2nd hand suggestions

[Tybalt]

Hello, history folks. I'm a literature grad student, and one of my cousins asked me for advice about applying to history grad programs (she just finished undergrad). I was able to give her some general advice, but I was hoping that you kind folks could give some content specific nuggets of knowledge.

She lives in MD, but is not against traveling for school (though I'm pretty sure she wants to stay on this side of the country). She seems particularly interested in the French Revolution and its impact on later time periods (she seemed most excited when telling me about a paper wherein she connected the FR to the politics of WW2).

Any suggestions as far as programs, potential mentors, other details that a Lit student wouldn't have known to tell her?

Thanks!

[Derfasciti]

My only advice is generic. She should probably start investigating grad school by going to several of her professors and asking them about their experiences, explaining her interests, and asking THEM if they know of any universities (or even better, people they know in those universities) that focus on her area of interest. I found talking to my professors about graduate school was a great way of killing two birds with one stone: I learned so much about the process of applying, what history grad school is like, and basic do's and don'ts, yes. But at the same time I also continued to build up my relationship with my professors so when the time came for me to ask them about letters of recommendation they were all too happy to write them.

Another one is language: From what I can see, languages can sometimes make or break an application. If French history is going to be her focus, having a lot of french under her belt is a great start to any application. The more language experience and the more languages, the better.

The paper sounds interesting and could be a potential writing sample for her application. If she decides to seriously pursue grad school then presenting the paper at conferences and having professors make editorial suggestions can be a great way for her to refine the paper and make is WS-worthy.

Hope some of this helps!

[Tybalt]

My only advice is generic. She should probably start investigating grad school by going to several of her professors and asking them about their experiences, explaining her interests, and asking THEM if they know of any universities (or even better, people they know in those universities) that focus on her area of interest. I found talking to my professors about graduate school was a great way of killing two birds with one stone: I learned so much about the process of applying, what history grad school is like, and basic do's and don'ts, yes. But at the same time I also continued to build up my relationship with my professors so when the time came for me to ask them about letters of recommendation they were all too happy to write them.

Another one is language: From what I can see, languages can sometimes make or break an application. If French history is going to be her focus, having a lot of french under her belt is a great start to any application. The more language experience and the more languages, the better.

The paper sounds interesting and could be a potential writing sample for her application. If she decides to seriously pursue grad school then presenting the paper at conferences and having professors make editorial suggestions can be a great way for her to refine the paper and make is WS-worthy.

Hope some of this helps!

Thanks for the response. I did tell her to speak with her undergrad professors, but I had not mentioned languages or conferences. Do history programs frequently have language requirements? I'm used to that as a Lit student, but it didn't occur to me to ask about that. As for conferences, is there any kind of central listing of upcoming History conferences and Calls for Papers (similar to the UPenn site for lit)?

Thanks!

[sandyvanb]

Thanks for the response. I did tell her to speak with her undergrad professors, but I had not mentioned languages or conferences. Do history programs frequently have language requirements? I'm used to that as a Lit student, but it didn't occur to me to ask about that. As for conferences, is there any kind of central listing of upcoming History conferences and Calls for Papers (similar to the UPenn site for lit)?

Thanks!

Yes, language requirements are determined by field. If she wants to become an American historian, she will need to pass one language test and possibly two depending on the department. If she plans to study French/European history, she will have to know French and the other language will probably be dependent on her research. Research will be based on primary sources and if she plans on writing about French history, the documents will be in French. You should tell your cousin to subscribe to H-Net (free) in her desired field/research interest for conferences/calls for papers and to join us on this board herself.

[Derfasciti]

Tybault, yup Sandyvanb has it right. Languages can be really useful and they look excellent on her CV. Of course it might be hard to decide 100% what anyone's research interests are right now - heck, I just got accepted into an MA program and I'm still not sure what geographical area I want to do completely (although luckily, they are somewhat intertwined). Still, learning more French and perhaps picking up, say, German, can be a great start. She should start looking into summer intensive language courses at her institution or nearby ones. Languages for MA's aren't as emphasized as ph.d programs, but even in an MA you're expected to continue your language studies. Languages CAN keep you out of some programs, and probably most Ph.d programs too. I know I could not get into a ph.d-track school based almost soley on my lack of Russian knowledge. They wanted a bare minimum of 3, and preferably 5 years! So yes, it can be pretty important.

As for conference ideas, she should definitely join her school's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society. They host yearly undergraduate conferences that look great on a CV and give the undergrads a feel for what a "real" conference is like in a friendly, supportive environment. Heck, just being a participating member, becoming an officer, etc. looks good on the CV. It's all about building one's resume .

Edited August 2, 2011 by Derfasciti

[Sparky]

As for conference ideas, she should definitely join her school's chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society. They host yearly undergraduate conferences that look great on a CV and give the undergrads a feel for what a "real" conference is like in a friendly, supportive environment. Heck, just being a participating member, becoming an officer, etc. looks good on the CV. It's all about building one's resume .

Conferences are all and good, better if you organize a panel/present/etc. But by and large, PhD adcomms do not care about generic extracurricular activities.

Also, rereading the OP, the person in question has already graduated, yes? I took a year off between undergrad and grad. In addition to working, I actually registered as a non-degree-seeking undergrad at the local college. Since it was in the spring, it didn't help me with that first round of apps (for the MA), but it *did* give me a great background in the courses I took! And it was, um, a lot of fun.

Looking at programs: another way to go, especially if you're having trouble contacting former profs, is to look at which recently-published journal articles and books you have most enjoyed/found most useful/so totally wish you had written. Who wrote those articles? Now go to the intertubes, and find out where those people teach and where they did their own grad work. Odds are that at least *some* of them will either be potential advisers, or have recently come from programs where you might also be a good fit.