Kelkel

You're welcome (forgive my horrible repetition of the fact that he's an Ottomanist stuyding Ottoman history... it's that time in the semester). He's super easy to approach and talk to, so don't worry about emailing him!

I'm a student at Binghamton University, and we have an Ottomanist, Dr. Kent Schull. He specializes in Ottoman history, and has a book coming out shortly about Ottoman prisons during the 19th century. Can't help you with Harvard though, but I hope this helps!

Plus administrative staff is not limited to women! There is a man in our office who I and other grad students would be lost without. /twocents

They might put you in contact with another graduate student, possibly in a similar situation, that could help you know where to look for houses/apartments. The schools themselves might also have resources, such as apartment lists, room share requests, etc. It really depends on the school and area though. I attend a university where a great part of the student population lives off campus, so the resources are immense for both graduate and undergraduate students. If you are offered a package that includes health insurance, the school will set that up for you. You will need to sign a few documents at the beginning of the year, but you will probably do that with the rest of your employment papers. I would probably make sure you ask human resources about the health insurance details before you accept an offer so that you know who and what the insurance will cover (for example, our student insurance is very cheap, but once you had a spouse it skyrockets, and since I don't have any dependents I don't know whether it would adequately cover a family or not). Good luck!

Lies, definitely wear pants. You never know if you might accidently push back in a chair and reveal yourself. Some of my grad professor revealed that this has happened before when they were interviewing job candidtates. Also I was told by a professor to put your computer on some books (if you're using a laptop), so that they aren't looking up your nose the entire time. Good luck!

I, too, am already here (and have been for a while). I met with my adviser already and it got me super excited about everything to come. Now I'm just waiting on everything to pick up!

I just want to add to the ruling out large parts of the country convo: The first year I applied, I only applied to schools below the Mason Dixon line (pretty much anyways). The South is where I am comfortable and I much prefer behind unhumanly hot to freezing cold. I barely had any luck. I also want to add that I am very liberal. While yes, you will encounter people with whom you do not agree, you shouldn't let politics get in the way. Knowing people that you don't agree with can broaden your horizons so much. It will up your level of discourse. Don't forget where ever you end up teaching, you might have to deal with students who have different views than you, political or otherwise. And the outspoken ones will want to debate you. I saw it all the time at my school. But we all got along. Anyways, back to my original point. The second around of apps, I applied all over the country. Now I'm living in New York state. I'm terrified of winter and I miss the South dearly, but I'm starting school in a couple of weeks, and couldn't be more excited. Edit: BTW, I don't want it to seem that I got into a school because I expanded my area of application. I think that was part of it, but I also had a stronger application this time too.

Oh yeah, knowing what area you signed lease in would be great! Luckily I found an alumn from my college that's currenting attending BU, so maybe I'll get some insider info that way.

I have an iPad and a Nook and I don't regret either purchase. My vision sucks, so I much prefer to read on eInk for extend periods of time.

I recently finished Robert Edsel's The Monuments Men. It was fabulous. He took liberties by writing out conversations that probably didn't take place, but it wasn't too often nor about important things (and he stated this fact in the preface). It was a wonderful exploration of the quest to protect art and monuments during WWII. If you're interested in either war or art history, I'd suggest giving it a read. Or watching "The Rape of Europa" (I have not read the book of the same name which the movie is based on).

Speaking of the recent flood, I found this on another website that could prove helpful when looking for a place. http://broomegis.co.broome.ny.us/website/gisweb/maps/flood/br_damage_assessment.pdf

I got into Miami Ohio and Binghamton University, both funded MAs, for Modern German history!

Oooh thanks for the tip!

Hey Cici, at least you're (relatively close). I'm so anxious about this whole process, I'm barely sure where to start!

I just finished The Monuments Menby Robert Edsel. It was so good! It's a must read for people interested in art/art history/history/war. I'm also on Goodreads. I love having it as a way to keep track how much and what I should read.

I've been keeping track of this thread to see what happens to you (creepy, right?). I AM SO HAPPY! Not just for you, but everyone who's getting in.

Yeah you get used to it after living with it for so long You definitely learn to manage your expectations of not sweating all day.

Aww, I lose the 5 corgi bet. Good thing though, it'll be hard enough to find an apartment for one corgi! Congratulations, TMP. Your advise has been welcomed not just by myself, but I know many of us on this board. Don't be a stranger (that said, I noticed I definitely forgot about this place in the intervening time between app cycles, so I don't blame you!). Congrats once and again, and more importantly, HAVE FUN!

Oh there's definitely not! But it also means you should do your due diligence and research areas before making a snap judgement on where to apply. However, it seems like the general consensus here is that New Haven, CT isn't a great place to live, but that doesn't stop people from applying to Yale! It's just all things you have to weigh in this game. The first time I applied, it was only to schools below the Mason-Dixson line (I'm not a fan of the cold). This time I got rid of that requirement and only applied to one Southern school, but am heading to New York... hurray!

I wanted to chime in on this, as someone who lives really close to Texas and knows A LOT of Texans (little of them from Austin). While Rick Perry and GWB might paint a picture of Texas as being a gun-toting, death penalty-loving, crazy Republican rich state, it's not. You have to remember, Texas is a HUGE state and while a majority of them are described as what I said above, they are spread out over distances. As people have said, Austin is a hippie-commune "blue-state" in the midst of all the red, but Dallas and the surrounding cities and San Antonio and the surrounding areas are very interesting and culturally rich places. The state is also full of people that are just like you and me (expect Texans are fiercely loyal to Texas). I've known people from both of these areas who are staunchly Democrat. One voted for Hilary in the democratic convention in Texas. It's all about who you know and who you surround yourself with. It's been said time and time again that if you want to be an academic, you have to realize you can't choose where to live. You really have to leave biases such as the political climate or observed stereotypes of that state at the door.

Alright, in the spirit of starting a conversation: When are y'all going apartment hunting? I would like to go out there in June maybe to see the school and look at places available in August. I'm in a wedding in May, which will take up a considerable amount of time, otherwise I would go and visit while school was still in the Spring semester. Btw, I'm looking for an animal friendly apartment if anyone has any leads!

I think you'll be able to figure out who I am pretty quickly... my username isn't too different from my real name.

Ooo, activity in this thread! I'm also attending Binghamton in the fall! From Louisiana... eek! I will be moving in August probably. Very nervous/excited to find somewhere to live.

German annieca, kotov, Kelkel Spanish annieca, crazedandinfused French theregalrenegade Hebrew uhohlemonster, crazedandinfused (ktzat) Italian Latin Kelkel Greek Russian Polish runaway Romanian kotov Japanese kyjin I'm rough in both. Haven't studied Latin since my junior year of high school, but I managed to test out of all levels offered at my UG a year out of practice. Proud of that. I'd like to develop fluency in German and eventually learn French cause I know I'll need it.

I bet 5 corgis on UW!