Applications 2019

[Sigaba]

44 minutes ago, potsupotsu said:

I have been advised to apply to a few "safety schools," but the process of e-mailing POIs has made me feel that I would rather take my chances and apply to 3 schools where I feel would be the best fit for myself and my project. But I can't help but feel this is risky.

1

Who advised you to apply to safety schools? Students, staff members, or professors?

24 minutes ago, psstein said:

Don't bother applying to safety schools. Undergraduate and graduate admissions are two very different ballgames. There's no such thing as  a "safety," "reach," and "match" program. There are programs with good placement and programs with not good placement. Placement and fit are the major issues to concern yourself with.

If you're concerned about "not getting in," seriously consider MA programs beforehand.

Just to offer a contrasting POV. I used the same tactics when I applied to college and the two times I applied to graduate school. (I "transferred.") In each case, I applied to institutions that I knew would admit me. The end tally was 100%, 50%, and 50%. 

A second contrasting opinion. If you want to get into a phd program, apply to at least one. Do not self-select yourself out of the process because you think you're not ready. (Because who is?) Let the admissions committees decide if you belong or not. 

My $0.02.

 

[TMP]

11 hours ago, potsupotsu said:

It is quite late in the year, but I would just like to encourage everyone to contact the advisor you are interested in studying with before you submit your application. So far I have received replies from every person I have e-mailed and they have all been enormously helpful in different ways. One POI who I thought was a good fit sent me a polite but fairly discouraging reply (basically hinting that she didn't see herself as being a beneficial supervisor for my project), and now I can save $100 on that application and the grief of rejection that would likely follow in February. Other POIs were very encouraging, confirmed I would be a good fit for their program, and have given me advice on what they think would make a good application.

One thing this process has done (and I am not sure this is a good thing) is cut out many programs that are great but just don't feel like a perfect "fit." My thinking is that if I am having trouble writing an enthusiastic justification for e-mailing them, I probably should not waste their time with an application. So now I have cut down a list that was previously 6 schools into a list of 3. I have been advised to apply to a few "safety schools," but the process of e-mailing POIs has made me feel that I would rather take my chances and apply to 3 schools where I feel would be the best fit for myself and my project. But I can't help but feel this is risky.

Everything becomes risky from the time you make your choices regarding PhD programs.  Evey step you will take as a PhD student is a risk because you are trying to set yourself up for a good path to your own success. There will be many, many elements out of your control.

As you contemplate your final list, also consider what you will do if you don't get in anywhere this year.  Will you be okay?  What will be your plan?  Many applicants don't think about this element of the PhD admissions because they *expect* to get in somewhere.   People have been applying for 2-3 cycles just to get in including myself.  You need to be emotionally and mentally ready for this possibility (as you will need those coping skills later on when you get rejected from fellowships/grants enabling you to focus on research and writing and you end up having to teach, which can suck up a lot of time).

[OHSP]

On 11/5/2018 at 11:56 PM, potsupotsu said:

It is quite late in the year, but I would just like to encourage everyone to contact the advisor you are interested in studying with before you submit your application. So far I have received replies from every person I have e-mailed and they have all been enormously helpful in different ways. One POI who I thought was a good fit sent me a polite but fairly discouraging reply (basically hinting that she didn't see herself as being a beneficial supervisor for my project), and now I can save $100 on that application and the grief of rejection that would likely follow in February. Other POIs were very encouraging, confirmed I would be a good fit for their program, and have given me advice on what they think would make a good application.

One thing this process has done (and I am not sure this is a good thing) is cut out many programs that are great but just don't feel like a perfect "fit." My thinking is that if I am having trouble writing an enthusiastic justification for e-mailing them, I probably should not waste their time with an application. So now I have cut down a list that was previously 6 schools into a list of 3. I have been advised to apply to a few "safety schools," but the process of e-mailing POIs has made me feel that I would rather take my chances and apply to 3 schools where I feel would be the best fit for myself and my project. But I can't help but feel this is risky.

With the proviso that --- I applied to around 7 schools, emailed POIs at all of the schools, and the only people who didn't reply to my emails are my two current advisors, both of whom are great and who I'm really lucky to have. They both get bombarded with emails around this time of year and just didn't have time to reply that semester, but their lack of a reply really didn't mean anything. 

On this: "One thing this process has done (and I am not sure this is a good thing) is cut out many programs that are great but just don't feel like a perfect "fit."" -- it's hard/impossible to know whether a school might be a good fit until you've been accepted and go to the visit weekend/talk to your potential advisor when they're thinking about themselves as your potential advisor. Be careful about ruling out schools that seem good but not perfect--they might secretly be perfect. I applied to my school on a bit of a whim, thinking it was the school I was least likely to go to, and then I ended up choosing to go there over schools that are "higher ranked" blah blah etc, (seriously that shit means very little if you can't do the work you want to do at the higher ranked school), basically because of a gut feeling. 

Edited November 7, 2018 by OHSP

[Sigaba]

4 hours ago, OHSP said:

With the proviso that --- I applied to around 7 schools, emailed POIs at all of the schools, and the only people who didn't reply to my emails are my two current advisors, both of whom are great and who I'm really lucky to have. They both get bombarded with emails around this time of year and just didn't have time to reply that semester, but their lack of a reply really didn't mean anything. 

On this: "One thing this process has done (and I am not sure this is a good thing) is cut out many programs that are great but just don't feel like a perfect "fit."" -- it's hard/impossible to know whether a school might be a good fit until you've been accepted and go to the visit weekend/talk to your potential advisor when they're thinking about themselves as your potential advisor. Be careful about ruling out schools that seem good but not perfect--they might secretly be perfect. I applied to my school on a bit of a whim, thinking it was the school I was least likely to go to, and then I ended up choosing to go there over schools that are "higher ranked" blah blah etc, (seriously that shit means very little if you can't do the work you want to do at the higher ranked school), basically because of a gut feeling. 

I'll take it a step further. The only sure way to know if a program is a good fit is by attending and seeing what happens when you need more support than you realize and/or screw up the second and third time, and/or SHTF due to circumstances beyond your control.

[OHSP]

45 minutes ago, Sigaba said:

I'll take it a step further. The only sure way to know if a program is a good fit is by attending and seeing what happens when you need more support than you realize and/or screw up the second and third time, and/or SHTF due to circumstances beyond your control.

yeah, seconded. I should have put in bold and underlined "might be" a good fit. 

[Interdisc_Scholar]

Hey Everyone,

I'd just like to put this program out into the universe: 

Are you interested in obtaining a fully funded Ph.D. in the Humanities with an emphasis on African American/Africana Studies? Are you looking for graduate training that emphasizes public scholarship, community outreach, collections-based research, and digital humanities? The African American Public Humanities Initiative (AAPHI) provides fully funded graduate fellowships for Ph.D students in History, English, and Art History in a five-year, 12month, cohort-based program.

http://www.afampublichumanities.udel.edu/

Feel free to DM if you have any questions. 

[psstein]

A PhD program advertising is never a good sign.

[historygeek]

I submitted all of my applications except Michigan! I'm incredibly nervous, but also so glad to be almost done. 

[Balleu]

Congrats! I'm sure it feels great to be at that point. Now the waiting begins! 

I've condensed my thesis by about half at this point to get it to an appropriate writing sample length, which was a pretty smooth process. Now I only have to shave off five more pages, which feels impossible. Time to be ruthless with my own work. 

[ashiepoo72]

On 11/9/2018 at 2:13 PM, Balleu said:

Congrats! I'm sure it feels great to be at that point. Now the waiting begins! 

I've condensed my thesis by about half at this point to get it to an appropriate writing sample length, which was a pretty smooth process. Now I only have to shave off five more pages, which feels impossible. Time to be ruthless with my own work. 

Cutting down is the worst...but also a useful skill. My suggestions are to viciously cut out adjectives and fix any passive voice. Also, determine if you have multiple paragraphs proving the same thing and cut/condense them into one paragraph. I often find myself writing paragraph after paragraph to show how much evidence I found for one strand of my argument, rather than picking the best evidence and writing one tightly-knit paragraph. I actually ended up cutting out an entire section of my writing sample because it was weaker than the other two. Yes, that was painful as hell, but your instinct to be ruthless is spot on.

Best of luck!

[andnothing]

So, I'm in a bit of dilemma. A former professor I had in 2014 has decided not to write a letter of recommendation for me. Even though she agreed to provide one earlier this year. With a month to go for some applications, I am now out of a letter of recommendation.  I've exhausted all my options for professors since I graduated in 2014. Since graduating, the teachers I have had for online classes have been almost non existent so I haven't been able to build any sort of relationship with them. I work full time in a small family business that is completely unrelated to history. I guess an option is to get one from someone I work with. Does a non academic LOR carry any sort of weight or would that hurt me more than help me in this situation? Any suggestions on what I should do is definitely appreciated.

I'm applying to MA programs, by the way. 

[TMP]

1 hour ago, andnothing said:

So, I'm in a bit of dilemma. A former professor I had in 2014 has decided not to write a letter of recommendation for me. Even though she agreed to provide one earlier this year. With a month to go for some applications, I am now out of a letter of recommendation.  I've exhausted all my options for professors since I graduated in 2014. Since graduating, the teachers I have had for online classes have been almost non existent so I haven't been able to build any sort of relationship with them. I work full time in a small family business that is completely unrelated to history. I guess an option is to get one from someone I work with. Does a non academic LOR carry any sort of weight or would that hurt me more than help me in this situation? Any suggestions on what I should do is definitely appreciated.

I'm applying to MA programs, by the way. 

What do the instructions specifically say for letter of recommendations?  How many letters are from academics do you have already?  Why did this professor change her mind when she already agree to write you one?

[andnothing]

1 hour ago, TMP said:

What do the instructions specifically say for letter of recommendations?  How many letters are from academics do you have already?  Why did this professor change her mind when she already agree to write you one?

Out of the six programs I am applying to, four require 3 letters of recommendation. The two other LORs I have are from former professors. The instructions vary for each school. University of Oregon states that they ideally should be from professors you worked with as an undergraduate. Georgia State University allows letters from anyone who can assess your capabilities and skills. The other two programs do not specify who the letters should come from. 

The former professor provided a LOR last application cycle. When I asked her earlier this year if she would provide one again this year, she mentioned that her letter might not be very persuasive and I might look for someone who is more familiar with my recent work. I explained my situation to her and she replied saying that she would provide one again. Today, I e-mailed her the list of programs and she responds by saying that she is not able to write these letters for me since it has been a while since she taught me. After reminding her about our earlier conversation, she still indicated that she was reluctant on providing a LOR. I sent her e-mail explaining my situation again but I have not heard back from her.

The whole situation is sort of confusing. I don't want to rely on her providing a letter so I'm trying to figure out other options. I guess I should've had a back up after our first conversation.  

Edited November 13, 2018 by andnothing

[OHSP]

16 hours ago, andnothing said:

Out of the six programs I am applying to, four require 3 letters of recommendation. The two other LORs I have are from former professors. The instructions vary for each school. University of Oregon states that they ideally should be from professors you worked with as an undergraduate. Georgia State University allows letters from anyone who can assess your capabilities and skills. The other two programs do not specify who the letters should come from. 

The former professor provided a LOR last application cycle. When I asked her earlier this year if she would provide one again this year, she mentioned that her letter might not be very persuasive and I might look for someone who is more familiar with my recent work. I explained my situation to her and she replied saying that she would provide one again. Today, I e-mailed her the list of programs and she responds by saying that she is not able to write these letters for me since it has been a while since she taught me. After reminding her about our earlier conversation, she still indicated that she was reluctant on providing a LOR. I sent her e-mail explaining my situation again but I have not heard back from her.

The whole situation is sort of confusing. I don't want to rely on her providing a letter so I'm trying to figure out other options. I guess I should've had a back up after our first conversation.  

This isn't ideal but write to the department chair or the undergraduate director of your undergraduate history program, explain your situation, say that you understand they can't write a personal letter but ask if they would be willing to write a letter that basically says you went to that school, you took x history classes and received a y gpa in those classes + any awards etc. They might say no but if they say yes then you've at least ticked off the requirement and it's better than asking for a letter from someone outside of academia. 

[andnothing]

3 hours ago, OHSP said:

This isn't ideal but write to the department chair or the undergraduate director of your undergraduate history program, explain your situation, say that you understand they can't write a personal letter but ask if they would be willing to write a letter that basically says you went to that school, you took x history classes and received a y gpa in those classes + any awards etc. They might say no but if they say yes then you've at least ticked off the requirement and it's better than asking for a letter from someone outside of academia. 

That's a good idea. I'll e-mail them and see what they say. I'm reaching out to a teacher I had in 2013 to see if they are willing to provide one. It's a stretch but it's worth a try. 

[Sigaba]

33 minutes ago, andnothing said:

That's a good idea. I'll e-mail them and see what they say. I'm reaching out to a teacher I had in 2013 to see if they are willing to provide one. It's a stretch but it's worth a try. 

I highly recommend that you write this email concisely and include the most efficient summary of your scholarly interests that you can.

[ashiepoo72]

@andnothing, this is (probably) going to be an unpopular piece of advice, but I would contact the programs and ask if one of your letters can be from an employer. As an anecdote, my MA program wanted 2 recs, I had one from a professor with whom I closely worked, but I was a lackluster undergrad and didn't form relationships with other profs. I did, however, work in a teaching capacity and asked my boss to write my 2nd letter. Long story short, I got in, did well and am now a happy PhD candidate (side note to meh undergrads like me: you can overcome your mediocre record!)

Obviously not all programs will be cool with this, but that's why you ask them. My caveat: this is viable if you work/volunteer in an area somewhat related to history/research/teaching and have a boss who'd support you.

[archi]

On 11/13/2018 at 1:26 PM, andnothing said:

I've exhausted all my options for professors since I graduated in 2014. Since graduating, the teachers I have had for online classes have been almost non existent so I haven't been able to build any sort of relationship with them.

This might not be relevant depending on what you mean by "all professors," but if you were only thinking about history professors you could also consider asking someone you took a non-history class with. Humanities or something writing based probably makes the most sense, but depending on your interests you might be able to swing another subject. When one of my intended letter-writers passed away and I had to scramble a bit I ended up getting a letter from a language professor (they were full faculty, not an instructor)  and it seems to have worked out fine. 

[AP]

On 11/13/2018 at 2:26 PM, andnothing said:

So, I'm in a bit of dilemma. A former professor I had in 2014 has decided not to write a letter of recommendation for me. Even though she agreed to provide one earlier this year. With a month to go for some applications, I am now out of a letter of recommendation.  I've exhausted all my options for professors since I graduated in 2014. Since graduating, the teachers I have had for online classes have been almost non existent so I haven't been able to build any sort of relationship with them. I work full time in a small family business that is completely unrelated to history. I guess an option is to get one from someone I work with. Does a non academic LOR carry any sort of weight or would that hurt me more than help me in this situation? Any suggestions on what I should do is definitely appreciated.

I'm applying to MA programs, by the way. 

I was working when I applied for grad school and so one of my recommenders was my boss. 

[historygeek]

Is anyone else applying to UMich and having a hard time writing the personal statement?

[TsarandProphet]

5 hours ago, historygeek said:

Is anyone else applying to UMich and having a hard time writing the personal statement?

Absolutely me. Everything I write there seems so irrelevant to me.

[urbanhistorynerd]

7 hours ago, historygeek said:

Is anyone else applying to UMich and having a hard time writing the personal statement?

I had a very tumultuous path leading up to this moment applying to graduate schools, so I'm detailing how I nearly failed high school to getting stellar grades and choosing to become a historian. It still is really hard to write.

I talked to my POI at Umich in person. He told me that personal statements are highly regarded there and count for a big chunk of the application.

[historygeek]

3 hours ago, urbanhistorynerd said:

I talked to my POI at Umich in person. He told me that personal statements are highly regarded there and count for a big chunk of the application.

UGH. 

I have no idea what to write for it. I want to write about being close to the female immigrants in my family, but I feel like that's just not good enough. 

[urbanhistorynerd]

2 hours ago, historygeek said:

UGH. 

I have no idea what to write for it. I want to write about being close to the female immigrants in my family, but I feel like that's just not good enough. 

It doesn't necessarily have to be related to your topic. According to people I asked, the reason why they ask for one is to essentially avoid having the Brett Kavanaugh's (sorry to interject politics) of the world get in. Think about a particular moment that you may have struggled in or that felt unique to you and was in way, life changing.

For me it is nearly failing high school, the perils of being a first generation American, and first person in my family to attend college. Yours may be radically different, but think of something that will show that you struggled, got through it, and learned something along the way.

You could write something along the lines of listening and understanding your family members immigrant experiences but never actually really understanding what it is like to be an outsider in a foreign land. This could be the impetus for your desire to study the history of immigrant women, mentioning in particular the immigrant women in your family and your desire to understand the gendered aspect of immigration, something sorely unexplored.

Edited November 24, 2018 by urbanhistorynerd

[ashiepoo72]

@historygeek keep in mind the personal statement is about triumph, not just struggle. You can certainly mention overcoming stuff (this helps explain dips in grades or time off), but you also include honors, awards, volunteer positions, relevant employment etc to show you're well rounded.

I can relate to wanting to include something about the immigrant women in your family, as first gen American myself. If you feel a cultural connection, you should definitely bring it up! I think I opened my PS with a line about baking traditional bread with my grandma. If it resonates with you, include it. I recommend very deliberate outlining for the PS because it's incredibly hard to write a coherent statement with personal vignettes otherwise. You got this!