oseirus

So from the smattering responses I've read on here, I have come to the following conclusions: meetings POIs will help you, it will hurt you and they have absolutely no bearing on the outcome of your app. I love it! I realize how subjective the whole thing is but you would think there would be some uniformity, outside of the applications themselves. Even the style of SOPs (from what I've read on grade cafe) seems to be different. Although there seems to be some sort of consensus that you shouldn't mention your life-long love of history but outside of that, there seems to be no hard and fast rule as to what is to be expected. I come from a background where everything is regimented and even the most illogically-seeming act has a rationale, so this whole process fascinates and intrigues me. Be of good cheer friends!

Well thanks for the head's up folks! Do you know if any other schools have such electronic monitoring for your apps? A couple of my other schools I've just ptoced calls to their admissions dept & I have received almost the same answer: "yes we have received your application & it is going through the process". Maybe I should've used a nom de plume?

I am telling you that photocopier fixing is a lost artform! Thanks for giving the rest of us a chance! I have 5.5 months to learn now!

Do any of you guys regret not waiting a bit longer (for those that opted out of the waitlist) for those schools? Also fee lfo get a feel for why you were waitlisted maybe?

Undergrad Institution: A top party school in the South, grad in '05 Senior Thesis: It was optional and I didn't know how important it would be down the road so I took the seminar instead Honors Program: Yes but again it was optional, and I wasn't that forward thinking at the time. Major(s): History/Poli Sci. Minor(s): Art History, French, Aerospace Science GPA in Major: 3.63 Overall GPA: 3.40 Position in Class: Unsure but I know I graduated. I have pictures to prove it. My mother baked a cake and a lot of people were happy Type of Student: Domestic, from an academically inclined family (both parents have a PhD), 2 sibs w/a doctorate. GRE Scores (revised/old version): Revised GRE - no excuses could be better Q: 148 (?%) V: 164 (?%) W: 5.0 (?%) Research Experience: Unpublished personal research done in the field of my interest. Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Academic Team (college bowl, quiz bowl) awards, Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Been out of academia and in the real world for the past few years, but I am ready to return now. Applying to Where: Direct-entry Ph.D programs for African History - Harvard, Columbia (checked off MA option for consideration), UCLA, Berkeley, Princeton, & University of Florida Research Interests & Areas of Focus: pre-colonial/colonial west Africa Languages: Fluent in a relevant African languages and I understand some French (intermediate reading and writing ability) Letters of Recommendation: I didn't read my LORs but I hope they were strong, otherwise those professors all set me up for the okie doke. They were all mentors & professors who had highly encouraged me to pursue a PhD when I was in undergrad. Statement of Purpose: I tried to explain why I wanted to get a PhD and why I'm coming back to school after being gone for almost a decade. I wanted to give them sense of my academic personality and what would compel me to stick with a potentially arduous endeavor. I tailored it as best as possible to each school but obviously there were certain overlaps that was unavoidable. Writing Sample: I submitted a term paper from one of the professors who was writing one of my LOR. I slightly tweaked it but it was difficult to rewrite it as much as I wanted to because I couldn't get a hold of a good amount of the books I used as citation but them there's the breaks, as they say. Communication with POIs: I emailed a ton of them, called them and I established a dialogue with a few. However some schools seemed to have a hands off approach and didn't seem to be very willing to communicate. The fault was probably on me because I waited till very late in the process to even try to contact them because I didn't know any better. Lessons Learned from Application Process: I learned the following things 1. It is a process and you have to approach it like you are following a checklist. You can skip around somewhat but at the end of the day, there has to be systematic understanding of what you are doing. 2. Keep in touch with your professors and develop those relationships, even if you aren't sure you are going to pursue a higher degree. Their letters of recommendation come in handy not only for schools but for other things, such as jobs, etc. It is difficult to go trolling for a professor 5 years after you last communicated. 3. Give yourself some room to work with. I am sure most people here wished they had spent more time working on their application or wished they had more time to work on it. Time is never your friend because there are certain things that are out of your hands, such as when 4. Try to contact students at the schools you're applying at. You're eventually going to be studying with some of these people so get to know them somewhat and see if the school is a place you'll fit in personally. I often hear a lot about academic fit but I rarely hear a lot about personality fits. If you are one for the bright lights of the Big City, then I'm sure a school in pastoral setting isn't for you and vice-versa for someone attracted to the simplicty of countryside. 5. Learn to deal with anxity because the waiting will hurt. You basically become like a junky, fiending for that sweet hit of information. Will I learn something new today? What time is it? Dammit, why haven't I heard back from professor such and such? Did I make a mistake somewhere on my app? Did I leave out something pertinent on m SOP? Should I have done more than 3 LORs? Should I do a "surprise" visit to the schools? Trust me, you are going to think of at least ONE of these things at least once, whilst you wait. However, there is nothing, short of inventing a time machine, that will speed up the process, so enjoy the anxiety.

I am surprised more people haven't filled out this page yet or are they too bus with other things?

I wish I could see what you wrote on your SOP now

May I ask what you ended up doing or are you still in holding process? Also, why do you think you have no shot at Harvard?

You have got to come back after the acceptances are out & let us know

Just out of curiosity, is anyone here applying for a PhD in African history? I tried to find a thread dedicated to that topic but I can't seem to find anything specifically so I'll see who I can find here. Trying to see the general calibre of students who have applied, what their experience has been up to this point, what are the general numbers usually associated with acceptance for African History, etc. I know this is kind of vague (probably redundant) and kind of late but whatever info I can get, I'll be appreciative. Thanks in advance!