dr. t Posted February 22, 2022 Author Posted February 22, 2022 Some more thoughts on recruitment and the job market in history: https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/march-2022/march-madness-the-recruitment-arms-race @psstein psstein and AfricanusCrowther 2
dr. t Posted February 22, 2022 Author Posted February 22, 2022 20 minutes ago, Atsm said: Any grads have advice for older applicants? I think it's unwise to go to a program you're not absolutely sure you're enthusiastic about, particularly if you are currently in a decent job. TMP 1
sonnybunny Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 Hey everyone! I received an informal acceptance from the grad director who said I should receive an official letter with details by Monday at the latest, which was yesterday. If I don’t hear by afternoon today, would it be silly to reach out? Thank you! jpbends 1
JJ8885 Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 On 2/16/2022 at 7:12 PM, elcholo said: Has anyone heard anything from University of Pittsburgh? I saw acceptances this week on the results. Nothing on rejects, waitlist, or interviews.
phil12843 Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 Has anyone heard anything from Notre Dame since the interviews?
TexasTiger Posted February 22, 2022 Posted February 22, 2022 Nope. In my interview, I was told we would find out in the next two weeks...and tomorrow is two weeks from my interview. 1 minute ago, phil12843 said: Has anyone heard anything from Notre Dame since the interviews? phil12843 1
John_Skylitzes Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 13 hours ago, phil12843 said: Has anyone heard anything from Notre Dame since the interviews? No I haven't gotten anything either. My interview was two weeks ago on Monday. Judging by the board, it seems as if the waitlist has been sent out. Hoping for the best for everyone! phil12843 1
Kashew_Nuts93 Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 22 minutes ago, John_Skylitzes said: No I haven't gotten anything either. My interview was two weeks ago on Monday. Judging by the board, it seems as if the waitlist has been sent out. Hoping for the best for everyone! I haven’t heard anything either. My interview will be three weeks ago on Thursday (it was feb 3rd). Hopefully we still have a chance. What is your field? phil12843 1
John_Skylitzes Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 18 minutes ago, Kashew_Nuts93 said: I haven’t heard anything either. My interview will be three weeks ago on Thursday (it was feb 3rd). Hopefully we still have a chance. What is your field? I study Byzantium. Notre Dame would be an awesome fit for that. Felt like my interview went well, but with the way things are going this year... Wbu? phil12843 and Kashew_Nuts93 2
Kashew_Nuts93 Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 8 minutes ago, John_Skylitzes said: I study Byzantium. Notre Dame would be an awesome fit for that. Felt like my interview went well, but with the way things are going this year... Wbu? Ah great, Notre Dame does sound like a tight fit for Byzantium! I study early modern confessional education and similarly think ND would be the best fit for me. I also felt like my interview went well but with how competitive everything is this year it’s impossible to draw any conclusions. Fingers crossed still! John_Skylitzes and phil12843 2
AP Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 On 2/21/2022 at 12:28 PM, ghfjk1568 said: Is anyone else a college senior right now/dealt with this when they applied? I only applied to two T10 schools (bc people told me only to apply to schools with money & everyone else around me was applying to grad school..) because I assumed I would get rejected from both and get a masters/a job and figure out what I wanted to do later/apply to more schools the second time around... But I got accepted to A and rejected from B. It's a great offer with six years of funding + summer research stipends, but I just really don't like the location and I applied to school B even tho it wasn't a good fit bc I wanted to live in that city (really stupid I know)... All my professors seem really happy for me and told me to be proud & celebrate, but I can't tell if it's just anxiety and overthinking or if I'm just too young and I should just take some time off and figure it out. No no no no no. You should never, EVER go into anything to please others, least of all your professors. You can talk to your program where you were admitted and ask for a deferral or simply decline. IT IS OK TO DECLINE AN OFFER. Trust me. A good professor will always be proud of you, no matter what you choose, so long it's your choice. And if anyone gets offended, well, it's their problem. tyg91, Go Weast Young Man, ashwel11 and 4 others 3 4
Sigaba Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 On 2/21/2022 at 9:28 AM, ghfjk1568 said: [...]I can't tell if it's just anxiety and overthinking or if I'm just too young and I should just take some time off and figure it out. Before you accept or decline, please consider the resources at your disposal for performing a vigorous due diligence for each of your potential options. Please way the benefits and challenges (not pros and cons) of each option. FWIW, The way I see it, you have at least five centered around attending graduate school defer accept with intent to push through to the doctorate with your intended fields accept with the intent to reassess after earning a masters with your intended fields accept with the intent to earn a master's degree while (covertly) developing skills for a job outside of history. You could use the outside field requirement to develop a skill in data science or project management. Just make sure that the skill isn't something with a very limited shelf life. accept with the intent to earn a doctorate with fields that will help you get a job outside of the Ivory Tower. As an example, if your top 10 school's name starts with a Y or a H or a P or a J, and your interests are anywhere adjacent to security studies/grand strategy you could put together a path of study that leads to a job with .GOV or .MIL For options in the private sector, I recommend that viable alternatives should comparable favorably to what you'd be giving up by not going to graduate school. That is, you have an offer of "guaranteed" underemployment with health insurance and great amenities (like the library) during an interval of intensifying great power rivalry, economic uncertainty, a pandemic that doesn't care if people think it should be classified as an endemic, political turbulence. Please also take a look at your theory that you're overthinking things. To what extent is "over thinking" a trait that that has kept you out of bad situations or a potential character flaw that has led you to walking away from opportunities for personal fulfilment and success. The latter can really become a grind if left unchecked. Or so I've heard. Please do consider talking to your professors candidly about your ambivalence. Before initiating such a conversation, make sure that you're going to be able to speak frankly about your hopes, your fears, and your understanding of their expectations. (On this last point, I think that @AP will prove to be right. I think that your professors like you personally.) HorseNerd, ashwel11, ghfjk1568 and 1 other 3 1
Sigaba Posted February 23, 2022 Posted February 23, 2022 On 2/22/2022 at 7:30 AM, Atsm said: Any grads have advice for older applicants? Do what you can to pivot towards the sensibilities of an academic historian as soon as possible. Your UG GPA, your success rate in previous cycles, and the rankings of where you applied are not very useful to you. What kind of history do you want to do? How might your research impact existing historiographical debates of your specific field, your area/time period, and the overall profession? How do you see your career as an academic unfolding over the next thirty years? <==Talking about these kinds of questions is likely going to draw more initial interest than your backstory from academics. ladydobz 1
flowersandcoffee Posted February 24, 2022 Posted February 24, 2022 Is everyone else on the Columbia waitlist invited to the Visiting Day?
teaANDanxiety Posted February 28, 2022 Posted February 28, 2022 Is there anybody here who's been accepted at Minnesota? Had a couple of questions!
sonnybunny Posted February 28, 2022 Posted February 28, 2022 Was anyone admitted to University of New Mexico offered funding?
OHSP Posted March 1, 2022 Posted March 1, 2022 45 minutes ago, jpbends said: Chocking this one up as a rejection from both the MA and PhD programs in History at the University of Washington. Portal and past results suggest that hearing by around February 23rd was reasonable, and it's March already. I attended UW for my Masters, so it's not really surprising that they don't want to spend another 6 years retraining someone, but would have loved the opportunity to continue working with some of the faculty I was already there with. Another possibility, just looking at your acceptances so far, is that they didn't actually think you would accept the offer and wanted to be able to extend it to someone else--congrats on Michigan and UCSD, amazing programs! TMP, Sigaba, jpbends and 1 other 1 3
OHSP Posted March 1, 2022 Posted March 1, 2022 3 minutes ago, jpbends said: Thank you! I'd never really talked to my mentor at UW about the possibility of doing a History PhD there, so I wonder if that factored into it. That being said, I got the official email just now with the rejection decision. That's fine, because I have two great programs to pick from (and am waiting on one more). We are in somewhat similar fields so feel free to DM -- I'm finishing up and just started a permanent job, tt-equivalent but I'm not in the US, but anyway I have some *thoughts* about the programs you're considering, based on the experiences of friends. Suspect you'll get into UH as well. Anyway--feel free! jpbends and Sigaba 1 1
TheGradCocaCola Posted March 2, 2022 Posted March 2, 2022 I applied to the Columbia PhD but was not accepted. Today I received an email from the history department inviting me to apply for one of their master's programs. Has anyone else received this email as well? Will you try it? CaitlynM and jpbends 2
CaitlynM Posted March 2, 2022 Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) 24 minutes ago, TheGradCocaCola said: I applied to the Columbia PhD but was not accepted. Today I received an email from the history department inviting me to apply for one of their master's programs. Has anyone else received this email as well? Will you try it? I received one, as well! I am thinking about it, but not sure if it's worth it. I am currently getting an EdM in Education so idk if another masters degree will do me any good. Though I really want some academic experience in the History field, so I am torn! Are you planning on trying for it? Edited March 2, 2022 by CaitlynM
Sigaba Posted March 2, 2022 Posted March 2, 2022 To @jpbends's point, the "received wisdom" of this forum is that one should not pursue an unfunded terminal master's degree in history unless one has deep pockets. AFIAK, this guidance is more word of mouth/rule of thumb than the outcome of qualitative or quantitative research. The rigors being in a master's program while having to worry about funding and your applications for a doctoral program could limit what you get out of that program in terms of your development as an academic historian? Will professors care enough to bounce you off the walls so that you grow or will they just nod and smile with dollar signs in their eyes when you speak? Also, if you earn a master's at a program and then go on to a doctoral program, you'll most likely end up having to jump through many of the same hoops all over again--up to the point where you could earn a second master's in history. What are the alternatives? Maybe consider enrolling in a program in which you can earn a degree or even a certificate in what will be your outside field as a doctoral student. Maybe this path could center on developing a skill that will help you get part time work during the summers or full time work if you ultimately decide that things are as bad in the House of Klio as many say. Or, if you're not an Americanist, you could enroll in a language program that will allow you to knock out a requirement or two in a doctoral program. psstein 1
wluhist16 Posted March 3, 2022 Posted March 3, 2022 I echo everything that's been said above and also urge anyone in this position to read Anne Helen Petersen's series on masters programs in the humanities. Also, for Columbia specifically, I believe those programs run about $50k per year for just tuition. At least, those were the numbers in 2016. https://annehelen.substack.com/p/the-masters-trap?s=r Sigaba, psstein and Go Weast Young Man 3
John_Skylitzes Posted March 5, 2022 Posted March 5, 2022 16 hours ago, sayf said: Folks, Notre Dame sent out acceptances yet? Yes Notre Dame sent out acceptances last week
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