Fall 2016 Applicants

[DGrayson]

Yeah, he's moved towards environmental history recently (and SCIENCE! - see "maps" in my sig), but I think he'd still happily advise a student going the economic route if he or she had really interesting ideas.

Based on what you gave as your interests, neither Freedman nor Winroth seemed particularly good fits, and all of the Yalies that do Early Medieval tend to stick to Insular stuff.

FWIW, Conant will be on sabbatical next year and thus may not have as active a participation in the selection process as he might otherwise, but on the other hand he doesn't really have any graduate students (being only recently tenured), so the Council of Doom might push some his way.

 

That's good to know! I'll send him an email in the next couple of days. It's been pretty hard finding people who share similar interests.

I was thinking in terms of a potential committee for Yale. Maybe combined with Francesca Trivellato? I'm not sure.

I was also thinking about Katie Harris at UC Davis but I didn't see a lot of people specializing in the Middle Ages so I'm not sure yet. 

[knp]

Is Michael McCormick really a MacArthur genius? Back when I had my medieval phase for a couple semesters in undergrad, I thought I'd gotten a little familiarity with his work, but his website doesn't list anything MacArthur-wise. Is he really just that modest? Dang.

[dr. t]

I won't say medieval economic history is passé, but it's not the sexy thing right now. Also, Early Medievalists are dwindling in number as time goes on, so that doesn't help. If you're brave, you might try poking at UK schools.

KNP - I misspoke, what he actually got was the Mellon Distinguished Achievement Award (which is $1.5m instead of $650k) for Origins. And yeah, he's pretty modest and self-effacing... for a Harvard professor 

Edited October 13, 2015 by telkanuru

[DGrayson]

I won't say medieval economic history is passé, but it's not the sexy thing right now. Also, Early Medievalists are dwindling in number as time goes on, so that doesn't help. If you're brave, you might try poking at UK schools.

KNP - I misspoke, what he actually got was the Mellon Distinguished Achievement Award (which is $1.5m instead of $650k) for Origins. And yeah, he's pretty modest and self-effacing... for a Harvard professor 

I was looking at UK schools, but I know how hard it is for an international student to get funding there; at least it's that way for Economics. I know that there are a few Economic Historians at Chicago who specialize in Ancient Rome/Antiquity. Might be able to pull that off. Not 100% sure though. 

[mvlchicago]

^^ I was about to say you might as well email Alain Bresson. I don't know if I'd pick Chicago if you're only interested in Economic history. If you're looking to branch out though, Jonathan Lyons and Michael Allen are fantastic. 

[DGrayson]

^^ I was about to say you might as well email Alain Bresson. I don't know if I'd pick Chicago if you're only interested in Economic history. If you're looking to branch out though, Jonathan Lyons and Michael Allen are fantastic. 

Good to know! Thanks!

[jayray11]

I really like Mike McCormick, but when I emailed him he listed his current research projects and non of them are really of any interest to me. I'm still in contact with him though. 

I think he has three new students this year, so it may be tough applying and you would be fighting for attention.

[pro Augustis]

Working on my statements of purpose, I came to an unexpected stumbling block. I am presently taking a course with Eminent Roman Historian. At one point, Eminent Roman Historian assigned a chapter from his upcoming book. That chapter is highly relevant to my research interests. His previous work, however, is tangential at best. Does anyone have any good ideas on how to deal with this in a SOP? I'm hesitant to say "I want to work with Eminent Roman Historian because of Future Book," lest the admissions committee think I'm pulling things out of thin air. 

[GradSchoolTruther]

Assuming you're applying to the same school, I'd think the committee would know about his upcoming book. You probably should know this professor well enough to know if they would want to work with you and write an LOR.

Edited October 16, 2015 by GradSchoolTruther

[TheShire]

Hey, I recently decided to get my MA in history and I was wondering if it would be best to cram all my requirements in before the winter deadlines, or to hold out for Fall 2017. I picked an awkward time to start the admissions process, so what do you guys think?

[pro Augustis]

Assuming you're applying to the same school, I'd think the committee would know about his upcoming book. You probably should know this professor well enough to know if they would want to work with you and write an LOR.

That's a fair point that the committee would probably have some idea about his upcoming work—or, if they didn't, could just ask him. As for a LOR, I am unfortunately in a one year program, which means that I'll be applying before I know anyone quite well enough to ask. At present he has only seen me in class for a few weeks, and "pro Augustis is never late and appears to do the reading" is probably not a stellar rec. 

Hey, I recently decided to get my MA in history and I was wondering if it would be best to cram all my requirements in before the winter deadlines, or to hold out for Fall 2017. I picked an awkward time to start the admissions process, so what do you guys think?

If you have nothing at all done toward the application, I would advise waiting, I think. The GRE takes quite a while to practice for, and the whole task of picking out schools and drafting SOPs isn't quick either. Of course, it is doable, and if your undergrad studies left you with a usable writing sample and you have the time to get the other stuff done and remember enough math to not need weeks/months of GRE review, it'd always be nice to not have to delay an extra twelve months. 

 

[ashiepoo72]

Have you done the GRE and do the program's you're considering require it? My MA didn't. If you need it, you should take it no later than the end of October, as it takes about 4 weeks for the writing score to be released. You'll have to order and send scores without seeing the writing score at this point (at least for apps due in December), but you'll know the verbal and quantitative.

Applying to the MA requires a statement and a shorter writing sample than PhD apps, so if you have a workable writing sample you'll probably have enough time. That is, if you've already secured the necessary recommendation letters. My MA required 2, others will require 3. If you haven't asked rec writers yet, do that immediately. Some of them may say no because it's so close to the earliest deadlines. Also, check the due dates at all the different programs. They tend to vary considerably, which means you may actually have til February or March for some of them and only need to get the applications due earlier ready now.

All of this advice is assuming you've researched and have a list of programs ready, know the advisers you're interested in, have a clearly defined area of interest, etc. In my opinion, that's the part I'd be worried about if you haven't done it already.

[knp]

Hello! Time to ask a question of the collective wisdom. Do you know of any historians who work on colonial language issues? Any region of the world is fine. I'm looking to expand my list of applications by one or two, so I'm searching for history professors who study colonial language. If I then research the department and find someone else who works on my region, that's a strong case for adding it to my currently too-short list of programs.

Unfortunately, the only program I know of that fits this two-person relevance model is Washington. Vicente Rafael's books are the sort of thing I'm talking about, and they have interesting professors in my region, too! Problem: Washington requires an MA for admittance to the PhD, and I do not have an MA. Nor do I want one. I guess I'm open to considering that path if I strike out on PhDs this cycle, but for now, that requirement's a problem.

Thanks in advance!

[mvlchicago]

Kevin Terraciano @ UCLA, Talal Asad @ CUNY, maybe William Cronon + James Sweet @ Wisconsin Madison, Matthew Restall @ Penn State all immediately come to mind for me. I'm definitely missing people but maybe it's a start? 

[knp]

Thanks! Yeah, I'm much more familiar with the anthropological side of this particular scholarly problem than I am with the historical, but since I am generally more historical, I figured I should start getting caught up on that. (I'm out of upvotes.)

[gsc]

Problem: Washington requires an MA for admittance to the PhD, and I do not have an MA. Nor do I want one. I guess I'm open to considering that path if I strike out on PhDs this cycle, but for now, that requirement's a problem.

Thanks in advance!

Washington doesn't require a MA for admittance to the program. You can start with a BA, pick up their MA requirements, and get promoted to PhD candidacy just like any other program. I don't have a MA and was admitted just fine.

Source: https://depts.washington.edu/history/graduate-studies-phd-degree/degree-requirements-department and http://depts.washington.edu/history/graduate-studies-prospective-students/ma-degree 

Edited October 19, 2015 by girlscoutcookies

[knp]

Oh really? That seems way more normal than how I read it! This bit on the prospective students page in particular gave me trouble:

Applicants with a BA only, or an MA in a field other than History, must apply for admission into our MA program.  Applicants who will have completed an MA in History are eligible to apply for our PhD program.  If you will have a completed MA in a closely related field, you may note on your application that you would like to be considered for admission into the PhD program.  

That made it sound like more of a stand-alone master's, which I don't want. I did know about the possibility of promotion, but that text made it sound like it wasn't something common.

So, just on a more nitty-gritty application thing, do you know if I can write a PhD application, then be admitted to the master's and pick that up on the way? Or did you have to write an MA-style application? (I am hoping for the former, since that's easier for me given the materials I've already assembled.) I have written to more official sources at the school, but it's now been a while since I sent my emails, so thanks for helping answer my questions in the meantime!

[gsc]

Oh really? That seems way more normal than how I read it! This bit on the prospective students page in particular gave me trouble:

That made it sound like more of a stand-alone master's, which I don't want. I did know about the possibility of promotion, but that text made it sound like it wasn't something common.

So, just on a more nitty-gritty application thing, do you know if I can write a PhD application, then be admitted to the master's and pick that up on the way? Or did you have to write an MA-style application? (I am hoping for the former, since that's easier for me given the materials I've already assembled.) I have written to more official sources at the school, but it's now been a while since I sent my emails, so thanks for helping answer my questions in the meantime!

I'm happy to help! I only applied to PhD programs, and I submitted the exact same essay to Washington did that I did to everywhere else (minus the basic fit/professor things). I honestly think the MA-promotion-to-PhD policy is immaterial; they're only going to admit students that they expect to give PhDs to. It's like any school that admits PhD students directly from a BA, where you technically receive a MA on the way, except Washington seems more explicit about giving students the intermediate degree.

 

Edited October 19, 2015 by girlscoutcookies

[knp]

Thanks so much! That's a load off. Also, I'm out of upvotes. When does the counter reset? I haven't been logged onto the forum since ~9 pm EST yesterday, so I would've thought I would've gotten my new ones by now.

[stillalivetui]

I agree that the University of Washington application seems a little confusing initially. I applied there three years ago when I had thought I only wanted to do an MA, then I discovered sometime later that they only accepted students that they thought would continue to pursue their PhD there. 

[knp]

+1. I always love it when I am not the only person to have difficulty interpreting something, so thanks for that!

[TMP]

No worries-- unless it's explicitly stated that the MA is terminal only, it's really just a MA/PhD program.  Your acceptance to the PhD is conditional until you receive the MA and the committee deems you qualified for the PhD.  Vast majority of students get the recommendation to continue.  You just have to fulfill the MA requirements.  People who get accepted directly to the PhD don't.

[SunshineLolipops]

Finally got my marks from my masters programme, and it looks like I'm definitely taking another shot at applying to PhD programs.  Does anyone know about the different ways to secure funding for study in the UK?

[alain]

Hi all. I need some advice related to emailing POIs. I have been too anxious to email any POIs and was hoping I could just send my applications without it. However, two of the programs I was going to apply to strongly suggest doing so. I've already crossed one out but I still am seriously considering applying to the other. However, it is now one month before the deadline. Do you think it will look bad if I email a potential POI now (it being kind of last minute and all) or should I just let it go? (I'm currently leaning towards the latter option...)

Edited October 30, 2015 by alain

[mvlchicago]

^^^^ Hey friend, 

It's never too late to email a professor; generally speaking, an email of this sort does a couple things.

1. It tells the professor to look out for your application. With 300 applicants at any given program, individuals can very easily fall through the cracks. If a professor has your email on file, but then doesn't see your application, she's more likely to email the adcom something like "hey where's this person?" 

2. It gives the professor a chance to tell you not to waste time or money if there's 0% chance that you will get a chance to study with her. If you were to email someone like Thomas Holt at UChicago, he would tell you he's retiring quite soon and no longer taking graduate students. If you send an application in without that knowledge, there's always the chance that you are the 100% perfect candidate but your faculty person of interest will be on leave, is moving schools, or otherwise incapable of admitting you. That'll save you lots of "Why did they reject me?" anxiety.

Re: The anxiety, I get it honestly I do. I'm still terrified of emailing my former advisors at undergrad to tell them what I'm doing (procrastinating on it for 8 weeks now woo~). That being said, this is a useful life skill; learning how to deal with anxiety in productive manners so it doesn't get in the way of things you need to do. Have you talked to your doctor about finding a therapist? It could do miles for figuring out how to control this sort of thing since no matter what field you go into (grad school or otherwise) anxiety will find its way to you. Good luck!