Interviews (or other forms of human contact) for Humanities/Social Sciences PhD

[figurefive]

First off, I'm so excited to meet you all on GradCafe. It's a relief (and a little stressful too) to read about other people's experiences applying to grad school. I've applied to PhD programs in history and American studies, and I work for a strategy / management consulting firm, so you can imagine that I really don't have anyone on a day-to-day basis with whom I can share my questions / thoughts / concerns.

Here's my question: Should I be expecting to hear any kind of personal contact or reach-out from the history / American studies programs to which I've applied? My understanding is that interviews are de rigeur for some of the hard and soft sciences (e.g., clinical psych), but I'm not sure what to expect for the humanities and social sciences. It seems weird to make such a momentous decision (both for the applicant and for the program) without trying to meet the person behind the application at the very least on the phone. I've emailed a few potential advisors and even managed to meet with someone at Berkeley while I was home in California, but otherwise have not heard a single personalized peep from any of the departments. I'm not sure if my experience typical or not for my fields of interest, so just figure I'd ask.

Thoughts?

[jmb04]

I'm in the humanities.

Nothing formal, but I'm visiting a program next week. I secured appointments with two profs and a grad student, mainly through networking.

[Blazer12]

I have two upcoming meetings this next week - set up/encouraged by professors with whom I had emailed before I applied to their respective schools. I too, was wondering if this was normal, as I haven't heard any other History peeps that have been doing this...and I'm a little nervous about what to wear, things to ask, etc, since they are not formal interviews.

[Sparky]

In some subfields Duke, Vanderbilt, WashU (I think) and Emory do interviews. Usually it would say somewhere on the website if the specific program does interviews for finalists.

[Qin Shi Huandi]

If I were a professor, there is no way I sign off on working with a student if I hadn't had at least a phone conversation. I know that UNC professors do very informal phone interviews. Other then that, I think the silence is pretty normal. At least I hope it is.

[TMP]

Not really the usual in history to have complete silence. That's why your LORs and writing sample are so important. Your LORs speak of you as a PERSON (well, well-written ones at least) and professors trust their colleagues to be honest about the person's good and bad virtues. Your writing sample demonstrates your abilities as a researcher and a writer. It demonstrates your potential as a serious scholar. Your SOP... demonstrates your knowledge (aka awareness of the field's problems), creativity, and whatever might reveal through your writing.

So, what do they need to interview you for? Unlike labs, you're not around your department ALL day long. What professors just want to know is that you're easy and interesting to work with.

But yes, in-person meetings do help to put your face on the application and say things that you can't put on the application. But it's still possible to get in without such a meeting.