crater21

Okay, I have a silly question: I have been exchanging emails with POIs at a couple of schools at which I have been accepted. And, repeatedly, they are signing off their emails with their first name only. Is this an indication that I should now address the emails with their first name? I grew up and went to school outside the US, in a very formal environment, so the idea of addressing professors by their first names is still culturally alien to me. At the same time, I don't want to send the message that I'm shunning collegial overtures. (But, then, I also wonder if they are just writing emails in a rush without thinking about it, and would not really appreciate being called by their first name. I don't want to make a social faux pas before I have even started!) Clearly, I have spent too much time agonizing over this, so any thoughts would be appreciated... Thanks!

Thanks for the info about the Princeton wait list, Nat! That's very good to know.

CONGRATS Sandy!!!!!

Congrats goldie!! Looks like you'll have some tough decisions to make!

Thanks virmundi and goldie!!

Thanks Oseirus!

Thanks everyone!

Hi everyone! I found out yesterday that I have been accepted to Cornell (email from POI; official letter will come later). Super excited because I think I have a great fit there! P.S. I am not the person who posted the Cornell result on the results page, so there must be at least two of us!

You could practically do anything. I'm sure you already know that Teach for America graduates are very sought after in all kinds of industries. I have heard of Teach for America people going into finance, management consulting, accounting, foreign service, non profit, etc, etc. I guess it all depends on what you want to do.

Aw, that's brutal. I live outside the US, so I don't know if mail will get here at the same time as everyone else. But, I know to expect that little present soon...

Oh dear. Gonna brace for this tomorrow... Did it arrive by email or mail?

I think I saw a Yale wait list and a Harvard wait list result on the results page. Yale, of course, arrived today. Harvard, I think, is also finished sending out acceptances. But, because the Harvard online application has no space for announcing results (I think...), they will probably send out paper rejections, which might arrive in March.

Yeah, I completely agree. Knocking down a straw man of postmodernism is exactly what you see some of these people doing, without really addressing the issues it raises.

I actually totally agree that the culture at some of these history departments is very intellectually conservative (though, I'm sure there are exceptions as some of you have pointed out). This was certainly the case at my undergrad institution, where the postmodern view of history is still seen with some distaste.

Actually, the only 21st century one I can think of is David Cannadine's "What is History Now?" it's a collection of essays by a number of historians. Very accessible and a good, basic overview of the issues. But, it is dominated by what New England Nat called the "Harvard-Princeton echo chamber" and so heavily tilted towards the "objectivity" side of the argument. I don't know if historians have incorporated the lessons of postmodernism well.. Maybe. In some ways, I think the historical establishment, particularly at the elite institutions, were very, very resistant to postmodernism, and it seems that they have just over-ridden it.

Yeah, I agree about "That Noble Dream" - it's very comprehensive and a very good introduction to the field. But, if you're looking for something shorter and less of a survey, I'd recommend Richard J. Evans's "In Defense of History". It is very polemical, which makes it an engaging read.. And, because it was written in the 90s as a kind of rebuttal to the postmodernists, it is able to tackle some of the recent developments in the field. I still think we need a work that moves us beyond these entrenched positions of "objective history" and "postmodern history". Perhaps that has already been written (can anyone recommend something?). But, Novick is, in some ways, a good starting point to understand what the arguments and positions are, I think.

And, huge congrats to everyone who got acceptances in the last few days!

Congrats on Harvard, Safferz!! You seriously rock! As for your Berkeley and Northwestern rejections, I think it's possible that they turned you down because they knew that you wouldn't end up going there if admitted. I have heard it happen that sometimes schools turn down an exceptionally strong candidate because they know that person is bound to get into a top place, and so, they don't want to "waste" an offer, so to speak.

I have found this really helpful too! Thanks for mentioning this. Good luck, volta36!

NYU visiting days are Feb 23-24 I think. But, don't take an invitation or lack of invitation as a measure of your chances there. From what I understand, some people in the past were able to get admission without being invited, whereas others who had been invited didn't get in. (People with NYU experience please confirm if I am mistaken). Also, my understanding is that they also do Skype conversations. So, you may still end up hearing from them, even if you are not invited to the weekend.

Hi everyone! I am breaking my cardinal rule of never accessing grad cafe at work, but i couldn't resist it! As it turns out, I have been wait-listed at Princeton as well. This is unfamiliar territory, so any advice or thoughts on the situation would be much apprec iated.

Yeah, it's disappointing. But, I'm sure there will be other opportunities!

Aw, thanks Kelkel. Yes, I did interview. But, sadly, I haven't heard back, so I am assuming that I didn't get it. I think everyone who was accepted heard from the DGS today, and I wasn't among that. I think rejections will come next week. But, serious congrats to everyone who got in!!

HUGE congrats to those who got Yale and Columbia acceptances! Very well done, guys! It's thoroughly deserved.

Yes, that is very true.