Aubergine

Hi all, I've been reading your results as they've been coming in over the past few days and wanted to add that I just got my letter today in the Boston area. I received a Category B award with a score of 13.7. My field is performance studies. I'm in the third year of an MA/PhD program and this is my second time applying. Last year I didn't make it past the first cut. SSHRC has indicated that they will fund me for three years, which would mean until the end of my 6th year. I only asked for two years on my application, as I was under the impression that SSHRC wouldn't fund beyond year five of a combined MA/PhD program. Does anyone know if that's the case?

I think that exploring these kinds questions could be supported by the right (interdisciplinary) English program or the right Theatre/Performance Studies program -- or possibly a history program -- but of course each discipline would approach them from a slightly different angle. You should think about which approaches/methodologies you are most interested in, and what would best suit your project. If you haven't done so, maybe have a look at some work in theatre historiography and see if it grabs you (Michal Kobialka's work on medieval performance might be a good place to start... as well as looking at the U of Minnesota Theatre History program). To me, your questions seem like performance/theatre historiography questions, but maybe it's a matter of where I'm coming from. Best of luck!

The MFA tends not to officially count as a qualification when applying for PhDs, but I think that having one when you apply is an asset in our field that shows that you can work on both sides of the (albeit spurious) divide between 'theory' and 'practice', which is often demanded on the job market. Two out of four of my PhD cohort came in with MFAs.

Hi all, I just stumbled upon your thread, and thought I might be able to answer a few of your questions. Have you looked at the University of Minnesota? They have an MA/PhD program in theatre historiography and an amazing faculty. Though I'm not sure about Renaissance studies specifically. roguesenna, are you applying for the MA or the PhD at NYU? I'm pretty sure you need an MA to apply to the PhD program -- I don't think they will accept an MFA. Also, they tend to only accept their own MA students to the PhD. I think it's theoretically possible to get accepted without going through their MA program, but highly unlikely. I know that they do offer some funding for the MA, but I'm not sure how good it is. If your goal is to get a PhD, I would apply to MA programs (as opposed to MFAs). Best of luck with the process!

Hi Michelle, I agree with Luna that it would probably make sense to add the Royal Academy Certificate to the credentials section, given your subject matter, especially if you are planning to incorporate your dance experience into your research methodology (which is common in dance studies). Btw, I work on dance as well! Safferz, I'm still waiting for confirmation of receipt as well. It was sent via registered mail (from southern New England) on the 6th-- according to tracking, it was delivered on the 14th. Hopefully soon!

Yes, but tuition remission is almost always (if not always?) part of the PhD funding package at US schools.

The GRE is an American thing. Canadian programs don't require it. I did apply to one Canadian MA program that allowed you to include your scores if you had them, but the majority of (Canadian) applicants will probably not have taken it, so I doubt that it will impact your applications too much.

Thanks! Phew! And yes... I paid for tracking as well.

My application is now in the mail. Which, given how many problems I've had with USPS since I moved to the States, I find terrifying. (All those original documents!) I'm currently a 2nd year in a humanities program in the US. This is my first time applying for a doctoral SSHRC. I did win an MA SSHRC a couple of years back, but ended up coming to the states and so declined it. I do have a couple things I'd like to double check with someone in order to appease my anxiety. First, we don't need to do anything with the online form we've filled out beyond verifying it, right? There's no "send" button that I'm missing? And second, our attachments are attached only in hardcopy, correct? In other words, we're not supposed to upload them to the online application? I'm paranoid that I've missed some silly little thing that will disqualify me, after those hours and hours of work. Okay... breathing!

Thanks, Konstantin!

For what it's worth, I know several PhD students in top tier humanities programs in the Ivies who started their PhDs at or around the age of 40. They all had careers as critics, art educators, and/or artists before applying to grad school.

Hello! I too am in the process of putting the finishing touches on my application for the Nov. 6th direct applicant deadline. I'm a PhD student in the US. I have a question regarding the listing of fellowship amounts in the Credentials section that I'm hoping someone can answer. Currently, I'm on a university fellowship that includes tuition remission, a stipend, and health insurance. Do I factor in all of those to calculate the worth of the fellowship, or just list the amount of the stipend? Thanks, and good luck to all!

Thanks! I'm really happy about where I ended up. And best of luck to you!

That was last season, and it worked out alright!

In my SOP (last season), I mentioned discovering a love of teaching while teaching abroad, which motivated me to return to school in order to eventually teach the subjects I love at a university level. I think it's a good idea to devote a line or two to teaching experience (if appropriate) in the SOP, since we are ultimately training to be professors. I don't think it implies that you would be any less capable or devoted a researcher. At least, that was my approach.