taybaxter

Yup, two-inch margins. Actually ended up being about 1100 words with all the other margins set to 1" (Default for Word 2007).

I guess I'll have to.

I did two pages single-spaced.

On the upload page on their application: "Please use a margin of 2 inches at the top of the page to allow room for the application system to automatically print your name and Applicant ID in that space. Click the Upload Document button below to attach it to your application."

Ugh...anybody else here screwed up by Yale's requirement that writing samples need TWO INCH margins at the top of each page! That pushed me over the Yale History Department's 25 Page Limit. I managed to go back under the limit by screwing with the other margins (.72 inch bottom, left and right margins...) but still feel uncomfortable about it. Do you guys think messing around with margins like that instead of trimming a section out is a good idea? I don't see any requirement anywhere that the other margins have to be 1 inch....

Good you saw my post! Thought it was gone for a sec.

Got the all clear to do it! Recommended we do it too.

I included an abstract at the suggestion of my undergrad adviser (who, I should add, went to Penn for her doctorate). She said there is "no way" anyone could communicate anything significant in only ten pages and is baffled by the page limit. I might just email one of the professors I've been corresponding with there and ask about it just in case though. I'll be sure to post what she says.

Was this to their grad_info email? I sent them a couple of emails there some time ago and waited weeks for a response. When I finally heard back I was told that they never check that email and I should email all questions to the DGS.

Are you applying to Penn too? Yale's page limit doesn't seem like a big deal anymore after the time and effort I spent getting ten pages out of my thesis for Penn!

I don't know if it's different in Art History but my adviser told me that in History adcoms are suspicious when an applicant doesn't submit a section from his thesis as a writing sample.

Word of caution to everybody: After converting a writing sample from word to PDF ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS double-check the PDF both before putting it on the app site and after you put it on the site. Even if you've spent weeks editing your sample--like I did--you can still be messed up by a damn computer. I submitted three apps the other day along with writing samples. Two of them had writing samples attached that were electronically garbled somewhere along the line from converting my word document to PDF to putting it on the website...all of the apostrophes in my samples were somehow turned into quotation marks . I didn't notice it when I uploaded them because I only opened each just long enough to see that the upload worked. Fortunately, I caught it yesterday when when I went back to see if my recs had been uploaded. I've been working with both grad schools this morning to remedy the problem and I'm happy to say that both have been very good about replacing the bad samples with good ones. *whew*

That's what I thought. I've prepared both but I just wanted to make sure that I should submit both.

Hi everybody, Is anybody else here applying to Yale? Do you guys know if the book review is submitted place of the statement of purpose or along with it?

Just talked to another professor at a top choice school of mine. More contacts = More confidence.

Whew just submitted my first three apps today. It's a relief to have at least a few signed, sealed and delivered (so to speak!).

Absolutely include it in your SOP and CV. This is some important experience you will have by the time you enter grad school that they should certainly know about.

Hello all! It went about as well as I could have hoped. We talked for about forty minutes and I asked some good questions about the grad school, her work, the app process and some of her grad students. I also tried my best to get my qualifications across. She promised she would help me get in touch with some of her students with similar interests. Only part where I feel like I stumbled a bit was when we were discussing an important book in our field that had come up in our email correspondence. I was kind of nervous so I didn't really feel all that articulate. I think that's probably a small thing in the long run though. No promises were made in the end, although she did say that she will be sure to look at my application "with interest." Thanks for the help guys!

Excellent suggestion! While I know her book front to back (I've written a paper specifically on it and also used it as a major source for my thesis ) I definitely wouldn't want to forget the names of any other books that have been important to me...

I don't understand why you are so worried....

If you're yearning to do something related to History you might want to try one of those college summer programs for gifted kids. I'm fairly certain a lot of them take on grad students to teach kids.

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the thorough suggestions and you guys really put me at ease...especially by reminding me that this likely won't "make or break" my application (although it would be wonderful if it did make it ). Yeah Lexi87, like you I've always been pretty bad with the phone but if I have a clear agenda in mind I'll probably be okay. I've been pretty good in the past with profs when it's all "business" talk. I'm going to sit down tonight and write out a brief--thanks for making that point Sigaba!--outline of talking points. I'll let you know how it goes!

Same. Although, my quant score was unexpectedly high (but that isn't any comfort because that doesn't matter too much for History...)

Hey everybody, I've emailed a lot of professors at schools I'm applying to and one in particular has really taken an interest in me and my work. We've been emailing back and forth for a week and a half and I've been asking her about the program, sharing some of my thoughts on her book, talking about some of my work, etc. and late last week she asked if I wanted to talk to her on the phone. I readily agreed--even though I can be quite shy--and we're talking tomorrow afternoon. This will be a first for me and I want to make a good impression. How do you guys think I should prepare for this? Any suggestions about questions I could ask her?

I'm applying to History PhD programs next year and for most of my programs (five out of seven) I intend to submit the third chapter of my senior thesis as a writing sample. No problem there...this will be about 30-35 pages when I'm done reformatting and editing it for submission and my adviser assures me that it is some of my best work. My problem comes with two programs I am applying to that have WAY different length requirements: one school wants ten pages tops and the other has no limit. In the first case, I really have NO idea how I'm going to get ten pages out of my 133-page thesis that will both highlight my argument in a way that makes sense out-of-context and show my use of primary sources. The only sections of my thesis that are under the limit are my introduction and conclusion and I really don't have much primary source analysis in either. Any suggestions here? Should I take out a ten page section and use a "cover letter" or something to put it in context? In the second case, I know that I am allowed to submit my entire thesis but I'm not sure if it will be a good idea. I have had a long-standing correspondence with a professor at that school and I asked her if she thinks it would be a good idea to submit the entire thesis and whether or not she has seen it in the past. She said she "thinks she has seen it before" but didn't really comment on whether submitting the whole thing would be a good idea. What do you guys think? Is anyone else here in History or a similar field thinking of submitting an entire Masters or Senior thesis as a writing sample?