sandyvanb

Good luck to everyone on the GRE! It is an evil, evil test... Goldielocks, how exciting abou the conference! I just put in an application for a conference and it is also a huge one. I didn't have a chance to present while I was working on my MA so I'm applying to a bunch of them this year.

I just finished my MA and my BA was in Theatre. I did have over 30 undergrad hours in history related courses and a high gpa so I was able to make a compelling argument for admission (I also had a minor in French so I had one language under my belt). Most programs will want you to have around 30 hours of history courses on your transcript. I was also awarded a graduate assistantship for my two years of schooling, but I still had to pay tuition. With my background, I was not going to get into a fully funded MA program. However, I feel confident about applying to PhD programs this fall. I have been very well trained, I have a stellar transcript, a strong CV, and my department hired me to teach full time this year (not as an adjunct). I am afraid that if you are accepted to a MA program, funding will most likely not be offered. You might have to get another BA, or pay for your MA degree yourself. Perhaps someone else on this forum has more insight, but as someone who was an unusual MA candidate I know that it is possible to get accepted to a program and to do well. I did spend a lot of my first year in tears because I had so much learn, not only content, but style and format as well. Good luck!

Yes, language requirements are determined by field. If she wants to become an American historian, she will need to pass one language test and possibly two depending on the department. If she plans to study French/European history, she will have to know French and the other language will probably be dependent on her research. Research will be based on primary sources and if she plans on writing about French history, the documents will be in French. You should tell your cousin to subscribe to H-Net (free) in her desired field/research interest for conferences/calls for papers and to join us on this board herself.

Right now I have nine on my list. The faculty members at my university said to apply to as many as you can afford. I want to start applying in October and wrap up the process before Thanksgiving. I'm trying to spread out the application fees and be able to enjoy my holidays. I think that family members who are not in academia have no idea how the process works.

I agree with Goldielocks, plus it has already been vetted by your committee. I would spend time polishing/rewriting a chapter.

You definitely have a full plate! My two friends who went through the MA/thesis process with me had a similar schedule last year and they are both off to PhD studies this fall. I have a spreadsheet with the profs I want to contact but I need to start reading some of their work before I write them. As long as you keep a current to-do list you'll get it all done.

That is really great to know. Where are you in your applications Goldielocks?

Thanks Goldielocks, I am hoping that a year as a faculty member will help my app. I am teaching five sections of World History I. It isn't at all in my comfort zone, but if I can teach that course, I can teach anything! I'll only be teaching four classes in the spring, I'm hoping to get a section of American Nation I and World History II to add to my CV and personal experience.

I think that the historiography is the first thing that should be done. You need to be able to identify where the holes in the analysis thus far have been. Has your thesis advisor given you any samples/guidelines/format that they want you to use? I would need to look at mine, but I believe that I laid out the background of my topic, gave the perspectives/arguements that have been presented by historians in my historiography (basically a mini historiography), then laid out my argument. I know that I included which primary sources I planned on using and I addressed who was on my committee. Good luck, writing a thesis is not easy but so worthwhile!

I graduated with my MA in May and my alma mater offered me a full time teaching position this year. I am very excited but terrified about being the instructor of record for five classes that are not in my comfort zone. I am lucky to have the opportunity to teach (with a salary) right after graduation. Because I wrote a thesis, I just have to choose which chapter to make into my writing sample. I retook the GRE two weeks ago and I'm not as happy with my score as I was hoping, but I feel that I will have a strong application otherwise. The only thing that I am really worried about is writing my SoP. Once I have that worked out I'll feel good about putting out my applications. I want to have them all in before Thanksgiving so I can enjoy my holidays and focus on wrapping up the semester. It's going to be a busy semester!

I think that this is a great idea. I think that my earliest deadline is December 1, but I want to have all of my applications in before Thanksgiving.

This is what I have been told as well.

I agree wtih this. I was interested in comparative history, and in both American and French history. My advisor really pointed me in a clear direction for my thesis once she had a clear idea of what I wanted to do.

OK, I understand. We were allowed to pick our own topic in our historiography course. You need to just start reading about whatever topic sounds interesting and look at the arguments,and point of view, and see if you can find a hole to fill. Just keep reading until something grabs you. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be a long process. See if you can get your professor to give you any more direction, it is so hard to find a good thesis topic!

In my MA program we had to take historiography in our first semester. My advisor was teaching the class and I had no idea what I wanted to explore for my paper. It was also recommended that if we planned to write a thesis that we write our historiography on the topic we were going to use for our thesis. My mentor told me to look at the French and Indian War and a hole was clearly visible through my work. That became my thesis. You really can't find a hole to fill without doing a historiography. My MA thesis will *hopefully* continue on to my PhD dissertation. Have you taken your historiography course yet?

I'm not sure yet, I'm still refining my list...

I really think that it helps. I have a published book review, and I'm working on conference proposals but I'm not going to get a chance to go to a conference before applications go out. I would like to get this article published because I really think that it does make my CV stronger.

I'm submitting a journal article tomorrow so I don't have an answer for you. Hopefully, someone else here will be able to answer your question.

I am also applying this fall with a major field of Atlantic World. I am retaking the GRE on the 17th which is driving me crazy. I feel really good about my GPA, writing sample and LOR. I'm not looking forward about writing the SoP though. I just finished my MA in May (got my diploma in the mail today) and my alma mater hired me to teach full time this year (5 sections of WHI). I really hope that my CV and other elements will outweigh my GRE if it doesn't go well. It's just such a horrible exam! It's nice to find a forum where everyone is going through the process at the same time.

How is your relationship with your advisor? I think that element is crucial to success. Have you outlined all of your chapters? Don't think about needing to write 80+ pages, get a chapter done at a time, or paragraph. A thesis can be overwhelming, you have to break it into digetable chunks. Without an amazing advisor, my thesis might never have been completed. Good luck!

My field is Atlantic World with a particular interest in the French Atlantic. I wrote my MA thesis on the French and Indian War, I intend to continue PhD studies on the French perspective of this conflict. Applications go out this fall!