amercanist

Don't know if this will help but a friend of mine in my cohort has an MPhil from Oxford and seems to have done well in getting accepted a highly competitive program. I think any advanced degree which allows you primary research will serve you well -- especially as far as your writing sample goes and future growth as a research based scholar. In the end, I think it matters less on what type of degree you have as opposed to what you will offer (in terms of research) to the PhD program. But when I see my friend I'll ask about the differences and get back to you.

Michigan's American Culture dept & History dept are closely interconnected. As you noted, there are several professors that hold a dual appointment in AC & History and many classes are cross listed. I am uncertain of the specific rules for AC but I know in history, your dissertation committee can be comprised of scholars from both fields. My advise would be to apply to both departments. I have friends who were not accepted to history but got into AC (funding packages are almost identical in 2010) and just take a whole bunch of classes with the profs they are interested in working with. Moreover, the more broadly you apply the more offers you can weigh and decide which you'll accept and which you will decline. I have heard conflicting things about the nature of the American Culture/studies job market. At my previous school, they advised me to go straight history because it's a well-established field and every school has a history dept of some sort. But folks at Michigan seem to rely more on the stature of the school suggesting their grads have not had as hard a time on getting placement in the job market. In the end, I think it'll come down to the quality of your research, your advisors, and how well you integrate into dept at the particular school in which you apply as a prof. It's a tight job market but those damn boomers have to retire sooner or later.

I completely agree with Chiba. You must first find out who you are interested in working with (and whether they want to work with you/new grad students -- are they going on sabbatical in Fall 2011? Are they assoc vs. assist. vs. full prof? If they're full profs, will they have time to work with a new grad student, are they retiring soon? IF they're assit profs, do they have the cache/networking ties to help get you a job when you graduate?) then look at dept as a whole. I found that emailing grad students in the dept was helpful in assessing the kind of program they have. Grad students are more likely to dish the dirt on the politics behind the scenes which it is important to know before you end up somewhere where everyone fights over funding, your dream advisor/mentor is really an a*****e or whatever. Email the profs to - if they sound interested in what your research, then you have some sense of how they might be as a potential advisor. Good luck - now is an excellent time to do that kind of research because once fall rolls around you'll be up to your elbows in apps, drafts of personal statement/sop, revising your writing sample, hounding your recommenders for their letters, etc.

I am moving from Texas to Michigan next week and decided I am fitting whatever I can in my little Mazda 3 and purchasing the big stuff up there (luckily there is an IKEA nearby). Thus far my most space consuming items are my books - I am doing a history PhD so I have a ton from my MA program. Clothes are a close second with my electronics coming in last. Like a previous poster, I am disassembling my desk, entertainment center, and any other piece of IKEA furniture I can that will fit in my car. Whatever doesn't fit is getting donated to charity or stored in my folks garage (it's what they are there for, right?). Buying a bed and couch will be the biggest problem since I know no one, so I figure I'll just buy it somewhere locally that delivers - otherwise, there's always someone selling their crap on craigslist for cheap.

I cannot speak from personal experience, but I am planning to go with UM Credit Union simply because it's a credit union as opposed to a bank. Probably doesn't help you much but I thought I'd chime in.

Can someone explain how to survive winter's in Michigan? I am a Texan and have only seen snow in the movies . Do I need snow shoes? How are the buses during winter months? Do they run on time? Anything else I should know about Michigan winters?

I think $500 per semester seems about right for 9 hours. I'd disagree with the poster who suggests you not buy your books. Unless it's a class I know I will never use the books again, I always purchase my books. Sometimes you'll get lucky and have a class where a prof uses a book that you have, most of the time they just sit on your shelf. Nevertheless, I cannot tell you how many trips to the library I saved by referencing a book I read in a previous class for a paper in another class. This is especially true with classes that have more of a theoretical emphasis as opposed to geographical. But to each his own, I mean if you're concerned about finances perhaps ILL is the best route. **half.com has always worked for me, just allow plenty of time for shipping before the beginning of the semester.

lol, not rejecting anyone but rejected by all but one....in the end, I guess that one yes is all that matters.

lol, just looked at the date of OP post, my bad.

I don't know why so many people on these boards seem to be hung up on the brand name of the school. For the OP, go somewhere where there is a giant (or even better, up and coming assoc profs) in the field which you choose to study. Though many of these big names might be tied to the laundry list of universities mentioned here, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to go there as well. I mean, can you honestly say if someone like C. Vann Woodward (yes, I know he died. yes, I know he was at Yale) taught at some backwood West Virginia university, that anyone here interested in studying with him would honestly think about the reputation of the school? Certainly you have to think about funding and the area of the country in which you want to live, but seriously, go to where the scholars are not necessarily to the label --- I'll get off my soapbox now Anyhow, to answer your question directly, I think Glenda Gilmore (Yale) and perhaps Jacquelyn Dowd Hall (UNC) might be of interest to you depending on your period. Though you have to consider the fact that since they are so well-known, their time for taking on new grad students might be limited. My advice: select some books you've read and enjoyed, how well were they received? Look at the programs which those scholars are at and go from there. Good luck to you.

Well, I received my MA in history from a smallish state university and I loved it. After my BA I knew I wasn't ready for the rough and tumble graduate programs and getting my MA in a program that I was familiar with was great. I was able to build a rapport with the profs, more so than in my UG years. I learned what the study of history was about and reified my belief that I wanted a PhD. During my final year at the MA level, I started probing professors at my school and they offered trenchant advice in what to look for in PhD programs - the sense I got from them is that while the school is important, the name of your advisor and quality of your research is far more so when it comes to job seeking. Indeed, because of their willingness to "vouch" for me in my recommendation letters, I now have been offered a slot at a top-tier university, but more importantly, with an advisor who is a giant in his field. Had I started this process right after my BA, I would not have known the politics behind graduate school and what to look for in PhD programs. Not to mention, I would not have had a substantive body of work to "show off" in my applications - by this I mean, though it is far from great research, my writing sample shows original thought and I had the opportunity to present it at some conferences, something I think enhanced my application. In the end, then, do you best, publish as much as you can, and write a really good dissertation and I'm sure you'll compete with anyone from those Ivy League schools. Good luck to you.

Don't rule out Manchaca (or Manchac in Austin vernacular), it's a little further south but there are decent and quiet apartments there in a residential neighborhood. It's adjacent to Lamar which will take you all the way into DT - if you take the bus, one way (free) ticket to campus. There is a shopping center nearby with a Target and a host of other shops and even a ... not Kroger, but an Austin equivalent nearby off 290...not to mention you're a little drive from the best Chinese buffet in Austin, BUFFET PALACE (near westgate)! I have to go there every time I travel to Austin.

Although my offer came on April 15th, I was in a similar situation. Wait listed at 2 schools, all others rejected. I got a cryptic email from a prof one of the schools I was waitlisted at asking me my "status for the fall" and whether I had to meet any April 15th deadlines. In my head I was like, my status is purgatory since neither school has offered anything... But what I did was email the Director of Graduate Studies at the other school and she explained to me, quite frankly, that they had two spots to fill and 4 waitlist candidates ahead of me so it was unlikely that I would get into that particular program. There goes my leverage. So I had to make a decision, should I tell my last hope that I had no other offers or try to be more discreet about my options? In the end, I went with honesty - I told the prof that originally emailed me I had no other offers and I was essentially waiting on their decision....my email was met with silence...no reply, nothing (this was Monday the 12th). On the 14th at 5pm I received a call telling from the dept. offering me admission. I received an email from DGS today and accepted a little while ago. In short, then, I guess my advice would be to ask what your status is at these schools. In your email/call, reiterate that school 'x' is your top choice and should they offer admission, you'd accept. After talking with the DGS this afternoon, I found out that they were still trying to move people off the wait-list today, so there is always a possibility that you have a shot at getting in. Good luck to you. **edited for clarity

ohh, i haven't read the dark tower series in ages! I need to finish that. I think I stopped after the 3rd book when I was a kid since the rest of the series wasn't finished until recently (well, relatively recently).

For Americanists, I'd recommend: That Noble Dream - Peter Novick (good luck through this slog though) The Houses of History - Troup & Green