KScrooge

Anyone know when decisions for Colorado-Boulder will be rolling out? I looked at previous years on the results page but couldn't determine anything.

Did UMD email??? I still haven't gotten my Indiana email, although my mail server is prob fried from repeatedly hitting refresh.

I PMed you!

I also applied to UConn. I was emailed over the weekend by the DGS. She informed me that I was named an "alternate for admission" should funding become available and did extend an invitation to Welcome Weekend.

Here's a question for those of you who received an acceptance from the graduate school itself, whether it be an official form email or letter by post. Did you then contact your POI at the university or the department acknowledging this in any way? I see some people get notified by individuals they've been in contact with, but if not should you reach out to them and express anything? I was just curious. I don't know what the proper etiquette is and wouldn't want it to seem like I am disinterested. Does one wait until after the department contacts them concerning funding?

At least chocolate was more readily accessible, thus easing the pain.

I just returned from a weekend getaway - researching and sightseeing - to discover a lovely letter from Temple Graduate School informing me of my acceptance! Funding has yet to be determined, but at least it's a positive start. Congrats on all the acceptances thus far!!

Same here =(

Ever wonder at what point in the process grad students cross over to the dark side of social awkwardness?? Maybe there's a trend where the socially awkward have a greater success rate in achieving PhDs. Or maybe it's just a prereq... Anyway a little birdie told me Rutgers is getting things moving as well.

I emailed Indiana's history department last night and they got back to me first thing this morning.

Did you call the history department or the graduate school?

20th century international/cultural history Minnesota UNC Chapel Hill UT Austin Michigan Temple Rutgers UMD Indiana Yale WashU UConn Good Luck!

Anyone else really annoyed by some schools' application programs that won't show you what's been received or not? Or even confirm anything other than your application was submitted? Shaking my fist at Indiana!

I'm taking my GREs again next week! It's been 2 years and I'm just hoping I can bump the score by a bit. But I've been torn about the whole thing. When I signed up to take them again I was focused only on the numeric score I received the first time. Then I dug up my old score report and saw the percentage was actually better than I thought. It's pretty aggravating, but I guess I'm just going to suck it up. I did finally narrow down a list of programs I'm applying to, so that's one more thing I can cross off the to do list!

Thanks for the clarification. In that case I'll assume the hurricane has silenced this thread...

With the start of fall officially around the corner, I was wondering where everybody stands? Things have been all too quiet on this thread. I for one am trying to get my short list of programs together, emailing potential advisors and other contacts, and possibly setting up a few interviews/meetings. How are the rest of you faring in the calm before the storm?

I too am making my second attempt. Unfortunately the department I'm at right now, finishing my MA, is giving mixed signals (I think they are all preoccupied with the massive budget cuts courtesy of a new governor). While I have solid support from several faculty members, some think that anyone with less than a 4.0 needn't bother pursuing a PhD (really I don't see a problem with my 3.83). When I applied to PhD programs 2 years ago, I definitely had little to offer. I had a great GPA, but my LoR weren't from anyone well-known and my GRE scores were only good, not great. I'm hoping to fix that this time around. My question is how important do you think interviews are? I'm debating contacting departments that aren't a flight away. I'm also concerned about gpa. The school I'm at now offers As followed by B+s. They alter the numeric equivalent for this, but it's still confusing. My gpa is summa cum laude, but my transcript will reveal less than As. Would this be of concern to anyone? Besides that I have some well-known, published professors offering to write my LoR, and I'm retaking my GREs next month to bump my verbal score from its current 660. I've even spent the money to register for a foreign language class to brush up on my German skills. Here's hoping second time is the charm, not the third =)

I understand that aspect completely, and trust me I am looking at the people not the place. Micki McElya is at UConn, hence my interest, but I was unfamiliar with the remainder of the department. I was looking at Temple because of Petra Goedde and Whitney Strub, but Strub left for Rutgers. I'm also interested in the work of Natasha Zaretsky at Southern Illinois - Carbondale, which is a much smaller, less well-known program but I am a big fan of hers thus making it worth the effort. This is not the first time I'm applying to grad school, so I am aware that it's about the people you work with and how you piece together your application package. Part of the reason I went to Rutgers-Newark for the MA is it offered me the opportunity to work under some great people with similar interests.

Thanks for the suggestions. You are absolutely right Riotbeard, everything is swollen. Also, does anybody have any thoughts on UConn?? I rarely see them mentioned but I know they have a history phd program, and they include some public history coursework, which is appealing to me.

Hey all, I'll be graduating this May 2011 with my MA in history from Rutgers-Newark. I've begun looking into PhD programs in both American Studies and History. When I initially applied in the fall of 2008 to PhD programs I was completely unprepared for the emotional distress of it all, from GREs to deadlines, to rejections that all seemed to include some line about the state of the current economy. Luckily I was accepted to an MA program at Rutgers and even received a research assistantship. In the past few months I've changed my mind about continuing onto the PhD. Part of me always said I could do it later in life, but I realize now is the best time with my recent coursework and the opportunity to provide great letters of rec., etc. That being said, I'm trying to get together a list of schools to begin looking into. I'm interesting in 20th c. American History, with particular interest in the Cold War, popular culture, memory, sexuality and gender anxieties. I want to apply to both Am Studies and history programs, keeping all options open. Does anyone have any program suggestions? I'd really be interested in any information provided.