IronDuke

I'll be going in the fall for a History PhD. (concentration: British Empire and South Asia). Definitely made my choice with location in mind!

I will be attending Harvard for a PhD. in History (concentration: British Empire and South Asia).

A.

I think if you've started the PhD. you might as well finish it...but you have to think seriously about how much additional income you will be able to earn with this degree versus your old job. In your field it might make a huge difference, or it might not. As far as the living situation goes, Ann Arbor is great and so much better than Irvine. Orange County is the place where culture goes to die. You'll have a great time at Michigan, I'm sure.

I turned down Cornell and felt fucking miserable about it. Hopefully I will make someone on the waitlist happy.

I did. Still bitter.

After a long, agonizing process I've decided to attend Harvard studying British Empire and South Asia. I've sent in my forms and turned down the other offer, so it's official.

The best book to come out in British history in the last decade is, in my view, Priya Satia's Spies in Arabia, about intelligence gathering during World War I. The sections on air power in Iraq are extremely relevant for today's situation. That having been said, it's a long (400 pages) and complicated book, so if you want popular history there's tons of choices on your average Barnes & Noble bookshelf.

Ok so I have struggled with this for over a month and I want to make my decision by Friday to put myself out of my misery. Here is the scenario: #1) Harvard, where I'm in a sub-field that I don't want to be in, and the proverbial "fit" (methodologically and politically) isn't quite there. I would have to work alone with minimal supervision to produce a top-notch dissertation. For many of you that would clinch it, and you would advise me not to go. However, the school has the following advantages: whereas there is no one professor with whom I mesh completely, there are many (about 5-6) whose interests are related to mine. I would be working in a highly competitive, inter-disciplinary environment that would push me beyond my undergrad focus. It could also potentially open up new possibilities for jobs. The funding is great, beyond a full package I have the opportunity to receive many grants from different centres. The library resources are some of the best in the country. And, though I would not be in the same field as them, there are at least 10 or so brilliant fellow grad students working on similar topics. Plus, living in an urban area is extremely important for me on a personal level (I am coming from the SF Bay Area). #2) Cornell, where there are two professors whose interests match exactly with mine, and I am in the field that I want. I could potentially get a job in this specific field with more ease than at Harvard. In writing my dissertation I would benefit from expert and friendly advice. However, beyond these two faculty members there is practically no one else whose work is in my general area of focus. The library and resources are good, and the funding is comparable. There are no other grad students doing similar work. I absolutely don't want to live in Ithaca (I'm from upstate New York, and I am not complaining about the weather - merely the size & scope of the town). Give it a shot and tell me what you think.

Never mind...I got rejected via impersonal e-mail this morning. I must have really pissed them off at the prospective weekend.

Well, I'm waiting for NYU as well...I have no idea when they will notify, or if they've already taken someone for South Asia (I assume they don't have many applicants since it's a brand new field, so this long wait is a bit strange). At Harvard I actually applied under British history with an imperial focus, but I was told I could work closely or even within South Asia. So I can't exactly tell you when or how they notify people who applied under South Asia. You asked to work with Bose, right? My own interests are social/cultural (early 19th century Hindi popular press, social reform movements) and also economic (from the agrarian/environmental angle), but all mainly North India and all focused on the early period of British colonisation.

I don't know about US history but in the case of my field (I applied under Modern Britain for Stanford) I was told that they took zero applicants...which means there is no chance I will get in unless some magical decision happens. I am taking my name off the waitlist. For other fields the situation might be different, and you should probably just wait. I would contact the professor you're in touch with and ask them honestly what the list is like and if you have a shot.

Rejected from Columbia (via link to website) and I don't care...three years ago I never would have been caught dead saying something like that. But times have changed, and there are better places for me. My field is South Asia btw, for anyone else waiting.

So I'm confused...based on my visit day experience I was expecting an offer, and on the results page I saw that several people have already been notified. Post here: 1) What your status is (accepted, still waiting, rejected) 2) How/when you were notified 3) If you have any inside info or scoop on the process Also mention your field. Just for the record, I'm not desperate, it's just that I have offers from elsewhere and I need to start thinking seriously about decisions.

I was in the same situation, I took the call and I'm glad I did. I'm considering the second program now and was very pleased with what I heard. You would be doing yourself a disservice if you at least didn't hear them out.