bibliophile0521

@Sigaba I apologize that my remarks have come off as dismissive, and I think they have been that way because I'm looking mostly into an MA program that offers comps more than I am looking to complete a thesis or even dissertation. I simply listed those topics as they are interesting to me and in the unlikely scenario I decided to write a thesis at the Master's level. To make it clearer, I mostly wanted advice on what kind of schools offer terminal masters programs and what scope of universities would be available to me given my stats. Now I see that perhaps my focus on stats and "getting in" to a good graduate program might sound a bit juvenile, likely stemming from from the fact that when applying to college from high school I was forced to consider my stats almost exclusively. I apologize for any misconceptions or lack of clarity on my behalf; I quite literally have no idea what I'm going in this graduate school process. I'm another first-gen student so this is all uncharted territory. Edit***: I read Tigla's comment again (I'll be upfront and admit I read it very quickly and didn't give it the consideration I should have) and I'll consider how I can approach a topic of American-German relations. Off of the top of my head, something that peaks my interest is dominance on the global stage. German attempted to exercise that through military force/dominance, whereas America's military power was exerted by "policing the world" so-to-speak. Kind of a direct vs. indirect thing. But that seems more comparative than an analysis or relationship between the two. Another thing that comes to mind is US- German relations from the Marshall Plan to today, but again, just an idea off of the top of my head.

@Tigla The American-German route was never something I considered, so perhaps I did not make that clear in my initial post. My research interests in American history- the more thought-out plan- pertains to Americans using literature as a way to "cope", contemplate, and convey society as they see it. For instance, I brought up John Steinbeck. In his novel The Grapes of Wrath he depicts a rural American family's struggles through the Great Depression. It expresses their economic circumstances, makes references to Hoovervilles, and depicts California as the land of opportunity. My aim would be to take a novel like The Grapes of Wrath and analyze it from a historical perspective. Again, the details aren't fully flushed out, but that's where I'm at right now; to examine how Americans in the 1920s and 1930s conveyed their experiences through literature. As for analyzing relationships between England and Germany, I kind of realized after I made my post that I'd be nearly impossible for me to pursue at a higher level as I do not speak German. I know Spanish, but that's clearly not relevant enough to my proposed research interest.

@Sigaba I didn't mean to come off as though I was focusing so much on stats but I felt it was important to establish as a low GPA can lead to an application being disregarded. Also, I'm quite familiar with historiography as my undergrad institution mandates that we take a course in it. Fortunately, this has granted me the opportunity to learn about historiography and methodology early on. As for my research interests, I'm leaning more-so towards the American topic than the Modern European one, hence why I stated that it was only a new idea and not well thought-out. I think I'm going to look more into the nature of book history and historians within that specialty.

For the upcoming application season I’m looking to apply to History MA programs. I’m not looking too much at joint or PhD programs as I do not have a definitive historical focus. My biggest issue at the moment is finding very universities that offer a terminal MA program. Most universities don't seem to offer them or if they do, there is no funding involved. I can't afford to take 50-100K in loans for an MA... Additionally, I don't even know where to apply (other than my undergrad institution) so I'm seeking recommendations for schools based on my stats or if one knows of historians in my areas of interest. TIA! Some basic info/stats: Attending a large state school in CA 3.722 GPA overall, 4.0 in History degree Scholarships/Department awards TBD GRE: Not taken. With the current global health crisis, I don’t know what the likelihood of me taking it is OR if universities will even require it. Research Experience None. My university is teaching-based rather than research-based. Work/Teaching Experience Spent 1 year working for a high school educational program centered around helping students with Native American heritage. I’ve spent the last year working as a writing tutor at a local CC. Foreign Languages: Spanish, written and oral proficiency Extracurriculars: Board position at my uni’s history club Misc. Facts: Finishing my History BA + English minor in 3 years ( thanks AP credits)! I have 3-4 professors in mind who I believe could write me strong letters of rec Potential Research Interests: At my university, we choose two historical concentrations. The ones I’ve selected are American History and Modern European History. I have two different research ideas each corresponding to my fields. American: The use of literature as a reflection of the American experience in the 1920s and 1930s. I’m thinking works by Langston Hughes, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and John Steinbeck to illustrate how Americans interpreted their lives and struggles through literature. Modern European History: This is less thought-out and something I’ve only thought of recently, but Anglo-German relationships and cultural/imperialistic competition during the late 19th century.