2023 Application Thread

[dr. t]

For all things related to applying to graduate school in history in the fall of 2022.

[ladydobz]

Submitted my first application for the 2023 Application Season. Just waiting on the others to open. Anyone else started the process yet?

[ptzzzzzzz]

Hey guys! 

I am a (potential) PhD program applicant for the Fall 2023 cycle. I recently graduated from a top 30 university in the U.S. with highest honors in History. Currently, I'm working on my program list the Fall 2023 PhD application. I currently hold an offer from the Master of Global History program at HSE, Saint Petersburg. I'm also waiting to hear back from the Global History MA at FU Berlin. Both of these are two-year, fully funded, English programs starting in Fall 2022.

Please find my backgrounds as followed:

• GPA: 3.89/4.0
• GRE: 321 (VR: 157, QR: 164, AW: 4.5) - probably will take again if the schools require GRE this year
• Award-winning thesis on Sino-Soviet split, heavily based on primary sources in Chinese, Russian, and Polish.
• Language: Chinese - Fluent, English - Fluent, Polish - Beginner, Russian - Beginner
• Publications in undergraduate journals and non-academic platforms. 
• My interest area lies between Russian & Eastern European studies, history of modern China, and diplomatic history. From my undergrad thesis, I'm particularly interested in going further into two directions: 1. Chinese political movements in a global context and 2. Diplomatic relationships within the Communist Bloc. 

I would really appreciate any advice on my future steps. Should I take a gap year and apply during the Fall 2023 cycle? OR should I build up my language skills through a master's program and apply in Fall 2024? Recommendations of program/professors will also be appreciated!

[Prophecies]

Welp, change of plans. I'm no longer interested in non-Australian universities for my Masters (mostly due to funding, Australia is pretty good in this regard). I'm applying to the University of Melbourne for a Master of Arts (thesis only) with a focus in Modern Russian History, specifically on the Orthodox faith. There's alot I need to arrange: references, a writing sample, research proposal and CV. As my research has a Byzantine angle, I need a secondary supervisor from a different university - my alma mater has good ones. 

A question: I've been learning Russian these past 18 months, and have reached a Beginner to Immediate level. I am self-taught. What's the best way to convey this in my application?

[ladydobz]

On 6/20/2022 at 8:32 AM, Prophecies said:

A question: I've been learning Russian these past 18 months, and have reached a Beginner to Immediate level. I am self-taught. What's the best way to convey this in my application?

On mine I spelled it out in my SOP as well as on my CV, plus, when I've reached out to the professors that I'm interested in working with, I've asked them about languages, and expressed what I've learned. I have taken several years of formal French study, but I'm self-learning Spanish and Dutch via Duolingo. Honestly, the professors and Directors of Graduate education that I've spoken with say that formal versus self-taught don't really matter, as long as you're able to efficiently demonstrate that you have the knowledge on the translation test, or you take the formal courses to meet your requirement. I haven't been accepted yet, however, so, I can't say for sure if what they told me is accurate. 

[AP]

On 6/20/2022 at 8:32 AM, Prophecies said:

Welp, change of plans. I'm no longer interested in non-Australian universities for my Masters (mostly due to funding, Australia is pretty good in this regard). I'm applying to the University of Melbourne for a Master of Arts (thesis only) with a focus in Modern Russian History, specifically on the Orthodox faith. There's alot I need to arrange: references, a writing sample, research proposal and CV. As my research has a Byzantine angle, I need a secondary supervisor from a different university - my alma mater has good ones. 

A question: I've been learning Russian these past 18 months, and have reached a Beginner to Immediate level. I am self-taught. What's the best way to convey this in my application?

 

1 hour ago, ladydobz said:

On mine I spelled it out in my SOP as well as on my CV, plus, when I've reached out to the professors that I'm interested in working with, I've asked them about languages, and expressed what I've learned. I have taken several years of formal French study, but I'm self-learning Spanish and Dutch via Duolingo. Honestly, the professors and Directors of Graduate education that I've spoken with say that formal versus self-taught don't really matter, as long as you're able to efficiently demonstrate that you have the knowledge on the translation test, or you take the formal courses to meet your requirement. I haven't been accepted yet, however, so, I can't say for sure if what they told me is accurate. 

Allow to provide a different angle.

While your level of Russian might be enough for the program requirement, not all POIs admit based off that. The whole point of languages is that you use them for your research, either reading sources or reading scholars. So, in your CV you can add a line on "known languages" (no need to include they are self taught, if they are not in your transcript, people will add up). But in your WS you can show that you've used the language. Or in you SOP you can point at language training as part of your career development. Eg, you found sources that you are unable to read yet, but are confident that a summer program in X university will get you to the finish line. Or Eg 2, You plan to take three semesters of Russian at the institutions well-renowned Language Center. 

In other words, admissions are not a list of boxes that you check. Those boxes are a starting point, but you need to show how you will grow as a scholar in that specific program. 

[Prophecies]

Thanks guys for the excellent advice - Russian is not technically a requirement for Masters, but there's an expectation at most Aussie universities you'll learn it while doing graduate research. Speaking of which, I've just finished Russian Babbel! 

This is an odd research proposal so far, it's longer than most (2,500 words!) which is actually a blessing, as there's something helpful about seeing your ideas written down (further scrutiny is always required, imo). I'm questioning one aspect of my proposal so far - the Byzantium angle. It may detract from the core aspects of the thesis (Analysing theologies towards war in the Post-Soviet Russian Orthodox Church). So I bit off more than I can chew. A shame, really - one of the core aspects of being a historian that excites me is connecting events, people, civilisations, wars and religions across different times and places. I'm not ignoring Byzantine (it's too important for any thesis on the Russian Church) - it just won't result in a secondary supervisor or many chapters. 

Narrowing down is always a challenge - it's not just the topic, but also the examples / sources used. 

[dr. t]

On 6/20/2022 at 8:32 AM, Prophecies said:

I've been learning Russian these past 18 months, and have reached a Beginner to Immediate level. I am self-taught. What's the best way to convey this in my application?

A writing sample using the language in your primary and secondary sources.

[sciencehistorian]

I'm currently building a school list of doctoral programs to apply to this fall.

Broadly, I'm interested in the social history of American public health and medicine in the 19th and 20th centuries. My research has focused on a specific public health measure, its relation to the law, and opposition to the measure during this time period.

It's been relatively easy determining whether some programs are potential good fits for my research interests because they have dedicated departments of history of science or medicine, or because their general history program indicates that they have a thematic focus (official or unofficial) in historical studies of science and medicine. Yale, for example, has a track in the History department called the History of Science and Medicine and even a cursory glance at their faculty page shows that they have many faculty members who would be able to support my research interests.

Other schools, however, have faculty with geographic specializations in American history and methodological specializations in social history, but may lack people who study the history of science and medicine entirely. If they do have such faculty, those faculty sometimes have their primary appointment in other departments (Public Health, Nursing, etc.), with a secondary appointment in History. UNC Chapel Hill, for example, has both American and social historians, but lacks anyone who seems like they would identify as a historian of medicine. (This is reflected, I'll note, in their course offerings, which lack instruction in the history of medicine entirely). UNC does have a Department of Social Medicine with a historian of Latin American medicine and a historian in their Department of Medicine, but I've been advised that one should not apply to a school that has only one or two faculty members who could supervise a graduate student (because people retire, change schools, don't have funding, go on leave, etc.). I would imagine the same rings even truer for schools in which said faculty members do not have primary appointments in History.

As an applicant interested specifically in the history of medicine, is it worth applying to schools like UNC that lack historians of medicine in their History department? Would I be able to assemble a committee based on regional and methodological focus alone? Should I try reaching out to faculty and asking whether their program could support someone with my interests or call it a bust?

 

Edited July 19, 2022 by sciencehistorian

[AfricanusCrowther]

3 hours ago, sciencehistorian said:

As an applicant interested specifically in the history of medicine, is it worth applying to schools like UNC that lack historians of medicine in their History department? Would I be able to assemble a committee based on regional and methodological focus alone? Should I try reaching out to faculty and asking whether their program could support someone with my interests or call it a bust?

 

For a big field like modern US, I would advise against it -- not for any intellectual reasons, but because you'll be lacking a connection to a scholar in this sub-field (US medicine) with more active professional networks.

[AP]

On 7/19/2022 at 3:45 PM, AfricanusCrowther said:

For a big field like modern US, I would advise against it -- not for any intellectual reasons, but because you'll be lacking a connection to a scholar in this sub-field (US medicine) with more active professional networks.

Ditto.

I do think that it certainly makes your research more interesting if you eventually include historians of other regions in your committee, but for application purposes, given the number of historians of medicine in North America, you should definitely apply to a place where there is one. 

[sciencehistorian]

Sounds good. Appreciate the advice from you both. (And I certainly don't mind filling out one fewer application).

[psstein]

@sciencehistorian, I know I'm late to the game, but in general, you want to avoid history of science/medicine programs that aren't well connected to their larger history programs. The overwhelming majority of academic historians of science/medicine will teach something like 20th century US, with history of medicine on the side.

[CheckYesJules]

Hi All,

I decided to throw my hat in the ring for this application cycle instead of waiting another year to see what happens. My focus has been on Ph.D. programs, but I also want to add some fully-funded MA programs to my list (thank you to everyone who complied that original post of MAs with funding!). I’ve found a few that look promising, but I was wondering if any of you knew of any additional programs or ones I should prioritize that focus on 20th-century Germany. Thank you so much for any help and advice that you can give!

Cheers,

CheckYesJules

[ladydobz]

11 hours ago, CheckYesJules said:

I’ve found a few that look promising, but I was wondering if any of you knew of any additional programs or ones I should prioritize that focus on 20th-century Germany.

Jules, 

What programs have you found already? I don't have any specific programs in mind for your area of interest, but I thought it might help others if they knew where you were already looking.  I wish you luck with the application cycle!

[AP]

Friendly reminder from a faculty: August-September is the best time to contact POIs. 

[sciencehistorian]

What level of detail would you all suggest should be included on a CV?

My minimal-detail CV currently includes:

1. Education (Institution, degrees, and date).
2. Research Experiences (Affiliation, position, and date).
3. Publications and Scholarship (Citations).
4. Conference Presentations (Name(s), title, venue, format).
5. Awards and Funding (Title, source, amount, and date).
6. Extracurricular Activities (Group, positions, date).
7. Service (Role, event/group, date).
8. Teaching Experience (Group, position, date).

This puts me at slightly over 2 pages, and seems commensurate with the level of detail CVs normally contain at the faculty level.

According to my perusal of the forums, some people suggest including resume-esque information that contains more specific details on the activities and tasks completed during certain experiences.

I could add more detail to the research, extracurricular, and teaching sections, although for the extracurricular section I'd likely restrict detail-addition to the roles with skills relevant for a graduate student. I would estimate that addition of such details would be push me to 3 or 3.5 pages. Would such information be helpful to an admissions committee or be viewed as extraneous?

 

[AP]

20 hours ago, sciencehistorian said:

What level of detail would you all suggest should be included on a CV?

My minimal-detail CV currently includes:

1. Education (Institution, degrees, and date).
2. Research Experiences (Affiliation, position, and date).
3. Publications and Scholarship (Citations).
4. Conference Presentations (Name(s), title, venue, format).
5. Awards and Funding (Title, source, amount, and date).
6. Extracurricular Activities (Group, positions, date).
7. Service (Role, event/group, date).
8. Teaching Experience (Group, position, date).

This puts me at slightly over 2 pages, and seems commensurate with the level of detail CVs normally contain at the faculty level.

According to my perusal of the forums, some people suggest including resume-esque information that contains more specific details on the activities and tasks completed during certain experiences.

I could add more detail to the research, extracurricular, and teaching sections, although for the extracurricular section I'd likely restrict detail-addition to the roles with skills relevant for a graduate student. I would estimate that addition of such details would be push me to 3 or 3.5 pages. Would such information be helpful to an admissions committee or be viewed as extraneous?

 

This looks pretty academic-ly to me. Always, ALWAYS put the most relevant pieces of information first. Hence, I'd put teaching experience before service or extracurricular. "Publications & Scholarship" sounds redundant. Either "publications" or "scholarly work." 

The only portion you might to add some resume-style detail is for research experience, if this experience was not the norm or if it includes very different experiences. For instance, maybe you were an RA for a professor and that meant scanning books, maybe for another prof you went into the archive. 

[sciencehistorian]

Thanks for the advice, @AP.

 

So... it's August now. It seems like this forum is a lot less active than it was in previous years, but there's still plenty of time until the cycle picks up. How is application writing going for everyone?

On my end, I had the pleasure of talking to a POI a little bit ago who gave me some much-needed advice on narrowing my research interests. I suspect I'm going to need to continue revising that heavily over the next few weeks at least, if not longer. I think my personal statement is in better shape. I have a ~25-page writing sample in mind (the introduction and part of a chapter of my thesis), but that needs revision, too.

[BenCookie]

Good evening (/morning/afternoon), everyone!

I am finally making the decision to post after years of lurking. I applied for some PhD programs for English last application season and did some soul-searching and realized that my true research interests lie more so in the historical bucket than the general English literary bucket. Let me get to what inspired me to finally emerge from the shadows and make my first post on this august forum.

I have a Bachelor's in English. I have a Master's in Teaching. In English Education. I want a History PhD. I am going to apply for an M.A. in History this application season. Am I foolish? I have a 4.0 GPA in my MT (which is from a top-rated School of Education). Am I going to be wasting my time (and money) going for an M.A. in History without an undergrad in it? Should I go straight for a PhD in History? I had many honest conversations with my Professors about the state of the job market post-grad, but I mean strictly from an admissions level.

Any and all information is appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

[sciencehistorian]

Would any of the lurking graduate students / faculty be willing to look at a (very provisional) SOP?

[sciencehistorian]

On 8/21/2022 at 5:41 PM, BenCookie said:

Good evening (/morning/afternoon), everyone!

I am finally making the decision to post after years of lurking. I applied for some PhD programs for English last application season and did some soul-searching and realized that my true research interests lie more so in the historical bucket than the general English literary bucket. Let me get to what inspired me to finally emerge from the shadows and make my first post on this august forum.

I have a Bachelor's in English. I have a Master's in Teaching. In English Education. I want a History PhD. I am going to apply for an M.A. in History this application season. Am I foolish? I have a 4.0 GPA in my MT (which is from a top-rated School of Education). Am I going to be wasting my time (and money) going for an M.A. in History without an undergrad in it? Should I go straight for a PhD in History? I had many honest conversations with my Professors about the state of the job market post-grad, but I mean strictly from an admissions level.

Any and all information is appreciated!! Thank you for reading!

There are others who can give you more helpful information, but I've found Berkeley's website to be particularly helpful in spelling out the general profile of a PhD applicant in history. My understanding is that a standalone master's is particularly helpful if you lack any of these components, like an academic background in history, or research interests sufficiently focused such that you can clearly articulate your time period, location, methodology, and topic of interest, as well as the broader historiographical inquiries driving your future work. 

Edited August 23, 2022 by sciencehistorian

[CheckYesJules]

Is anyone else having difficulties finding PIs in your field who are accepting students? I'm currently 0 for 4, which includes my top choices. Also, if they're not taking PhD students, would it be a waste of time to apply to the MA program? Thanks everyone!

[ladydobz]

On 8/24/2022 at 9:31 AM, CheckYesJules said:

Is anyone else having difficulties finding PIs in your field who are accepting students? I'm currently 0 for 4, which includes my top choices. Also, if they're not taking PhD students, would it be a waste of time to apply to the MA program? Thanks everyone!

I had two schools with PIs that were not accepting students. I luckily have three others that were highly interested in my proposed research topic. Are you limited to a geographic area, or can you expand your search maybe?

[CheckYesJules]

2 hours ago, ladydobz said:

I had two schools with PIs that were not accepting students. I luckily have three others that were highly interested in my proposed research topic. Are you limited to a geographic area, or can you expand your search maybe?

I'm limited to more liberal areas of the country since I'm non-binary (born female) and would really like to not go back in the closet for school or worry about my rights being taken away. I have a list of more schools that I can keep emailing to see if I can find someone; however, I was just curious if others were getting similar responses that professors weren't taking new students due to the current state of history and academia.