The importance of publishing/etc when applying

[vtstevie]

I'm finishing up my (terminal) MA right now in early Republic American history and am taking a year off before applying for PHD programs come next fall. I'm in the process of writing my MA thesis and am thinking hard about programs, trying to get a grip on what is realistic for me.

Assuming my thesis goes well (so far so good!), one major pitfall I feel I may have is a lack of experience. By this I mean, I've published one article in my university's student-run history review and have given one paper at a history conference while in grad school - that's it. I had one paper and one presentation rejected last week and I'm wondering how important it is to big name programs (or even more specialized programs like Delaware or Temple) that an applicant has an expansive CV when applying.

[Bukharan]

I don't know much about this. I feel like in the USA, it is not uncommon to get published and/or participate in conferences while you are still an undergraduate. In the UK, it is not uncommon to have a first publication when you are in the last years of a Humanities Ph.D.

I had two small (c.1200 words) history/politics publications in a university commentary journal when I applied. No conferences.

[StrangeLight]

most students applying to the top programs in the US will not have any conferences or published papers straight out of their BA. there are exceptions, but even most of the ivy league cohort won't have conferences or publications with just a BA.

i also think that most places assume you won't have conference presentations until you're finished your masters thesis, presumably because that's what you'd be presenting. i've been to 4 conferences so far (i'm in the second year of my MA) and i have 2 more lined up this year (3 were in my first year), but i'm unusual. i actually like doing these things and i've written very different papers for each. this sort of pace is definitely not expected.

you can't, or shouldn't, list any articles you've submitted for publication unless they've been accepted. so, most people won't have any publications, even with a completed MA, because they're just submitting their thesis the summer after they finish writing it.

yes, there are undergrads who crank out articles. but forgive me... i have yet to see a case where those articles are in respected mid-tier journals. they're usually in local/regional/university-affiliated journals or in journals specifically aimed for the publication of undergraduate or graduate work. yes, it's a line on a CV. yes, it shows dedication and ability to write a research paper. but it's not the same as producing an article that goes into a "real" journal. it demonstrates a lot of positives about an undergraduate to have this sort of work under their belt, but it is not on par with a "publication" publication. if those students (undergrads or MA students) get into real, mid-level journals, then it definitely counts. but that's exceedingly rare.

[Riotbeard]

I'm finishing up my (terminal) MA right now in early Republic American history and am taking a year off before applying for PHD programs come next fall. I'm in the process of writing my MA thesis and am thinking hard about programs, trying to get a grip on what is realistic for me.

Assuming my thesis goes well (so far so good!), one major pitfall I feel I may have is a lack of experience. By this I mean, I've published one article in my university's student-run history review and have given one paper at a history conference while in grad school - that's it. I had one paper and one presentation rejected last week and I'm wondering how important it is to big name programs (or even more specialized programs like Delaware or Temple) that an applicant has an expansive CV when applying.

You are in normal condition for applying. Strangelight is right. Nobody in my department had really serious publications on their CV, even those who had a masters. Any publications people had coming in were from undergrad or grad journals, and had presented at similar types of conference presentations. Having really solid publications (while certainly not unheard of) is still really rare for people applying to PhD programs. I had one publication in a medical journal (I won a medical historical library essay contest), and no conference presentations. That being said getting stuff published and presenting at conference can only help. It shows engagement, so do a few in your year off if you want, and put forthcoming or applied (depending on if you have been accepted or haven't heard) on your cv.

[vtstevie]

Great, thanks for the input guys. I will absolutely spend my summer off trying to get my thesis published somewhere as it sounds like it can only help (though not hurt) my chances.

Weird as it seems, reading this forum and having a roommate applying to law schools is making me VERY excited for applying next fall...!

[Emerson]

Besides just saying "amen" to the comments above, I will just add that even if you have lots of publications it doesn't assure you a spot. I have a dozen academic publications (three in "mid-tier" journals, one in a "top tier" journal, and the rest in student, local, or specialized journals), over a dozen conference papers (including a half-dozen at major conferences), and my admissions season has been, to say the least, a disaster.

EDIT: Sorry, reading over this a few minutes later I realize that it came across as far more bitter than it should. It's been a stressful week.

Edited February 27, 2011 by Emerson