STS Applicants - Fall 2016

[ladyobscure]

35 minutes ago, jayzpole said:

Torturous relief...I applied for the MA and I really, really, REALLY want it. Do you think they've sent many out? Thanks (and good luck)!

Don't they accept like 20 people? I'd say you're chances are good compared to most STS programs

[jayzpole]

20 minutes ago, ladyobscure said:

Don't they accept like 20 people? I'd say you're chances are good compared to most STS programs

Oh man, I hope so! My grades aren't too competitive and my background is literally a degree in the arts & sciences. It's very varied and yet not specific, at least not to history or philosophy. Hopefully I sold myself well. Good luck (and congrats on York!)

[ladyobscure]

19 hours ago, jayzpole said:

Oh man, I hope so! My grades aren't too competitive and my background is literally a degree in the arts & sciences. It's very varied and yet not specific, at least not to history or philosophy. Hopefully I sold myself well. Good luck (and congrats on York!)

Where did you go to school? Did you have good reference and research statement? Sometimes those things go a far way. Good luck

[jayzpole]

17 hours ago, ladyobscure said:

Where did you go to school? Did you have good reference and research statement? Sometimes those things go a far way. Good luck

I went to McMaster! I think so - thesis supervisor and program director. Both have had me for classes and have known me for 3+ years. I think my research statement was good, although it was hard to make it research oriented as this is a course based MA. Womp womp

[ladyobscure]

2 hours ago, jayzpole said:

I went to McMaster! I think so - thesis supervisor and program director. Both have had me for classes and have known me for 3+ years. I think my research statement was good, although it was hard to make it research oriented as this is a course based MA. Womp womp

From what I know, rather than admitting people for an MA specifically U of T IHPST often accepts all applicants (MA or otherwise) as PhD candidates, so a strong research statement is still great!

[jayzpole]

On 3/10/2016 at 11:35 AM, ladyobscure said:

From what I know, rather than admitting people for an MA specifically U of T IHPST often accepts all applicants (MA or otherwise) as PhD candidates, so a strong research statement is still great!

Ah...see I had no idea they preferred to let people in on the PhD track. I diluted my research statement since 1. the masters is course-based and 2. I wasn't sure it'd be feasible even on a PhD scale (very novel research that would require time sifting through archives in Eastern Europe). I did say I was interested in the PhD track but academia is not where I want to end up, at least not by completing a doctorate. My plan is medicine and I wrote about that and tied it into my statement. I'm genuinely interested in a future as both a medical historian and clinician, so we'll see how this application season pans out and which degree I'll be completing first. Someone apparently posted yesterday that they got a PhD rejection...I'm still holding out for more information.

[ladyobscure]

Just accepted my offer at York formally. Stipend is ~$22.5k. @Logik Did you get an email? Any further funding information?

[nevermind]

4 hours ago, ladyobscure said:

Just accepted my offer at York formally. Stipend is ~$22.5k. @Logik Did you get an email? Any further funding information?

Congrats @ladyobscure

[Nooooope]

7 hours ago, ladyobscure said:

Just accepted my offer at York formally. Stipend is ~$22.5k. @Logik Did you get an email? Any further funding information?

Congrats!

Yup, I received the standard FGS offer email mentioning a minimum funding package of ~$22.5k and a congratulatory email from the dept.

On 3/11/2016 at 10:35 AM, jayzpole said:

Someone apparently posted yesterday that they got a PhD rejection...I'm still holding out for more information.

I contacted Prof. Walsh and he let me know of my rejection. I exchanged a few emails with him and from the sounds of it, the admissions committee has more or less wrapped up and made their decisions known. Very few positions, tons of applicants, and limited faculty interest in the history of technology all worked against me. Not exactly surprised by it.

[jayzpole]

1 hour ago, Logik said:

Congrats!

Yup, I received the standard FGS offer email mentioning a minimum funding package of ~$22.5k and a congratulatory email from the dept.

I contacted Prof. Walsh and he let me know of my rejection. I exchanged a few emails with him and from the sounds of it, the admissions committee has more or less wrapped up and made their decisions known. Very few positions, tons of applicants, and limited faculty interest in the history of technology all worked against me. Not exactly surprised by it.

Damn. Welp, I'll just wait for my rejection email.

[ladyobscure]

Today, being in Paris, I thought, "Why not get coffee with Bruno Latour?" So I sent him an email, realized I had accidentally used the informal 2nd person with him, recalled it, corrected it and sent it again.

Mildly terrified I would have single handedly destroyed my STS career before it even started!

[Neist]

32 minutes ago, ladyobscure said:

Today, being in Paris, I thought, "Why not get coffee with Bruno Latour?" So I sent him an email, realized I had accidentally used the informal 2nd person with him, recalled it, corrected it and sent it again.

Mildly terrified I would have single handedly destroyed my STS career before it even started!

One can casually email Latour and ask him out for coffee?

Maybe I've live far too reserved. Hah.  

[jayzpole]

Contacted IHPST and informed of my rejection. Nice email, but I'm really disappointed. Thought it was my strongest app. Didn't apply broadly since I thought staying at home would be the best financial decision. Now I'll likely be shut out...alas. Best of luck to everyone else!

[ladyobscure]

4 hours ago, Neist said:

One can casually email Latour and ask him out for coffee?

Maybe I've live far too reserved. Hah.  

Well, had I used the casual second person "tu" to address him, and he agreed, that would be quite the feat....

 

I actually spoke at length about my research and other colleagues of him i know and asked about doing a PhD with him.

[Neist]

1 hour ago, ladyobscure said:

Well, had I used the casual second person "tu" to address him, and he agreed, that would be quite the feat....

I actually spoke at length about my research and other colleagues of him i know and asked about doing a PhD with him.

Sounds like it went well!

It just now occurred to me that, given your correspondence was probably not in English, the informal "tu" would have certainly been slightly embarrassing. In English, I've never considered such a tone as important, but it's definitely more formalized in other languages.

[A Librarian]

Greetings to one and all!

Congratulations to everybody on all of the acceptances and decisions on this board! Huzzah!

(sorry I've been MIA of late)

[AmandaADomingues]

Guys,

 

need some help here. I stil have chances of getting admitted  to the History and Sociology of Science Program at Georgia Tech. I found the program really nice, but I saw that apparently no one in the forum have applied there. I would like to know (I am not from the US) what you think about this program and the university. What have you heard about it? Is it good? Does the program is a reference?

 

thanks for your help!!!

[Neist]

1 minute ago, AmandaADomingues said:

Guys,

need some help here. I stil have chances of getting admitted  to the History and Sociology of Science Program at Georgia Tech. I found the program really nice, but I saw that apparently no one in the forum have applied there. I would like to know (I am not from the US) what you think about this program and the university. What have you heard about it? Is it good? Does the program is a reference?

thanks for your help!!!

I know nothing about the program, but it doesn't surprise me that you haven't found anyone here who's applied. STS or history of science isn't incredibly well-represented on these boards, and the GaTech program seems to be reasonably small, although this isn't necessarily a bad thing. As for GaTech itself, it's a good school, and it's generally well-regarded. It's only an assumption on my part, but I doubt the program you applied to is bad.

If you found the program nice, then I say it's worth consider attending if you get admitted.  Sometimes I feel as if smaller programs are looked as lesser programs, but they can be great places if you mesh well within the departmental community. The program I'm attending in the fall is actually quite a measure smaller than GaTech's by the looks, and it's quite well-regarded within the discipline (although not as well-known outside of it).

Hope this helps!

[ladyobscure]

So any further decisions? Where is everyone tentatively going? 

[Nooooope]

6 hours ago, ladyobscure said:

So any further decisions? Where is everyone tentatively going? 

Accepted York's offer

[ladyobscure]

5 hours ago, Logik said:

Accepted York's offer

Woot! Do you know anyone else who's going? I hear it's like a 4 person cohort.

[Neist]

13 hours ago, ladyobscure said:

So any further decisions? Where is everyone tentatively going? 

I didn't get any well-funded offers in STS programs, so I'm going history of science. 

 

[A Librarian]

On 3/27/2016 at 8:19 PM, ladyobscure said:

So any further decisions? Where is everyone tentatively going? 

Trying to make a decision.

My partner and I are now visiting some of the cities so we can make the final pick, but at this point I think I know which direction I'm leaning in...I think.

[ladyobscure]

2 hours ago, A Librarian said:

Trying to make a decision.

My partner and I are now visiting some of the cities so we can make the final pick, but at this point I think I know which direction I'm leaning in...I think.

Can I guess? UPenn?

[Neist]

2 hours ago, A Librarian said:

Trying to make a decision.

My partner and I are now visiting some of the cities so we can make the final pick, but at this point I think I know which direction I'm leaning in...I think.

You know RPI never got around to sending me a rejection.  

I gave up.