DCguy

Hey all. Just wanted to say congratz to everyone who got in somewhere. Even if it wasn't your first choice. Good job and enjoy the hell out of the next few years. And if you didn't get in, do not despair. Many of us including me beefed it our first time but got in the next year.

Yes a "little debt" means different things: the price of a car or house maybe - it's all a little debt though, isn't it? I should've been clearer I guess. Not everyone is going to get a tenure track. I expect someday that most of us here will end up with tenure at Western State U because we're dedicated enough (we came to the grad cafe after all) to keep searching until we find it. Circumstances will dictate how many of us are stuck as adjuncts forever, of course. I'm more optimistic and my challenge to anyone who doesn't like my optimism: why are you doing it if you are so sure that you won't get a tenure track job? Based on the negative advice and outlook that a lot of people on this forum have, why are you even bothering?

I don't really agree with calling telkanuru a republican elitist but I went back and read some of the stuff he has said and in regard to this argument they are having, I'm on reaglejuice's side. No, telkanuru doesn't have to offer advice here and it may be some kind of altruism that's making him do it but there's no reason to call reaglejuice's advice shit. I have been coming here for a little over 3 years now (I post mostly from my phone as a different name because I don't have my account saved) and I try to offer advice where I can. My advice is usually to do what make you happy. Pick the place with 4 years instead of 5 if you would rather work with a specific prof. If you need to take a loan out, do it. I know it sucks to pay them back but I, like juice, would rather be happy and have some debt out. I still have loans from my undergrad that I'll pay off sometime in the future and I was lucky enough that I didn't have to take on any extra debt in grad school so far. It irked me that telkanuru said something about another person offering "shit advice" so I felt compelled to give some input. Calling someone else's opinion "shit" is rude and while juice seemed to get angry, I get it because telkuru does get under one's skin and not everyone can get 5 years + summers + tuition. So if someone has to take 4 years at a less prestigious place (like I did) - go for it. Otherwise you'll end up being an assistant manager at that grocery store that both of them worked at. So, if you the choices are to go into a little debt and put off starting a family until you are in your early thirties before getting an academic job or start a family in your mid twenties and work the noon to close shift as a manager at the local grocery store five nights a week, I'll go with the path that gets me a job that doesn't make me hate life. I also will catch some flak for saying this but: you will get a job even if you don't go to an ivy. You might have to wait and definitely will have to go wherever the hell it is, if we love teaching and researching that's the path to take. Remember what Stranz Van Waldenburg once said: "Oh my God, I can't get a real job; it'll kill me!" I feel that way too.

It is amazing to me how many good schools I saw that you guys are declining. I know everybody has a good reason. You guys are all better applicants than I ever was apparently. I love my school, don't get me wrong (especially now that I'm done with coursework). I wish more of you had explained whether you were declining PhD or MA in those programs

yeah. i'm in North Carolina for my PhD now but I am from ocean city/berlin and went to salisbury for my undergrad and MA!

I should have been way more clear about stuff when I asked. I don't want anyone to think that I am unable to get the advice from my department. I was reviewing the textbook we use in the class I TA for at whatever time it was, midnight or so, and thought "I wonder how or if I could write a chapter to pad my CV." So I did a little late night googling and came up with nothing, that's why I asked on here. I just got worked up about it and knew Dr. B was asleep by midnight (not checking his email) so I figured I would throw it on here and see if anyone had any ideas. Publishing chapters just hadn't come up with him yet. Of course he and I have worked on trying to get my essays/articles out there. Sorry about the confusion. Thanks to everyone for the info about networking and stuff!

hey guys, I know there's another forum about publishing stuff but i wanted to talk directly to history people. I'm in a phd program and want to start publishing some more stuff (i have 1 published journal article). I'm talking more about book reviews and book chapters than journal articles. finding out how to review books has been super easy. but does anyone have any advice on how to get the attention of publishers so i could write a book chapter over the summer or something? any insight would be super awesome.

You met your wife in college which suggests to me that she knows an awful lot about what being a student means. I'm sure you've talked to her about all this but maybe you should begin discussing these financial questions with her more seriously. I would recommend taking out as few loans as possible. I have a few out and it's like having a second car payment every month. Several things I think you should consider 1: expand your list of schools. It looks like you have chosen only the top schools. You might find a smaller, but just as good, program elsewhere. Take a look at the directory in the AHA website. They list every program in the country and what those places offer. 2: don't be TOO concerned about your language skills. Places that offer grad programs in Arabic studies probably have language training over the summer. Or you could take undergrad courses during the year. A professor from my MA program told me he knew very little Arabic when he entered his PhD program but through summer courses he learned it and an African language that I forget which one it is. 3: consider living outside one of these big expensive cities and commute in. That should save money. 4: your credentials, gpa gre, in my opinion will make you competitive at one of these top schools you have listed but also make you look like a potential top choice at a smaller program. I wouldn't worry about the quantitative sections. . Did any of us in the humanities really do well with that section? Good luck friend

More unsolicited advice here but you may consider applying to MA programs too. Not that it's easy to get in but it is easier than getting in to a PhD program. You might also find that having two strong letters and one positive but not very insightful about your strengths letter could be enough to enter an MA program while two strong letters and one weak one may not be enough for a PhD. There's no negative outcome of earning an MA, it may actually help you enter a PhD program. Sorry if I sound like a commercial for master programs. As to who to ask about your third letter, I would consider your thesis advisor. I assume you aren't going to apply until a few months into the fall semester. Your thesis advisor will know you better by then. Grad programs are super concerned with your ability to research. Asking a professor that you took courses with but didnt do any serious research will probably get you a positive letter but nothing that will "wow" an admissions committee

This is exactly what I did. I would've been lost without the AHA website and the PhD by state directory.

A lot of you were on here over the course of this last year, especially on the "Fall 2014" applicant topic. I didn't post much but i did read most of everyone's posts in the history thread as I'm sure 99-100% of us did when we were waiting to hear back from all of the schools we applied to. I just wanted to kind of follow up with everyone, or at least the names I would recognize.Where are you all going? Did most of you get accepted or are we going to try again next year? Anyone still frustratingly waiting on a waitlist? I'd also like to know what everyone is going to study. I hope by the end of the summer most of you will have checked back at least once. I'll start: 2013:many rejections 2014: many rejections. One waitlist - turned into an acceptance. Beginning in the Fall of 2014 I'll be attending UNC-Greensboro. I study 20th century US political and civil rights history, big emphasis on liberalism + the New Deal.

I am but its in the NCUR Proceedings, I'm sure you're familiar with the ncur conference for undergrads. I think like 98% of those who go to the conference and submit something get it published so I'm published but its not super prestigious or nothin

Not to unnecessarily bump this post but the original SOP I have up there got me accepted into a PhD program despite the warranted criticism and many, many faults with it. In case anyone is looking through this in the future.

Hi all - I got news today that I was accepted off the waitlist at UNC-Greensboro and I'm going to accept. A month ago I thought that the waitlist was a polite way to say no but I'm just super excited today. I posted this on the results board but I wanted to share this on the history board in case any other history hopefuls wondered the same thing about being waitlisted. I don't think I was a stellar undergrad or M.A. student (9 other programs agreed with that statement). I'm pretty sure it is my "fit" that got me on the waitlist and eventually accepted. Anyway - now that I got the great news I want to tell everyone else that might be on a waitlist not to give up hope (I did) because you just don't know, I definitely wasn't expecting this today. Good luck to everyone else out there. I gotta go buy a UNCG t-shirt now

I'm on the waitlist at UNC-Greensboro. Haven't heard back from two others (so I assume the worst). If I can't get in Greensboro I'm going to have to expand my selections from 6 (2 cycles in a row now) to many more. I do twentieth century US national and local politics and civil rights and African-American history - thats what I got my MA in

William and Mary is THE place to study colonial US in the States but it sounds like you might have a more Canadian-style approach, I think they only specialize in US.

this year is my second try. rejected from schools i doubt i would have enjoyed going to last year. I also wasn't prepared at all. I've been rejected by 4 so far and waitlisted at 1 this year. If that waitlist doesn't turn out the way Im hoping for I'll try again next year. to answer your question I have to quote Will Arnett in blades of glory, "I can't get a real job, it'll kill me." That's kind of how I feel. I want to history, I want to be a history. I'm teaching part time this year and I love doing it. I miss doing research as much as I did as a student. That's my answer. I love teaching and researching. I'd rather spend several years trying this than getting some "real job" that I hate. . . but that might just be me

I see that a lot of George Mason went out today. I didn't hear anything. I think I know what that means. dang. congrats to you. I consider the waitlist a kind of honor now. but Davis is a sweet place too. best of luck friend

I was rejected by Washington University in St. Louis last week too! My focus is 20th century American politics, with an emphasis on modern liberalism

and as a side note - I contacted POIs at all these schools. everyone of them seemed eager to talk to me and said that i seemed like a person they could work with. maybe none of them were on the grad admission committees

Sounds like a lot of you guys have applied to top tier and ivy league schools. I got some news so far (neutral and bad). I'm twentieth century US. so I guess theres probably a million of me out there. American - NO George Washington - NO Catholic - NO North Carolina Greensboro - WAITLIST (the waiting . . . it burns) still waiting to hear back from some others. I thought that last year it took me much longer to get rejected, like late february. I guess they really didn't like me this year. but I got my first waitlist. hopefully no one else wants to go there

Thanks for the encouragement. I've only hot a few apps out. My top 3 rejected me. So here's hoping pretty hard

If all else is equal check out which city is more liveable. Like which one had the better restaurants

I received an informal email from the DGS at NC-Greensboro last week that I was put on the wait list. I never even really thought of that as an option. Since I have now been rejected by 3 of 6 others. My palms are getting sweaty all the time. Google isn't really helpful because it's mostly about other professional programs (law, medical, etc.). I got some encouragement from my M.A. mentor, he said we just got to play the waiting (haha) game now. So I should hear back in the next few weeks. I don't know if I should be encouraged or discouraged by this news.

I finished my MA in history last spring. Don't freak out. the only advice you need is to have fun, but expect a lot of reading. It will depend on what professor you get - some will assign more than others but there is a lot of reading. the writing part wasn't unmanageable but expect to write more than you did as an undergrad. the best part is there are few, if any, tests other than your exit exams but you don't need to worry about those for a while. good luck friend