History/Area Studies MA before History PhD or Directly PhD - Fall 2023 Cycle

[50CentParty]

 

Background:

• BA in History and Political Science (top US liberal arts college) with 4.0 GPA
• Currently working in the legal industry in the US
• Award-winning history and political science thesis based on primary sources in Chinese
• Language: Chinese - Native; English - Fluent
• No publication
• Mediocre GRE score (though I know a lot of history MA/PhD programs have already removed the GRE requirement as of the Fall 2022 cycle)

Goal:

• Top History PhD program in the US
• Prospective Fields/Research Interests: Modern China and East Asia; Intellectual and Cultural History; Legal History; And TBD

Options:

1. Apply for History/Area Studies (East Asian Studies) MA programs in Fall 2022
   • Funding: I know a lot of these MA programs are just cash cows, so I'll only apply to those that are able to provide fully funding.
   • Program Length: One-year program doesn't seem to make sense to me since basically you need to start PhD application right after you enter the MA program if you don't prepare to take a gap year afterwards. So I'll only apply to two-year programs if I decide to go with the MA route. 
2. Directly apply for History/Area Studies (East Asian Studies) PhD programs in Fall 2022

Question:

• Should I do a MA first or directly apply to PhD? I'm considering doing a MA before PhD in order to 1) further explore and narrow down my research interests, and gain more substantive research experience; 2) build up language skills. Though I understand the consensus on this form seems to be that doing a MA is only necessary if I need to shore up some aspect of my application (weak language, little research experience, etc.) and one should never do a MA without funding, I'm wondering will getting a MA help the PhD application given how competitive each cycle is after COVID? It seems it's really hard to get into a good PhD program without an MA nowadays? Would really appreciate any thoughts/suggestions! Thanks!

[beary]

You can always apply to both :)

[Hugh_]

On 7/4/2022 at 3:48 PM, legofan said:

 

 

Background:

• BA in History and Political Science (top US liberal arts college) with 4.0 GPA
• Currently working in the legal industry in the US
• Award-winning history and political science thesis based on primary sources in Chinese
• Language: Chinese - Native; English - Fluent
• No publication
• Mediocre GRE score (though I know a lot of history MA/PhD programs have already removed the GRE requirement as of the Fall 2022 cycle)

Goal:

• Top History PhD program in the US
• Prospective Fields/Research Interests: Modern China and East Asia; Intellectual and Cultural History; Legal History; And TBD

Options:

1. Apply for History/Area Studies (East Asian Studies) MA programs in Fall 2022
   • Funding: I know a lot of these MA programs are just cash cows, so I'll only apply to those that are able to provide fully funding.
   • Program Length: One-year program doesn't seem to make sense to me since basically you need to start PhD application right after you enter the MA program if you don't prepare to take a gap year afterwards. So I'll only apply to two-year programs if I decide to go with the MA route. 
2. Directly apply for History/Area Studies (East Asian Studies) PhD programs in Fall 2022

Question:

• Should I do a MA first or directly apply to PhD? I'm considering doing a MA before PhD in order to 1) further explore and narrow down my research interests, and gain more substantive research experience; 2) build up language skills. Though I understand the consensus on this form seems to be that doing a MA is only necessary if I need to shore up some aspect of my application (weak language, little research experience, etc.) and one should never do a MA without funding, I'm wondering will getting a MA help the PhD application given how competitive each cycle is after COVID? It seems it's really hard to get into a good PhD program without an MA nowadays? Would really appreciate any thoughts/suggestions! Thanks!

With your profile, I don't see the point of going for an MA. Enrolling in one will only slow you down in reaching your research goals. PhD programs in the Humanities very rarely transfer all the credits earned in a master's program from another school: they might  ask you to retake some classes or pass an exam. Who wants to do that? While it is indeed hard to get into top graduate programs, the best route to take is to have a very strong SOP and LORS and to pick the RIGHT school. These three elements are frankly what will decide if you're in or not next year.

[dr. t]

Do both, see where you end up.

[50CentParty]

On 7/8/2022 at 2:03 PM, dr. telkanuru said:

Do both, see where you end up.

Thanks! Yes, that's what I've been thinking about. But from a strategic point of view, how would the POI think of me as a prospective student if I let him/her know that I'm applying to both MA and PhD at the same school at the same time, like will he/she have the impression that I haven't really made my decision? 

[dr. t]

On 7/26/2022 at 11:57 PM, legofan said:

 will he/she have the impression that I haven't really made my decision? 

No.