History Admissions 2009

[synthla]

Sorry, it seems like such a rare occurrence, I'd rather keep the specifics to myself at this point. But I will say that it seemed like it was an effort made on the professor's own initiative and not a department policy. I wouldn't be nervous. I haven't heard a peep from any other program.

[technocat]

Synthla, thanks much. Sounds manageable.

[quote name="Louiselab

[TMP]

Louiselabe. Seriously. Your schools don't do interviews! You've applied to one of them already.... and the other knows you already.... Give yourself a break

[Louiselab]

Louiselabe. Seriously. Your schools don't do interviews! You've applied to one of them already.... and the other knows you already.... Give yourself a break

That does not prevent me from being neurotic! there isn't enough chocolate to take the edge off impending rejection!

[canadiana]

[quote name="Louiselab

[Nicolay]

It's February!!

[storiaitaliana]

Yay!! Three more weeks and I will hear something! WOOO!!

[Louiselab]

Yay!! Three more weeks and I will hear something! WOOO!!

What kind of Italian history are you doing? I have a soft spot in my heart for the italiani...

[storiaitaliana]

How great to hear! There are so few people who share this interest, it seems! I am interested in issues around the Risorgimento and Italian identity. I find it very interesting how a peninsula full of people so extremely identified with their region, even their own little towns, became a unified state. I think in a lot of ways, the whole unified-state-under-the-Lombards thing didn't really work out too well :roll: I'm also extremely interested in anti-mafia movements, like the Addiopizzo movement in Sicily, the work of Roberto Saviano, etc.

[Louiselab]

How great to hear! There are so few people who share this interest, it seems! I am interested in issues around the Risorgimento and Italian identity. I find it very interesting how a peninsula full of people so extremely identified with their region, even their own little towns, became a unified state. I think in a lot of ways, the whole unified-state-under-the-Lombards thing didn't really work out too well :roll: I'm also extremely interested in anti-mafia movements, like the Addiopizzo movement in Sicily, the work of Roberto Saviano, etc.

That's so awesome! I haven't read anything about the Risorgimento since Modern Italian Lit freshman year... Which, ironically started with Galileo... Even stranger was that Garibaldi was living on Long Island after unifying Italy... I miss the Italian department/program. It was small enough that I knew everyone, and there were certain things and references everyone had. Like who Pasolini was. Will I ever get used to a program that doesn't Pasolini or Bettino Craxi??

In boca del lupo!!

[TMP]

I suppose that chocolates seem to be the food that would reduce anxieties around here... I have some chocolate covered pretzels here, any takers? Anyone want to start a betting pool on who's going to come next- Stanford, Yale, or UCLA? :mrgreen:

[storiaitaliana]

I know!! I will miss being in the Italian department so much. I just don't want to spend my life analyzing literature, so I had to switch into History. Che peccato! What area of history are you wanting to study?

[quote name="Louiselab

[sra08]

I suppose that chocolates seem to be the food that would reduce anxieties around here... I have some chocolate covered pretzels here, any takers? Anyone want to start a betting pool on who's going to come next- Stanford, Yale, or UCLA? :mrgreen:

Well, Stanford's deadline was the earliest. I've applied to all three of those as well, in U.S. history. Is it wistful thinking to hope of hearing news this week? Obsessive study of results patterns from previous years indicate the University of Wisconsin-Madison often start giving acceptances around this time.

This thread is also reminding me that I should probably spend some time working on my Italian for class, rather than refreshing my e-mail and this board every ten minutes.

[synthla]

I think of the schools to which I'm applying, UCSB has been the earliest, historically. I don't have many schools east of the Mississippi... leaving the west coast would be tough. Already did the Ivy east coast thing once, and... no thanks.

[misterpat]

I think of the schools to which I'm applying, UCSB has been the earliest, historically. I don't have many schools east of the Mississippi... leaving the west coast would be tough. Already did the Ivy east coast thing once, and... no thanks.

I also think UCSB will be the first school I hear from. I also think Virginia will begin contacting people in Feb, but I base this on absolutely nothing. Aside from the Dec 1 deadline, of course.

[aboa]

Who had that interview with Harvard? If you're around, could you post what it was like?

Do history departments do interviews all of a sudden?

Hi everyone, I'm an international student and also applied for the history department at Harvard.

I have benn contacted with a professor at Harvard via e-mail on January 9th. The professor expressed her interests in my application, and requested me to e-mail two writing samples (one in English and one in Chinese) to her ASAP for her to read before January 16th, which is the deadline for "forwarding applications to the departmental committee." This message from the school came unexpectedly early (I guess it's because my missing English writing sample). I e-mailed the two writing samples, but haven't heard anything since then.

Can the e-mail from the professor be called as an "interview"? I am suggesting that professors pick out applications that they are interested in, and forwarded them to teh departmental committee. If so, I wonder the intervew message posted on the result page was conducted between applicant and his/her potential advisor or the members of departmental committee. How was it like?

Hope my reply helps to provide information of the admission timeline of Harvard. However, I'm a bit nervous now. Learning for the admission survey last year, admission decision, if it's good news, should be heard in around next week. Should I asked the professor how the reviewing process is going, or should I wait until the time that admission are generally send out (and then wait for the rejection letter...)? It my second time to apply graduate school, and I truly wish my long journey could arrive it's end...

Good luck to all of us!

[synthla]

Hope my reply helps to provide information of the admission timeline of Harvard. However, I'm a bit nervous now. Learning for the admission survey last year, admission decision, if it's good news, should be heard in around next week. Should I asked the professor how the reviewing process is going, or should I wait until the time that admission are generally send out (and then wait for the rejection letter...)? It my second time to apply graduate school, and I truly wish my long journey could arrive it's end...

As painful as it is to wait, I would not send a follow up email; I was once in a similar position and thought about it like this: either they've already decided to reject you, in which case they're not going to change their mind just because you ask about your application, or they're already leaning toward admitting you, in which case an email asking about your application at best does nothing really to help you, and at worst annoys them. It's been hard restraining myself at times because I like to feel like I'm taking positive steps toward a goal, but sometimes it really is best just to sit back and wait it out.

[TMP]

I have benn contacted with a professor at Harvard via e-mail on January 9th. The professor expressed her interests in my application, and requested me to e-mail two writing samples (one in English and one in Chinese) to her ASAP for her to read before January 16th, which is the deadline for "forwarding applications to the departmental committee." This message from the school came unexpectedly early (I guess it's because my missing English writing sample). I e-mailed the two writing samples, but haven't heard anything since then.

A request for a writing sample in foreign language??? HOT.

No seriously... be glad that you're actually fluent enough to write one comfortably unlike the rest of us Americans :oops: Even if I got my Hebrew up to par... dunno if I'd still have the guts.

[Louiselab]

No seriously... be glad that you're actually fluent enough to write one comfortably unlike the rest of us Americans :oops: Even if I got my Hebrew up to par... dunno if I'd still have the guts.

Pinkie, totally speak for yourself. I'm American and I LOVE my foreign languages.

[misterpat]

As painful as it is to wait, I would not send a follow up email; I was once in a similar position and thought about it like this: either they've already decided to reject you, in which case they're not going to change their mind just because you ask about your application, or they're already leaning toward admitting you, in which case an email asking about your application at best does nothing really to help you, and at worst annoys them. It's been hard restraining myself at times because I like to feel like I'm taking positive steps toward a goal, but sometimes it really is best just to sit back and wait it out.

Sending the follow up e-mail is the academia-equivalent of the scene in Swingers when he calls the girl and leaves a message the very same night that he gets her phone number. Don't do it.

[synthla]

Sending the follow up e-mail is the academia-equivalent of the scene in Swingers when he calls the girl and leaves a message the very same night that he gets her phone number. Don't do it.

Classic movie. Haha... you could essentially cut and paste my email into a response to someone asking whether to "call that girl again" and it would be just about as appropriate. Good analogy.

[habu987]

Hey everybody, just thought I'd introduce myself and ask y'all's opinion on the status of my application. A friend just showed me this website today and I feel like smacking myself on the head with a 2x4 for not finding this earlier.

Anyways, I am a senior at The Citadel, triple majoring in History, Political Science, and Criminal Justice. I have a 3.56 cumulative GPA and have a 3.71 in History, a 3.64 for Criminal Justice, and a 3.5 in Political Science. For the GRE, I got a 670 Verbal, 720 Quantitative, and a 5.0 on the Analytical Writing. I know I got three kick-ass letters of recommendation, as well. I worked closely with my academic adviser in preparing the SOPs and my writing sample.

In my study of History, I have focused on military history, with a further emphasis on the Civil War.

I have applied to the PhD programs at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. I'm really nervous, given that my cum GPA is a good bit lower than they say is the average (~3.7 - 3.8 ). Furthermore, I'm rather disappointed with my Verbal and Analytical Writing scores on the GRE.

Anyone have an inkling how competitive I am for those two programs, if at all? In addition, anyone think I might be in the running for a fellowship or anything? I cannot attend either school without full aid, so I'm really keeping my fingers crossed on it. My academic adviser thought that I would be competitive to very competitive for fellowships at either school.

Sorry about the long post.

Thanks!

[synthla]

Anyone have an inkling how competitive I am for those two programs, if at all? In addition, anyone think I might be in the running for a fellowship or anything? I cannot attend either school without full aid, so I'm really keeping my fingers crossed on it. My academic adviser thought that I would be competitive to very competitive for fellowships at either school.

Ironically, it is likely that your academic advisor knows more than any of us. That being said, are their faculty at your schools with similar interests who you mentioned in your SoP? I'm no more an expert than you (being in essentially the same position) but that seems to be one of the biggest factors. If your application resonates with a professor, it seems that they're more likely to overlook other shortcomings. You don't seem to have any glaring ones though.

[habu987]

In both SoPs, I mentioned the two or three faculty at both schools who I would want to work with. I'm hoping that suffices.

Thanks!

[futurePhD]

Hey everybody, just thought I'd introduce myself and ask y'all's opinion on the status of my application. A friend just showed me this website today and I feel like smacking myself on the head with a 2x4 for not finding this earlier.

Anyways, I am a senior at The Citadel, triple majoring in History, Political Science, and Criminal Justice. I have a 3.56 cumulative GPA and have a 3.71 in History, a 3.64 for Criminal Justice, and a 3.5 in Political Science. For the GRE, I got a 670 Verbal, 720 Quantitative, and a 5.0 on the Analytical Writing. I know I got three kick-ass letters of recommendation, as well. I worked closely with my academic adviser in preparing the SOPs and my writing sample.

In my study of History, I have focused on military history, with a further emphasis on the Civil War.

I have applied to the PhD programs at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. I'm really nervous, given that my cum GPA is a good bit lower than they say is the average (~3.7 - 3.8 ). Furthermore, I'm rather disappointed with my Verbal and Analytical Writing scores on the GRE.

Anyone have an inkling how competitive I am for those two programs, if at all? In addition, anyone think I might be in the running for a fellowship or anything? I cannot attend either school without full aid, so I'm really keeping my fingers crossed on it. My academic adviser thought that I would be competitive to very competitive for fellowships at either school.

Sorry about the long post.

Thanks!

Hey Habu,

I'm also no expert, but my field of interest is also US history (although not military history), and I am somewhat familiar with the programs at the two schools you mentioned. I think your GRE scores and cumulative GPA are good enough to merit consideration at Duke and UNC. A lot will depend on how good your SOP and writing sample are.

It's impossible for anyone to say with any accuracy what your chances are. Those two programs are ultra competitive ( I think Duke only matriculates maybe 10 per year). Some of it also depends on things completely out of your control- will the professors that are interested in your application be able to take new students, and how much money is available for funding this year? For the record, it sounds like your interests are by far a better fit for UNC than Duke. I remember when I researched Duke, almost all of their military history/civil war scholars were either retired or close to it.

Are those the only programs you applied to, or just your top two choices? Best of Luck!