niwatori_tori

I would advise you to look into summer language programs as well. Languages are considered essential for professional work in history (French and German are more-or-less required; Italian, Latin, and something 'exotic' like a Slavic language or Greek are a definite plus). It's fairly easy to get a FLAG (I'm assuming you're at a US university), especially if you can tie it into 'informal' archival work. There are numerous country-specific grants via academic exchange programs, EU universities, and often through US universities. Even if you don't become fluent in whatever language you study (in any event, most historians can only read foreign languages) it will still look good on your CV, plus it's fun to travel a bit You could always do assistantships, archival and library work (probably volunteer) during term-time. These positions tend not to be too 'demanding' if you get my drift.