futurePhD

Riotbeard is correct that traditional political history is more or less dead. This is not a phenomenon limited to the U.S. Civil War Era, by the way, and while we can debate whether it is good or bad, it is a fact. But there is still lots of good work to be done in the U.S. Civil War field. One of the best ways to get a sense of where the field is going is to look at the last five to ten years of publications such as the Journal of Civil War History or the newer Journal of the Civil War Era. The most recent edition of the latter has a very good historiographical essay about the current state of Civil War scholarship, which uses the Faust book as a prominent example. Word of warning: if you partake, I'd recommend a glass of bourbon or whatever your drink of choice is while reading the Faust book. While excellent, it is not exactly a feel good story.

Maybe it's just me, but I wouldn't want to work with someone that rejects people out of hand with the justification "they were just a baby, straight out of undergrad and it showed in the application." What does that even mean? Unless there was an applesauce stain on the application or something, it seems rather silly and anti-intellectual for an historian. The competition for people without MAs is admittedly more intense, but I wouldn't let that kind of logic deter you (meaning the Professor's, not CageFree, who is merely the messenger). I applied straight out of undergrad (and received acceptances to PhD programs), presumably because the graduate committee believed that based on their experience, my undergraduate record and application package suggested I could grow into a good historian, even if my knowledge of the profession was different than someone applying with an MA. I really hope this is how most programs approach applicants without an MA, or else they should be honest and declare the real admission requirements. I also really would not worry about being a young TA. Might it cause some anxiety and minor problems? Possibly, but it's a terrible reason to consider not going (or delaying) graduate school if someone is going to fund you. I dealt with it and can assure you that after the first midterm, the establishing authority thing isn't an issue. Once students realize that you can give them a D and the Professor is not going to change it, the problem takes care of itself.

TMP has some good advice, and is quite right that this situation is not that unusual. I'll add that this is something to address in the SOP if you so desire, and your letter writers can too. In my opinion the writing sample is probably the most important thing here. If your sample demonstrates that you can construct an original argument from primary sources that engages the relevant historiography, it doesn't matter all that much if you majored in history or advanced underwater basket making. As my undergrad advisor used to say, historians know good history when they see it. As someone who is in the field (American Civil War Era), feel free to PM me if you have specific questions about programs or people. I might be slow to respond, depending on whether I am using message boards to avoid dissertation writing that day, but I'll try to help. If you haven't already done so, start reading everything by Mark E. Neely, Jr, especially his book on Lincoln and civil liberties. His work is vital for your area of interest.

You should be far more concerned with your writing sample, statement of purpose, and reccommendation letters. These are the things that get you admitted to a top-notch doctoral program. Nearly everyone applying will have a high GPA (a 3.7 in history will not keep you out, IMO). It is mostly used to weed people out. I would not worry about foreign language all that much. Some on this board will shoot me for saying so, but it is a tremendous waste of time for a lot of Americanists. There are exceptions of course, like the US-Middle East angle you mentioned, or if you wanted to study Louisiana in the 18-19th centuries, etc. . . But honestly, if you want to study 20th Century US political or social history (which is the most overcrowded field in an already horrendous job market), you would be much better served working on a fantastic primary source paper than cramming to learn Spanish or French. For this reason, my program actually eliminated the foreign language requirement for US History, and I believe more programs are starting to lean in this direction. Anyway, best of luck. Of course, the Professors at your institution are the best source of knowledge, so pick their brains about all of these questions. Finally, I cannot resist saying, make sure this is what you really want to do. You say you are young, so if you haven't done so yet, go visit the Chronicle of Higher Education Forums and see what they say about getting a PhD in the humanities. They are over the top gloom and doom, but it is good to be aware of the realities of this profession.

As a native North Carolinian, it is "Wolfpack" if you want to get it right. Wolf Pack is the University of Nevada.

What is the real advantage in waiting? As long as it does not negatively impact your work in the MA program, I would say go ahead and try this cycle and see what happens. If you make the effort to really get to know some of your MA Professors early this semester, you can probably get some good recommendations by November. Worst-case scenario you end up getting no offers and you can try again next year with (presumably) stronger credentials. PhD admissions are such a crap-shoot, and your chances with certain programs can vary year-to-year based on variables you have no control over. Why wouldn't you want to maximize your probability of getting in somewhere?

OP, Your situation is very similar to mine four years ago when I applied. I sent you a PM that I hope you will find useful.

Changing your area of interest before entering graduate school does not strike me as a substantial problem per se. In fact, if you are switching to such a completely different topic then I suspect that you will be applying to a very different list of schools this time, or at least you should be. As such, there is less of a need to explain this shift. Nevertheless, I think the far more important thing to consider is how to connect this new topic, "how the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918 influenced community X," with larger historical questions/debates. More to the point, you have to address the dreaded "so what" question in regards to your topic. You will have to convince an admissions committee, and later your PhD committee, that your proposed area of study has an intellectual payoff. Do you have a solid idea about what this will be? I would also add that it is not the worst thing in the world to be a little broad or unsure about your research interests entering a PhD program. Very few people enter graduate school with a specific dissertation topic in mind. Of the few that do, many end up doing something different after a few years of course work and training. Best of luck as you apply, sounds like an interesting field of study!

I've got my ear to the ground at UF. I know the individual sections have met and ranked candidates, and I was under the impression that the committee was meeting as a whole this week to make final decisions. Surprisingly, however, no news has emerged. If I hear anything I'll be sure to report it.

Misterpat's post about it being cheating is dripping with sarcasm, just so you know. Of course you should revise your writing sample.

I'd also look at places like Vandy, Rice, Virginia, Florida, Emory, and the University of Georgia. I am sure there are countless others, that is just off the top of my head. This is really something that you should discuss at length with your undergraduate professors, however. They will not only know what schools you should apply to, but they will likely know some of the important people in your field.

In my humble opinion, you would be much better served to polish your writing sample and SOP, and make sure you have superb LOR's. Of course your GRE scores matter, but the 3 aforementioned factors are really the keys to admissions. BTW, there is no such thing as a "safety school" when it comes to applying to history PhD programs. I had a perfect GPA and a stellar Verbal GRE and got rejected from both of my so-called safeties, and five of the six other programs I applied to. You might have better odds at some lower ranked programs, but it really is a crapshoot. Best of luck!

As I said in a previous post, Point West, Camelot, and Cazabella are all places that I really liked. You might also look at Town Parc Apartments as well. Your choices really will be endless with the plethora of complexes down there. As someone else mentioned, you might want to visit Apartment Hunters on University Avenue. You can tell them your price range and everything you are looking for, and they will make you a personalized list of places to look at- this service is also Free. As for Mount Vernon, the location is fairly convenient. They claim that it is within walking distance, but I would not want to make that walk everyday, especially when it is 100 degrees and humid. I am sure you could bike to campus pretty easily from there if you don't mind the heat. I am fairly certain there is a bus stop pretty close to there also- you can use the buses in Gainesville free with your UF student ID. Good luck, hopefully someone with a little more knowledge about the area will chime in as well. . .

Mount Vernon, in particular, seemed to be a little old and run down to me. I think I was disappointed because it seemed so nice online. . . perhaps my expectations were too high. Don't get me wrong, I am sure you would be absolutely fine there. It should be relatively quiet, and it is in a nice location right on Archer road. Personally, however, I looked at a lot of apartments during my visit there, and I came away with the impression that there are better places for similar rent than Mount Vernon. Everyone has their own tastes, so I am sure some people may disagree with me on this. If at all possible, I highly recommend that you visit Gainesville and visit these complexes for yourself. I cannot imagine signing a lease without looking at the place first.

I agree with the previous poster. Granted I do not know much about your personal situation, but taking out loans for a PhD in the humanities is considered a cardinal sin. Plus, you cannot say for sure that you would be funded the next year and beyond. I think you should wait it out.