historygeek

Could you do like transnational history? That might be an option?

I just wanted to take the time to thank this forum for all the advice, support, and tough love. Today, I submitted my application to get my teaching certification in the state of Pennsylvania through Drexel University. This isn’t the path that I had envisioned initially, but I think that my talents would work beautifully in a classroom setting. For everyone thinking of applying to a PhD: please take the time to examine why you want to get a PhD. I wanted one because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do, and I really enjoyed teaching and the thought of teaching at the university level. A PhD isn’t for everyone and I don’t think that, at least right now, it’s for me.

Hey, thanks everyone! I think that I’m going to look into teaching cert programs.

I applied to Loyola last cycle (also to work with Dr. Fraterrigo, actually)! Let me know if you have questions. The NCPH has a list of programs, by the way, so that might be helpful!

I am taking more classes, and I got feedback that I plan to use to (hopefully) get much better grades this time around. My GRE score isn't great, but the piece I'm probably going to be using as a writing sample is, imo, very good and I've gotten more language skills that I will continue working on. I am considering public history programs, though, so I may use the context statement I'll be writing for my practicum class next semester as a writing sample.

Resurrecting a way old thread for a question that might fit here. I got B+'s in both of my courses this semester (first semester of a Master's program). Would that be a red flag in possible PhD admissions, assuming I do better this coming semester? My current grad GPA is 3.33.

I'm applying to the PH program at Temple, as well, next year! Good luck

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate all the advice and guidance. I decided to switch into a Public History Practicum course next semester, which I'm excited about, and may be adding a second concentration in public history. I will also be helping to organize a Public History Community Forum at Temple this coming spring! I've added a couple of programs to my potential list to kind of veer towards other paths (MLIS, namely, but a couple of education as well).

Hey, everyone! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and an early, joyous Kwanzaa! I've just completed my first semester of grad school, and have been taking some time to reflect on what I want and where I want to go after graduation. While I originally thought that I want to be an academic, I'm starting to feel like my career interests are more oriented towards public history or librarianship. I have a job in my school's distinctive collections, which I absolutely love, and am looking to build on my previous museum experience through internships. I also have realized how much I love teaching. While I love historical research, I'm not certain that academia is the path for me right now (not to mention the current state of the job market). I guess I'm kind of looking for validation, but mostly advice. What should my next steps be? Am I a complete failure for giving up on academia?

This happened to me last cycle. I wasn't accepted to the PhD program at NYU, but they offered me a spot in their MA program. I also got rejected from Columbia; they encouraged me to apply to the HiLi Masters program and accepted me a couple of days later with a scholarship. This might not be a common experience, but it does happen.

I will be applying to grad schools next year, for Fall 2021 entry. When should I start looking at programs, and when is it appropriate to start reaching out to faculty members?

Sorry, just want to clarify that this isn't the kind of grant that you're thinking of!

Hello, everyone! I have decided that I will be applying to a Fulbright during the next cycle, specifically for an award to get a PhD. As such, I will need to apply to the school as well as the general Fulbright. The school to which I am applying requires a research proposal. For my statement of grant purpose, what should I include? How should I structure it?

Perhaps check out Paul Steege at Villanova? He's very interested in urban life and the everyday in 20th century Germany, though in the Cold War. I'm taking his 20th Century Berlin course next semester, actually. Villanova does offer funding, typically a full tuition scholarship.

Hi everyone! I just have a very positive update that I wanted to share. We're getting to the point in the semester where we've been submitting abstracts and proposals for final papers. I recently submitted mine for my Medieval Europe class, and realized that I want to expand on the research that I'm doing. The question I've had in the back of my mind is How were the experiences of women in childbirth and infancy informed by their social positions, and how did these experiences inform the ways in which women interacted with the world around them and with each other? I'll be writing something along these lines for my final paper (which is focusing more on race/ethnicity in the medieval viewpoint), but I'll be doing an independent study this summer that will allow me to really get into this question more. I've done some primary and secondary source reading and have fallen in love; I've been able to call on the visual and material sources that I've been wanting to work with, and I'll be able to explore ritual and popular religion (which I've been obsessed with since readings for my Theory & Methods and since reading Robert Bartlett's Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things?). It's definitely something that I think I will want to bring with me through to PhD programs.