jpb Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I was just accepted into the MAPSS program at Chicago with a half tuition scholarship! Beyond thrilled. Does anyone have any insight into the program? I would love to learn more about it I'm a current graduate student at UChicago and have taken a lot of classes w/ MAPSS students and have a few friends in that program. Feel free to PM me, and I can answer to the best of my ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh J. Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 BTW I don't mean to denigrate the good folks at SE MO St., but for the LOVE OF HISTORICAL ACCURACY, now is not the time to be sending out mass emails like that!!! Gotta wonder if they aren't trying to prey on the poor self esteem of PhD applicants nervously waiting acceptances and rejections right at this time of the year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. t Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 I was just accepted into the MAPSS program at Chicago with a half tuition scholarship! Beyond thrilled. Does anyone have any insight into the program? I would love to learn more about it  I got the same offer during my last application cycle, and I probably would have taken it had HDS not given me a 3/4 scholarship which meant that I didn't have to leave my wife in Boston for a year two months after our wedding.  I did go to the visiting weekend (you should, too!), and found both the students and professors were really positive on the program. The history program in particular seems to like taking those who excel in MAPSS into the PhD. MAPSS is certainly a cash cow, but not nearly to the same degree as many other MA programs (or even the MAPH at Chicago). The partial scholarship is also a really good sign!  Be aware that they'll want you to take a gap year before applying to PhDs if you want letters from UChicago profs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlsutton Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Well I'm glad you've been accepted into both! Now the hard part is trying to decide. When do you plan on making your official/final decision? Yeah it does, but worst comes to worst if I got to NCSU I can probably get a part time job. Possibly even at one of the museums or historic sites. And yes, I hope GWU offers me something. Keep me posted  Well, both programs want to know my decision by April 15, and I'll be visiting NCSU on March 28, so probably the first week of April!  Will you be visiting NCSU as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erchha Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I got the same offer during my last application cycle, and I probably would have taken it had HDS not given me a 3/4 scholarship which meant that I didn't have to leave my wife in Boston for a year two months after our wedding. I did go to the visiting weekend (you should, too!), and found both the students and professors were really positive on the program. The history program in particular seems to like taking those who excel in MAPSS into the PhD. MAPSS is certainly a cash cow, but not nearly to the same degree as many other MA programs (or even the MAPH at Chicago). The partial scholarship is also a really good sign! Be aware that they'll want you to take a gap year before applying to PhDs if you want letters from UChicago profs. Thanks for the info! I'll definitely try to make it for the visiting weekend - it will be hard to pass up the opportunity to work with the history faculty at UChicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvanBezdomnii Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Fingers crossed for tomorrow... as they were yesterday... Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedViper Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Hello Everybody! Hope you don't mind me dropping in. I'm an applicant to the Classics PHD program at Brown. I saw that there was a couple of people who had heard back from Brown's history department. Has anybody here heard anything from their Joint program in Ancient History? I know that the Classics department and the History department at Brown work on that program together. And there hasn't been any news at all from the Classics Department, neither in the Forums or the search results page. So I was wondering if anyone her has applied to the ancient history program, or has heard anything from the ancient history program? Since there has been no information from the Classics department, I was wondering if there were any applicants that might have heard anything from the ancient history program at Brown. I figure that this was the closest I could get to hearing some news about the Classics department, since these two departments work on the ancient history program together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L13 Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) One of the schools I applied to has contacted me to arrange a Latin proficiency exam for me... I can't help but feel this is a little excessive, given that I have a bazillion Latin courses on my transcript, but hey, at least it's something! Edited February 20, 2015 by L13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBHistorian Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Well, both programs want to know my decision by April 15, and I'll be visiting NCSU on March 28, so probably the first week of April! Will you be visiting NCSU as well? I'm really thinking about going to that, so we may actually get a chance to meet up! I am toying with going up earlier in the month during my Spring Break, but that I have not decided 100% on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvanBezdomnii Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 One of the schools I applied to has contacted me to arrange a Latin proficiency exam for me... I can't help but feel this is a little excessive, given that I have a bazillion Latin courses on my transcript, but hey, at least it's something! It's a good thing. Don't blame them. You'd be surprised how many stories I hear (which is not to say a lot, but still a few) about students with a dozen language classes and straight A grades who get into a program and then flunk the proficiency exam. Once a school gets burned once they tend to do theses type of things (although a formal test does seem on the extreme spectrum of things...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chtodelat Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 It's a good thing. Don't blame them. You'd be surprised how many stories I hear (which is not to say a lot, but still a few) about students with a dozen language classes and straight A grades who get into a program and then flunk the proficiency exam. Once a school gets burned once they tend to do theses type of things (although a formal test does seem on the extreme spectrum of things...) Â Agreed. Language proficiency is such a strange thing to have to judge. Admittedly, Latin is different insofar as it is a dead language; however, in my MA programme I had a few colleagues who had magnificent grades on their undergrad transcripts in the Russian language who needed help when at the archives here in Moscow. Language is the means by which we convey what we see and feel and it is vital that the programme to which you are applying knows that you understand the cultural context and how that translates into the english language. Ultimately, when undertaking a PhD which uses primary sources in foreign languages (sorry for my blatant anglo-centrism) we are reinterpreting or telling a story for the first time which the vast majority of the world cannot access, even if they speak the referent language. It is important the programmes know we at least show the potential to be able to tell that story faithfully. Â But then again what do I know; I have been rejected or not heard from every programme to which I applied so this may just be a cathartic quasi-rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IvanBezdomnii Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Agreed. Language proficiency is such a strange thing to have to judge. Admittedly, Latin is different insofar as it is a dead language; however, in my MA programme I had a few colleagues who had magnificent grades on their undergrad transcripts in the Russian language who needed help when at the archives here in Moscow. Language is the means by which we convey what we see and feel and it is vital that the programme to which you are applying knows that you understand the cultural context and how that translates into the english language. Ultimately, when undertaking a PhD which uses primary sources in foreign languages (sorry for my blatant anglo-centrism) we are reinterpreting or telling a story for the first time which the vast majority of the world cannot access, even if they speak the referent language. It is important the programmes know we at least show the potential to be able to tell that story faithfully. Â But then again what do I know; I have been rejected or not heard from every programme to which I applied so this may just be a cathartic quasi-rant. Eloquently put. It's absolutely impossible to do history without languages. And it's equally impossible to adequately understand a language without a cultural context. If you don't have either, then you lack the requisite ability to interpret your sources. Keep your head up chtodelat, I'm in the same boat. It's frustrating but I haven't given up hope yet. Out of curiosity what archive did you work at? GARF? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chtodelat Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Eloquently put. It's absolutely impossible to do history without languages. And it's equally impossible to adequately understand a language without a cultural context. If you don't have either, then you lack the requisite ability to interpret your sources. Keep your head up chtodelat, I'm in the same boat. It's frustrating but I haven't given up hope yet. Out of curiosity what archive did you work at? GARF?  I spent a few days there as it is a treasure trove of documentation (though harder to navigate than pretty much anything I have experienced) and would spend most of my time there if admitted to a PhD. Some at INION (as I am a recovering social scientist) and a lot in the Higher School of Economics library archive; as they have a lot of documents pertaining to information following the fall of the USSR (also helped that I was studying there).  My hope is pretty much gone though. Not in a bad way, just in a what can I do to be accepted next year kind of way. I fear that admissions committees are afraid of my American background with a UK/Russian post-secondary education trying to reinterpret Russian intellectual history from a post-structuralist (read Russians aren't evil) perspective. My POIs might be misleading me but I have gotten emails from most of them before official rejections go out saying that they were looking forward to working with me but they couldn't sell me to their respective admissions committees.  I've had long Skype conversations with most of them talking about my research and how they find it is an understudied area which would be equally relevant to political science (blah, blah, blah). But admissions committees don't seem to agree. As my username here says что делать? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdguy Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 According to the results search, those who will be accepted at Ann Arbor are likely to find out today. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scirefaciat Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 L13, Out of curiosity, did your writing sample display your Latin skills at all? My thesis research was pretty much all based on 14th century writs that I transcribed/translated from the plea rolls, and I haven't had anyone question my Latin skills. I would definitely suggest incorporating translations, if possible and applicable, into your writing sample if you end up going through another cycle. (which school, if you don't mind my asking?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezzlin Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 According to the results search, those who will be accepted at Ann Arbor are likely to find out today. Good luck! Â I hope you're right! Though many departments haven't notified in accordance with the results search from previous cycles. I figure if it's not today then surely Monday or Tuesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimat Historian Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I've seen little consistency between this year and previous years announcements, but I certainly hope you Michigan applicants get some good news soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vr4douche Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Heimat, I see you applied to 12 schools. Did you apply with the same project/proposal for each school? I applied to 6 schools with 3 different projects and that was tough enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimat Historian Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I applied with similar projects to each school, though I tailored 2 paragraphs based upon the professors I wanted to work with and what the specialty of the school was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimat Historian Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Ugh GW said no. Â Not unexpected because they only take 6 people but still, I really love DC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToomuchLes Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I've seen little consistency between this year and previous years announcements, but I certainly hope you Michigan applicants get some good news soon. So true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr. t Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 L13, Out of curiosity, did your writing sample display your Latin skills at all? My thesis research was pretty much all based on 14th century writs that I transcribed/translated from the plea rolls, and I haven't had anyone question my Latin skills. I would definitely suggest incorporating translations, if possible and applicable, into your writing sample if you end up going through another cycle. (which school, if you don't mind my asking?)  I also made sure that my writing sample showed that I was proficient in reading Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, and German, and that I had training in paleography (yes, I'm showing off  ). I think it works much better than simply having it in your course record, particularly since I've come across several people who have really good language (specifically Latin) creds on paper but end up flummoxed quite quickly when put on the spot. Also, the UToronto Latin exams are something of a standard yardstick for the discipline, so I've found it helpful to have looked at them when trying to convey my skill to others, eg. "I could easily pass the Toronto level 1 test, but I need a firmer grasp on vocabulary before I could pass the level 2." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpb Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Ugh GW said no. Â Not unexpected because they only take 6 people but still, I really love DC! Â Eck. I'm sorry to hear that. I have a friend who is waiting for a response from GW, too, and she wasn't too optimistic about it, either. It sounds like a really difficult place to get into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBHistorian Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Ugh GW said no. Â Not unexpected because they only take 6 people but still, I really love DC! I'm sorry Heimat Historian! Hopefully you'll be receiving more acceptances soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heimat Historian Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 (edited) Here's hoping.  I figure 33% is normal right? so that means I should at least hear from 1-2 more positively. At this point, I'd really like to hear good things from Brandeis and Iowa.  I think I have the best fit at those schools. Edited February 20, 2015 by Heimat Historian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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