xorge84

Glad to see a good number of history people here. I'm going in for early medieval Iberia. Weyburn Terrace is probably the best deal if you really want to live in Westwood. I've heard good things about the construction being relatively new, but I've also heard bad things about the small and poorly constructed buildings (relative to the rent). I got the impression that most grad students start out at Weyburn Terrace, but after they get to know the city find better places to live. ~$1,050 a month for a private room is a good deal for Westwood, except that a parking spot is extra and can be a little expensive. I want a max rent of ~$725 for a private room, so I'm looking into Palms, Brentwood and Santa Monica. I hear that many UCLA grad students live in Palms (aside from the Keystone/Mentone apts.) and that the bus ride is about 25 minutes. The good thing is that UCLA subsidizes bus passes for the Big Blue Bus and Culver City bus systems at around $20 for unlimited rides for a each quarter. If you live along these bus routes (basically Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica Blvd in Santa Monice/Brentwood and Venice Blvd, Palms Blvd in Palms) commuting should not be a big hassle. The great thing is that the Barry and Keystone/Mentone apts. also have a direct shuttle to campus. I've found the UCLA Community Housing website (www.cho.ucla.edu) helpful for looking for apt. mates and posting "room mate available" ads.

Hello, I'm going in for history. Is anyone looking for apt. mates? I'm basically looking for my own room and my share of rent around $650-725. Westwood is too expensive for this so I'm looking into Palms or Santa Monica. Is anyone interested in living in the university Keystone/Mentone apts and doesn't have an apt. mate yet?

Here's what I got in my acceptance letter (before I found out about funding): "...you are invited to attend a Visitation Day at the Department of History commencing at 10:00 am on Thursday, March 18, 2010. At that time, you will have an opportunity to meet faculty member and continuing students from various fields. We encourage you to set up appts. in advance with any faculty whom you may be interested in working with. If you are planning to attend Visitation Day, please email our Graduate Advisor, Hadley Porter at hporter@history.ucla.edu by Thursday March 4, 2010. Please confirm if you will need housing for one night. We will work to place you with current graduate students in our program. Save your receipts - your transportation expenses will be reimbursed by the Dept. of History (up to $500)." This was in the paragraph after the one that began "You can also view the decision status on you admission at https..." It seems like it's department wide and for everyone accepted.

So, who's going to Visitation Day on the 18th?

Thanks for the good advice. Yeah, I'm interested in the interactions between the indigenous Andeans and the Spanish and how both dealt with the conquest and the new social hierarchies that resulted, things like accommodation, cultural exchanges and conceptions of identity. Are you interested in the period too? Everyone makes good points. I really can't make a bad choice here since both programs are rigorous and well respected. Though there is still a level of risk in the Latin American program at Notre Dame. Apparently the program is so new that they don't have any PhD graduates yet, so it's hard to compare job placements with UCLA. But having Sabine MacCormack as an advisor would be like being an apprentice for Michelangelo.

I'm facing a tough choice and I've come to you for advice/insights. I was accepted to UCLA to study Medieval history and to Notre Dame to study Latin American history with a Medieval minor. At both schools I would get a chance to be advised by amazing and highly respected professors (Patrick Geary at UCLA, Sabine MacCormack at Notre Dame). Notre Dame is probably the better fit for me since they are strong in both Medieval history and the colonial Andes. Though UCLA is strong in Latin American history, their focus is more towards Mexico, the Caribbean and Brazil. Obviously UCLA is ranked much higher than Notre Dame, but I get the impression that Notre Dame's Latin American program is developing quickly and they are already well respected in Medieval studies. Notre Dame has a lot of money for research travel and intensive language training abroad, which I fear may be at a short supply in California. (I'll be visiting UCLA in mid-March so I will get to ask these questions soon enough). I was offered 5 years of funding at both schools but I've calculated housing alone would consume 45-50% of my stipend at UCLA whereas only about 20-25% at Notre Dame. Notre Dame might even add to my stipend so that I would receive more money there than at UCLA in absolute terms. Even though financially I would be better off at Notre Dame would it be worth it at PhD time to take the risk of the lower ranked school with a still young program in Latin American history? It also seems to be common knowledge, or just rumor, that historians of Latin America face a better job market than Europeanists or Medievalists. But once again, I'd be facing that job market with either a UCLA or Notre Dame degree. As you can see, there are pros and cons on many levels. What might you decide? Or feel free to expound on any point. Thanks