maeisenb

Phone calls are definitely a good thing for sure. It just means you have more time to talk about your interests, their program, whether it's a good fit, etc. Just have some questions prepped that you want to ask about the place, his/her work, etc. and you're good to go. Just treat it kind of like a phone interview for a job more than anything really so be friendly, polite, etc. As for how much to read into it, well it depends on the place really. If you have the GPA, GRE, LORs, language training etc, to get through the first round of an adcom, then it certainly can't hurt if they remember your conversation when they read your app.

Just a quick question of clarification, if you want a PhD, then why are you interested in an MPP or something like that. They are somewhat separate in what your long term goals are, although I'm sure people have gone from MPPs to PhDs. Look at some of the books/articles you really like and see where people are teaching as that is always the best way to do it. Since you have another year before applications, I would also figured out exactly what you want to work on, rather than something as broad as it is now

You can always ask them more specific questions about the program if you have any. That way it's more than one email...

Are you looking for an MA or a PhD? Have you done any substantial independent research projects in that field?

Well for both of those you will still need Latin and/or Greek plus, as I said above, high empire is still almost always in Classics Departments. As for where to start, you need to figure out what you like to do, which no one else can tell you. Go to your library, pick up a few books, and before you start reading look at where people teach. There are differences in opinions in all fields, so you need to figure out what line of arguments you support. If the person teaches at a prestigious school, then they are probably not a "crack pot," but you might not like their research or support their line of argument. No one else can do that for you. If you like Late Antiquity though, I would read something by Peter Brown, but, as I said, there are differences in opinion when it comes to him, what he focuses on, regions he covers, topics, etc. You'll have to read him and then check his footnotes and works cited list to see if that leads you to more stuff.

Well if you are doing anything history wise pre-284, then it's typically in a classics department, with a focus on ancient history - although a few places are a little different. It also sounds like you are interested in religion as well, so if you were in theory going to do something to fill out your weak areas and, assuming you are strong in religion, then those two would be a history masters and more language study. That being said, it sounds like you need to narrow down a focus a bit more, so, if I was you, I would read say 3-5 overarching books on that time period and see which one interests you the most. (i.e. something on post-Punic War Rome, something maybe on Caesar or Augustus, something on the high empire, and then something on Late Antiquity). Those intro books should lead you to a few more and, if you find some authors you like, google then and see where they teach. Then once you have a decent list of places with people you like, contact people there and find out more about the programs.

I think that remenis basically nailed all the important questions here, but I would just note the main one proposed: what do you want to work on in the medieval field? And, more broadly, why are you switching?

Just breathe. It's perfectly fine to not be completely "on track" as a first term sophomore. Your GPA is fine so just keep doing well and any professor you want to work with you'll want to take multiple classes with anyway, so try out different history classes this year and then once you figure out an area you like take more classes the following year. You've only spoken with 3 professors (plus the 4th who is a lecturer) in widely differing areas, so try some more this fall and next spring to nail something down and you'll be fine. It sounds like you're not even sure what area of history you want to work on, so figure that out first, then worry about everything else. My only caution would be if you want to work on something that requires a significant number or languages (e.g. ancient history) or something with strong knowledge in one particular one that you don't know at all (e.g. middle eastern), then start thinking about those now. Otherwise first figure out what areas you want to do before you feel like you're "falling behind." (which you're not at all).

1000 words for a SOP is pretty much SOP (standard operating procedure that is). ok no more history jokes on this forum I promise cause that was terrible, but I had to.

Others who have more experience with Ad Coms might have a more exact answer, but I would say that it looks good, although to compare it to a 3.9 vs a 3.7 would seem to be somewhat a misnomer. Both of those GPAs are quite good and would be strongly competitive in any application process. I think tutoring would be a plus, but I would weigh it against other things like: 1. are you getting (well) paid for it? and 2. is it something you would enjoy doing in general? I would think you could string it into a narrative of sorts for a SOP and have it as a bonus on your CV, but I think any money you made for work (as opposed to possibly working in another job that pays more) and the enjoyment you get (or don't) out of tutoring might be far more important in your decision there. Just how I would approach it...

They just posted it on the front of their graduate history page. It says that they took too big of a class last year.

Cheer up! They are probably just running around with the start of classes or maybe off at a conference or something. Plus depending on how they respond to stuff or whatever, they might be slow. (Do all admin stuff on weekends or something.) Probably a mix of all of them really so you're on the right track. After all it looks like you have 1 application done already, so I'm sure you're way ahead in other stuff!

I second all you said on languages, so that's the key for the OP. I would, however, disagree that you don't need the original languages for history. You certainly need to be able to at least translate the primary source material - even if you aren't a philologist.

Well I'm not a classics person, so I can't comment on exact places, but I would say it would come down to your focus more than anything really. Are you more interested in the history or the classics side of things? If your interests are that early, I would assume you are more in the classics part (though correct me if I'm wrong by all means), so your PhD would end up being in a classics program. Thus, you're probably better off having training in the entire field, rather than just history. Have you looked in Post-Bac stuff as well? Also, although I'm clearly not a classicist, I know that languages are really key there. What's your training like with Greek, Latin, and German or French? Hope that helps tease out where you're at so that maybe some people can give you some more specifics.

The one question caveat would be if you don't have funding already then, I would think, you could explain that and it would make a lot more sense. So in the UK people can do PhDs without funding - many do it part time for this reason - so that would be something of a compelling reason I would think. Though that might not apply at all.

The fees part is probably part of them covering for the British visa, which requires you to have a certain amount of money before they will approve you for a student visa. So they don't want to accept a student, who then will be denied by the Home Office.

Ah, that is completely 100% understandable and makes perfect sense then. Congrats on the wedding!

I tend toward a blend of some social and some economic stuff, as my particular interest, although certainly do have an interest in some cultural stuff as well. My list is basically the same actually, just without Minnesota, Toronto, and Columbia, while adding in Berkeley and UCLA, although as you said might change depending on how stuff goes. Plus, I'll probably apply to a few places in England, although the funding there is much tougher.

I'm not an art historian, but England might be worth a shot since they do have a large program of Viking stuff there.

I agree with most of what Sparky wrote, although I'm not personally crazy about post-bacc programs since they tend to be very expensive and if you want to strengthen yourself by doing more history then you can't do that as easily. Although Sparky is correct that they really hammer the languages home and, from what I've heard, do a pretty good job of it. Hence my view of English MAs where you can do as intensive language as you want/need (Latin or Greek and a modern language) plus still do lots of history work. Also, really helpful since you've been out for awhile getting yourself back into reading, researching, and writing.

Ahh, that would make the situation a bit more complicated then and I don't know as much about who does women's spirituality, especially in northern Europe, at Oxford. In the end, I think it really depends on how you want to position yourself if you are going to eventually do a PhD. In the US it makes a much larger difference, since doing Jewish-Christian relations in the East would place you in anything like religious studies, Jewish history, history or even a classics program depending on where you are applying. While the women's spirituality topic would limit you to more traditional history or religious studies programs - although again I think it's what you see yourself as. So for example, I see myself as a medieval historian first rather than a classicist or late antique historian, but then again the entire thing is fairly arbitrary, subjective, and really just the background from where you were first taught in many ways. As for the M.Phil vs. the M.St, the latter would seem better if you are more interested in coursework or especially language skills, since there would be more emphasis on those. Although as each department is quite different, I would definitely shoot someone an email and lay out where you are and such to see what they say. An M.Phil overall is a very Oxford/Cambridge degree, which is not to say that it's not a great program and a great degree, but if you are planning on doing a PhD afterward anyway but want to beef up other things, seems like it might not be the way to go, especially if you aren't 100% sure on a particular area you would want to do an M.Phil dissertation on as of right now.

Hildewijch- It all depends on how you see yourself and with whom you want to work. The unusual part of it is that there are so many more options in the UK for things to do, rather than the US where basically everything is aligned in either the history or the classics departments and you have very few late antique or medievalists at all (usually one per department if any). Oxford is basically one of the few places - if literally the only - that has so many choices and thus they do tend to overlap a bit. In England, medieval studies tends to be much more toward the high and late medieval periods plus Anglo-Saxon England in a much more literary and art world. Medieval history will depend on what the actual department there has, but overall England tends to go later and be more England heavy focused in their medieval history (they love Anglo Saxon England and the Angevins). I would guess that you would want to look at who does exactly what, but given your interest in Syriac I think most of the people doing that tend to be in the Late Antique group, rather than the pure medievalists. (I have met one woman who does Syriac work in the Late Antique and Byzantine Studies program there actually.) Especially if you want to study Jewish-Christian relations anywhere in the east that would be where you want to go. The other question is: do you consider yourself a Byzantinist? That would bring up a number of other people to work with that are different as well. Hope that helps a bit...

Very cool! Where are you thinking of applying? I don't know the run down on late medieval economic historians, although I know Michael McCormick does large scale economic Mediterranean history. (I think he advises people who do late medieval stuff even if his expertise is a bit earlier.)

I have kind of been in a similar situation as you and I think it's great that you took some time off to work and get settled post-college, since it definitely makes you realize what you want to do a lot and what you love. I've also been in a similar spot with the language issues, as anything early history wise is always a bit trickier for sure. It can definitely be frustrating coming from an American system in which you might not have taken any medieval or late antiquity classes until your second or third year and by that time it was a bit late (especially if you also did econ) to start the languages that you needed. The field is certainly requiring a greater specialization at an earlier period in college, which, unless you know you definitely want to go straight through, is really hard to actually do. That being said, what languages do you have of the four that you will eventually need (Greek, Latin, German and French) as Teacher4PhD correctly pointed out? It sounds like you don't have Latin, but what about Greek or German/French? If you have 2 of the 4 (one ancient and one modern), then you might be able to get by with that on an application depending on what you want to do exactly. If for example you wanted to do something much more Eastern based (e.g. Roman-Persian trade in the 6th century or something like that), you could in theory be ok knowing only Greek and German for example since you would need Armenian and Syriac anyway, which unless I'm mistaken (someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here), I don't know anywhere that teaches that undergrad wise. All of that being said, if you don't have any of the 4 it will be quite tough. As for where your recommendations come from, I wouldn't be against having a professional recommendation, but I've heard that potential advisers take that as less important. That being said, there are other people on here who are in grad school/have served on committees so they would certainly know more and I would defer to their knowledge on that in particular. I would suggest looking into several MA programs as well as PhD ones, since the entire process, regardless of whether you have the languages is so much a crap shoot. Have you looked at possibly some MA programs in England in the field as well? These have several advantages. First, they are one year instead of two, which packs in everything more, but also cuts down on the time factor (seeing as you are 4 years out). Second, in Late Antiquity in particular there are some great people there - especially at Oxford, St. Andrews, UCL, King's College London, and a few other places - that are really top notch in their field plus have the school name ID that doesn't hurt either. Third, even though you will pay more than the English students as a foreign student, I think it still comes out to around the cost of half a year of a 2 year MA program in the US (i.e. something like 20k for the entire year rather than 2 years at 40k).

Anyone else out there do Medieval History? Earlier Medievalists in particular?