ListlessCoffee

On the results page an acceptance and a waitlist were posted earlier in February...I can also confirm that I know someone who has an acceptance there. In past years it does look like they released acceptances and rejections on the same day, but that might not have been the case this year...I suspect all of their acceptances have been sent out. 

On the results page an acceptance and a waitlist were posted earlier in February...I can also confirm that I know someone who has an acceptance there. In past years it does look like they released acceptances and rejections on the same day, but that might not have been the case this year...I suspect all of their acceptances have been sent out. 

I'm sure it places students. You probably get a good look at academia, can build relationships with quality faculty (and therefore get good references), and will turn out a piece of research you can use as a writing sample. A genuine congrats on the acceptance btw. But, it's a horrible idea to go into student debt for a history MA. For MAPSS, if you're paying 30k or 40k for tuition (and that's their generous rate?) on top of the cost of living in Chicago, you'll be possibly going into what, $50-60,000+ of student debt? Maybe you can cut it to a few tens of thousands of debt if you get a fellowship or scholarship or find the time to work 10-20 hours a week? All to get an MA? And then if you get into a PhD (which is the only reason you'd go to MAPSS) you enter a 6-7 year PhD (where you won't be making enough on your stipend to pay that debt back) to graduate after about 12 years of school (4 undergrad+1 MAPSS+7 PhD roughly)....only to enter a horrible job market and with significant student debt? 
Look, if you're funded by parents or have money saved up...knock yourself out. If not...there are many other MA programs out there that won't cripple you. I'm not trying to be confrontational here -- I just don't think MAs like MAPSS should ever be encouraged around here unless you have extensive financial backing from another source. 

@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

Unless you have wealthy folks or have fallen into some inheritance, you shouldn't be attending one of those programs. You should not be falling into significant student debt for a history MA. I am sure the MAPSS program places a lot of students into PhD programs, but it is a cash cow for Chicago.

I'm sure it places students. You probably get a good look at academia, can build relationships with quality faculty (and therefore get good references), and will turn out a piece of research you can use as a writing sample. A genuine congrats on the acceptance btw. But, it's a horrible idea to go into student debt for a history MA. For MAPSS, if you're paying 30k or 40k for tuition (and that's their generous rate?) on top of the cost of living in Chicago, you'll be possibly going into what, $50-60,000+ of student debt? Maybe you can cut it to a few tens of thousands of debt if you get a fellowship or scholarship or find the time to work 10-20 hours a week? All to get an MA? And then if you get into a PhD (which is the only reason you'd go to MAPSS) you enter a 6-7 year PhD (where you won't be making enough on your stipend to pay that debt back) to graduate after about 12 years of school (4 undergrad+1 MAPSS+7 PhD roughly)....only to enter a horrible job market and with significant student debt? 
Look, if you're funded by parents or have money saved up...knock yourself out. If not...there are many other MA programs out there that won't cripple you. I'm not trying to be confrontational here -- I just don't think MAs like MAPSS should ever be encouraged around here unless you have extensive financial backing from another source. 

Unless you have wealthy folks or have fallen into some inheritance, you shouldn't be attending one of those programs. You should not be falling into significant student debt for a history MA. I am sure the MAPSS program places a lot of students into PhD programs, but it is a cash cow for Chicago.

Unless you have wealthy folks or have fallen into some inheritance, you shouldn't be attending one of those programs. You should not be falling into significant student debt for a history MA. I am sure the MAPSS program places a lot of students into PhD programs, but it is a cash cow for Chicago.

Unless you have wealthy folks or have fallen into some inheritance, you shouldn't be attending one of those programs. You should not be falling into significant student debt for a history MA. I am sure the MAPSS program places a lot of students into PhD programs, but it is a cash cow for Chicago.

Yes, there are indeed many programs which you should not attend.

Calling even 1/2 tuition on $60k without stipend "generous" stretches credulity. 

This is a good reminder -- I've similarly received several kind emails from POIs at this point explaining that while I was on their shortlist I wasn't accepted for X reason...and that they're certain I'm going to be accepted elsewhere. 
I think it's a good reminder to everyone, faculty and prospective students, that it's possible to be considered a qualified, highly competitive candidate at every single school you apply to, and yet also be rejected from every single school (especially with these small cohorts). 

Frankly, you're making a lot of assumptions before you have even tried...I think you're overthinking this. If we're thinking of the same Huntington Library, this is a pretty sizeable institution that probably has hundreds of researchers a year come through its archives (before Covid). They aren't greedily hoarding their archives, they likely just want to make sure they are treated well...a lot of their documents are probably pretty fragile. Private study spaces within the library to go through the documents are also likely pretty limited, so the application process also helps manage that. 
With that in mind, I'd say just fill out the form. If you're uncertain about that, then I'd personally go through their staff directory and email the appropriate person. I'd stress the fact that you are an educator and specifically teach history. Most libraries, in my experience, love the idea of helping teachers and contributing in same way to public/community history. Mention you're a private researcher, and mention exactly what your project is and exactly what box(es) you want. That'll establish that you're serious about this. I'd say the odds are high you'll have no problem getting a yes. 
And if you don't like either of those approaches...find the appropriate person in the staff directory who has a phone number. If they're working in-person, call them. My advisor has shared a few of his difficult stories accessing archives before -- his advice is that if you think they might say "no," always ask in person. If it's in person or on the phone they'll be less comfortable saying no. Better yet, there won't be any record of that "no," so you can always try again. 
Basically...just give it a shot. 

Frankly, you're making a lot of assumptions before you have even tried...I think you're overthinking this. If we're thinking of the same Huntington Library, this is a pretty sizeable institution that probably has hundreds of researchers a year come through its archives (before Covid). They aren't greedily hoarding their archives, they likely just want to make sure they are treated well...a lot of their documents are probably pretty fragile. Private study spaces within the library to go through the documents are also likely pretty limited, so the application process also helps manage that. 
With that in mind, I'd say just fill out the form. If you're uncertain about that, then I'd personally go through their staff directory and email the appropriate person. I'd stress the fact that you are an educator and specifically teach history. Most libraries, in my experience, love the idea of helping teachers and contributing in same way to public/community history. Mention you're a private researcher, and mention exactly what your project is and exactly what box(es) you want. That'll establish that you're serious about this. I'd say the odds are high you'll have no problem getting a yes. 
And if you don't like either of those approaches...find the appropriate person in the staff directory who has a phone number. If they're working in-person, call them. My advisor has shared a few of his difficult stories accessing archives before -- his advice is that if you think they might say "no," always ask in person. If it's in person or on the phone they'll be less comfortable saying no. Better yet, there won't be any record of that "no," so you can always try again. 
Basically...just give it a shot. 

Frankly, you're making a lot of assumptions before you have even tried...I think you're overthinking this. If we're thinking of the same Huntington Library, this is a pretty sizeable institution that probably has hundreds of researchers a year come through its archives (before Covid). They aren't greedily hoarding their archives, they likely just want to make sure they are treated well...a lot of their documents are probably pretty fragile. Private study spaces within the library to go through the documents are also likely pretty limited, so the application process also helps manage that. 
With that in mind, I'd say just fill out the form. If you're uncertain about that, then I'd personally go through their staff directory and email the appropriate person. I'd stress the fact that you are an educator and specifically teach history. Most libraries, in my experience, love the idea of helping teachers and contributing in same way to public/community history. Mention you're a private researcher, and mention exactly what your project is and exactly what box(es) you want. That'll establish that you're serious about this. I'd say the odds are high you'll have no problem getting a yes. 
And if you don't like either of those approaches...find the appropriate person in the staff directory who has a phone number. If they're working in-person, call them. My advisor has shared a few of his difficult stories accessing archives before -- his advice is that if you think they might say "no," always ask in person. If it's in person or on the phone they'll be less comfortable saying no. Better yet, there won't be any record of that "no," so you can always try again. 
Basically...just give it a shot. 

This is a good reminder -- I've similarly received several kind emails from POIs at this point explaining that while I was on their shortlist I wasn't accepted for X reason...and that they're certain I'm going to be accepted elsewhere. 
I think it's a good reminder to everyone, faculty and prospective students, that it's possible to be considered a qualified, highly competitive candidate at every single school you apply to, and yet also be rejected from every single school (especially with these small cohorts). 

This is a good reminder -- I've similarly received several kind emails from POIs at this point explaining that while I was on their shortlist I wasn't accepted for X reason...and that they're certain I'm going to be accepted elsewhere. 
I think it's a good reminder to everyone, faculty and prospective students, that it's possible to be considered a qualified, highly competitive candidate at every single school you apply to, and yet also be rejected from every single school (especially with these small cohorts). 

This is a good reminder -- I've similarly received several kind emails from POIs at this point explaining that while I was on their shortlist I wasn't accepted for X reason...and that they're certain I'm going to be accepted elsewhere. 
I think it's a good reminder to everyone, faculty and prospective students, that it's possible to be considered a qualified, highly competitive candidate at every single school you apply to, and yet also be rejected from every single school (especially with these small cohorts). 

This is a good reminder -- I've similarly received several kind emails from POIs at this point explaining that while I was on their shortlist I wasn't accepted for X reason...and that they're certain I'm going to be accepted elsewhere. 
I think it's a good reminder to everyone, faculty and prospective students, that it's possible to be considered a qualified, highly competitive candidate at every single school you apply to, and yet also be rejected from every single school (especially with these small cohorts). 

This is a good reminder -- I've similarly received several kind emails from POIs at this point explaining that while I was on their shortlist I wasn't accepted for X reason...and that they're certain I'm going to be accepted elsewhere. 
I think it's a good reminder to everyone, faculty and prospective students, that it's possible to be considered a qualified, highly competitive candidate at every single school you apply to, and yet also be rejected from every single school (especially with these small cohorts). 

FWIW, the sensibility has been addressed by @TMP a couple of times in this thread.

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis theoretically makes completing the requirements for a doctorate more difficult to complete within the accelerated timelines departments may be using because of the financial uncertainties.
If you're an Americanist, you need one or two languages, one of which may be swapped for a skill. If you're  not an Americanist, one has to know the languages one needs to know. If you're an Americanist, you likely find enough archival sources nearby or even on line to do a great deal of research. If you're not an Americanist, the ebb and flow of the pandemic may make necessary travel impossible. If you're an Americanist, you can work as a teaching assistant in courses that may be more popular among undergraduates without needing to sacrifice time to get up to speed on a subject. If you're not an Americanist, and a department trims back on offering courses not centered around the United States, you are going to be behind the eight ball of a learning curve. A comment. I understand that this is a period of extraordinary uncertainty for applicants and that there may be a strong sense of frustration, even disappointment, because events are not unfolding as one would like. This being said, I urge all to understand that posts at the Gradcafe don't go away, and that there are faculty and staff among this BB's members.
Now is as good as a time as any to work on one's personal professional comportment. It's not what one says or what one asks that can lead to issues down the line, it's how one says something or how one asks a question that can prove to be an issue. FWIW, I have learned the hard way that professional academic historians pay very careful attention to tone and temperament. Or, as one professor with whom I subsequently became close asked himself "Who is this asshole?" The question came after I said something that was meant to be an ironic / humorous statement of respect.

I appreciate this post. With multiple rejections in hand, I think we're in the same boat (and subfields). Having spent the past three years consciously preparing for this (MA, great GPA, stuff for the CV, building relationships with Profs, strong LORs, tailoring my application to schools, getting feedback on my SOP, etc.) the prospect of having to go through the application cycle and all of its time commitment, stress, and uncertainty yet again is frankly exhausting. Doubly so since, as you said, it's difficult to get a sense of why the rejections keep coming -- in this difficult environment, it all feels a bit random, quite frankly. I think at least a couple years out to re-evaluate is needed. Each year applying to schools feels like a year where, due to the uncertainty of where you'll be in a year's time, you're putting your life and career on hold. 

Kind of glad, but mostly sad, that many of us are in the same boat. It is definitely exhausting and as someone mentioned, for so much preparation to go into these things (let alone the financial costs), the randomness of it all + no feedback is not a great motivator. 
Wishing everyone the best of luck and positive vibes for this year.

Second cycle applications definitely aid in refining research questions and polishing everything. At the same time though, the waiting, the rejections and mustering up the energy again and again to apply take their toll.
I have 2 master's degrees, one of them being a distinction in MSc International History from LSE where I won the prize for best dissertation in all MSc courses and I still have been rejected from all US universities I applied to. It is really tough out there at the moment and the lack of feedback is infuriating (yet understandable). Herein I realise, I need to look after my  mental health first and foremost, which most likely means not going through a third application cycle and resigning to the fact a PhD just isn't for me. It's tough to accept, but at some point one needs to cut their losses and move forward rather than being stuck in a loop of reaching out to POIs, applying, waiting and getting rejected.