Advice for a British student looking towards a PhD in the U.S

[ukarthist]

Hello all,

 

I am so relieved to have found this informative forum. I am a graduate (masters) student of History of Art from the U.K and am looking towards completing my PhD studies in the U.S. My problem is this, coming from the U.K education system the U.S application process is very different from anything I have experienced. As such (and predicting that the process will present many obstacles), I am  already starting to prepare my application for Fall '14.

 

I have a number of questions that I hope somebody here will be able to address. Firstly, with regards to the GRE, how much time should a native speaker devote to preparing/revising for this? And how much weight is given to your scores during the application process?

 

Secondly, as my academic transcript does not comply with the U.S mark scheme, how would I go about calculating a g.p.a? I know that there are companies that provide this service, does anyone have any experience with these?

 

Finally, I have a Masters degree from the U.K. I understand that whether or not the transfer of credits from a terminal masters degree will be allowed varies from university to university. Would it be worthwhile emailing my prospective departments to clarify or would I just be making a nuisance of myself by doing so?

 

I'm sorry if these questions are extremely basic or if they have already been answered elsewhere. I am still trying to get to grips with it all.

 

 

 

 

[TakeruK]

Last year, I applied to US schools with a MSc from Canada and I had some of the same questions, since we don't usually take the GRE and our grading scheme seems to be a little bit different. Here's my experience, but keep in mind that I'm from a science field.

 

1. I will defer this question to someone else in your field!

 

2. Don't use / pay money for companies to convert your GPA. A lot of my applications allowed me to enter my GPA in whatever units my own schools uses. That is, the field is usually ___ / ___, so I can write e.g. 3.5/4.0 or 80%/100% etc. My schools provided percentages mostly but they also gave a letter grade so I used those to try to convert to Grade Points (e.g. an A is 4.0, B is 3.0 etc.). To convert them, you do a weighted average (weighted with # of credits or units) of all your marks. The easiest way, I think, is to use a spreadsheet, just make a column of all your grades in the 4.0 or 4.3 or whatever scale you want. Then have another column be the # of credits. Have the third column be the product of the first two. Then, sum up the entire third column and divide by the sum of the entire second column.

 

However, I learned that an A in Canada might mean something different than an A in the US. Whenever schools provided a conversion chart, I used it. But whenever I asked the department about converting grades, they always told me to give the GPA in my "native" units (i.e. percentages) and they will do the conversion themselves.

 

3. I think it's worthwhile to email prospective departments to ask what would happen to your MA credits. I found that sometimes you can find the information by digging deep into their policy pages. But, if your field is like mine, you should expect very little to "transfer". I saw a range of 0 credits transferred (they might allow me to not take a certain course if I have already taken it during my Masters, but I would have to replace it with another elective course) to the waiver of a "minor concentration" requirement, which was equivalent to 1 semester of coursework (however that school had the most coursework required, so even with that waiver, there was still more required coursework than most other schools!). In addition, many of them will say that these credits are awarded on a case-by-case basis and they will try to defer the discussion until you are actually a student. After receiving a few offers and trying to decide between schools, I tried to press them further by asking for written confirmation on which of my credits will transfer but they keep saying that stuff is decided by a meeting of the academic committee with me on the first week of school. Still, I think this varies a lot case-by-case so it's definitely worth asking about. 

[Sio68]

Hello!

 

I am British and just sent in my applications (in History) so I'll do my best to help!

 

Firstly... yes... it was all like a waking nightmare   It's very different to UK applications but as long as you're organised (Which it sounds like you are!) you'll get through it just fine.

 

1) Depends. (Get revision books and test papers!)

 

GRE Maths is nothing like GCSE, it's more advanced IMO. If you did A-level, you might be closer to ready. I left Maths behind at GCSE and even with an A* I struggled. As a humanities grad you're probably gonna need to start earlier on this (I think I took about 3 months prep) - use Princeton, ETS, Kaplan etc revision books, and dependent on how good you are at Maths you might wanna consider seeing a tutor once or twice to clear up anything you don't understand. You WILL get there eventually; I got a decent score in the end. 

It seems bizarre that a History programme would care about the quant section, but unless explicitly stated, you should assume that they care a little bit. The usual advice is: the GRE won't get you in, but it might keep you out. Don't bust a gut trying to get a 165... just look for the 150s and I'd think you'd be fine.

 

Verbal and Analytical: You'll be naturally better here and depending on your writing/reading skills, you might not need much prep. I think tbh most British students need to scrub up their vocab to get into the high 160s but just use Kaplan flashcards for a month and that should do it. I didn't revise the writing section, but I did do a few practice papers which is an absolute must.

 

Booking: You might need to travel to take the test.Though your profile says you're in London so probably not... the Pometric centre is in... erm... somewhere near St Paul's Cathedral, I forget!

 

2) Don't bother. None of my Unis cared. They usually tell International Students not to bother (esp British students). They'll calculate it themselves from your transcripts. Only worry about this if it specifically says so on the web pages, or if you prefer to contact them to double-check. Generally though, they know  a First/2:1 etc 

 

3) Yes, email them. They all differ a lot. Some say one thing online, but the reality is different. Increasingly  more applicants have MAs these days, so you're not unusual. However, I have been told from at least one place that I can transfer a fair bit. Keep in mind some let you transfer NOTHING! (usually Ivy League). 

 

And by the way- you are not making a nuisance of yourself to email. In fact, if you have an idea of someone you'd like to work with then go ahead and email them. Tell them you're really interested for Fall 2014, summarise your research and ask a couple of questions. It shows that you're interested and motivated. I did this with several people, and also went over the visit some of them a few months ago. All were lovely and very obliging! I have no personal experience as to whether it directly helps your application but some here have suggested that it may well help you to stand-out.

[Bearcat1]

I very much agree with Sio68 that the Kaplan flashcards are immensely helpful. I took the GREs once with just the Princeton Review workbook, then again after using a weird brand of workbook that was only for the math portion. It reexplained all the math I'd learned in high school, and it had funny cartoon-y pictures that helped me remember (I assume most of us art historians are visual learners!). 

 

Of the nine applications I completed, only one asked for my GPA on a 4.0 scale, so on most you will be able to enter your UK scale. Also, applicants from the UK are pretty common, and I would think most departments will know what a "good" UK GPA looks like. If you were from somewhere more obscure (in terms of applicants to US grad programs) I might worry, but I'm sure they've seen tons of UK transcripts. 

 

I would make sure you check all the websites first, because a lot of them do specify how this works. Although, unfortunately, it is pretty vague as TakeruK says. But I don't think you'll get anything more from emailing them if the info is posted on the website. TakeruK is also right about many of the programs not allowing you to transfer much, if at all. I have an MA and I still don't know how that will influence my decision (if I have one) this cycle, but it is definitely something to consider. If you do end up emailing, I would wait a couple months, until professors are finished making admissions decisions and dealing with prospective applicants for this cycle. I think you'll have much better luck in your contacts if you catch them when they aren't as busy. 

 

[ukarthist]

Thank you all so much for your advice, such a great help. I guess more than anything I was looking for the reassurance that I wasn't alone in all of this. It is a relief to hear I don't need to worry too much about the U.K grading system unless it stipulates otherwise. I think, as you advise, I will hold off emailing departments unless I absolutely cannot find anything online regarding the transfer of credits. However, I had already resigned myself to the fact that my Masters probably won't make much of a difference in this respect.

 

Sio68, as a UK student did you take a different approach to your personal statement/statement of purpose than you would have done had you been applying to UK universities? Only, from the research I've done looking at samples online, they seem to take a rather more creative approach than perhaps you would expect for a U.K application.

 

I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions along the way but thank you all for your responses and good luck with your own applications.

[Bearcat1]

If any of the programs you look into have a "Graduate Bulletin" that's where you should look for info about transferring credits. (Sounds like a newsletter, but it's the outline of how the department and program function; I believe they are created for the graduate divisions at the universities, but many of them post them online.)

[ukarthist]

If any of the programs you look into have a "Graduate Bulletin" that's where you should look for info about transferring credits. (Sounds like a newsletter, but it's the outline of how the department and program function; I believe they are created for the graduate divisions at the universities, but many of them post them online.)

 

Thanks for this. I'll be sure to look into it.

[Sio68]

Yes, I did. I'm going to guess that this is the same for Art History as straight History - but if I were applying for a PhD here I would write a very specific, detailed statement about my thesis proposal. Although I haven't looked into UK applications in any detail, I have always been led to believe that they want a thesis proposal.

 

For the US, as a consequence of the MA being attached to the PhD, they do not seem to expect a thesis proposal (at least, not in the way we think of it). It's almost like a cross between an UCAS personal statement, a CV and a thesis proposal! They want to know more about you than a UK University might. So... basically, you should write a statement that says what it is you want to research (maintain a good degree of focus and specificity, but try to show that you have an open mind and are drawn to the broader, more inter-disciplinary approach of the US-educational system), what work you've done in the past that has prepared you for this (languages/dissertations etc), why you picked this particular University. Some also want to know your career aspirations, any relevant work experience etc They all want to get to know YOU. The reason that many of the personal statements look quite creative is because they're trying to keep the reader interested, make their statement stand out and have the committee get to know them.

 

Some Universities are very specific in what they want from your statements, so be careful to follow their guidelines if they do.

[Bearcat1]

That second paragraph is exactly how I was "coached" by my LOR writers. Really great advice!

[Atlantis]

Re credits, I applied to six schools here with an MA from the Courtauld. The offer that I accepted would not accept the MA as any credit, but mainly because i did my undergrad in a different field. One place that accepted me, but where I didn't go, offered to take a year off the program. Happy to discuss in private.

[ukarthist]

Yes, I did. I'm going to guess that this is the same for Art History as straight History - but if I were applying for a PhD here I would write a very specific, detailed statement about my thesis proposal. Although I haven't looked into UK applications in any detail, I have always been led to believe that they want a thesis proposal.

 

For the US, as a consequence of the MA being attached to the PhD, they do not seem to expect a thesis proposal (at least, not in the way we think of it). It's almost like a cross between an UCAS personal statement, a CV and a thesis proposal! They want to know more about you than a UK University might. So... basically, you should write a statement that says what it is you want to research (maintain a good degree of focus and specificity, but try to show that you have an open mind and are drawn to the broader, more inter-disciplinary approach of the US-educational system), what work you've done in the past that has prepared you for this (languages/dissertations etc), why you picked this particular University. Some also want to know your career aspirations, any relevant work experience etc They all want to get to know YOU. The reason that many of the personal statements look quite creative is because they're trying to keep the reader interested, make their statement stand out and have the committee get to know them.

 

Some Universities are very specific in what they want from your statements, so be careful to follow their guidelines if they do.

This is as I expected, thank you for your help.

[ukarthist]

Re credits, I applied to six schools here with an MA from the Courtauld. The offer that I accepted would not accept the MA as any credit, but mainly because i did my undergrad in a different field. One place that accepted me, but where I didn't go, offered to take a year off the program. Happy to discuss in private.

 

Thanks Atlantis, I will message you about this if that's ok?