aspiringhistorian

No, I didn't speak to my POI. I mostly just expressed my interest in the department and asked for the information I wanted. From the information I've gathered from around the forum, most schools tend to be fairly responsive (especially with waitlisters, since they can't afford to distance them quite yet).

Yeah I wrote them an email, so I'm waiting for the response (lots of waiting! Haha, I guess I'm getting used to it). I'm happy that I'm somewhat in range of a successful experience, so I feel more hopeful than I did before hearing from them. But, of course, I'd just like to get in. Good luck to you, though!

I know this could be a broad question, but what are people's experiences with the waitlist? Is it basically a rejection, or are there legitimate chances? (I was waitlisted at Brandeis and am trying to put it in some sort of context...)

I think that an admissions committee is mostly interested in seeing that you're committing to a certain direction and that a PhD in from that institution is going to be worth something. I feel like they always hear that their applicants want to go into academia and it might actually be interesting for them to see a different application for that sort of education- so long as it's relevant. It's true that the job market in academia is extremely competitive so it wouldn't be realistic for them to expect all of their students to go down that path.

I probably wouldn't do it personally just because I tend to be private, but I don't necessarily think I would be bothered if someone else did. Of course, there is a respectful way to do it... but this is such a stressful process and it's natural to want to (tastefully) celebrate a good outcome.

If I weren't aiming for a PhD in History, I'd probably want to do law. I enjoy high-pressure work and interacting with others, so law seems like an appropriate field. I might also be happy in some sort of business-related environment but I know less about that.

After I turned in the majority of my applications, I was accepted to present a paper at a conference. Is there an acceptable way to update the universities I'm applying to?

Thank you so much! I'm taking all the advice I can get and this was very helpful.

I contacted a potential POI who responded saying that he was going to be retiring soon but felt I was an "ideal candidate" and could recommend me. I'm going to be meeting with him this week, but because interviews aren't a formal part of the process of a History PhD application, I'm a little unsure about what this meeting is exactly. I'm sure it's going to be an interview on both sides, but I was wondering if anyone has survived one of these ambiguous meetings and had any recommendations? I know this is vague, but I'm nervous about walking in there and blowing my shot at my number one school.

I ran across this article by Anthony Grafton and Jim Grossman in the AHA's "Perspectives on History" magazine that I thought you all might be interested in. It talks about the job market for History PhDs and how graduate institutions should adapt to the decrease in employment opportunities in academic settings. I thought it was particularly interesting because it doesn't necessarily paint a bleak portrait for our futures and, in fact, encourages us to pursue our interests within the field exactly because there are simply new types of jobs out there for us that aren't what the traditional path would have typically led to. Grafton and Grossman also emphasize the need for the graduate programs to alter what they are training us for given the current situation, advocating a blend of the traditional approach with an understanding of the new options that are out there... because they are out there. Feel free to share your thoughts! Here is the link: http://chronicle.com/article/No-More-Plan-B/129293/

I wrote to them a couple of days ago and they wrote back saying to check in a few days... so hopefully that doesn't mean in a month.

Thanks for the link! This process is about to get out of hand so it's nice to have a way of keeping it under control a little bit.

My understanding is that, once you're in the program, it's really only a matter of how proficient you are in being able to read (as crater21 said) the primary sources, etc in your chosen field. However, getting into a program without background in that language would be more difficult than already having that proficiency under your belt. Sometimes departments specify what the expect of their applicants when it comes to language, so peruse the websites for relevant info. Good luck!