Derfasciti

Hey all! Returning poster coming back for some much-needed advice. It's been about a year ago since I stopped visiting Gradcafe regularly. Since then I have entered and completed the first half of a dual masters program in History and Baltic Sea Region Studies. It's been a very stressful time but I am planning on continuing my studies into doctoral work. I have a list of situations/questions that I would very much like your feedback from as I feel a little rudderless at the moment. 1. I am interested in, as the title of the post suggests, radical ideologies. In particular fascisms. I think the term itself is quite foggy and defining it is elusive yet fascinating to me. Are there any schools out there that are noted for their good intellectual/political history programs or with particularly well known historians of fascism? Unfortunately most of my readings are now a little dated - Ernst Nolte, Sternhell, Griffin, etc. and I'm not really sure how to begin looking at what's new in the field. 2. I have been having trouble narrowing down a thesis topic in part due to some complications between my would-be advisor and his specialties as well as the nature of my program. Basically, I want to write a thesis that will hopefully "wow" whatever ph.d program I apply to and so if I can I want to do something that in some way contributes to a historiographical debate. I had planned on writing about the Black Hundreds, a Russian group in the early twentieth century, but my supervisor here, hitherto unbeknownst to me, is a Central European expert who does not really deal with the Russian Right. Similarly, my own Russian is too weak to really read many of the primary sources. My plan was to place the Black Hundreds into the debate about what is fascism (a debate that may or may not be dated itself and if you know that it's not much of an academic issue any more please tell me hah). But nevertheless, I am fascinated with the various historiographical debates surrounding how we define fascism and Griffin's categorization of right-wing movements is particularly interesting to me. Therefore very simply I was thinking about writing about this debate, on fascism's relationship vis-a-vis modernity and using a couple of groups as "case studies" while constructing my own criteria for what constitutes fascism. Does this sound doable, sexy, and able to "wow" a committee or is it boring, and done? 3: Sorry for the block o' text and thanks for any feedback!

Hmmm I think so, sure. But there might be some problems. Firstly, as a general rule where possible it's good to have letters of recommendation from history profs within your preferred field. They will not only be better suited to talk about your talents in the LOR but will also be in a better position to show you the ropes of what an Americanist needs and point you in the direction of particular schools/potential advisors, which would fit your interests. I don't know how huge of a deal it is, but it might be a significant obstacle for you. You need to demonstrate why you're moving to American history in your statement of purpose. I would also strongly advise that your writing sample is an American history paper, even if it's one you gotta start from scratch. Talk to the Americanists in your department asap so they can advise you and you can start building that relationship that will be essential for a good letter of recommendation. That's my two cents. Good luck!

Tybault, yup Sandyvanb has it right. Languages can be really useful and they look excellent on her CV. Of course it might be hard to decide 100% what anyone's research interests are right now - heck, I just got accepted into an MA program and I'm still not sure what geographical area I want to do completely (although luckily, they are somewhat intertwined). Still, learning more French and perhaps picking up, say, German, can be a great start. She should start looking into summer intensive language courses at her institution or nearby ones. Languages for MA's aren't as emphasized as ph.d programs, but even in an MA you're expected to continue your language studies. Languages CAN keep you out of some programs, and probably most Ph.d programs too. I know I could not get into a ph.d-track school based almost soley on my lack of Russian knowledge. They wanted a bare minimum of 3, and preferably 5 years! So yes, it can be pretty important. As for conference ideas, she should definitely join her school's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society. They host yearly undergraduate conferences that look great on a CV and give the undergrads a feel for what a "real" conference is like in a friendly, supportive environment. Heck, just being a participating member, becoming an officer, etc. looks good on the CV. It's all about building one's resume .

My only advice is generic. She should probably start investigating grad school by going to several of her professors and asking them about their experiences, explaining her interests, and asking THEM if they know of any universities (or even better, people they know in those universities) that focus on her area of interest. I found talking to my professors about graduate school was a great way of killing two birds with one stone: I learned so much about the process of applying, what history grad school is like, and basic do's and don'ts, yes. But at the same time I also continued to build up my relationship with my professors so when the time came for me to ask them about letters of recommendation they were all too happy to write them. Another one is language: From what I can see, languages can sometimes make or break an application. If French history is going to be her focus, having a lot of french under her belt is a great start to any application. The more language experience and the more languages, the better. The paper sounds interesting and could be a potential writing sample for her application. If she decides to seriously pursue grad school then presenting the paper at conferences and having professors make editorial suggestions can be a great way for her to refine the paper and make is WS-worthy. Hope some of this helps!

It may not even be crucial then. Again, I suppose it's all about the institutions you're applying to and what they view as important. I will be attending a state school that is giving me a full tuition waiver, two masters degrees in two years, and paying for me to study in Europe for a year -- all with a combined score of just over 1,000. My statement of purpose and writing samples were polished to perfection, I have a fair bit of "history experience" having attended and presented at a few conferences, and have a fair bit of language training. I'm not trying to brag here but rather, to demonstrate that even IF your GRE scores are sub-par it still might not matter. It's something you gotta do and you should definitely work hard on, but I believe that if everything else is looking great yuo shouldn't worry too much over the scores .

It really depends on the department. Different departments will weigh it differently, the best thing to do is ask each department you're applying to about what they view as the most important pieces of your application. However, as a general rule I would say that the GRE is mostly just a formality UNLESS your other assets are lacking. If you just have mediocre LORs, statement of purpose, writing sample, etc., an awesome GRE score MIGHT prove helpful. But if you've got great everything else and just mediocre or even kinda cruddy GRE scores, then your GRE isn't really gonna matter all that much. And the math part NEVER matters from what I gather.

LukeZ, If I were you I would ask if it was at all possible to take an independent study of Latin. Tell your teacher and your professor your plans on going to grad school and see what they can do to help you. Another idea is to buy this: http://www.amazon.com/Primer-Ecclesiastical-Latin-John-Collins/dp/0813206677/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310386829&sr=8-1 -- you should also get the accompanying answer key too (it's a whole 'nother book). The independent study teacher at my institution used the very same text and is apparently one of the better books out there to teach yourself Church Latin. While yo may not get immediate credit for studying it, putting that you've studied it independently on your statement of purpose and then taking a test to prove it is MUCH better than not taking a language. Even as a modern Europeanist, I often regret not taking more of a specific language or wishing I went to an institution that had more variety. The fact of the matter is language preparation is extremely important for any non-Americanist historian and having a lot of it under your belt before you apply to an MA or a Ph.d program will demonstrate dedication and look really nice.

I am not a medievalist, however, I did flirt with the idea with quite a while and I had a long conversation with a medieval t historian at my undergrad institution about how to prep for it so I DO have some suggestions. Firstly, are you wanting to go into an MA program or a ph.d program right away? The latter will probably expect much more from you than if you wer just doing an MA first. Languages. German can be really useful but make sure the Latin you're taking is Ecclesiastical Latin. Try to take some independent study courses on it (even at my small institution we had a Medievalist in the English department teaching it). In my experience, even at an MA level two years' worth of a target language can look really good for you. My impression is that Medievalists, depending on their specific research interests, ultimately have to learn A LOT about other languages. So keep that in mind. As for the courses - So long as you get good grades in them you should be ok. AFAIK the types of courses you've taken aren't what makes or breaks you. Your sample writing, your statement of purpose, and your letters of recommendation go much further than what classes you've taken. You seem to be on the right track!

Hey there! As a central/eastern European history lover who just got accepted into an MA program, I have some tips for you. Firstly, Family tragedy is something that should never be exploited, however, I think if you explain in your statement of purpose within a sentence or two why your grades were so bad that semester(s), it might go a long way to helping you. Also, I would try to stop thinking along the lines of "who will accept me?" and more along the lines of "where do I want to be?" Specifically, look at programs in Russian history that have professors that you KNOW you'd like to work with. You like their area of interest, maybe you've even read one of their books, etc. What particular part of Russian history interests you? I know it may seem a little early to get too narrow, but ideally you're going to want to shape your MA courses and your MA thesis around what could possibly be what you're focusing on for Ph.d. It's at least something to think about and should help you narrow your focus. There's nothing wrong to apply to some easy schools too. But try to aim high also! You never know! As for "easy" schools to get into, talk to your former advisor. Indeed, you might even want to schedule a meeting with him. You're going to need a letter of recommendation from him and probably 2 or 3 other faculty members at your school. Also, unfortunately, MA financial aid, to my knowledge, is severely limited. I was very fortunate to be accepted into a program that offers me an MA in History, an MA in international Relations, a year spent between living in Poland and Estonia, and getting a full tuition waiver plus $12,000 to live in Europe! So these things ARE out there, but my impression is that institutions that offer them are rare (not necessarilly "better", I'll be attending an at best middle-tier school) and they're very competitive. So if your GPA is iffy, make sure your statement of purpose and your writing sample are beautiful. Another thing is language preparation. What languages do you have under your belt? You don't need to be fluent, but, personally, I think having 2 years of German and 2 years of French (even though I don't remember a lick of it) and the fact that I was informally teaching myself some Russian, made me more competitive as a prospective. If you've got some Russian, preferably a lot, I have a feeling that will look really good and it's definitely something you want to mention in your Statement of purpose. I hope some of this helped!!

I think feeling doubt is pretty common. I feel doubt insofar as I'm worried that I will not be capable or smart enough to survive my MA program. What I would suggest is to do some soul searching. What other jobs can you envision yourself doing? What is most important to you - money or your "dreams" (assuming your dream is the MA). I would not rush to any decisions. Instead, don't think about it for a while. Do one of your favorite hobbies and relax for a few days. Then get to seriously considering your options. I'm not sure about the job prospects for your field - as a historian, they're pretty bleak and I've been beaten over the head with the whole "only do it if you KNOW you want to do it" thing. For you, it may not be as bad if you're guaranteed an income afterwards. I hope some of this was helpful.

Thanks so much for the feedback, guys. I just really need some encouragement. I'm taking good note of everything everyone is saying. I guess it's just a really really big phobia for me and makes me worry if I'm cut out for academia. It's encouraging to know that there are others like me who have started out at least a little bit nervous. I do hope in time to conquer these fears. It's just such an annoying phobia to deal with. I'm confident and collected 95% of the time that I speak in class - why should the physical act of standing up and speaking be such a terrifying experience? I suppose practice, time, and confidence all play a big role in getting through what seems to be a pretty usual problem for academics.

Hey guys! I just got accepted to an MA program in European history. I'm very excited but I do have one seemingly major problem. Public speaking. Now do not get me wrong. I thrive in a discussion-based class. I can be very articulate and am very outspoken in settings like that. One of the professors even let me stand in for her class last semester to speak with her students for an hour and a half on medieval historiography. Yet in some situations I'm pretty scared of public speaking. I've gone to several conferences to read my research papers. The nerves have gotten better from what they used to be in situations like that but they're still not at an ideal level. Furthermore, as president of the school's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta I gave a three minute year in review which was very very nerve-wracking. I tend to speed read or speak really really fast when I get nervous. So despite some of my speaking abilities, it would seem that in formal settings when I have to physically stand up I am far more nervous. This is very distressing as I do want to move on to Ph.D work and become a professor. So I guess what I'm asking is, does anyone else suffer from this and how does one cope with it? Is it all merely a matter of time that one becomes used to it? Are there any skills to develop or basic mind tricks that make it easier? I know it's all in my head but it's one of those things that does bother the crap out of me. I think if I were in a classroom setting teaching "social inferiors" the stress would be much better, but still. Any advice, feedback, personal experiences? Thanks a lot. I appreciate it!

I have been an odd mix of everything this last semester. In some ways, I've never been more productive/busy. I am taking 21 credits. I also have two part time jobs as a tutor and library assistant (both jobs on campus). Including all of that, I was accepted to a prestigious scholarship that pays me a bit of money to write a 40+ page research paper. Plus, I am president of the history honor society here and have been trying to run that along with all my other responsibilities. This semester has NOT been easy. I have had a CRAP ton to do. Yet at the same time, especially the past few days I have become extremely lethargic. I think I'm burning out from all of the stress. I just can't wait till it's over.

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm going through something similar. The ex and I had planned to move in together when I went to graduate school. We had been dating for about a year, the latter half of which was really long-distance. After we broke up I found out that she's going to the same school for her MA that I am. Luckily, she's not going for history (like me) but rather something to do with social work. Still, I am absolutely terrified of seeing her and all the potential complications that that might create. I've also gone through some really mixed and really intense emotions about the entire situation. So much so that I was very close to accepting an offer from another school that wasn't offering me anything - whereas I'm getting tuition waiver, a year of study in Europe paid for, plus two MA degrees (history and International Relations) in two years from the one I'm going to. A good deal. These situations suck. Pure and simple. I unfortunately don't have much in the way of advice except for that things do have a way or working out in the end. To put it another way, and not to get too emo about it all, sometimes life really really really seems to suck. Your life-long dreams come to fruition but it all seems so bittersweet if the one you were planning on sharing those dreams with all of a sudden decides it's not for him/her afterall. I'm not gonna lie, it'll probably be hard. But at least s/he is 90 minutes away. It's not like you really have to worry about running into him/her on the street. I, unfortunately, do. ha. But we cannot let these things hinder our future. I think I would be ashamed of myself forever if I let myself down in the long-term for short-term comfort.

Hey guys! I've recently submitted pretty much all the applications I will be submitting for a MA program in history. I'm trying to do research in late 19th and early 20th century Russia. I met one professor at WVU when I was taking my GRE's there but I fear that he might have been underwhelmed by the conversation. I'd like to contact my other potential advisors at other schools but I'm not really sure how or what I should say. Should I send an e-mail to them? And/or should I visit them? If I e-mail them what exactly should I say? Should I just say something to the extent of "Hey, this is me. I applied to your program and asked for you to be my advisor. Hope you consider me!" Or should I be more specific? If so, how? Does a visit to the school matter or is an e-mail just as good? Some of the places I'm looking at are quite a ways away and I'm pretty strapped for cash. Thanks for any feedback. As you can probably tell, I'm a little worried about how to proceed from here.

Oooh fun topic! I've been applying to schools basically as a modern Russianist. I'm interested in the 18th-20th century - political, diplomatic and intellectual history. More specifically, I'd like to do research on the ultra-conservative circles in Imperial Russia; like the Black Hundreds and the Pan-Slavists. But I'm also very much interested in German 19th and early 20th century political and diplomatic history as well.

I'm currently trying to teach myself Russian. I just started a few days ago but now I've got a pretty fair grasp on the alphabet. It's a start.

Thanks for the advice! I've been looking at the Critical Language scholarship and unfortunately it says that the Russian is "intermediate and advanced" only. I'm not exactly sure what to equate that to in credit hours but I'm wondering if I'd have the time or resources to get up to that level beforehand. But It's definitely something I'm interested in finding more about. Anyone have any ideas? Also, is in-state favored for grad schools or is it kinda case-by-case? edit: I just found the more specific requirements: - "Minimum requirement: completion of two years of college-level Russian, or its equivalent, prior to the start of the program." So, I'm still not sure if this means I COULD theoretically teach myself (and work with a friend or two who is interested in learning as well) and get up to that level before the summer program starts or not.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! As you can tell I'm still a little new to all of this and although I've been wanting to go to grad school for years now, I've only recently started to try to make some real plans so I'm always looking for advice on anything. @robot_hamster: Probably a stupid question but... what do you mean by historical geography? lol. @JustChill: Yes, sorry. I indeed I meant things like that. Department of Defense, State, the CIA. Basically any government organization that could still use those fluent in Russian and/or someone who is very well versed in Russian history/politics. My current advisor seems to think that I will actually have plenty of time to narrow down my interests while doing my Masters but I still want to narrow it down as much as I can before I get there just in case. As for pre or post-revolution, I currently tend to lean pre-revolution just because I've recently thought that exploring the ultra right-wing factions such as the pan-Slavs and the intellectual/philosophical justifications for absolutism could be fun. I tend to gravitate to exploring right-wing politics rather than left. Although, just to keep my indecision obvious, I'm also big on exploring the history of Marxism. @ticklemepink: The short of it: I don't know. I mean, I've heard the Russian language spoken and have tried a little of it on Rosetta Stone and it does at least SEEM like it's something I really would enjoy. But of course I simply cannot truly know until I've got more than my feet wet. However, my end goal is really not to work for the government. I think I'd be most comfortable and happy in academia. I merely continue to mention government work because I think (and, as always, correct me if I'm wrong) that academia is a little crowded right now and getting a job there might be hard. So I'm trying to consider other job opportunities that may require Russian or some other language and trying to base some of my research interests off of that. Plus, I'm trying to figure out to narrow down places I can get that will be financially feasible as I'm pretty sure I won't be able to do much in the way of work as I do my Masters. WVU has told me they're not going to really give a TAship and, after re-reading their website, it does mention that it's mainly for Ph.d candidates and ocassionally outstanding MA students. But still, being in-state is probably less expensive than out of state.

Hey guys! I am currently looking at doing a Masters program for European history at WVU (or any better place that might accept me) but because I'm still not sure in what to specialize in, I'm wary of narrowing down my schools too much. Recently, I've decided to go roughly the more modern Eastern Europe (mainly Russia) route, thinking that I'm very interested in it, but more importantly it would seem one of the best specialties for one who may have to work in the government to have (since academia seems quite crowded as of late). However, throughout my decade + of serious interest in history, I have mostly found myself interested in western and central Europe. Particularly 18th-20th century France and Germany which focused to a large degree on the Seven Years War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Franco-Prussian War, and the World Wars. I have tended toward looking at history through a gods-eye view, being mostly interested in the people shaping events, and the politics and ideologies that dominated those centuries as well as the military conflicts themselves. With Russia, it has mostly been the latter years of the Tsars and the early Soviet Union up to the death of Stalin. And this was after much contemplation over whether or not to do medieval history. So, as you can see, my interests are very broad and probably (do correct me if I'm wrong) need some narrowing down. So my primary question is: How can I narrow this down? How specific should I be when applying to a Masters program and explaining my interests? Are there better job opportunities for one focus over the other (is Russian probably more useful for the government or is it not really a big deal so long as one has a ph.d and can learn languages?) Thanks very much. Any help in this task would sure be appreciated!

Thanks for more feedback! Yes, I actually made the acquaintance of the professor today. As I mentioned earlier we were going to meet up a couple hours before the GRE to discuss exactly such questions. While I was a little intimidated and I'm sure I showed I was a tiny bit nervous, I can hope I at least gave him a face to the name on the upcoming application, at least. He had mentioned that the languages I have so far, and the GPA both seemed pretty acceptable. So that's good. GRE update: V: 600. Q: 410. Not too super, right? WVU said the "requirement" (not too sure if that's literally a requirement or just a preference or not) was 1000 combined so in that case I just barely made it. I also think I did pretty well on the Analytical -- or at least the Issues essay part of it haha. Hmmm that's not a horrible idea. Now, would the fact that I discussed with him mostly my interest in Eastern Europe (and the Atlantis program which is 1 year in WVU, 1/2 year in Poland and 1/2 year in Estonia -- naturally a Eastern Europe scholarship) hurt me if I do decide to revert back to my German interests? I had mentioned to him that I was indeed still trying to puzzle out exactly which country I wanted to look further into. Still, I guess the main reason I've declared a larger interest in Eastern Europe is the simple fact that I THINK that government jobs (CIA, DOD, State, etc.) will probably be more interested in people who know about potential trouble areas than a place like Germany which isn't likely to start going haywire any time soon. (By all means, if my assessment is wrong, do tell me.) My line of thinking was that if I didn't do academia, then I'd still have opportunities within the government sector. I feel that 18th-20th century Germany is probably my biggest interest... At least most of the time. If you haven't guessed yet, I'm a bit indecisive about planting my foot definitively even though I need to do that real soon haha. I am a little confused. Are you referring to a language proficiency test I'd have to take for starting my MA or are you talking about for my Ph.d candidacy?

Thanks for more feedback! Yes, I actually made the acquaintance of the professor today. As I mentioned earlier we were going to meet up a couple hours before the GRE to discuss exactly such questions. While I was a little intimidated and I'm sure I showed I was a tiny bit nervous, I can hope I gave him a face to the name on the upcoming application, at least. He had mentioned that the languages I have so far, and the GPA both seemed pretty acceptable. So that's good. GRE update: V: 600. Q: 410. Not too super, right? WVU said the "requirement" (not too sure if that's literally a requirement or just a preference or not) was 1000 combined so in that case I just barely made it. Hmmm that's not a horrible idea. Now, would the fact that I discussed with him mostly my interest in Eastern Europe (and the Atlantis program which is 1 year in WVU, 1/2 year in Poland and 1/2 year in Estonia -- naturally a Eastern Europe scholarship) hurt me if I do decide to revert back to my German interests? I had mentioned to him that I was indeed still trying to puzzle out exactly which country I wanted to look further into. Still, I guess the main reason I've declared a larger interest in Eastern Europe is the simple fact that I THINK that government jobs (CIA, DOD, State, etc.) will probably be more interested in people who know about potential trouble areas than a place like Germany which isn't likely to start going haywire any time soon. (By all means, if my assessment is wrong, do tell me.) My line of thinking was that if I didn't do academia, then I'd still have opportunities within the government sector. I feel that 18th-20th century Germany is probably my biggest interest. I am a little confused. Are you referring to a language proficiency test I'd have to take for starting my MA or are you talking about for my Ph.d candidacy?

Thanks for the feedback, all. Yes, I've been made aware of Russian Summer programs - especially Pittsburgh - but then it comes down to money (living there and all). WVU has the Atlantis Program and that looks like it has potential too. The main reason I want to start with the MA is that I'm still not 100% sure I want to do Russian history and I'd want some time to get used to graduate school and figure out what exactly my research interests are and get my languages up before I jumped into a Ph.d program. That, and applying for your MA and THEN going for the ph.d is easier, at least according to my advisor. I guess what I really wanted to know was if the above stuff I've mentioned seems good enough to get me into WVU.

Hey guys! I'm new here so apologies if this is the wrong section of the forum to post this on. I'm looking for some feedback on my chances of getting in the WVU M.A. program for history. I'm tentatively looking to study 18th-20th century Russian and/or German history there and am planning on getting my Ph.D right after I get my masters. I'm a resident of West Virginia I'll hopefully be graduating Shepherd University this upcoming May. I've got a 3.6 overall GPA and a 3.6 GPA in the history program here. As for my languages, I've got 12 credits of French and 12 of German (two years respectively). My French is pretty horrible (almost non-existent) but my German's not bad as I took the summer intensive program here at shepherd. I've gotten a petition to go around the school to see if we can import a Russian professor to teach an intensive course over the upcoming Summer but whether or not that will actually happen is still unknown. The language opportunities here are pretty bad. Also, I have received the Marshall Foundation Scholarship which, along with a small sum of money, gives me the opportunity to do original research at the Lexington Marshall Archive on the Russian Civil War and America's involvement in the Kolchak government. I've been told that this looks good for grad school applications (any feedback on that?). I was also the secretary and am currently the president of Shepherd University's History Honor Society - Phi Alpha Theta Pi Epsilon Chapter. Finally, I'm scheduled to take the GRE at WVU tomorrow and right before that I will be meeting briefly with a faculty member there, Dr. Blobaum, who teaches Russian and Polish history just to kinda give him a face to the name on my application. So knowing all of this, do you guys think my chances of getting in WVU are good? I'm very worried about the GRE as doing some practice tests have left me thinking that I won't do so well on it tomorrow. Do you think that will be a big factor in the decision to bring me aboard? Any tips or advice in general? Thanks very much for any feedback you can offer! P.S. Barring that, are there any other safe schools I can apply to?

Hey guys! I'm new here so apologies if this is the wrong section of the forum to post this on. I'm looking for some feedback on my chances of getting in the WVU M.A. program for history. I'm tentatively looking to study 18th-20th century Russian and/or German history there and am planning on getting my Ph.D right after I get my masters. I'm a resident of West Virginia I'll hopefully be graduating Shepherd University this upcoming May. I've got a 3.6 overall GPA and a 3.6 GPA in the history program here. As for my languages, I've got 12 credits of French and 12 of German (two years respectively). My French is pretty horrible (almost non-existent) but my German's not bad as I took the summer intensive program here at shepherd. I've gotten a petition to go around the school to see if we can import a Russian professor to teach an intensive course over the upcoming Summer but whether or not that will actually happen is still unknown. The language opportunities here are pretty bad. Also, I have received the Marshall Foundation Scholarship which, along with a small sum of money, gives me the opportunity to do original research at the Lexington Marshall Archive on the Russian Civil War and America's involvement in the Kolchak government. I've been told that this looks good for grad school applications (any feedback on that?). I was also the secretary and am currently the president of Shepherd University's History Honor Society - Phi Alpha Theta Pi Epsilon Chapter. Finally, I'm scheduled to take the GRE at WVU tomorrow and right before that I will be meeting briefly with a faculty member there, Dr. Blobaum, who teaches Russian and Polish history just to kinda give him a face to the name on my application. So knowing all of this, do you guys think my chances of getting in WVU are good? I'm very worried about the GRE as doing some practice tests have left me thinking that I won't do so well on it tomorrow. Do you think that will be a big factor in the decision to bring me aboard? Any tips or advice in general? Thanks very much for any feedback you can offer! P.S. Barring that, are there any other safe schools I can apply to?