Carltonjacobs

Hello all. I am looking to apply this fall for entrance in Fall 2021. My interest is Early Modern European history. I was wondering, given the financial needs of universities with the Covid crisis, if some schools would be open to accepting students who would be willing to pay their way? I may be able to do so but I didn’t know if university history programs can even handle such a proposition? It would seem a net positive for them if a largely self-directed student is adding tuition (and not taking funding from others) when the university needs it most. If my stats, sample, and recommends are otherwise competitive, could it work? Has it ever happened?

Does anyone know how the long Medieval&Renaissance Studies program takes at Columbia to make decisions for their MA program? That is my second choice for a degree and I applied after my PhD rejection. Deadline was Feb 15 and I made it in time. Just trying to get a sense of timeline. If anyone knows I would be grateful.

Could someone please share when Duke campus visits are? When are they for UT?

When does UT Austin come out with decisions?

I’m taking it hard too. I wish you the best while we’re all in limbo.

How common are interviews for history applicants? Are they only for certain programs/fields/schools? Columbia's website under FAQs states that they do not do interviews given the large number of applicants, but it sounds like candidates for other schools are already participating in them.

Seems pretty standard then. Thank all for responding and providing a perspective.

I was wondering if a "Request for Additional Information" is a good sign? I received a request from Harvard this morning stating that "the admissions committee has requested additional information from applicants regarding prior language study and language proficiency." I am not sure if everyone gets this, but they didn't ask for language information on the original application (though I volunteered it). Could this just be standard procedure? It is an after-the-fact request. Does anyone know if this is requested from all applicants or perhaps those who have been "filtered?" Any thoughts?

I appreciate the candor. I’ve heard it both ways, and honestly the mixed messaging has complicated my decision-making. A couple of people have suggested an MA, while others have stated not to worry about it in the case of a non traditional candidate with career experience supporting the subject matter. I do understand the “demonstrate genuine interest” argument, but I would think that leaving the private sector would be sufficient to exhibit commitment. I don’t know how admissions would view it all though. Leaving my career for my passion and then paying for an MA is a double whammy.

Multiple offers would be phenomenal. I agree that things in academia will be different, likely drastically so, along those same dimensions that you mentioned. The Men in Black video brings back 90's memories and the message is definitely applicable to my situation. It's still a good movie after all these years. School websites all mention mid-March as the notification time frame, but I've noticed that many decisions shared on other threads of this forum show that a majority of them are revealed between mid-January and late-February. Any rules of thumb to go by with respect to timing?

No Thank you for the encouragement. I've been mostly alone in this process until now so positive, albeit objective, words mean a lot. No, my CEO doesn't have a PhD, but I hope that you're right about adcomms being interested in a private sector perspective -- this recommendation would shed light on my analytics, research prowess, creativity, and writing ability.

Hi, everyone. I'm new to the forum and a friend recommended joining to help me as I await responses from schools. I have applied to a number of PhD programs (field: early modern European history; subfield: history of finance). I think that I have been going a little nuts as I have waited, so I thought I would reach out to see 1) how to cope with the wait, and 2) if there are any ways to advance a candidacy once an application has been submitted. I am also trying to get a realistic idea of my chances. I have a BS and MS in finance from a midwest school, GPA ~3.7. I worked for a decade on Wall Street and at a startup that I helped take public. I also obtained an MBA from a top-10 school. I am pivoting to my passion of history after years away. I have recommendations from a history of finance professor, an international relations professor, and my current CEO. I have reading competency in three European languages and Latin. My writing sample and SOPs are pretty solid and were reviewed by peers and a university professor. I got a 170V/160Q/5.0AW on the GRE. I have contacted relevant faculty at target schools over the months with some good responses, but I wonder how much this outreach will matter in the long run. Is there anything else that can be done? Schools: Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Duke, UT. Thanks, all.