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Mandyz

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  1. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to AnUglyBoringNerd in 2021 Application Thread   
    @dr. telkanuru
    I just noticed the "dr." part added to your name! If it means what I think it means, then congratulations! 
    I joined the GradCafe when I was applying for the first time (and didn't get in anywhere) and now I am third year into my program and preparing for orals while applying for dissertation fellowships (and mostly just lurking)... It's so surreal to see things change a bit (though more than often they stay the same) here! O_O
  2. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to Boarskin in 2021 Application Thread   
    I was accepted into a PhD program this year. All I was saying is that if a person is determined to attend a MA or equivalent degree, then he/ she might consider the MAPSS a good choice. 
    You are right to say that a person should not be falling into significant student debt for a history MA, and I encourage everyone who is about to enter a MA program this year to weight the cost and the benefits. 
  3. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to aco2 in 2021 Application Thread   
    Hey folks, I have gotten a bunch of messages since posting my one acceptance, asking about my application process, etc. and I am happy to provide any feedback and answer questions whenever I can (as long as people know that this is not like a magic potion. I'm very lucky to have gotten in, but I don't pretend to know the secret to applying that nobody else knows). I have long felt that the nice thing about this community is that it's a group of wishful scholars supporting each other and providing a little clarification where possible to the more mysterious parts of this grad application process. 
    That being said, I got an message this morning asking me if I was admitted to a particular program because it was the only program the writer had applied for and they stated that they hoped to "influence the outcome any way I can." This is so unbelievably inappropriate. It makes me sad to think that members of this community are going around trying to talk others out of attending programs that they were admitted to in the hopes of clearing their own way. Deciding on a program is a hard and intimate decision, and nobody should be trying to influence each other in any direction, let alone out of a good placement. 
    I am going to step back here, and won't be reading any new messages. Please everyone try to be good to each other, and supportive rather than covetous when it comes to others' admissions. I know we are all desperate for good news in a hard year, but just be kind.
  4. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to L13 in 2021 Application Thread   
    Yes, I second this.
    I think communicating with potential doctoral advisors plays a different role in the application process in the UK than it does in the US. From what I remember, at Cambridge at least it's pretty much impossible to get admitted without speaking to your potential advisor and securing their support for your proposed project first. That's not the case in America, where PhD programs are longer and include coursework. Most POIs pretty much assume the topic of your dissertation won't be the same as what you put down in your statement of purpose, unless you have two master's degrees or are transferring from another PhD program or something. So emailing your potential advisor is entirely optional, and not a method of establishing a shared understanding of what your research will be about. All the information they need from you is in the application, so if they like your materials, they'll push for your acceptance regardless of whether there's been prior communication or not. I hadn't said/written a single word to my advisor before I got my acceptance email.
    Anyway. I don't know how well this advice will go over in this thread, where seemingly everyone is in constant communication with multiple POIs throughout the entire application cycle, but unless you have a good reason for emailing someone, like wanting to know whether they're too old/junior to accept grad students, well, don't email them before you've been accepted. It has no bearing on the outcome of your application and it's frankly a waste of their time.
  5. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to OHSP in 2021 Application Thread   
    In answer to the first question -- what are the "smaller schools" on your list, in your opinion? And what are you thinking of as the "top programs". The top programs on a ranked list are not going to be the same as the top programs for you personally given your interests, personality, field, advisor etc. I attend the "lowest ranked" school that I was accepted to when I applied (5 acceptances, including an ivy league school and two in the "top ten") and four years into the phd I have no regrets about the decision and, importantly, have been able to win the kinds of major grants that can be just as important for getting a job as the school you attend. I definitely attribute the success with grants to having the right advisor. A friend who just completed at a very "low ranked" school (but with an advisor who is basically the leader in my friend's field) has secured a TT position. Others might disagree with me but imo advisor > school. 

    Re the writing sample -- submit your best writing. Without having read the samples no one can really tell you which one you should use. There are plenty of undergrad essays that outshine "MA level" essays. 
    Noooooo!!! To be blunt, that's a terrible terrible terrible basis on which to rule out schools. Don't think like this! There are so many reasons a potentially excellent advisor might not reply to your June email. They might be having a bad summer, they might be traveling, they might have family stuff going on, they might just miss your email because their inbox is being flooded. If a POI responds, cool; they don't reply, you have no idea why and it likely has nothing to do with you. 
  6. Like
    Mandyz reacted to L13 in 2021 Application Thread   
    Yawn. Call me when cutting down cohort sizes in response to job market contraction is accompanied by redirecting that money to either creating new TT faculty lines (which would improve the job market!) or even just funding and training for existing grad students, instead of cutting the department's budget.
    It's easy to say programs that admit more students than they can place are irresponsible given the current market conditions, but simply admitting fewer students without investing in improving the dire state of academic hiring is not some principled decision; it's laying the groundwork for further cuts down the line. Undergraduate history enrollments keep trending downward and administrators are finding history departments increasingly costly relative to how many majors they support. Reducing grad student enrollment is the first step to reducing the size of the faculty. Why do you need so many professors when you only have so few grad students? You don't.
    You're not gonna catch me applauding provosts, trustees and chancellors for pretending to be concerned about a crisis they have personally created. If they cared so much, they could just hire more TT historians.
  7. Like
    Mandyz reacted to Maguire in 2021 Application Thread   
    1. I know that compared to Yale or Harvard, UCL and Cambridge pale in comparison and I wasn’t suggesting this would help my application next year, just that as a U.K. applicant these are our top schools (and are both in the top 10 for the QS world rankings.) I know that in some ways being an international applicant, even though I’m a US citizen, is to my disadvantage.
    2. Thanks - I think most likely my dissertation will be the best writing sample to use. 
    3. I applied to too many schools this cycle and it wasn’t the best idea, but I was trying to maximise my chances. I did tailor my SOP to each application but I’m going to make sure that I do this even better for next cycle. It’s what I’ll be working on over the summer after I finalise my list of where I’ll be applying.

    I appreciate and thank you for your candidness but I have come away from this answer feeling discouraged about my chances of getting in next year as an applicant from the U.K. I think it may be time for me to step back from Grad Cafe, I appreciate everyone’s advice and support but I need to concentrate and avoid distractions. I’m pretty sure this cycle is over for me, so wishing you all the best and for my fellow 2022 applicants, good luck next year!
  8. Like
    Mandyz reacted to SAM311 in 2021 Application Thread   
    That's fine. However, this was LITERALLY something that came directly from a professor at Duke. They mentioned that they are tired of seeing people who want to seek careers in the field directly because the careers are dwindling. Show them your passion and WHY you want to do this even if there isn't a job at the end of it - obviously not explicitly by saying "I don't expect a career."
  9. Like
    Mandyz reacted to TagRendar in 2021 Application Thread   
    I think something we all need to remember is something that was said much, much earlier in this thread:  part of this IS random chance.  It’s not about fit or qualifications in some cases, it’s about who’s able to take who in a given year and what the landscape looks like.  It’s not personal.
    I definitely agree that lack of feedback is difficult, as is the spotty nature of information coming out - the mystery of who’s rejected and who’s not, how many applications came in vs how many slots are available and departments not letting us know at the outset that information so we could all make more informed decisions about where to apply and how.
    But it’s okay.  We’ll all get through and on the other side, we’ll be able to look back and decide whether or not it was worth it and then decide, after that reflection, whether or not to pick up and do it again—or decide what the next step is.
    But either way, eventually, we’ll be okay.
  10. Like
    Mandyz reacted to HardyBoy in 2021 Application Thread   
    Just popping in to note that there is not a connection between the Princeton history and art history departments, so the decision time of one is not related to the other. (I'm sorry I have no other insight into when Princeton's decisions will be out!)
  11. Like
    Mandyz reacted to Tigla in 2021 Application Thread   
    100%! The department is under a lot of strain from the 2019 cohort, but also because the graduate school has refused to help fund extensions for years 5-7 which means the department is picking up the bill. The last 2 cohorts were cut in half and this upcoming one is cut even further due to funding issues caused by a sudden graduate school change to funding.
     
    (Sorry, I have been the bearer of bad news from U-M for quite a while on this forum. I promise I'm a happier person in real life. =p )
  12. Like
    Mandyz reacted to generalstrike in 2021 Application Thread   
    People really do that? That is profoundly inscrutable behavior.
  13. Like
    Mandyz reacted to doubleo in 2021 Application Thread   
    Thank you! It's Modern Europe. I was feeling a bit pessimistic because of all the talk here about the Europeanist bloodbath (and even during the interview my POI kept talking about the popularity of "Global History" and how departments want to pick students who will do well on the job market), but hey, I guess there was room for at least one!
     
    And yes, it was from DGS. My admissions portal actually hasn't been updated yet lol
  14. Like
    Mandyz reacted to TagRendar in 2021 Application Thread   
    That makes a lot of sense!  Thank you.  I guess I was looking at some of the grad realities through the lens of the realities being faced by the departments that I’m currently engaged with at the undergrad level.  There has been a lot of uncertainty with how things are going to continue to look so it’s had a huge impact on the shape of department offerings and class types both this year and for the coming year.  I’ve been lucky enough to have some very frank conversations with professors about the state of things in the past few months, hence my (erroneous) assumption.
  15. Like
    Mandyz reacted to Maguire in 2021 Application Thread   
    Very true - you only need one, as Amy said! 
  16. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to aco2 in 2021 Application Thread   
    I kind of think this is inappropriate. People are just starting to get very early decisions back, and there are a lot of personal and important decisions to be made. The last thing anyone needs is a stranger on the internet (consciously or not) adding pressure to that process. Give it a few weeks and let people figure things out. Some waitlist spots will inevitably open up somewhere and we just have to wait it out.
  17. Like
    Mandyz reacted to samiwas in 2021 Application Thread   
    Hello all, just coming to say that I wound up hearing back from U Chicago today. No official offer, but heard from POI that I had been accepted. Seems like I might be one of the earlier ones to find out, and that more news will be coming in the next few days.
    FWIW, I was not asked to interview after turning in my application, as others have been.
    Best of luck to those still waiting! And thanks for the posting and encouragement these last few weeks. It has been a struggle this year, knowing I was not alone made the difference
     
  18. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to Maguire in 2021 Application Thread   
    Anyone claiming the UCLA acceptances? Says they are posted 2nd February which doesn't make much sense as it is currently the middle of the night in California but then the emails could have come out yesterday ?
  19. Like
    Mandyz reacted to werdnerd in 2021 Application Thread   
    Hey folks,
    For those who are wondering about Berkeley – I am one of the ones who got a decision last Friday. I was rejected though, so probably only heard about it so early because my POI and I really hit it off during the application process. Apparently they only admitted 14 this year – which is small for Berkeley, but honestly not that bad compared to some other programs that are paring down their cohorts this year. Congrats to anyone who got in though! I am over the moon about where I'm headed in the fall, but Berkeley seems like an amazing program.
  20. Like
    Mandyz reacted to Dayzz in 2021 Application Thread   
    Hello! Ph.D applicant this year and I received an informal chat request from POI at UCR which took place on Monday (and she invited the director of the department's Graduate Studies Committee, meeting was about 40 mins long). Before that, I was asked for my official transcripts (posted such on the results page). Sounds promising, but I am still nervous because it sounded as if their decision would be based on my transcripts which won't arrive until the end of this week. Last night I received a rejection from UCSB's Chicana/o Studies Dep but am still waiting to hear back from Stanford, UCLA and UCI's History program and USC's American Studies. Denials/acceptances are consuming my thoughts and I am constantly checking this website for results and randomly checking school portals/my email. If anyone wants to send me a DM feel free to do so. 
  21. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to Maguire in 2021 Application Thread   
    Anyone on this forum claiming the UC Berkeley acceptances? If so, would you mind sharing your subfield?
  22. Like
    Mandyz reacted to Maguire in 2021 Application Thread   
    Saw on the results a rejection from Berkeley (via email from POI) guess we can expect decisions from them fairly soon!!! ??
  23. Upvote
    Mandyz got a reaction from history45 in 2021 Application Thread   
    Also does anyone know if interviews are still likely to happen for schools with Dec. 1st and Dec. 15th deadlines? ? Thanks!
  24. Upvote
    Mandyz got a reaction from Maguire in 2021 Application Thread   
    Also does anyone know if interviews are still likely to happen for schools with Dec. 1st and Dec. 15th deadlines? ? Thanks!
  25. Upvote
    Mandyz reacted to Maguire in 2021 Application Thread   
    Does anyone know around when we will start getting decisions back this year? My thinking was that the first couple weeks of February seem likely? Thanks in advance ?
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