Preparing phd application in the next few years

[d1389jjch]

Hi all!

I'm an undergraduate History student at a Canadian University going to my fourth year. I want to go to the top 10 phd programs in the World(or, in the US), focusing on modern Chinese History. I understand it is extremely competitive, and I'm not a super-smart student. But my parents would support me for the next 3-5 years to just prepare for the phd application. They would pay tuitions of any unfunded MA program, my living expenses, and research travels(I'm really really lucky). I'm looking for advice on how to using the money and time wisely. 

I currently have a 3.0 gpa for the first two years(due to languave diffcuties, I'm not a native speaker), 3.8 in my third year, and expected 3.8 in my final year. I think my first step is to go to a MA program, either funded or unfunded. My current list includes Yale(History), Uchicago(both MAPH and MAPSS), UBC(History), U of T(both History and East Asian Studies), and NYU(History). If I'm refused by all, I will apply for some German Universities since their deadline is much later than North America. 

After finish my MA in 1-2 years, I think my next step is to learn one or two new languages. I'm a Chinese native speaker, so I will need to learn Japanese, and probably one European language. While learning the language, I will try to go to several conferences, and see if I could publish one or two articles. By the time of application, I wish I could read two or three foreign languages(including Chinese), have one or two articles published, and two or three conferences.

I have many questions about the plan. Even after 3-5 years of preparation, what is my chance to get into the top 10 phd program? If I take 2 to 3 gap years after MA, would it have any negative impact on my lop and CV? How difficult to maintain relationships with my undergraduate and MA supervisors during the gap years? Is it wasting my parents' money(even if they are willing to support me), or is there any better way to use the money?

Any advice/thought is appreciated!
Thanks!

Edited August 7, 2020 by Yizeng Wei

[earlycalifornia]

if you’re interested in not wasting your parents money, don’t go to any of the US schools you listed for an MA

[dr. t]

Just now, earlycalifornia said:

if you’re interested in not wasting your parents money, don’t go to any of the US schools you listed for an MA

Yale's history MA and UoC's MAPSS program are both fine, and have good PhD placement records.

[earlycalifornia]

7 minutes ago, telkanuru said:

Yale's history MA and UoC's MAPSS program are both fine, and have good PhD placement records.

I wouldn’t say otherwise 

[dr. t]

30 minutes ago, earlycalifornia said:

I wouldn’t say otherwise 

...then explain why you said that attending any of the schools listed above from the US was a waste of money?

[AfricanusCrowther]

Being fluent in Chinese is a major asset, but most PhD admissions come down to the applicant's written materials. If your statement of purpose and writing sample are effective, you will be in a strong position for admission to a top program. But to perfect these things requires strong writing and research skills and a highly developed historical sensibility. For international applicants, that last item is particularly important; you will encounter skepticism that non-American academic cultures are invested in the same historical problems and ideas that history departments here specialize in.

To that end, if money is truly no object, any of these MA programs will allow you to develop your budding historian's sense of taste and refine the specific topics that you're interested in.

[earlycalifornia]

1 hour ago, telkanuru said:

...then explain why you said that attending any of the schools listed above from the US was a waste of money?

there is a a difference between saying going to those schools for an MA is a waste of money and saying they don’t have a good placement record 

[dr. t]

2 hours ago, earlycalifornia said:

there is a a difference between saying going to those schools for an MA is a waste of money and saying they don’t have a good placement record 

Which is why I said they were fine AND had good placement records, which you then agreed with?

[TMP]

Can you read classical/traditional Chinese handwriting on top of simplified? Are you familiar with how Western scholars understand China and have analyzed Chinese and non-Chinese materials coming out from Western, Chinese, and Taiwanese archives? 

[d1389jjch]

4 hours ago, TMP said:

Can you read classical/traditional Chinese handwriting on top of simplified? Are you familiar with how Western scholars understand China and have analyzed Chinese and non-Chinese materials coming out from Western, Chinese, and Taiwanese archives? 

My supervisor asks me to write a 50-pages long literature review as my senior thesis. I guess the point is to get me to familiar with western scholarships. I have done some researches using classical Chinese handwriting sources, but it was difficult. The main challenge for me is to put punctuation correctly. I will work on it!  thanks for the information! It’s very helpful.

[kapuzenernie]

You mentioned being interested in studying in Germany, so I thought I would address that potential. Most German universities are "free," which means that they only charge a student services fee which usually includes a transportation pass. I studied at the University of Hamburg, which was 350 euro/semester, ~120 of which was my metro pass. You may also find that the cost of living is much lower in Germany, with the exception of real estate in large cities like Munich or Hamburg. Even then, there are plenty of affordable places to live. 

German MA deadlines are usually in the spring, but I would highly recommend applying to the DAAD Masters scholarship in November to see if you can get funding through them. Having an award like that would definitely be leg-up in later PhD applications. There are two very important things to consider when applying to German MA programs though (with a few exceptions): (1) your BA degree must match what you plan to do in your MA (which it sounds like it does) and (2) the language requirements are very stringent. Most degree programs require that you are fluent in German and English as well as two foreign languages in your subject matter. Some schools allow you to achieve fluency during your program, but some require you to already have that fluency upon admittance. So, regarding your plan, it might be worth it to dedicate a year or so to taking language courses. If I could recommend two programs to you, I would suggest exploring the Global History program at Humboldt Berlin and the East Asian Studies MA at the University of Göttingen. Both are English language programs, plus Berlin and Göttingen are both cool places to live :)

[d1389jjch]

18 hours ago, kapuzenernie said:

You mentioned being interested in studying in Germany, so I thought I would address that potential. Most German universities are "free," which means that they only charge a student services fee which usually includes a transportation pass. I studied at the University of Hamburg, which was 350 euro/semester, ~120 of which was my metro pass. You may also find that the cost of living is much lower in Germany, with the exception of real estate in large cities like Munich or Hamburg. Even then, there are plenty of affordable places to live. 

German MA deadlines are usually in the spring, but I would highly recommend applying to the DAAD Masters scholarship in November to see if you can get funding through them. Having an award like that would definitely be leg-up in later PhD applications. There are two very important things to consider when applying to German MA programs though (with a few exceptions): (1) your BA degree must match what you plan to do in your MA (which it sounds like it does) and (2) the language requirements are very stringent. Most degree programs require that you are fluent in German and English as well as two foreign languages in your subject matter. Some schools allow you to achieve fluency during your program, but some require you to already have that fluency upon admittance. So, regarding your plan, it might be worth it to dedicate a year or so to taking language courses. If I could recommend two programs to you, I would suggest exploring the Global History program at Humboldt Berlin and the East Asian Studies MA at the University of Göttingen. Both are English language programs, plus Berlin and Göttingen are both cool places to live

Thank you!! These two universities are on my list, another one is the Chinese studies in Freiburg(unfortunately it charge 1500Euro/semester). But I have never thought I could apply for the DAAD scholarship before I get admission. It sounds a great idea. I could apply North American universities and DAAD at the same time, and make a decision later when I get the result. Thank you!

[kapuzenernie]

10 hours ago, d1389jjch said:

Thank you!! These two universities are on my list, another one is the Chinese studies in Freiburg(unfortunately it charge 1500Euro/semester). But I have never thought I could apply for the DAAD scholarship before I get admission. It sounds a great idea. I could apply North American universities and DAAD at the same time, and make a decision later when I get the result. Thank you!

No problem! Yes there are some special requirements for applying to the DAAD before you have secured admission, but it can be done. I would also recommend talking to someone at your current school in the fellowship/student research department to see if they can help you with your application. Best of luck and if you have any questions about Germany feel free to DM me. 

[AP]

You are receiving sound advice here so I will highlight only two aspects.

First, writing a literature review for your senior thesis is all good. However, I think @TMP was suggesting that for your MA, trying to further the understanding not only of what they say, but what is going to be your contribution to that conversation. We all go to grad school to learn. A PhD application is not like an UG application in the sense that it does not rely on numbers so much. It relies more your ability to ask cool question and potential to provide interesting answers. As @AfricanusCrowther mentioned, the MA is a great opportunity to transition to the professional craft of historians.

Second, and somehow connected to this, I do applaud your ambition to have a good research record "measured" in publications and conferences. Again, I will emphasize, do not focus on the number but on the quality. Your work as a MA student will tell the PhD AdComms how you conduct yourself. If you are a person that wastes time in little conferences for the sake of a line in the CV, while admirable, it is detrimental because it may interfere with good thesis-writing. So, yes, plan a research agenda but be very strategic. 

Finally, a footnote on money. While you are in a privileged position, do apply for travel grants, research monies, and the like. Funding brings more funding, and funding usually means a thumbs up from your community. While there is a moment and a place for making these application (eg: as a TT I would never apply for the ACLS fellowship for early career scholars in precious positions), there are also many fellowships and grants you should prepare for. 

[DDDDD]

Since you’re interested in Chinese history, why don’t you check out East Asian studies programs? Then you can tailor it to make it a quasi-history MA (which I am doing, and I think most programs are flexible enough to let you do this). 

Edited August 22, 2020 by DDDDD

[d1389jjch]

On 8/21/2020 at 10:32 PM, AP said:

You are receiving sound advice here so I will highlight only two aspects.

First, writing a literature review for your senior thesis is all good. However, I think @TMP was suggesting that for your MA, trying to further the understanding not only of what they say, but what is going to be your contribution to that conversation. We all go to grad school to learn. A PhD application is not like an UG application in the sense that it does not rely on numbers so much. It relies more your ability to ask cool question and potential to provide interesting answers. As @AfricanusCrowther mentioned, the MA is a great opportunity to transition to the professional craft of historians.

Second, and somehow connected to this, I do applaud your ambition to have a good research record "measured" in publications and conferences. Again, I will emphasize, do not focus on the number but on the quality. Your work as a MA student will tell the PhD AdComms how you conduct yourself. If you are a person that wastes time in little conferences for the sake of a line in the CV, while admirable, it is detrimental because it may interfere with good thesis-writing. So, yes, plan a research agenda but be very strategic. 

Finally, a footnote on money. While you are in a privileged position, do apply for travel grants, research monies, and the like. Funding brings more funding, and funding usually means a thumbs up from your community. While there is a moment and a place for making these application (eg: as a TT I would never apply for the ACLS fellowship for early career scholars in precious positions), there are also many fellowships and grants you should prepare for. 

WoW Thank you so much for your advice! This information is so important and helpful