transferring programs, disciplines/applying again? how to do it? when?

[applemtnhigh]

hi there --

 

does anyone have any experience with transferring programs? does this happen, AT ALL, in graduate school? i'm mid-way thru my first semester in a graduate program in literature, and it's increasingly clear to me that i really would like to be doing work in history. my department is open to historicist approaches, and definitely seems to be flexible enough (esp. in terms of fellowship & dissertation research support) to allow me to work with some of my much less lit-sy interests, like agricultural & environmental history.

 

but, my advisor has been chastising me for taking too many classes outside of the department. i was told i would never (obviously) get a job in a history dept. as a lit. phD., so why bother?

 

i explained that being trained as an historian is vital to what i hope to do. i LOVE my history classes. i feel like i'm straining at the bit to be a historian. plus, i'm super-critical (always have been) of the canonizing and literary-text-prioritizing impulses of much of the discipline of english lit., in spite of the great cultural history work happening. i'm just starting to feel that it's silly not to just charge forth & get to do these things -- and have advisors, mentors, and courses tailored to those subjects, instead of having to chart entire historiographies on my own.

 

i'd love advice from anyone who's switched programs, or even disciplines. i'm afraid to ask anyone about it, because it seems uncouth. still, if this isn't the discipline for me, and history or history of science might work better, i'd assume that those supporting me here would be all for it? also any advice on how to deal with being this SCARED. i feel like everyone will hate me/kick me out/really discourage me if i explain how important this feels to me. i don't want to burn all my bridges or barr ANY possibility of getting to do this work.

 

those who have switched -- when is the best time to do this? should i apply now, without any substantial 'new' papers or projects behind me? or apply next fall, wait it out thru year 2, take the master's, and hopefully have some new work/clear new scholarly directions to back it up?

 

appreciate any advice or thoughts that anyone has on this!

 

 

 

love,

 

 

apple mtn.

[New England Nat]

It depends on the university and the funding.  It has happened once every other year in my program, but all graduate students at my university are fully funded so you aren't having the departments fighting for resources. 

 

We also took someone who had his funding cut from another school this year but he had to start over as a first year.

 

I would suggest going to someone you trust in the history department and explaining your problems.

Edited October 28, 2013 by New England Nat

[czesc]

From what I've read/heard, this kind of switch (between disciplines anywhere rather than between departments in the same subject at different schools) is typically easiest to do by switching departments within the same university - particularly where all grad students are fully funded - than by applying again to other institutions, though you'd probably have to do the latter anyway if you absolutely want to be guaranteed the ability to study history next year.

 

Since you're already taking (or have taken) a lot of history courses, speak to the professors whose classes you've taken about your inclinations and see if they'd support you - or recommend you to outside programs. If you have enough history faculty on your side to make it viable, you may never have to rely on your home department, should they be hostile about the process. Of course, that's not to say things will be pleasant - the departments may still talk to one another - but it definitely beats just throwing yourself on the mercy of your current chair and/or other lit profs.

[Katzenmusik]

Not long ago a PhD student transferred into my department from another department at the same university.  The student in question had built a good relationship with our professors, the profs in her home department agreed that the switch made sense, and her coursework up to that point more or less counted toward our degree requirements.  So the transition happened without much difficulty.

 

As for moving to another university entirely -- that would be more difficult to accomplish, since you'll need LORs from your current profs (who might be annoyed), and in your applications it will be a challenge to avoid giving the impression that you get tired of things and quit them abruptly.

Edited October 30, 2013 by Katzenmusik

[CageFree]

I also echo looking to transfer within the university, especially if you have already built good relationships. A good friend of mine transferred from a ___ studies program into History, still kept their main advisor from the old department in their committee, but now is doing work on history rather than ____ studies.