Fall 2017 applicants

[Quickmick]

Hello all! I haven't been popping in, but thought I would update anyone interested on how it all shook out. I aimed very high with my history apps and did not get admitted. I tried (unsuccessfully) to make the case that my MS Environmental Science could help me contribute in a novel way to the study of Environmental History. It may not be that they didn't like the idea, but just not how I approached it. I will admit that there were a couple of other weak spots in my app.

That being said, the adcomm at my MS institution unanimously voted to admit me to the PhD program were I will continue my work in Coastal and Marine System Science in Socio-Economics. This is a good fit, and this process has confirmed that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing. The funding is great, my colleagues are noteworthy, and the time to degree is a lot shorter than if I 'restarted' in the humanities. History, it seems, will remain an avocation--although I think I might have an Environmental Anthro chapter in my dissertation.

Generally things are good. My data came in and is showing some significant results, I presented it last week at a conference, and have submitted a draft for an early June defense. I will spend the summer getting it published, and the data set looks to be robust enough to warrant a second pub which should also go out the door late summer. Oh, and I am closing on a house next week!

If I had it to do over I wouldn't change a thing. I put my best materials together and knew it was a long shot (for the types of programs I applied) going in, so have no regrets. I was walking into my research institute the other day and found myself thinking that I like every day more than the previous one...which is a cool place to be.

I hope everyone is at peace with how the cycle worked out...good, bad, or ugly...and I wish you all the best moving forward.

 

[SarahBethSortino]

Hey so how is everyone feeling now that it's over? I for one am feeling amazing! Is everyoje starting to think about how they will spend their summer? Reading and researching like crazy or just relaxing?

[OHSP]

56 minutes ago, SarahBethSortino said:

Hey so how is everyone feeling now that it's over? I for one am feeling amazing! Is everyoje starting to think about how they will spend their summer? Reading and researching like crazy or just relaxing?

A) I'm super glad that you've come out of this with a place, and are able to ask these questions, B) I am spending way too much time wondering if I made the right decisions, C) I only just finished my MA thesis and sometime soon I'm sure I'll chill out but for now I am using the weird energy to create long, unrealistic fantasy reading lists. I love a good annotated bibliography  

[DCguy]

Hey all. Just wanted to say congratz to everyone who got in somewhere. Even if it wasn't your first choice. Good job and enjoy the hell out of the next few years.

And if you didn't get in, do not despair. Many of us including me beefed it our first time but got in the next year. 

[nhhistorynut]

10 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

Hey so how is everyone feeling now that it's over? I for one am feeling amazing! Is everyoje starting to think about how they will spend their summer? Reading and researching like crazy or just relaxing?

Well, I'm wrapping up my MA so my summer will be spent writing my MA thesis lol. Yay fun! BUT, my husband, daughter, and I go on vacation to Jamaica in 9 days so I'll get at least a short break

[Gotya64]

13 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

Hey so how is everyone feeling now that it's over? I for one am feeling amazing! Is everyoje starting to think about how they will spend their summer? Reading and researching like crazy or just relaxing?

My advisor e-mailed me a list of books he thought I should read over the summer, so that's what I'll be doing! Other than that, relaxing and enjoying the hot weather before the grind begins is the agenda. 

Edited April 20, 2017 by Gotya64

[angesradieux]

14 hours ago, SarahBethSortino said:

Hey so how is everyone feeling now that it's over? I for one am feeling amazing! Is everyoje starting to think about how they will spend their summer? Reading and researching like crazy or just relaxing?

I'm just trying to do all of the more or less unique to my current location things I can before I leave and spend time with people here while I still can. Guess my agenda mostly consists of making the most of the time I have left before leaving home.

[ThisGreatFolly]

1 hour ago, angesradieux said:

I'm just trying to do all of the more or less unique to my current location things I can before I leave and spend time with people here while I still can. Guess my agenda mostly consists of making the most of the time I have left before leaving home.

Me too - I'm trying to spend as much time in the Rocky Mountains as I can before heading to new scenery. 

Other than that, I'm filling some gaps in my reading, messing around with GIS, and generally tidying up my personal digital archives before I leave.

[Rainy Day Woman]

Pitching in just to say congrats to everyone who had a successful cycle, and hugs and wisdom to those heading back in next year. The attached comic is my favourite, and is precisely what happened to me this cycle. Rejected from Duke and Chicago, wasn't able to get off the waitlist at Columbia, but I ended up getting an offer from NYU so I will be heading there and could not be happier with how everything worked out. Still a little overwhelmed with the idea of NYC, and sad to say goodbye to Canada, but going to work, read, and prep this summer once I've finished my undergraduate thesis.

[french_historynerd]

I just registered for classes at my M.A. institution on Tuesday ~ 3 courses and a GAship (fully funded, yay!). I am excited to get back into the swing of things (I'm already running for some positions in Phi Alpha Theta) and anxious to get the hell out of my job since I know the end is in sight. I plan on quitting in by the end of June. 5 days after my last day we leave for a 10 day trip to France (woo!! my first time), a conference in the beginning of July for my bf's field, and then we make the 600-700 mile move from SoCal to New Mexico. I'm having trouble being productive at work and concentrating on my tasks (even then we've been super slow). I'm looking up apartments, but can't really do anything as most are opening for monthly basis versus a few months out. Probably won't secure housing until end of may/beginning of June. I'm just really really excited to be back in academia/history after working in law for the last few years out of undergrad but also nervous because this is the first time I will be away from friends and family ever.

[Gotya64]

1 hour ago, french_historynerd said:

I just registered for classes at my M.A. institution on Tuesday ~ 3 courses and a GAship (fully funded, yay!). I am excited to get back into the swing of things (I'm already running for some positions in Phi Alpha Theta) and anxious to get the hell out of my job since I know the end is in sight. I plan on quitting in by the end of June. 5 days after my last day we leave for a 10 day trip to France (woo!! my first time), a conference in the beginning of July for my bf's field, and then we make the 600-700 mile move from SoCal to New Mexico. I'm having trouble being productive at work and concentrating on my tasks (even then we've been super slow). I'm looking up apartments, but can't really do anything as most are opening for monthly basis versus a few months out. Probably won't secure housing until end of may/beginning of June. I'm just really really excited to be back in academia/history after working in law for the last few years out of undergrad but also nervous because this is the first time I will be away from friends and family ever.

Hey congratulations! I'll also be starting an MA in European History in the fall and moving out of my home state for the first time ever. Good luck and good work!

[SarahBethSortino]

22 hours ago, OHSP said:

A) I'm super glad that you've come out of this with a place, and are able to ask these questions, I am spending way too much time wondering if I made the right decisions, C) I only just finished my MA thesis and sometime soon I'm sure I'll chill out but for now I am using the weird energy to create long, unrealistic fantasy reading lists. I love a good annotated bibliography  

It feels amazing to come out of this planning for next year! I've been deliriously happy for the past two weeks!

[laleph]

12 hours ago, Rainy Day Woman said:

Pitching in just to say congrats to everyone who had a successful cycle, and hugs and wisdom to those heading back in next year. The attached comic is my favourite, and is precisely what happened to me this cycle. Rejected from Duke and Chicago, wasn't able to get off the waitlist at Columbia, but I ended up getting an offer from NYU so I will be heading there and could not be happier with how everything worked out. Still a little overwhelmed with the idea of NYC, and sad to say goodbye to Canada, but going to work, read, and prep this summer once I've finished my undergraduate thesis.

Steven Hahn is moving to NYU! Given your interests, you can't go wrong. Congratulations!

[french_historynerd]

16 hours ago, Gotya64 said:

Hey congratulations! I'll also be starting an MA in European History in the fall and moving out of my home state for the first time ever. Good luck and good work!

Thank you! Congrats and Good Luck to you as well! Where are you attending? 

[Gotya64]

17 minutes ago, french_historynerd said:

Thank you! Congrats and Good Luck to you as well! Where are you attending? 

Florida State, lucky and grateful to be funded. 

[Rainy Day Woman]

6 hours ago, laleph said:

Steven Hahn is moving to NYU! Given your interests, you can't go wrong. Congratulations!

Thank you! He's one of my advisors and was one of the two people that suggested I apply to NYU in the first place. Very excited.

[Man Without Qualities]

On 4/19/2017 at 8:38 PM, SarahBethSortino said:

Hey so how is everyone feeling now that it's over? I for one am feeling amazing! Is everyoje starting to think about how they will spend their summer? Reading and researching like crazy or just relaxing?

I'm busy looking for an assistantship elsewhere on campus since my department doesn't have any funding available for MA students. I have a good lead on one and should find out early next month.

Other than that, I've established a great relationship with my POI. I've enrolled in directed readings with him for both summer and fall. I'm gathering articles for them now.

I hope everyone has a great summer!

[Reaglejuice89]

I've been in contact with the grad director at South Carolina the last few months after i was waitlisted. I think they were scrambling to find enough funding for everybody. But i finally got my official rejection today. I've been expecting this and i'm not too bummed out because i've been admitted elsewhere -- but this was the last school i was waiting to hear official word from. Now i have official answers for all 5 of my schools that i applied to. 

I'm still excited and can't wait to get down to Georgia State and begin working. Congrats to all of us admitted this year. To those that weren't my heart truly goes out to you and i wish you nothing but the best for the 2018 app cycle.

Thanks guys, gradcafe has been my home basically since December when all this started. I've been through every emotion with every other one of you throughout this process and i think it helped me a lot in january and february when we were all waiting and decisions were imminent. Good luck, scholars!

[dr. t]

Some advice for your summers:

Take at least 2-3 weeks (I would suggest the entire month of August) where you do no academic work whatsoever. No writing, no journals, no books. Travel, catch up on that novel you've been wanting to read, or binge on some Netflix. I know you're excited to get started and organized and are ready to go into it at a million miles an hour, but this is a marathon, and this summer is the last chance you'll have for that kind of vacation - forever, maybe. Enjoy it, and show up relaxed. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by telkanuru

[nevermind]

4 hours ago, telkanuru said:

Some advice for your summers:

Take at least 2-3 weeks (I would suggest the entire month of August) where you do no academic work whatsoever. No writing, no journals, no books. Travel, catch up on that novel you've been wanting to read, or binge on some Netflix. I know you're excited to get started and organized and are ready to go into it at a million miles an hour, but this is a marathon, and this summer is the last chance you'll have for that kind of vacation - forever, maybe. Enjoy it, and show up relaxed. 

 

This is SO true. You're not going to learn everything in the summer before grad school (and everyone expects you to be a little "green" anyway...I still am in many ways)...take FULL advantage of doing nothing. If you want to "be productive", you might want to check out "The Professor is In" (if you want a career in academia) and try to start crafting a 5 year plan (https://theprofessorisin.com/2014/05/02/why-you-need-a-5-year-plan/) to take to your advisor (grants/archives, etc. you want to apply for in the future). 

 

[TMP]

8 hours ago, telkanuru said:

Some advice for your summers:

Take at least 2-3 weeks (I would suggest the entire month of August) where you do no academic work whatsoever. No writing, no journals, no books. Travel, catch up on that novel you've been wanting to read, or binge on some Netflix. I know you're excited to get started and organized and are ready to go into it at a million miles an hour, but this is a marathon, and this summer is the last chance you'll have for that kind of vacation - forever, maybe. Enjoy it, and show up relaxed. 

Well, perhaps the first tiny completely break you will get is when you pass your candidacy exams (although if you are still TA-ing, keep working as needed).  My peers and I took several weeks of completely break after we passed-- no books, no writing, no research, etc. because we were so exhausted.  We binged on Netflix because it was the only thing we could stand.  After a month, we got back to work full time.

Truth to be told, this is your last summer where you will be completely free to do whatever you want.  Once you start, you will desperately need summers to get a LOT of work done (because TA-ing, taking classes and participating in department's culture do eat up the time you need to research and read for exams).  It will take at least two summers before your family *understand* that you do not have "a long summer vacation."  The *real* vacation time you will get in grad school is during Christmas.

[betwixt&between]

On 4/20/2017 at 6:21 PM, french_historynerd said:

and then we make the 600-700 mile move from SoCal to New Mexico. 

Are you attending UNM? If so, congrats and hooray! That's where I received my BA from, they have an excellent history department!

[NoirFemme]

On 4/19/2017 at 6:38 PM, SarahBethSortino said:

Hey so how is everyone feeling now that it's over? I for one am feeling amazing! Is everyone starting to think about how they will spend their summer? Reading and researching like crazy or just relaxing?

I'm still finishing up coursework and writing a thesis, so that--as well as work--has been filling my mind. I was planning on continuing to work, or find an internship in my field, but I would really prefer to spend a summer sans struggle for the first time in three years. 

[emhafe]

I have a stack of to-read books, 2 months left in my fav city with its bucket list, a month at home, and hopefully a few weeks in my new city before classes. Aiming for a mental break this summer before it all kicks up.

[Neist]

On 4/25/2017 at 11:27 AM, telkanuru said:

Some advice for your summers:

Take at least 2-3 weeks (I would suggest the entire month of August) where you do no academic work whatsoever. No writing, no journals, no books. Travel, catch up on that novel you've been wanting to read, or binge on some Netflix. I know you're excited to get started and organized and are ready to go into it at a million miles an hour, but this is a marathon, and this summer is the last chance you'll have for that kind of vacation - forever, maybe. Enjoy it, and show up relaxed. 

 

I'd like to second reading a novel. It's something relatively fun to do while also not getting out of the habit of reading. Personally, I'm going to read a few very, very large books during the summer because I'll never have time to read them during the semester. Two volume Darwin biography by Janet Browne here I come!