astroid88

Hi everyone, Just wanted to bring up a question that often gets me thinking. I don't think it's something that is asked about much at the application stage, but the question does begin to appear more once graduate students start applying for fellowships, attending conferences, and applying for jobs. I think it is especially important to discuss this at a moment in American academic history when we are trying to be more conscious of not speaking for others, not stepping on toes, etc. I suppose this is directed more at American students studying places from which their family line has no connection. I am personally researching and writing on a region of the world that I only started learning about and visiting in undergrad (albeit I already spoke one of the languages used there). I think there is value in having people who are not from a certain region studying that region. I wouldn't want to see a world where the main criteria for studying a place is if you have a family connection to it, as I think that would close off a lot of inter-cultural exchange. Moreover, the academy has a long history of being white and male, as well as college students being mostly white. Thus, they have had the benefits of both creating and receiving this knowledge. I do believe there is value in having American POCs being researchers of not just their communities (ex. African-Americans studying black history in the US, or Latinos studying Latino history in the US or Latin American history), but other communities outside the US as well. I also think it is valuable for POC students to learn about other cultures from people within their community. For example, I am a POC and friends, family, and acquaintances have asked a lot of questions about my region that they otherwise would not have thought to ask. If I ever get the chance to be a professor, I am going to emphasize to my POC students to study and research in countries with which they do not have family connections. How do you grapple with this question?

Hi everyone, I am in my third year and applying to external fellowships for post-prelims research. A parent passed away in the spring when the pandemic and shutdowns began in the US, at the end of my second year. I was in the last third of my semester, and I had to take an incomplete in one of my courses. I am the only child and they had no spouse, so I had to go home and deal with paperwork, clearing out their home, etc. I agreed with my course instructor to have the final project (which was all that was left) in by the end of this academic year. I now happen to be in a crucial year for acquiring funding (my luck!) with an "I" on my transcript. On some applications I have been able to inform them of my situation and in others I have not. I was wondering if this one "I" on my transcript could sink my applications where there is no space to give an explanation. Since it might be relevant, I have a 3.97 gpa, have already received fellowships outside the university (prior to the "I" on my transcript), a couple of research presentations, and am doing great academically otherwise. I also think my project proposal and references are really strong. I know all of that doesn't add much, but I just wanted to make clear that this is the only blemish I know of on my applications.

Lots of graduate students and professors seem to be putting time into developing their Twitter profiles. Does not having a strong profile hurt one's academic job prospects? Asking as a current graduate student.

The only numbers that are somewhat important are the verbal and writing, and I'd argue more so for fellowships than for admission. The average (just from skimming departmental websites) seems to be about 160 on the verbal.

I feel like this should be the first thing listed on this forum assuming it's accurate.

One has to start somewhere. Please keep these types of comments to yourself. Also, knowing best researchers/best programs and being ready for a PhD program are not the same thing. You seem to be equating the two.

Welcome to academia's problem, where school="intelligence" (though most professors will deny it)

What's the average course load in the first semester of a history PhD?

Sorry if you were intending to keep this private, but what was the doctoral program that accepted you on the first go around? Feel free to PM me if you don't want that info on here.

Ah, I see. I knew it had to with something higher up, but I didn't know about the four year blocks.

Anyone else unsure of their FLAS status? Decision day is coming soon, and the three universities I am waiting on are taking forever! One is encouraging me to commit before I know my official status. What nerve! Commiserate with me? P.S: I know FLAS is not technically related to history, but I think it does affect a lot of students of history.

https://cla.umn.edu/chgs Minnesota has one with a plethora of experts and archival sources. The great thing about the program is the geographic array of the scholars. They study not just Germany, but also Africa, South America, and other regions.

Sorry to intrude, but yes, not even for Columbia. See my above post. The only way Columbia makes sense is if it is significantly funded. You realize you are gambling a lot on the idea that you will get the grades, recs, test scores, etc., needed to get into an ivy before you've even started your master's.

There are schools that offer terminal MAs for a much cheaper tuition, give more aid, and can get you to where you are trying to go. I've just finished hearing back from all my master's applications, and two master's programs have offered to pay for the first year. I would have to reapply for the funding the second year, but even if I don't get any funding, my bill will be no more than $20,000. These are at Austin and Michigan. I'm sure you can find similar. People pay for the MA at Columbia for the name, but, in my opinion, there are better routes.

It's widespread but definitely not encouraged. I would definitely look for more funding opportunities within the school. I'm not sure the route you want to go, but an MA in History will not bring much financial return. One other option is to reapply next year to schools that do offer more funding.