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JTausTX

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Everything posted by JTausTX

  1. I've wondered a lot about this myself. I am not an undergrad anymore and am disconnected from the field almost totally, since I have a full-time job. Honestly, I've been so overwhelmed with trying to find the "right" advisor that it's pretty much boggled my mind. I don't even know what the good programs in my field are, much less the great professors!
  2. I've been considering a Masters, but I'm concerned about the "prestige" of any program. It's difficult to find funded Masters degrees, and although there are several state schools in my area (I live in Dallas) that offer history Masters, it seems like they have very poor faculty fit with my interests, even taken rather broadly. I'd hate to have to move across the country to get a Masters, ya know? My German is pretty good. I am not native fluent but I'm fairly proficient, though badly out of practice currently. My reading is a bit weaker, but I have done primary source research using German sources (specifically Chlodwig von Hohenlohe-Schillingsfuerst's and Wilhelm II's memoirs). Thanks for the recommendation! I've also been told by some of my professors that all of the German historians they know of are retiring. Kind of strange, but in a way it seems like it might create an opportunity for rising German historians, though I'm probably behind that trend by now That's what I've started looking for, and it's been helping. The program at UMN-Twin Cities looks promising, as they had several historians of medieval and/or early modern history, and even one (Gary Cohen) who has done very similar research to what I want to do, except focusing on Imperial Austria rather than Imperial Germany. The problem there is that he's probably nearing retirement, since he got his PhD in 1975.
  3. Hello everyone! I posted a thread on here already regarding my troubles, but I've just finished reading through this whole thread (what a beast) and wanted to pop my head in. So, I'm applying for PhD programs this coming fall for 2013. I'm considering MA programs as well, but I have questions about how wise that course of action would be. My field is early modern / late medieval German history. Specifically, I want to study the political history of the late Holy Roman Empire and Prussian states, specifically with regards to their political institutions and governments. I'm also very interested in military history but have been told that this isn't a great specialization these days... but I think I would like it as a subfield. I'm having a lot of trouble, honestly. I wasn't in this research area in undergrad, so I have no idea who the big names in German history are. In fact, I've been looking at all the universities I can think of that I might want to attend (I know I'm doing this backward) and I can't find anyone who would be a perfect match, big name or no. Obviously I want to go to the best department and work with the best scholars that I can, but at this point I'd settle for finding a department with multiple German historians and maybe a political historian. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know! Some info about me: graduated in 2010 with my BA summa cum laude and with solid GRE scores (690V, 720Q, 5.5AW). My undergrad honors thesis was an examination of Germany's portrayal in Texas high school history books from 1880-present, and my department thesis was on the exceptionalism of the German colony at Qingdao.
  4. What subject area do you want to study? That will, from what I understand (I'm having some issues with this myself), be more determinative of where you'll want to study than the school per se.
  5. Hello all. I've been going through the forums here for a while, looking for help, but haven't found much that helps me out. Here's my situation: I'm a May 2010 graduate from a decent school with high honors, Phi Beta Kappa, great GPA, etc. I'm not particularly worried about getting into grad school - I don't mean I assume that I will, just that it's not among my worries at this point. What I am worried about, however, is finding the right school and/or advisor. I am wanting to seek a PhD, but a solid MA program would be tempting as well. So, basically, I have no idea how to find out who the best people to study with would be. I've looked at journals, talked to my professors, emailed a few professors recommended by others (looking for advice, not as potential advisors), cold-searched the history departments of various schools, etc. I honestly don't know how to find the professors and schools where I can have the best experience. I also don't know who the "names" in my field are, or really how to find out - there weren't any German historians at my undergrad who would know. BTW, I am interested, per thread title, in German/Central European political history. In particular, I want to study power structures and transitions in the Holy Roman Empire and Prussia. There's a definite focus in my interests on medieval history, but I also want to look at early modern Prussia and the formation of the German state. So, I'm hoping that some of the brighter minds on here can help me out with this process. How should I go about locating my POIs, and how do I know who is a worthy scholar and who is a schlub? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, as this is my biggest hurdle for grad school.
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