2020 application thread

[Carrots112]

2 hours ago, Sigaba said:

 

Am I reading your posts correctly? You're using the Grad Cafe to further your commercial interests? You sell advice and guidance that is offered on this BB at no cost?

Actually, my consulting services are free. I am posting on here if anyone wants to discuss OxBridge one-on-one, since I went through the process myself.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Carrots112

[Sigaba]

11 minutes ago, Carrots112 said:

Actually, my consulting services are free. I am posting on here if anyone wants to discuss OxBridge one-on-one, since I went through the process myself.

You have rates posted on your website.

IMO, your consulting services are especially controversial since you went to a public school, you are attending an institution that is publicly funded, and professional academic historians do not charge each other for information.

[Carrots112]

21 minutes ago, Sigaba said:

You have rates posted on your website.

IMO, your consulting services are especially controversial since you went to a public school, you are attending an institution that is publicly funded, and professional academic historians do not charge each other for information.

I appreciate and respect your opinion. I have, at this point, never received compensation for my services. I offer one on one assistance for students who wish to receive undergraduate and Oxbridge admissions support. Since attending Oxford, I have received messages asking for consulting services to read over other people’s work and provide personalized advice. I consider this more of an admissions tutoring service. 

We are all aspiring academics here and I was simply mentioning my services since it has been helpful to others in the past. I need advice at this stage just as I did when I applied as a transfer and as a masters student. I learned a lot through the process and am trying to use my knowledge to assist others. 

That being said, my purpose for being here is to make personal connections and experience the application decisions with a community of like-minded people. 

Wishing Everyone the best! 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Carrots112

[AP]

Sorry @Carrots112, I agree with @Sigaba. The way you word your offer here ("services") and on your website looks like you are advertising your business.

If you are not, as you kindly claim, then join everyone in offering their time to respond DMs or give advice on forums, like almost most of us do. The whole point of the forum is precisely to offer advice from where we stand. 

[Carrots112]

26 minutes ago, AP said:

Sorry @Carrots112, I agree with @Sigaba. The way you word your offer here ("services") and on your website looks like you are advertising your business.

If you are not, as you kindly claim, then join everyone in offering their time to respond DMs or give advice on forums, like almost most of us do. The whole point of the forum is precisely to offer advice from where we stand. 

Of course. I apologize if I offended any of you. I am happy to help where I can and to be a part of this forum. I will remove that section of my previous post. 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Carrots112

[Carrots112]

On another note, I worried myself by reading last year’s thread and checking my email obsessively to see if I receive any interviews. I know only two of the schools where I applied tend to require an interview. Is anyone else in the same boat? 

[DanaJ]

On 1/2/2020 at 11:26 PM, TMP said:

There is also a difference between being a book-smart and street-smart. The latter will get you further than the former, who tend to struggle the most after the comprehensive exams.  I've seen a number of "book smart" graduate students drop before the street smart, and in greater numbers. 

Can I just scream THANK YOU for this statement?? I'm in my first year of a PhD program, and comps scare me to death, but as far as being able to relate to students (hooray TA positions, funding!) and feel engaged within the department, "street smart" over "book smart" can pay off. You just eased some nerves about comps, which seem to be coming at me like a freight train.

I also echo much of the discussion about relevance of interviews. I made a point to visit departments that I could (don't fund your own travel if it's not practical, I applied to one school geographically close to where I was doing my MA and one near my mother's residence). These departments did not have a formal interview process, but I felt much more confident after sitting down with the DGS and POI, asking questions in person, and letting them put a face to my application. Personal connections and the ability to speak with people are important skills!

[Guest HistNerd]

On 1/9/2020 at 4:44 PM, Carrots112 said:

On another note, I worried myself by reading last year’s thread and checking my email obsessively to see if I receive any interviews. I know only two of the schools where I applied tend to require an interview. Is anyone else in the same boat? 

Definitely in the same boat. This wait is absolutely excruciating... It's frustratingly unclear as well whether it's standard practice for POIs from schools to reach out and whether lack-of-said-correspondence is something worth fretting about. So far I've only heard from two.

Also, I'm unsure how do a second quote, sorry! But @DanaJ how did you go about approaching your POIs about you visiting campus and wanting to chat? I would be interested in doing so but don't want to come off as overly forward. Or did you do this after getting an offer?

Edited January 11, 2020 by HistNerd

[Carrots112]

13 hours ago, HistNerd said:

Definitely in the same boat. This wait is absolutely excruciating... It's frustratingly unclear as well whether it's standard practice for POIs from schools to reach out and whether lack-of-said-correspondence is something worth fretting about. So far I've only heard from two.

Also, I'm unsure how do a second quote, sorry! But @DanaJ how did you go about approaching your POIs about you visiting campus and wanting to chat? I would be interested in doing so but don't want to come off as overly forward. Or did you do this after getting an offer?

Do you mind me asking which programs you heard from for an interview? I’m trying to figure out when to assume the worst ?

[DanaJ]

17 hours ago, HistNerd said:

Also, I'm unsure how do a second quote, sorry! But @DanaJ how did you go about approaching your POIs about you visiting campus and wanting to chat? I would be interested in doing so but don't want to come off as overly forward. Or did you do this after getting an offer?

I was kind of up front about asking for a visit, but in the most polite possible manner. In both cases, I contacted the DGS first and asked if I could come visit to see the campus and get information about the department. Once they agreed to that meeting, I emailed my POIs to let them know I would be on campus and asked if they would like to meet. Everything was very informal. In both cases the DGS bought me a coffee, we walked campus a bit, and each meeting went over an hour. One POI seemed friendly via e-mail, but when I was on campus it felt like he couldn't get me out of his office quickly enough. The other POI was happy to meet, actually offered suggestions for sources to include in my MA thesis (I did this 5 months before I completed my MA), and kept in touch to see how things were going after we met. The visits really helped me to get a feel for which program would best suit my needs, while also giving the departments a chance to get to know me a bit. 

Informal meetings can tell you a lot. I am attending one of those programs and, shocker, I work with the POI who took interest in me. The other program? After I was rejected, I e-mailed the DGS thanking him so much for his help (they were my first application and I had A LOT of questions). He responded very politely and sent his regrets, telling me that the POI didn't think we were a match and there was not anyone else in the department who's research interests aligned with my own well enough to be me POI. Honestly, I had that impression when I left that visit, so that particular meeting really eased the blow when I was rejected. If the DGS and other members of the department I met hadn't been so friendly and welcoming, I wouldn't even have applied after a rough meeting with the POI.

 

Edit: The DGS at one program did tell me that I was welcome to come by the department (the one geographically close to my MA), but I had to take the initiative in pursuing that offer. It seemed like he mentioned it in passing and I circled back, but I took full advantage of the suggestion. The other program, I asked them.

Edited January 11, 2020 by DanaJ

[Guest HistNerd]

1 hour ago, DanaJ said:

I was kind of up front about asking for a visit, but in the most polite possible manner. In both cases, I contacted the DGS first and asked if I could come visit to see the campus and get information about the department. Once they agreed to that meeting, I emailed my POIs to let them know I would be on campus and asked if they would like to meet. Everything was very informal. In both cases the DGS bought me a coffee, we walked campus a bit, and each meeting went over an hour. One POI seemed friendly via e-mail, but when I was on campus it felt like he couldn't get me out of his office quickly enough. The other POI was happy to meet, actually offered suggestions for sources to include in my MA thesis (I did this 5 months before I completed my MA), and kept in touch to see how things were going after we met. The visits really helped me to get a feel for which program would best suit my needs, while also giving the departments a chance to get to know me a bit. 

Informal meetings can tell you a lot. I am attending one of those programs and, shocker, I work with the POI who took interest in me. The other program? After I was rejected, I e-mailed the DGS thanking him so much for his help (they were my first application and I had A LOT of questions). He responded very politely and sent his regrets, telling me that the POI didn't think we were a match and there was not anyone else in the department who's research interests aligned with my own well enough to be me POI. Honestly, I had that impression when I left that visit, so that particular meeting really eased the blow when I was rejected. If the DGS and other members of the department I met hadn't been so friendly and welcoming, I wouldn't even have applied after a rough meeting with the POI.

 

Edit: The DGS at one program did tell me that I was welcome to come by the department (the one geographically close to my MA), but I had to take the initiative in pursuing that offer. It seemed like he mentioned it in passing and I circled back, but I took full advantage of the suggestion. The other program, I asked them.

Thank you, this is all very helpful! I appreciate you sharing your story. You're brave for reaching out, I practically live on campus for my top choice and I've been too shy to contact them lol.

@Carrots112 I really don't think that there's any reason to assume the worst yet, I don't think a lot of the programs have even started reading applications yet! However, I totally understand the impulse, been refreshing the GradCafe results for history at least once an hour. In response to your question, I interviewed with my POI for Berkeley and also had some back and forth with my POI at Columbia (but not a formal interview) who reached out with a question about my project.

[Pikepride2000]

I applied to the American History PhD program at Wisconsin. Back near the middle of December they sent an email to all applicants informing them that they received over 200 applications. Would you assume that is just over 200, closer to 250, or just shy of 300? I read in another thread that last year they sent acceptance notifications around February 11th. For those admitted to the UW last year, what was your CV, in a nutshell?

[TMP]

4 hours ago, Pikepride2000 said:

I applied to the American History PhD program at Wisconsin. Back near the middle of December they sent an email to all applicants informing them that they received over 200 applications. Would you assume that is just over 200, closer to 250, or just shy of 300? I read in another thread that last year they sent acceptance notifications around February 11th. For those admitted to the UW last year, what was your CV, in a nutshell?

Honestly, this is not worth fretting over.  You don't know how many of those applications are actually competitive.

[OHSP]

7 hours ago, Pikepride2000 said:

I applied to the American History PhD program at Wisconsin. Back near the middle of December they sent an email to all applicants informing them that they received over 200 applications. Would you assume that is just over 200, closer to 250, or just shy of 300? I read in another thread that last year they sent acceptance notifications around February 11th. For those admitted to the UW last year, what was your CV, in a nutshell?

Ditto TMP's comment. Also, I was accepted to Wisconsin in 2017 (turned it down) and they made it exceptionally clear that their admissions are at least 90% about advisor/candidate fit -- without trying to be harsh I would say the CV question is a little misguided. GPAs, papers, research experience etc are not so important (unless your GPA is awful). They want to admit candidates whose projects/questions they are excited about and who they think are ready to work towards the phd--there's such limited funding and the job market is so terrible that admissions are often based on bringing in people whose projects/backgrounds/etc create some level of excitement amongst faculty. 

[psstein]

8 hours ago, Pikepride2000 said:

I applied to the American History PhD program at Wisconsin. Back near the middle of December they sent an email to all applicants informing them that they received over 200 applications. Would you assume that is just over 200, closer to 250, or just shy of 300? I read in another thread that last year they sent acceptance notifications around February 11th. For those admitted to the UW last year, what was your CV, in a nutshell?

I applied, was accepted, and attended for two years (I'm currently on leave for multiple reasons, including managing a deceased relative's estate). Wisconsin's admissions focus heavily on fit, as @OHSP mentioned, and whether you have a viable project interesting to multiple members of the department.

The acceptance letters usually come out around Valentine's Day, though that always varies. I usually make an announcement when I know, as the department has students with relevant interests in contact with accepted students.

Regarding number of applicants, you can take a look at past years' data through the department's website. It used to be there, at least. That said, keep in mind that the number of grad school applications is down a bit over the last few years, in part due to the economy and in part due to the widely known grim outlook for humanities PhDs.

[Pikepride2000]

I really appreciate the information that @psstein and @OHSP provided. I hope that my focus area is interesting to the admissions committee. I am also hoping that the one faculty member that I hope to work under returns to the UW beginning in the Fall term. Although, I would be happy to work with any of the three faculty members that I spoke with before submitting my application. Regarding the funding aspect of things, I have four years of my GI Bill to cover a good portion of my time as a PhD student.

[DanaJ]

On 1/11/2020 at 6:26 PM, HistNerd said:

Thank you, this is all very helpful! I appreciate you sharing your story. You're brave for reaching out, I practically live on campus for my top choice and I've been too shy to contact them lol.

Never be afraid to reach out! If I have learned anything, coming from a family in which no one has gone beyond a bachelors, if they even did that, no one will be upset with you for asking questions. I would send a single, professionally worded email. If you get a friendly response, ask! If they seem to be very busy, or not reply at all, you know that person isn't going to be particularly helpful. In my personal experience, most DGS are very happy to help prospective students. Don't continue to bother them if they are unresponsive, but more often than not, they're happy you've shown interest and taken initiative. 

[psstein]

8 hours ago, Pikepride2000 said:

 Regarding the funding aspect of things, I have four years of my GI Bill to cover a good portion of my time as a PhD student.

This will help you. Wisconsin, like most state systems, has a funding crunch.

[jocelynbymarcjacobs]

@HistNerd if you don’t mind me asking, what is your regional focus? I also applied to Columbia. 

[AP]

On 1/11/2020 at 6:26 PM, HistNerd said:

Thank you, this is all very helpful! I appreciate you sharing your story. You're brave for reaching out, I practically live on campus for my top choice and I've been too shy to contact them lol.

@Carrots112 I really don't think that there's any reason to assume the worst yet, I don't think a lot of the programs have even started reading applications yet! However, I totally understand the impulse, been refreshing the GradCafe results for history at least once an hour. In response to your question, I interviewed with my POI for Berkeley and also had some back and forth with my POI at Columbia (but not a formal interview) who reached out with a question about my project.

In many schools, class began last week/today/next week. That means that different schools will have different meeting times for AdComms (and I am not even taking into consideration the quarter system). 

Just rest and have fun!  

[Sigaba]

10 hours ago, DanaJ said:

If they seem to be very busy, or [do] not reply at all, you know that person isn't going to be particularly helpful. 

IMO, this take is controversial. An email gets caught up in a spam filter, a professor mis-sorts email on his phone, a historian is exceptionally busy when an email arrives and her intention to reply falls off her radar, a pending deadline, an ill kid, and a death in the family are among the myriad reasons why a professional might not reply to an email. 

To judge someone's level of helpfulness based upon a single exchange (one way or another) is not a beneficial practice.

[OHSP]

19 hours ago, Pikepride2000 said:

Regarding the funding aspect of things, I have four years of my GI Bill to cover a good portion of my time as a PhD student.

This will help. Before I received an acceptance letter my POI emailed to ask how seriously I would be considering the offer if they extended one, and I said something like "very seriously if there is enough funding"--there is a specific fellowship for my subject area and I think they probably only extended a formal offer because they were able to offer that fellowship. If you receive a similar email and your POI doesn't already know about the GI funding, definitely let them know--funding is so tight. 

[DanaJ]

16 hours ago, Sigaba said:

IMO, this take is controversial. An email gets caught up in a spam filter, a professor mis-sorts email on his phone, a historian is exceptionally busy when an email arrives and her intention to reply falls off her radar, a pending deadline, an ill kid, and a death in the family are among the myriad reasons why a professional might not reply to an email. 

To judge someone's level of helpfulness based upon a single exchange (one way or another) is not a beneficial practice.

I don't necessarily disagree. Things do get lost. I have found that most historians that I have contacted have been very responsive and helpful. Things do happen, e-mails do get lost. I suppose the intention of my initial statement was to emphasize not becoming a pest. A professionally worded e-mail can go a long way, but persistent messages without a response can become irritating.

[whatkilledthedinosaurs]

Hi all. New to this forum and wanted to introduce myself.

I graduated with a BA in Sociology and minor in History from a fairly high ranked liberal arts college last May. My research interests are focused on the history of Irish working-class women's organizing during the Troubles.

I applied to eight schools. I applied to History programs at Boston College, Columbia, CUNY, Notre Dame NYU, Rutgers, and Yale. I also applied to the joint PhD in Women's Studies and History at UMichigan.

I can read Spanish and am in the process of learning Irish which is killing me softly. I have a decent amount of research experience and have presented at one conference. I'm most nervous about my research being a bit too niche (the market for Irish history is pretty much non existent it feels like sometimes) and basically not being prepared for actually applying. I'm a first-generation student from a working-class background so I kind of just went into PhD applications figuring things out as I went and rolling dice. I haven't heard anything back and it's just now really started to stress me out. 

[Sigaba]

23 minutes ago, whatkilledthedinosaurs said:

Hi all. New to this forum and wanted to introduce myself.

I graduated with a BA in Sociology and minor in History from a fairly high ranked liberal arts college last May. My research interests are focused on the history of Irish working-class women's organizing during the Troubles.

I applied to eight schools. I applied to History programs at Boston College, Columbia, CUNY, Notre Dame NYU, Rutgers, and Yale. I also applied to the joint PhD in Women's Studies and History at UMichigan.

I can read Spanish and am in the process of learning Irish which is killing me softly. I have a decent amount of research experience and have presented at one conference. I'm most nervous about my research being a bit too niche (the market for Irish history is pretty much non existent it feels like sometimes) and basically not being prepared for actually applying. I'm a first-generation student from a working-class background so I kind of just went into PhD applications figuring things out as I went and rolling dice. I haven't heard anything back and it's just now really started to stress me out. 

Hi, @whatkilledthedinosaurs.

There's a long running thread on another Grad Cafe forum centering around the experiences of first generation students. It may be of use to you.

As part of your training as a graduate student, you will have numerous opportunities to learn how to contextualize your research in at least three historiographical debates. Depending upon how you want to develop your dual interests, your work may fit into two or three additional debates.

You can also address your concern by matching what you learn to what you might potentially teach as a professor at a research university. You can likely find examples of what I mean by looking at the course catalogs of the departments to which you're applying and the CVs and teaching schedules of the historians with whom you'd want to work.