History 2010

[limeinthecoconut]

Last year, everyone in the graduate office who was applying to PhD programs pasted theirs up on the wall.

I had the most

The situation evidently improved for you this year. And that's all that matters.

It sure beats my situation - everyone else put up their acceptance letters last year, while I was putting up my rejection letters.

[Alea Iacta Est]

I've had two rejections so far, Yale and Berkeley. I wasn't expecting anything else from Berkeley since I put things together for the Dec. 1 deadline in a ridiculously slapdash fashion and pretty much had it coming. But was the second rejection email really necessary?

The Yale rejection is a little disheartening, not because I thought I'd get in but more because this is the second time they've rejected me. (They didn't like me as an undergrad either.)

I've had cautiously positive news from Notre Dame which, as a medievalist, I'm very, very enthusiastic about. Apparently they now have about twice as many potential candidates as the number they're actually going to admit. I'm going to go to an open house later this week, cross my fingers, and hope for the best.

Stony silence thus far from Harvard, UCLA, Oxford, Chicago, and Columbia.

[ResPublica]

I just received good news from UCLA via email, although they aren't offering me any funding for the first year. The attached letter states that I can apply for funds and TAships after the first year on a competitive basis. My wife has a good job she will be able to keep when we move, so I will only have to come up with a loan for tuition, making it likely that I will take the offer. I'm in the ancient history field, for those interested in that sort of thing. Good luck to everyone else waiting for UCLA!

[chickadee21]

Posted 19 February 2010 - 09:50 AM

Are all the UVA admits so far Americanists?

I found out Friday via the online application that I got in to UVA - my first acceptance, I'm so excited and relieved. I'm Modern European History - France and Germany during WWII.

Got rejected from Yale (not a huge surprise), haven't heard from anyone else. Good luck to everyone!

[Emerson]

Hi, all; long time lurker, first time commenter.

I just saw that a William and Mary rejection notice got put up--so I am now officially nervous (W&M is one of my top schools). Since I am currently living in the UK but am having all documents sent to my parents' home in the states, I literally beg them to check their mail every hour or so until it comes (thankfully, only a few schools only respond solely through snail-mail nowadays). This week is the big week for me: my top 4 schools typically get back around the last week of February, so they should be trickling in over the next couple weeks.

By way of introduction, I study the intellectual history of the 18th and 19th centuries, with a focus on the early American republic. More directly, I have most often looked at the connections of religious thought and its larger ideological climate. My masters degree will be in Theology and history, my BA was in English and history, and my PhD will most likely be in history (though I do have hopes for one American Civilization program). I have already one acceptance under my belt, but it is another UK school and I'd like to have some options in the US.

Best of luck to everyone.

[Emerson]

Also, I hope nobody minds that I have assigned in my head specific voices for the prominent commenters here; I mean, I read everyone so often that you almost become real

[Nytusse]

Also, I hope nobody minds that I have assigned in my head specific voices for the prominent commenters here; I mean, I read everyone so often that you almost become real

You have a similar sort of interests as I do (is that sentence even English?) I also would call myself an intellectual historian, but I'm smack dab in the middle of religion and history. I work with Modern Europe, though, but I'm wondering if my inherently interdisciplinary interests are going to be a problem for programs.

[Emerson]

You have a similar sort of interests as I do (is that sentence even English?) I also would call myself an intellectual historian, but I'm smack dab in the middle of religion and history. I work with Modern Europe, though, but I'm wondering if my inherently interdisciplinary interests are going to be a problem for programs.

Here's to hoping that your focus on Europe and mine on America (and therefore our presumably differing ideal mentors) make us distinct enough to coexist.

Though, you and I both know that the distinctions between the two worlds are not that black/white. Best of luck to you, though!

[Kai210]

Congratulations to the individual who posted the acceptance from The Ohio State University.

[Alea Iacta Est]

I just received good news from UCLA via email, although they aren't offering me any funding for the first year. The attached letter states that I can apply for funds and TAships after the first year on a competitive basis. My wife has a good job she will be able to keep when we move, so I will only have to come up with a loan for tuition, making it likely that I will take the offer. I'm in the ancient history field, for those interested in that sort of thing. Good luck to everyone else waiting for UCLA!

Congratulations ResPublica! That's great news. What are your specific research interests?

[Sovetskaya]

Here's to hoping that your focus on Europe and mine on America (and therefore our presumably differing ideal mentors) make us distinct enough to coexist.

Though, you and I both know that the distinctions between the two worlds are not that black/white. Best of luck to you, though!

Good to hear some intellectual historians out there! I LOVE intellectual history, especially American, and will likely include it in my own graduate work. At the end of the day, it's all just cultural history anyway.

[C-Money]

Congratulations ResPublica! That's great news. What are your specific research interests?

Is getting into UCLA without funding great news? I'm in the same boat, and I don't know whether I should be happy or not. Does anyone have any idea if it's possible to get tuition funding at UCLA from outside the history department (e.g., like they suggest at Wisconsin)?

[lifetimestudent]

For people interested in Stanford - letters should be coming over the next couple of days. I got a call from my potential advisor with the bad news. Good luck to everyone else!

[prairiefire]

Hi, all; long time lurker, first time commenter.

I just saw that a William and Mary rejection notice got put up--so I am now officially nervous (W&M is one of my top schools). Since I am currently living in the UK but am having all documents sent to my parents' home in the states, I literally beg them to check their mail every hour or so until it comes (thankfully, only a few schools only respond solely through snail-mail nowadays). This week is the big week for me: my top 4 schools typically get back around the last week of February, so they should be trickling in over the next couple weeks.

By way of introduction, I study the intellectual history of the 18th and 19th centuries, with a focus on the early American republic. More directly, I have most often looked at the connections of religious thought and its larger ideological climate. My masters degree will be in Theology and history, my BA was in English and history, and my PhD will most likely be in history (though I do have hopes for one American Civilization program). I have already one acceptance under my belt, but it is another UK school and I'd like to have some options in the US.

Best of luck to everyone.

Hey Emerson,

I'm the W&M reject (my top school, uggh). I just thought you'd like to know that I'm living in the UK too, but they sent the letter to my parents in the US despite knowing my English address. So you should definitely keep them watching the mailbox in the next few days. My focus is colonial/Native American/religion. Good luck!

[cooperstreet]

For people interested in Stanford - letters should be coming over the next couple of days. I got a call from my potential advisor with the bad news. Good luck to everyone else!

Is stanford going to email, hard copy, or just let us know via website? According to past results, they let everyone know via email. Right about this time of the month too.

[Emerson]

Hey Emerson,

I'm the W&M reject (my top school, uggh). I just thought you'd like to know that I'm living in the UK too, but they sent the letter to my parents in the US despite knowing my English address. So you should definitely keep them watching the mailbox in the next few days. My focus is colonial/Native American/religion. Good luck!

Thanks for the info, prairiefire; I appreciate the heads-up. Good luck with the rest of your application!

[lifetimestudent]

Is stanford going to email, hard copy, or just let us know via website? According to past results, they let everyone know via email. Right about this time of the month too.

I honestly have no idea.

[heu mihi]

Brown emailed me to say that a decision has been made on my application, but I can't view it on the application until 5:15! Wtf! So cruel.

[RaymondDale]

I just received good news from UCLA via email, although they aren't offering me any funding for the first year. The attached letter states that I can apply for funds and TAships after the first year on a competitive basis. My wife has a good job she will be able to keep when we move, so I will only have to come up with a loan for tuition, making it likely that I will take the offer. I'm in the ancient history field, for those interested in that sort of thing. Good luck to everyone else waiting for UCLA!

In my opinion, this is very unwise. Do not borrow a penny to go to graduate school for history. You are hurting yourself, and enriching a bank. If people keep accepting these ridiculous no-funding offers, it will soon become the status quo. Don't do it. If your wife can support you, write articles, write a book this summer, then re-apply. Don't let graduate school determine your career. If you want to be an historian, become one, now. Graduate school does not determine that. You do. David McCullough? No Ph.D. Vernon Louis Parrington? No Ph.D. There are many other examples.

Require funding! Because -- and I know this sounds cliche -- we deserve it!

[deuterides]

In my opinion, this is very unwise. Do not borrow a penny to go to graduate school for history. You are hurting yourself, and enriching a bank. If people keep accepting these ridiculous no-funding offers, it will soon become the status quo. Don't do it. If your wife can support you, write articles, write a book this summer, then re-apply. Don't let graduate school determine your career. If you want to be an historian, become one, now. Graduate school does not determine that. You do. David McCullough? No Ph.D. Vernon Louis Parrington? No Ph.D. There are many other examples.

Require funding! Because -- and I know this sounds cliche -- we deserve it!

I couldn't agree more. I happen to be fortunate enough to be able to afford to pay for the whole experience if I went unfunded, but I realize the danger of that. Not only do you lose on valuable teaching experience you also make it so you are never really integrated into the department and seen as something of an outsider. Plus, remember that a year of tuition is only slightly less than what one would make as a junior professor. Only go a year unfunded if you know that you are in the best possible place for you and they visibly went to all possible means to get you funding from the university coffers.

[Caligula]

I agree. I have had five or six professors tell me that I should under no circumstances accept an offer that is not funded. They didn't say it had to be fully funded, but there should at least be partial funding. They all made a concerted effort to get this point across, some were even unprompted (i.e., we weren't even talking about funding, they just volunteered this piece of advice).

Edited February 22, 2010 by Caligula

[history1920]

I just received good news from UCLA via email, although they aren't offering me any funding for the first year. The attached letter states that I can apply for funds and TAships after the first year on a competitive basis. My wife has a good job she will be able to keep when we move, so I will only have to come up with a loan for tuition, making it likely that I will take the offer. I'm in the ancient history field, for those interested in that sort of thing. Good luck to everyone else waiting for UCLA!

Congrats on your acceptance to UCLA. Something in your post caught my attention and I wanted to share what information I have with you. I grew up in LA and I know someone in the History Department at UCLA who accepted their non-funded offer last year. I think there are some hidden costs beyond your notion that "I will only have to come up with a loan for tuition." So here are a few cost related things about living in LA and going to UCLA:

1. You have to pay student fees and health insurance in addition to tuition.

2. Will you have a car? If yes that's expensive. FYI, your insurance rates are determined by where you live in LA. If you live in an area where your neighbors have fancy cars expect your insurance to be outrageous. Parking at UCLA is over $1,000 for the year; no street parking. If you don't plan on having a car you probably want to live in an area relatively close to UCLA that has bus lines--really freaking expensive.

3. My friend, in his second year, said there is no guarantee of funding (TA or Readership) for grad students beyond the first year, unless otherwise indicated on your acceptance letter, but the department tries to find something for you and usually does.

I just wanted to offer you what I know and have heard about that program. Best of luck

[TMP]

C-Money, you are worth FAR more than $0 in funding from UCLA. Don't underestimate your personal value. Don't be that "desperate" that you're willing to do whatever you can to get your Ph.D. Also, there is a possibility of the department not respecting you as much as you'd think for paying for your way. Funded grad students are going to get first dibs on everything related to funding- summer fellowships and TA-ships because they're all part of their package, those things that matter on your CV.

[bakabeth]

Congratulations to the individual who posted the acceptance from The Ohio State University.

Thanks! I'm really happy, particularly because I have a sinking feeling my offer at UVA will be without funding!

[heu mihi]

Did anyone here go to the NYU prospective students thing? What was it like? Were there a lot of people there? Did you get the impression that those invited were those likely to be admitted?