Melissa33
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Everything posted by Melissa33
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I totally disagree with this. When a professor asks you to follow up, most definitely absolutely positively follow up!! Also, I've been told by reliable sources (aka com professors) if you are in contact before and during the application process, follow up around committee meeting time, even if just to ask that everything was received.
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I am going to guess it was Gellately at FSU? I am interested in working with Dr. Stoltzfus there. you definitely have an edge having already acquired Romanian language skills. I'm half way decent at Czech and starting on BCS (Bosnian-Serb-Croatian). I should get around to German one day.... I understand Dr. Johnson speaks four languages, including German. I'm just too old to learn languages! With so few spots and full funding at Central Michigan, i'm not feeling very confident. I think the year abroad is a real plus and should be a requirement of any graduate program! do keep us posted!
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Your topic sounds interesting, but equally difficult to find a good mentor and develop well the language requirements? I am guessing you have the latter covered! I applied to (and was accepted at) Florida State, which was one of my top choices given the excellent faculty, also Indiana and Central Michigan. My MA is in sociology and I applied to Illinois-Urbana for sociology specifically because of the faculty strength in SE Europe. I also had a backup school if all else failed! Given my narrow field, I chose schools based on faculty and then on my correspondence with them. My stats are not stellar at all. I have a 3.9 GPA (advanced stats killed me), one conference presentation and an awful GRE that was just barely over 1000 (I hate that damn test). I'm sure I had excellent letters of recommendation and I studied a year in Prague, so I hope helps to negate the nasty score! I am going to guess those few spots will be funded? Did he say anything about that? Don't we all just wish we had a crystal ball to see where we will be next year this time?
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I corresponded with Dr. Johnson in December about working with him with a primary focus on Roma under the Third Reich - my field is Romani Studies, but I also have an interest in World War II and the former Yugoslavia (my MA thesis is on nationalism in Kosovo and the Roma). They aren't taking very many PhD students at all this round. I think that is awesome that you had an interview and is surely a positive sign. Best of luck!!
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As someone in the LSU system, be aware of funding and political issues at LSU. I don't want to rain on your parade but Jindal is making a mess of the LSU system, forcing professors out, programs cut, and loss of assistantships across the board. Keep your eyes open on those other applications before you totally give in to LSU while the rest of us are running away with fistfuls of hair!
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Also applied to Indiana and haven't heard anything. Same with Central Michigan - when did you interview? I have an acceptance at one of my top choices so at least I am not in panic mode, but it still hurts to see acceptances on the results board for schools on my list!
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It seems there is always one professor that doesn't send rec letters by the deadline....this one despite giving her an addressed and stamped envelope and following up with her. (yes, a real stamp and envelope....happens). it was my back up school anyway, but still. she says she sent it....and only hers didn't arrive.
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I don't. I do speak fair Czech though and intend to begin focusing on BCS (Bosnian-Croatian-Serb) for my second language requirement. I thought of learning Romany, but there are so many dialects and it really wouldn't serve me well academically, especially for historic research. On another note, I think we need to be really careful not to generalize an entire ethnicity of folks for bad experiences with some. Saying you watch your wallet closer when around Roma is no different from saying you watch it closer around Blacks or Hispanics and I really don't think you would say that. Where you were is only a tiny percentage of the entire population of Roma that span the gamut of professional hard-working Roma to street thieves. Just food for thought.
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Not in the US, yet. There has been talk of a Romani studies PhD program at UT-Austin. Romani studies programs are beginning to gain ground in Europe where the Roma are the largest minority. I think eventually they will be comparable to African American studies in the US. I very often compare their status in Europe to pre-civil rights Blacks here. I lived also in CZ - studied at Charles University and worked with a Romani NGO. I find it interesting you have a mixed opinion of Roma (i have a mixed opinion on the human race in general!). I am going to guess you had some bad experiences. Not sure how long ago you lived there, but since '89 they are treated terribly by the government and the majority of "white" citizens. Living in CZ, you probably witnessed this. Czechs view Roma and homeless folks as the bane of their country.
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When we lived in Utah, we had a bumper sticker that read, "Eat, Drink and Be Merry, For Tomorrow You May Be In Utah." We lived in Moab - the black sheep of Utah due to its low Mormon population. At one time, the state actually pushed legislation for Moab to become part of Colorado. And to chime in on topic, my primary area of interest is Romani studies, particularly in Eastern Europe. I am also interested in the Yugoslav wars and post-war society. I am finishing my MA thesis this semester on Kosovar nationalism from Tito to the present and how the Roma have fit within the dominant nationalist ideology.
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I called the grad school. It is my understanding they collect everything and then send it along to history.
