2021 Application Thread

[earlycalifornia]

@cladthecrab you might be interested in University of Delaware. They have a funded MA program which works with the museum studies program to give GAships at museums in the area. They offer a grad certificate in museum studies 

Edited May 29, 2020 by earlycalifornia

[dr. t]

8 hours ago, cladthecrab said:

I worry about being competitive. How will I know which schools I have a reasonable chance at getting accepted to, and how do I make the most of what I have? Some specifics: I have a 3.235 GPA overall and a 3.294 in major. I worry that GPA will work against me compared to other students, and I'm not sure how I will do on the GRE. That being said, I've had unpaid internships, I've been working as a research assistant for a related dept., I presented a paper at our dept's undergraduate conference and got a departmental award for the paper I presented, I think my references will be strong, so will that balance out? I have no idea how to gage which programs I'd have a chance in, let alone a strong chance.

Yes, this is a worry. It's not that you won't present as a strong candidate, but that there will be plenty of other people applying who have all the same experiences and strong references, but with a strong GPA. It will be difficult to get an MA with funding. 

[cladthecrab]

57 minutes ago, telkanuru said:

Yes, this is a worry. It's not that you won't present as a strong candidate, but that there will be plenty of other people applying who have all the same experiences and strong references, but with a strong GPA. It will be difficult to get an MA with funding. 

That is concerning. Do you think it would mitigate that at all if I were able to explain why my performance isn't better? I have a feeling it's a crap shoot, but I guess time will tell.

[dr. t]

18 minutes ago, cladthecrab said:

That is concerning. Do you think it would mitigate that at all if I were able to explain why my performance isn't better? I have a feeling it's a crap shoot, but I guess time will tell.

Maybe, but again, admissions is a comparative rather than an objective assessment. 

I don't think you'll strike out on finding a program that will take you, but you will probably have to pay for the privilege, especially since grad admissions always get more competitive during an economic downturn. 

[TMP]

2 hours ago, telkanuru said:

Maybe, but again, admissions is a comparative rather than an objective assessment. 

I don't think you'll strike out on finding a program that will take you, but you will probably have to pay for the privilege, especially since grad admissions always get more competitive during an economic downturn. 

@cladthecrab you won't know unless you apply right?  As my adviser reminds me, "You definitely won't get in if you don't apply."

[AP]

Re: Low GPAs and PhD applications

Hello everyone and welcome to those new posters. 

I want to say something to be clear about low GPAs and your urge to explain your performance. The place that you would have room for doing this is your SOP. Do not explain your GPA. Your SOP is not a story about you and the difficult semester you had. Trust me, it took me six years to finish my BA. 

The SOP is about your research: the questions that move you, the topic that you are interested in, and how these questions and these topics fit with the school you are applying to. Now, and this is very important, if something that happened to you, if something you went through, speaks to, informs, underpins your research, then you might as well talk about it. However, talk about it not in the melodramatic tone of "this happened and I got this GPA" but rather "this happened and this is what I did". The first one is defensive, the second is assertive. You want to be assertive. 

I say this based on experience. My initial SOPs were a weepy complaint of how horrible my thesis committee had been in my defense. They truly had been vicious and tanked my GPA (well, I thought so, even though it went down just a tiny bit). Thanks to a mentor and a looooooot of work, I turned my whining into something along the lines of "I incorporated the comments from the thesis committee in three published articles" (articles were, of course, my proud moment in the CV). Sounds better, right? 

 So, do not feel you owe anyone an explanation. Nobody is checking if your GPA went suddenly down in sophomore year Spring semester (actually, if someone is checking that, you don't want to work with that person). Just talk about your research, this is what get you in doctoral programs. 

My two cents. 

[TMP]

7 minutes ago, AP said:

Re: Low GPAs and PhD applications

Hello everyone and welcome to those new posters. 

I want to say something to be clear about low GPAs and your urge to explain your performance. The place that you would have room for doing this is your SOP. Do not explain your GPA. Your SOP is not a story about you and the difficult semester you had. Trust me, it took me six years to finish my BA. 

The SOP is about your research: the questions that move you, the topic that you are interested in, and how these questions and these topics fit with the school you are applying to. Now, and this is very important, if something that happened to you, if something you went through, speaks to, informs, underpins your research, then you might as well talk about it. However, talk about it not in the melodramatic tone of "this happened and I got this GPA" but rather "this happened and this is what I did". The first one is defensive, the second is assertive. You want to be assertive. 

I say this based on experience. My initial SOPs were a weepy complaint of how horrible my thesis committee had been in my defense. They truly had been vicious and tanked my GPA (well, I thought so, even though it went down just a tiny bit). Thanks to a mentor and a looooooot of work, I turned my whining into something along the lines of "I incorporated the comments from the thesis committee in three published articles" (articles were, of course, my proud moment in the CV). Sounds better, right? 

 So, do not feel you owe anyone an explanation. Nobody is checking if your GPA went suddenly down in sophomore year Spring semester (actually, if someone is checking that, you don't want to work with that person). Just talk about your research, this is what get you in doctoral programs. 

My two cents. 

This.  Also, if you have serious, legitimate reason like medical or family issues, ask a trusted letter writer to mention that.  They will have a much more tactful way of explaining that the GPA is not a reflective of your potential performance as a history student.  If the GPA was low due to, say, math or computer science courses, believe me, people will understand once they look at the transcript  

[dr. t]

11 hours ago, AP said:

I want to say something to be clear about low GPAs and your urge to explain your performance. The place that you would have room for doing this is your SOP. Do not explain your GPA. Your SOP is not a story about you and the difficult semester you had. Trust me, it took me six years to finish my BA. 

Eh, I had a long paragraph that explained why I had a 0.86 GPA from my first undergrad school and why it took me 9 years to finish my BA. It was, however, in the form of "I thought I wanted to do x, and discovered I actually liked doing y". 

[Sigaba]

1 hour ago, telkanuru said:

Eh, I had a long paragraph that explained why I had a 0.86 GPA from my first undergrad school and why it took me 9 years to finish my BA. It was, however, in the form of "I thought I wanted to do x, and discovered I actually liked doing y". 

The difference seems to be that you told a story about your journey to the House of Klio centered around personal growth and developing interests rather than offering a narrative that could be interpreted as defensive. Also, from what you've previously posted,  your personal history is compelling.

[dr. t]

Just now, Sigaba said:

The difference seems to be that you told a story about your journey to the House of Klio centered around personal growth and developing interests rather than offering a narrative that could be interpreted as defensive. Also, from what you've previously posted,  your personal history is compelling.

Yeah, my point is more that you should explain your GPA, since it's part of your trajectory, if you can make an argument about how you have learned (as a scholar) from the experience.

[AP]

3 hours ago, telkanuru said:

Yeah, my point is more that you should explain your GPA, since it's part of your trajectory, if you can make an argument about how you have learned (as a scholar) from the experience.

Yes, because it is important to your research trajectory, not because you are defensive about the number. 

[bakeseal]

Is there a point to bringing up a second major in a statement of purpose? I study history and classics, and I'm applying to study 19th/20th century US history. I study the same broad theme (diet and nutrition, foodways) in both 19th century US history and Imperial Rome, and am writing a thesis in both. I'm not sure if talking about this thematic overlap is compelling and shows my dedication to my set of questions across time, or if it just makes me look confused and not totally dedicated to my time period and field. Is it worth talking about? What would be the best way to bring it up?

Also, I know a lot of programs like to see that you already have some language skills, and while I have a lot of advanced coursework in latin and greek, those are the two languages that will do me absolutely no good in my research. I know a lot of US history PhDs only need you to have one language (and the requirement is kind of a joke), but would knowing Greek and Latin be seen as a positive, the way knowing something like French or Spanish might?

 

[AfricanusCrowther]

9 hours ago, bakeseal said:

Is there a point to bringing up a second major in a statement of purpose? I study history and classics, and I'm applying to study 19th/20th century US history. I study the same broad theme (diet and nutrition, foodways) in both 19th century US history and Imperial Rome, and am writing a thesis in both. I'm not sure if talking about this thematic overlap is compelling and shows my dedication to my set of questions across time, or if it just makes me look confused and not totally dedicated to my time period and field. Is it worth talking about? What would be the best way to bring it up?

Also, I know a lot of programs like to see that you already have some language skills, and while I have a lot of advanced coursework in latin and greek, those are the two languages that will do me absolutely no good in my research. I know a lot of US history PhDs only need you to have one language (and the requirement is kind of a joke), but would knowing Greek and Latin be seen as a positive, the way knowing something like French or Spanish might?

 

Is classical history relevant* to your research interests and the historical questions that interest you? If so, mention it; if not, you could restrict your work on Rome to a sentence that illustrates your prior engagement with food studies themes, or not mention it at all.

Ditto language skills. Having your language skills might help you pass the department language competency exam even if you aren’t going to use Latin or Greek in your research, but if that will be the extent of your use of them, just list your language abilities in your CV. 

*That is, do you imagine it playing a key role in your intellectual project/research agenda?

Edited June 1, 2020 by AfricanusCrowther

[dr. t]

10 hours ago, bakeseal said:

I'm not sure if talking about this thematic overlap is compelling and shows my dedication to my set of questions across time, or if it just makes me look confused and not totally dedicated to my time period and field.

From your description of your project, you sound confused to me. But that doesn't mean you couldn't put it better. Reception of Classical culture in the 19th c. US has been a thing since Lincoln at Gettysburg, at least, right?

[AP]

11 hours ago, bakeseal said:

Is there a point to bringing up a second major in a statement of purpose? I study history and classics, and I'm applying to study 19th/20th century US history. I study the same broad theme (diet and nutrition, foodways) in both 19th century US history and Imperial Rome, and am writing a thesis in both. I'm not sure if talking about this thematic overlap is compelling and shows my dedication to my set of questions across time, or if it just makes me look confused and not totally dedicated to my time period and field. Is it worth talking about? What would be the best way to bring it up?

Also, I know a lot of programs like to see that you already have some language skills, and while I have a lot of advanced coursework in latin and greek, those are the two languages that will do me absolutely no good in my research. I know a lot of US history PhDs only need you to have one language (and the requirement is kind of a joke), but would knowing Greek and Latin be seen as a positive, the way knowing something like French or Spanish might?

 

If you are applying for a PhD in US History, then steer the SOP towards that. Bring the second major in beyond the CV only as it serves you with your proposed research moving forward. So, I agree with @telkanuru, the way you've worded it, you seem confused. 

Re: languages. No, Greek or Latin are not "positive" for an US historian. Why would they? Languages and other PhD requirements, ideally, refer to tools you'll need to do and present your research. So, unless you can make a case for Greek and Latin serving you in your new research, then start a Duolingo course. Check your programs' admission requirements for more on that. The great news is that Spanish and French are easier to learn than Greek or Latin! 

[psstein]

1 hour ago, telkanuru said:

From your description of your project, you sound confused to me. But that doesn't mean you couldn't put it better. Reception of Classical culture in the 19th c. US has been a thing since Lincoln at Gettysburg, at least, right?

Even earlier, I'd argue. George Gliddon, an American Egyptologist who was very influential in the development of scientific racism, gave a series of very popular lectures on Ancient Egypt in the 1840s and 50s. And that's just off the top of my head.

[Sigaba]

13 hours ago, bakeseal said:

Is there a point to bringing up a second major in a statement of purpose? I study history and classics, and I'm applying to study 19th/20th century US history. I study the same broad theme (diet and nutrition, foodways) in both 19th century US history and Imperial Rome, and am writing a thesis in both. I'm not sure if talking about this thematic overlap is compelling and shows my dedication to my set of questions across time, or if it just makes me look confused and not totally dedicated to my time period and field. Is it worth talking about? What would be the best way to bring it up?

Also, I know a lot of programs like to see that you already have some language skills, and while I have a lot of advanced coursework in latin and greek, those are the two languages that will do me absolutely no good in my research. I know a lot of US history PhDs only need you to have one language (and the requirement is kind of a joke), but would knowing Greek and Latin be seen as a positive, the way knowing something like French or Spanish might?

 

A way to square the circle is to present yourself as an Americanist who is going to contribute to an established historiographical trajectory--the Greek / Latin world's influence on American civilization -- by looking at how food behavior at the turn of the century was informed by Roman practices. (Assuming that there are primary source materials to make the case.)

Or, more generally, you can look at how the history of imperial Rome was used to justify or to oppose a variety of cultural practices, political beliefs, or policy preferences.

The Greek and Latin language skills will come into play when you tease out consistencies, tensions, and conflicts between what was quoted/referenced in turn of the century America with what was actually written.

The present day relevance of any variation of the projects sketched out above is high. Right of center conservatives frequently use the fall of imperial Rome as a metaphor for their perception of the decline of American civilization. It (the decay) is used as a rallying point in electoral political discourse and the rambling conversations about domestic policies. If you have aspirations of being a highly visible public intellectual (which I don't recommend), you could take a look at how Victor Davis Hanson has parlayed his expertise into a certain level of celebrity.

[TMP]

31 minutes ago, Sigaba said:

A way to square the circle is to present yourself as an Americanist who is going to contribute to an established historiographical trajectory--the Greek / Latin world's influence on American civilization -- by looking at how food behavior at the turn of the century was informed by Roman practices. (Assuming that there are primary source materials to make the case.)

Or, more generally, you can look at how the history of imperial Rome was used to justify or to oppose a variety of cultural practices, political beliefs, or policy preferences.

The Greek and Latin language skills will come into play when you tease out consistencies, tensions, and conflicts between what was quoted/referenced in turn of the century America with what was actually written.

The present day relevance of any variation of the projects sketched out above is high. Right of center conservatives frequently use the fall of imperial Rome as a metaphor for their perception of the decline of American civilization. It (the decay) is used as a rallying point in electoral political discourse and the rambling conversations about domestic policies. If you have aspirations of being a highly visible public intellectual (which I don't recommend), you could take a look at how Victor Davis Hanson has parlayed his expertise into a certain level of celebrity.

I agree with @Sigaba here.  @bakeseal, I also wonder why not look into immigration of Greeks and Italians? Hasia Diner's Hungering for America comes to mind and it has influenced other ethnic studies.  Why not look into the Greek population? I don't expect learning modern Greek to be that much more difficult now that you have ancient Greek under your belt.

[sDogra]

Hello,

I have recently started my search for Fall 2021, PhD in EdTech. Yet to give any exams.

2014 GRE Score was 313 (now expired)
UGC-NET in Computer Science and Applications Qualified for Assistant Professor with 56.57% November 2017
GATE in Computer Science Score - 729/1000 and AIR - 642 February 2011

BTech in CSE (2010) - 7.13/10
MTech in IT (2013) - 3.31/4 - IIIT Bangalore

WorkEx - 7 Years
Corporate + Startup - mid 2013 - mid 2018
Teaching Fellow at IIIT Delhi - mid 2018 - Present

No research papers published but very good recommendations.

1. Based on these details which are the places would you guys suggest I apply? These were the best ones I found.

Columbia
NYU
MSU
Harvard
UPenn
Stanford
UCLA
Vanderbilt University (Peabody)
University of Wisconsin--Madison
Northwestern Uni
UMich Ann Arbor
University of Oregon
University of Southern California (Rossier)
Arizona State University
University of Washington
Johns Hopkins University
University of Texas--Austin
University of Virginia (Curry)

2. Is there anyone already working in this field? I would love to get some pointers. Also, find out first hand about the job market.

3. Does this come under STEM? Or is that only for MS programs?

4. What is the ideal method for a PhD? Write mails to several professors and then apply to those who answer?

5. Lastly, as recommended in MS applications to apply to 5-10 schools, same should be applied here too?

I am looking for a fully funded program with a stipend. Please provide any details or suggestions. Any ideas or comments are welcome.

Thank you!

 

 

 

[Sigaba]

8 minutes ago, sDogra said:

Hello,

I have recently started my search for Fall 2021, PhD in EdTech. Yet to give any exams.

2014 GRE Score was 313 (now expired)
UGC-NET in Computer Science and Applications Qualified for Assistant Professor with 56.57% November 2017
GATE in Computer Science Score - 729/1000 and AIR - 642 February 2011

BTech in CSE (2010) - 7.13/10
MTech in IT (2013) - 3.31/4 - IIIT Bangalore

WorkEx - 7 Years
Corporate + Startup - mid 2013 - mid 2018
Teaching Fellow at IIIT Delhi - mid 2018 - Present

No research papers published but very good recommendations.

1. Based on these details which are the places would you guys suggest I apply? These were the best ones I found.

Columbia
NYU
MSU
Harvard
UPenn
Stanford
UCLA
Vanderbilt University (Peabody)
University of Wisconsin--Madison
Northwestern Uni
UMich Ann Arbor
University of Oregon
University of Southern California (Rossier)
Arizona State University
University of Washington
Johns Hopkins University
University of Texas--Austin
University of Virginia (Curry)

2. Is there anyone already working in this field? I would love to get some pointers. Also, find out first hand about the job market.

3. Does this come under STEM? Or is that only for MS programs?

4. What is the ideal method for a PhD? Write mails to several professors and then apply to those who answer?

5. Lastly, as recommended in MS applications to apply to 5-10 schools, same should be applied here too?

I am looking for a fully funded program with a stipend. Please provide any details or suggestions. Any ideas or comments are welcome.

Thank you!

 

 

 

You may find the bespoke support you seek in the following forum. https://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/23-education/

[sDogra]

Just now, Sigaba said:

You may find the bespoke support you seek in the following forum. https://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/23-education/

Thank you so much!

[TsarandProphet]

17 hours ago, bakeseal said:

Is there a point to bringing up a second major in a statement of purpose? I study history and classics, and I'm applying to study 19th/20th century US history. I study the same broad theme (diet and nutrition, foodways) in both 19th century US history and Imperial Rome, and am writing a thesis in both. I'm not sure if talking about this thematic overlap is compelling and shows my dedication to my set of questions across time, or if it just makes me look confused and not totally dedicated to my time period and field. Is it worth talking about? What would be the best way to bring it up?

Also, I know a lot of programs like to see that you already have some language skills, and while I have a lot of advanced coursework in latin and greek, those are the two languages that will do me absolutely no good in my research. I know a lot of US history PhDs only need you to have one language (and the requirement is kind of a joke), but would knowing Greek and Latin be seen as a positive, the way knowing something like French or Spanish might?

 

Just because other comments have encouraged you to find a way to combine both, you don't have to. My undergrad was history and Islamic studies/Arabic philology -- my dissertation is Habsburg, Ottoman, and Russian Empires. I have, then, several languages I had learnt without using them properly in grad school like Arabic and Persian. It's much more important to find a question you're genuinely interested in and not just a bridge between two undergrad choices you made.

[Sigaba]

44 minutes ago, TsarandProphet said:

Just because other comments have encouraged you to find a way to combine both, you don't have to. My undergrad was history and Islamic studies/Arabic philology -- my dissertation is Habsburg, Ottoman, and Russian Empires. I have, then, several languages I had learnt without using them properly in grad school like Arabic and Persian. It's much more important to find a question you're genuinely interested in and not just a bridge between two undergrad choices you made.

Arguably the most important skill you will need as a graduate student in history is the ability to say "While I think A, B, and C are good ideas, I prefer to pursue X, Y, and Z."

[dr. t]

2 hours ago, Sigaba said:

Arguably the most important skill you will need as a graduate student in history is the ability to say "While I think A, B, and C are good ideas, I prefer to pursue X, Y, and Z."

"I think A, B, and C are good ideas, and I will incorporate them into my thoughts on X, Y, and Z."

(and then you don't, but thank them in your acknowledgments for their engaging discussions)

[AP]

15 hours ago, Sigaba said:

Arguably the most important skill you will need as a graduate student in history is the ability to say "While I think A, B, and C are good ideas, I prefer to pursue X, Y, and Z."

 

13 hours ago, telkanuru said:

"I think A, B, and C are good ideas, and I will incorporate them into my thoughts on X, Y, and Z."

(and then you don't, but thank them in your acknowledgments for their engaging discussions)

Exactly.

And when someone at a conference asks you why you didn't talk about them, this skill comes in handy: "I think that is an important question/point that I will note to incorporate in my article/book" and then you don't.