Fall 2014 Applicants

[lafayette]

I definitely understand being worried by that, but there are so many factors that A. you don't know about in her application and B. that go into the decision making process that you really can only take student to student comparisons so far, you know? It's entirely possible that had she applied to the same array of schools last year she would have gotten into one or more. It's also possible that she did not have great relationships with her recommenders so her letters weren't as glowing as yours will surely be.

 

I did my MA at an institution not known for getting people into Ivy League schools. One of the top students in my program applied to almost only Ivy League schools and no institutions known (in the department) for accepting our students. Thus, she was roundly rejected despite being in a trendy field and having great grades and an excellent thesis. All you can do is do your best, work your hardest and rely a little on luck.

Exactly. Who knows, and it doesn't help to compare yourself too much to another, especially since you don't know exactly what was going on in her application/at the institutions to which she applied. I remember when I was in my MA program and lurking around here, I became terrified that I had neither conference presentations nor published work under my belt. I thought for sure compared to others I would be doomed in these categories, but it didn't matter much in the end, as far as I know. Which isn't to say that having experience in these areas wouldn't help boost someone else's application. But nothing is ensured, and trying to measure if it is via someone else is only going to drive you nuts and offer you little. (Instead, perhaps focus that energy on a research project or improving your writing -- little things that can only help you).

Also, as I think I've mentioned here before, I went to a public institution for my MA in History after playing around in an interdisciplinary program in undergrad. My MA program has no reputation whatsoever -- although I found out after enrolling though that it did have some rocking faculty, since that's the nature of the job market at this point, and their recommendations were definitely key. I think it was getting a little better bit by bit, but no one that I knew of from the Master's program went on to any top PhD program (there was a better track record for undergrads). Mostly its existence was premised on providing additional education to social studies teachers (our classes were all at night). My coursework was amazing and challenging, but really, it was not a program whose name one would brag about. ALL this said, I just want to encourage one NOT to ever dismiss one's chances totally on the supposed prestige of a school. Granted, you're really going to want to try to stand out in such a program, but don't panic too much over what you can't change. And by the way -- the schools I got into seemed particularly interested in gathering cohorts from a diverse range of educational institutions, and I'm grateful for that.

Edited March 15, 2013 by lafayette

[New England Nat]

I want to second lafayette's experiance.  My masters is from a program with very good faculty but virtually no reputation whose primary existance was to provide masters degrees to teachers.  Where I got the masters was less important as the fact that I got one and that it showed in my developement.

 

The top programs are largely looking for diversity in their cohorts. 

[TMP]

Take it from me.  I graduated with a MA from a top public and had 2 LORs from solid scholars (including a superstar).  I had a fabulous, ground-breaking (in ways) thesis and converted a chapter of it for an article that went under review by a well-respected journal in my subfield (and used it as a writing sample).  I had 3 working languages.  Of course, my GRE wasn't great but I was told not to worry too much about it.

 

I went (accepted-declined-waistlied)

2010: 0-3-2

2011: 1-6-1 (unfunded acceptance)

2012: 2-2-0 (one additional withdrawn)

 

My list varied each year with only one school that I applied to for 3 years in a row.  I applied to 2 other places twice.   Also, the application improved dramatically over the years.

 

Why didn't I get in?  Part of it, I learned, was that my application got caught in departmental politics.  One school said that my statement wasn't strong enough.  One said that my specialized language wasn't advanced enough.  Nonetheless, many of the professors were interested and I've kept in touch or caught up with them at conferences.  Also, my subfield sometimes didn't make it to the final cut.

 

Too many variables and there's not much you can do except just put your best foot forward, apply, and make sure you're already doing something else so that you already have something to do in the fall should nothing pan out in your favor.  I spent a lot of time scrambling to keep my life pieced together and the 10% unemployment rate at the time hardly helped at all.

 

It does happen to the best of us.  Certainly I've become much more thankful for being in a PhD progam and the opportunities that come along in my way.  The process was very, very trying emotionally but it's a good professionalization experience.  Learn how to accept rejections gracefully and understand that it's not always about you.

 

There is a reason why academia is considered to be soul-sucking.   You have to try and divest yourself from the process emotionally.

[CrazyCatLady80]

Thanks everyone....I actually found out today that she got into UCSB, which makes me feel somewhat better. I have come to accept that I might have to do this thing twice, which I hate, because I am not getting any younger and don't want to start my career at fifty. TMP....what did you do in between application seasons? I have a MLS, which is always handy, but getting a library job is just as competitive as getting into a PhD program these days. 

[vtstevie]

well she posted here a bunch, for one

[TMP]

Haha.  Tis the truth.

 

I spent a year abroad brushing up my research language (which is actually #1 if I had to rank in order of necessity).  Then I spent the next year interning (on wages only!) in public history in a major city.  I maintained an active research agenda- just kept doing research and writing as if these rejections couldn't stop me from being what I wanted to become.  Disillusional?  Perhaps.  But I had strong support network that cheered me on. 

[PieMonster]

To the followers of this topic: Take it easy guys.

[spinach]

Hello all

 

I'm not 100% set on specifics, but my main interests are in American environmental and urban history around the Gilded Age and Industrialization. I've done quite a bit of research on schools already (one of the smarter things I convinced myself to do), but I still am nervous about all of the work I still need to do before I have a resume I'm really happy with. 

 

Here's my current shortlist of schools: IU, Wisconsin, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Delaware, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Houston, IUPUI (MA only)

 

Wisconsin and Cornell are my top choices for now. I tried to get a good variety of schools (along with good fit, of course). Good luck to everyone!

Also, check out University of Washington Seattle. They're quite good in environmental and urban history.

[hdunlop]

So, as I've mentioned, I got rejected this cycle, and I'm determined to do it right this time around. Building on after-the-fact advice from a couple POIs and my own thoughts, there are a few things I want to ask about in particular.

 

First, I'm curious everyone's take on what schools I should be targeting for political history -- specifically the impact of public opinion and politics on American nuclear and arms control policy during the 1960s-1980s. I've got a pretty long list cobbled together, mostly focused on nuke people, but am very curious to see what you folks think as I work to expand it in the short term and then eventually to narrow it.

 

Second, I think I have a LOR problem -- not in content but in source. My graduate school letters are not from tenure track historians since I was a part-time American Studies MALS and not a history MA, and I'm nearly a decade out from UG. Does it make sense to take a non-degree course or two this summer to try and earn a more relevant, recent reference? This would also help me address my writing sample problem -- my MALS thesis is multidisciplinary and secondary source based. Right now, I'm strongly thinking it's a good idea, but since this would cost $3,000-$6,000 I wanted to make sure I'm not wasting my time.

 

Along similar lines, I was not very well prepared in methodology or historiography in my UG career. I picked up plenty during my classes, of course, but I had no actually coursework here. Am I OK hacking through a few books from syllabai from various schools' courses on this in an effort to make my SOP more convincing or should I try and do something more formal?

 

Finally, I'm wondering how much (if at all) I need to study language. I kinda speak a basically irrelevant European language of no use here. I am enrolled in French courses (since they have nukes and also it's very romantic) starting in April but am wondering how much I need to pursue this -- or if I need to (uh oh) study Russian.

 

Thanks all.

Edited March 27, 2013 by hdunlop

[New England Nat]

I'd throw Princeton on your list if you haven't.  A number of political historains plus a soviet nuke guy adds togeather. 

 

Now for your general thoughts, I don't think it should matter if your letters come from American studies people if that's what your graduate degree is in.  Just make sure that in your statement of purpose show that you know that AMS isn't the same thing as history.  Speaking of which, somewhere in your SoP list the languages you have studied.  It's a minor thing for americanists but it indicates you know that language is important.

 

And remember that this is all a crap shoot and just because you didn't get in this year doesn't mean you wont next year.  Cohorts all over the country were smaller this year. 

[CrazyCatLady80]

And remember that this is all a crap shoot and just because you didn't get in this year doesn't mean you wont next year.  Cohorts all over the country were smaller this year. 

 

Does that mean cohorts will be bigger next year? I hope so. 

[CrazyCatLady80]

I have asked this question before, but thought I might ask it again since I am really starting to look at a lot of schools in detail. My field is 20st century urban political history, focusing on suburban political and racial diversity of Los Angeles. I am currently working on (ok...I just started it) a project about suburban liberalism in the San Fernando Valley. It is a newly emerging field and I am super excited about it. Anyway, I researching the following schools: Berkeley, UCLA, Michigan, Brown, OSU, WA, MD, USC, CT, Princeton and Delaware. I am also considering Chicago, UCR, Davis, Boston, and Temple, but don't know much about them. My top three at the moment are Michigan, Berkeley, and WA. Does anyone have any other suggestions? 

Edited March 27, 2013 by CrazyCatLady80

[TMP]

Did you say 21st century?  Or do you mean 20th?

[CrazyCatLady80]

No....21st century. I like writing about history before it takes place in order to keep current.....lol. Thanks for the catch. Posted it after writing all morning. 

Edited March 27, 2013 by CrazyCatLady80

[playingivory]

I'm going to completely derail this thread for a second to share a dream I had last night that absolutely no one will fully appreciate but you all:

 

I had a dream that I was interviewing with a POI, and he told me that my being accepted relied solely on completing a translation. He handed me something like a Cosmo but in Latin and asked me to translate the front cover. I completely blanked and he got mad at me for not knowing the word "accessory." I kept trying to tell him that I promised I really did know how to translate Latin!! He proceeded to look up at me and say "thank you, that is all" a la Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.

 

My subconscious must clearly be trying to work something out.

[CrazyCatLady80]

Cosmo in Latin.....lol 

Edited March 28, 2013 by CrazyCatLady80

[macmc]

Hi, everyone! Wow, I'm glad that this thread is already going. I'm applying to both history and gender/women's studies programs. I've just started looking again, but my list so far is:

 

History

 

Yale

UW-Madison

USC

Minnesota

Illinois

 

Gender/Interdisciplinary

 

Indiana

UC-Irvine

UCLA

 

Hope everyone has a good summer!

[CrazyCatLady80]

Don't know much about those programs. I will probably apply for USC, but I doubt I will get in. For some reason, they don't seem to like students from my school, but it is a very good program and they seem to have an excellent placement rate. 

[bryan.jenkins]

For those freaked out about GPA's, I wouldn't be too worried. I applied to most of the good public universities in my specialty with a 3.5, including less than stellar grades in my field, and in the last two years. (At the time it seemed like a good idea to shirk coursework to devote more time to my senior thesis. In retrospect, this was unwise.) In the end, I was accepted by the schools where my research interests and past work matched well with the professors and rejected from the ones where they did not. When I finally had my first advising meeting here, I was told that because of budget restraints I was the only China-focused student selected out of 35-ish applicants. I was floored. Anyway, my advice would be to look for the right school for you and get a dialogue going with faculty there. Don't sweat too hard over the numbers.

[CageFree]

Hi, everyone! Wow, I'm glad that this thread is already going. I'm applying to both history and gender/women's studies programs. I've just started looking again, but my list so far is:

 

History

 

Yale

UW-Madison

USC

Minnesota

Illinois

 

Gender/Interdisciplinary

 

Indiana

UC-Irvine

UCLA

 

Hope everyone has a good summer!

 

 

Depending on what your historical field is, I would add UC Davis. You can do essentially both things by pursuing a History Ph.D. with a Designated Emphasis in Feminist Research and Theory. 

[CrazyCatLady80]

Thanks, Bryan. If you don't mind me asking, was the 3.5 your undergrad or grad grades? 

[schlesinger1]

Meg11: If you're interested in gender history, you might also consider adding Rutgers and UCSB, which typically have strong programs in the field

Edited April 1, 2013 by schlesinger1

[Canator]

Hi, everyone! Wow, I'm glad that this thread is already going. I'm applying to both history and gender/women's studies programs. I've just started looking again, but my list so far is:

 

UW-Madison has a great GWS department. I would get in touch with them when you're working on your application and see what they can tell you about possible TA/RA opportunities they might have for you. I think TAships in the History department can be difficult to get on a consistent basis - you might be able to fill off semesters by working for GWS. Obviously you should also look at the associated faculty from GWS and information on the PhD minor they offer (though you've probably already done so).

[fossilchick]

I suppose it's worth noting that even with my (relatively) low MA GPA all my advisors, including the teacher who gave me the B+, encouraged me to apply to PHD programs (one of which has accepted me so far!) and wrote me recommendations. So, a (again, relatively) low GPA is not a deal breaker by any means, especially if you have an especially strong writing sample or glowing recommendations to make up for it. The expectations are just far higher in graduate school and you're expected to show that high level history classes do not phase you and that you can succeed under considerable academic pressure.

 

Just to help quell the panic about GPAs, I'll throw in my (hopefully uplifting) story from my MA:  in the same semester that I had to have emergency surgery, I was saddled with a class with the Professor from Satan-land.  Said prof promised me a medical extension, which had been approved by the dean, and then turned around and gave me a B- with no chance to make up any of the work.  I could have appealed the B- (basically a D on the graduate grading scale) but it would have taken months.  Of course it drove my GPA down in a hurry and in my last semester of graded coursework before just thesis credits there was no opportunity to improve the overall GPA.

 

I ran panicked to my adviser, who promptly told me I was worried for nothing.  In the application process you will hear and think a lot about the elusive "fit",  To deduce that, admissions committees are looking at the whole package.  There's a reason they ask for so much supporting material, not just a grade report.  If your GPA is low and your GRE scores are in the toilet and you have a weak writing sample and no great letters, you're probably in trouble.  But my low(er) GPA was compensated by other outstanding materials.  If you're talented and realistic, one bad grade and a 3.8 will not derail you.  Good luck, all!

[CrazyCatLady80]

Thanks, fossilchick. Sounds like we had the same professor. I am finally starting to believe people when they say the GPA isn't that important. I just wish it was more of a 3.8 than a 3.7. Still worried about the GRE, but the rest of my application is very strong.