khigh

The only thing I would add to that list is a book. I have a book that I only read when I travel, so it gives me something to look forward to, especially on long flights. I hardly ever bring an academic book, but something in the more popular novel category (Michael Crichton is my go to author). Mass market paperbacks are small enough and give you something to take your mind off the travel/interviews/work for just a little while.

Started researching primary sources for a book that my boyfriend and I want to write about the experiences of women in Berlin in 1945. It made me realize that I can still be an historian even if I don't make it this cycle.

We had quite a few classes with simulations. It's a way to attract non-majors to the department. In Legislative Process (Political Science), we did three weeks of a Senate session simulation. You pick a senator, research them, write legislation, and then present it in the "Senate." We ended up filibustering for two class periods. Religion and Magic in Early Modern Europe (Reformation class), we had a witch trial. So, you researched what would have been typically presented as evidence, had to know what would be found in a home in early modern Europe, and conduct the trial. Our witch was innocent and she was disappointed. Presidency (Poli Sci), we ran a campaign simulation. I found out that I make a pretty good Frank Underwood. French Revolution was guillotines, cafes, the Committee for Public Safety, etc. On the Committee section, you had to either defend or argue against the use of force against those that betrayed the revolution. My defense of the guillotine was persuasive enough that the prof asked me after class if those were my real thoughts. Then, we wrote memoirs of a person's experience in the French Revolution. I wrote mine from the perspective of a Dutch silk merchant in Paris with his son. His son got caught up with the Jacobins and lost his head. The old merchant's wife died during childbirth after the French invaded the Batavian Republic (Netherlands). He lost his silk trading business because Japan cut off all trade with the Dutch when the French took over. The memoir was the old merchant explaining to his second family why he hated the French and why he never talked about his former life. It's something I may write into a novel one day.

I just started Michael by Joseph Goebbels again. I find the art interesting.

Okay, I have my own story about "hanging out with" undergrads. Don't do it. I am coming from a different perspective. I WAS that undergrad, though I was 29. I have been dating one of my former professors for two years now. He was on a one-year contract and called me a few days after his contract ended. It worked for us, HOWEVER, it's the biggest pain I have had to deal with so far in my academic career and that career is just getting started. I told the department immediately. There is no rule against it in the faculty or student handbook. Interestingly, that section has not been updated for the uni since 1972. They may want to look into that. I had two classes with said professor, now boyfriend. That means that every, single, ever-loving thing I ever did in class had to be reviewed by an objective third party so there could be no favoritism. Luckily, I had a crush on said professor and had tried to impress him all semester by working extra hard in class. Still, there is a stigma among my peers that I slept with him for good grades. So, you have an administration issue and a reputation issue. If I get further into my career, it will have to be explained to colleagues. There was also animosity with my mentor/advisor because they didn't get along at all. Boyfriend is happy-go-lucky and extroverted. Advisor is serious and introverted. They almost came to blows at one point because of an off-handed remark. I still get reprimanded for the relationship by my mentor because he thinks I can do better and that I'm throwing my career away. So, the question isn't always about age, but about power. I have no problems with older men dating younger women or even TA/Professor/Grad/Undergrad relationships. If I had a problem with it, I would be a hypocrite. However, you do have to ask yourself if it is worth it. Is she worth risking your reputation and career? Are you going to throw away years of work for a one-night stand or is this something long term? Do you want that stigma? Do you want to be known as the prof/TA that sleeps with students? What will your colleagues think about you?

I will honestly say that when I was 18, I dated a 45 year old man. I was attracted to the power differential (Marine Corps officer). Now that I'm in my 30s, I find this very creepy. There was nothing I was able to offer a 45 year old man when I was 18 other than being arm candy.

I actually went last summer to do some campus visits (Leiden, Groningen, UvA, VU, and Radboud). I'm an early modernist and have done almost all my work in constitution and contracts (New Netherland, Union of Utrecht, Pacification of Ghent, maritime law) as political dialogue instead of static pieces of legalese. I do the 80 years war to 1672 and would love to work on Dutch political relationships with the Papal States and Venice. I keep watching for projects coming up that profs are working on over there. Groningen might actually be my best bet and I love the province. Boyfriend and I have been talking about making the move next year, but he's been in Berlin the past year and we don't know about another international move and he doesn't know if he can find work as a Germanist (turn of the century German culture/homosexuals and women in the Weimar Republic). Our biggest issue is that we both love Minnesota and want to stay here long term. Law school wouldn't be bad. I would enjoy it, but it's the paying for it that would be the issue. I would love to get into sports contracting and work for either a baseball team or a players' rep in the MLB. It's something that I will have to think long and hard about IF I don't get in this year. I'm also a nontraditional student, so I don't have much time left if I want a long career.

Campus closed early on Monday for the U and was closed Tuesday due to weather, so I'm hoping something comes in by Friday. If not, looks like I need to start working on a law school application.

Same here. Drink, mumble and complain for a bit, then start applying for law school.

I need one like that!

It works for almost every argument. I like using it in online arguments especially.

I've spent time in London. It's not my cup of tea, if you will. There are a few cities I don't think I could ever live in if I moved to Europe and Paris and London are at the top of that list. A lot of it may have been, at least with London, that I had spent a few weeks in Berlin and after that, the food in London was horrible. I also didn't care for the people I encountered or hearing English everywhere. Paris was a different issue- the city smells horrible, like raw sewage and rotting meat. After this cycle, if I don't get in, I have a few choices. Most Dutch schools don't have deadlines until June, Rome is July, and the UMN Law School deadline is also July.

It took us 20 minutes to form a circle. At least for our other simulation based classes, we met in the conference room and didn't need to worry about geometric shapes. My undergrad used a lot of simulations to increase enrollment in history and political science courses. We had a witch trial in Religion and Magic in Early Modern Europe, the whole French Revolution class, a mock senate session in Legislative Process (one of my minors was poli sci), and staff rides are required for Military History (ROTC requirement). A staff ride is going out to a field of battle and recreating/evaluating the battle to understand the history and determine what would have caused a different result.

On a lighter note, I was going through some of my old undergrad stuff to finally finish unpacking (after 7 months of living here) and came across two t-shirts from my old department History Club. One year, our quote was "Historians don't math." Another year, it was "Man, do you even Jstor?" Both quotes came from a French Revolution class. I thought y'all might enjoy that.

Funny story. One of my undergrad history classes was based around simulations (French Revolution). We had to write speeches and then re-enact specific instances in the Revolution: cafe, tribunal/guillotine, and one other. So, part of the simulations was to arrange the class desks into a circle. Let's just say that was the hardest part of the whole class. "Historians don't math" was our exact quote- to the economic historian professor. That ended up being the best class I ever took as an undergrad. Got to send our friends to the guillotine and our paper wasn't traditional- we wrote memoirs. But, still, the best part was the quotes that came out of that class "Historians don't math" and "Man, do you even Jstor?" I have both of those on t-shirts now.

Thank you. I'm hoping I get in, but being a lawyer wouldn't be so bad. I love baseball: the theory, sport, stats, players, and the money behind it. I think I would be happy working either in a front office or as a sports agent. It just wouldn't be my first choice. I know that not every sports agent is Scott Boras (or Jerry McGuire for that matter), but it's not a bad way to make a living.

I try to read a lot of Hegel, Braudel, and Turner, but I'd be interested also in what has changed the past few years.

Minnesota, not Wisconsin. Huuuuuge difference, haha. I thought I was going crazy for a minute, but you're right. There was more breadth to the field a few years ago. I had always just wanted to study under Tracy. i did get to meet him a few weeks ago and it's really depressing that he's not still around.

de Vries is retired if I remember correctly. Cook is in history of science, not history proper. He honestly didn't cross my mind, but I'm in political/cultural history. I could be wrong on them, but, honestly, the current professor I fangirl over is Ben Kaplan in London.

I think I may be out for this season. Acceptances have been going out from UMN and I haven't gotten one. Now to start planning for that. My thoughts are either to wait until next year and save up money OR apply for the law school. They take applications until July and Sports Management and Contract Law is my second career choice. Women are underrepresented in the field and there are plenty of opportunities in the Twin Cities to work in sports contracting for MLB.

But, in this case, Wisconsin likely is the best. Just like five years ago, Minnesota was the only place one would consider for early modern Dutch. They lost the best Dutch historian of our era in the United States only recently (Tracy retired). Now, there is no strong EM Dutch in the USA. I would have put Minnesota above any other program in the nation, including Harvard and Yale, in that situation.

Philosophy of History by Hagel...again

I’m going to guess that you have never been to Wisconsin. You say it’s not very European. It’s not very BRITISH, but Sconi and Minne are very Scandinavian. We’re talking Norwegian societies, lutefisk on the menu, Scandinavian style houses, gjällerhorns, and runestones. I don’t like Wisconsin, but that is because I am Minnesotan. We are rivals and, I’m going to say it, our cheese is better. You can love certain cities, but that does not mean that others do not feel a connection or love with the place they live. There is no reason to degrade a place you have never lived.

I honestly think that if I don’t get in this year, I will do law school. My LSATs were very high (waived fee so might as well take them) and those apps aren’t due until July. My crazy plan b would be to be a sports management lawyer. Women are very underrepresented in sports contracting and I love baseball. It’s always been one of those crazy obsessions that I have felt silly about pursuing.

We've had 12 inches of snow today and another 5-8 expected tonight and I'm still refusing to leave the Twin Cities, so if I don't get accepted and I apply again, it would still only be for Minnesota.