diasporabound

American History R_Escobar (20th century, American Indian), crazedandinfused (antebellum, intellectual), hopin'-n-prayin' (southern, religious), stevemcn (transnational), Simple Twist of Fate (early American), zb642 (20th century, labor/working-class culture), BCEmory08 (19th-20th century Catholicism, labor), irvinchiva10 (20th century, immigration/immigration reform) European History Kelkel (Modern Germany, political), goldielocks (Britain), SapperDaddy (Eastern and Central Europe), kotov (Modern Romania, Holocaust, labor), RevolutionBlues (Modern Western Europe/France labor and leftist politics), theregalrenegade (18th/19th cent British Empire/environment), jrah822 (19th century Britain; emphasis on colonial relationship to India), grlu0701 (Intellectual & cultural history, fin de siecle Germany and Italy), naturalog (modern European [mostly German] intellectual and cultural/sexuality and gender/political radicalism), runaway (Eastern/Central, memorialization & visual culture) African History Oseirus (precolonial/early colonial West Africa), Singwaya18 (20th century East Africa), Safferz (20th century Horn/Northeast Africa), The People's Scholar (Spanish colonialim in Africa- i.e. middle/West Africa) Latin American History teachgrad (20th century, Southern Cone), BH-history, The People's Scholar (18th-19th century Colombia) East Asian History alleykat (Modern China) Near/Middle Eastern History uhohlemonster Atlantic World sandyvanb Global/World History cooperstreet (Cold War) Jewish History uhohlemonster, hopin'-n-'prayin, kotov (Holocaust), naturalog (sometimes modern European/Holocaust), runaway (memorialization & visual culture) Science/Technology shaxmaty1848 (Cold War)

AbaNader, Thanks so much for the link! I had no idea about the google group. The GRO website you mentioned describes pretty accurately most of what I saw on my tour. I really like the campus (Homewood). There are historical buildings and there are really cutting edge contemporary buildings. I think you'll love it. My tour was by an Engineering student, and she showed us a ton of really cool new labs and buildings that are almost completed - it's good to know the university is investing in your field. There are also lots of study spaces, walking paths around and through the campus if you want to work out, bike paths, and more importantly- trees! The scenery is really nice, and since Baltimore is a small city, you don't have to sacrifice a social life to get the environment- 5 minutes from some parts of campus and you're back into the city. I will say that I kind of hate the library- it's really small. The Area: Near the engineering side of the campus there are tons of coffee shops, ethnic food places, kitchy stores, and very close housing (although I've been told its overpriced- it's practically on campus). There's also a lot of cool stuff to do in Baltimore that's free/cheap for Hopkins students -like independent movie theaters, a free book warehouse on Saturdays, etc. It's all walkable in about 20 minutes, but if you want there's enough random spots to park a car or a bike so that wouldn't be difficult either. It seems as though the JHU shuttle that connects to the metro cuts around the edges of the campus (which is fine), although most students told me they only take it to go downtown (i.e. this is not a sprawling campus where you'll need to take a shuttle to get to each side). There's also random cool stuff like a gym primarily for graduate students, but you can also use parts of the gym that the athletes use- which is epic. I don't want to ramble, but I took a ton of notes while I was there, so if there's something specific you want me to describe or have a question about just let me know. Oh! In terms of housing, I thought it was pretty cool that each neighborhood looks really different, so you can pick a neighborhood by the vibe that works for you - and at least 2 complexes had rooftop pools if that's something you're interested in.

How are people finding roommates? As for the safety of the area- my visit included a 2hour walking tour of the area, and it seems pretty safe (considering I've lived in Philadelphia)- very easy to avoid the less developed areas, and you can ask people where those are. - I wish there was an official forum for new students (in all programs, or by campus, etc.) to help us find roommates/housing. I'm hoping this can be that forum! Maybe that's an idea for the GRO organization.

I'm struggling over my decision. Program #1 is private and ranked top-10 nationally. However in my region/subfield, there are only two faculty members at the school (incredibly acclaimed), and the program is very small. I'm concerned about not having a large cohort to draw on and the concerns of attending a small program (i.e. not getting along with your advisor, illness, leaving, etc.). I'm fully confident that I would receive stellar training and would be well-prepared for the job market. However, this program has semi-standard packages, and although they've awarded me an additional fellowship, they are offering substantially less research funding than Program #2. Program #2 is a large public university and traditionally offers smaller stipends. However, I've received a prestigious fellowship and substantial research funding. The program is generally ranked top 30s. There are many more faculty that I can work with- also rigorous- and a larger cohort. However it's a commuter school and I'm concerned about actually being able to draw on the cohort experience. This program is in a city that costs more to live in than the private university, but the funding package is much larger than that of Program 1 (in the tens of thousands). I am confident that I will receive excellent training at both programs, and neither program at this point is preferred over the other, but I don't want superficial factors to break the tie (i.e. proximity to family and friends, more "fun" options). A number of factors are at play: -national rank of program -Program 1- will that be preferred on a job market that may not be as familiar with my region's subfield rankings? -number of professors to work v. the prestige of the professors who are there -better ranked program with decent funding (full funding, no extras) v. lower ranked program with much better funding Thanks very much for your responses!