Gotya64

Once the dust has settled it will be interesting to parse out how much PhD programs are directly reacting to Covid constraints and how many are just leaping at the chance to enact structural changes that they were angling to enact anyway.

Is it UC Davis that is requiring you to commit that early or McGill? I would be very surprised to hear of a PhD program requiring you to commit to their program before informing you whether or not funding is available.

Hello - I sent you a PM.

UT Austin invited a number of applicants to attend a graduate students' weekend at the end of the month. It seems unlikely that final decisions will come out before then.

Also waiting for Emory - I was told to expect decisions by mid-February.

I am going to assume that you would be getting an MA to bolster your PhD prospects for a future application cycle, as I did. Given that you say you've already received funding information (the most important aspect of choosing a school for an MA, in my opinion), I won't address that. You should ask questions that pertain to your thesis research and language abilities. A terminal MA student (with PhD aspirations), I believe, should strive to do at least three things: 1. Bolster your non-English language ability by either strengthening your primary non-English language or beginning work on a second non-English language 2. Gain experience giving conference presentations, preferably not at a graduate student conference, although anything is better than nothing and 3. Produce an MA thesis capable of either being mined for a publishable article or two or else leading to a PhD dissertation. With these priorities in mind, you can probably come up with some relevant questions. For example, what language resources are available to the students, and is there room (and funding!) in the MA timeline for you to take an extra language class or two (even if its over the summer)? Is travel funding available to MA students, both for research and conferences? In general, I think an MA student will have a tough time obtaining any sort of international funding, but a bit of cash for a regional archive shouldn't be out of the question. Also, most programs offer a non-thesis track history MA. Resist the temptation to go down this route; it will not serve you well when reapplying to PhD programs.

Beyond excited!

It's quiet so far today folks - having been through this process once before, I can tell you the best thing to do is keep yourself busy and focused on what's in front of you. Of course, that is much easier said than done.

I think this is your year.

Has anyone ever received a campus visit offer (fully reimbursed, already interviewed) without formal acceptance?

Public history MAs are geared towards careers in archival work, museums, record-keeping, cultural resources preservation, and so on. Usually classes for a public history MA (in addition to some history classes) will train the student in general theories of history and historical preservation. They don't tend to be as specialized as regular history MAs, which of course are centered around traditional academia. Naturally, neither is better than the other, it's just a matter of what you want to accomplish or have access to with your degree. At least at the school I go to, both have a thesis requirement.

Absolutely incredible! Congratulations and good luck to you both @lyonessrampant and @TakeruK!

Florida State, lucky and grateful to be funded.

This for sure. View this as an opportunity, since those with bottomless supplies of perseverance are the ones who succeed in life. To add on, don't let this setback come to define you. You are not any less of a person nor do you have any reason to feel ashamed over the outcome of this cycle. The key is to build on it and become a better person in the process.

Hey congratulations! I'll also be starting an MA in European History in the fall and moving out of my home state for the first time ever. Good luck and good work!

My advisor e-mailed me a list of books he thought I should read over the summer, so that's what I'll be doing! Other than that, relaxing and enjoying the hot weather before the grind begins is the agenda.

Congratulations! I took a good long look there for European history before I decided to do an MA elsewhere rather than committing to a PhD. Knoxville is an excellent city!

Hi all. First of all, good luck to everyone! Secondly, I have a question that perhaps one of you might be able to answer. I'm entering a (history) master's program in the fall with plans to apply to PhD programs after two years. Is it worth trying to get a Fulbright at this point (perhaps for thesis research)? Or should I wait until I'm in a PhD program?

Congratulations and good luck!

Thank you! Barring a complete turnaround in thought from my visits to the two programs, it looks like I'll be going the MA route.

Keep your chin up!

How common are PhD offers that ask you to TA all five years?

Thank you - I very much appreciate the advice. It looks like that is definitely the way to go.

Thanks so much for the advice. The PhD program isn't even close to top 30, and the MA is indeed funded. I think it's looking like the MA is the way to go, though I still have to make campus visits.

Thank you so much for the reply. Would it hurt my future PhD prospects if the program I'd be working on the MA for was not highly ranked (but actually has a scholar with the exact same research interests as me)?