I honestly think it's a good idea to take a year (or more) away from academia (even if you've already taken time off between undergrad and the MA). Keep up with scholarly conversations, keep thinking about your own research interests, maybe start looking through some comprehensive exam lists (some schools have lists posted online--I'd highly recommend the lists up on the Wisconsin Madison site), etc, but for your own sanity time off can be a good thing. I also found that after time off I was like, yeahhhh I'm ready to go back now. 

FWIW, I had phone calls with several professors at Yale HSHM. They all emphasized the close, flexible relationship between History and HSHM.

After a stressful application season, yesterday I found out I was accepted at UT Austin! As a Latin Americanist, I am ecstatic and just wanted to thank you all for your advice/encouragement throughout the process. 

Are you crazy to turn down a cash cow program that looks great on paper, but may not provide you the resources to become the scholar you want to become?
Unless you're independently wealthy, there's no persuasive reason to take it.

If you want to do a 1 year MA without a gap year after, you're asking your new MA profs to write for you after they've know you for maybe 6 weeks. 

If you want to come out of a 1 year MA with a stronger application, plan on applying the following year. 

Are you crazy to turn down a cash cow program that looks great on paper, but may not provide you the resources to become the scholar you want to become?
Unless you're independently wealthy, there's no persuasive reason to take it.

Are you crazy to turn down a cash cow program that looks great on paper, but may not provide you the resources to become the scholar you want to become?
Unless you're independently wealthy, there's no persuasive reason to take it.

Are you crazy to turn down a cash cow program that looks great on paper, but may not provide you the resources to become the scholar you want to become?
Unless you're independently wealthy, there's no persuasive reason to take it.

Are you crazy to turn down a cash cow program that looks great on paper, but may not provide you the resources to become the scholar you want to become?
Unless you're independently wealthy, there's no persuasive reason to take it.

I'm going to be a bit more brutal than the others: it's not going to be enough. Language ability is the foundation upon which a historian is built.
Any program worth attending is going to be flooded with fully-fluent applicants who have experience living and working in francophone countries, and probably a secondary ability in at least German, Spanish, Italian, or a creole. This is a handicap you will almost certainly not overcome without a substantial block of dedicated effort. With only a year - heck with three years - of French, any program that accepts you is doing so primarily to exploit you for cheap labor.
If you still want to do this, I would, at minimum, take a year off in addition to looking for a 2 year MA, either for coursework or, more preferably, a Fulbright or other experience in a francophone country.
 
And what about early modern France? 

I did, big time. Don't let it get too bad, but enjoy your last few months of college. I had a ton of fun after learning I was accepted. I wouldn't recommend my method of doing it... but still, it was a lot of fun.

I did, big time. Don't let it get too bad, but enjoy your last few months of college. I had a ton of fun after learning I was accepted. I wouldn't recommend my method of doing it... but still, it was a lot of fun.

@TMP has nailed it, but I'd also highlight that this isn't as solid a contract as you'd hope. Most (all?) of these funding sources depend upon "satisfactory progress," which is the most nebulous term I can think of, but it's the way it's described.

@TMP has nailed it, but I'd also highlight that this isn't as solid a contract as you'd hope. Most (all?) of these funding sources depend upon "satisfactory progress," which is the most nebulous term I can think of, but it's the way it's described.