Fall 2014 Applicants

[stillalivetui]

GRE is such a joke. The UW didn't require it for the the 2012 applicant cycle, but did again for 2013. I wonder what their reasoning was on that, besides the fact that it was the year the revised version came out.

[CrazyCatLady80]

GRE is such a joke. The UW didn't require it for the the 2012 applicant cycle, but did again for 2013. I wonder what their reasoning was on that, besides the fact that it was the year the revised version came out.

 

I find it interesting how standardized tests have become less important in recent years. Back when I was in high school almost fifteen years ago (god....that is depressing), getting a good SAT score was everything. I knew of several students who got horrible grades, but managed to get into really good schools, because they had a perfect score. Now among the high school students I tutor it is looked at kind of joke as well. Guess the same goes for the GRE. I think a lot of it has to do with all that evidence that shows standardized tests are biased in favor of certain groups of individuals. 

[hanbran]

The GRE is incredibly important for purposes of funding.  Many departments will not admit you if you are not able to compete for funding among the entirety of a university's applicants (in all disciplines).  The precise measure of its importance as an element of an application is, of course, infinitely debatable.  It is, nonetheless, something to approach with forethought and preparation. 

[annieca]

Well, here's my two cents on the GRE: Do the best you can but don't freak out about it.

 

I applied to programs where I was very, very unlikely to get funding anyway so I won't speculate about how important it is for funding. For admission though, don't worry about it so much.

 

I mean, think about it. Most of us are going into history programs that won't require a smidgen of math. (I'm ignoring you economic historians right now.) If you bomb the math section it doesn't make you less of a historian. It just shows that math isn't your strong suit. Or that you haven't had math in awhile. When I took the GRE I hadn't had the geometry/trig/algebra II stuff on the GRE in at best, 3 years, at worst, 5. That, and for the qualitative section you are competing against engineering guys and gals and math majors and physics majors. 

 

Do your best. Take some practice tests and brush up on your vocab. But don't ever freak out about it. If you start freaking out about the GRE and take it in the summer as is usual, you're going to be freaking out nearly constantly for 10 months. It's exhausting. 

[lafayette]

Well, here's my two cents on the GRE: Do the best you can but don't freak out about it.

 

I applied to programs where I was very, very unlikely to get funding anyway so I won't speculate about how important it is for funding. For admission though, don't worry about it so much.

 

I mean, think about it. Most of us are going into history programs that won't require a smidgen of math. (I'm ignoring you economic historians right now.) If you bomb the math section it doesn't make you less of a historian. It just shows that math isn't your strong suit. Or that you haven't had math in awhile. When I took the GRE I hadn't had the geometry/trig/algebra II stuff on the GRE in at best, 3 years, at worst, 5. That, and for the qualitative section you are competing against engineering guys and gals and math majors and physics majors. 

 

Do your best. Take some practice tests and brush up on your vocab. But don't ever freak out about it. If you start freaking out about the GRE and take it in the summer as is usual, you're going to be freaking out nearly constantly for 10 months. It's exhausting. 

I second -- don't worry about the GRE *too* much. It's the least important thing to drive yourself into a tizzy over.

My main piece of advice for the GRE though is to read through their guidelines (on the testing website) for the writing section. This part is graded very fast and they're just looking for certain things. They have a list of questions too; look them over and get a good feel of the subject areas they might ask about (education etc). Most schools know that the writing test doesn't reflect your abilities of a writer much (and they have other examples from you anyway), but it's first on the test so if you know what to expect, you're less likely to drive yourself into a panic that stays with you over the next three torturous test hours.

Edited April 4, 2013 by lafayette

[kyjin]

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!

Be sure to check out UMichigan as well. They have a joint Women's Studies/History PhD.

[ReallyNiceGuy]

I was told, by someone who would know, that UTexas only accepted 2 Europeanists this year.

Here's hoping that number doesn't go down to 0 next year. 

 

[Notker the Stammerer]

Even if you are dreaming of teaching and not research you still need to be realistic about the quality of the program.  When I said there are programs granting PhDs that have a zero job placement rate in academia I really mean it.  Not at a research university, not at a slac, not at a community college.  Getting a PhD at a program that no one will hire from is a preventable mistake. 

 

And it's not just universities you've never heard of that fall into this catagory.  There are major state universities... some of them flagships... that fit into this catagory in history.  They have great scholars at them that might be your best fit.  It's still a trap.

 

How does one find out which programs have a zero job placement rate?  Or are otherwise terrible? 

[New England Nat]

You can ask the department their placement rate, though many don't track the stat on purpose.  You can ask for a list of recent graduate's placements, which is more likely to be helpful.  You can look at a sample of departments at the sort of universities you want to teach at and see where their professors got their PhDs.

[CrazyCatLady80]

How does one find out which programs have a zero job placement rate?  Or are otherwise terrible? 

 

I've talked to grad students in the program to see what their general take is of the situation. Most of the time they seem to have a general idea. I've also emailed former students to see what they had to say. The more I read and listen to other people, it is very obvious that there are some schools (usually in the top 20) where you have a clear advantage when it comes to the job market. However, at the end of the day, a lot of it depends on you. If you want a job, you have to go in there from day one thinking about the job market and what makes you a good hire. A lot of it involves networking, CV building, etc. Don't expect the school to place you without doing any work. 

[aec09g]

However, at the end of the day, a lot of it depends on you. If you want a job, you have to go in there from day one thinking about the job market and what makes you a good hire. A lot of it involves networking, CV building, etc. Don't expect the school to place you without doing any work. 

 

I have an adviser who constantly reminds me of this. Take every conference you can speak at or attend, and network like its your best friend. Every time I talk to this professor about something he knows someone in the field or an editor at a publishing house, et cetera. Networking is just a huge part of academia. How else do you think Dr. X did a co-edit on Book Y with Dr. X? They happened to know each other from a conference or university. These kind of things can give you a huge boost in the end. 

 

I think you also have to have a real understanding on your part what you want. Do you want to eventually be head of a department or running an institute at the university? Teaching only? Then doing all the work you need to do for your CV that makes you a worthwhile candidate.

 

But that's just my two cents. (; 

[ReallyNiceGuy]

I have a question to ask:

I've heard a lot of people mention that it's really great to be able to display, on a CV for example, that one has received money from somewhere OTHER THAN a university; does this include Title VIII/FLAS?

 

I am only curious. I'm really really thrilled to have received one, I just have no idea if these scholarships fall under the aforementioned umbrella (don't flame me if that's a really obvious question/answer please).

[remenis]

I have a question to ask:

I've heard a lot of people mention that it's really great to be able to display, on a CV for example, that one has received money from somewhere OTHER THAN a university; does this include Title VIII/FLAS?

 

I am only curious. I'm really really thrilled to have received one, I just have no idea if these scholarships fall under the aforementioned umbrella (don't flame me if that's a really obvious question/answer please).

Certainly, if you have recieved a FLAS award, you can list it on your CV under some kind of Fellowships/Awards heading

[sportsgirlx3]

Hi all!

 

I am not trying to interrupt this thread, but I am a current undergraduate who has been considering graduate school for a while.  I have been researching different programs and trying to prepare a list of professors to hopefully reach out to before applying like many have suggested.  However, I do not have an advisor or any current history graduate student to help me with my questions.  Currently, I am getting a little confused on how to go about applying.  Since I am applying straight out of undergraduate but I am looking to get a PhD, do I apply for the Master's program or the PhD program? Does it vary based on the program?  I apologize if this seems like a silly question, but for some reason I cannot find a direct answer and like I said I do not have an advisor to go to at the moment since many of the faculty at my university are currently on leave for the summer term.  

 

I am already a little stressed out about the application process, so any advice would be greatly appreciated! 

Edited May 17, 2013 by sportsgirlx3

[TMP]

If you take the time to read many of the threads here, many of your questions will be answered with a number of perspectives

[Fasnacht]

I'm finally participating in the App threads! I joined ages ago to ask a question that the forum was so helpful with and now I am participating more fully at the start of my own application cycle. I made a signature listing my schools and interests. Please tell me if you think my signature is totally annoying. I think there is a fine line between informative and helpful and totally unneeded and annoying. Hopefully I adhere to the former in terms of my signature. 

 

As always, I welcome school suggestions and the like. I will do my best to reply in kind. I just wanted to post on this App thread to introduce myself to people going through the process with me. I've begun researching POI's and studying for the GRE. I wrote an SOP for a class last fall that really sucked, though I'm working on improving that bit by bit. I'm graduating college in December and hope to start grad school in the fall. My interests center mostly in history, though I have a strong interdisciplinary interest in expressions of domestic life in regards to both religion and gender. I also love the Progressive Era and 20th and 21st American Protestantism. 

 

So, you can call me Fasnacht. And before you ask, I'm not really an anthropomorphic pastry on the other side of the internet, though I may or may not be wearing a silly hat. I'm so glad to be more involved on GradCafe. 

Edited May 19, 2013 by Fasnacht

[oseirus]

Well hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, historians and non-historians, I humbly return 

[aricyo]

Well hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, historians and non-historians, I humbly return 

 

Hey! Welcome back!

[oseirus]

Hey! Welcome back!

What have I missed?

[TMP]

Not much.  We missed you and your humor!

[pdrickert]

Hi, I'm new to this whole thing, so please forgive any ignorance. I do have a few questions though.

I am interested in a PhD program in American diplomatic and political history, specifically the Early Republican period. I have decided for certain that I will apply to William and Mary, Princeton, and Penn, but I am still trying to find other programs and open to suggestions.

 

Also, I have a 3.99 undergrad GPA at the University of Alabama, double majoring in history and political science with a 4.0 in History and a 4.165 in political science, am writing a senior thesis on partisan journalism and the formation of political parties, and have at least two professors who would write strong recommendations, both of whom have guided me with independent research projects. However, a combination of good planning, a lot of credit by examination given by Bama, and a bit of luck, I am graduating in two years, rather than four. I was wondering if you felt this would help or hurt me. I am still completing the upper level requirements for the degree and doing well, so hopefully that would prove that I am capable of graduate work.

 

Also, how many schools is good to apply to? I understand that it has a lot to do with how much you are willing to spend on application fees, etc, but I am terrified of being accepted nowhere. What are your thoughts on sort of "safety schools?"

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited May 22, 2013 by pdrickert

[fossilchick]

Also, how many schools is good to apply to? I understand that it has a lot to do with how much you are willing to spend on application fees, etc, but I am terrified of being accepted nowhere. What are your thoughts on sort of "safety schools?"

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I'm a current PhD student who went through two rounds of applications (one for MA, one for PhD), so this is just my opinion, but I don't believe "safety schools" really exist in PhD applications.  Sure, there are schools you might be more likely to get into -- for instance, W&M is a very small program that sometimes has admitted just 1 new PhD student a year, so the odds can seem more frightening as compared to a school that admits 70 students for a cohort of 40-50 each year.  I would really urge you to look at the fit of the program and the trajectory of its graduates, and not just rankings, name recognition, your stats versus their published stats, or impressions about the school.  In my two cycles I was twice surprised at gaining admission to schools I thought were "reach" because one professor on the committee really went to bat for my project, and in being rejected from schools that statistically speaking I could have counted on admission (the so-called "safety"). 

 

As for how many schools to apply to, I would advise applying to all the schools which 1. you think you're a good fit with, 2. have the resources and faculty expertise to support your program of study, 3. you can afford to apply to, and 4. you would actually be excited to attend if you were admitted.

[TMP]

As someone who endured 3 rounds of PhD applications... it's a testament that there is no such thing as "safeties" when it comes to PhD programs.  Half of the decision is based on the strength of  your application.  The other half is...surprise- department politics!  Unfortunately, I was a victim of the latter for the first two cycles as I was hinted by my POIs.

[annieca]

Also, I have a 3.99 undergrad GPA at the University of Alabama, double majoring in history and political science with a 4.0 in History and a 4.165 in political science, am writing a senior thesis on partisan journalism and the formation of political parties, and have at least two professors who would write strong recommendations, both of whom have guided me with independent research projects.

 

Also, how many schools is good to apply to? I understand that it has a lot to do with how much you are willing to spend on application fees, etc, but I am terrified of being accepted nowhere. What are your thoughts on sort of "safety schools?"

 

 

Welcome!!

 

First off, I believe graduate school is like undergraduate applications where they often eliminate weighting. What does your GPA look like then? Weighting is great in some ways, but honestly, I can't understand the purpose of it for undergrad. You're taking harder classes, possibly. Do you need the extra boost for your GPA? Probably not. But that's just my two cents.

 

Secondly, about how many schools to apply to - this is a personal decision. I agree there is no such thing as a "safety school." I applied to two UK schools and 4 US programs. Granted this was for a dual MA/MLIS (and the British equivalent). I was a good fit for most of the programs but one wasn't and I got rejected. The other I got rejected from I thought was the perfect fit. So... I like 5-7 as the perfect number. BUT if you go into a highly specialized field (post-Cold War Eastern Europe, for example), you might have trouble finding 5-7 schools. 

 

Hope that helps!

 

P.S. I love, love your senior thesis topic!

[pdrickert]

It's not weighting, just a +/- system. without the pluses, It's a 4.0 in both majors and a 3.9 overall (One B in honors calculus being the lone blemish). Thank you all for the help with the number of schools to apply to. Do any of you have any idea how getting my undergrad in 2 years would affect me?