TransnationalHistory

Hey, not a dumb question at all. I'm even slower! Or at least, my base level for moderately theoretically-loaded history is like 15 pgs an hour. That said, at my peak in undergrad I could get through 70-80 pgs an hour with taking notes/points to bring up in class discussion. From disuse I've lost it, but I'm not too worried about getting it back. My undergrad was a small LAC that was geared toward preparing students for grad school. Upper-level history classes assigned around 250-400pgs a week...basically a book and few articles. But our professors, for the most part, made clear they did not expect a close reading of every page. The point was to assign more than we could read so we could learn how to deal with that situation. So yes, speed reading is an important skill. My advice: Always read the introduction and the conclusion closely. Most well-written books will clearly outline in the introduction what theoretical frameworks they are going to work with, and what they aim to do in each chapter. So basically, the introduction pretty much lays out all the main points of the book, and tells you where they are located in the text. The conclusion usually repeats these points, and then usually goes into more depth on why this is important to the historiography for the subject. As for the bulk of the book, I would skim, using the first sentence last sentence trick. If a paragraph looked particularly interesting/weighty I might read the whole thing more carefully. I would make notes of what general topics/ideas are discussed on every page, making a general outline in my notebook. Then, when I was done reading I'd pick a few sections that seemed most important/interesting and read those again more in-depth, and comment on those sections in my response paper/class discussion. As for really getting your speed up, it takes time. Like training for a race, you can't expect to run a quick mile the first time you try. That said, in undergrad I always picked a spot in the library right near a big clock. That way I could check my progress every ten minutes....if I saw my time was slacking I'd know to try and pick up the pace. So yeah, don't refuse a top-ranked school just because of this, and don't assume that strong vocabulary = speed reader. Not to mention, while grad school does require a lot of reading, anyone can read. Not everyone can do interesting research and write craft a coherent argument in the space of a book, and your ability/promise to do this was clearly demonstrated by your writing sample or else you wouldn't have gotten accepted. So relax!

I've been a bit of a stumble bum for these last four years after graduating undergrad. Partially a result of the economy, partially a result of my dislike for most 9-5 jobs. No regrets, gave me a chance to travel some, live in a few different places, test out the waters of the "real world" and conclude that the only place for me right now is academia. I've saved some money/paid off loans, but only because I'm such a spend-thrift. Anyway, the point I want to make is that grad schools, at least in the humanities, will not look down on you if your CV is a jumble of odd-jobs with some big gaps in employment. So I wouldn't worry about what you should do....you should do whatever appeals most. That said, if your intended program requires language skills, consider living abroad in the relevant country and working on your proficiency.

Sounds like my UG prepared me well....in 300 levels and above we had to write a weekly response to at least some part in the reading, and e-mail it to the professor and all the other students at least 24hrs before class, as a way to get the discussion going. Anyway, interesting to know there is something similar at Michigan. And thanks for the question suggestion. Do pretty much all programs let you pick your research paper topics, or are specific topics ever assigned?

Do graduate level classes ever have tests, or are those pretty obsolete across the board (besides of course, the oral exam)?

Won't Miss: -Feeling aimless/ Parents consistently worrying over what I'm doing with my life. -Having to do jobs that are not intellectually challenging or connected to anything I value. -Worrying that, to quote Lisa Simpson, that "I'm dumbening" -Feeling too poor to travel. Will Miss: -Brooklyn, NY -Apartment: I have a huge room with my own bathroom, in a cool old house, for less than 500 a month....I doubt I'll be able to find something comparable anytime soon. -And most of all, friends.

One thing I just thought of as something to ask at open houses is how graduate courses are actually structured. Where I did undergrad, by the time you were taking 300 level courses these all were structured with readings/discussions for the first half to 2/3 of the semester. Then the readings assigned either decreased or were stopped entirely, with the focus being an independent research paper. We'd spend class either discussing how our research was going or a few short assigned readings. I want to assume that graduate level courses will lean even heavier to independent research papers, but I wonder what the range is of graduate coursework. If you've already completed graduate level classes, could you let me know how they were structured? This will help me know what questions to ask during campus visits. Thanks!

I also just got a rejection email, after I was offered a spot on the wait list! I'm looking into it, since this was a generic letter and the wait list offer was personal and from different people, but who knows what's going on. @Silas: That seems unnecessarily cruel, I'm sorry. The idea people who get invited (and their hopes built-up) still get rejected is bad enough, in my opinion.

Also, consider how many additional fellowships/grants/awards/etc, your university gives out to students. I get the impression some schools make it easier, especially after the first year, for students to apply and get additional funding, while some schools only give out additional funding/awards to a select few.

I find it funny that the school that is taking the longest to get back to me is the school with the highest application fee.

Well, a little funny admissions story: So I got offered a spot on NYU's wait list awhile ago, and I wrote back expressing interest. Today I get a generic rejection letter from a different administrator. I emailed the professor/administrator who sent the original wait list offer to see what's up, but it does seem a little odd. Has anyone had something like this happen before? I know NYU is a big school and all, but.....

Not officially in a program yet so this comes without first-hand experience on what it will be like, but I do have friends in grad school, and see what their lives are like. Anyway, this why I'm excited about grad school: - For the most part I'll be my own boss. Sure, you have to be a TA, but besides that you will be supported, both monetarily and emotionally, to do your own work. Any horror story I've read about abusive faculty pales in comparison with the last boss I had. And from talking to current grad students in both programs I've been admitted to, as well as friends currently in grad school, it seems that for the most part being a TA is for the most part ranges from neutral-positive. - More opportunities will open that wouldn't otherwise. I know someone studying Art History. As early as his first year his professors were connecting him with editors at top-national art magazines, and he's been paid for his essays/reviews. His second year he got a highly paid part-time job at an art gallery. While being in the program didn't instantly make him smarter, it did give him connections and a professional stamp of approval. As for me, there are archives that would be hard to access without either university affiliation or a PhD. -Building on that point above, I see grad school as an excuse to live in another country. I know that sounds silly/self-serving, but it's true. I'll be getting paid to do summer research, which in my field will mean spending the summer abroad. Getting a paid job in another country is hard, so being paid to do research anywhere of my choosing (that's relevant to my research, of course) is exciting to me. -The job market is dismal, and the stipends I've been offered are greater than what I've managed to earn in any of the four years since I graduated college. -The challenge. The last time I felt I was really making the most of my life was my senior year of college. Not that I regret the last four years of my life, but I'm more productive when pushed by an outside force. This is not to say I'm self-motivated and unable to work independently --I didn't take any classes my last semester of college, just finishing up two year-long senior thesis projects-- but I doubt I'd have the drive to write a dissertation on my own. - If I don't go to grad school, there's a chance that in 6-7 years I'll still be in the same state of limbo I've been in the last four years (a mix of freelance/contract/part-time/etc.). If I go to grad school, I might still not have my goals figured out, but at least I'll have a PhD, proficiency in 1 or more languages, more professional connections, and a slew of interesting experiences under my belt.

I didn't have the drive to apply to any fellowship before I knew I was actually going to grad school, since all my schools were pretty much crap shoots. Now I'm in, and while my funding packages are generous I wouldn't mind a little extra (for my field I'll have greater than average travel costs) and certainly I know that the prestige of getting grants/fellowships certainly doesn't hurt on your CV. I know about the Javits, but I was hoping to start a resource here of other grants/awards/fellowships for people in the humanities who are just starting out/pre-dissertation. Searching in Google has proven to be pretty unhelpful. Thanks!

Moving on to a more frivolous topic.... What's your favorite restaurant(s)? Which restaurants do you think are overrated and/or disappointments? I'm interested in Ann Arbor and Ypsi, and primarily in the $20 and under category, as well as quick/cheap bites near campus for when I don't have it together to bring a lunch.

You might qualify...can't hurt to try. I qualified when I was making close to that amount. I'm not sure about the international bit, I did have to give them a social security number. But maybe your green card number would work too.

If you do opt to reapply, NYU has the ability for history PhD candidates to graduate with a certificate in Museum Studies/Public History. Also, I mentioned my interest in curatorial work in each of my SOPs. I also said I wanted to explore teaching, but I didn't hide the fact that I was also interested in exploring other options. Many of the schools I applied to have a faculty member in the department who teaches a class on Museum Studies. So if you do reapply, I would focus on schools that fit your research interests first, but then see which if those have a faculty member or certificate program related to your career goal. Good luck, I agree it's a tricky career path to unravel.

Depending on how much your stipend is (or if you're getting one, you don't say) you might be able to qualify as "self-pay" at Belleveu Hospital. I currently do, and I only pay $20 for every visit, no matter how much the total cost is.

Since you are from India, I'm guessing you won't be able to visit beforehand. You might want to just take the available grad school housing the University offers. I've heard it's not as nice as what you could get off-campus, but if your international it's not a bad idea for your first year. As for the cold, I'm sure Ann Arbor has plenty of clothing/outdoor stores where you'll be able to buy winter clothing. It will probably be easier to do so there than in India, so you may as well just wait.

No, seriously do ask. One of the schools that I got into did not explain if or not travel expenses were covered until I asked....and they were covered. It's a busy time for grad school administration, so it's possible they just forgot to let you know. Do ask, nobody will think less of you.

Check the second post in this thread: It's a pretty impressive list. I'm mainly looking for fit, which to me means a place that will support the work I want to do, with people who I will enjoy working with and learning from. I'm looking forward to seeing the library, meeting faculty, and listening to the current grad students. When I visited the place I went to for undergrad I just got a gut feeling that it was the right place for me, and I'm hoping I'll experience the same feeling on at a least one of my visits....it will certainly make uprooting my life a lot easier.

Yeah, did you get the letter of invitation for the visit? I got mine Feb 25th, and attached to that letter was an itinerary with the lodging mentioned at the top--Campus Inn. If you didn't get that letter for some reason, I'd just email Kathleen King, she was the one who sent it.

I wouldn't actual try to bargain, but I am curious what the program is/if it's something I could apply for...that's all.

Wow, if all grad programs did that I wouldn't have gotten funding anywhere. Honestly, that seems like a really flawed policy, especially considering that the quant percentiles are skewed with all the engineering/math/science kids who take it. Plus I can't think of anything that I was tested on that even remotely relates to being able to being a strong candidate in the humanities.

Just curious, what exactly does that entail? Is it a summer institute for language study, doing archival research adjunct to another university, or something else?

Yeah, I got mine...same as you, minus that additional $6k--congrats on that. Regardless, it is still a good offer, especially since it does seem like Michigan is really committed to supporting their students with various awards/fellowships. I also was not expecting the guaranteed summer funding to be as high as 8k.

For anyone in a similar fix, in the end Vanderbilt was willing to put me up for an extra night, and even offered to help me find other things to do with my extra day. They were very friendly about it. As for the question above, am I the only one not worried about dress? I think if you're presenting at a conference and thus representing the university, and on their dime to boot, it is appropriate to dress professionally. But in this case the only thing you're representing is yourself, and they've already accepted you. I really don't think there is a wrong answer as to what to wear--if you feel more comfortable/confident dressed up, then dress up. Personally, I feel more myself in jeans, so that's what I'm going to do. I highly doubt anyone's admission was ever rescinded based on clothing choice. Just my gut feeling though, as I've yet to attend one of these yet. I am definitely going to read more books/articles by the professors I want to work with to prepare.