sockratease

Thanks to all..your advice definitely puts things into perspective. And pudewen- I wasn't suggesting that foreign language isn't critical for MOST fields, just for what I'm interested in - studying the experiences of free and enslaved African-Americans in Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) - most of the sources I've encountered are written in English. I think I'm feeling sorry for myself and that's maybe being misinterpreted. To clarify, I'm aware that foreign language is an essential tool for historians. I also agree with you pudewen that being proficient in Spanish would definitely be useful, if only in broadening my geographic scope and allowing me greater flexibility should my research topic change. Moreover, my guess is that to be hired at a university (and especially if my field is Southwest native studies,etc.) departments will want me to be able to teach a range of courses that would require comfortability with Spanish. I guess my next question is, should I even pay the application fees for Phd programs? I really do not have the $ for an MA. And I guess I want brutal honesty here - do I stand a chance in top programs for my field? Like I said, I think I'm a strong applicant otherwise - 3.9 GPA, Very strong LORs, clear research goals, etc. Or should I just wait a little to beef up the foreign language and not waste application fees on inevitable rejections? Again, thanks so much!

So I'm currently kicking myself for avoiding foreign language as an undergrad...as I really really struggle with it, I only managed to take one semester course in French in college (with three years of high school French). I'm planning on taking a year long course to try to make up for it this year (my senior year) but I guess I'm just wondering if I should bother applying to grad schools with such a huge blemish on my transcript. I'm an americanist interested in nineteenth century native american history in the southwest after removal, which to my understanding doesn't deal a whole lot in archival sources written in foreign languages. And I think I'm a strong applicant otherwise. I guess I didn't realize how stiff the competition is for these programs or how foreign language mastery is used to separate the poseurs from those with true academic brawn. Just kidding. In all seriousness though, I'm freaking out. I really don't want to take a year off just to brush up on language and work in a coffee shop, as my field of interest doesn't even require it, and I'm positive grad school is where I should be. I'm sure I'm being dramatic, but I feel pretty depressed about this. Any thoughts? Should I apply to grad school still, or move on to a Plan B? Thanks so much for your help.

This is extremely helpful. Thank you!

Hi all. I'm a 2012 applicant very interested in comparative/intersectional Afro-American and Native American history, specifically in the southeast before removal. I've been doing quite a bit of research on potential programs, and so far I'm looking at Duke, Princeton, University of Michigan, NYU, University of Minnesota, UC Davis, Rutgers and WashU. However, I'm feeling very green through this whole process and would appreciate if anyone knows of strong programs I'm overlooking. Thanks for your help!