RF237

I am currently doing a PhD in medieval history in the US and took a similar route to the one you're thinking about. My suggestions: Do not do a PhD in the UK if you want to teach in the US (unless, of course, you do a PhD at Oxford of Cambridge), and if you are going to do a master's there, do a taught MA at Oxford, Cambridge, York, Durham, Leeds, St. Andrews, or Edinburgh. Maybe London. Think carefully about an MA in medieval studies versus an MA in medieval history/art/English, etc.--think about what department you would want to end up in for your PhD and what department you would want to teach in. Although American universities are always talking about interdisciplinarity, it is still far easier to get a job with a degree from a specific department since you will likely be applying to a specific department. Keep up with the French and Latin, and try to start German if you can. Don't expect to be able to study languages while in the UK. And try to take the GRE, if possible, before you start a program in the UK, because it's more of a hassle to take it over there. I'd also advise, however, applying directly to US PhD programs as well as to some US MA programs (UConn has a very good MA in medieval studies, and even offers funding to some MA students). The odds are very slim to none that you'll get any financial aid doing an MA (or PhD, for that matter) in the UK, which means you have to prepared to go $30,000-35,000 into debt for one year.

I rest my hopes on the fact that, someday, all those professors hired in the 50s and 60s will retire or pass away, opening the way up for us! I understand that many people like to be active/employed as late in life as they can manage, but it has always seemed to me like the humanities are currently overloaded with older professors who likely would have retired long before had they been employed in any other field/industry. BIG downside of tenure. I had a professor or two who could barely make it to class . . . Of course, here's hoping they hold on for 5-7 more years while I get my PhD!

I'll be heading to OSU in the fall!

In case anyone still cares (which, from the tone of this board, they may not), I declined a place at Rutgers yesterday. Not sure if their waitlist is subject specific or not, if they're even taking anyone from it. Good luck if you're still hoping, though!

The Ohio State University, for medieval history. Go Buckeyes!

The graduate director fully realizes that you need to respond to other offers tomorrow, but she also realizes that it's your decision if you want to accept one you already have or gamble on getting in off her wait list. If you accept another offer and then hear from Georgetown after April 15 that you were accepted there, you will have to ask the program you accepted in writing to formally release you from your obligation. They can say no, although they will most likely say yes, but in doing this you will likely be burning some bridges and creating bad blood. You will also possibly be delaying someone from getting in off their waitlist or getting funding. There has to be a deadline to decide because otherwise there would be utter chaos--a program could admit you in January and ask for a decision immediately. Other programs could wait until July to decide. The April 15 deadline was agreed on to protect the rights of applicants and create a more uniform process, not to protect the universities. Programs realize that people they notify after April 15 may have already committed to another program, but still want to give you the option of going to their program if you get in from the waitlist.

E) If you're happier, you'll do better work, which will lead to a better resume. Also, the rumor in my field, at least, is that many state schools are well known for producing good scholars who are good teachers, so their graduates are more likely to get jobs, especially at smaller colleges where teaching is the focus, than Ivy grads. Unless your goal is to be a superstar at an Ivy yourself one day: then go Ivy.

You should be able to live decently in Boston on $27k a year. I'm not sure about the studio or your figures though. Especially since you're looking near BC, I'd make sure to see any place in person before committing because it's mostly an undergraduate area, so rent is expensive and the apartments are not nice. I'm not sure you'll be able to avoid commuting, maybe not to school but to other places (I'd check if there are any supermarkets close to BC), so you might also want to factor in money for a bus or subway pass. $300 a month for food etc. should be fine if you eat regular (not expensive, fancy, or organic) food. A BIG question to ask: will your rent include heat? Or any other utilities? 100 a month is reasonable for regular utilities, but if it doesn't include heat, you're looking at an additional $100-150 a month AT LEAST for heat, depending on the type, the size of your studio, (electric, gas, or oil) and how much you mind freezing. Keep in mind too that in Boston the heat usually goes on sometime in October and stays on until May (again, unless you don't mind being cold). $100 should be ok for cable/internet/phone, I believe, if you don't go for any big cable packages. That's a land line, though, so I don't know if you'll also want to factor a cell phone bill into your monthly budget. And, lat but not least, it's the law in Massachusetts that you HAVE to have health insurance, so if BC isn't paying for it, you'll have to factor that in too. Hope that helps. Oh yes, and you might want to repost this in the Boston/Cambridge thread under the Cities forum--you'll get much more advice there.

Did you apply to that school for an MA or a PhD? If you applied for a PhD and the school signed the compact mentioned by another poster, then you have the right to wait until April 15 to respond to both admissions and funding decisions, and the school cannot make you reply sooner or revoke your offer of admission or financial aid if you don't respond before then. If you applied for an MA, however, I don't believe that compact applies. I would contact both schools to see if you can get a response sooner/get an extension on the reply date.

The only grants or scholarships for US students to study abroad in the UK are generally extremely competitive--Rhodes, Fullbright, etc.--and you have to apply for them very early in the whole process. The UK government runs an Overseas Student Research scheme, which you have to apply for through the school you're applying to, usually at the same time that you apply for the program. I'm not sure what the deadlines are for that, but I believe, again, you've probably missed them for this fall. You can, however, take out US government loans for study at most UK universities. This includes both subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans and GradPLUS loans. You can get loans for tuition and estimated living expenses (set by the school) and the limits are the same as for grad study in the US.

Anyone else STILL waiting to hear from Cornell? I tried emailing the grad director, but got no response. I'm thinking of emailing the professor I'd been in contact with, but hate doing that for admissions decisions. Urgh.

I would think that 24 would be more of the average age around here, since on most the forums I've been on the posters have been working for a few years or getting a masters etc. and often mention the benefits of taking a few years off after undergrad. You can feel young again, professor: I'm 27.

That does seem to be the only way to get an answer--it's how I got mine.

London does sound like a good idea--if you're going to pay for a master's, you may as well get the experience of living in a different country at the same time. I did my master's in England, and even turned down funding in the US to do it. It was a great year--another benefit of UK masters is paying only one year of tuition instead of two!

Well, I finally got my rejection email from Columbia. It's actually a bit of relief to have one less question mark. Still two left though. Toronto told me I should be getting a letter in the mail soon, but does anyone have any updated information on Cornell? I emailed the department a few days ago, but haven't gotten a response. Rumor here had it that they have already contacted all of their accepted students, so I suppose they could just be slow with the rejection letters, although a lot of people posted rejection letters a week or so ago. Anyone else having a hard time deciding between their current offers? I've gotten into two good, somewhat similar programs, and am not sure what to do. I'm visiting both in the next few weeks, and hopefully that will help me decide!

Go for A: I know it's been said a thousand times on these forums, but you should never go into debt for a PhD!

What is polyvore.com? Looks fun! I've had current grad students, contacting me about my coming to visit, tell me to just wear nice jeans, a sweater, and decent shoes. They said everyone is always nervous about what to wear and how to act, but relax after a while. And, usually, the day is fully scheduled from 9 am meetings through dinner, so you want to be comfortable. If you're only there for a day or two, you want to be focusing on what's around you, not on how uncomfortable your clothes are! That being said, I work in a business casual office, and jeans are the standard clothing item. I vote (if you care) for the top outfit. But if you would feel more comfortable in jeans instead of the khakis, go ahead and wear them! Remember: you're already in. You've already sold yourself. Now the department is trying to sell itself to you. Yes, first impressions matter, but as long as you look neat, clean, and put together, and are comfortable enough to talk to and engage the people you're meeting, it won't matter if you're wearing jeans or khakis!

Most people here don't have the savings to buy a house outright. So to buy a house or condo, they take out a loan with a bank, called a mortgage. Almost all mortgages require you to make a down payment, though the amount is often negotiable. The down payment is what you pay up front, when you sign the contract. So, if you're buying a house that costs $75,000 and make a $10,000 down payment, then you take out a mortgage for the remaining $65,000. Since it's a loan, you have to pay interest, so you want to make sure you llok around for a good interest rate and, as the current housing crisis shows, get a fixed rate, not variable rate mortgage ( i.e., your interest rate doesn't change over the life of the loan). Mortgages are usually for a term of 30 years, although, again, that can vary. You usually have to be preapproved for mortgages, which means that when you're looking at houses you go to a lender, give them all of your financial info, including your credit score, and they determine how much they're willing to lend you and at what terms. On a graduate student stipend, a bank isn't going to lend you much money, especially since they're so careful with credit right now. As for being able to buy a house on a visa, sorry, no clue.

I live in Quincy! I live about half a mile from the train station (which I walk to) and commute into the Back Bay for work every day. If you're commuting off peak and catch a train quickly, you can be at Park Street station in 15 minutes. Usually takes me 30-45 minutes to get from Wollaston (Red Line) to Arlington (Green Line) and the same to get home, both during rush hour. There's also an extensive bus system that runs throughout the city and into Boston. That being said, there's no student life here at all--it's more of a local city (I grew up here). Quincy is pretty safe and pretty nice, although like any other city, this can depend on neighborhood. I walk home from the train station late at night sometimes and always feel safe. It's definitely pretty quiet, but has been working on some urban renewal projects. There are a few really good restaurants, and many friendly, if not upscale, bars. I would recommend living near the Wollaston or North Quincy stations. Quincy Center is starting to look better, and is perfectly safe most of the time, but can get a little sketchy late at night, especially around the train station, which is set slightly back from the main road. There are a lot of new condos there, as well as apartments. I would, however, recommend having a car if you live here, unless you find a place close to grocery store or don't mind carrying groceries on the bus. If you want to know more or have specific questions, feel free to PM me.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I also have a master's from a UK university. After applying to two programs last year and not getting in, I contacted both schools to see if my UK grades were the problem, and was assured that the professors in the department were used to seeing UK transcripts. That was history--I don't know what your subject is. I did look into pay services that "translate" your transcript for you, but they're very expensive. I would suggest starting your research into PhD programs early (over the summer), emailing your potential future advisors, and, among other things, asking them if they or their departments would have trouble interpreting such transcripts. You could also talk to your professors at your UK university (the ones you'll be asking for letters of recommendation) and ask them to be clear about how good your grades are and how your work compared to other students' work from your year.

I would also say yes, bargain your heart out. I've had my potential adviser at one school I've been accepted at strongly encouraging me to negotiate when I've gotten funding info from everyone and saying that he'd help. They expect it, and if they really want you, they'll go to bat.

You're welcome ? My first update: Toronto said decisions have been made and letters are being mailed this week, so expect a response soon. WashU emailed me back to tell me I was rejected and would get a letter soon. I'm still waiting on Columbia and Cornell, but I expect them to take a few days to respond.

So I totally caved and just emailed the graduate coordinators/graduate assistants at my four outstanding program to ask whether they had finished making their decisions and when they would be notifying applicants. I will post summaries of any replies I receive in the next couple of days, so keep your eye out for my updates if you're still waiting to hear from Columbia, Cornell, University of Toronto, or WashU. Someone had to do it.

I also am waiting to hear back form Columbia, but I already have an MA, so there's no referring my app. I find it odd not to have received one of their mass e-mail rejections last week when they have supposedly already contacted all of their accepted and wait listed students. Perhaps different areas are handling their wait lists differently--i.e., some are keeping an unofficial wait list while others have an official one and have notified those on it? I'm getting impatient, and really just want to know either way at this point.

I'm not in the sciences, but my interpretation of that email would be that you would be in, but they don't have the funding, so they put you on a list of students that they're circulating to professors to see if the professors want to fund any of the students with their grants etc. If a professor chooses you from the list, you will be accepted. Otherwise, you will not be accepted because they don't accept students they don't have funding for.