soleprovider14

Like others have said, I'm not sure it is necessary to gain admission into a PhD/MA program. Depending on what the senior thesis (undergrad thesis) process is like at your undergrad, I would recommend you jump on the opportunity to do one. I ended up doing a senior thesis rather than the usual capstone course (which involves a 30 page research paper) that spanned my senior year and ended up being around 120 pages. I can't stress enough how important this experience was, and how much it helped me transition to my MA and write a thesis. Since my undergrad thesis process was basically the same as an MA thesis (year-long work with an adviser on a topic of my choice, with extensive historiography and primary source research) I was very well prepared, and not as overwhelmed as some of my peers when it came to the MA thesis process. If your undergrad offers such a thesis process I would definitely recommend it. Also, if you are planning on writing your undergrad thesis on a similar topic to what you plan to study in grad school, you will undoubtedly benefit from having a good background in the historiography and research of your field/specialty.

It will definitely add to your overall application. It will show the admissions committee that you are taking advantage of non-academic avenues to further the study/practice of history. Regarding the presentation, I would say any presentation at the undergraduate level would only be a plus on an application. I can say from experience that if you are involved with PAT, you will have great opportunities for conference attendance/participation, and potentially funding/awards as a grad student.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that funded MA's are "unicorns". I was applying back in 2010 for MA/PhD and found many funded MA's across the country. Like some posters said, it seems like many of them are concentrated in the Midwest, however, there are some on the East Coast. I ended up going to Kent State University for a fully funded MA and can say that most schools in Ohio fund MA students. I know that University of Vermont offers funding, and some schools in Wisconsin. From what I've seen through research, many state schools offer funded MA's. One piece of advice, try your best to avoid paying for your MA, especially since you aren't interested in pursuing a PhD.

There are many funded MA programs in history. Just a few from personal experience, UW-Milwaukee, BGSU (Ohio), U of Akron (Ohio), Kent State (Ohio), Vermont. And most of these schools provide tuition waivers, a stipend, and allow you to gain valuable teaching experience (discussion sections, lecturing, grading, designing assignments).

I also was rejected from all of the PhD programs I applied to, however, as I anticipated this, I applied to three MA programs and was accepted at all (two with full funding). I don't know about well-regarded but I was accepted and received full funding at both Bowling Green State University and Kent State, and was given a vague promise for potential funding later on in the program by the University of Vermont. I only applied to the above schools due to the presence of a potential adviser, not the prestige of the program. With both Kent and BGSU, I would be able to work with a very highly regarded professor in the field I am pursuing.

I was admitted at both Kent State and Bowling Green for a master's in history (European) for the upcoming fall with full funding and am faced with a dilemma. Both schools seem to have the same reputation (although it seems Kent has a more well known history department), both universities/cities are eerily similar (from what I can tell without visiting) and the differences between both are very subtle making this decision a tough one. As I know the most important thing is fit, both schools have a potential adviser who is tenured, young, and has contributed great research to the topic which I am interested in pursuing (and are quite famous in the field). While Kent would provide a higher (slightly) stipend, and a more well known adviser, said adviser's current research is not focused on my proposed research. At Bowling Green, while I would have to manage under a slightly lower stipend, I would be able to work with a well-known adviser who would actually be conducting relevant (to my interests) research concurrent to my studies/work. My questions are: Between the two schools, which has a better reputation for their history program/department? How much does your potential adviser's current research matter while you study under them? Since both of my potential future advisers are well known in their field, how much does their reputability/fame matter in a situation like this? Thanks for any insight.

This week brought with it a rejection at UC-Davis for a PhD and an acceptance at the University of Vermont for a MA (no word on funding yet). Still waiting on my last school, Boston College (PhD), which has not made contact with me at all during this process.

The letter was dated March 5th and I live in Wisconsin. Good luck with your application to USC!

Received a rejection from USC yesterday through the mail. I applied with a Modern Germany history concentration, and although I spoke with my potential adviser regarding his undertaking of this project prior to applying, it seems that the fit just wasn't there. Having a fully funded acceptance, however, does help when coping with a rejection.

I got one of those fin aid cards too...Nothing else from USC.

I applied to BC for a phd and have not heard anything since all of my materials were submitted.

I think it's safe to say that UC-Davis and USC will both be rejections for me... Otherwise, still waiting on UVM and BC and on Kent State's funding package.

Double post.

Thanks for the update on BC, I'm still hoping that out of the three PhD programs I applied to (two of which I am positive will reject me since others were already informed of admission) BC will be the one to offer admission.

Yup, I'm almost 75% done with my thesis. Last semester was the hardest attempting to write the thesis, studying for GRE, doing all app stuff, working, internship, and last but not least 15 credits at school. This semester, now the wait has set in, writing it has become a bit easier but still I find myself losing focus quite a bit due to being nervous/paranoid about schools.