Auzzfest

George Washington!

Surprisingly UCSB and Georgetown!

So I have two funded offers, with April 15th deadlines and am on the funding wait-list at two other schools, including Georgetown which is my first choice. I emailed the graduate director at GT and asked her how things were shaping up, and she told me that they were still waiting on decisions from the people with offers. She made it seem that they wern't close to knowing if I would get off the waitlist but made it seem like it was totally possible. She was nice enough to email the administrative secretary to tell that person that I might need more time to make my decision. But what I don't understand is whether or not she realizes that I have other offers that I must either accept or reject by tomorrow. What happens if I accept another offer and then get in off the waitlist on Friday. Can I then accept another offer or am I locked into the first one. This is sooooooo annoying because it's just a massive trickle down effect. Until people commit to the top ten schools, the people who are on those waitlists and are accepted to the next 15 schools will just sit around, and then the people who are on the waitlists for those next 15 schools must wait even longer and so on and so forth. So PLEASE do us all a favor and if you know where you are going COMMIT ALREADY!! Especially if it is a top school. For the rest of you guys who are still in purgatory I know exactly how you feel. If you guys have any idea of how this all works and why programs would think they could tell people after April 15th please let me know.

hey do you guys mind sharing what the stipend looks like at Berkeley, just for comparison. I got a good offer at UCSB 21,000 1st and 5th years with no teaching and 2nd-4th guaranteed TA ships at 16,500. Not sure where the cost of living is higher, but would love to know how the different UC's compare.

I emailed probably 10-12 professors, after reading a significant amount of their work, and definitely took into account their responses when applying. I got good replies from professors at UCSB, Georgetown, George Washington, and Indiana, all places I was accepted or waitlisted. It really just depends if you can make an impression, and through an email its hard. If you could actually meet with a professor that could be even better. But honestly if you don't have what they're looking for your not getting in, and if you do, you will, whether or not you sent an email earlier in the year.

On the waitlist at Indiana but will almost certainly be going to UCSB or Georgetown. Just haven't decided which one.

Question for both Ardennes and Moses. Were you guys contacted by faculty at Georgetown? What did they say? I was contacted by my perspective advisor back on the 26th of Feb, and he had a lot of really nice things to say, but the bottom line was that for now I had been waitlisted for funding. I then received my acceptance letter on March 4th and surprisingly it included the following: "You are presently being considered for a departmental scholarship or fellowship. If an award is made, you will be notified by separate letter." Did your acceptance letters say the same thing? Thanks for the info. Also, still have not received my rejection email from NYU, do you guys think they are sending them out one bye one, in mass, or completely randomly?

I checked but definitely marked the box where it says to email me updates. Who knows I'll probably receive my email tomorrow or some time later this week. Still kinda weird/annoying.

Do you think they are sending the rejection emails out one at a time, or in mass? I didn't get one.....yet, but my guess is that I'm rejected.

Yeah, Surprisingly I have been offered my best package at UCSB. With the state of the California economy, I still have a few reservations, but I was offered 21,000 a year and guaranteed TA ships for 2nd through 3rd years. However when I visited it seemed like few people had been offered funding packages.

I personally think this mentality is BS. Especially the part about "your in trouble if you can't get into a top 15 program" Of course a Ph.D. from Berkeley or Princeton can make securing a job easier but plenty of grads from schools in the Top 50 and even below have landed great positions recently (even in this market). UCSB for example landed 10 tenure track positions for grads in 2007-2008. Going to a slightly lower ranked school can sometimes offer benefits that you couldn't get at top tier department. Up and coming faculty who are younger and more willing to incorporate you into their research for example. And don't forget that a school might be ranked in the top 5 of all schools, but they might be unimpressive in your field. UPENN for Latin America for example. And there is no point talking about how the job market is atrocious, because anybody who is still in the process of applying to school won't be on the job market for almost 10 years. Let all hope that it improves, but really who knows. I think the key is to find schools that are a great fit for your interests and that you have a realistic chance of getting into. Why waste your time applying to places that won't even look at your application. Honestly what you need to get into a decent program and get funded is a good overall package. That can take time. If you need to take a year off to make yourself a better candidate. Take that time. I took two years preparing after undergrad. Specifically you need a good GPA, GRE's as close to 700 and 6.0 as possible, a serious commitment to your field (I moved to Colombia for a year and a half to work on my Spanish and do heavy reading in my areas of interest. Do all the entry level reading in your field, and be able to talk about which historians and books influenced you. LORs from teachers who believe that you are ready for a Ph.D. program (ask them if they think you are) and show those letter writers, what you are doing outside of class to prepare for the application process and the graduate work. That way they will realize how committed you really are and express that in their writing. Writing samples: I wrote a thesis as a senior on a topic related to my field, and got an A, but it still was nothing that was going to impress committees. Even though you might have a great 25 page paper, with a good argument, what you need to show is your ability to do research (Primary Source research) . I took my 25 page thesis tossed it and wrote a 45 pg paper arguing the same thesis but based almost entirely on primary sources. Don't worry too much about Pg limits, I sent my whole paper to every school and got no complaints. Again this takes time, but take that time if you need to. Lastly, actually read the work of the professors you want to work with, and not just an article. Read a good portion of one of there books or two or three articles. And then use that as an introduction to contact them. Don't let a tepid response from faculty you contact get you down. When you make initial contact they don't know much about you so sometimes all they can say is we share interests and lets hope you get in. And refer to their work specifically in your statement of purpose. The SOP is basically a clean and succinct explanation of this entire package, just sell yourself. If you have spent the time accomplishing the things above, selling yourself will be easy. I hope this info will be helpful for anybody preparing for there applications, or applying a second time round.

Hey Strangelight who was the Colombian historian? Thats my field. Didn't find many of them out there.

Just got my third waitlist /accepted but waitlisted for funding notification. I'm really gratified that these schools are considering me, but just annoying not knowing if they are truly options or not. Anyone out there with funded offers from Indiana, Georgetown, or George Washington who are thinking of passing them up? I would greatly appreciate your money :wink: .

Georgetown must have had a really strong pool of applicants for Latin American history this year. I was waitlisted for funding in that field as well. I think they only accepted 12 or so students in all fields, including the ones waitlisted for funding. In response to your question, I think you should choose Cambridge, let us Latin American guys/gals get some funding. But honestly go wherever you think you will have the best resources and connections to train as a chinese historian.

Synth....do give me an update on your feelings about Indiana when you get back. I just got wait-listed there, so trying to decide if I'm gonna start campaigning real hard to get in. Honestly I think the program sounds great, and its a good fit for me, just don't know about living in Bloomington. Whats everyone's opinion about making visits to schools where I am waitlisted for funding. I'm going to be in the states for the next two weeks, and wonder if it is normal for someone who is waitlisted to visit with professors. I figure that if I make a good impression it could help me get off the list, and at the same time, give me a better idea of whether or not I really really want to go. Any thoughts?

Any Georgetown admits out there who are thinking of going elsewhere? I could really use your funding. Any thoughts on making a decision between UCSB and Georgetown? (if I get funding at GT that is) Why does Santa Barbara have to be so beautiful, makes the decision that much harder.

Question for everyone.... I have to head back to the states for an emergency the beginning of next week, and the trip will certainly be my only one before eventually moving back for grad school. I figure if I am going to be flying 10 hours back home, I should visit schools while I'm there. Unfortunately I haven't heard news from over half of the schools I have applied to, so I have no idea if I should plan to make visits. Do you guys think it is really unprofessional for me to email the professors I was in contact with during the application process to ask them what the status of my app is and whether I might want to make a visit. Normally I would never even think of contacting the schools but its going to be very frustrating if I get back to Colombia only to find out that I have been accepted somewhere else. I guess this is all a bit optimistic, because its perfectly possible that I don't get accepted anywhere else, but I just figure I should take advantage of the trip if I can. Congrats to all who have recieved good news, and I appreciate any insights you might have.

Synth, thanks for giving me something to do.....the lack of news is killing me!!!! I am typically reading three books off and on at the same time: something history related (Latin America), something on current events (side obsession), and then something lighter. My reading moods change constantly so I like to have different flavors to grab for. Last ones I finished were: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Soccer War by Ryszard Kapuscinski, and The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria. The Road is a beautiful Cormac McCarthy novel, which I think is coming out as a movie soon. Definitely a weekend read if you just want to burn a few days while waiting for app decisions. Really couldn't put it down. The Soccer War is also a pleasant read, Its definitely a history book, but reads more like a journal. Excellent first hand accounts of revolution and war across the globe in the 2nd half of the 20th century. At times it reads a little like Galeano..poetic yet informative. And Zakaria's work is a great pick up if you want to get a better grasp on developments in China, India, and other powerful up and coming economies. He always does a great job of intertwining history, IR, economics, traditional culture, and contemporary culture, to simplify large currents in International politics. Though maybe not as good as his previous book, The Future of Freedom, its an impressive look into where the world may be heading. And don't let the title throw you off, he's not preaching about the demise of America, rather the rise of some other countries. I respect his opinion and research and think he provides a balanced forecast. Currently I am working on A Problem from Hell by Samantha Power, Revolution: South America and the Rise of the New Left by Nikolas Kozloff and desperately need a light read, I would love some suggestions. Anyways I think it would be great for people to share any recommended reading, weather it be history related or not. Anything to burn the time.

Pawnee, do you mind sharing what your funding package from UC Davis looks like. UCSB is yet to release funding information, so I'm just wondering what a package in the UC system might look like. I guess it might vary considerably from school to school, but maybe not. In response to the budget crisis in California and the UC system, I can't imagine that a program could drop your funding a year or two into your degree if they awarded you a 5 year deal up front. On the UCSB funding website for example, it mentions that you sign a contract for the entire financial package. It is not reevaluated year by year, as long as your academic performance doesn't falter. But I guess who knows anything could happen. Maybe I am naive but I am confident in the strength of the UC system, particularly in its commitment to graduate studies and research. However Pawnee I am sure that you are right that next year the financial crisis around the country will significantly alter admissions and funding. On a side note: Synthla Congrats on the UCSB news!!!! Any more insight you can give me after visiting? For now, you leaning towards SB or Indiana??

rwcole...Regarding NYU, are you located in the US or international? Just wondering if any international applicants have been invited to the weekend. I'm guessing the cost of a flight might keep the department from inviting international applicants.....or at least that's what I'm hoping. What do you guys think?

For the person who posted about Georgetown on the results page, what field are you in? Were you contacted by a professor or did you call the department?

Why don't you email them and politely ask if they still consider it essential to meet with you. If your in or almost in they will certainly tell you to come. If not I am sure they would be as upfront with you as possible, so you don't waste your time. However it is interesting that they scheduled a meeting with you if they know there will be a recruiting weekend in less than a month. Anyways I hope it works out, and please let me know your impressions.

Quick UCSB update for anyone who is interested. My parents got the admission letter in the mail, which includes an invitation to their recruitment evening on March 5th and 6th, the name of the advisor currently assigned to me, and mentions that I have been nominated by several faculty for funding. It says that funding decisions hope to be made on or before February 27th. If anyone else ends up going to the recruitment weekend please let me know, because I live in Colombia and will not be flying back for any visits. Would love to get your impression of the department.

Nothing much, got the auto-email today telling me that my decision was available, but that's it. I'm pretty sure I haven't been contacted because of the cover letter issue, which was only resolved this morning. So jealous of your funding by the way!!!

Synthla!!!! Congrats, how does funding feel??? I'm sure it's amazing!