So... Am I Competitive?

[thedig13]

I've been around this forum for a while, and, as I'm finally finishing off my last year of undergraduate coursework, I'm considering taking a swing at the current application season for incoming Fall 2014 students. Let me know what you think; feedback and thoughts on how to improve my application are especially welcome.

 

University: Public research university; national ranking has bounced around between 90 and 120 over the last several years

Major: History BA, with minor in Creative Writing

GPA: 3.92

GRE: Not yet taken; practice tests anticipate good-not-great scores, probably around 160V, 160Q. Will be taken early November, just in time for the earliest deadlines.

Interests: United States after 1945; urban history, consumer culture, race, and immigration

Research Experience:

 - 4 years with Ethnic Studies professor; research focused on 1992 Rodney King Riots and Korean-American migration; culminated in well-received documentary films and in-progress mapping data

 - 1 year with Public History professor; research focused on prison-industrial complex; culminated in a well-received museum exhibit

 - 1 year with History professor; research focused on Civil Rights Movement; culminated in library exhibit

 - Honors Thesis in progress, advised by aforementioned History professor specializing in Civil Rights Movement

Writing Sample: From my Honors Thesis; features a strong amount of primary-source research on a relatively un-touched historical topic that reflects an intersection of urban history and race.

LORs: Three letters from the same Professors mentioned in "Research Experience"; all three LORs expected to be very strong; two LOR writers, including my thesis advisor, well-known in their fields

Languages: Spanish; one year of traditional coursework plus one summer abroad in Argentina.

SOP: Sought to highlight research experience and present my interests in a compelling manner. Proposed a prospective future research topic revolving around the dichotomies of fantasized consumerism and racial oppression in post-WWII Los Angeles, but also indicated that my interests remain malleable and dynamic.

Top-Choice Programs:

 - Columbia, for various professors specializing in urban history and consumer capitalism

 - Princeton, for specific professor specializing in the intersection of suburbanization and race

 - Yale, for various professors specializing in race and immigration

 - UCLA, for specific professor specializing in urban history, race, and immigration

[Bactrian]

Yes, it sounds like you are competitive. But so much comes down to SoP, sample, letters and the particulars of a school's internal needs, politics, and applicant pool that it's impossible to say.