ladydobz

Talked to one of my current profs who is not long out of her PhD program. She said do NOT follow up, but to wait. She said waiting is hard, but you'll hear one way or the other, so, no following up.

I'm doing the continuous refresh thing too... So, you're not alone. ?

So sorry!!! Hopefully you'll hear back favorably on the medieval one!!!

I hope so! UIUC has started sending acceptances. No idea when Purdue or IU meet... anyone have any idea on that? Is is bad to reach out if I have grad student contacts at the schools to see if they know, or to ask profs? Is it better to wait? I hate waiting. ? GOOD LUCK TO ALL for good news today!!!!

I saw on the main acceptance page that someone got an unofficial offer. So, apparently they're meeting/have met already.

I know there were a couple wondering about the Ivies... I saw someone said they've received an unofficial offer from Harvard, so, at least they're making some moves. I also saw someone got an acceptance from UIUC, so, I'm over here like... well, I guess I'm either waitlisted or out for that one... ?

So, I had this issue. I graduated with my original BA in 2011, but since I had some issues of switching majors, I had a not great GPA. I went back and did a second BA in History, where I got a 4.0 GPA, but since it is a cum GPA across all academics, it didn't raise it super highly. I ended up at a lesser school (in terms of prestige) than I was hoping, but honestly, this program has been amazing for me. I wish you all the luck with your schools, and would just caution patience and resilience.

??? I laughed so hard reading this... I live near Indy, so am quite familiar with ND.

History of Medicine, specifically focusing on Women in Medicine/Women's Health History.

You're not alone. I'm checking app statuses daily, which I know is pointless, since one of my Universities I applied to (Purdue) said they wouldn't even end up meeting until mid-end January. I'm still in my Masters program, so, I'm already reading for next semester. Best of luck on your decisions!

I think it depends on the school. I've met with multiple advisors at two of my schools, but the third school thought it was very odd that I was wanting to meet them before being accepted, and one advisor was almost rude about it, until she realized I wasn't trying to butter her up for my application, but instead was trying to see if the school and potential advisors were a good fit for me. Good luck with your applications!

I had two schools with PIs that were not accepting students. I luckily have three others that were highly interested in my proposed research topic. Are you limited to a geographic area, or can you expand your search maybe?

There are a couple that offer distance learning in the UK I found out. I'm not sure if they offer funding though. University of Birmingham, and University of Aberdeen both have distance programs. One of the ladies in the Masters program with me is planning on applying to those as her husband is in the military and they move around a lot, so, she's not able to attend an in-person PhD program. The only distance program for PhD I've seen in the states is Liberty, and the professors I've seen talk about that look at it poorly. I don't know if that's just these professors, or if it is a bad program. I've not done the research on it. I wish you luck with your situation!

Jules, What programs have you found already? I don't have any specific programs in mind for your area of interest, but I thought it might help others if they knew where you were already looking. I wish you luck with the application cycle!

I too have wondered about this question as my proposed dissertation topic is going to be a comparative look at places such as the US (where I live), the UK, and the Netherlands. I'd love to see what others say about this. I wish you luck with your Masters!

On mine I spelled it out in my SOP as well as on my CV, plus, when I've reached out to the professors that I'm interested in working with, I've asked them about languages, and expressed what I've learned. I have taken several years of formal French study, but I'm self-learning Spanish and Dutch via Duolingo. Honestly, the professors and Directors of Graduate education that I've spoken with say that formal versus self-taught don't really matter, as long as you're able to efficiently demonstrate that you have the knowledge on the translation test, or you take the formal courses to meet your requirement. I haven't been accepted yet, however, so, I can't say for sure if what they told me is accurate.

I had a 2.67 GPA when I graduated with my second Bachelor's Degree. I took a ten-year break between my degrees, and when I came back, I got 4.0s across the board. I was denied to two Masters programs, but was accepted to two. I think a big part of it was that they looked at the cum. GPA and ignored what I said about my GPA, which was that I had things that happened in my initial undergrad program that led to the low grades. However, from talking to several Directors of Graduate Education as I'm working through applying for Fall 2023, they all say that they only look at grades/GPA if it comes down to admitting one of two candidates. They're more concerned with your statement of purpose, and the strength of your writing sample. Honestly? I'd talk to the Director of Graduate studies where you're applying, and just ask what they look for most in an applicant. Good luck!

I started talking to PhD programs about applying starting a few months ago. What you need to look for is the right fit. I had five schools on my list, but two kind of hinted that they wouldn't be the best fit for me. I'm still applying to one, as the professor seemed interested and eager in my proposed dissertation topic, but that school will be the bottom of my list. As Dr_Hugh_ said, it's all about the fit, and many professors at potential universities like seeing that you've done your research and have found a school that is a good fit (in my limited experience).

I have a couple of thoughts on courses I'd love to teach... although my top would be History of Women in Medicine History of Sexuality History of Women in Medicine History of Childbirth (this is actually a current class at IU apparently) Evolution of Modern Medicine History of Public Health LGBTQIA+ History Women's History in US (Early & Modern separated into two courses)

The only university I've seen offering it is Liberty University, although there has been a lot of conversation within the AHA and OAH about it with very little resolution. As psstein said, I wouldn't recommend doing one online (based on what I've heard from those on the AHA and OAH forums) currently.

Since this topic is here, I'm going to put in my two cents for what they're worth. I graduated with my BA in Organizational Leadership with double minors in history and anthropology in 2011. I took several turns in my undergrad career as I'm intensely passionate about history. I was in fact, only three classes away from graduating with a double major in Org Leadership and History. But since the history program had just gone online at the time, there was no guarantee when I would get those classes I needed. So, since I was getting married, and we were moving and wanting to start our life, I decided just to graduate. Fast forward to 2020. I've been in the job market for nine years, I'm pregnant with my second child, I have a good job, a steady, well-paid job, but I was itching to go back to school. I was 34. I thought I was too old to pursue a PhD. I thought the job market was a lot better than it was. I reapplied as a post-bac to my Alma Mater to go back for my degree in History. I get in. I start classes. And then I talk to my program advisor. The job market is in the tank. Tenure track positions are not out there, and many programs are in fact restructuring to try and move away from them, and go to contract positions. But what I want to do is TEACH. And I don't want to teach at the k-12 level. So, I talk to my husband about it. He has a great job with amazing benefits, and with his career track, once he gets this promotion he's due for in April, if I didn't want to, I wouldn't have to work. So, I pushed on. I'm applying for PhD programs for admission Fall 2023. My focus is History of Medicine and Women's History/Women in Medicine/Women's Health History. I've spoken with several professors who I'm interested in working with, and I've visited the campuses of all three programs I'm applying to. I've gotten a lot of interest from them. However, I know none of this is a guarantee. And would I recommend this process to someone who is going to depend on a tenure track salary to live? Absolutely not. I think that every person who is looking to go into this path needs to know all the facts before they take it on. For someone like me who is doing this for personal reasons, and who would happily teach as an adjunct or at a community college, it's great. If I happen to find a tenure track position open, will I go for it? Absolutely. I'd love the ability to get into a tenure track position, and have all the things that go with it. But am I banking on it? Nope. So, TLDR: If you have a good plan in place to support yourself if your dreams of being in academia aren't going to pan out, by all means, go for the PhD. But go into it fully informed.

Submitted my first application for the 2023 Application Season. Just waiting on the others to open. Anyone else started the process yet?

I volunteered while at my undergrad program for online research with a History museum. I've reached out to a couple again to see if they're interested in a free researcher, but had to back out due to some health issues currently. I'm studying French to work on the language requirements as well. If you find you have the time, maybe reaching out to local historical societies or museums to volunteer research, or working on getting published? Of the professors I've spoken with, those are two of the points that they like the most. I wish you luck with your applications!