Medieval Studies

[whatshewrote]

Greetings, all! I just happened to stumble upon this site and was ridiculously excited to find a place to get so much helpful info. from fellow students/applicants. It was particularly exciting since I so rarely hear of anyone else applying to a medieval studies program - there's not exactly a bounty of info. out there on this graduate field. I'm in the midst of the application process and am alternating between feeling fairly confident and freaking out and thinking I have no chance of getting in anywhere.

Anyhow, I saw that there was another "Medieval Studies" topic but that it hadn't been updated in a while, so I thought I'd throw a new one out there. I feel like my school choices are all over the map (literally), but they all appeal to me in one way or another.

Cornell (my biggest reach school, for sure, and the only direct-to-PhD program)

Western Michigan University

University of Toronto

U. of York (this is probably my dream top choice)

U. of Leeds

U. of Oxford

So - is anyone else out there applying to these schools? Or have opinions/advice about them? It's been hard for me to get a grasp on how selective each one is. I definitely did well in undergrad, and I've had interesting/relevent jobs since graduating in '09, but I haven't published or done anything jaw-droppingly amazing.

Phew. I hope this post isn't too scattered. I just couldn't wait to jump into the conversation!

-Natalie

[OnceAndFutureGrad]

Hi there whatshewrote! It looks like you've had a bit of success since you posted this but I thought I'd reply.

What specifically do you want to study?

A friend of mine did an MA at Leeds and really enjoyed it. I believe a colleague of mine was at York, though it may have been UCL - I'm not sure. Anyway, I'm surprised you haven't applied to either of the places I have, Yale and UConn. I'm at UConn for the MA at this moment and we've got a great Old English/Irish/Norse program, and plenty of later medievalists as well.

I'm guessing that your UK MA programs are unfunded?

I wish you luck in the coming weeks!

[imperatrix]

Greetings, all! I just happened to stumble upon this site and was ridiculously excited to find a place to get so much helpful info. from fellow students/applicants. It was particularly exciting since I so rarely hear of anyone else applying to a medieval studies program - there's not exactly a bounty of info. out there on this graduate field. I'm in the midst of the application process and am alternating between feeling fairly confident and freaking out and thinking I have no chance of getting in anywhere.

Anyhow, I saw that there was another "Medieval Studies" topic but that it hadn't been updated in a while, so I thought I'd throw a new one out there. I feel like my school choices are all over the map (literally), but they all appeal to me in one way or another.

Cornell (my biggest reach school, for sure, and the only direct-to-PhD program)

Western Michigan University

University of Toronto

U. of York (this is probably my dream top choice)

U. of Leeds

U. of Oxford

So - is anyone else out there applying to these schools? Or have opinions/advice about them? It's been hard for me to get a grasp on how selective each one is. I definitely did well in undergrad, and I've had interesting/relevent jobs since graduating in '09, but I haven't published or done anything jaw-droppingly amazing.

Phew. I hope this post isn't too scattered. I just couldn't wait to jump into the conversation!

-Natalie

Resurrecting this thread to say hi! It's great to internet-meet others going for the MA in Medieval Studies. I just received my offer from York; it's also my top choice, though St Andrews (from which I also have an offer) is a very, very close second. Needless to say, I have a major decision to make!

My interests are still somewhat varied, but they all fall under the big umbrella of religion - female spirituality, ritual and popular religion, heresy and orthodoxy. I'm also really into eschatological tradition, too. What are your interests?

[OnceAndFutureGrad]

What are your interests?

I am interested in the clash and fusion of cultures in early northern Europe and the generation of origin legends and identity there.

[whatshewrote]

Hello there! I apologize for the late reply - I thought I was getting email updates on this topic, but apparently not. Anyway, it's great to hear from some fellow medievalists! Let's see...my interests are primarily in 12th/13th century England, the Plantagenets, social and political history.... Needless to say, I have a LOT of narrowing to do before I start any PhD work. I get a bit intimidated when I hear other people saying, "I want to research THIS certain trend in THIS certain decade in THIS certain country/author's work/what have you. But I'm hoping to remedy that soon!

I also love hearing any positive feedback regarding Leeds and York. The MA's do have separate funding which you can apply for (and I have), but I don't know what my odds are. I'm certainly not crazy about the idea of forking over that lump sum w/ no help. Especially when I keep getting mixed messages on the usefulness of UK degrees and UK university's attitude toward US students ("Oh, they let them ALL in b/c they just want your money." - That kind of takes away from the excitement of getting accepted. ).

RecycledViking - I did indeed look at Yale, but, since their deadline was earlier than my other schools (Jan 2nd), I just didn't have everything ready in time. I don't know anything about UConn, though; I'll have to check that out.

I just heard back positively from WMU, too; so I'm pretty excited about that! Do either of you have any experience w/ WMU or Kalamazoo?

[Sparky]

I also love hearing any positive feedback regarding Leeds and York. The MA's do have separate funding which you can apply for (and I have), but I don't know what my odds are. I'm certainly not crazy about the idea of forking over that lump sum w/ no help. Especially when I keep getting mixed messages on the usefulness of UK degrees and UK university's attitude toward US students ("Oh, they let them ALL in b/c they just want your money." - That kind of takes away from the excitement of getting accepted. ).

An MA (or Mwhatever) from one of the UK schools is not uncommon for medievalists who end up doing their PhD in the US, especially historians. Be *sure* you take advantage of the increased opportunities for paleography/archive experience. On one hand, it looks great on a PhD app. On the other, because they are THERE and you CAN.

I am interested in the clash and fusion of cultures in early northern Europe and the generation of origin legends and identity there.

Well, now, *there's* a contentious issue. Early medieval history seems to be diving towards material culture--did you consider straight-up history programs as well as art history? (I know you're still waiting to hear back--I'm just curious whether you actually did look at history depts, but decided they weren't a good fit for you).

[OnceAndFutureGrad]

Well, now, *there's* a contentious issue. Early medieval history seems to be diving towards material culture--did you consider straight-up history programs as well as art history? (I know you're still waiting to hear back--I'm just curious whether you actually did look at history depts, but decided they weren't a good fit for you).

Says the member who describes him/herself as a "history-ish PhD" I did history as an undergrad, including my thesis, so I am pretty well aware of how the discipline operates. Like you said, early medieval history "dives" toward material culture, and literature as well. I didn't even realize how much scholarship on, say, early England was out there until I got into medieval studies and was able to look at literature and art as well as the more traditional primary sources. ("You mean there's more to English history than the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and Bede?!") Because of that, I've had difficulty finding local programs with POIs explicitly interested in medieval history before, say, 1200. The reason I've decided to stake my claim in art history rather than history or literature is because I love material culture - I actually participate in experimental archaeology - and also because I am interested in museum work.

I want to work in the museo-scholarly hotpot of the NYC-Philly area (yes I just made that phrase up) and I feel that an art history PhD will allow me the most inter-institutional and -disciplinary grace, whether I end up at a museum or a university, or both. The more I think about it, though, the more I acknowledge that academic walls are tearing me apart: my culture-periodic interests span literature, linguistics, history, art history, and archaeology! It feels like I'll never feel comfortable in one discipline. Oh well.

Edited March 4, 2011 by RecycledViking

[Medievalreader]

To continue in the vein of the OT, does anyone have any personal experience with the Institute of Medieval Studies at Leeds or the Centre for Medieval Studies at Durham? I am interested in early post-Roman England, and have been accepted into both taught MA programs. Leeds' manuscript library sounds very good, as does its association with the International Medieval Congress. However, I looked up the Guardian rankings and apparently Durham, in addition to being an older school, is ranked higher. Do rankings have an effect on admittance to good PhD programs in the UK?

Edited May 4, 2011 by Medievalreader

[Historiogaffe]

Re-reviving this thread to ask for thoughts on the Medieval Studies MSt at Oxford. Obviously, you know, Oxford—but the website waxes laconic as far as details. Has anyone done it, heard about it, is anyone aspiring after it?

[AliceDeLaPole]

hi all,

i've just joined this site so please forgive my initial clumsiness (i betray myself as a medievalist, don't i? much more comfortable with parchment than with laptops). i'm THRILLED to have found this website/this particular stream on it. i feel so isolated as a mediavalist (all of my friends are scary contemporary art historians who steep themselves in theory - i am very lonely in my 14th century bubble).

the information above has been very helpful. i am applying to interdisciplinary medieval studies master's programmes for (hopeful) admission in fall 2012. i am mostly applying to UK schools, but also to the university of toronto. i have a few questions relating to these; any advice would be wonderful.

a) following speakwrite: does anyone have anything to say about oxford? i should think that it would be marvellous, no? they have the bodleian, the ashmolean, actual medieval colleges... why is there so little info floating about?

i am also probably applying to the university of toronto's CMS (Centre for Medieval Studies) MA, but i hear this is VERY latin-focused. while i have begun to study latin this year, i don't know if i am ready to take the plunge and devote myself almost entirely to latin when my interest is gothic funerary monuments and the history of childhood (scattered interests, i know!)

more generally, i worry that an interdisciplinary MA might make me less 'marketable' should i decide not to move onto the doctoral level (or, more probably, should i irremediably fall into utter pauperhood). since 'medieval studies' isn't really a discipline, would i realistically be able to get a job working in a museum or something like that with such a master's, or would it be preferable to stick to my current discipline, which is art history?

i look forward to returning here - i'm sure this is going to be a great resource for me. it is already nice to know that other people are grappling with issues similar to mine.

[maeisenb]

a) following speakwrite: does anyone have anything to say about oxford? i should think that it would be marvellous, no? they have the bodleian, the ashmolean, actual medieval colleges... why is there so little info floating about?

i am also probably applying to the university of toronto's CMS (Centre for Medieval Studies) MA, but i hear this is VERY latin-focused. while i have begun to study latin this year, i don't know if i am ready to take the plunge and devote myself almost entirely to latin when my interest is gothic funerary monuments and the history of childhood (scattered interests, i know!)

more generally, i worry that an interdisciplinary MA might make me less 'marketable' should i decide not to move onto the doctoral level (or, more probably, should i irremediably fall into utter pauperhood). since 'medieval studies' isn't really a discipline, would i realistically be able to get a job working in a museum or something like that with such a master's, or would it be preferable to stick to my current discipline, which is art history?

While I am a historian, I do know something about the UK system so I'm going to pop in here with a few words.

Oxford is a great place and they have some really great resources as you pointed out. That can also be the problem, since there are so many programs there with so many people that it can be hard to figure out what exactly you want to work on. You'll really need to research the program and the people you want to work with to go there. All that being said, they offer basically an unlimited number of amazing seminars, lectures, and really anything else you could ever want. I would certainly start exploring POIs over there to speak with, since they will guide you through the rather complicated process.

As for Toronto being too Latin focused, if you want to do anything medieval that's a good thing. You'll have to know some decent amount of Latin (plus German and French too) if you want to work in the medieval field, so getting a real handle on it during an MA would give you a great leg up if you applied for PhDs. Even if you don't, it will still come in handy for any future job

I hope that helps to start and best of luck!

[Aelfgar1992]

hi all,

i've just joined this site so please forgive my initial clumsiness (i betray myself as a medievalist, don't i? much more comfortable with parchment than with laptops). i'm THRILLED to have found this website/this particular stream on it. i feel so isolated as a mediavalist (all of my friends are scary contemporary art historians who steep themselves in theory - i am very lonely in my 14th century bubble).

the information above has been very helpful. i am applying to interdisciplinary medieval studies master's programmes for (hopeful) admission in fall 2012. i am mostly applying to UK schools, but also to the university of toronto. i have a few questions relating to these; any advice would be wonderful.

a) following speakwrite: does anyone have anything to say about oxford? i should think that it would be marvellous, no? they have the bodleian, the ashmolean, actual medieval colleges... why is there so little info floating about?

i am also probably applying to the university of toronto's CMS (Centre for Medieval Studies) MA, but i hear this is VERY latin-focused. while i have begun to study latin this year, i don't know if i am ready to take the plunge and devote myself almost entirely to latin when my interest is gothic funerary monuments and the history of childhood (scattered interests, i know!)

more generally, i worry that an interdisciplinary MA might make me less 'marketable' should i decide not to move onto the doctoral level (or, more probably, should i irremediably fall into utter pauperhood). since 'medieval studies' isn't really a discipline, would i realistically be able to get a job working in a museum or something like that with such a master's, or would it be preferable to stick to my current discipline, which is art history?

i look forward to returning here - i'm sure this is going to be a great resource for me. it is already nice to know that other people are grappling with issues similar to mine.

 

Well for Toronto I can tell you that we have some great Anglo-Saxonists as well, in fact Andy Orchard was just chosen to take over the Rawlinson Bosworth professorship at Oxford, so we have many world class minds not just in Latin, though I speak only as an undergrad. Toronto's latin teaching is top notch (and rigorous), but it will prepare you well, I got lower marks in Latin but by God I learned it. But yes generally you should learn latin regardless of which language is your main focus. I'm into the Anglo-Saxon period, but many of the sources from then are in Latin, not just Old English so i still have to know it. But just in general i can tell you, for what it is worth, in my experience (as an undergraduate) that I have had an amazing experience at the University of Toronto, and  I have loved every second since i switched from an Early modern focus in first year to the Medieval period. And because of its size they have specialists in almost any area you could possibly think of.

 

On a different note...

 

I'm considering a variety of programs in the medieval period, Medieval Studies, Literature, History etc... Can anyone give me a rundown of the various strengths of the different schools. It's seems really hard to find information on medieval studies in general, and I don't really know what i ought to be looking for. I've been looking at Oxford for Medieval Studies or Literature, Cambridge for the ASNC MPhil or Lit. MPhil, UCL for Medieval Studies, York, Edinburgh for Literature, and of course Toronto.

Edited April 26, 2013 by Aelfgar1992