Fall 2012 Applicant results

[cooperstreet]

I stole this from the Interdisciplinary studies thread. Wanna do this?

Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?)... Overall Reputation in your area?)

Major(s):

Minor(s):

GPA in Major:

Overall GPA:

Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?)

Type of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?)

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q:

V:

W:

Subject:

TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Special Bonus Points: (Such as connections, grad classes, famous recommenders, female or minority status etc...)

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

School - Department - Research Interest

School - Department - Research Interest

School - Department - Research Interest

[cooperstreet]

I

Undergrad Institution: Small Tech school not known for its humanities

Major(s): Econ

Minor(s):

GPA in Major: 3.6

Overall GPA: 3.2

Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?)

Type of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?)

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q: 740

V: 750

W: 5.5

Subject:

TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)

Research Experience: Published a research paper, numerous conference presentantions.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: None really

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Nope

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Nope

Special Bonus Points: Nope

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Nope

Applying to Where: Modern US 20th Century

School - Department - Research Interest

School - Department - Research Interest

School - Department - Research Interest

[Sigaba]

I like this idea. However, as I'm in L.A., I must say "I have notes!"

MOO, the template would benefit from information about:

• the applicant's areas of emphasis
  
• if her UG history department required a senior thesis, and
  
• if she participated in that department's honors program with details about that program.
  
  Additionally, specific data about an applicant's LoRs might be useful. That is, she get letters from:
  • The biggest names in her department
    
  • Those who know her and her work the best (to include graduate students who were her T.A.s)
    
  • Professors/graduate students in other departments
    
  • Individuals outside of the Ivory Tower
    

  Moreover, for non Americanists, data on language skills might be beneficial.

  Penultimately, detailed information on SoPs and writing samples might help future applicants.

  [*]Did an applicant mention specific POIs or point more broadly to a specific program's areas of emphasis?

  [*]Did an applicant tailor SoPs for each program?

  [*]Did an applicant edit or rewrite significantly a longer writing sample to get it within proscribed limits?

  Finally, a discussion of communication with POIs might help.

  No, wait! A list of "lessons learned" might also help.

[Safferz]

Since I'm currently procrastinating on a paper, I took it upon myself tweak the template a bit and include Sigaba's suggestions. I also took the 'special bonus points' part out because it seems redundant. I'll fill it out soon.

Undergrad Institution: (School or type of school, such as big state, lib arts, ivy, technical, foreign (what country?)... Overall Reputation in your area?)

Senior Thesis: (Did you write one? Was it required?)

Honors Program: (Did you participate? Include details about the program)

Major(s):

Minor(s):

GPA in Major:

Overall GPA:

Position in Class: (No numbers needed, but are you top? near top? average? struggling?)

Type of Student: (Domestic/International, male/female, minority?)

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q:

V:

W:

Subject:

TOEFL Total: (if applicable, otherwise delete this)

Research Experience: (At your school or elsewhere? What field? How much time? Any publications (Mth author out of N?) or conference talks etc...)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: (Within your school or outside?)

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: (Such as tutor, TA, SPS officer etc...)

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help:

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

School - Department

School - Department

School - Department

Research Interests & Areas of Focus:

Languages: (Include your reading, writing and speaking level)

Letters of Recommendation: (Details about your referees, whether they are well known in the field, how well do they know your work, etc)

Statement of Purpose: (How specific was it? Did you tailor it to each program? Did you identify professors you would like to work with, or point more broadly to the program’s areas of emphasis?)

Writing Sample: (Is it excerpted from a longer work? Was it prepared specifically for applications, or is it a class paper or thesis? Does it relate to the research interests described in your SOP?)

Communication with POIs: (Did you get in touch? How was your communication received?)

Lessons Learned from Application Process: (Is there anything you would have done differently?)

[Safferz]

Undergrad Institution: A top public research university in Canada

Senior Thesis: We don’t have one, but I chose to do an independent studies course which allowed me to produce the paper that I’ve used as my writing sample for most programs.

Honors Program: We also don’t have an honours program, but everyone at my school receives an honours degree upon completion of the required credits for graduation.

Major(s): History

Minor(s): African Studies, Women & Gender Studies

GPA in Major: 3.81

Overall GPA: 3.8

Position in Class: Dean’s List recipient (awarded to students with a minimum 3.5 GPA, the top 10% at my uni)

Type of Student: Canadian citizen, minority, female

GRE Scores (revised/old version): Revised GRE - the weakest spot on my application, but I try not to dwell on it:

Q: 146 (36%)

V: 161 (89%)

W: 4.0 (48%)

Research Experience: Four publications - one in the only journal in my subfield, one book chapter (with co-authors), two undergraduate journals. Three conference presentations (two international conferences, and one at my university).

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Awards from my university and history department; Dean’s List each year

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Internship with a historical society (not entirely linked to my specific research interests, but deals with the diaspora); head of an academic student union

Applying to Where: All direct-entry Ph.D programs for African History - Northwestern, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, UCLA, Berkeley, Princeton, Yale, University of Toronto (also checked off MA option for consideration)

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: 20th century East Africa, decolonization, mass nationalism and popular politics, gender and sexuality

Languages: Fluent in a relevant African language, some French (intermediate reading and writing ability)

Letters of Recommendation: Three strong recommendations - two from professors I have known for years and have taken multiple classes with, and one from a retired rockstar who has supervised my research. I consider them all mentors.

Statement of Purpose: My approach was to indicate the problems, questions and areas of research that interest me. I had a ‘fit paragraph’ at the end that I would tailor to each school based on their strengths, and I also briefly identified professors who I felt my research interests would fit comfortably with (either regionally or thematically, sometimes both -- it’s not always possible to find a perfect match with Africanist historians).

Writing Sample: My independent studies paper was about 30 pages, so I had to cut that down to 25 and 20 page lengths for most applications. For the schools that required a 10 page sample, I had a 12 page conference paper that I edited down to 10 and used.

Communication with POIs: I emailed them all, but not all replied. The responses I did receive were quite positive and helpful, and included one professor telling me that we had a thematic fit when I was had nearly decided against applying to that school because I thought no one there would work with my research focus. I also had the opportunity to meet a few POIs at a conference last month, and two attended my presentation. Another let me know that he heard I did a great job. I saw a few other POIs (and even attended their panels when I could), but I was a bit too intimidated to introduce myself What are you supposed to do when you see a Yale prof at McDonalds?

Lessons Learned from Application Process: I learned that it takes much longer than a few months to put together a competitive application, and I made a lot of decisions during my second and third year that paid off (or at least I hope!). Not everyone knows that they want to go to grad school that early, and if they do, they often don't know what steps to take during their undergrad years to get there. If your school does not have a mandatory honours/senior thesis, do it anyway or find a similar opportunity to conduct independent research and produce a paper based on primary sources. I don't know how else I would have been able to compete with American students who have an honours thesis built into their programs. I wish I had spent more time studying for the GRE, because it's an exam that in some ways tests how well you can write the GRE as much as it does actual concepts. I don't think it's nearly as significant as most worry it is, but I would certainly feel more confident in myself and my application if my GRE scores were stronger. I also learned that balancing grad school apps with a full course load is AWFUL, and should be avoided if possible, so if you can take a few summer courses or do something to lighten your first term, do it.

[Simple Twist of Fate]

I'm also procrastinating on a paper, so this was a welcome diversion.

Undergrad Institution: Medium-to-small sized midwestern private university. Only a few "names" in the history dept, who aren't quite relevant to my interests.

Senior Thesis: No required thesis for my major, but I wrote an Honors thesis.

Honors Program: Yes. They funded a research trip to Philadelphia for my thesis. One of my LoR writers is head of the Honors dept, so that helped.

Major(s): History

Minor(s): Philosophy, English.

GPA in Major: 3.97

Overall GPA: 3.93

Position in Class: Probably near the top.

Type of Student: WASP male. (ugh)

GRE Scores: old version

Q: 650 (56%? something like that)

V: 780 (99%)

W: 6.0 (99%)

Research Experience: My thesis, two major seminar papers and a fairly independent internship as a research assistant for a upcoming book. A few undergraduate journal publications. Nothing to really write home about. One small conference presentation next month.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: T.A., SI Leader, Tutor in history, philosophy and, at one point, geology for some reason. I'm also running a history tutoring program next semester in conjunction with my department. Also started/edit an undergraduate history journal at my school.

Applying to Where: Duke, Wm and Mary, Notre Dame, Indiana, Connecticut, Boston U, WUSTL, Princeton, UPenn, Ohio State.

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: Early American social and intellectual.

Languages: French - competent in reading and speaking, useless at writing.

Letters of Recommendation: I opted for profs that know me the best. One is my thesis advisor/mentor, who's a young guy with an emerging reputation in my field. He knows a few of my POIs personally, though not all. The other two are seminar profs whom I have good relationships with, even though their interests aren't aligned with mine. One of these last two has a reputation for writing greater LoRs.

Statement of Purpose: Basically just walked through how my teaching, research and undergraduate experience led me to pursuing a history PhD, my specific interests, and then the school/POIs in question. Each was tailored to the program, though some were more closely tailored than others. I really agonized over these.

Writing Sample: I saved the writing sample for last, which in retrospect may have been a mistake. It didn't feel rushed and I turned everything in early, but I would have liked to spend more time on it. The writing samples were various versions of my thesis. My thesis advisor has been great about working with me to produce these writing samples (including one marathon three hour session in his office before I turned things in). Since my thesis has really steered me towards my research interests, it was closely related to the POIs and the interests I outline in the SOP.

Communication with POIs: Emailed in early October when I was still deciding exactly where to apply to. Several didn't respond, but those that did respond were very encouraging and kind. I didn't pick up a correspondence with any of them, unfortunately, but the responses I got were reassuring. When a few profs didn't respond at all at schools I was on the fence about, that helped make up my mind not to apply there.

Lessons Learned from Application Process: I would have spent more time on crafting the writing sample. I would have showed it to more people also. I also wish I had more "bonus" goodies, like conference presentations and publications - but I think everybody wishes that. I wish I had spent more time working on the SOP/writing sample over the summer, in order to avoid cramming the application process on top of a full course schedule and 20 hrs/week of work.

[CageFree]

Undergrad Institution: Huge public research U, history dept. in top 10 (on paper lol).

Senior Thesis: I did, not required.

Honors Program: Yes, thesis

Major(s): History

Minor(s): Almost minored in Classics - I ended up two classes short.

GPA in Major: 3.7

Overall GPA: 3.1 (horrendous freshman year as a science major; failed a class twice and gave up on it); Post-baccalaureate work: 3.8 GPA

Position in Class: N/A

Type of Student: Domestic, fem, Latin American, returning/non-traditional (I'm in my 30's).

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q: 155 (67th)

V: 167 (98th)

W: 6.0 (99th)

Research Experience: Thesis, research assistant (undergrad)

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: My thesis adviser wrote my name in the acknowledgments when she wrote her book, since I helped with her research. Honors b/c of thesis.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: HS teacher for a number of years.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Lived in the country I want to study for over a decade. Been out of school for over a decade, working as a teacher.

Applying to Where: 2 Ivies, 5 public research. Focused on finding the right advisors rather than just going for rankings/name though.

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: Southern Cone, transitional justice, memory

Languages: Spanish (bilingual), read French & Portuguese. Took Latin in college.

Letters of Recommendation: 2 professors are big names in their corresponding fields, were my thesis advisers and know me very well - they wrote very supportive letters even though I graduated over a decade ago; my thesis adviser had me come see her, sat me down, and gave me a half-hour lecture on what I was getting myself into LOL. One of them taught at the top Ivy I'm applying to. The other one is my boss.

Statement of Purpose: Tailored to each school, ID'd the POI I talked to and explained why I wanted to go there. Quite a bit of bio since my story is unique and very relevant to both my interests and why I'm pursuing a Ph.D.

Writing Sample: Using my thesis - except a much stronger, retooled version. It was about 30 pages so it fit most programs' requirements.

Communication with POIs: I have corresponded with every POI - spoke to four of them on the phone. These four were awesome, gave me tons of advice - two of them really helped me narrow a field of interest that is more in line with current trends in scholarship - I had long conversations with each. I had a better response from all of the East Coast schools than I did from the West (I'm in CA) - it seems the CA profs are much busier. Doesn't bode well for me... I expect a heavy teaching load if I go to any of them.

Lessons Learned from Application Process: Procrastinated too much. I am not done with my apps yet; 3 are due in January, 2 are due this week.

Edited December 12, 2011 by teachgrad

[Hopin'-n-Prayin']

Undergrad Institution: Huge public research U, class of 1995.

M.A. Program: Not as huge, or well known, public research U, Graduated last week.

Honors Program: No

B.A and M.A. Major(s): History

B.A Minor(s): Economics

GPA in B.A Major: 3.0 (my school won heismans and national champioships when I was there, and was rated #1 top party school by Playboy magazine when I was there- the 3.0 was a miracle)

Overall undergrad GPA: 3.4

Position in Class: N/A

M.A. GPA: 3.84

Type of Student: White male, returning/non-traditional (I'm in my late 30's).

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q: 720 (74th) and 600 (47th)

V: 700 (97th) and 660 (94th)

W: 4.5 (72th) and 5.0 (84th)

Research Experience: M.A. Thesis

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: 2 papers accepted at conferences, one published book review, won departments graduate research grant for 2011

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Practicing attorney for a number of years.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Law Degree (1998)

Applying to Where: Only top 25 programs with the right advisors in cities where I am willing to raise my family.

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: U.S./ U.S. South/ Ante-bellum and colonial religion

Languages: Spanish

Letters of Recommendation: I waived, so I'll never what they say, but I expect they will be strong. My thesis advisor is a big name in his field, and he is a big fan of mine...

Statement of Purpose: Tailored to each school, ID'd the POI I talked to and explained why I wanted to go there. Used my M.A. thesis to detail my ability and approach toward historical research.

Writing Sample: I submitted a 25 page paper in a research seminar that later became my M.A. thesis- hope the archival sources in the bib. shine!

Communication with POIs: In August, I contacted all of my POI's (20 in all, at 10-11 schools). Rec'd response from all but one. All except for 3-4 gave me reason for optimism re compatibility.

Lessons Learned from Application Process: Don't know yet...I spent about 5-6 months on the actual, after laying the foundation for the previous year or so. I suppose I'll sort out the lessons I learned come February/March

[Loimographia]

Hoo boy, I feel like everyone else here is so much more amazing than I am, I'm officially terrified now. That said, I need an excuse to procrastinate finishing some apps right now (hehe) so I'll fill this out and then go cry in a corner.

Undergrad Institution: Large public research university, very respected in history, and medieval studies.

Major(s): History

Minor(s): Medieval Studies

GPA in Major:3.63

Overall GPA: 3.71 (I pulled Bs my sophomore year and took too many History classes that year that kinda mediocre-ized my Major GPA, then I brought it up overall by taking every medieval studies course outside the History dept for the rest of undergrad

Position in Class: No Clue

Senior Thesis: Yes, required

Honors Program: No honors program, honors are determined by minimum GPA/Thesis grade, and then subsequent nomination by your Thesis advisor

Type of Student: domestic, female, caucasian

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Q: 155 (69% I think?)

V: 165 (96%)

W: 4.5

Research Experience: Thesis, plus briefly assisting a prof at a summer course in his research

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: High Honors, also received an undergrad research grant (of a whopping $50 to order a microfishe, but they don't have to know that. . . )

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Assistant editor to my school's undergraduate history journal

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Took classes abroad after graduation on medieval architecture and architectural restoration (Don't know if this is an accomplishment, but it does show I'm dedicated to continuing my education?

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where: UPenn, Columbia, Cornell, U Toronto, Harvard, Georgetown, U Kansas, Notre Dame

Research Interests: Late Medieval Mediterranean, esp. Italy's interactions/trade

Languages: Latin, Currently enrolled in classes in French and Italian (Beginning Level, pretty much ;__; )

Letters of Recommendation: Another weak spot (?): All are strong (well, I think. Hope.), but two are "Medieval Studies" rather than History. There's really only 4 medieval historians at my school, and of those, one's a late antiquitist, another a byzantinist, and the third only ever taught one course I hadn't already taken with other medievalists >.< Of my three LORs, the historian's definitely a big name, another's a not-so-big name (but I loved him and his class so much that I think it'll be strong despite that), and the third was a visiting big-name from Oxford, which I'm secretly hoping will count for something. OK, not so secretly.

Statement of Purpose: One standard for all, with then a paragraph inserted tailored to each school. In each I tried to not only name professors I wanted to work with, but also why I really want to attend that specific school (i.e. they encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, or they just received a massive donations of unstudied manuscripts (I'm talking to you, UPenn. I love you, please take me so I can touch your MSs. . . wait. . . ) This was easier for some than others (really, UPenn, you can have my firstborn!)

Writing Sample: A very whittled down version of my senior thesis. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I amputated entire sections.

Communications with POIs: My biggest regret. I was a total coward and never worked up the nerve to contact profs. Really, really wish I had.

Lessons learned: Contact POI's. Get started a year before you think you actually need to. A good way to find details about the program that you can add to your SOP is to google "University Name + era/subject of interest." No matter how many times you've edited your WS, read it again word by word before you submit to make sure you don't accidentally submit it with an unbelievably stupid typo (whoops, sorry U Kansas).

[goldielocks]

Well, because it is midnight here and I am unable to fall asleep, and I find myself lurking around here anyway, I'll bite. I'm such a weirdo about giving away research specifics online, since I like to maintain some semblance of anonymity, so please forgive me if any of these are too generic.

Undergrad Institution: Large, public, research I university, class of 2009, with high honors

M.A. Program: Very, very small (practically a no-name) small liberal arts university (a state school). I will graduate this May.

Honors Program: No (Worked full-time to put myself through school — many of these missed opportunities make me sad, but I did my best.)

B.A. Major(s): History, Theatre Studies

M.A. Major(s):History (Modern Europe, and Modern Britain more specifically)

GPA in B.A Major: 3.88

Overall undergrad GPA: 3.6

Position in Class: I have no idea. I didn't even do the commencement ceremony. I just got out as fast as I could.

M.A. GPA: 4.0

Type of Student: White female, socioeconomically underrepresented background, first in family to go to college

GRE Scores (revised):

(I can't find where I wrote these down, and the ETS website won't let me log in — Ahh! But I scored around 97 in verbal, high 80s in writing, and somewhere pathetic for the quantitative.)

Q:

V:

W:

Research Experience: M.A. Thesis. I "discovered" an archival collection which has been neglected for this subject, and it has been an enormous discovery. I have high hopes for what it will bring to my field. Until then, I'm slaving away at cataloging/transcribing/synthesizing/organizing/staying sane! It will probably take me at least a year or two to get through the whole thing, as long as I keep treating it like a full time job. Yes, it's that large. I also have two sizable (and unrelated) seminar papers, and one large course project completed through a local historical institution.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List throughout BA and all of MA; two conference papers delivered and another one being delivered next month, with another likely (in a panel) proposed for this fall

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Besides busting my rear to put myself through school and managing to graduate with honors, I completed a relevant internship, founded a meeting and writing group at my MA institution, serve on the executive board for my MA institution's grad student council, volunteered at a local historical site, and I work for one of the H-Net list servs.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Professional memberships through the two biggest organizations in my field

Applying to Where: This is all in my signature, but: Rutgers, Yale, U of Washington, UIC, Berkeley, Northwestern, UT Austin, Boston U, SUNY Buffalo

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: I do interdisciplinary work, but my generic umbrella field is Modern Britain (I will share more specific details after admissions results are finished, I suppose. If anyone is interested, you can always PM me too.)

Languages: English (native, obviously), French (reading, speaking), German (reading), American Sign Language (intermediate)

Letters of Recommendation: My MA thesis advisor with whom I am very close and lucky to have, a professor at my MA institution who I've spent a lot of time talking about my plans with (and who I've had for three grad courses), and a prof from my undergrad institution who I've kept in touch with since graduation. They're all lovely people and I feel very lucky to have had their guidance in this process.

Statement of Purpose: I tailored my SOP for each school, and made a very concerted effort to describe how that specific program would contribute to my proposed dissertation (this was a possibility for me because of the collection I mention above). Then I describe what I can offer in exchange for those resources. I started out each one by talking about my current research and preparation. I just tried to be honest and precise. It would have been easy to make mine too sad or melodramatic, so I saved most of my personal details for those apps which asked for a diversity statement. I concentrated on the meat and potatoes: my work, my goals, my interactions with potential advisors, the way the faculty's scholarship has informed my research, etc.

Writing Sample: I submitted a seminar paper which represents the beginning stages of my MA thesis, trying to emphasize all of those primary sources from the collection I referenced above. I think it turned out well. It also fuses two of my conference papers from this past semester — I tried to be efficient.

Communication with POIs: I contacted a million POIs. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. But I contacted many people whose work has influenced me, and who were at programs I was interested in. Some of them said things like, "Fantastic project! Can't wait to read it! But I'll be on sabbatical, sorry!" Some said "Great project! Would love to see where it takes you! But I can't take on any more PhD students with a clear conscience, since [this many] of my current students are still searching for employment. Contact [these people] at [these programs] instead. Good luck!" Luckily, several others said, "Yes. This sounds like a worthwhile project. Would welcome your application. I see how it relates to my work here and here and here. And we have this resource and this other resource which might prove useful to you. Here's some advice for your application, to maximize your chances. Let me know if you have any questions. Look forward to seeing your materials." Only two didn't answer at all. I chose 9 of those who seemed enthusiastic, and applied there (only to programs I already wanted to apply to, of course). For some others, I wrote that I had decided against applying to the program (because of funding, usually, or whatever), and asked if they'd mind me keeping in touch to solicit their feedback on my work. I was pleasantly surprised when each of them sent an encouraging email and agreed to keep in touch. It's incredible what can happen if you just ask, politely, after having really spent a lot of time with their work, and are able to concisely describe how it connects to yours.

I also visited two programs last semester, and met with my PAs.

Lessons Learned from Application Process: You are much more than a GRE score or a GPA. Mine are okay, but certainly not perfect. Learn to accentuate the things you bring to the table that make you a valuable addition to the intellectual culture wherever you're going. If that's not enough for them, maybe it's for the best. Or maybe you just need a year (or two, or three...) to come into your own before tackling this process. It's a journey, but admissions results do not define you, or your intellectual promise, and should not destroy your self worth. Allow yourself days to stress out. Have someone to hold you accountable, though... someone who can tell you when to woman (or man) up and focus on your day-to-day life. Have someone who will encourage you to apply to the places you'd never be brave enough to do. I sincerely entertain no hopes of being considered at Yale or Berkeley, for example. But I knew that if I didn't apply, since several of the historians whose work has really shaped mine are there, I'd regret it. Put forth your best effort anyway. You never know what will happen. Focus on people who are there, who you want to work with. Read them first. Contact current grad students. Look into job placement statistics. If you wouldn't work at most of the places where their recent grads have achieved placement — don't apply. If you can't see yourself living in the program's city/town/whatever for at least 5 years, don't apply. But by all means, if there is a program (or two) that you've dreamt about attending for years and years, do it. All you can lose is the application fee. The worst they can say is no. That's all it is, too, not a reflection of your value as a student or a scholar or a person. Just a simple no. And if it's a prestigious program (like Yale or Berkeley, for me), then the majority of applicants receive a "no" anyway.

Do your research on every single program.

Don't be afraid to contact POIs early. Be concise and polite.

Be kind to all administrative assistants/grad coordinators/etc. First, that is the decent thing to do as a moral human being. Second, they can make or break you if you need a favor at the last minute (like that transcript that got lost somewhere in the mail...).

Finally, have heart. It's just one small chapter in your life. Whatever happens, you'll learn something and become a stronger applicant next year, or move in a different direction... or maybe, get an offer from one of those programs you've been dreaming about.

Edited January 9, 2012 by goldielocks

[SapperDaddy]

Undergrad Institution: 2nd tier state school, commuter school, close to home and cheap

M.A. Program: state technical/agricultural school. Well respected in some fields, underrepresented in mine. As a bonus though, they had an untapped archive that was in my field that had some one-of-a-kind resources.

Honors Program: no, not even sure that was an option

B.A. Major(s): History, Political Science

M.A. Major(s):History (Central European nationalism)

GPA in B.A Major: 3.8

Overall undergrad GPA:3.48 (first 2 semesters of mechanical engineering didn't help)

Position in Class: I don't think they even ranked us

M.A. GPA: 3.8

Type of Student: White male. Veteran. nontradiational (older) student. First in family to ever get a graduate degree.

GRE Scores (revised): not sure what the revised part means

Q: 620 (62nd)

V:680 (93rd)

W:5.5 (91st)

Research Experience: M.A Thesis. Also two articles submitted, pending peer review.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Finalist for best graduate paper Western Social Science Association. Winner of best graduate paper for Western Association of Slavic Studies, national finalist for ASEEES best graduate essay.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs:.T.A. all semesters of Master's program. Adjunct professor since graduating. Organized annual campus film festival with period films from my field.

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter: Veteran of Kosovo/Balkans conflict, many military leadership positions. Founded my own business, serving on state regulatory commission (appointed by the governor) for my industry.

Applying to Where: U of Washington, George Washington University, Northern Illinois, UC Berkeley, University of Utah (to keep my mother happy)

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: Interwar Czechoslovakia, nationalism and nation-building. I want to look at the role that the Czechoslovak Legion played in the politics of Czechoslovakia between the world wars.

Languages: English (native), Czech (near native, lived there 2 years, translation work in the army), German (studied in high school and 1 year university, lived in Germany 6 months, but mostly at a reading level now), Slovak (with a big Czech accent, but near native reading level), Polish (beginning)

Letters of Recommendations: Major professor for my MA, now retired, but was one of the top in his field, professor I TAed for, she says I'm the best student she's even worked with (got to love that). Professor from my undergrad institution who is also my supervisor as an adjunct and who I organized the film festival for.

Statement of Purpose: I focused on my experiences outside the academy, as I feel that between my military and work experience I really stand out. I also outlined my research interested and preparations in the field.

Writing Sample: I submitted the essay that was a finalist for the ASEEES award.

Communication with POIs: email with all potential ones. Visited two schools and spoke with POIs there.

Lessons Learned from Application Process:I hate waiting for something I know I don't have a whole lot of control over.

[Kelkel]

Undergrad Institution: Very small, private, liberal arts college in Louisiana. History department is well regarded within the state historical groups (such as PAT and LHA), but definitely not nationally. Only two history professors, plus one occasional adjunct.

Senior Thesis: Required. I wrote about the history of our college radio station. We had limited access to primary sources (our adviser did not want to be responsible for sending us on the road), so I picked what was important to me locally (I was the station manager of the station for two years). I hope that radio will be apart of my future research and I found that college radio has been poorly, if at all, researched.

Honors Program: Did not pursue the "honors program" we had (two independent research seminars which culminated in a bigger senior seminar paper).

Major(s): History

Minor(s): Political Science, German

GPA in Major: 3.8 ish

Overall GPA: 3.88

Position in Class: Graduated Magna Cum Laude

Type of Student: White, female

GRE Scores (revised/old version):

Highest Q: 67th percentile (or somewhere around that)

V: 89th percentile

W: Got 4.5 on every damn test I took.

Research Experience: Researched the history of our college radio station at my institution's archives. Mostly consisted of searching into 20 years of newspapers and cleaning out of office stacks looking for relevant documents.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Dean's List 8/8 semesters; two departmental awards (one for research, the other for work in international history/political science); member of ODK and PAT; presented my senior thesis at the regional PAT conference where it won an honorable mention; finally my senior seminar paper was published in North Louisiana History (which came as a complete surprise to me, but a nice one!).

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: I was a student assistant for the European History professor for two years. I graded some Western Heritage assignments and even got to teach two lectures for him my senior year.

Applying to Where: 8 PhD (Northwestern, Indiana, Notre Dame, UT Austin, Boston College, UMN, WUSTL and SUNY Buffalo) and 3 MA (SUNY Binghamton, Miami University and UT Dallas)

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: Modern European, with a regional focus of Germany and a thematic one of political and technological history.

Languages: Germany (not the best reading/writing, null extemporaneous speaking); Latin (it's been a while, but decent reading and writing).

Letters of Recommendation: Since our department only had two history professors, I got both to write one for me. Luckily one was my adviser and the other was the professor I worked for. The third is a political science professor that I took many classes under and was my political science minor adviser. Tiny school meant GREAT professor/student relationships, so they all knew very well of my desire to go to graduate school. However, they are not big "names."

Statement of Purpose: One document in which a specific paragraph was tailored to each school. I named which specific professor(s) I would like to work with and a short reason why.

Writing Sample: My entire senior thesis, it was within the page limit for most, if not all programs. While it does not fit in my area of focus, I wanted to show the schools my ability to work with primary resources.

Communication with POIs: Did not contact any of them. It was something I had plan on doing and wish I had, but I just did not have the time.

Lessons Learned from Application Process: Well, since this is round two for me I feel like I've learn a lot from both rounds. Do not take rejection so hard, because taking a year off is not the end of the world. I have been able to work, gain life experience and save money. I've also been able to spend money on myself that I haven't been able to and probably won't be able to for another 5-6 years.

Plus taking a year off could be beneficial to your applications if you have less to worry about while preparing. I know for my first time I was freaking out about the end of the semester and getting my senior thesis done, so my applications suffered. I feel better knowing that time this around, I sent them not only a polished writing sample, but one that has been awarded and even published!

Oh also, checking the results page religiously does not help your sanity. I definitely learned that one the hard way.

[oseirus]

I am surprised more people haven't filled out this page yet or are they too bus with other things?

[oseirus]

Undergrad Institution: A top party school in the South, grad in '05

Senior Thesis: It was optional and I didn't know how important it would be down the road so I took the seminar instead

Honors Program: Yes but again it was optional, and I wasn't that forward thinking at the time.

Major(s): History/Poli Sci.

Minor(s): Art History, French, Aerospace Science

GPA in Major: 3.63

Overall GPA: 3.40

Position in Class: Unsure but I know I graduated. I have pictures to prove it. My mother baked a cake and a lot of people were happy

Type of Student: Domestic, from an academically inclined family (both parents have a PhD), 2 sibs w/a doctorate.

GRE Scores (revised/old version): Revised GRE - no excuses could be better

Q: 148 (?%)

V: 164 (?%)

W: 5.0 (?%)

Research Experience: Unpublished personal research done in the field of my interest.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Academic Team (college bowl, quiz bowl) awards,

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Been out of academia and in the real world for the past few years, but I am ready to return now.

Applying to Where: Direct-entry Ph.D programs for African History - Harvard, Columbia (checked off MA option for consideration), UCLA, Berkeley, Princeton, &amp; University of Florida

Research Interests &amp; Areas of Focus: pre-colonial/colonial west Africa

Languages: Fluent in a relevant African languages and I understand some French (intermediate reading and writing ability)

Letters of Recommendation: I didn't read my LORs but I hope they were strong, otherwise those professors all set me up for the okie doke. They were all mentors &amp; professors who had highly encouraged me to pursue a PhD when I was in undergrad.

Statement of Purpose: I tried to explain why I wanted to get a PhD and why I'm coming back to school after being gone for almost a decade. I wanted to give them sense of my academic personality and what would compel me to stick with a potentially arduous endeavor. I tailored it as best as possible to each school but obviously there were certain overlaps that was unavoidable.

Writing Sample: I submitted a term paper from one of the professors who was writing one of my LOR. I slightly tweaked it but it was difficult to rewrite it as much as I wanted to because I couldn't get a hold of a good amount of the books I used as citation but them there's the breaks, as they say.

Communication with POIs: I emailed a ton of them, called them and I established a dialogue with a few. However some schools seemed to have a hands off approach and didn't seem to be very willing to communicate. The fault was probably on me because I waited till very late in the process to even try to contact them because I didn't know any better.

Lessons Learned from Application Process: I learned the following things

1. It is a process and you have to approach it like you are following a checklist. You can skip around somewhat but at the end of the day, there has to be systematic understanding of what you are doing.

2. Keep in touch with your professors and develop those relationships, even if you aren't sure you are going to pursue a higher degree. Their letters of recommendation come in handy not only for schools but for other things, such as jobs, etc. It is difficult to go trolling for a professor 5 years after you last communicated.

3. Give yourself some room to work with. I am sure most people here wished they had spent more time working on their application or wished they had more time to work on it. Time is never your friend because there are certain things that are out of your hands, such as when

4. Try to contact students at the schools you're applying at. You're eventually going to be studying with some of these people so get to know them somewhat and see if the school is a place you'll fit in personally. I often hear a lot about academic fit but I rarely hear a lot about personality fits. If you are one for the bright lights of the Big City, then I'm sure a school in pastoral setting isn't for you and vice-versa for someone attracted to the simplicty of countryside.

5. Learn to deal with anxity because the waiting will hurt. You basically become like a junky, fiending for that sweet hit of information. Will I learn something new today? What time is it? Dammit, why haven't I heard back from professor such and such? Did I make a mistake somewhere on my app? Did I leave out something pertinent on m SOP? Should I have done more than 3 LORs? Should I do a "surprise" visit to the schools? Trust me, you are going to think of at least ONE of these things at least once, whilst you wait. However, there is nothing, short of inventing a time machine, that will speed up the process, so enjoy the anxiety.

Edited January 12, 2012 by oseirus

[lureynol]

Tweaked this a bit to reflect my MA as well.

Undergrad Institution: Top tier public institution in Ireland (we certainly consider ourselves the best university in the country).

Senior Thesis: Required: An examination of the evolution of WWI air combat as interpreted through the Illustrated London News.

Honors Program: None by any traditional American definition.

Major(s): History

Minor(s): N/A

GPA in Major: N/A

Overall GPA: N/A, overall result was a 2:2

Position in Class: Low

MA Institution: Well respected 4 year college within the largest urban university system in the US.

Thesis: An exploration of the evolution of British occupational policy in the late Georgian Era.

Major: History

GPA: 3.82

Position in Class: No formal rankings but quite high.

Type of Student: Male, white, NYC born and raised.

GRE Scores (old version):

Q: 44%

V: 96%

W: 5.0

Answers below are in reference to my MA years.

Research Experience: Extensive. Both theses, plus several MA class papers. Seven conference papers to date, one in a panel I put together, and one accepted to be published in proceedings.

Awards/Honors/Recognitions: Two academic awards for research excellence and recruitment into an international honour society.

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Five semesters of TAing, plus a summer job as a content expert at a well known American history institute.

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Damn fine ballroom dancer and SCUBA diver (although I doubt this will help), can also fix photocopiers (come to think of it, I should have included this, it would have made me a shoe-in).

Any Other Info That Shows Up On Your App and Might Matter:

Applying to Where:

All applications are for PhDs to the History department: Cambridge (Cambridge has contacted me asking my permission for them to consider me for the MPhil, to which I agreed), Oxford, Exeter, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, U Chicago, Stanford, UNC: Chapel Hill, CUNY Grad Center.

Research Interests & Areas of Focus: British Empire, more specifically occupational policy.

Languages: French (speaking: fair, reading: good, writing: good). Comfortable with 18th and 19th century handwriting.

Letters of Recommendation: My adviser and second reader on my thesis, plus one of the professors I TA'd for, who has also read my thesis. My supervisor is relatively well know in European history.

Statement of Purpose: Went with the European approach - spoke mainly about my proposed dissertation. I tailored each one to the library holdings/research resources of each institution, and also mentioned the professors I wanted to work with.

Writing Sample: Depending on page limits either the entirety of or a chapter from my MA thesis, which is directly related to what I want to continue to do. If I only sent a chapter, I also enclosed my introduction, just to demonstrate where the chapter fit within the overall argument.

Communication with POIs: Tried to communicate with most of them, almost all who responded were guardedly encouraging.

Lessons Learned from Application Process: This is the third time I've done this, and it does get easier. I really do prefer the European approach to SOP - it reads much more professionally. To quote from the Oxford website: "In general we would emphasise (contrary to what seem to be common North American expectations) that we are not so much interested in your personal story as in your academic potential."

[Sigaba]

Keep the replies coming, everyone. The information you provide will help those who follow.

When you think through the "lessons learned," please be mindful to look forward as well as back.

[Kelkel]

I'm think I'll come back and edit this post later, with my decision results and other "lessons learned"!

I hope anyways...

[oseirus]

Any Miscellaneous Accomplishments that Might Help: Damn fine ballroom dancer and SCUBA diver (although I doubt this will help), can also fix photocopiers (come to think of it, I should have included this, it would have made me a shoe-in).

I am telling you that photocopier fixing is a lost artform! Thanks for giving the rest of us a chance! I have 5.5 months to learn now!

[SapperDaddy]

Always nice to see a fellow diver!

[Sigaba]

Minor(s): Art History, French, Aerospace Science

Pertinent Activities or Jobs: Been out of academia and in the real world for the past few years, but I am ready to return now.

oserius--

Are you prior service? (Specifically USAF?)

Regardless, you might want to check your references to the "real world" at the door (as well as the underlying sensibilities) before you go back into Ivory Tower. This is not to say you should compromise your beliefs but rather it is a suggestion that you find more collegial ways to phrase them. Graduate school is going to be difficult enough without lobbing those kinds of pejoratives in seminar.

[SapperDaddy]

oserius--

Are you prior service? (Specifically USAF?)

Regardless, you might want to check your references to the "real world" at the door (as well as the underlying sensibilities) before you go back into Ivory Tower. This is not to say you should compromise your beliefs but rather it is a suggestion that you find more collegial ways to phrase them. Graduate school is going to be difficult enough without lobbing those kinds of pejoratives in seminar.

How is that a pejorative?

[Sigaba]

How is that a pejorative?

It connotes that living and working the Ivory Tower are not the same as similar experiences out of it and, somehow, not "real."

This construct flies in the face of the fact that many of today's most contentious issues of debate were anticipated--if not formulated--by academics. For example, consider C.P. Snow's 1959 Rede Lecture and the ensuing critical responses and how similar that debate is to the ongoing "cultural wars" in the United States.

MOO, a more sustainable way to go is to phrase things in term of one's experiences, perspective, vantage point, or preference. Such approaches allow one to disagree without being disagreeable. You never know when you're going to encounter an idea that makes you reconsider long standing assumptions.

Edited January 14, 2012 by Sigaba

[oseirus]

Oh no sir ... no diver here ... a poor driver maybe but a diver? alas no

[oseirus]

I totally agree that academia is as real as someone else working in banking, etc b/c they are providing something else to enhance society at large. That was attempt at humor that fell flat, mea culpa to one and all

[crazedandinfused]

I totally agree that academia is as real as someone else working in banking, etc b/c they are providing something else to enhance society at large. That was attempt at humor that fell flat, mea culpa to one and all

I've learned the hard way that academics are particularly sensitive to the notion that somehow being a scholar is not a "real" profession. When one actually enters the "professional" (ie, non-academic) world, the banality and futility of many private sector jobs only highlights the importance and potential for personal fulfillment that academia offers. The fact that many non-academic jobs are nine-to-fivers where you DON'T take your work home with you makes the idea that the all consuming work of academia is not real work all the more insulting. I used to have very grave misgivings about the social efficacy of academia, but two years in the "professional world" sent me scurrying back to the Ivory Tower.