czesc Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Thanks all for the LOR tips so far! Sigaba - might the same problems be (potentially) true of all LOR writers? I guess it would be prudent to somehow look into everyone's backgrounds in terms of professional spats and jealousies...but I'm not sure how one goes about sussing these sorts of things out. regalrenegade - have you looked at Fredrik Albritton Jonsson at UChicago? He's more into environmental than cultural history, but seems to have dealt with its cultural impacts as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigaba Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Sigaba - might the same problems be (potentially) true of all LOR writers? I guess it would be prudent to somehow look into everyone's backgrounds in terms of professional spats and jealousies...but I'm not sure how one goes about sussing these sorts of things out. IMO, the difference is that historians who are in the Ivory Tower will be playing by the same set of rules overall--in particular, "publish or perish," with the specifications of a published work falling within established standards. So unless two historians have some truly bad blood between them (Eugene Genovese's vendetta against Herbert Gutman comes to mind), there is still going to be a foundation of professional respect. By contrast, a historian who is a superstar outside of the Ivory Tower could be making his bones by coloring outside the lines. For example, Victor Davis Hanson is increasingly prominent as a public intellectual and as a historian who is popular among laypersons who are right of center. However, as he is now emeritus and as he often deviated from the trajectory of professional academic history, one might argue that his star is a bit tarnished. Evidence of this tarnish can be found in a recent review of one of his works in the Journal of Military History took a couple of subtle but vicious jabs at Hanson personally. StrangeLight 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 IMO, the difference is that historians who are in the Ivory Tower will be playing by the same set of rules overall--in particular, "publish or perish," with the specifications of a published work falling within established standards. So unless two historians have some truly bad blood between them (Eugene Genovese's vendetta against Herbert Gutman comes to mind), there is still going to be a foundation of professional respect. By contrast, a historian who is a superstar outside of the Ivory Tower could be making his bones by coloring outside the lines. For example, Victor Davis Hanson is increasingly prominent as a public intellectual and as a historian who is popular among laypersons who are right of center. However, as he is now emeritus and as he often deviated from the trajectory of professional academic history, one might argue that his star is a bit tarnished. Evidence of this tarnish can be found in a recent review of one of his works in the Journal of Military History took a couple of subtle but vicious jabs at Hanson personally. In other words, whilst David Barton writing an LOR to say Oral Roberts or Liberty University might be SUPER awesome & great, most other places might look at you as if you're the scum of the earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theregalrenegade Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Hope that answered your question! You did! Your answer makes complete sense. Thanks for the input. regalrenegade - have you looked at Fredrik Albritton Jonsson at UChicago? He's more into environmental than cultural history, but seems to have dealt with its cultural impacts as well. Funny you mention Dr. Jonsson. I did a search a while back and his name popped up. I plan on reading his work and learning more about his research. How did you come across him? (Feel free to PM me if you'd rather not discuss this on the board.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
czesc Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 (edited) regalrenegade - no problem discussing it openly here; his name popped up when I was doing my own search for people to work with on British transnational / imperial history. Feel free to PM though if you want to talk more specifically about this area without disturbing others in the thread Also, if anyone else has any suggestions in this area, they'd be most welcome to reply or PM. The names I have are all from top schools - Harvard, Princeton, NYU, Stanford, Cambridge. I want to diversify the pool I'm looking at with more realistic / probable possibilities... Sigaba - thanks again for great advice. Do you think it would be preferable to have a law professor write this third LOR rather than risk ill feelings surfacing? Edited March 24, 2012 by czesc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigaba Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 regalrenegade - no problem discussing it openly here; his name popped up when I was doing my own search for people to work with on British transnational / imperial history. Feel free to PM though if you want to talk more specifically about this area without disturbing others in the thread Also, if anyone else has any suggestions in this area, they'd be most welcome to reply or PM. The names I have are all from top schools - Harvard, Princeton, NYU, Stanford, Cambridge. I want to diversify the pool I'm looking at with more realistic / probable possibilities... Sigaba - thanks again for great advice. Do you think it would be preferable to have a law professor write this third LOR rather than risk ill feelings surfacing? The Forty Acres has a program that might be of interest to you <<LINK>>. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
czesc Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Thanks - I discovered that program awhile back, just unsure if I could ever stomach living in Texas...even Austin. Probably can't afford to be that choosy, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jogatoronto Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 Well then my work here is done ... I will now take all the credit for her success and your future success of course I'll make sure to thank you around this time next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted March 25, 2012 Share Posted March 25, 2012 I'll make sure to thank you around this time next year! please do ... and whilst we're at it .... you can also make a donation to my charity the Oseirus Fund ... where we aim to support more seasoned youths w/in the ages of 29-30 to live a lifestyle that is commensurate to what we feel they should be living ... the Oseirus Fund, where Arrested Development is Freed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lafayette Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 regalrenegade - no problem discussing it openly here; his name popped up when I was doing my own search for people to work with on British transnational / imperial history. Feel free to PM though if you want to talk more specifically about this area without disturbing others in the thread Also, if anyone else has any suggestions in this area, they'd be most welcome to reply or PM. The names I have are all from top schools - Harvard, Princeton, NYU, Stanford, Cambridge. I want to diversify the pool I'm looking at with more realistic / probable possibilities... Have you looked at Berkeley? A friend of a friend does Britain there, but most of her interests pertain to colonialism (India, in particular). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
czesc Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Thanks, lafayette. I think I'll almost definitely apply to Berkeley -- it has one of the great history departments -- but I have multiple friends in the UC system (including at Berkeley) and they've all experienced either enormous funding scares or complete funding cutoffs. One was even forced to move to Australia to continue in her subfield. It just makes me think twice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageFree Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 CageFree - thanks! Do you study Argentine history by the way? (basing my inference off your avatar) Yep! I'm interested in social and political history in the 1980s and 1990s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageFree Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Thanks, all! This has been really encouraging. It's strange, but just posting here is helping me overcome doubts and makes this process feel more inevitable. I think I'm probably going to go for it. I have a "comfortable" life and it's nowhere near as stressful or awful as it could be in my current profession/this economy, but I feel like I'm just going through the motions and not doing enough of what I love, which is writing and engaging with ideas. Now I just have to think about whether I want to leave my job at some point and devote myself to the application process full time, or leave that for when this is a more certain thing. I guess it will depend on whether I can carve out enough time for GRE studies / meetings with profs, etc. I'm leaving a (not-so lucrative, but tenured) career in education for a PhD and you know what? I'm scared out of my wits. That's just the plain truth. What if it doesn't pan out? What if I hate it? What if I flunk out? I keep thinking about the fact that I'm taking a 40K pay cut and have bills to pay (luckily, I will be married by the time I start and can rely on him for support), and that I'm in my mid-30s and will be hanging out with a bunch of people a decade younger. But you know what else? I am happy with the decision I made because I too feel I'm going through the motions at my current job. It feels like a shoe two sizes too small (hence, my nickname). I need intellectual stimulation, and I miss having the time to read things I'm actually interested in. I miss doing research. As far as finding time to apply, you just do. I had the summer off and was recovering from surgery so I had plenty of time to research schools, study for the GRE and work on my SOP, but the bulk of the writing (SOP and revising my writing sample) was done while I was working full time, coaching an academic team by myself plus running two clubs, and doing the bulk of my wedding planning. I was working on the writing sample at lunch and at break, showing bits and pieces to my student-teacher (who was not teaching anything at the time) and getting his feedback, during quizzes and tests... just carving out whatever little bit of time I had. It got done. I came out 15 lbs. heavier from eating junk, with twice as much gray hair, and knowing myself a heck of a lot better. I put it off way too long... and would have continued putting it off if my fiance hadn't talked some sense into me and told me to just go for it. I kept finding reasons why it was not the right time... you know, there's never a "right" time. In 5 years I'll still be 40; the difference is whether I'll be here, wasting away and wishing I were somewhere else, or there and finishing my first book. The choice is a no-brainer for me. lafayette and runaway 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theregalrenegade Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I'm leaving a (not-so lucrative, but tenured) career in education for a PhD and you know what? I'm scared out of my wits. That's just the plain truth. What if it doesn't pan out? What if I hate it? What if I flunk out? I keep thinking about the fact that I'm taking a 40K pay cut and have bills to pay (luckily, I will be married by the time I start and can rely on him for support), and that I'm in my mid-30s and will be hanging out with a bunch of people a decade younger. But you know what else? I am happy with the decision I made because I too feel I'm going through the motions at my current job. It feels like a shoe two sizes too small (hence, my nickname). I need intellectual stimulation, and I miss having the time to read things I'm actually interested in. I miss doing research. As far as finding time to apply, you just do. I had the summer off and was recovering from surgery so I had plenty of time to research schools, study for the GRE and work on my SOP, but the bulk of the writing (SOP and revising my writing sample) was done while I was working full time, coaching an academic team by myself plus running two clubs, and doing the bulk of my wedding planning. I was working on the writing sample at lunch and at break, showing bits and pieces to my student-teacher (who was not teaching anything at the time) and getting his feedback, during quizzes and tests... just carving out whatever little bit of time I had. It got done. I came out 15 lbs. heavier from eating junk, with twice as much gray hair, and knowing myself a heck of a lot better. I put it off way too long... and would have continued putting it off if my fiance hadn't talked some sense into me and told me to just go for it. I kept finding reasons why it was not the right time... you know, there's never a "right" time. In 5 years I'll still be 40; the difference is whether I'll be here, wasting away and wishing I were somewhere else, or there and finishing my first book. The choice is a no-brainer for me. You are an inspiration, Cagefree! And guess what...I'll be 40 in 5 years, too. I kept trying to convince myself research and writing wasn't the best career choice, and ended up a job-hopping, goalless, unhappy mess. I'm so glad you're now where you want to be. Congrats on your admission to UC Davis! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CageFree Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 You are an inspiration, Cagefree! And guess what...I'll be 40 in 5 years, too. I kept trying to convince myself research and writing wasn't the best career choice, and ended up a job-hopping, goalless, unhappy mess. I'm so glad you're now where you want to be. Congrats on your admission to UC Davis! Awwww.. shucks! Don't get me wrong, teaching was a great career path for me and I don't regret it one bit. I am very happy that I took the time off and learned HOW to teach, mentor and, in some cases, inspire. I just wasn't meant to be a lifer. And thanks! I am very happy. UCD is a perfect fit for my interests and for my personality. Plus, I'm already a UC product and there is a certain comfort that comes with familiarity (such as the quarter system). And, I get to stay in my beloved California. No offense to people in other states, but my biased opinion is that California IS the greatest and most beautiful state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annieca Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 My favorite English professor is a product of UC-Davis CageFree, and he swears by the UC system. In fact, he was shocked I wasn't applying to Berkeley. He's also with you as to the beauty of the state. My undergrad is in Wisconsin and he's *not* happy with the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I can't speak to the quality of education at UCSB but I can speak to the quality of life in Santa Barbara county and let me just say that it words cannot do the area justice. When I am in SB I think of it as this royal throne of kings, that scepter'd islet, that earth of majesty, that seat of Mars, that other Eden, demi-paradise, that fortress built by Nature for herself against infection and the hand of war, that happy breed of men and women, that little world, that precious stone set in the silver sea, which serves it in the office of a wall, or as a moat defensive to a house, against the envy of less happier lands, that blessed plot, that earth, that realm, that Santa Beezy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theregalrenegade Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I'm with you all on California. I was raised in the OC and got my BA from UC Irvine. California will always be home (my parents still live in Irvine and I visit often), but I need to get out and see the world. Vegas was supposed to be just one of the stops. However, I've been here five years longer than intended. My heart lies on the coast, so SB is nirvana - but I'd be content with ANY coast. Hopefully, at least a few of the schools I apply to for my PhD will be near a beach of some sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I'm with you all on California. I was raised in the OC and got my BA from UC Irvine. California will always be home (my parents still live in Irvine and I visit often), but I need to get out and see the world. Vegas was supposed to be just one of the stops. However, I've been here five years longer than intended. My heart lies on the coast, so SB is nirvana - but I'd be content with ANY coast. Hopefully, at least a few of the schools I apply to for my PhD will be near a beach of some sort. Vegas is like that first, sweet, delicious, nutritious, life-giving hit of heroin ... yeah all the so-called experts tell you it's bad for you ... but that first hit is such an unparalleled joy ... why anyone would give that up baffles me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lafayette Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 (edited) Thanks, lafayette. I think I'll almost definitely apply to Berkeley -- it has one of the great history departments -- but I have multiple friends in the UC system (including at Berkeley) and they've all experienced either enormous funding scares or complete funding cutoffs. One was even forced to move to Australia to continue in her subfield. It just makes me think twice... Oh, agreed! I will be applying to Berkeley but am also nervous about their long-term funding situation. I am not applying to UCLA (or any UC for that matter) primarily for that reason. Edited March 26, 2012 by lafayette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lafayette Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 I'm with you all on California. I was raised in the OC and got my BA from UC Irvine. California will always be home (my parents still live in Irvine and I visit often), but I need to get out and see the world. Vegas was supposed to be just one of the stops. However, I've been here five years longer than intended. My heart lies on the coast, so SB is nirvana - but I'd be content with ANY coast. Hopefully, at least a few of the schools I apply to for my PhD will be near a beach of some sort. I am also originally from the Irvine area! That said -- I love (and probably prefer) the East Coast. And hey, the dreariness forces you to stay inside and read! Though it also tends to make me less willing to journey out to the library ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theregalrenegade Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 (edited) Vegas is like that first, sweet, delicious, nutritious, life-giving hit of heroin ... yeah all the so-called experts tell you it's bad for you ... but that first hit is such an unparalleled joy ... why anyone would give that up baffles me Honestly, living in Vegas in nothing like it is when you come here to enjoy yourself for a weekend. It's not all lights, adrenaline, and strong drinks...or The Hangover on repeat. That's the Strip. The rest is Suburbia.. or at least an extremely dry and crusty replica that reeks of plastic bodies and fake personalities. I'd say it reminds me of LA, but LA has moisture, culture and hidden gems. Las Vegas truly is a Mirage..and not the one with white tigers. I am also originally from the Irvine area! That said -- I love (and probably prefer) the East Coast. And hey, the dreariness forces you to stay inside and read! Though it also tends to make me less willing to journey out to the library ... Wow, another Irvinite. I love the East Coast, too. Not so much the big cities, but the quaint coastal towns. I'd be there in a heartbeat if my boyfriend didn't hate snow so much. I don't like it either, but I'd deal. Edited March 26, 2012 by theregalrenegade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pudewen Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 (edited) I am also originally from the Irvine area! That said -- I love (and probably prefer) the East Coast. And hey, the dreariness forces you to stay inside and read! Though it also tends to make me less willing to journey out to the library ... Wow, another Irvinite. I love the East Coast, too. Not so much the big cities, but the quaint coastal towns. I'd be there in a heartbeat if my boyfriend didn't hate snow so much. I don't like it either, but I'd deal. As another Irvinite, let me just say that you're all a bunch of traitors (I write from my desk in Massachusetts). Seriously, though, have you lived on the East Coast for a substantial length of time; having been out here all of college and grad school so far, the West Coast (yes, even Southern California) is better in basically every way. Public transit is probably the only exception, though that is somewhat important for us grad students. Edited March 27, 2012 by pudewen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oseirus Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Will NO ONE speak up for the South? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theregalrenegade Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Will NO ONE speak up for the South? New Orleans!! I want to apply to Tulane just because I love that city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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