oryantin

hey, could you help me out understand this revised gre? i think the hardest parts of verbal part have been removed from the test. right? as far as i am concerned, it is possible to choose one of two types of gre now: revised computer based and revised paper test. can you say that revised version is easier than the old one? which one do you recommend to take? what kind of study strategy helped you get such high scores from the verbal? which word list did it work for you the most? in fact, i do not worry much about the quantiative section because i majored economics and am pretty familiar to those basic math stuff. but the problem is the verbal section is more important to a history phd applicant. and one thing more, you are talking about 600's and 700's, but isn't this new one on a 130-170 score scale? or perhaps it is still possible to take the old one? thanks in advance.

Bluebird and ticklemepink, thanks for your comments! I did not think that way. But the e-mail I sent was not only to let her know that I will apply but also to ask her whether she will be accepting new students for the next year. So I wanted to learn if she may supervise my future dissertation. Given this information, I thought that she is either unable or reluctant to do so, and directs me to contact Prof. Y probably because Y's interests are closer to mine. Anyway, I just did what I was told. We'll see

Hey everyone, I have not been checking here regularly since the last month. Currently, I am trying to memorize as many words as possible for GRE exam. I did not think this process will be that challenging, to be honest. I am still not done with polishing my paper and writing a good SOP. By the way, I started contacting Professors and received some encouraging replies along with two uninterested ones. Can I request you to comment on one of these? "Dear X: Thank you for your note. A committee reviews all applications for the graduate program. I urge you to also contact Dr. Y, who is the specialist in Ottoman history in the Department. All best wishes, Dr. Z." The school where the owner of this reply works at was one of my top-schools. I think e-mailing to POI's is a good way of narrowing the schools down. And sometimes being straightforward hurts

Why did you start a new topic while the other one stands there with many sharings in it?

I'd support the opposite of what other posts were talking about. I also did not trust my previous papers and started writing a new one instead of polishing the old ones. Like you, I too thought that I have grown academically. I am about to finish this one and will have much time to polish it. Think well!

Hi Hopeful JD, I am also an historian of the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire. Can I ask what exactly you mean by law and Middle Eastern history? What interests you in ME history? Considering your language background (to know 2 ME languages is excellent), I think you should directly apply to PhD programs as well as a few MA programs (of course if you plan on studying history of law). In any case, an MA degree boosts your chance to get admitted and provide you a longer time to prepare for a PhD. Most people do receive an MA degree to compensate their low GPA's, lack of language training, not feeling ready for PhD etc. I doubt you need it. Which languages do you speak? Yes, you can apply in the second year of your MA program. That is what I do. In fact, this is up to you because you will be busy with your thesis and archival research while doing an MA. However, if you schedule your time wisely, I don't think it will affect much. I know people doing PhD with an undergrad degree in Law. So don't worry about it. I double majored in Economics and Sociology and am about to commence writing my MA thesis in Ottoman history while preparing PhD applications. I would be happy to keep in touch with you. There are only a few ME historians here. Best of luck.

Do you have any ideas on how important an applicant has a published article or presented his/her paper at a conference?

Hi goldielocks, I am currently doing research on Ottoman archives for my MA thesis. Meanwhile, I am writing a sample paper for applications cause I don't think my earlier term papers are good enough. Next week, I will participate in a 1-week Summer School in Cultural and Economic History at Heidelberg University in Germany. The hardest one is my effort to learn Arabic this summer . I know I have to start studying GRE as soon as possible. I plan to take the exam in early September. Can I ask what you meant by "PhD application nightmare" below?

Hi all, I've been following the history forum for nearly a year. I am an international applicant (Turkish) considering of applying to the PhD programs in the United States. I felt a need to start this thread because I am curious about my chance of being admitted. I think what I will be recommended here will help me prepare a more realistic list. I graduated from a good ranked Turkish school with a major in Economics (3.1 GPA) and a minor in Sociology (3.2). I should emphasize that I took some history courses when I was undergraduate. Then, I have been admitted to the MA program in History at one of the best ranked schools in Turkey where I focused in early modern Ottoman religious and intellectual history and did very well in terms of GPA (3.97). In this program, I found an oppurtunity to take European, American and Byzantine history courses as well. In broad terms, I am interested in history of Sufism and its practice in the Ottomans. In case of acceptance, I will write my doctoral dissertation on the role played by a branch of Halveti order of Sufism. Apart from being fluent in three languages (Turkish (both Ottoman and modern), English and German), I speak some Arabic too which I certainly must improve in near future. Two great Profs want to write me reference but I still am not sure who will be the third one. I have a good paper that has a chance of being published in a graduate journal soon. I have participated in two history summer schools abroad and these helped me a lot. I took TOEFL exam and got a 103 and plan to take GRE in late August. My statement of purpose is not ready but coming soon. Some of the schools below include a Professor in my field but some don't but only one in Islamic or Ottoman history. Here is the schools I am planning to apply to: Yale University Harvard University University of Chicago University of Michigan University of Texas at Austion New York University Ohio State University Washington University in St. Louis (looks like the best fit) McGill University Texas A&M University City University of New York Thanks in advance.

Hi again and welcome to all new comers! I want to add another school hosting a good Professor in my field to my list. It is Texas A&M University. Do you know how good it is in history? I heard its science and engineering sections are okey, but nothing about humanities.

hi, since the question i am asking differentiates a bit from the earlier posts regarding e-mailing to professors, i wanted to start a new topic. there are three professors whom i want to work with. i have read their books and articles. my research interests coincide with their interests. now, i think it is time to contact. my field (medieval and early modern islamic mysticism) is not a popular one and i don't think they will forget me until the time is right for applications. do you think i should lay it out straight and tip my hand. or should i first try to establish a relationship by talking about both my own and their works? actually considering i have an ultimate purpose i don't find the latter approach sincere what do you think? i trust my research topic and am searching for the best way to approach the professors. any comments will be appreciated. orient

I cannot help you in what you are asking. But I am also studying religious history, especially "mysticism" in Islamic societies (basically Ottoman, and early Turkic states). Even though I am currenlty writing my MA thesis on the 16th century mysticism, I am planning to apply for medieval religious history. For Islamic history, Princeton, St louis, UT Austin, CUNY are good programs. Since I want a History degree, I am not considering of applying to Religion programs. It is good to see there are people who want to study medieval history. Good luck!

Ticklemepink, I've also met some who did their second MA's. Not very usual, but still there are such people. If my guess that Bluebird is a British applicant is true, a second MA should not be that long considering British MA degrees take only one year. I am pretty sure that the second MA helped him/her a lot.

Hi Mertonian, thank you very much. I definetely heard her name but did not know she got a position. And I could not find her name among the faculty members of William & Mary, though. Perhaps it is because she was newly hired. Of course it is good to know that she is there whenever I need help

Hey, I was just wondering if anyone here got accepted to UT-Austin's PhD program in history. It is among my top-three choices. Do they accept all new students with funding or TAship? How many students do they admit per year? It seems to be a big department. Which parts of your application you think had more influence on your acceptance? Comments from both admitted and rejected students would be appreciated! Thanks

Haha, anlamazlar ama... When I first started doing my MA, I definetely wanted to study the late Ottoman period, ideologies like Turkism, Islamism etc. Now, things significantly changed. Presumably, I'll write a thesis on the personality of an Ottoman khalveti sufi who lived in Sivas (mid-Anatolia) in 16th century. I want to look at his tekke's (islamic monastery) social and cultural history as well. In broad terms, I am interested in religion stuff. Mysticism among its sub-fields always made me excited the most. Speaking of the tulip era, they just wanted remain in peace. It is not all about sultan's entertainments, midnight parties...

Montholon, in courses I took before I was also impressed with military history. But I am more interested in social and cultural history. And Wanderlust, actually I did not know the difference between the old and the new GRE I was planning to take it in early August. All of us who posted something are looking at different parts of history. We are still in the same process though Good luck to you all!

Happy to see another Ottomanist here! I'll be glad if you share your experiences with me (we can talk through PM as well). I am thinking of applying to at least 7 schools. At the top of list, there is Washington University in St. Louis where the best professor in my area (I think so, also best fit) is currently working. Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Michigan, UT Austin, Rice, New York U, McGill, Chicago and Minnesota are other schools that include at least one Prof. working a similar topic with me. I can add one or two safety schools having an Ottomanist even if his/her interests do not directly coincide with those of mine.

Hi sidiosquiere, thank you! Are you also a Middle east historian? What do you study?

Thanks for your reply, Rpits. I just wanted to see who are new to the process. I suppose they will start coming towards and after this summer. Anyway, I am an international applicant, and will be applying for History and Middle Eastern Studies PhD programs. Specifically, I am interested in Ottoman and early Central Asian sufism between 11th and 16th centuries. Soon, I will begin writing my MA thesis on a 16th century Ottoman sufi, and meanwhile will be applying to doctoral schools. It seems a bit difficult and tiring though. Focusing more on the application process after June, it will be enough to complete only the first chapter of thesis that I will use in applications as a sample paper. Luckily, you have a finished thesis in your hands It seems this topic is not an attractive one for now. Until the time is right, whenever we need it, we can give it a life Sooo keep in touch and good luck!

Hi, Considering nearly all applicants of this year have made their decisions, it is time to initiate a new topic in which we can share -what to do and how to do stuff. I was following thegradcafe for a while but did not become a member. Apart from what I have done during my MA studies, I think I need to start preparing the required documents like TOEFL and GRE scores, SOP, writing sample etc. In this long process, sharing experiences will make us better candidates. So let's begin ahead of time! Best Orient

Hey, this is my first post to gradcafe. I am going to be applying for 2012 fall, and just started looking at my possibilities. All suggestions above were very helpful. Thanks! I am interested in history of Islamic sufism, particularly in the Ottoman empire. I have some good works on this area. A serious problem I think I will ecounter is that even though there exists some historians working Islam religion/law etc. I met only a few (one emeritus) whose interests coinciding with those of mine. Considering the fact that I focus on the the relations of local Sufi tekkes with the governmental institutions, I thought it may be a good idea to search for some urban historians as well. The question: do they tend to accept those studying the same thing with at least one faculty member? or should I apply to the schools including one or two Ottomanists regardless of on what part they work? or should I seek for somehow similarity? Thanks Orient