Applications 2019

[thisisnew]

Could anyone explain the significant detriment of doing a PhD at the same institution you got an MA from (assuming its a prestigious/reputable university) or MA at the same institution you got a BA from? 

I understand the benefit of varying intellectual setting, but say for example that you were accepted to an MA and had a great fit with a POI / department and simply wanted to continue your studies there? In theory, wouldn't it be no different than having initially been accepted into the PhD program rather than MA?  

[Anama]

I'm still waiting on 3 programs. One is an implied rejection or hidden waitlist I guess,  the other two have not notified anybody yet (though with NYU Anthropology, number one of these two it is hard to pin down where I stand) and for the last program, admissions have not been released as far as I am concerned. I should know more by the end of this week, but is is a strange situation to be in.  

I'm coming up with all these images in relation to mythology and day to day life where people are left to wait in limbo. And it is not even the comfortable part of limbo where the wait is kind of open ended and you can relax into it. It's the part where you can see some light at the end of the tunnel but you are not sure. It could be an illusion too. I imagine one would feel like this being stood up on a date, the person is late already but he/she could still arrive, it's not THAT late. Only that I have been waiting like this for 10 days now. 

[I_Am_In_Paine]

4 minutes ago, thisisnew said:

Could anyone explain the significant detriment of doing a PhD at the same institution you got an MA from (assuming its a prestigious/reputable university) or MA at the same institution you got a BA from? 

I understand the benefit of varying intellectual setting, but say for example that you were accepted to an MA and had a great fit with a POI / department and simply wanted to continue your studies there? In theory, wouldn't it be no different than having initially been accepted into the PhD program rather than MA?  

From what I've heard there's nothing wrong with getting your MA and BA at the same institution (especially since there are many combined BA/MA programs now) and nothing wrong with getting your PhD and MA from the same institution (since the traditional path for academics is going to a combined MA/PhD program). 

What you don't want is your BA, MA, and PhD from the same institution because that indicates less academic diversity. I think the OP about this topic was talking about the possibility of getting their MA and PhD from the same institution as their BA.

[DanaJ]

3 minutes ago, thisisnew said:

Could anyone explain the significant detriment of doing a PhD at the same institution you got an MA from (assuming its a prestigious/reputable university) or MA at the same institution you got a BA from? 

I understand the benefit of varying intellectual setting, but say for example that you were accepted to an MA and had a great fit with a POI / department and simply wanted to continue your studies there? In theory, wouldn't it be no different than having initially been accepted into the PhD program rather than MA?  

I had never heard that you shouldn't do your MA at the same school you attended for your BA until I was in this forum. Personally, my school offered a 3+2 program, which allowed me to take 3 MA courses over 2 semesters my senior year of undergrad. Those courses were then applied to both my BA and MA degree, designed to expedite a student pursuing their MA. As I am a non-traditional student (translation: a little older), saving a semester was a big benefit of staying put.

That said, I was also a community college transfer, so I would have been transferring for school to school every two years. I was content to stay in one place for 4 years. I do think that the relationships I developed in my time at my current institution helped with my letters, but I understand that if there's not a good fit for your research, sometimes it's best to move on.

[I_Am_In_Paine]

5 minutes ago, DanaJ said:

I had never heard that you shouldn't do your MA at the same school you attended for your BA until I was in this forum. Personally, my school offered a 3+2 program, which allowed me to take 3 MA courses over 2 semesters my senior year of undergrad. Those courses were then applied to both my BA and MA degree, designed to expedite a student pursuing their MA. As I am a non-traditional student (translation: a little older), saving a semester was a big benefit of staying put.

That said, I was also a community college transfer, so I would have been transferring for school to school every two years. I was content to stay in one place for 4 years. I do think that the relationships I developed in my time at my current institution helped with my letters, but I understand that if there's not a good fit for your research, sometimes it's best to move on.

Yeah I know plenty of people that did the combined BA/MA route and ended up totally fine. I actually wish I knew my university offered it as an option when I had the chance because it would've made me much more competitive applying to PhD programs.

[urbanhistorynerd]

This is a somewhat off topic question, but is it ever okay to ask a prof who wrote you a letter of recommendation to look at it after you receive notification from graduate school?

[DanaJ]

1 minute ago, urbanhistorynerd said:

This is a somewhat off topic question, but is it ever okay to ask a prof who wrote you a letter of recommendation to look at it after you receive notification from graduate school?

I second this question... I waived my right to view on my applications so that they would write freely, but I am SO CURIOUS.

[DanaJ]

3 minutes ago, villageelliot said:

Yeah I know plenty of people that did the combined BA/MA route and ended up totally fine. I actually wish I knew my university offered it as an option when I had the chance because it would've made me much more competitive applying to PhD programs.

They are tough but worth it. I was the first student to complete the program with my department, and I won't lie, there were tears and breakdowns. But I'm also graduating faster and it was a nice thing to be able to put in my SOP, especially being the first one!

[fordlandia]

Just wanted to share that I finally received my first acceptance this morning, to the Master's program at the University of New Mexico! ? 

[historygeek]

2 minutes ago, fordlandia said:

Just wanted to share that I finally received my first acceptance this morning, to the Master's program at the University of New Mexico! ? 

Congratulations!! 

[Balleu]

I just got my rejection from Cornell. It's a disappointment for sure, but I'm glad to have received decisions from all of my schools at this point. Time to start courting Northwestern to see if my wait list spot can turn into an offer. 

[schlesinger1]

1 hour ago, urbanhistorynerd said:

This is a somewhat off topic question, but is it ever okay to ask a prof who wrote you a letter of recommendation to look at it after you receive notification from graduate school?

I wouldn't. That strikes me as bad form. 

[psstein]

4 hours ago, historygeek said:

I was honestly incredibly worried that it might be a bad idea to get my Masters at the same place I got my Bachelors, so her response was almost relieving in that it confirmed what I had already thought (and solidified my choice!). 

It's not an outright awful choice, but part of graduate education is designed to expose you to new ways of thinking and other departments.

 

3 hours ago, villageelliot said:

From what I've heard there's nothing wrong with getting your MA and BA at the same institution (especially since there are many combined BA/MA programs now) and nothing wrong with getting your PhD and MA from the same institution (since the traditional path for academics is going to a combined MA/PhD program). 

What you don't want is your BA, MA, and PhD from the same institution because that indicates less academic diversity. I think the OP about this topic was talking about the possibility of getting their MA and PhD from the same institution as their BA.

It very heavily depends. If you get all three of your degrees from a mid-tier program, that's going to be a problem. People with three degrees from HYP or comparable places don't have that problem nearly as much.

3 hours ago, urbanhistorynerd said:

This is a somewhat off topic question, but is it ever okay to ask a prof who wrote you a letter of recommendation to look at it after you receive notification from graduate school?

You can ask, but they're probably going to deny you the ability to look at it. Part of keeping recommendations confidential is also preserving interpersonal relationships. Letters have a tendency to be quite honest, as you're putting your name behind someone. If that someone isn't capable, you can lose a lot of standing.

[urbanhistorynerd]

1 hour ago, Balleu said:

I just got my rejection from Cornell. It's a disappointment for sure, but I'm glad to have received decisions from all of my schools at this point. Time to start courting Northwestern to see if my wait list spot can turn into an offer. 

Who did you write to work with? I'm visiting the department next week - I can feel out some specific people if you'd like me to.

[Anama]

@Balleu I hope this works out and you can attend Northwestern. 
I assume to be waitlisted at UChicago Anthropology and as ist seems CHSS has also released its admissions. How exactly would you court Northwestern? Just get in touch with the POI and emphasize that it is your top choice?

[Balleu]

Thanks for the support, I hope it works out too. My phrasing there ("courting" them) does imply more influence over the situation than I actually have. But I don't want to entirely sit back and wait either.

I'm looking at the advice in this thread over in the English forum. I'll be reaching out to my POI and the DGS tomorrow to update them and reaffirm my interest. Depending on how that overture is received, I hope to visit in March. Worst case scenario, I went to Chicago in March. Best case scenario, I will be able to confidently accept should I receive an offer. Even though Northwestern is my only remaining option for this cycle, I know that I wouldn't be comfortable accepting an offer without visiting first. 

[Anama]

9 minutes ago, Balleu said:

Thanks for the support, I hope it works out too. My phrasing there ("courting" them) does imply more influence over the situation than I actually have. But I don't want to entirely sit back and wait either.

I'm looking at the advice in this thread over in the English forum. I'll be reaching out to my POI and the DGS tomorrow to update them and reaffirm my interest. Depending on how that overture is received, I hope to visit in March. Worst case scenario, I went to Chicago in March. Best case scenario, I will be able to confidently accept should I receive an offer. Even though Northwestern is my only remaining option for this cycle, I know that I wouldn't be comfortable accepting an offer without visiting first. 

I wish you the best of luck! I'm out of reactions already. 
Thank you for sharing this, I think given that someone is on the waitlist this is sensible advice and in my understanding even very professional ( the updating and answering of mails). If it is useful for me specifically I don't know as I'm not sure about the status of my application yet. 

[historygeek]

Does anyone have worsened "senioritis" after being accepted?

[psstein]

1 hour ago, historygeek said:

Does anyone have worsened "senioritis" after being accepted?

I did, big time. Don't let it get too bad, but enjoy your last few months of college. I had a ton of fun after learning I was accepted. I wouldn't recommend my method of doing it... but still, it was a lot of fun.

[urbanhistorynerd]

2 hours ago, historygeek said:

Does anyone have worsened "senioritis" after being accepted?

Haha, same! I have an honors thesis to write, archives to go through, and man, it is tough. Although there is a great sense of stability that I feel now.

[fortsibut]

7 hours ago, Balleu said:

I just got my rejection from Cornell. It's a disappointment for sure, but I'm glad to have received decisions from all of my schools at this point. Time to start courting Northwestern to see if my wait list spot can turn into an offer. 

Really sorry to hear that.  =(  I was actually telling some friends this weekend that there was a cool Africanist on this site and that I hoped you got in if I didn't.  Hoping things work out for you at Northwestern!!

I also struck out at Cornell, but the interesting thing was that I got a very different email this year than I did last year.  Last year's email (or as I referred to it to some friends, the "Bye, Felicia" email) was short, terse, and ended with "We appreciate your interest in History at Cornell and wish you success in continuing your studies at another university."  This year's email (which seemed to mirror one that was sent out to select students last year based on a comment on the results page) told me that my application was "among the best that (they) received" and that "it remained in consideration up through the final stage of the review process."  Anyone else rejected by Cornell able to confirm that there were multiple letters?  (It's also possible that we all made it to the final cut but no further.)  It'd be a real encouragement to me in the year ahead to know that I was at least making real progress and that this wasn't just a new letter they sent to everyone.

[HRL]

3 minutes ago, fortsibut said:

Really sorry to hear that.  =(  I was actually telling some friends this weekend that there was a cool Africanist on this site and that I hoped you got in if I didn't.  Hoping things work out for you at Northwestern!!

I also struck out at Cornell, but the interesting thing was that I got a very different email this year than I did last year.  Last year's email (or as I referred to it to some friends, the "Bye, Felicia" email) was short, terse, and ended with "We appreciate your interest in History at Cornell and wish you success in continuing your studies at another university."  This year's email (which seemed to mirror one that was sent out to select students last year based on a comment on the results page) told me that my application was "among the best that (they) received" and that "it remained in consideration up through the final stage of the review process."  Anyone else rejected by Cornell able to confirm that there were multiple letters?  (It's also possible that we all made it to the final cut but no further.)  It'd be a real encouragement to me in the year ahead to know that I was at least making real progress and that this wasn't just a new letter they sent to everyone.

Yeah, happy to confirm for you! I got my Cornell rejection email today and it said: "Your application for admission to the Graduate Program in History for Fall 2019 has been given careful consideration by the faculty in the field.  We regret that your application has not been approved for admission. The number of students who we can accept is limited and, as the overall quality of applicants is very high, it is not possible to offer admission to the many excellent students who would like to study with us. We appreciate your interest in History at Cornell and wish you success in continuing your studies at another university."

 

 

[fortsibut]

3 minutes ago, HRL said:

Yeah, happy to confirm for you! I got my Cornell rejection email today and it said: "Your application for admission to the Graduate Program in History for Fall 2019 has been given careful consideration by the faculty in the field.  We regret that your application has not been approved for admission. The number of students who we can accept is limited and, as the overall quality of applicants is very high, it is not possible to offer admission to the many excellent students who would like to study with us. We appreciate your interest in History at Cornell and wish you success in continuing your studies at another university."

 

 

Thank you!  Yep, that looks like the same one I got last year for sure.  What's your field of study, out of curiosity?

EDIT:  just saw that you posted it earlier, oops!  Gratz on the UGA acceptance!  ?

Edited February 27, 2019 by fortsibut

[DanaJ]

13 hours ago, historygeek said:

Does anyone have worsened "senioritis" after being accepted?

So bad. And my MA thesis is only partially revised, plus I’m preparing a piece for a conference and I’m significantly less focused! At least I don’t have to pack up and move, as many on this forum do. I would already be packing!

[elx]

11 hours ago, HRL said:

Yeah, happy to confirm for you! I got my Cornell rejection email today and it said: "Your application for admission to the Graduate Program in History for Fall 2019 has been given careful consideration by the faculty in the field.  We regret that your application has not been approved for admission. The number of students who we can accept is limited and, as the overall quality of applicants is very high, it is not possible to offer admission to the many excellent students who would like to study with us. We appreciate your interest in History at Cornell and wish you success in continuing your studies at another university."

I got this one too @fortsibut (the same as @HRL)! Looks like you missed out narrowly then -- are you thinking of reapplying?

Edited February 27, 2019 by elx