HistThrift

First official rejection -- email from Yale to check the website.

That's how I'd read it -- one program I applied to for my M.A. had me listed as "matriculated" before I received any sort of acceptance notification. It could just mean that there's a decision and that they'll notify you of it soon, but it sounds hopeful!

An MIT HASTS interview was posted too -- decisions seem to come 3-10 days after interviews based on past years.

NYU has done interviews already, I believe. Somebody in my department had one with them and there are a few posted. But you're probably right to be skeptical.

I agree that the field is in no particular danger of dying out, but I also think we'll see the nature of the field change dramatically over the next several decades. As long as state educational curricula are in place history will be taught, and we will need history PhDs to teach our school teachers. But I do think we're seeing a transition to online classes and the general commercialization of academia. I'm not going to play up any doom-and-gloom narratives here, but I do think we all need to be keeping an eye on the way education is changing. (With that being said, I think most everyone here already does this and nothing I've argued here is exactly "news".)

Mine was even less than that -- in the year I applied only two people claimed acceptances in my program (one was me, and the other person went elsewhere or declined their offer). My cohort numbered nearly 20. It really depends on a number of factors, but I wouldn't rely on the results board for anything more than indicators of general activity.

Absolutely. My program is fantastic -- supportive of interdisciplinarity, new technologies, community outreach, etc. I think it also creates a stronger-than-average attachment to issues of social justice. There's still some push back about the academic legitimacy/rigor of public history, but I think this sentiment is fading very quickly.

Not to open this all up again (I'm sure NEN meant no harm with his comment), but my significant other works as an administrative assistant in another program, and I can assure you all that academics aren't the only ones putting in more than 40 hours per week on a regular basis. I think the university setting is just one of those workplaces that lends itself to long and somewhat wonky hours.

I'm not applying to any PH programs per se, but I will be continuing to work in the PH field with my doctoral studies to some extent or another. I am currently wrapping up my MA in Public History.

That's how I tackled it -- I think they want to know more about you as a student, and then they can make the determination for themselves whether you'd be a good fit for Professor X or Y or whether you'd be better off somewhere else.

I'm sure I'm less knowledgeable on this topic than others, but UMass Boston has a solid public history program -- I'd recommend it.

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) natsteel (early American political culture and intellectual history) unforth (19th century US political and military history, US Civil War) hbeels (colonial, early national, 19th century, transappalachain west, historical memory of these eras/areas) thedig13 (20th century U.S., culture and protest, African-American) Weepsie (North American Mapping, Exploration and Trade, Anti-Communism/Socialism in Interwar period, bit of a mixed bag) lafayette (19th c. [with a dash of 20th], urban, intellectual) vtstevie (Revolutionary/Early Republic New England, infrastructure/economic) macmc (Feminist, gender, and LGBT history) HistThrift (early America, indigenous history) 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), Sequi001 (Modern France, gender and sexuality, colonialism/imperialism) Abetheh (19th/early 20th century Germany and France, religious politics vs secularization) NeutralKate (Modern Russia, modern European economic history) Crackerjacktiming (Modern Germany, gender and sexuality) GloFish (USSR, Stalinism, Soviet-American Relations) jamc8383 (19th/20th century France, interwar culture, relationship between body, mind & place) 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) Jogatoronto (Psychiatry in early colonial West Africa) ronwill06(Social and political radical movements) Latin American History CageFree (20th century, Southern Cone), BH-history, The People's Scholar (18th-19th century Colombia) StrangeLight (20th century Central America) East Asian History alleykat (Modern China) kyjin (Pre-Modern Japan) aec09g (Modern Japan) pudewen (Late Imperial China) kdavid (Modern China; focus on the Republican period) Near/Middle Eastern History uhohlemonster, (modern Israel, Iran, Palestine) oswic (modern Egypt, gender) Conmel (modern pan-Islamic thought/networks) Atlantic World sandyvanb crazedandinfused Global/World History cooperstreet (Cold War) melissarose8585 Jewish History uhohlemonster, (modern Israel) hopin'-n-'prayin, kotov (Holocaust), naturalog (sometimes modern European/Holocaust), runaway (memorialization & visual culture), ticklemepink (20th c. Germany/U.S) Science/Technology/Environment shaxmaty1848 (Cold War) StrangeLight (environmental history, ecological distribution conflicts) Social annieca (Cold War and Post-Cold War East and Central Europe) Classical and Medieval Hogs of War (Monastic Studies and Conflicts in Authority) Cultural StrangeLight (gender, race, ethnicity, and religion) hbeels (race/ethnicity, religious, masculinity/feminimity, print/literature) crazedandinfused (race, nationalism, performance, rhetoric) alleykat (religion, race/ethnicity, cultural relativism) Canadian History truthfinder (New France, religious)

Hey Ukiyo, I'm currently in the Public History MA program here at UMass, museum studies track as well (it's the most popular one). While I obviously can't speak for the department, based on the diversity of students here I think your field is something that they could facilitate -- we have people doing all sorts of stuff here, and they seem to really like material culture stuff. I would suggest looking up a few students in the program (there's a listing online with profiles) and email any that have a similar interest to yours (not necessarily a topical interest, but material culture thematic interest, for example). For what it's worth, I came into the program with roughly the same GPA and GRE scores, so I think you're probably fine there so long as you have a strong application. Also, I did have a degree in history, but I also majored in anthropology and archaeology, so I would think that as long as you have a good base of history classes you shouldn't have too much trouble. Also UMass has one of the best PH programs in the country, so if you get accepted I would send some emails to PH professors to get a feel for some of the opportunities here.

I second the thought that you should consider state schools. Grad school is grad school, IMO.

I haven't logged in in forever, but I felt compelled to give some input here since your record sounds exactly like mine (virtually the same grades, small northeastern school, some Spanish, Early American history). Just for starters, I majored in history, anthro, and archaeology and perhaps had more extra-curriculars, but you seem to have had a more robust internship, you have better GRE scores and it sounds like you went to a private school (which always seems to mean a leg up to me...). I disagree with others that location can't be a significant factor in a grad school decision. You want to go to a place where you feel comfortable. The northeast has a wealth of resources, and a degree from Stanford, UCLA, or Berkeley is nothing to scoff at, regardless of discipline. I think those are fine locations to look for if those are the places you see yourself succeeding. All the schools you suggested seem possible. Work on the languages a bit and make sure you get excellent LORs and write a strong SOP for each school. I would also expand your horizons and look at some state schools. UMass & UConn are both strong. If you are going to focus on location I have one major caveat -- research EVERY graduate program in those areas to determine which are the best fit. In New England alone there are over a dozen history-PhD-granting schools to thoroughly research before applying anywhere. I also think there's some merit to what TMP said about your advisor. It seems as though he is maybe too optimistic or, as TMP says, out-of-touch. All of TMP's advice is good and I would suggest you consider it, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents as well.