History 2010

[Nytusse]

Go. There will be free drinks. I guarantee it.

I saw the Wisconsin pictures of last year's welcome weekend...everyone seemed to have giant beers!

[RockEater]

That would probably be the Essen Haus, if I recall correctly. Yes. There are giant beers there. A few friends and I have had more that a few boots, and once I went with four other people and split a five liter stein. Bring your drinking hat if you have one, and go get one if you don't have one.

Of course, the food in the city is good too. When is the welcome weekend? I'll probably be around.

[Nytusse]

That would probably be the Essen Haus, if I recall correctly. Yes. There are giant beers there. A few friends and I have had more that a few boots, and once I went with four other people and split a five liter stein. Bring your drinking hat if you have one, and go get one if you don't have one.

Of course, the food in the city is good too. When is the welcome weekend? I'll probably be around.

It is March 20-22. I'd really like to see Madison, because everyone just gushes over how great it is.

[deuterides]

I really want to go too. Everyone has been telling that Madison is one of the great places to live and study, and I want to see if it lives up to the billing. I sort of wish I had more news from them about how things are going to stack up, but I'm very likely to attend.

[C-Money]

Did anyone else admitted to Wisconsin receive a not-so-helpful packet in the mail?

There was an itinerary for the visiting weekend and a form asking us to say if we planned on attending the program or not, but it does not seem like they are even finished determining funding, so the timing is kind of strange.

I'm starting to feel a little frustrated with the way they do things because I have a pretty good fit there. I would rather wait to get accepted until they had a reasonable idea about funding rather than wait an extra month and a half or something to find out, especially when everything they send in the mail is not very helpful at all.

I have not yet received the packet that you're talking about, but I agree that the way that they do things is frustrating. Unfortunately, I think that the bottom line is that they award very few university fellowships and it's highly unlikely that any given admitted student will receive decent funding.

[RockEater]

It is March 20-22. I'd really like to see Madison, because everyone just gushes over how great it is.

Yeah, I should be about. That ends just a week before Spring Break, so it's good that you'll see the campus where there are actually students on it.

[C-Money]

I really like Madison--my biggest issue with the town is the winters... ugh.

[Nytusse]

I really want to go too. Everyone has been telling that Madison is one of the great places to live and study, and I want to see if it lives up to the billing. I sort of wish I had more news from them about how things are going to stack up, but I'm very likely to attend.

I would also like more results soon! I was so wrong in predicting that yesterday would be a big day. At least when I came home, I had TWO envelopes and I freaked out with joy. However, only one had input.

BTW how common is it for grad students to immediately serve as TAs? I had never seen that at any program, but maybe I just didn't notice? I thought students usually had to do a year or two of classes first.

[American in Beijing]

If anyone's waiting on Columbia, I just got an e-mail from the secretary saying that the committee is going to make decisions "by the 25th" and that "applicants will be notified shortly after that."

I'm assuming that means if you find out after the 25th, it's probably not good news, . Here's to another week of suspense!

[limeinthecoconut]

If anyone's waiting on Columbia, I just got an e-mail from the secretary saying that the committee is going to make decisions "by the 25th" and that "applicants will be notified shortly after that."

I'm assuming that means if you find out after the 25th, it's probably not good news, . Here's to another week of suspense!

Thanks for asking on our behalf!

[American in Beijing]

Thanks for asking on our behalf!

Lol, why they couldn't just send out a mass e-mail telling this to everyone is beyond me.

[limeinthecoconut]

Lol, why they couldn't just send out a mass e-mail telling this to everyone is beyond me.

They have bets on whom amongst us will crack first!

[Nytusse]

Lol, why they couldn't just send out a mass e-mail telling this to everyone is beyond me.

The mass emails are usually misleading, anyways. They will usually say something like "decisions will be available in mid-March" when what it really means is that "we will wait until mid-March to get around to rejecting people. Accepted students have known for weeks."

[C-Money]

What do you guys think about Harvard--if we haven't heard, we're rejected (which is my guess)?

[limeinthecoconut]

What do you guys think about Harvard--if we haven't heard, we're rejected (which is my guess)?

Quite unfortunately, that's my guess, too. They don't usually e-mail rejects, and people reject pool find out via snail mail. Erm, unless your potential advisor is in Timbuktu, and had no way of knowing that you were admitted.

[limeinthecoconut]

Results board has been eerily silent for History the past couple of days.

[StrangeLight]

BTW how common is it for grad students to immediately serve as TAs? I had never seen that at any program, but maybe I just didn't notice? I thought students usually had to do a year or two of classes first.

it is very common for first year students to serve as TAs. "standard" funding packages tend to require students to TA either all throughout their first year or in the second semester of their first year. many departments will cobble together particular first-year fellowships so that you don't have to teach until your second year, but there isn't always enough of that to go around, so a few in your cohort will be TAing right off the bat. almost every program requires you to TA in your second year and third year. many also have you TAing in your fourth and fifth year, but there are many dissertation research or dissertation completion fellowships available inside and outside of history departments that would remove this obligation.

one exception i know of is princeton, which doesn't require you to TA at all. you can choose to TA if you want to, if you want the experience on your CV. i'm sure there are other universities with massive endowments that free you up from TAing through most of your degree, but i don't know of any public school that doesn't have its grad students as TAs by their second year.

oh, and you do have to take 2 to 3 years of classes, depending on your program, and that's on top of your teaching requirements and the work you're doing towards your MA and dissertation proposal and preparing for your comprehensive exams. awesome, isn't it?

regardless of how much or how hard you're working right now, you will be working 5 times harder in a year. there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything that you need to do. my first recommendation is, all other things being equal, enroll in the program with the least amount of required teaching responsibility. you want fellowships on your CV, not just TAships. you definitely want to avoid teaching your first year because you're going to be very, very busy as it is. oh, and have a ton of fun now. once you're in a grad program, even if you have time to go do something fun, you'll feel guilty the whole time that you're not working on something instead.

[Nytusse]

Results board has been eerily silent for History the past couple of days.

And the middle of the week seems to be more inactive anyways, so is it going to be slow until the end of this week? UVA should be getting ready soon also. Who knows what Brown is doing..?

I am not sure that Harvard is done with admits. There were several posted last year, and one would imagine that there are MORE people coming here now. I feel like a couple more might come out soon.

[Nytusse]

it is very common for first year students to serve as TAs. "standard" funding packages tend to require students to TA either all throughout their first year or in the second semester of their first year. many departments will cobble together particular first-year fellowships so that you don't have to teach until your second year, but there isn't always enough of that to go around, so a few in your cohort will be TAing right off the bat. almost every program requires you to TA in your second year and third year. many also have you TAing in your fourth and fifth year, but there are many dissertation research or dissertation completion fellowships available inside and outside of history departments that would remove this obligation.

one exception i know of is princeton, which doesn't require you to TA at all. you can choose to TA if you want to, if you want the experience on your CV. i'm sure there are other universities with massive endowments that free you up from TAing through most of your degree, but i don't know of any public school that doesn't have its grad students as TAs by their second year.

oh, and you do have to take 2 to 3 years of classes, depending on your program, and that's on top of your teaching requirements and the work you're doing towards your MA and dissertation proposal and preparing for your comprehensive exams. awesome, isn't it?

regardless of how much or how hard you're working right now, you will be working 5 times harder in a year. there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything that you need to do. my first recommendation is, all other things being equal, enroll in the program with the least amount of required teaching responsibility. you want fellowships on your CV, not just TAships. you definitely want to avoid teaching your first year because you're going to be very, very busy as it is. oh, and have a ton of fun now. once you're in a grad program, even if you have time to go do something fun, you'll feel guilty the whole time that you're not working on something instead.

Well, unfortunately I can't have any fun. I'm already in a graduate program. Came from my bachelor's to my master's and now direct to a doctoral program...fun has already died.

I am surprised about the TA thing. I was not aware that was the norm for first-year students.

[JustChill]

Me neither, I always heard that no one had to teach during their first year in a grad program.

[LifeIsGood]

The only thing I know about being a TA in the first year is that when I spoke to a potential advisor, she said that, if I were admitted, I'd probably be assigned to teach in the first year because I'll be coming in with an MA. I inferred that people without an MA would be given grading duties or other grad assistantships.

[jz83]

It is March 20-22. I'd really like to see Madison, because everyone just gushes over how great it is.

I went to Madison for undergraduate. The Essen Haus is incredible. Especially on a Thursday when there are huge discounts on the boots and the 5 liter steins. If you get a chance, eat at Kabul on state street. Really affordable and incredible Afghan food. My favorite place. Also, Vientien is the best Lao/Thai food I've had. It's located at the corner of Gorham and Henry, a block off of state street.

Anyone applying to wisconsin to do Latin American history? Steve Stern and Florencia Mallon are great!

[jz83]

I really like Madison--my biggest issue with the town is the winters... ugh.

Winter's are definitely cold and very snowy, but it's not nearly as long of a winter as farther north. Just get a good jacket and boots. If you really dig the program and the faculty the weather shouldn't deter you from going.

[RockEater]

I went to Madison for undergraduate. The Essen Haus is incredible. Especially on a Thursday when there are huge discounts on the boots and the 5 liter steins. If you get a chance, eat at Kabul on state street. Really affordable and incredible Afghan food. My favorite place. Also, Vientien is the best Lao/Thai food I've had. It's located at the corner of Gorham and Henry, a block off of state street.

Anyone applying to wisconsin to do Latin American history? Steve Stern and Florencia Mallon are great!

In all honesty, I've been here for four years and I've never been to Kabul, but I plan on going soon. Vientien Palace is absolutely awesome, especially if you like it hot. There's a bbq place opening up next door to Riley's. It's owned by the same people, and the head chef is the same one the runs Samba. I'm going next Tuesday, and I'll definitely post how good it is.

[JustChill]

Man, this is a slow week for history. Any rumors out there?