GuitarSlayer

Remember, not only are you enlightening the nation's youth, you're also meant to be a bit of a cash cow/draw to the university. The only way you do that is publishing or being a face somewhere. As my professor once put it to me, "You've got to understand the type of relationship professors have with their work. It's like, I have my wife, and I have my research -- she understands it." If that sounds horrible to you, then you might want to consider stopping at the master's level and teaching community college. That limits your ability to contribute to journals, BUT it doesn't close the door to books, if you ever want to publish one or two. Some "pop" history books do make it to the book reviews sections in journals, if they are very well done. My problem is finding a guy who understands that he ranks equivalent to or behind the cats and research, in some order, .

Zeph, I appreciate the response. I will be pursuing a general History PhD with an MS cert, if available. Definitely wiser to be broad based. As to your last point, I previously did say I am coming from years outside academia. I have not gone straight through a BA to MA; I took several years off in between, and I effectively took a paycut by switching jobs to return to school last year. I'm still holding down a job to earn money while doing my master's, which is partially why this part of the adventure is taking 3 years. I perhaps should emphasize that I am seeking insight on programs and critiques as to my choices for their academic quality and recommendations for people/faculties to work with. I understand the need to be grounded. I'm hardly a starry-eyed teenager who thinks she has the world at her fingertips. I've lived in multiple states and countries, and I have worked in multiple industries. I've reached a point where I wish to work toward a permanent career in academia. I graduated college just as the economy went to hell, and I know several friends who have yet to hold a job beyond retail, unfortunately. I am keenly aware that the eggs can't be all in one basket. Let me shift this back to topic: Fordham, CUNY and U of M don't have guaranteed 5-year funding. Should I avoid this completely? Or should I pursue it, considering the professors there, and the fact that people are scared off by no guaranteed funding, which leaves the candidate field more open? Also, for a medieval/early modern focus, do Tufts, Temple, and UCSD have a decent reputation? Any gaps in the list, like, "Why don't you have _____ listed? It/She/He is amazing!"

A. Professor/Writer/Researcher is the end game. I've spent most of my adult career as the business and office manager of medical practices, and this is what I rather be doing. Dumb? Yup, but I knew I had a few screws loose when I took a 30% paycut by changing jobs to accomodate my course load. I'm more than 30% happier, however. I don't expect to be Simon Schama or Indiana Jones when this is over. B & C. My major professor used the "safety school" term to describe the odds of me getting in, not so much "guaranteed." Funding will be another animal entirely, but I do plan on applying for Fullbright, Marshall, etc. I'm working on those now before Uni apps open. D. I'm hoping not! However, as I said above, I have functioned outside of academia before, and I will be able to get another job as an office manager, should I have to wait a year. My eligibilty to work at my school ends just before Fall 2013, so from the time I find out "no," I'll have 4 months to job hunt while still working and saving. I won't like it a bit, but I'll do it. Teaching at the 2-year college level is certainly not out of the question either.

Hi all, I'm graduating this spring with a MA in History, minor in anthropology. 3.93 GPA, 790 V 740 Q and 5.5 Writing on the GRE, reading competent (though not fluent by any means) in German, and working on Latin. I have some Spanish rattling around from ages past, but I'll probably pick up French next. I plan on submitting my SOP/research interests to the board's scrutiny shortly. My undergrad degree was Theatre Arts and English, history minor (I had the choice of either doing another year abroad or studying Euro history in America to complete my major -- I went with the former), 3.78 GPA. My master's thesis is related to beliefs surrounding burial practices of the medieval and early modern periods. One of my committee members is an anthro professor at my school. My uni is more known for its American and military history, and it only has two medievalists and a few early modernists. It is a state school, however. I will be taking a research trip to Europe in January 2013 to research burial sites. I'm definitely leaning toward schools that have Medieval Studies certificate options. I am a late medieval or early modern person -- I'm fairly flexible. My major professor is a medieval law specialist, so she really has no idea what to do with me and my oddball interests. We've come up with a list of schools, but I'm hoping someone here might be able to give some insight in order to cull the herd. Let me know if any of these are "just not going to happen." In turn, new suggestions are also welcome. To give you an idea, my ideal PhD professors would have been Caroline Walker Bynum or Elizabeth A.R. Brown, but they are now both Emeritas -- I'm using their work extensively in my thesis. Safeties: Fordham (previously accepted there for MA; too much money at the time), CUNY Middle of the Road: OSU, U of Bristol, Iowa (neither my professor nor I are particularly huge on Iowa, but it's there), U of Michigan's Anthropology History program Top of the Pops: University of York, UK (someone does my type of work there!), Toronto, Oxbridge, Harvard (at my professor's suggestion), Northwestern (dream school -- Muir, Elliott, AND Kieckhefer) I've done some tentative research in to UC San Diego, Temple, and Tufts, and there are people there that may work for me, but I don't have enough information/feedback/reputation for my particular area. Modern Euro history appears to be no prob for these schools. I apologize for the small novella. I have done my research on this, but I feel as if I'm missing something -- my work spouse feels the same way when he looks at my list.

I'm joining the Fall 2013 app class. I am in my last year of my master's program, and now I'm looking for a good PhD program in late medieval/early modern studies. I'm open to suggestions -- my professors and I are wrestling with the choices. It doesn't help that I have a minor in anthro and am trying to track someone down that's into that sort of thing!

Have you heard of Tell Me More? It's along the lines of Rosetta Stone, but it is more grammar and reading oriented. Rosetta went through a revamp awhile back, more or less in reaction to this program's structure/pricing. I'm using Tell Me More for German, and it is really going well for me. I am considering grabbing the French one next.