Applications 2019

[fortsibut]

8 hours ago, Nicator said:

I used single spacing for all my applications, with my Cornell SOP coming to 969 words (a little longer than I'd originally planned), but it did fit neatly into 2 pages. I don't think it will matter  - they're not going to torpedo an otherwise talented applicant over line spacing!

That's great to hear; glad I'm not the only one!  Now we just have to wait for two months to find out whether we made the cut.  ?

[Ragu]

@Nicator, @fortsibut, @elx I submitted a 2 page single spaced SOP to Cornell last cycle and was admitted to the program. 

 

Edited December 31, 2018 by Ragu

[elx]

On 12/31/2018 at 6:23 AM, fortsibut said:

Thoughts?

EDIT:  Also elx, what is your field, out of curiosity?

I did single-spaced too. My thought is that if they really cared that it's double-spaced, they would have specified that.

US 20th century/African American -- for Cornell, put lots of emphasis on the latter because of how strong their African history department is. You'd be in for a treat there I think!

[fortsibut]

8 hours ago, elx said:

I did single-spaced too. My thought is that if they really cared that it's double-spaced, they would have specified that.

US 20th century/African American -- for Cornell, put lots of emphasis on the latter because of how strong their African history department is. You'd be in for a treat there I think!

That's awesome!  Best of luck getting in.  ?  Cornell is indeed my top choice, so we'll see how everything plays out.

@Ragu:  thanks for the reassurance!

[fortsibut]

Just put in Cornell's app, so only Boston left.  Gotta chop 7 pages off my writing sample for that.  Still not happy with my SoP; I feel like I never get the balance of writing about my own work versus writing about the school/POI's I want to work with right.  /grumble

EDIT:  So not sure how this happened, but apparently Boston U's deadline was Dec 15th instead of Jan 15th like it was last year and like I had written down.  Well now I feel a bit stupid and annoyed with myself.

Edited January 2, 2019 by fortsibut

[Assotto]

Currently at Cornell and happy to answer any questions folks may have.

[historygeek]

 

Anyone else been obsessively checking their emails already? I’ve been so anxious about this process. 

 

[potsupotsu]

Me! Even though I have no reason at all to think I'll hear from any of my schools before February... 

[fortsibut]

Just now, potsupotsu said:

Me! Even though I have no reason at all to think I'll hear from any of my schools before February... 

Yep same!  Every time I get a random email I get absurdly and irrationally excited.

[Ciboney]

2 hours ago, historygeek said:

 

Anyone else been obsessively checking their emails already? I’ve been so anxious about this process. 

 

Nah... not yet. In most cases there will be no decision communicated until February. From what I know, there is a slight chance of positive decisions the very last days of January. That is for Spanish or Hispanic Studies. So, until then, I do not pay much attention to electronic mail. By the 28th of this month, I will start checking email several times per day. Until then try to think of other things. We still have a few weeks before news arrive. Try the local pub; that helps sometimes. ☺️

Edited January 6, 2019 by Ciboney

[fortsibut]

1 hour ago, Ciboney said:

 Try the local pub; that helps sometimes. ☺️

I live in a dry town.  =(

[latecalifornia]

I had an interview. I didn't think that would happen this soon or maybe at all. It went well. POI seemed like somebody I would get along well with. 

[cyborg213]

Hi everyone! 

I've been silently following this thread for some months and I'm impressed by the amazing advice so many of you have provided. It's been extremely helpful in my process, especially because I'm from a non-English speaking country in Europe and many of the intricacies and nuances of the application world in the US - which I was totally unaware of until I found this forum - seem now to be at least a bit more familiar to me. So I just wanted to say THANK YOU for such thoughtful and useful comments and advice.  

I just submitted my last application and I'm extremely uncertain about everything (as I imagine many of you are!!!). Being an international applicant adds an extra layer of uncertainty (and clumsiness) to the process. For instance, I tragically found out about the GRE a month before the deadlines (I mean, I discovered its existence, and became aware of the fact that I had to pay for it, study for it and actually take it haha. Somehow my mind wasn't ready to accept that there was a standardized test for graduate school ? -even though I read many times the admissions requirements that clearly stated it). And I guess being unfamiliar with the academic culture in the US makes it harder to have any clue about my chances and “position” among other applicants (I know, for instance, what my European colleagues “look like” and have a sense of the “level” they have). And well, at the end of the day this is a competition, and consequently we are all insistently (and involuntarily) wondering what our “position” is or will turn out to be once we get the results. Will this anxiety-provoking scenario (that is likely to increase) ever let us think, write and enjoy what we do? Of course yes, but I imagine this requires some level of mastery. And I guess all of us are already acquiring some level of mastery just by applying. Anyways, I don't know why I'm saying this, but I do know that this has already been an exhausting adventure, and I truly empathize with all the efforts, anxiety and uncertainty many of you have been struggling with in the last months.

Cheers for us, and good luck!! 

[cyborg213]

And I also have a question: 

I was granted with a European fellowship that covers full tuition + stipend for graduate studies in the US (this is the reason I'm applying to PhD programs in the US in the first place). Although most graduate programs I'm applying are fully funded, in which case the fellowship would just be added or adjusted to the financial conditions offered by the school I attend (if I'm lucky to be admitted somewhere!). The fellowship is very prestigious in Europe, but I have no idea of the extent to which having this fellowship will make a difference in the admission process. As I know, many American applicants are also granted with different fellowships prior to their admission to grad school, so I wonder if anyone can tell me the weight this accomplishment might have for admissions. I know there's no exact way to tell, but if anyone is or has been in a similar situation, I would love to hear your comments. 

Thank you!

[fortsibut]

11 minutes ago, cyborg213 said:

And I also have a question: 

I was granted with a European fellowship that covers full tuition + stipend for graduate studies in the US (this is the reason I'm applying to PhD programs in the US in the first place). Although most graduate programs I'm applying are fully funded, in which case the fellowship would just be added or adjusted to the financial conditions offered by the school I attend (if I'm lucky to be admitted somewhere!). The fellowship is very prestigious in Europe, but I have no idea of the extent to which having this fellowship will make a difference in the admission process. As I know, many American applicants are also granted with different fellowships prior to their admission to grad school, so I wonder if anyone can tell me the weight this accomplishment might have for admissions. I know there's no exact way to tell, but if anyone is or has been in a similar situation, I would love to hear your comments. 

Thank you!

Can't say for certain because I have no firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of admissions committees, but several of my PhD applications specifically asked if I had funding I was bringing with me (Fulbrights, etc.).  I assume that this wouldn't be a huge point in your favor, but it would almost certainly be a major tiebreaker for you were you and another applicant similarly qualified.

In any case, welcome to the forums and good luck in this process!  If you feel comfortable sharing, what is your area of specialization, and where are you applying?

[cyborg213]

14 hours ago, fortsibut said:

Can't say for certain because I have no firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of admissions committees, but several of my PhD applications specifically asked if I had funding I was bringing with me (Fulbrights, etc.).  I assume that this wouldn't be a huge point in your favor, but it would almost certainly be a major tiebreaker for you were you and another applicant similarly qualified.

In any case, welcome to the forums and good luck in this process!  If you feel comfortable sharing, what is your area of specialization, and where are you applying?

Thank you! My area is Latin American history (Chile-Argentina, 1950-1990), with a focus on space, urbanism and postcolonialism. I'm applying to Yale, Columbia, Chicago, NYU and Rutgers. 

[AnUglyBoringNerd]

19 hours ago, fortsibut said:

I assume that this wouldn't be a huge point in your favor, but it would almost certainly be a major tiebreaker for you were you and another applicant similarly qualified.

I am not very sure about this "tiebreaker“ thing... In my humble opinion, whether or not you have money shouldn't be considered by the committees in their decision making regarding admission to the program, which should be solely based on their judgement of the applicants' academic capacity and potential... At Columbia, if you come with external fellowships you'd have the "top-off" and "extend" options, and there is a document explaining the complexity of the fellowship policies out there; but coming without any external fellowships (to my understanding) should in no way make you less likely admitted than other applicants, although having won a prestigious fellowship won't hurt.

[cyborg213]

1 hour ago, AnUglyBoringNerd said:

I am not very sure about this "tiebreaker“ thing... In my humble opinion, whether or not you have money shouldn't be considered by the committees in their decision making regarding admission to the program, which should be solely based on their judgement of the applicants' academic capacity and potential... At Columbia, if you come with external fellowships you'd have the "top-off" and "extend" options, and there is a document explaining the complexity of the fellowship policies out there; but coming without any external fellowships (to my understanding) should in no way make you less likely admitted than other applicants, although having won a prestigious fellowship won't hurt.

I agree. In my view, the fact that I “have the money” is not at all important in terms of the assessment of my project and academic qualifications, and won't make a difference. It would actually be alarming and unethical if it does. I guess the only thing that might have some weight is that the fellowship is very competitive and made me go through a rigorous selection process - based on my academic qualifications and research project - so it can serve as evidence of my qualifications.. though just as much as any other accomplishment in one's CV.  

[urbanhistorynerd]

Hello guys!

This last weekend I presented a poster at the undergraduate poster session at the American Historical Association 2019 conference. It was a blast and my university funded me as well! Chicago was beautiful and I had a wonderful chance to explore the campus of 2/6 of the schools I applied to. Even more exciting was that the graduate director from one of the schools I applied to sought me out and asked me if I had any questions about the program/discussed me research interests. I'm not sure what this means but I'm assuming it is a good sign!

Anyways, in general, how far does this presentation take me? Regardless, I enjoyed myself and had a valuable experience attending the AHA as an undergrad. Will this be a particular bright spot in my application that will put me over other applicants? Or will professors just look over it? I also can add that one of the organizers informed me that it was a highly selective process to get into the session and over a hundred undergrad applied and we had about 12-15 presenters.

It is getting closer and closer to some of us hearing the news, and again, I wish everybody luck and I hope you all get offers you can be happy with. If not, life is wide and there is plenty to do in the meantime if you are going to reapply next year.

Edited January 7, 2019 by urbanhistorynerd

[psstein]

3 hours ago, urbanhistorynerd said:

Hello guys!

This last weekend I presented a poster at the undergraduate poster session at the American Historical Association 2019 conference. It was a blast and my university funded me as well! Chicago was beautiful and I had a wonderful chance to explore the campus of 2/6 of the schools I applied to. Even more exciting was that the graduate director from one of the schools I applied to sought me out and asked me if I had any questions about the program/discussed me research interests. I'm not sure what this means but I'm assuming it is a good sign!

Anyways, in general, how far does this presentation take me? Regardless, I enjoyed myself and had a valuable experience attending the AHA as an undergrad. Will this be a particular bright spot in my application that will put me over other applicants? Or will professors just look over it? I also can add that one of the organizers informed me that it was a highly selective process to get into the session and over a hundred undergrad applied and we had about 12-15 presenters.

It is getting closer and closer to some of us hearing the news, and again, I wish everybody luck and I hope you all get offers you can be happy with. If not, life is wide and there is plenty to do in the meantime if you are going to reapply next year.

I can't imagine it'll hurt you, unless you were absolutely abysmal. That being said, one of the important things to keep in mind is that AHA is so huge you can easily get lost in the shuffle. What I mean is that, since AHA has so many distractions, unless you were really memorable (good or otherwise), it may not have much of an impact. I visited the poster session last year (in DC) and found them mixed. Some of them were really good, interesting projects. Others were not. Just because you have an idea doesn't mean sharing it with the rest of the world... one or two especially stuck in the latter category.

in a very succinct way: your acceptance or rejection probably will come down to other factors, some of which are unrelated to your accomplishments or suitability as a candidate.

[TMP]

17 hours ago, psstein said:

I can't imagine it'll hurt you, unless you were absolutely abysmal. That being said, one of the important things to keep in mind is that AHA is so huge you can easily get lost in the shuffle. What I mean is that, since AHA has so many distractions, unless you were really memorable (good or otherwise), it may not have much of an impact. I visited the poster session last year (in DC) and found them mixed. Some of them were really good, interesting projects. Others were not. Just because you have an idea doesn't mean sharing it with the rest of the world... one or two especially stuck in the latter category.

in a very succinct way: your acceptance or rejection probably will come down to other factors, some of which are unrelated to your accomplishments or suitability as a candidate.

@urbanhistorynerd Keep your eye on the writing sample and SOP.  Other stuff are just sprinkles on your pretty cake.  The most important thing for you in your professional development is that  you got a taste of AHA and the overall conference experience.

[fortsibut]

On 1/7/2019 at 4:26 PM, cyborg213 said:

I agree. In my view, the fact that I “have the money” is not at all important in terms of the assessment of my project and academic qualifications, and won't make a difference. It would actually be alarming and unethical if it does. I guess the only thing that might have some weight is that the fellowship is very competitive and made me go through a rigorous selection process - based on my academic qualifications and research project - so it can serve as evidence of my qualifications.. though just as much as any other accomplishment in one's CV.  

This is sort of a response to both you and nerd.  When I referenced the money I probably should have been more specific.  What I was trying to say was that if I were a POI (which I'm certainly not) and I had the choice between two otherwise equally-qualified applicants I'd definitely pick the one with the award that cyborg describes for two reasons.  First, it's (according to your own description) a fairly prestigious award which sets you apart, and secondly it gives you additional funds to spend on your doctoral research.  That extra cash can allow for a lot of extra travel and research which can in turn give you more opportunities to put out an exceptional final product, which your advisor's name would be attached to.  I would think that those two reasons could make a POI choose you over someone else.

Now obviously I'm not advocating for the wealthy to buy their way into prestigious graduate programs (*cough* Trump's dad and Trump's Wharton acceptance) nor am I saying that I think this *should* be an issue that tips the scales, but I'd be shocked if it's a throwaway question on Cornell's application form.  We can argue about whether finances SHOULD be an issue, but I'm highly skeptical that they're not considered in the process.

On an unrelated note, your field of study sounds really interesting, cyborg!

Edited January 9, 2019 by fortsibut
grammar is hard

[fortsibut]

Double post but new topic.  Had a funny freak out moment yesterday when I got an email from Michigan State telling me to check a message in the portal.  Thoughts running through my mind:  "It's way too early to realistically get a response."  "Wow, they rejected me FAST!"  "Maybe someone wants an interview?"  "But why wouldn't they email me directly?"  "OH CRAP DID I FORGET TO SEND IN SOMETHING??"

Actual message:  "Hey in case you didn't fill out this survey we sent a link to a few weeks back (I did) you should fill out this survey."

That was when I learned that Michigan State University is full of trolls.

[dr. t]

11 hours ago, fortsibut said:

nor am I saying that I think this *should* be an issue that tips the scales

I actually do think there's a great deal of merit in weighting this sort of award in the admissions process - the ability to bring in external grants is the sine qua non of academic success, and money begets money. The fellowship is (and should be) a substantial booster to your admissions chances.

[Sigaba]

12 hours ago, fortsibut said:

What I was trying to say was that if I were a POI (which I'm certainly not) and I had the choice between two otherwise equally-qualified applicants I'd definitely pick the one with the award that cyborg describes for two reasons. 

1

FWIW, hard-won experience has taught me that expressions of "If I were ..." thinking are not always well received by BTDTs. They can easily (if not mistakenly) infer that the person expressing the thought thinks that he/she knows better. 

My unsolicited recommendation is that one exercise the utmost care in how one phrases this line of thinking.

Edited January 9, 2019 by Sigaba