Fall 2017 applicants

[angesradieux]

Thanks. I intended to refresh my memory and review his professor's work, but something came up and I ended up not having time, which has left me a bit stressed. I still sometimes get nervous and self-conscious talking to professors I've known for a while, so going into a conversation with a potential professor who I really want to like me and who I've never met before is a little terrifying. I'm not an especially outgoing or talkative person.

[angesradieux]

Well, the phone call happened. Nothing's official, but he said that he's going to advocate for the department committee to nominate me for a university wide fellowship and he hopes that I'll be in the first group of students they send acceptances to. So there's actually a decent chance I may be a PhD student in the fall.

[NoirFemme]

2 hours ago, angesradieux said:

Well, the phone call happened. Nothing's official, but he said that he's going to advocate for the department committee to nominate me for a university wide fellowship and he hopes that I'll be in the first group of students they send acceptances to. So there's actually a decent chance I may be a PhD student in the fall.

Woot! Congratulations!

[viridian]

7 hours ago, angesradieux said:

Well, the phone call happened. Nothing's official, but he said that he's going to advocate for the department committee to nominate me for a university wide fellowship and he hopes that I'll be in the first group of students they send acceptances to. So there's actually a decent chance I may be a PhD student in the fall.

congratulations! they (at least this POI) really want you. hopefully the first of much good news. 

oh and a hello and a bashful wave to everyone. longtime lurker here. created an account after reading the posts about how quiet the history stream was this year. perhaps this will sway other lurkers to do the same...

[KLZ]

14 hours ago, viridian said:

oh and a hello and a bashful wave to everyone. longtime lurker here. created an account after reading the posts about how quiet the history stream was this year. perhaps this will sway other lurkers to do the same...

Welcome! I assume you are applying to programs this year? Good luck!

[EricaMac]

I went down this road about five or so years ago, applied to 8 programs (though I was nowhere near a strong enough candidate for a Ph.D. in general at the time, much less what I was applying for), and obsessively checked this website daily. 

Now? I'm finishing a second masters with a 4.0 GPA. All 3 of my applications were submitted WELL in advance of their due dates. I spent a lot of time on my SOP, had writer friends and friends who were already in Ph.D programs look at it and critique it. I work as an adjunct teaching history (have for a year and a half at this point), and I know my recommendations are strong. My GRE scores weren't great (I can't math to save my life), though my AW was a 6. I'm taking a "I tried, I put everything I had into this, now it's just a matter of waiting, and if it's meant to happen, it will." So. I suppose we'll see. 

[viridian]

@KLZ thank you! i'll need every bit of luck I can get. yes, i'm applying to start this fall. i see you've already made it through the rings of fire  congratulations! i hope you're enjoying your program. 

@EricaMac hi, it's great to meet another applicant. somehow it helps to feel less alone. i'm sorry to hear your first trip down the road didn't work out, but you've accomplished so much in the five years since. everything you've mentioned will make a world of difference...good luck! 

[adsperli]

So, I get the sense that most of this forum revolves around PhD applications (as is the case with other grad school communities I've found online), but as someone who just applied to MA programs and is freaking out a bit, would anyone be willing to PM and chat?

[kindkw123]

I'm waiting to hear from Harvard's HEAL (History and East Asian Languages) program. Does anyone know if an interview is necessary for candidates who are eventually admitted? I've received some emails from my POI asking for additional information and materials, but not an interview request (as I have seen others report on the results page). Does anyone know more?

[pudewen]

7 hours ago, kindkw123 said:

I'm waiting to hear from Harvard's HEAL (History and East Asian Languages) program. Does anyone know if an interview is necessary for candidates who are eventually admitted? I've received some emails from my POI asking for additional information and materials, but not an interview request (as I have seen others report on the results page). Does anyone know more?

Unless something has changed in the time since I was admitted, HEAL generally does not conduct interviews.

[SarahBethSortino]

I can't believe how many few history programs have sent out any information to applicants. The Grad Café results database is flooded with Science/Technology/Psychology acceptances and rejections, but even for the schools with very early applications due dates, I've seen barely a peep. I don't know whether the lack of information is stressing me out, or if I will be more stressed once it starts to flood the results page.

[Quickmick]

6 minutes ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I can't believe how many few history programs have sent out any information to applicants. The Grad Café results database is flooded with Science/Technology/Psychology acceptances and rejections, but even for the schools with very early applications due dates, I've seen barely a peep. I don't know whether the lack of information is stressing me out, or if I will be more stressed once it starts to flood the results page.

maybe adcomms think that if the humanities students are going to be the last to graduate they may as well be the last to know if they are in, too!

[SarahBethSortino]

6 minutes ago, Quickmick said:

maybe adcomms think that if the humanities students are going to be the last to graduate they may as well be the last to know if they are in, too!

Hahahaha. Laugh of the afternoon.

[lkjpoi]

I don't think it's a lack of information, but a lack of programs. There are far more doctoral candidates in the sciences than in the humanities. Look at this fun table.

https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2017/nsf17306/datatables/tab-12.htm

[OHSP]

1 hour ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I can't believe how many few history programs have sent out any information to applicants. The Grad Café results database is flooded with Science/Technology/Psychology acceptances and rejections, but even for the schools with very early applications due dates, I've seen barely a peep. I don't know whether the lack of information is stressing me out, or if I will be more stressed once it starts to flood the results page.

I know :/ I completely underestimated how painful it would be to wait for news. Even MFA, sociology, political science etc are hearing back. According to my "when schools released information last year" sheet we still have a few more weeks, but that isn't making it less stressful. 

[ziggysunshine]

Hey guys!

I got an email today from a professor at NYU regarding an interview. Thing is he wants to schedule it for tomorrow, and that makes me a bit nervous! Anyone have any tips or advice?

Also thought I would mention this in case anyone else is interested in/applied to NYU.

[voprosi]

I just received a similar email, ziggysunshine! Except mine was from a professor at Columbia. I don't think Columbia does interviews, so it probably has a lot to do with the POI. I don't know how formal it's supposed to be, so I'm planning to brush up on my reading lists in my field, re-read my SOP, and go over the POI's scholarship and contributions. I was not expecting contact at all, so this is a lot of pressure!

Edited January 18, 2017 by voprosi

[praxis34]

Hey I wish you luck in your interviews @ziggysunshine and @voprosi !  I applied both to NYU and Columbia, but didn't receive any formal or informal news from the departments. Btw, what are your sub-fields? 

[ziggysunshine]

34 minutes ago, voprosi said:

I just received a similar email, ziggysunshine! Except mine was from a professor at Columbia. I don't think Columbia does interviews, so it probably has a lot to do with the POI. I don't know how formal it's supposed to be, so I'm planning to brush up on my reading lists in my field, re-read my SOP, and go over the POI's scholarship and contributions. I was not expecting contact at all, so this is a lot of pressure!

I wasn't expecting anything yet either, since it seems that in years past things started happening at the end of January/beginning of February. The other weird thing is that I was contacted by someone I didn't identify as a POI on my statement...I guess he liked my application better than my POIs? LOL. But thanks for the tip- I should brush up on reading lists in my field as well. I guess the only thing I can say is keep calm and carry on? Tell me how your interview goes! I'll pop by online to discuss as well.

[ziggysunshine]

22 minutes ago, praxis34 said:

Hey I wish you luck in your interviews @ziggysunshine and @voprosi !  I applied both to NYU and Columbia, but didn't receive any formal or informal news from the departments. Btw, what are your sub-fields? 

Hey Praxis34, thanks! I hope it goes okay. My subfield is Modern Europe, if that helps to ease your concerns! I'll also pop by here again tomorrow to let you know if the professor says anything about the stage they're at with all of the applications more generally.

[Neist]

16 hours ago, OHSP said:

I know :/ I completely underestimated how painful it would be to wait for news. Even MFA, sociology, political science etc are hearing back. According to my "when schools released information last year" sheet we still have a few more weeks, but that isn't making it less stressful. 

 

Yeah, I don't think I hear anything back until at least late January last year. And I'm pretty sure that I didn't hear from my last program until March.

I feel your pain, everyone.  Waiting is horrible! 

[SarahBethSortino]

15 minutes ago, Neist said:

Yeah, I don't think I hear anything back until at least late January last year. And I'm pretty sure that I didn't hear from my last program until March.

I feel your pain, everyone.  Waiting is horrible! 

I was banking on the fact that two of my schools had application deadlines of December 1 and 15...So I thought that would translate to earlier news. But I'm starting to think no. It's even worse that, from what I can tell, none of my programs do formal interviews. So all those fancy people in the sciences get the advantage of at least knowing their application didn't get lost in the pile haha.

[Chiqui74]

Application deadlines have little bearing on when you'll hear about decisions.

[Neist]

21 minutes ago, SarahBethSortino said:

I was banking on the fact that two of my schools had application deadlines of December 1 and 15...So I thought that would translate to earlier news. But I'm starting to think no. It's even worse that, from what I can tell, none of my programs do formal interviews. So all those fancy people in the sciences get the advantage of at least knowing their application didn't get lost in the pile haha.

 

Well, think about it.

At a December 1 deadline, the semester is still wrapping up, and once the semester finishes, I consider it unlikely that they'd start the grueling admissions process before the winter break. So, according to my logic (which is admittedly very relative), no one will even look at your application until January.

I guess that the reason that so many of the sciences hear back this early is that the interview process is somewhat involved. Interviews have to be scheduled. Flights have to be arranged and paid for. Meetings have to be codified. It's all very time-consuming. In history, I imagine that the process is far more straightforward. I imagine a small-ish group of people sitting around a table looking through files, and after a week or two of several hour-long meetings, they come up with an accepted student list. 

I'm pretty sure that some history programs interview, but none of mine did. Although, none of the programs that I applied to are what I'd consider large. My interests are somewhat esoteric, and my program options were limited.

[SarahBethSortino]

50 minutes ago, Neist said:

Well, think about it.

At a December 1 deadline, the semester is still wrapping up, and once the semester finishes, I consider it unlikely that they'd start the grueling admissions process before the winter break. So, according to my logic (which is admittedly very relative), no one will even look at your application until January.

I guess that the reason that so many of the sciences hear back this early is that the interview process is somewhat involved. Interviews have to be scheduled. Flights have to be arranged and paid for. Meetings have to be codified. It's all very time-consuming. In history, I imagine that the process is far more straightforward. I imagine a small-ish group of people sitting around a table looking through files, and after a week or two of several hour-long meetings, they come up with an accepted student list. 

I'm pretty sure that some history programs interview, but none of mine did. Although, none of the programs that I applied to are what I'd consider large. My interests are somewhat esoteric, and my program options were limited.

Isn't it funny how we all try to pick apart the timing of the decisions. Yeah, I've worked out a lot of "according to my logic" scenarios. In fact I play them over and over and over again in my head. I think my boyfriend is getting sick of me discussing every possible scenario haha.