DanaJ

I second this question... I waived my right to view on my applications so that they would write freely, but I am SO CURIOUS.

I had never heard that you shouldn't do your MA at the same school you attended for your BA until I was in this forum. Personally, my school offered a 3+2 program, which allowed me to take 3 MA courses over 2 semesters my senior year of undergrad. Those courses were then applied to both my BA and MA degree, designed to expedite a student pursuing their MA. As I am a non-traditional student (translation: a little older), saving a semester was a big benefit of staying put. That said, I was also a community college transfer, so I would have been transferring for school to school every two years. I was content to stay in one place for 4 years. I do think that the relationships I developed in my time at my current institution helped with my letters, but I understand that if there's not a good fit for your research, sometimes it's best to move on.

I'm still hanging out, waiting on one more application that was really a coin toss. It was a last minute decision to apply to TCU and I hadn't contacted the POI because she was in her first year at the school, so honestly I didn't even know about her (I started my research much earlier). My MA thesis advisor referred me to her, and I applied ON deadline day in a panic after a couple rejections. It's more curiosity to see if/what they offer than anything else, I'm very happy with the acceptance and offer that I have, but it's never over until it's over.

Isn't the radio silence frustrating?! 5 applied, 3 rejected, 1 accepted, 1 radio silence... I've seen one acceptance and no rejections from my radio silent school. I feel your pain! Edit: Technically, it only takes one school to accept you! Presumably you don't apply to a program without a reasonable belief that you will do well and be able to pursue a career after you complete your program, so one is enough! But the wait is hard regardless.

A funded MA is hard to come by. I was 2/3 funded, but there’s only 3-4 positions available for the entire program at my university. Obviously MA programs consist of more than 3-4 students (it was 4, budget cuts made us 3). If you have the funded opportunity, take it! It can be super competitive! I was a community college transfer to a 4 year university, but I stayed at the same school I completed my undergrad with for my MA. They offer a terminal MA and no PhD program, but in the 2 extra years I built stronger relationships with faculty that I also think helped contribute to stronger letters for PhD applications. Short version: with your research interests transitioning, I would take a funded MA offer if you have one. That allows you more time to explore those interests without building up debt, and will also strengthen your applications if you want to keep moving forward. Just my 2 cents.

I went through a similar situation, but it was MA work at my currently university. I’ve had a difficult time finding advisors and one of the potential candidates was a really good fit for my thesis committee. If you’ve had contact with someone at the university or have developed some kind of relationship, I don’t see why it would be an issue to inquire about when they may make a decision. Personally, I’m fairly open with my department chair (I TAed for him twice), and asked about when a decision would be reached because one candidate would be a very viable option for a committee member. That said, proceed with extreme caution if you do not have any existing relationship with that department. I know that I have read over any and all contact with departments outside my own numerous times and often save an email to drafts, think about what I wanted to say, and revisit it later. It can’t hurt to ask, especially if you have decision to make between programs, but make sure you are very polite in doing so and be sure to not come off too intrusive. You aren’t trying to by nosey about inter workings of the department, simply inquiring about something that may impact your own project and I personally see nothing wrong with that, if handled properly.

"Popular themes," was my biggest concern. I love political history, and that is far from popular. Most people find it dull and boring. I have a piece of advice, and it does not even apply to your acceptance or rejection from multiple programs: You have to pursue what you enjoy and are passionate about. I dropped out of the history field and attempted to go to business school at one point because it was practical. I HATED every second of it, and ended up a C student, barely getting by. One day, on a whim, I decided to go back and finish my history undergrad. I became a model student because I cared about what I was doing. If you have the passion, it can work out for you. That said, if you aren't working with a "trendy" topic, admission can be hard. I am looking at 1950s political history with my MA, and I struggled to even find potential POIs. You may have to search for POIs. They may not be at the big name schools. I found one who seemed interested in what I am doing and has done similar work, in ONE introductory meeting before I ever applied, he gave my some incredibly useful advice. I'm telling you, it can be done. I have friends in academia who proofread my SOP. I worked for 6 months on a writing sample. Those things are an excellent opportunity to demonstrate what you're passionate about, and if you find a POI who has similar interests, they may get excited about you. DIG DIG DIG through school's faculty pages on their websites, that's what I did. It won't hurt you to incorporate more trendy topics. I am working with a specific election cycle and the women's vote does matter, but I never made it a key focus. The Korean War? Not trendy, but it's a key focus. I didn't apply to many TT programs because they are heavily focused on the current popular themes, but keep in mind that those change, and if you find even one person who wants to work with you, it could surprise you. Who knows, maybe 15 years from now you're the person someone is desperately looking for because it seems like no one has an interest in what they are passionate about. Or maybe your topic is the new trendy topic and you were ahead of the curve!

Aw, I was trying to provide some hope, but I never want it to be false hope!

New York had a lot of the severe weather/snow/ice that delayed a lot of responses compared to last year... don’t lose hope yet!

I haven't officially accepted anything, I still have one decision pending from TCU, but I am fairly confident in what I intend to do. "Plan or direction" that I refer to is more a question of what should I be doing in the summer season to prepare myself to enter the program. Should I already be doing research? Should I be working as much as possible at a summer job to save money? I emailed the DGS with questions regarding transcripts because I was given "conditional acceptance pending official transcripts" and wanted to be sure that I was supposed to send officials after my MA was complete, not immediately. Beyond an email with the DGS, I have not spoken to my POI and am not sure what the proper course of action is at this point in the process.

For those of you who have been offered admission to a program and have either accepted an offer or are fairly certain you will accept: Have you had any contact with you POI beyond the initial notification that you've been offered admission? I have an offer and had some contact with my POI before I applied, and even one brief e-mail after my application was submitted (I was inquiring as to where I might find something he mentioned writing, turned out it was not yet published, explaining why I could not find it), but nothing since. Should we be waiting until we officially start or should we already be creating some kind of plan or direction? Personally, I am completing my MA in May and entering a PhD program in the fall, so I am trying to remain focused on my thesis and my current university, but I'm also a planner who wants to know exactly what to expect in the fall! I did reach out to a PhD candidate at the university I plan to attend, just to ask about the graduate student community and some basic expectations, but I always want to have as much information as I possibly can!

Glad to know the Ivy’s do this too! One of the small regional universities that I applied to did the same to me. And they ONLY ACCEPT DOCTORAL CANDIDATES WHO ALREADY HAVE AN MA IN THE FIRST PLACE! I applied because they are a quick program (4 years) with a decent placement rate in the types of jobs I’m interested in, but if they already require an MA because they’re such a fast paced doctoral program, why would I want to get a second MA from them?

I submitted a sample that I felt good about, but it was a chapter from my MA thesis, which is a larger work that is still in progress. As my thesis has evolved over time, I would go back and re-work aspects of the chapter I had submitted as a writing sample. I would probably have felt great if I never had to look at that section of my thesis again, but since I had to go back to it as part of a larger project, I discovered typos in the sample that I had submitted to programs! I agree with your advice not to look at materials once you have submitted them, but I would add that if you are continuing to apply to other programs, an extra look does not hurt. Application fees can be hard for students, I staggered my applications over 2 week periods so that all of the fees did not hit me all at once. As I was spreading applications out over time, I was also continuing to work on my thesis so I was revisiting the sample I had submitted. I was happy to fix the error that I found before sending my writing sample to the program I was ultimately accepted into, but at the same time I doubt that one typo would have been enough to justify rejecting me! It can create unnecessary stress but using a writing sample that best demonstrates your interests can also work to your benefit because it emphasizes what you are saying in your SOP. If it's part of a larger work in progress, it is harder to walk away from.

ohhhh, Stop would have been vital to my application process!!! I used a sample thesis chapter, but the thesis is still in progress. I have been back over these pages more times than I would like to count, and I did find a MAJOR typo! Luckily I fixed it after two applications, I staggered mine due to fees. The program that accepted me did not read the same sample as some of my earlier applications.

I have also been offered acceptance to UK, PM me!!!! i don’t know anything about medieval history specifically but I’ve been working to understand the program overall! edit: we can work our way through figuring it out together.

100% agree! I never considered skipping the MA and even just picking a thesis topic made me rethink what I wanted to research. I feel like I would have been completely unprepared to apply to doctoral programs without my MA. Although now that the application stress is over, I have to finish and defend my thesis! My acceptance to my top choice program is conditional upon completion of my MA and I feel behind!

Firstly, I want to echo the discussion of considering an MA program. Honestly, for all this talk of elite schools, my goal was always to teach community college (for a variety of personal reasons). With that goal in mind, I set my sights on a terminal MA and NEVER considered applying to any PhD program out of undergrad. That goal has evolved as I have grown and gotten further into my research, and I am still shocked that I will be entering a PhD program in the fall, simply because it was not the plan until about a year ago. Secondly, an advisor or two is a key element to this process. I had my MA thesis advisor working with me on my writing sample (as it is a chapter from my thesis), but my department chair helped me extensively with my SOP. Those types of instructors and mentors can also help you determine schools that are best for you to apply for. So many historians know each other, they will likely know someone who could be a potential POI. Thirdly, contact potential POIs EARLY. I was in e-mail contact as early as March of 2018. Honestly, I started discussing my research interests with them and trying to work out if we would be a good fit because many of us live life on a budget, why waste time/application fees/stress on programs that are certainly not going to accept you because your POI is not interested. That's not a surefire way to be accepted, but it helps to know if the program is worth your effort and cost. I still ended up rejected from a program after speaking to a POI on the basis of "your intended advisor did not think he could properly advise your project." You never know, but networking and feeling people out never hurts, as long as you are polite and respectful about how you approach it. Ok, for some reason this has turned into a much longer response than I planned, but I'll keep going. Visit schools that you are interested in (if you are able). Set meetings with the DGS and POI. It doesn't have to be a formal interview, but if you show up with questions prepared about the program and demonstrate that you are serious, it can go a long way. Dress nicely, make a good impression, and admission committees will be able to put a face with the name on paper. This also helps you because you can see if your personality fits with your POI. I can't imagine anything worse than entering a long term program and having to work closely with someone I could not stand! The program I will be attending in the fall is one that I went to meet with. Honestly, my verbal GRE score is not fantastic. My written was fairly high, as well as my letters, GPA, and presumably the rest of my application. I think that visiting helped to offset the fact that standardized tests are not my friend. Lastly, I know the job market is hard. The goal of entering these programs is to find work after you graduate. That said, yes, the big elite schools look great to potential employers, but check out the placement records of some of the smaller state schools. ESPECIALLY if there is a POI who you mesh well with. Great historians do work outside of the well known programs, and if the school has a good reputation, a good placement record, and a good POI, there's no reason to not consider them. I am glad that I looked, because my research interests are relatively uncommon and I got very lucky with the school that I found. Do lots of research into different types of programs, sometimes what's best in a name is not necessarily best for your personal interests or goals. **EDIT: Many state schools also offer funding packages, especially because they realize our job market is incredibly tough. Always look at the funding, but keep in mind that it is often offered. I am about to complete a partially funded MA at a regional school, and I had scholarships to cover what my Grad Assistant position did not. There's always ways to find funding, but you have to look! I hope some of my rant helped. I'm clearly no authority figure, I just speak from experience.

It looks like Notre Dame finally got around to contacting those of us who did not get interviews. I expected the rejection, but that took FOREVER!!! I have been accepted to a program that seems to be a fantastic fit with my research interests, so that one didn't sting too badly.

Personally, I am incredibly thankful that I attended an MA program before applying to doctoral programs for this very reason. I’m not sure how your MA program would be structured, but mine was broad. They required us to take at least 2 courses in European, 2 courses in American, and 2 courses in “non-western.” We also had the flexibility to take up to 2 independent studies, provided there was an instructor interested in facilitating that topic for us. While I ultimately did stay with modern American history, my interest from undergrad shifted from military history (particularly the pacific theater of WWII, I think I was drawn to that topic because I am a navy veteran) into the variety of factors within American society that impacted Cold War American politics. That odd change in interests came from an MA program that pushed me to explore outside the box I had put myself into. It is not an easy transition, but I strongly recommend you attend an MA program before your PhD so that you have the opportunity to narrow your interests within European history if you want to transition. Obviously I speak from my personal experience, not of any place of authority, but sometimes it helps you grow if you take the smaller steps (like an MA) rather than jumping from undergrad to PhD. Good luck!

This was my first (and hopefully last) application cycle. The very first school that I applied to proved challenging for me. I had help with my SOP within my current department, but the DGS at the first program I applied to was incredibly helpful to me, which in turn helped with my other applications. I had also been to visit that department (my mother lives an hour drive from the school), so I had met this DGS. Somehow my POI was never around when I was, so we only had brief email contact. All of this said, when I was rejected from their program I did send a polite email to that DGS thanking him for his help with the application process and for taking the time to show me all around campus when I went to visit. I don’t know if that’s technically proper conduct, I didn’t reach out to the other school that rejected me, but it was what felt natural to me after almost a year of frequent contact with this particular DGS.

Whoever the other Kentucky person is, congratulations! I’m sure we will meet soon!

Decisions are starting to fly in. Last night I was rejected from my second choice program and was absolutely heartbroken, I thought they were very interested. Then, this morning while I was in a classroom working, an e-mail came in to check the application portal from my top choice program. I sat in the GA office and panicked about opening the portal. I GOT ACCEPTED!!! After 2 rejections, this was a shock, but a pleasant one and nice to hear while sitting in an office across the hall from my current department head.

I can absolutely relate to the intellectual environment issue! I also attend a relatively small commuter school, we have a very small MA community and the town itself is small. I got lucky with a good friend group from my program, they all live in town as well. Even as people graduate we make a point to stay in contact, spend time together, and those who have finished ask about my thesis project often. I also finished my undergrad at this school, so I sometimes run into people I took undergrad courses with. The whole thing makes me happy I chose to do my MA before pursuing the PhD because I learned a valuable lesson in that you CAN build your own community, but it is a challenge. I'm sure those issues are much less challenging with a larger program.

I mean, if committees are meeting on a Monday morning or afternoon, that would make logical sense. It's not like they made a decision on Friday and then made the applicants wait until Monday to hear a decision, at least I hope not. That would just be cruel.

I had 2 at 15 page limits and 3 at 20-30 page requirements. It was a weird gap to have to try to work with 5 pages (give or take) that were required or needed to be cut.