2022 Application Thread

[sonnybunny]

Anybody have any insight for University of New Mexico or University of Vermont? Right now, those are my top 2 choices for the MA.

[Sigaba]

8 hours ago, Jibrananand said:

Hi, 

I have to write a book review for one of my applications which is 1000 words. I had one prepared but I was considering changing the book and re-writing it. Any clue on what works better?  if the book should be a) recent and / not often commented on c) directly in one's field( for example could I review a work on historical anthropology) and directly in one's sub field( along with temporal and spatial parameters)? Thanks in advance for all your comments. 

If you select a work that is highly specialized (which I don't know if I'd recommend based upon my own experiences with a similar review), please make sure that your review explains why the work is relevant to the overall concerns of the profession. Demonstrate that you understand that a "historian is a historian is a historian."

To dovetail with @psstein's caution against using a controversial work, please keep in mind that some fields and methods of analysis are also controversial. Reviewing an important biography of a political/military figure that makes use of neglected primary source materials and provides new insights into the subject's life and times may get the eyes of social historians rolling.

[psstein]

2 hours ago, Sigaba said:

To dovetail with @psstein's caution against using a controversial work, please keep in mind that some fields and methods of analysis are also controversial. Reviewing an important biography of a political/military figure that makes use of neglected primary source materials and provides new insights into the subject's life and times may get the eyes of social historians rolling.

And, to make this even more complex and challenging, avoid biographies of controversial figures more generally. At one point, I considered writing a dissertation focusing on Thomas Parran (Surgeon General of PHS between 1936-1948, and heavily involved in the Tuskegee Study). My advisor told me that it wasn't a dissertation project, because Parran was too controversial.

If I had to offer a blanket statement, which I generally dislike doing, I'd advise against biographies for the book review.

[Sigaba]

5 hours ago, psstein said:

If I had to offer a blanket statement, which I generally dislike doing, I'd advise against biographies for the book review.

Where were you when I needed you?

(IMO, exceptions to this rule would include biographies written by social historians, especially those specializing in modern German history, who qualify as "deans" in their respective fields but only if you can square the circle of broad historiographical debates that have been unfolding for decades.)

[wynntir]

I've officially submitted and am wiping my hands clean of this process. I feel confident that I put my best materials possible out there. Now all I can do is wait, which is much proving to be much harder than the applications were!

[Sigaba]

6 hours ago, wynntir said:

I've officially submitted and am wiping my hands clean of this process. I feel confident that I put my best materials possible out there. Now all I can do is wait, which is much proving to be much harder than the applications were!

@wynntir, congratulations on submitting your applications and doing the best you can under the circumstances.

PLEASE do more than wait. Do all you can to lean forward. Getting a running start on next fall will enable you to compete better against your peers, to exceed the expectations of your professors, and, most importantly, to maximize your potential as an academic.

After getting an appropriate amount of time to rest and depressurize, please consider the advantages of the following.

• You can organize your application materials for future use -- you will be reapplying for continued financial assistance as well as new sources of funding.
• You can start getting ready for qualifying exams
  • by finding the "must read" books in your fields,
  • by picking three important academic journals and going through ten years' worth of issues (page by page and reading selectively),
  • by seeing if there are opportunities to continue your interest in education as your outside field,
  • by working on your writing skills,
  • and by thinking like a historian.

There's a lot of "received wisdom" that members of the GradCafe have earned through hard won experience and a significant amount of pain. Please consider the benefits of studying (not reading, but studying) the posts of the BTDTs, especially, @TMP, @dr. telkanuru, @AP, @fuzzylogician, @Eigen, @TakeruK, and @juilletmercredi. (I especially recommend the latter's highly valued post as well as her contributions in the If I knew then what I know now (Officially Grads version thread and @TMP's posts. (TMP is among most intellectually and emotionally courageous members of the GradCafe.)

Here's why I'm urging you to lean forward. When you get to your next destination, you will likely find that professors, for worse and for better, are generally reluctant to spell out expectations to new students. They are even less likely to put students in the best possible positions to succeed. Instead, much of the instruction you will receive will be cryptic comments in your essays and belated suggests in end of term reviews that will not resonate until years later.
 

[wynntir]

4 hours ago, Sigaba said:

@wynntir, congratulations on submitting your applications and doing the best you can under the circumstances.

PLEASE do more than wait. Do all you can to lean forward. 
 

Thank you! I definitely don't intend to sit on my thumbs until February. Thank you for the sound advice and the links to click through, I've certainly got enough to keep me busy.

[dr. t]

4 hours ago, Sigaba said:

PLEASE do more than wait.

I agree. Wait and drink heavily.

[psstein]

17 hours ago, dr. telkanuru said:

I agree. Wait and drink heavily.

Agreed. If you're a college senior, have fun. Do stupid shit. Make memories that'll last a lifetime.

I personally prescribe Johnnie Walker Black, as much as needed, as often as needed.

[sonnybunny]

Just submitted my first application. University of California-Santa Barbara. Anyone else applying there?

[Sigaba]

18 hours ago, sonnybunny said:

Just submitted my first application. University of California-Santa Barbara. Anyone else applying there?

Finding affordable housing may be a challenge. I'm in a FB group in which a rising senior was liquidating assets and seeking guidance on how to live out of a vehicle for an academic year. 

You might benefit from trying to develop options now if you think you're going to end up there, even if you have deep pockets.

[sonnybunny]

19 hours ago, Sigaba said:

Finding affordable housing may be a challenge. I'm in a FB group in which a rising senior was liquidating assets and seeking guidance on how to live out of a vehicle for an academic year. 

You might benefit from trying to develop options now if you think you're going to end up there, even if you have deep pockets.

Thank you for the warning. My POI and I had a fairly lengthy discussion regarding the housing shortage there... I'm not above commuting from Ventura/Oxnard, but this is great to keep in mind as decisions are made. Thank you!

[TexasTiger]

Honestly, a hard thing about applying this cycle for me has been figuring out which field to apply in at each program. My project straddles the U.S. field, Latin America...and when programs have it World/International/Global/comparative and the exact fit has differed between programs.

[4everstudent]

@TexasTiger I sent you a PM

[Sigaba]

5 hours ago, sonnybunny said:

Thank you for the warning. My POI and I had a fairly lengthy discussion regarding the housing shortage there... I'm not above commuting from Ventura/Oxnard, but this is great to keep in mind as decisions are made. Thank you!

If you're not already used to traffic in southern California, the drive may be something to think long and hard about.

This link will take you to a Google Map of the area between UCSB and Ventura with a traffic overlay. You can use the controls at the bottom of the map to get a sense of typical traffic conditions by hour and by day.

I don't make it up that way that often anymore. The last few times were for a job and the traffic was brutal heading up during the morning commute. (Some of the traffic was due to a freeway widening project but when do those actually help?) If you add on campus parking to the mix, you could be in a situation where you're going to campus hours earlier than you need just so you can compete for a parking space.

All this being said, it's one of my favorite areas and the UCSB library has a surprisingly robust collection of titles in military history/military affairs. There's a Costco nearby, so you won't be lacking for the essential food groups (caffeine, sweet, fried, and pork).

[TravelGram94]

Hi Everyone, 

I applied to Wyoming, William and Mary, Nebraska, and Colorado for a History MA. 
 

This is my first time applying- can someone tell me the usual timeline to hear back? 
 

Thanks! 

[WhaleshipEssex]

16 hours ago, TravelGram94 said:

Hi Everyone, 

I applied to Wyoming, William and Mary, Nebraska, and Colorado for a History MA. 
 

This is my first time applying- can someone tell me the usual timeline to hear back? 
 

Thanks! 

You can look at the results page for previous years. 

[TexasTiger]

Is it me or has this been much less active than in previous years?

 

Update: I realized I was wrong

Edited December 19, 2021 by TexasTiger
my bad

[TexasTiger]

Is anyone else starting to get worried that with Omicron, universities might suddenly decide not to admit?

 

[jpc34]

I find that unlikely. The process is in full swing, the deadline for most programs has passed. Add the general pandemic fatigue and I don’t think anything that drastic is going to happen. 

[doce]

Hi all! I just received an email from a school asking to transfer my History PhD application to "be considered by" the Slavic and East European faculty. Eastern Europe is my area, but Slavic Dept. only offers a PhD in Russian and that is pretty far from the part of Eastern Europe I am interested in. Most importantly, I do not speak Russian yet...?

Edited December 21, 2021 by doce

[emeraldsapphire]

Have gotten 3 out of 3 UK admits. No word on funding though. (Not getting my hopes up). Anyone else applying to the UK system this cycle? 

[wynntir]

Just popping in to say I got invited for an interview/visit (virtually) for Penn HSS! Very excited, very nervous. I've been looking through old threads for what to expect, but if anyone has any advice I would appreciate it!

[psstein]

5 hours ago, wynntir said:

Just popping in to say I got invited for an interview/visit (virtually) for Penn HSS! Very excited, very nervous. I've been looking through old threads for what to expect, but if anyone has any advice I would appreciate it!

This is an excellent sign. Basically, they're trying to see how you'd fit with the rest of the department and how your project overlaps with faculty members' areas of interest.

[Imperator Totius Hispaniae]

@psstein I have an interview as well! any advice on what to say/what questions to ask?