Fall 2017 applicants

[anthrosoul]

On 6/16/2016 at 5:30 PM, Quickmick said:

I, too, am gearing up for a trip through the meat grinder. Environmental History (20th century Latin America). I will apply to around 8 History programs and 2 in other disciplines. School list pretty nailed down, POIs have been contacted, writing sample in good shape and the tailored SOPs are 1/2 done. I hope to have all the apps out in Sep so I can just drill down and finish my thesis for my MS. The app part isn't too bad, just all the infernal waiting! Thanks to everyone who started last fall (and before) and still hang around to help.

Hope everyone is having a great summer.

QM

 

 

I literally didn't even know that some apps were already open, I thought most opened in August. Either way, your productiveness puts me to shame. Hope you get in somewhere awesome though!

[NoirFemme]

I'm fortunate in that my fees are covered by a fellowship; I have about twelve on my list so far. But I'm also not just applying to history programs, so my applications will be spread out across three disciplines. 

Edited July 20, 2016 by NoirFemme

[ToomuchLes]

Question for everyone: Out of curiosity, what type of writing sample are you submitting - original research seminar paper, thesis, book review, historiography, etc? 

Edited July 20, 2016 by LeventeL

[Quickmick]

50 minutes ago, LeventeL said:

Question for everyone: Out of curiosity, what type of writing sample are you submitting - original research seminar paper, thesis, book review, historiography, etc? 

 

[NoirFemme]

My thesis. But there's a chance I might write something new for a reading course and use that for some of my targeted programs.

[AP]

On 7/20/2016 at 6:15 PM, LeventeL said:

Question for everyone: Out of curiosity, what type of writing sample are you submitting - original research seminar paper, thesis, book review, historiography, etc? 

I summarized my thesis into a 25/30-page paper. But I also had to translate it so it made sense to trim it. 

[lelick1234]

On July 12, 2016 at 4:10 PM, vapid said:

Hello friends,

Looking to apply for a PhD program in History (Near East/Iran/Eurasia/economic/environmental). Done the GRE and all that, but the SoP and writing sample are my focus now. Also I'm an undergrad econ major (sorry) with a history minor.

Also a little confused with language requirements. Is there like a specific level that these program expect you to have if they say they require two or three languages?

Cheers nice to meet you all

From my experience in dealing with prospective professors in the field, they would like you to be at a proficient reading level in one of the Middle Eastern Languages before applying to a PhD program.  

[novazembla]

Hi everyone! I'm applying to a bunch of PhD programs for fall 2017, focusing on modern East Central Europe. The universities I'm applying to have pretty wildly divergent requirements for the length of the writing sample, ranging from ten pages (!!) to thirty pages to "Just send the whole thing with the understanding that we probably won't read all of it if it's too long". I have a 50-page research paper that I want to use as the basis for the writing samples. I'm wondering if it's okay for me to send an excerpt from this paper to the schools requesting shorter samples that's very obviously an excerpt, or do I have to re-form it into something that would pass as a stand-alone thing? Professors I've talked to have told me that sending an excerpt is okay, but I'd like the input of others, too.

I'm also completely at sea about the statement of purpose. Can anyone point me to any sample SOPs for history? I know that's lame, but that sort of thing really helps me. I know what my purpose is, I just am not sure how to go about writing it and it's making me a little crazy.

[TMP]

20 hours ago, novazembla said:

Hi everyone! I'm applying to a bunch of PhD programs for fall 2017, focusing on modern East Central Europe. The universities I'm applying to have pretty wildly divergent requirements for the length of the writing sample, ranging from ten pages (!!) to thirty pages to "Just send the whole thing with the understanding that we probably won't read all of it if it's too long". I have a 50-page research paper that I want to use as the basis for the writing samples. I'm wondering if it's okay for me to send an excerpt from this paper to the schools requesting shorter samples that's very obviously an excerpt, or do I have to re-form it into something that would pass as a stand-alone thing? Professors I've talked to have told me that sending an excerpt is okay, but I'd like the input of others, too.

I'm also completely at sea about the statement of purpose. Can anyone point me to any sample SOPs for history? I know that's lame, but that sort of thing really helps me. I know what my purpose is, I just am not sure how to go about writing it and it's making me a little crazy.

To briefly answer your questions:

1) Submit an excerpt, ideally the strongest part of your thesis.  Make a short note on top that it's an excerpt.  Make sure that the footnotes are corrected (i.e. if the "Author Name, Title, Page" shows up first in the excerpt, replace it with the full citation).  Professors are looking for the quality of your writing, your engagement with primary and secondary sources, and analysis.  

2) In short the SOP should address questions in the field of history that preoccupies you, proposed research project related to those "Big" questions, why the department and the university fit your needs.  It's a mix of a cover letter for jobs (you are applying for a position after all) and research proposal.

[AP]

On 7/29/2016 at 10:07 PM, novazembla said:

Hi everyone! I'm applying to a bunch of PhD programs for fall 2017, focusing on modern East Central Europe. The universities I'm applying to have pretty wildly divergent requirements for the length of the writing sample, ranging from ten pages (!!) to thirty pages to "Just send the whole thing with the understanding that we probably won't read all of it if it's too long". I have a 50-page research paper that I want to use as the basis for the writing samples. I'm wondering if it's okay for me to send an excerpt from this paper to the schools requesting shorter samples that's very obviously an excerpt, or do I have to re-form it into something that would pass as a stand-alone thing? Professors I've talked to have told me that sending an excerpt is okay, but I'd like the input of others, too.

I'm also completely at sea about the statement of purpose. Can anyone point me to any sample SOPs for history? I know that's lame, but that sort of thing really helps me. I know what my purpose is, I just am not sure how to go about writing it and it's making me a little crazy.

I googled around A LOT, and this was one of the samples I had as a guide. 

[ToomuchLes]

On 7/29/2016 at 6:07 PM, novazembla said:

Hi everyone! I'm applying to a bunch of PhD programs for fall 2017, focusing on modern East Central Europe. The universities I'm applying to have pretty wildly divergent requirements for the length of the writing sample, ranging from ten pages (!!) to thirty pages to "Just send the whole thing with the understanding that we probably won't read all of it if it's too long". I have a 50-page research paper that I want to use as the basis for the writing samples. I'm wondering if it's okay for me to send an excerpt from this paper to the schools requesting shorter samples that's very obviously an excerpt, or do I have to re-form it into something that would pass as a stand-alone thing? Professors I've talked to have told me that sending an excerpt is okay, but I'd like the input of others, too.

I'm also completely at sea about the statement of purpose. Can anyone point me to any sample SOPs for history? I know that's lame, but that sort of thing really helps me. I know what my purpose is, I just am not sure how to go about writing it and it's making me a little crazy.

intextrovert gave some brilliant advice here ... 

I formatted my MA SOP in a similar structure - Focus, Fit, Future. Im doing the same now for my PhD SOP =)

If anyone is interested in swapping SOP send me a PM!

[AfricanusCrowther]

My SoP (which I think was pretty successful, and was modeled on another successful applicant's) went like this:

1. Very brief introductory paragraph about what led me to my scholarly interests

2. How I explored those interests in undergrad

3. What I want to do with those interests in grad school and how I think I can contribute to the field

4. How X department is just perfect for what I want to do

What also helped me, I think, was that I had a well-developed idea of the central themes of my future research work, but I also noted my flexibility and willingness to adapt to new research possibilities. 

Edited July 31, 2016 by AfricanusCrowther

[mvlchicago]

On 7/29/2016 at 9:07 PM, novazembla said:

Hi everyone! I'm applying to a bunch of PhD programs for fall 2017, focusing on modern East Central Europe. The universities I'm applying to have pretty wildly divergent requirements for the length of the writing sample, ranging from ten pages (!!) to thirty pages to "Just send the whole thing with the understanding that we probably won't read all of it if it's too long". I have a 50-page research paper that I want to use as the basis for the writing samples. I'm wondering if it's okay for me to send an excerpt from this paper to the schools requesting shorter samples that's very obviously an excerpt, or do I have to re-form it into something that would pass as a stand-alone thing? Professors I've talked to have told me that sending an excerpt is okay, but I'd like the input of others, too.

I'm also completely at sea about the statement of purpose. Can anyone point me to any sample SOPs for history? I know that's lame, but that sort of thing really helps me. I know what my purpose is, I just am not sure how to go about writing it and it's making me a little crazy.

Generally speaking, if your faculty are telling you to send an excerpt, you should send an excerpt.

This isn't a truism; you'll have many moments as a student where your advisor is giving you advice and other people are saying things that go against it. A general rule of thumb: your advisor knows more about you than anyone else, and their advice should be weighted as such. 

[mvlchicago]

It's a rule of thumb tho, like I break it often but it works for 95% of students so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[NoirFemme]

After pinpointing my exact interests and writing down my dealbreakers (e.g. location, faculty diversity, area demographics) I carefully combed through graduate programs to whittle the list down to a lean six schools. I'm super excited and very confident about applying for this cycle.

[Neist]

@NoirFemme Congrats! That's actually quite a bit of work in itself. In fact, that might have been more collectively time-consuming than actually applying.

[NoirFemme]

On 8/12/2016 at 5:23 PM, Neist said:

@NoirFemme Congrats! That's actually quite a bit of work in itself. In fact, that might have been more collectively time-consuming than actually applying.

Ha, it was!

I started with about fifteen programs, ranked them by how much I liked the idea of them (e.g. shiny heart eyes at Ivies, lol), and then went at them with a scalpel.

Edited August 15, 2016 by NoirFemme

[ToomuchLes]

I emailed a POI a month ago and never received a reply. I briefly introduced myself, mentioned my plans to apply to the program, and then concluded by asking if the POI was accepting new graduate students. When should I send a second email?  I would like to know, for sure, if each POI that I selected is accepting a new grad student, which is the purpose of my emails. 

 

EDIT: Just to be clear, there is no information on the website or their page. 

Edited August 29, 2016 by ToomuchLes

[mvlchicago]

1 hour ago, ToomuchLes said:

I emailed a POI a month ago and never received a reply. I briefly introduced myself, mentioned my plans to apply to the program, and then concluded by asking if the POI was accepting new graduate students. When should I send a second email?  I would like to know, for sure, if each POI that I selected is accepting a new grad student, which is the purpose of my emails. 

 

EDIT: Just to be clear, there is no information on the website or their page. 

Two emails sounds like a good number. As a lowly grad student I've definitely missed/overlooked emails the first time people sent them. 

[mvlchicago]

That is to say, if you don't hear after the second email, assume the faculty member in question is being deliberate. 

[NoirFemme]

Or, it could be that the program doesn't do the POI thing until you're admitted. A few of the programs I researched stated that was their procedure in the grad student handbook.

[dr. t]

4 hours ago, NoirFemme said:

Or, it could be that the program doesn't do the POI thing until you're admitted. A few of the programs I researched stated that was their procedure in the grad student handbook.

Eeeeh. Sure, it's in the handbook, and formally, I'm sure that's the case. But informally, I really, really doubt it.

[TMP]

You e-mailed a POI in middle of the summer, the only time of the year where faculty members (and graduate students!) have to focus on their own activities, not anyone else's.  The POI may have deliberately ignored your e-mail in order to focus on his/her projects and doesn't want to think about graduate admissions until the fall.

That said, try again in a few weeks after the semester/quarter at your chosen school settles down.  If nothing, it's up to you... apply or not.  Also, some POIs would prefer to play an even field and not respond to any inquires until after admissions have been done because there are definitely people out there who never got in touch with POIs and still get in.

[Calgacus]

12 hours ago, TMP said:

You e-mailed a POI in middle of the summer, the only time of the year where faculty members (and graduate students!) have to focus on their own activities, not anyone else's.  The POI may have deliberately ignored your e-mail in order to focus on his/her projects and doesn't want to think about graduate admissions until the fall.

This. As TMP says, summer is the ONLY time faculty have for themselves and their own work/life. This is likely the reason why you didn't hear back. For those of you applying for this cycle, I would not start emailing POIs until late September at the earliest. If you think about faculty schedules, summer is their own time, and then by mid August through September they're dealing with starting new courses and the stress of a new semester. Since the earliest deadlines for applications are Dec. 1, it seems reasonable to be aware of their schedules and hold off until the semester settles down. I think I emailed my POIs in mid October.

Of course, there's always a possibility that you won't get a response despite the timing of the email. Then you have two options. (1) give them the benefit of the doubt and try again with the hope that maybe your message just fell through the inbox cracks on a busy day, or (2) decide that a lack of response is just as informative as if you'd gotten one. Perhaps it's meant to be a deliberate hint that they're not interested, but more likely it shows that they're very busy with other things, not easily accessible, and maybe that's not the kind of person you want to work with. Good to find these things out before you pay the application and GRE-sending fees!

[Bridget H]

I'm looking at my first MA in History, with a concentration in Public History. I want to focus on educational programs within museums and historical societies when it comes to my concentration track. Beyond that I'm interested in  I'm only applying to 2 schools as it stands now because I want to stay local.