Query Regarding South Asian History Graduate Programs

[Homo Sapien]

Hello Guys, Planning to apply for PhD program in South Asian History, but still confused which Universities have the best Programs and faculty for the field in United States. Opinions and Suggestions are welcome.

Edited July 17, 2018 by jacob478

[WhaleshipEssex]

I'm sorry if this comes across as harsh, but if you're not familiar with the people and programs at the forefront of your field do you really think you're ready to apply to those top programs?

[astroid88]

13 minutes ago, WhaleshipEssex said:

I'm sorry if this comes across as harsh, but if you're not familiar with the people and programs at the forefront of your field do you really think you're ready to apply to those top programs?

One has to start somewhere. Please keep these types of comments to yourself. 

Also, knowing best researchers/best programs and being ready for a PhD program are not the same thing. You seem to be equating the two. 

Edited July 18, 2018 by astroid88

[WhaleshipEssex]

I never said they were the same thing, but to your point I do believe they're linked. Yes, I will grant you that everyone starts somewhere and this forum is a great resource in finding out about programs. However, I'd assume someone interested in a phd would know a bit about the field they're interested in, which is why I questioned if they're ready. It had nothing to do with capability. 

[Boolakanaka]

@WhaleshipEssex  I agree that if your aspirations are to attend the most elite programs in the country, it almost goes without saying you should at least have both the wherewithal and ability to identify what schools compose the short-list of such top-tier programs—this is the most basic of information, all of which are probably a 10-15 minute google search. Now, if the question was related to a more nuanced sub-grouping or specific questions about a particular faculty member, I can see the need for assistance. As for someone telling you to keep your comments to yourself, peeshaw, as you make a fairly lucid and cogent point....

[L13]

1 hour ago, WhaleshipEssex said:

I never said they were the same thing, but to your point I do believe they're linked. Yes, I will grant you that everyone starts somewhere and this forum is a great resource in finding out about programs. However, I'd assume someone interested in a phd would know a bit about the field they're interested in, which is why I questioned if they're ready. It had nothing to do with capability. 

I applied out of undergrad and knew absolutely nothing about the relative strength of/stand-out names at different departments when I started the process, yet I ended up with an amazing advisor at a great department.

Your level of professionalization says little about your academic preparedness or your odds of acceptance and saying things like "if you have to ask, go away" is not helpful. Obviously applicants need to do their own research, but pointing them in the right direction, or even just a direction, when they have zero idea what to look for is not going to jeopardize the fairness of the application process or cause them to be accepted on false pretenses and flunk out or whatever.

OP, I'm not in your field, but I've gotten the impression Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and Berkeley dominate job placement in the US, with Columbia being the most successful, though your specific subfield and interests should narrow that down considerably.

Edited July 18, 2018 by L13

[dr. t]

3 hours ago, L13 said:

I applied out of undergrad and knew absolutely nothing about the relative strength of/stand-out names at different departments when I started the process, yet I ended up with an amazing advisor at a great department.

I'm not sure why your plain dumb luck is a model others should seek to emulate.

Quote

Your level of professionalization says little about your academic preparedness or your odds of acceptance and saying things like "if you have to ask, go away" is not helpful.

It's not "if you have to ask, go away." It's "show that you've done the bare minimum level of work to be part of the conversation." That's not a lot to ask, and it's considered polite when asking strangers for help.

Quote

OP, I'm not in your field, but I've gotten the impression Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and Berkeley dominate job placement in the US, with Columbia being the most successful, though your specific subfield and interests should narrow that down considerably.

 

This is not a particularly helpful list.

Edited July 19, 2018 by telkanuru

[dr. t]

5 hours ago, astroid88 said:

Also, knowing best researchers/best programs and being ready for a PhD program are not the same thing.

Correct only in so far as there are other things you should ALSO probably know to be ready for a PhD.

[ltr317]

6 hours ago, L13 said:

"Obviously applicants need to do their own research, but pointing them in the right direction, or even just a direction, when they have zero idea what to look for is not going to jeopardize the fairness of the application process or cause them to be accepted on false pretenses and flunk out or whatever."

I agree with WhaleshipEssex, though I might have been more polite.  The Op's question is too broad and implies a complete lack of knowledge in the field.  I may be wrong, but the way the question is framed and the lack of other information gave me that assumption.  If one is looking to apply for a history PhD in a specific field, then a modicum of self-motivation should be the start.  That essential beginning should be speaking to the history faculty at one's school, who would be best equipped to point the aspirant in the right direction.  Even if the potential applicant didn't major in history, it is still the best place to start asking questions, before doing further research or engaging in this, or, any other grad forum. 

 

4

5

 

Quote

"OP, I'm not in your field, but I've gotten the impression Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford and Berkeley dominate job placement in the US, with Columbia being the most successful, though your specific subfield and interests should narrow that down considerably." 

This is not helpful.  All these schools have good placement rates, but that doesn't mean they are the best in every thematic or temporal aspect of South Asian History.

1

 

Edited July 19, 2018 by ltr317

[AfricanusCrowther]

I don't think you'll find the most helpful answers to this question on GradCafe. I would try the following:

1. Ask the South Asian history professors whom you know. Presumably they're already aware that you're applying because you have already asked them for advice. A quick "Hi, just wanted to double check my list, what schools would you say were the top in the field for my specific research interests? Oh, great, that's what I thought," would help. Even if you don't want to tell them your plans yet (although you should if you're applying this year), you could say you're just curious.

Ideally you would be having conversations that were much more in depth at this point.

2. This is the blunt force method: go through the top 100 research universities and see where assistant professors and young associate professors in South Asian history got their degrees. Remember that placement is just as much about the advisor; if you're scratching your head as to why a school appears to be punching above its weight, figure out whether that school had a star academic whose name could get students through the door (eg, Ira Berlin at Maryland), or if they have a longstanding institutional investment in a particular sub-field that is widely recognized (eg, MSU for my field). 

3. Figure out where the scholars who publish groundbreaking scholarship teach and got their degrees.

Edited July 19, 2018 by AfricanusCrowther

[L13]

8 hours ago, telkanuru said:

I'm not sure why your plain dumb luck is a model others should seek to emulate.

It's not "if you have to ask, go away." It's "show that you've done the bare minimum level of work to be part of the conversation." That's not a lot to ask, and it's considered polite when asking strangers for help.

 

This is not a particularly helpful list.

I did not propose a model for others to emulate. I said nothing about my application process; what I mentioned were my circumstances at its outset, to illustrate the point that being clueless about the state of the field can change pretty quickly (unlike being ready for grad school, which I consider a different matter). As to the criticism you and others are making, what I tried to say is that if you don’t see enough evidence that someone on the internet deseves your advice, you’re free to disregard their request for it. Preaching about the importance of due diligence is performative, not constructive.

Edited July 19, 2018 by L13

[dr. t]

Quote

I did not propose a model for others to emulate.

Oh? You don't think telling people that you went in blind and it came out ok serves as an encouragement to go in blind?

Quote

I tried to say is that if you don’t see enough evidence that someone on the internet deseves your advice, you’re free to disregard their request for it.

Yeah, but that's not what's going on here. @WhaleshipEssex gave some pretty good advice. It wasn't the advice the OP wanted, and they justified themselves with a critique of their framework. 

Quote

Preaching about the importance of due diligence is performative, not constructive.

Oh dear god. Really? Even if I were to concede that such an inane statement had any sort of utility, to quote the inestimable wisdom of El Paso Tacos, ¿Por que no los dos?

Edited July 19, 2018 by telkanuru

[AfricanusCrowther]

FYI, OP, this thread is old but maybe useful as a starting point: 

 

[Sigaba]

I like it when aspiring graduate students work with each other by putting their questions and pooling their knowledge in the most recent Fall 20xx Applicants thread.

YMMV.

[MettaSutta]

On 7/17/2018 at 1:23 PM, jacob478 said:

Hello Guys, Planning to apply for PhD program in South Asian History, but still confused which Universities have the best Programs and faculty for the field in United States. Opinions and Suggestions are welcome.

Anupama Rao at Columbia is awesome.  Also, I know a MESAAS 2018 PhD who just got a professor position at a liberal arts college.