CoffeeCatsCorgis

I'm a Russianist (modern Europe and gender/sexuality are my research areas for UCSB). What about you? The waiting period sure is painful!

Yes, I did!

I'm sorry, is this aimed at me? I am in graduate level classes in a history department. Edited this because it's not worth my time to argue with a PhD candidate who is working in the private sector and enjoys gatekeeping passive aggressively at undergrads for fun. Enjoy your life, I hope you find your peace.

For what it's worth, and to offer a different opinion, my thesis advisor told me that admissions committees don't have the time to care about a minimal overage like that, and it's more important to make sure that your SOP and writing sample are your best possible work. By all means, if you can cut the SOP down and it is better, do that, but I am under the impression that our applications will be judged by their actual content, as opposed to precise adherence to word count guidelines. It might be a more productive use of your time to get more opinions on the SOP from people in the field than to try and cut 30 words. I am, of course, just an MA student and not a faculty member, so take that with a grain of salt.

I'm also applying for advanced Russian! This is my first year applying for this program and I'm trying to remain hopeful that we will be in person. Maybe that's a mistake, lol. If CLS is not in person, I might try for a summer intensive in the US like Indiana or Bryn Mawr. They're just so expensive!

Thanks, guys! Really appreciate the advice. I'm getting ready to submit my apps in the next week or so -- I'm an MA student with a teaching position and a lot of extracurriculars, and I'm just getting them all done at once since my earliest deadlines are approaching. My attitude right now is "hope for the best and definitely prepare for the worst". I have really appreciated having this forum as a resource, wish I knew about it the first time!

Hey everyone - I've had mixed feedback on this so I was wondering if I could get your two cents. After I submit applications, is it a good idea to email faculty I've had positive contact/informal meetings with to thank them once again for their time and let them know that I've applied? My contacts were all in the late summer and I'd like to remind people about our discussions, but I do not want to come across as annoying/disrespectful of faculty time.

Good to know, I really appreciate that! At this point, for my writing sample, I'm just trying to make sure I have something polished and cohesive that demonstrates original research. I began my SOP-writing process in June so I'm already on my third (depending on the school, fourth) draft of that -- but it would certainly not hurt to give it another edit.

A late October update - professors contacted, SOP drafted and reviewed, and I've started some of the actual apps. The biggest task I have on my plate is finishing the thesis chapter that I'm using as my writing sample before December 1st. No pressure, right? ?

Wow, just looked at their page, that's amazing! Thanks for letting me know, I will definitely reach out.

Hi everyone, it's my first time posting here! I'm an MA student applying to PhD programs. My research interest is late and post Soviet women's history. My Masters thesis focuses on themes of marriage, emigration, and material survival and I hope to continue working around similar themes for my dissertation. I'm looking at UChicago, UPenn, Rutgers, Princeton, Harvard, UCSB, and possibly Stanford. Currently trying to find time to work on apps while I simultaneously organize the oral history research I've done for my thesis and work on my language skills. Oh, and I'm also married and trying to navigate my partner's job transferring to wherever we wind up! It's been one hell of a summer. I've emailed faculty (had a few positive conversations so far!) and have a couple rough drafts for SOPs. When do you guys suggest emailing your letter writers? Would I be foolish to only ask faculty from my MA program and skip my undergrad professors?