Simple Twist of Fate

hey now! Having lived in California and grown up in Boston, I would like to argue the exact opposite. But then, I'm sure a lot of it stems from personal preference: I don't drive (don't even have a license) and appreciate a good walking city with great public transit. I happen to love the cold and the snow, which I understand makes me odd. But most of all, there are few places in the United States that can surround you with history the way Boston does, and I tend to see a greater respect and interest in the field among my friends from Boston than anywhere else. And in general, I prefer East Coast museum culture (although I'm also quite fond of San Fransisco's.) Finally, our sports teams are just better.

That said... I'll likely be applying to Berkeley and Stanford, along with a slew of East Coast schools

Talk about being too focused!

I'd also encourage you to cast a wide net in terms of contacts. I've found at least two faculty members in potential programs for me that have interests coinciding with mine that appear nowhere on their websites. I spent about a whole summer obsessing over faculty website profiles (which, when you come down to it, are really like a one-sided, very pathetic version of a dating website) and you can only benefit so much from that.

I remember the frustration of narrowing down the list of schools. I hated that - especially when I crossed one off in a location I would have enjoyed. My method was to do one school per day, skimming through journal articles, dissertation abstracts, books/book reviews and of course faculty profiles. All of the information available. And taking detailed notes for when I begin to doubt myself later about whether x University might make a good fit after all...

It's tedious, but if you really want to have an advisor who will be able to support your specific interests, then it can't hurt.

Good luck.

@psychgurl What experience do you have either in the field of history or as a graduate student when it comes to communicating with established professionals? Are you aware of the role private written correspondence has played in the growth of the profession?

I will indeed report what the UW DGS says when he runs that panel on "Looking beyond academia" or something like that during the Recruitment Weekend. I will admit that I was a little surprised to see that clause in the acceptance letter, followed by tooting its horn as one of the best departments in the country.

I am simply going to look out for my best interests as I go through this program. I knew that I didn't want to walk out solely with US or Modern European history degree because I didn't want to compete with 200 other people for that just one job. I knew that I would have to adapt my interests and projects to meet the "demands" of the universities, which are globalization and diversity. I told every single of my POIs that I did not want to teach or study US history through WASP lens. So I hope that by being very progressive with my views, I can at least try to avoid that pitfall that so many single-minded PhDs find themselves in.

As for reaching across years and subfields in the program. or even departments, honestly, it's really up to the students to decide who they want to be friends with. If they don't learn to talk to the older or younger students, or somebody in opposite field, that's just their loss for not enriching their own perspectives and potential support when your own subfield turns its back on you because you want that highly coveted dissertation fellowship and they're too jealous to admit it.

There's a reason why it's almost never a good idea to date somebody in your own department. especially as they get smaller and smaller...

But in any case, we are losing focus on the point of the article: the professors and how they view graduate programs and see their graduate students. I seriously forwarded this to my parents and wrote "Why X and Y want me so badly" on the subject line of the e-mail. I have talked to a number of professors, particularly those who haven't had whole lot of students, whether junior or senior. It's clear how much having graduate students mean to them- they have the opportunity to mentor someone of their very own instead of always co-advising or being one of the readers on the dissertation committee. They clearly seem to crave a chance to pass down their craft and knowledge of history that their own advisers gave them. They talk about how much they learned from their own advisers and what being one themselves would mean (whether they intend to do better than their advisers or want to emanate them). It's a different kind of relationship for them than running seminars or sitting on dissertation committees or mentoring another graduate student whose adviser always seems to be MIA.

And just to be clear, 97.25% of all people who reference Howard Zinn's book have not actually read it, but instead only know it from the reference to it in the movie "Good Will Hunting".

Because a wicked suppah smart guy talked about it, it has to be wicked awesome, right?

So very true. Best of luck to next year's crop of applicants. It's strange how much more confident about my scholarship I feel now than I did a year ago.

I hope to hang around this forum a little bit during the summer, and possibly on occasion next fall (if I have any time). Many of the past applicants and currently attending students were so helpful to me, I'd like to be able to pay it forward a little bit.

I just got into Boston U (and posted it in the Results board). I had my guard down, it being a Saturday afternoon. It was an email from a POI, so don't fret if you applied there but didn't receive notice yet. He mentioned that the grad school won't sent out official offers for a while. (if you want more details feel free to PM, I don't want to be tacky)

Congrats to the other recent acceptances. But I wanted to say thanks so much to everyone on this board for being so supportive and helpful over these past few months. The kind comments and PMs have helped me immeasurably. Since my application season is winding down (save for a couple of wait lists and an imminent rejection from ND) I just wanted to sincerely wish everyone who's still waiting the best possible luck. This time last week I was thinking of alternatives next year (partly where to live, partly what to research, partly which Starbucks to work at), and now I have a couple of funded offers that are great fits for me - which just goes to show the importance of staying hopeful and optimistic. Thank you all so much.

I haven't posted much in the last few days... I am in a grading haze... But next year I'll be doing it for someone else! It looks like I am moving to Miami this summer, I am not wasting much energy on the prospect of waiting lists for my last few schools. I have a funded offer in a great program for me. I feel so lucky that I am going to continue my training with my mentor's mentor. I am having fun researching Miami and I am going down for a visit at the end of the month. Of course I have moments of overwhelming stress when I think about the move and beginning the program, but I am happy to deal with that pressure.

BTW - I love the idea of starting a support thread next year. It would be great to communicate with everyone who is going through the same experience after sharing this process together.

So very true. Best of luck to next year's crop of applicants. It's strange how much more confident about my scholarship I feel now than I did a year ago.

I hope to hang around this forum a little bit during the summer, and possibly on occasion next fall (if I have any time). Many of the past applicants and currently attending students were so helpful to me, I'd like to be able to pay it forward a little bit.

I just got into Boston U (and posted it in the Results board). I had my guard down, it being a Saturday afternoon. It was an email from a POI, so don't fret if you applied there but didn't receive notice yet. He mentioned that the grad school won't sent out official offers for a while. (if you want more details feel free to PM, I don't want to be tacky)

Congrats to the other recent acceptances. But I wanted to say thanks so much to everyone on this board for being so supportive and helpful over these past few months. The kind comments and PMs have helped me immeasurably. Since my application season is winding down (save for a couple of wait lists and an imminent rejection from ND) I just wanted to sincerely wish everyone who's still waiting the best possible luck. This time last week I was thinking of alternatives next year (partly where to live, partly what to research, partly which Starbucks to work at), and now I have a couple of funded offers that are great fits for me - which just goes to show the importance of staying hopeful and optimistic. Thank you all so much.

I just got into Boston U (and posted it in the Results board). I had my guard down, it being a Saturday afternoon. It was an email from a POI, so don't fret if you applied there but didn't receive notice yet. He mentioned that the grad school won't sent out official offers for a while. (if you want more details feel free to PM, I don't want to be tacky)

Congrats to the other recent acceptances. But I wanted to say thanks so much to everyone on this board for being so supportive and helpful over these past few months. The kind comments and PMs have helped me immeasurably. Since my application season is winding down (save for a couple of wait lists and an imminent rejection from ND) I just wanted to sincerely wish everyone who's still waiting the best possible luck. This time last week I was thinking of alternatives next year (partly where to live, partly what to research, partly which Starbucks to work at), and now I have a couple of funded offers that are great fits for me - which just goes to show the importance of staying hopeful and optimistic. Thank you all so much.

I submitted my results, yep. Second thing I did after I kissed my girlfriend and danced around with her.

I submitted my results, yep. Second thing I did after I kissed my girlfriend and danced around with her.

Just admitted to the University of Connecticut. My first acceptance. Funding is still mysterious. I'm really pleased, although I'm still planning to see how W&M and Indiana turn out.

I would have found out sooner, but my mail client thought that UConn's email was junk mail. I didn't check it until I saw someone else posted on the results board.

Just admitted to the University of Connecticut. My first acceptance. Funding is still mysterious. I'm really pleased, although I'm still planning to see how W&M and Indiana turn out.

I would have found out sooner, but my mail client thought that UConn's email was junk mail. I didn't check it until I saw someone else posted on the results board.

Just admitted to the University of Connecticut. My first acceptance. Funding is still mysterious. I'm really pleased, although I'm still planning to see how W&M and Indiana turn out.

I would have found out sooner, but my mail client thought that UConn's email was junk mail. I didn't check it until I saw someone else posted on the results board.

Guys, I don't want to start a race war, and maybe this belongs in the "Shit people say when you're applying to grad school thread," but this is just too infuriating: I'm at the hospital, my mom just had surgery, and I'm making small talk with a post-doc researcher (an educated woman) outside her room. And she says: "of course you didn't get into Yale. You're a white male!"
I didn't get into Yale because I wrote a piece of shit book review, not because of affirmative action, which, if people actually took the time to think about these things, they would realize is not a zero-sum-game. It has actually expanded access for everybody, not taken away white people's cake in order to give it to minorities. Not to mention that on the Harvard app there is literally that box where you are supposed to check if you are a Baxendale or a Thayer. Clearly, white privilege is extant. Maybe this woman was just so wowed with my dashingly good looks that she just said something really stupid.
I'm sorry. I'm stressed for many, many reasons and I didn't need to get hit in the brain with a big wave of stupidity.

For my part, I will address my future advisor as "Domina" or "Dominus" and approach them while genuflecting and singing the "Laudes regiae" as they enter rooms if this is what they want so long as they give me the professionalization I need and help me open the doors to a job when I'm done. Whether they behave like the Gracchi, Augustus, Diocletian, Gandalf, Galadriel, Andy Griffith, or Lucille Ball is really beside the point so long as they have a sincere interest in aiding me.

I can sympathize with these feelings. My family, friends and even some profs all think I should be able to get into any school I apply to. It's painful to explain.

I have also not received an acceptance this cycle. But that doesn't make me, or any of the rest of us still waiting "losers". If we had taken the time, energy and pain and applied it to most other endeavors, we might be stars... but this is a cruel, often unfair process that doesn't always adequately reward the intelligent and hard working. If I fail this cycle, I will not take it as a sign of my personal worth or ability as an historian. I will be (and have been) very sad, but I'll just come back with a more prepared, ambitious application next year. Don't get discouraged - least not of all when most people still have some schools to hear back from.

Keep the faith.

I can sympathize with these feelings. My family, friends and even some profs all think I should be able to get into any school I apply to. It's painful to explain.

I have also not received an acceptance this cycle. But that doesn't make me, or any of the rest of us still waiting "losers". If we had taken the time, energy and pain and applied it to most other endeavors, we might be stars... but this is a cruel, often unfair process that doesn't always adequately reward the intelligent and hard working. If I fail this cycle, I will not take it as a sign of my personal worth or ability as an historian. I will be (and have been) very sad, but I'll just come back with a more prepared, ambitious application next year. Don't get discouraged - least not of all when most people still have some schools to hear back from.

Keep the faith.

I can sympathize with these feelings. My family, friends and even some profs all think I should be able to get into any school I apply to. It's painful to explain.

I have also not received an acceptance this cycle. But that doesn't make me, or any of the rest of us still waiting "losers". If we had taken the time, energy and pain and applied it to most other endeavors, we might be stars... but this is a cruel, often unfair process that doesn't always adequately reward the intelligent and hard working. If I fail this cycle, I will not take it as a sign of my personal worth or ability as an historian. I will be (and have been) very sad, but I'll just come back with a more prepared, ambitious application next year. Don't get discouraged - least not of all when most people still have some schools to hear back from.

Keep the faith.

I can sympathize with these feelings. My family, friends and even some profs all think I should be able to get into any school I apply to. It's painful to explain.

I have also not received an acceptance this cycle. But that doesn't make me, or any of the rest of us still waiting "losers". If we had taken the time, energy and pain and applied it to most other endeavors, we might be stars... but this is a cruel, often unfair process that doesn't always adequately reward the intelligent and hard working. If I fail this cycle, I will not take it as a sign of my personal worth or ability as an historian. I will be (and have been) very sad, but I'll just come back with a more prepared, ambitious application next year. Don't get discouraged - least not of all when most people still have some schools to hear back from.

Keep the faith.

Broke down and emailed the DGS. I know - it doesn't help anything, and I'm lucky that she was very kind - but I was honestly concerned that my application hadn't been received, or something of that sort.
No official offer/waitlist yet. Just encouraging words indicating that my fondest hopes were likely true. Anyone else who's yet to hear from IU feel free to PM me for more details.

Just got some encouraging news from Indiana... It's really the first encouraging sign I've received this year, so I'm overreacting with joy.

I guess I'm so pleased because it's a validation that I didn't completely, utterly screw up my application and that I am at least worthy of consideration at a good history program.

Lol, runner09 - in the Fall 2011 app cycle, with all applications being equal, you had a 52/1010 chance of being wait-listed at one school (~5%). So statistics (probabilities) not failing me, (52/1,010)*(51/1,009)*(50/1,008) = 132,600/1,027,242,720 or about 1 in 10,000, which, evidently (according to a quick google search), are the same odds as finding a four-leafed clover on your first try.

Enough numbers for now... I am going to look up a phrase I just came across in my readings - "rhetorical question" - I wonder what it means?