urbanhistorynerd

From what another student admitted to Harvard's program told me - and this is coming from his POI, so it is a little down the grapevine - Harvard sent out all the acceptances already. Next week we're suppose to receive the *official* letter from GSAS w/funding info. Of course, this is only from one person so it isn't 100%. I'll inquire about it when I speak to my POI next week though.

Good advice. Intellectual environment is incredibly important to me. I go to a commuter school right now, and I've had to work really hard to try to find that "intellectual environment," and even then, it is still difficult. That is one of my key factors in choosing a program/city. What are the specifics of that?

Very true! Getting caught up with the mystique and "prestige" of Ivy Leagues is very easy, and it is even easier to forget about the fine details that makeup the grad experience. I'll appreciate that PM - thank you!

Oh I'm totally not crossing off other schools - it isn't because Harvard is well, Harvard, it is that all three of my POI there match exactly what I want to research, and that one of them has hand a very big hands on role in shaping my application since I first sent an email of interest. I totally agree though, and I definitely plan to attend their scheduled campus visit. I just want to make my current feeling clear enough that I'm not misleading them or wasting time that a waitlisted student could have. Good advice on the phone call, I'll take that into mind. And yeah, Kevin Boyle is amazing. Let me also just say that I'm feeling very muddled because I did NOT expect myself to be in this situation. Sorry if it seemed like I was dishing out blatantly erroneous tactics, I'm just trying to get a hang of I can manage through all this without upsetting people.

Great advice from both of you - thank you! I wrote that comment in hurry while at work - let me say I told my POI there that I would not make any choices until I visit NW and speak with him. This is also a professor who's work very much influenced my own, I feel very lucky to actually be able to speak to him over the phone. And although I won't be ruling out any program until I can ask serious questions and contemplate, Harvard fits nearly perfectly with my proposed research. Unfortunately, the prof at NW would be the only one remotely in my field of research, and even then, he still in a different thematic theme. Regardless, I'm still very interested in the university but I just want to make it clear to him that, at this point, I'm considering the other school over NW. But you're definitely right. I still need to really meet everybody at Harvard to get a feel if this is a place where I want to spend the next 5-7 years in. I was just wondering how other people in my boots handled telling other schools they will be attending a different program. And I'm also taking placement after graduation into considerable account. Even if I find Northwestern to be more opening and welcoming than Harvard, is passing up Harvard's placement rate really worth it? Nearly everybody around here says the same thing: it's about finding a job afterwards. If NW gives more individual attention (which it seems like it does, so far) than Harvard, would that be worth it if getting a tenure-track is much more difficult afterwards?

Still hoping for everybody to hear good news soon! I'm sure this week and the next one will be it for a lot of schools. Today I have a phone call with a professor from Northwestern. I was just wondering, from people who have done this already, what will it be like? I have a couple questions to ask, but although they offered me a really good financial package, it'll take a lot to convince me from Harvard. But, I haven't even received Harvard's funding offer. Any particular questions I should ask? How should I go about navigating the other offers I received? Is it just rude to blatantly say sorry but not interested? Or even to ask for more money?

I'm assuming you'll be attending admitted students day/week soon? See you there!

Thank you for the information! I'm suppose to receive the official letter with funding info from GSAS mid-Feb, so we'll see then. Although since two years ago they have unionized, so that might have changed things. I did read an article that in the 2017 year said that the minimum stipend was $33,000 and some change. I'm assuming that they have received raises or perhaps some concessions w/the union. But I'll guess I'll find out soon.

@historygeek I met some Loyola Ph.D. students when I was at the AHA, and they were really, really great people! I applied but I don't think I was the best fit, although if they're visiting days are anytime near Northwestern, I may see you there! Does anyone have any ideas on what Harvard's stipend might be? My POI told me it is the highest out of any Ph.D. program but I've seen places like Columbia + Stanford offer stuff in the 40K's.

I'm still in utter shock from my big surprise yesterday. Here is hoping everyone hears back from one of the places of their choosing! I'd also like to add just this: I'm a community college graduate, grew up in a union working-class household, and attended a commuter state school that isn't at all prestigious. I worked incredibly hard but I also know that this was partially a numbers game. But to anyone who feels like places like Harvard are out of reach simply because you don't fit the traditional applicants "mold," screw that. Write a good application and hope for the best. Academia is in tough shape but that doesn't mean working-class people and those from non-traditional backgrounds don't have a place there - it is the opposite.

Okay, as I have read the above post, I am excited to announce that I have also received that email and I'm assuming that I have been accepted to Harvard!!

Hey guys, I received an email from a different school informing me that an admissions committee has recommended my application to the graduate school for admissions, and that I should receive a final decision soon. Does this mean I got in?

Just received an acceptance from Northwestern! Feeling ecstatic!!!!!

Thank you!

Can someone tell me when is Michigan likely to release its decisions? The 'results' page isn't loading for me for some reason. 500 internal error it says.

Let's hope so! My alternative is either to finish up an MA at my current uni (I've completed 16/36 credits for it so far) or most likely move to Chicago with my partner, try to get a job working in some sort of capacity as an admin assistant for a university (pref Uchicago in Hyde Park), and reapply this upcoming fall. It is always good to have a backup plan.

Just saw the Uchicago one! Congratulations! I applied - lets see if I get any good news today or tomorrow!

Same boat here - I probably won't hear back until the first or second week of Feb. It is nerve wracking. But, I did get some uplifting news...I received a really out of the blue encouraging email from a POI I actually never contacted. It was pretty long, basically saying how they were very impressed by my application and are very "enthusiastic" about it, some really nice things about my potential to be a historian, and finally that I should consider the school very seriously. I also received two similar but shorter emails from two other schools. Good news, I hope?

Hello guys! This last weekend I presented a poster at the undergraduate poster session at the American Historical Association 2019 conference. It was a blast and my university funded me as well! Chicago was beautiful and I had a wonderful chance to explore the campus of 2/6 of the schools I applied to. Even more exciting was that the graduate director from one of the schools I applied to sought me out and asked me if I had any questions about the program/discussed me research interests. I'm not sure what this means but I'm assuming it is a good sign! Anyways, in general, how far does this presentation take me? Regardless, I enjoyed myself and had a valuable experience attending the AHA as an undergrad. Will this be a particular bright spot in my application that will put me over other applicants? Or will professors just look over it? I also can add that one of the organizers informed me that it was a highly selective process to get into the session and over a hundred undergrad applied and we had about 12-15 presenters. It is getting closer and closer to some of us hearing the news, and again, I wish everybody luck and I hope you all get offers you can be happy with. If not, life is wide and there is plenty to do in the meantime if you are going to reapply next year.

Just submitted my last application. Thank you to everybody in this forum that provided excellent help! I really appreciated it! Good luck everybody!

All the people i've contacted (we're applying to the same schools: Harvard, Michigan, Loyola Chicago) have said that GPA and GRE are only sign posts to get past. Basically, you're scores, with the exception of GPA (3.97 here) are exactly like mine. I told my POI's this along with grad students there, and they agreed it'll get through the initial look through. I had one graduate director say this to me: "personally, I put 80% of the weight on the statement of purpose, most professors put 90%." Get a couple of drinks or mugs of coffee, pick up your fav books, cultivate a backup plan, and ride out the next few months! Though, I think based on the effort you've put on this application so far, you'll be in store for good news.

Just submitted my first application. Let's go Northwestern? Will be submitting my UM one soon! Reflecting on the process...I'm optimistic that I put every ounce of energy I had into this, and even if I don't get in, it isn't so much a poor reflection of me but an understanding this is a tough process and rejection is part and parcel of being an academic. Good luck everybody!

Me too! Let's hope sometime in February we'll be back on this forum talking about the schools we got in!

It doesn't necessarily have to be related to your topic. According to people I asked, the reason why they ask for one is to essentially avoid having the Brett Kavanaugh's (sorry to interject politics) of the world get in. Think about a particular moment that you may have struggled in or that felt unique to you and was in way, life changing. For me it is nearly failing high school, the perils of being a first generation American, and first person in my family to attend college. Yours may be radically different, but think of something that will show that you struggled, got through it, and learned something along the way. You could write something along the lines of listening and understanding your family members immigrant experiences but never actually really understanding what it is like to be an outsider in a foreign land. This could be the impetus for your desire to study the history of immigrant women, mentioning in particular the immigrant women in your family and your desire to understand the gendered aspect of immigration, something sorely unexplored.

I had a very tumultuous path leading up to this moment applying to graduate schools, so I'm detailing how I nearly failed high school to getting stellar grades and choosing to become a historian. It still is really hard to write. I talked to my POI at Umich in person. He told me that personal statements are highly regarded there and count for a big chunk of the application.