Hogs of War

Ok, sorry for the shitty idea. My bad.

This is pretty accurate. I was looking to create a "Place to start" and have people collect information based on their experiences. What I am 100% NOT intending is a rating system or an end-all, be-all list. I was looking to create a living document that WE could work with/on together.

Plan for this thread: List Sub-Fields and then list within those subfields the best schools to study that field and why. Additionally, feel free to leave requests for sub-field information. (To be honest, this idea came to me when I was thinking about my subfield, and realized I didn't really know where I should be applying for my Ph.D in a few years) Medieval History School 1 (Reason why School 1 is good, a professor who is awesome to work with) School 2 (Reason why School 2 is good, a professor who is awesome to work with) School 3 (Reason why School 3 is good, a professor who is awesome to work with) Modern American History School 1 (Reason why School 1 is good, a professor who is awesome to work with) School 2 (Reason why School 2 is good, a professor who is awesome to work with) School 3 (Reason why School 3 is good, a professor who is awesome to work with) Above is just a temporary Template. Feel free to fill it in, expand on it, change it, whatever you want.

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 HistoryKelkel (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) African HistoryOseirus (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 Historyteachgrad (20th century, Southern Cone), BH-history, The People's Scholar (18th-19th century Colombia) East Asian Historyalleykat (Modern China), kyjin (Pre-Modern Japan) Near/Middle Eastern Historyuhohlemonster, oswic (modern Egypt, gender) 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), [*]ticklemepink (20th c. Germany/U.S) Science/Technology [*]shaxmaty1848 (Cold War) Social [*]annieca (Cold War and Post-Cold War East and Central Europe) Classical and Medieval [*]Hogs of War (Monastic Studies and Conflicts in Authority)

I always say go with your gut. There is always 'The Right Way' to do things, and you'll find that more often than not, that is the direction your gut will lead you. But don't be afraid to do something that strays from conventional wisdom just because it strays from conventional wisdom. There is no worse feeling in the world than doing something 'The Right Way', and then failing in some capacity, when right from the beginning you felt like you should go a different path.

I'm so glad to be on the "waiting to hear about funding" stage of Grad School admissions. UMass has a pretty easy requirement to get all Fees + Tuition + Health Insurance for free, but it does require at a minimum a small amount of funding. (About 8k per year will get all those other things waived). God I hope I get the 8k marker. It will really make all the difference in the world.

congrats!

I LOVE that scene in Dumb and Dumber Last week looking at the MegaMillions. . .that was my same reaction before I paid my $10 in stupid tax. . . .opps. . . I mean bought $10 worth of tickets.

Thanks all, and yes, it is UMass at Amherst.

I just got an e-mail from the chair of the AdComm. I've been accepted. :-D

Random change of subject: I still haven't heard from UMass and I'm about ready to jump off a metaphorical bridge. My brain is seriously at the point where I can feel it starting to snap. It like holding a bunch of twigs and small branches horizontally in your two hands, and then you start to try and break them in half. . . They start to crack and bend, and you can hear a few of them creaking. The cluster is still mostly intact, but just a little more pressure and I think they will all just break in one giant SNAP! Any-who, how is everyone else doing? Also, is sanity relative? I've felt sane my whole life, but the grad school application process has made me feel crazy. Am I crazy? Or am I normal for someone in my situation, but I just seem crazy?

Is it wrong that everytime I imagine 20th and 21st century bombings (think Vietnam circa 1960's), I replay this Scrubs scene in my head. I know how horrible it is, but it makes me laugh every time, and I have little to no regrets.

So have you heard about funding from UMass (and you're waiting to hear from UMaine) or are you waiting to hear from UMass as well? I only ask because I'm somewhere on the waiting list, so obviously if I get accepted I'll be pretty low on the funding priority, BUT I wasn't sure if they've already told their MA applicants who they accepted what type of funding they're in line for.

Archer would be too busy being awesome to even consider anything else. . . And if for some reason he didn't get into grad school. . . We'll it'd be time for the sequel to "Terms of Enrampagement"

So in other news, I managed to annoy my favorite professor of all time, who also happens to be my POI for grad school, and who also happened to have wrote my best LOR, and who also happens to be my 'inside connection' with AdComm. . . Apparently 1 e-mail per month is too much. In all serious though, I don't think she was that upset. . . but she did seem ever so slightly annoyed, and finished the e-mail with "If you put this much energy into the work when you are actually in grad school, that should put you in good standing." I was tempted to respond with "When I'm actually IN grad school??? So you're saying I'm in!?" But I didn't. . .because I'm not 100% socially stupid.

Oh ya. . . Their Public history program is pretty darn good. . . So they've latched on. And the GPD has openly told other applicants I know (and have spoken to in person because they used to be co-workers of mine), that "If you're not applying to be a part of the PH program, UMass is probably not the right place for you." I take that with a grain of salt, but there is a kernel of truth in it.

To be honest, the UMass History Department is typically (though I won't claim to have perfect understanding of this topic) more concerned with the number of funded students they can admit over the number of students per sub-field. That being said, sub-fields are still important. . . They LOVE American History and Public History people.

Medieval History (not UMass's wheelhouse, but I plan on mixing public history with it instead of the typical American History), and I have 3 professors I really want to work with (Barton, Olsen, and Taylor) I 100% want to go to a different school for Ph.D., but I want to opportunity to get into a great Ph.D program, and my B.A. GPA will not allow that, so I figure my best bet is to work with professors I know, get on the right track, and then transition to a better program once I finish up my M.A.

For the love of God/Science I just want to know if I got in UMass. . . Please leave me with the shred of sanity I have left. . . I'll need it when I'm kicking ass and taking names in your History Program.

Congrats!

I have no idea what any of you are talking about, but I get the distinct feeling I should curl up in a ball in the corner and start muttering "I need an adult, I need an adult."

If you get forced into another debate like that with him, just burp in his face and say, "I am drunk, or I wouldn't be talking to you."

I would recommend living North of Springfield. . . Possibly between NoHo and Holyoke. If you go South you start getting into CT prices. . . and no one wants to pay those. If you live in Springfield or Holyoke proper, you'll maybe save money, but your crime rate will be higher and though they are doing their best to revive the area, it is still a very depressed area. Of course if you go too far North (NoHo for example), your commute starts to get too long. I recommend looking for something between Exits 18 and 16 (on rt 91). Towns I would check are Easthampton, Southampton, and South Hadley. There are plenty of other good places, but if you're going to go to School in Springfield, and you went to Smith, I think you'll find it more comfortable in those areas.

I am on the waiting list for my top choice (and honestly I only have 1 crappy back up). But I'm only applying to MA programs. . . No fancy PhD rejections. I'm not sure exactly how good my chances are. I went to my top choice for Undergrad, and I have a professor on the AdComm who is 100% in my corner, along with a Prof who gave me a LoR who is using her political capital to try and help me get in, but it's an uphill battle. . . . My overall GPA is crap because of mistakes I made 10 years ago. . . .But my last two years (which I just finished last year) are pretty darn good. Unfortunately, I get the feeling I'm going to be left waiting until April. This is going to drive me insane.

18 people accepted to UMass MA/PhD program. . . About 3 of them have posted their "Accepted" results on this site. . . One of them sounds like they're going from the forums. To the other 17 people. . . please don't go. UMass is a great place, but I want to go. The coming weeks on the wait list are going to slowly drive me insane.