jpc34

Question: during my undergrad I worked as an archives assistant at my university’s archives and special collections. I didn’t work on my proposed area of study specifically, but it’s not entirely dissimilar (modern American social history) and a large part of my job was archival reference research. Is this something I should include on my CV?

Now that we’re well into October, where are other people at in the process? Finalizing lists, preparing SOPs? I think it’s kind of interesting that this forum is relatively quiet compared to last year.

Interesting Twitter thread with a Google Doc of history MA programs offering funding:

From my limited experience so far, emailing with and speaking to potential advisors has definitely helped me get deeper insight into individual schools and the application process in general. Obviously some professors want a lot of pre-application contact and others don’t, so it probably behooves applicants to pick up on that when and if the POI responds to their email.

Of the schools I’m planning on applying to, only Rutgers seems to be asking for the GRE. I hope that when they update the site for this cycle they will remove the requirement, seems strange for them to keep it when everyone else is dropping it.

For those of you who learned or are learning (to read) a new language for research: how did you do it? What methods are successful for acquiring reading knowledge, outside of formal instruction?

As I do more research, I think I will settle on a list of about 8 (PhD) programs, and expect to drop a few of those because of bad fit/POI not taking students. I think figuring out fit is a big reason to contact professors before you apply.

I'll break in the thread! Longtime (mostly) lurker here. I'm a senior history major applying this fall (decided to take a gap year). My interest is in social and economic history of 17th and 18th-century northern Europe, specifically northern Germany, including peasant societies, the history of capitalism and commerce, maritime history, and the North Sea and Atlantic worlds. Right now I'm planning to apply to PhD programs at Brandeis, Brown, UChicago, Northwestern, NYU, Columbia, and Fordham. I've also identified Portland State, UW - Milwaukee, and UMass - Amherst as MA programs if my PhD apps are unsuccessful. I have German (minoring in it) and basic French reading proficiency. My senior paper which I intend to use as a WS is on a modern American topic. In hindsight I should've probably chosen something to showcase language abilities, but I think as a history paper it's quite good (the professor advising it has recommended I submit it for a departmental prize). I contributed a translation from German to English for an undergraduate journal hosted at my university, maybe that will help alleviate any possible language concerns. When do people suggest applicants reach out to professors? I've heard late spring/early summer?

Hey everyone! This does feel a bit like a ridiculous question, but I thought I'd ask. I'm a senior history major planning to apply to grad schools next year. I just got my fall semester grades back and I got a B on one of my history courses. This semester my university gives us the option to switch the grading basis from A-F to pass/fail after we get our grades back. I'm considering changing that B to a pass, which would very slightly improve my GPA, but I'm more concerned about having the B on my transcript when applying to history grad programs (it would be my lowest history grade). But on the other hand I don't know if having the pass/fail would raise more eyebrows than the B. Of course this is all kind of hypothetical and unknowable, and probably would have very little real impact on the quality of my application, but any insight would be helpful. Thanks in advance!