CrazyCatLady80

If you want a MA, you have to pay for it. Of course, there are exceptions to everything, but you are right saying they have unicorn status. The idea of a fully funded MA in history here in CA, to be blunt, is downright hysterical. I've had to pay most of my degree with financial aid. Stick only with FASTA. Never go with a private loan. They will suck every single penny out of you till the day you die. I have won a couple of scholarships through my Department, but most of those are only for one or two thousand. Every penny helps, but it never covers an entire semester. I also have a MLS, which i paid with student loans as well. I figure once I am done with grad school, I will have well over 100K worth of student loan debt. Chances are that I will never be able to own a home. You have to ask yourself if it is really worth it. For me, it is.

A lot of it depends on the size of the archive and the collection(s). One of the collections I surveyed as a former archivist measured over 2000 feet. I was working on it for six months, five days a week and only saw around 10 percent of it. However, if the collections are smaller, I am sure you will be ok. Do they have finding aids? Ask for those in advance. That way you have an idea what you are looking for when you arrive.

I agree memory is also big. Public History is also popular and there is money in it too. Digital humanities is basically the intersection between technology and the humanities. It uses technology to bring attention to the humanities with both digital and born digital materials. That is basically the best way to sum it up. Although I am sure all the digital humanities people I worked with as an archivist would disagree with me. If you want to learn more about it, go to a THATCamp unconference. It was interesting, but I often got the feeling that many of them were interested in creating some cool new toy rather than helping researchers, which, in my opinion, is common among many archivists/librarians. I am not saying the subject doesn't have any value, I just think it is serious over done.

Thanks everyone....I actually found out today that she got into UCSB, which makes me feel somewhat better. I have come to accept that I might have to do this thing twice, which I hate, because I am not getting any younger and don't want to start my career at fifty. TMP....what did you do in between application seasons? I have a MLS, which is always handy, but getting a library job is just as competitive as getting into a PhD program these days.

Digital history and Digital humanities are huge. In fact, I got sick of hearing about it as an archivist, but it is super sexy and people go nuts over it.

Do you know if you can defer your Temple acceptance till next year? That way you can apply again, but still keep Temple in your back pocket. I have no clue how this works, but I believe someone on here did that.

I've heard through the grapevine that one of the top students in our program didn't get into a PhD program. I believe she has a 4.0, ok GREs, presented at five or six conferences, and published an article in a major journal. Of course, I have no idea what her letters are like - she has had serious interpersonal relationship problems with her fellow grad students. I don't know if that came out in her letters, but I know she is very academically strong. Anyway, it has gotten me all worried about next year.

Based on everything that I have heard, Temple is a really good program. I don't know what their job placement rate is exactly, but it has been recommended to me by several people and def one I am considering for my applications. You should not feel ashamed about Temple one bit.

In U.S. history, I think Borderlands is pretty hot. I see a lot of postings on H-net about books, jobs, etc in that field. Suburban diversity, which is my field, is popular in urban history, which has its pluses and minuses.

I love the Tutors, but I study it for "fun" rather than professionally.

I absolutely agree with you regarding the CSUs. There are a lot of top programs that are committed to teaching. It has just been my observation at the CSU that I attend they care a lot more about coming from a program that has a strong commitment to teaching. Research is very important, but not as important as teaching. One of my advisors has been at my school for ten years. He hardly published a single thing until this past year, because he is so dedicated to teaching and everyone loves him for it (and, yes, he is tenured). He always seems to be doing interviews and he told me point blank that he cares more about teaching than research. As for the top ten program, I actually know for sure their job placement record sucks. It is one of the largest programs in the United States and only a handful of students have been placed and that is coming from the school itself. It is basically a PhD factory. Another advisor told me not to go there, because of their job placement rate. He said that applicants coming from that school aren't prepared for the job market. I have no idea why it is in the top ten. I think it is better in fields outside of U.S.

Another factor I think is what does the school actually do to make sure you get a job when you leave with your degree. The top ten school that I discussed earlier doesn't do anything to prepare their students for the job market. I think they have the false idea that if you get a degree from that institution that is all you need. Compared that to UCI and UCSD where I know they go out of their way to make sure their students are placed. For the most part, I agree with Nat, but a top ten school doesn't guarantee a job. Those days are long gone.

As I mentioned before, I think it all depends on where you want to be eventually. If you want to teach at an R1 school, you need to attend a program probably in the top twenty. If you want to focus mostly on teaching, ranking is important, but not as much. At the CSU I attend, their new higher in the History Department is from USC, which ranks in the mid-40s. Two years ago, they hired someone from a school that was not even listed, but had an outstanding problem in his field. The faculty also includes professors from the usual round of suspects - Columbia, Harvard, UNC Michigan, etc. Also, there is a school in the top ten that I know very well. I used to work there back in my archivist days. I would not recommend it to anyone studying modern U.S. Their job placement rate is horrible and the faculty is not all that supportive. Take the rankings with a grain of salt. I used it when I first started doing my research into programs, but mostly as a good list of schools that offer PhDs.

Dang it....that means I have to budget just like with my student loan money. I hate that.

Another key factor is personality. One of my advisors says that a lot of the people he has interviewed come from outstanding Ivy League schools, but simply don't know how to teach or even have the personality to do a good job. I know two brothers. Both study Japanese History. The younger one is a lot better academically than the older one. He went to better schools and his research is far superior. The older one got the tenure-track job, because the younger one has the personality of a wet paper towel.

I think these are the same as the 2009 rankings.

I would say anything above 3.8 is fine. Once you hit the 3.7 mark, that might be a problem. If everything goes according to plan, my GPA will be 3.76. I earned two B+s my very first two semesters in grad school. I worked full time and couldn't dedicate myself to my studies. Everything else is As and A-s, except for this B. The reason why I got the grade is very unclear and has changed over time. I asked the professor if I could do a rewrite. He didn't say yes or no. Since I am revising it for publication (yes...it is probably being published despite getting a low grade....figure that one out), I am just going to give him a copy. I have to walk a tightrope here, because he might be one of my letter writers.

Thank you....I need all the positive comments I can get these days. Still upset over the entire situation, but I have a battle plan and hoping everything will work out for the best as far as that topic goes.

Don't freak me out even more than I already am. I do have the feeling will resolve itself. I am trying to get the article that got a B published, which I am hoping will cancel out that grade.

I know you think funding has to come first, but, in this situation I would say staying in the U.S. is far more important. The vast majority of MA/MLS programs aren't funded. I had to pay for my MLS out of my own pocket via student loans. In fact, I don't think my program even offered funding. I think the rule "only go if they give you funding" applies to PhD programs only. I know they have funded MAs out there, but there aren't that many. I also had to pay for my MA. It is true that I am in a lot of debt. I doubt that I will never be able to buy a house. However, in the end, it is worth it. In my opinion, if you really want it, you will pay just about any price to get it.

I agree with Bloop - your GPA needs to be as high as possible. My GPA isn't that great (going to be somewhere between a 3.7 and 3.8), because I've had a lot of problems with my advisor (long story - PM if you want all the details). One thing that I am trying to do is get an article published or at least under review by the time I submit my applications. It is a lot of work. I have come to accept that I may not get accepted on the first try, but I am confident everything will work out in the end.

As a former archivist, I can tell you without a doubt that your best choice is to go to Maryland. Getting a job in the archives field is all about connections, especially at the National Archives. In fact, connections and networking is far more important than the school. I know a lot of archivists that went to so-so programs, but have excellent jobs, because of networking. Only go to the school in the UK if you want to work in the UK.

Thanks....I might take you up on that offer as soon as I finish this incomplete and fellowship application. One thing that I think is important to keep in mind is what do you actually want to do with this degree. Personally, as much as I love research, I really want to focus on teaching. As I have said before, I don't dream of working at a R1 (I think that is what it is called) school, but rather a public university with a diverse student body like a CSU. Therefore, I don't think it is as important as getting into THE top school, but rather a good solid program that places a strong emphasis on teaching as well as research. Also, there are a lot of programs that are outstanding, but don't even rank. For example, a recent hire at my school attended some small university at Texas that no one ever heard of, but has an excellent program specializing in borderlands.

I haven't contacted any faculty yet. I am waiting to hear about this fellowship before I make any plans. My top schools at this moment are: UMich, Berkeley, UCLA, WA, MD, OSU, UCSD, and Temple. I wouldn't apply to only the "best" programs. Rather I would apply to where you feel it would be the best fit. As far as the job market goes, I was warned by pretty much all the professors in my department. They also suggested a book on graduate school (I forgot what it is called at the moment....people mention it here all the time) to give me an idea what exactly is involved. It is basically equivalent of taking a lean out on your home to start your own business. Despite all this information, I still want to go for it. I can't imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life.

A well connected advisor is a good idea, but make sure it is someone that you work with while completing your MA. Make sure he/she likes working with students. My MA advisor is very well connected, but working with him has been a nightmare. He is more concerned with his own work than helping his students. The professor that I find the most helpful in my department is someone that has published hardly anything mostly because he is so dedicated to teaching. He has been an ideal mentor and has gotten students into PhD programs more than my well connected advisor. Sadly, I can't have him as my official advisor since he is not in my field nor can take on any additional students due to health problems.