Why, hello!!

[schatzie]

I'm new here. Thought I would poke around and see what's good in the grad cafe.

So, I graduated college and I'm seriously considering graduate school. I have a B.A. in History and a minor in German.

My cumaltive GPA is 3.75/4.0 and my History GPA is 3.96/4.0.

As of now, I'm preparing to take the GRE and it's been brutal. What's the best way of marketing myself to various history departments? I won't be able to apply until Fall of 2011, since I missed the deadlines and I'm a finalist for a Fulbright ETA grant.

Thank you for all your help.

[JustChill]

What field are you thinking of going into? German history?

First, you should hopefully by now have some experience with primary source research (like a senior or honors thesis).

Second, you need to work on any language requirements that your programs might require.

Third, you need to spend as much time as possible on studying for the damn GRE. Focus on the verbal section.

Fourth, start not only thinking about who your LOR writers are going to be, but also talk with them to get a good sense of where they think you stand and which programs they'd recommend.

Fifth, enjoy your year off school!

[schatzie]

Thanks for writing back so soon!

The problem I face is that I'm not completely sure which area/time period I would like to focus on. Originally, my undergrad classes were primarily focused on early modern Europe and German/Central European history. I studied abroad in Austria and know German. I'm quite passionate about central European history. However, I am interested in imperialism, particularly in South Asia. My senior thesis was on railway imperialism and ethnocentrism in British India.

Thankfully, I am proficient in German and am always working to improve my knowledge of the language. On the other hand, if I were to focus on imperialism, I have the perfect tutor for Hindi and Telugu, since my fiance is from India.

My former professors that I have spoken to think that I am capable of handling grad school. So we'll see how it goes. As for now, I'll continue preparing for the GRE and looking into programs.

Thanks for the advice.

[TMP]

Thanks for writing back so soon!

The problem I face is that I'm not completely sure which area/time period I would like to focus on. Originally, my undergrad classes were primarily focused on early modern Europe and German/Central European history. I studied abroad in Austria and know German. I'm quite passionate about central European history. However, I am interested in imperialism, particularly in South Asia. My senior thesis was on railway imperialism and ethnocentrism in British India.

Thankfully, I am proficient in German and am always working to improve my knowledge of the language. On the other hand, if I were to focus on imperialism, I have the perfect tutor for Hindi and Telugu, since my fiance is from India.

My former professors that I have spoken to think that I am capable of handling grad school. So we'll see how it goes. As for now, I'll continue preparing for the GRE and looking into programs.

Thanks for the advice.

Wow. Two very different areas. If you're interested in making good use of all the Deutsch you used, think again about Central Europe. Germany had some colonies in Africa... But as for Southeast Asia, somehow you'd need to demonstrate your working knowledge of Hindi that the adcoms can see through your work or transcripts. Thankfully, you have until the fall to decide!

[American in Beijing]

<br />Wow. Two very different areas.  If you're interested in making good use of all the Deutsch you used, think again about Central Europe.  Germany had some colonies in Africa...  But as for Southeast Asia, somehow you'd need to demonstrate your working knowledge of Hindi that the adcoms can see through your work or transcripts.  Thankfully, you have until the fall to decide!<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Germany also had colonies in Asia! A few islands here, a few islands there, and a port in China. German colonialism is actually quite interesting and I would highly recommend reading up on it. This is coming from a former German (and Austrian!!!) buff. Not many English-speaking academics study it (especially German colonialism in Asia), and it might make you stand out from the crowd a bit. Even if it's not something you eventually end up seriously pursuing, showing that you're interested in a topic for which you already have a major language requirement would be impressive, in my opinion.