Do I stand any chance for History PhD programs?

[a piece of bread]

Hi all,

My turn is approaching soon. I want to get prepared before the next year deadlines ahead of time. It is because I need to compensate my deficiencies like undergrad GPA. Therefore, I thought that those of you who experienced the admission process may help me.

Well, I received a BA degree in Economics from a prestigious university in Ankara/Turkey with a GPA just below a 3.00 (2.96). I must emphasize that I did well in History and IR courses. Then, I have been admitted to the 3-year MA program in Ottoman History at Bilkent University. I am doing well here (3.92). I am interested in the birth of nationalism in the Ottoman Empire and intellectual history of it and will start to write an MA thesis very soon. By the way, I got a good score on TOEFL (107) and have not taken the GRE yet. In addition, I have good command of German, basic knowledge of Arabic, and excellent reading ability of Ottoman Turkish.

I was motivated by my supervisor who found the topic of my future thesis original and interesting. He advised me just to ignore my undergrad GPA. I am not sure about it, though. Currently, I am writing the abstract of the paper I plan to present in the MEHAT conference at Chicago University. Being accepted to the conference as presenter may increase my chance to get in the doctoral schools.

I will be applying to the History PhD programs this time next year. I did not decide the schools I will apply to. But I can give the names of some of the departments which have a focus on the Ottoman History: Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, SUNY Binghamton, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Arizona, UCLA, Georgetown, University of Michigan, New York University, Ohio State, University of Utah, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin. Do you think I must apply to the top schools in this list? If the answer is no, which of these schools would be safe for me?

Could you please comment on my chance and write your recommendations to me? What should I do to increase this chance? I don't want to waste my time if I don't stand any chance because of the low undergrad GPA...

Thanks a lot!

[RockEater]

Well, since your undergrad work was in a separate field than History, I'd think that most schools will not focus too much on your undergraduate GPA. Further, you've shown marked improvement between your undergraduate and your master's work, and I think admissions committees will take this into account.

For now, keep working on maintaining that master's GPA, and make sure you get into the MEHAT conference. Giving a paper there will attract the notice of the adcoms and show that you are considered (at some level) to be a serious scholar of your subject.

As for the schools you've listed, I'm partial to the University of Wisconsin myself, but I'm biased. You don't have to apply to the top schools- no one will tell you where to apply or not to apply. Let me recommend the process I used as recommended to me by my thesis advisor:

You already know what branch of history you want to work in (Ottoman History). Try to find out what aspect of that history interests you the most. Is it the social history? Political? Religious? Is there a period of Ottoman history that interests you (1299-1566 or 1567-1922)? You might even have an interest in a subset of the subset; this could be the social history of a particular minority within the Empire. If you know these specifics, then look at the literature on the subject- preferably written by those who are still living! Do those authors work for a university, and if so, which one? If they don't, where did the author attend university?

You should also look at the professor's websites, usually available through the department website, to see whose interests mesh with yours. In essence, you should prefer a school where the faculty have a strong background in at least the same area as you (social history, early Ottoman, etc.). If there's more than one professor at the school with your interest, great! Consider applying there. If there's only one professor, but he's exceptionally distinguished in the field, apply there too. You may hit the jackpot.

In essence, since I tend to ramble, seek the schools where the faculty best meets your interests. It may be an Ivy League institution, it may not be.

[Noodles]

I agree that you should investigate what departments have faculty that would be able to best advise you. The top tier departments usually have several faculty in many areas of study. Lower tier departments tend to be more concentrated in certain topics. I would recommend that you apply to programs with at least a few faculty members that could advise you because you will find life difficult if the only person you can work with at a given university moves to another institution. I wouldn't worry about your undergraduate grades because there is nothing you can do about them and you are doing exceptionally well in your master's program. Admission committees will most likely interpret your undergraduate grades as a lack of effort and not a lack of ability. You have obviously put forth quite a bit of effort in your master's program. Apply to programs you would like to attend because you will be spending many years at that institution. You are applying to many excellent programs and have included some "safety" (e.g., Utah) schools on your list. I would suggest adding another couple of safety schools, but that's all. I think your background will intrigue the admissions committees.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Noodles

[TMP]

In addition to the above suggestions, look for schools with relatively strong Near East/Middle East departments that will have faculty in other areas whom you can take classes from and add to your dissertation committee. Showing that you can take advantage of offerings outside of the History department is a great way for the adcoms to know that you know how to look for MORE opportunities beyond what the department offers.

[a piece of bread]

RockEater, I will think about the process you recommended. The period I am interested in is the 19th century, rebirth struggles of the Empire through mostly nationalist intellectuals who received a Western style education. To what degree, the ideologies of nationalism and patriotism affected the rebirth process? I will determine a specific title soon, though. I know the names who wrote in this field but have not read all yet. After reading the whole literature (hopefully before the summer), I will start to contact professors that I already know. For instance, Sukru Hanioglu of Princeton University is maybe the best Professor in the 19th Century of the Ottomans. Shisler of Princeton, Engin Akarli of Brown University, Hillel J. Kieval of WUSTL, Cemal Kafadar of Harvard, Resat Kasaba of U of Washington etc. Thanks for your valuable suggestions and comments.

Noodles, thanks for your recommendations and encouragement. I thought Binghamton University is another safety school. Isn't it? They have Quatert and two other Ottomanists and seemed quite friendly to Turkish students in previous years. So did Ohio State. If a department has many Turkish students, does it mean I have more chance in it? As you emphasized, top schools have more scholars researching in such fields and I would add some other safety schools to the potential list below.

Ticklemepink, thank you for reminding me the Near/Middle East departments. Ottomanists in Princeton, Harvard, Utah, UCLA, Chicago, New York, UW work in these departments. I will also apply to them.

By the way, what is the importance of recommendation letters? One of the graduates of my department who received a letter from Halil Inalcık, a leading historian of the Ott. Empire, got acceptance from Chicago's Near East department. She had no very good scores.

[jacib]

I think Brandeis University has a well-regarded Ottomanist, but I don't know if they work on the Tanzimat period. There's a very interesting Historical Sociologist at Columbia who works on the Ottomans (though much earlier than Tanzimat), if you might interested in looking at the period from a slightly different perspective. I think University of Arizona has a very well regarded Turkic Studies program that might be worth looking at. I don't know how linguistic it is, or if there are stronger historical elements. Also, check out the schools on this list. Also check out who the Institute of Turkish Studies supports (all the money for this program comes directly from Ankara, just so you know)

Also, you might want to consider contacting Professor Goknar at Duke. His interests seem to align strongly with yours, though perhaps a little more literary than historical. I'd email him, tell him your interests, and see what he says. Even if he says "I am more interested in languages and literature", he can almost certainly suggest who WOULD be a good fit for your interests.

(Bilginiz olsun: Bay Quatert, sozde Ermeni Soykirimi'nin oldugunu inaniyor. If that makes a difference to you, and I don't think it should make a difference, but if it does, it's better that you find out now).

iyi sanslar.

Edited February 4, 2010 by jacib