History Admissions 2008

[TMP]

[quote name="Louiselab

[nomadism]

Updates on Columbia.

According to a friend of mine at Columbia (History department), the decisions of admissions will made (I guess finalized) this Friday, and that the admitted students will receive a FEDEX overnight package, or a email rejection -.-. So probably there will be some kind of news by next Monday.

So, like me, no news still can be good news, although I've also heard that another friend of friend at Columbia has been ordered (?) to contact whom and whom to recruit them (that was about 10 days ago...)

Let us keep our fingers crossed!

um, and although early notifications are indeed promising to those admitted, I do wish the departments would not reveal any results before official decisions. As most of us here agree, it's too painful for people waiting news.

[daydaydvd]

Updates on Columbia.

According to a friend of mine at Columbia (History department), the decisions of admissions will made (I guess finalized) this Friday, and that the admitted students will receive a FEDEX overnight package, or a email rejection -.-. So probably there will be some kind of news by next Monday.

So, like me, no news still can be good news, although I've also heard that another friend of friend at Columbia has been ordered (?) to contact whom and whom to recruit them (that was about 10 days ago...)

Let us keep our fingers crossed!

um, and although early notifications are indeed promising to those admitted, I do wish the departments would not reveal any results before official decisions. As most of us here agree, it's too painful for people waiting news.

What is your plan? if you are admitted by all five you applied to.

[nomadism]

What is your plan? if you are admitted by all five you applied to.

Um, for now, I don't know yet.

[crossedreality]

Um, for now, I don't know yet.

That'd be a fun problem to have.

First rejection. Officially not going to UCLA.

[eternallyviolet]

Has anyone heard anything from UCSD? At all?

[dmh26]

This is just a rant and a worry all thrown into one post.....it kinda sucks to be told that out of 200 applicants you are ranked 21 and that the program is only going to admit 20-22 people depending on how many teaching jobs are available, but probably 20 teaching jobs will be offered....and you have to wait until next week to find out that magic number! lol

[Cornell07]

Got my Harvard rejection letter today! Wooooo.....? Aw. Long shot.

[jaw17]

Cornell07: Which field did you apply to at Harvard? It occurs to me that, like my husband, your interests might fall between two research fields - in your case, US history and international/transregional history. My understanding is that the latter is usually less competitive, although I'm sure others would know better.

[TMP]

Cornell07: Which field did you apply to at Harvard? It occurs to me that, like my husband, your interests might fall between two research fields - in your case, US history and international/transregional history. My understanding is that the latter is usually less competitive, although I'm sure others would know better.

In that case- why didn't you apply to NYU? There are quite few professors in there who are interested in international/transnational history.

[redwine]

Just wondering if anyone has heard more from NYU? Any news?

[NSGoddessQ]

An FYI to anyone who applied to UNC:

I called there today to ask if they had any idea when offer letters would be sent out -- primarily because I need to plan how March (with its visits and its midterms) is going to go. If they take me, I'd love to visit, but I'm going to have to know in enough time to be able to make arrangements. It would be great at this point to know when I might know!

The woman on the phone (who was very nice) said she understood completely. After thinking about it for a little bit, she said that their break starts on 3/3, so hopefully the first letters may begin to go out by March 5th. She assured me that this wasn't an exact timetable, and that "everyone should know by the beginning of April." (I would hope so.)

I feel like this isn't a lot of new information for you guys, but I also figured I would share, with the caveat that it sounds like you shouldn't freak out if you don't hear even into mid or late March!

Good luck to all -- especially as you try to figure out travel plans. ::facepalm::

[Cornell07]

jaw17 wrote:

Cornell07: Which field did you apply to at Harvard? It occurs to me that, like my husband, your interests might fall between two research fields - in your case, US history and international/transregional history. My understanding is that the latter is usually less competitive, although I'm sure others would know better.

In that case- why didn't you apply to NYU? There are quite few professors in there who are interested in international/transnational history.

My research interests are generally defined as a study of the policy making process, usually, but not always, in the lens of late 20th century US history. If you are familiar with Ernest May at Harvard, I'd say that my interests most closely align with his. Though he typically focuses on American military history, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, May has written a number of books on non-American conflicts such as "Strange Defeat" about the intelligence failures of the Allied forces leading up to the German invasion of France in 1940.

In particular, I'd cite his "Thinking In Time : The Uses Of History For Decision Makers" co-authored with the now-deceased Richard Neustadt, as the most influential book I've ever read. May argues that by utilizing the historical method in policy making situations, in the ways that he outlines, one can achieve sometimes marginal but always valuable improvements. For example, strategists love to make historical analogies, but often the analogies only work because of a superficial similarity between the two.

I don't remember why I didn't apply to NYU, but I am sure I had a good reason...

[NSGoddessQ]

I forget who was looking for alternative ways to rank history programs other than just what USNews says, but I ran across this in my bookmarks today and figured I would share: (The 2000 National Doctoral Program Survey at http://cresmet.asu.edu/nagps/getWeights.php?deptSet=1&deptType=112)

Yes, it's 8 years old and based on self-selected responses, but it might be something to kick around. I wish they had a more recent one!

[Minnesotan]

phds.org has recent rankings based on customizable criteria, like educational effectiveness, faculty quality, time to degree, etc. It might be helpful to check out.

[Louiselab]

-----------

[amanda1655]

You could put citations in your application under the published work section but for the life of me I can't think of how to word it. How did your professor cite you in his work? Did he thank you? Did he cite your term paper?

Maybe this would be something he could put in his letter of rec?

[Historylover]

To all Northwestern applicants who have not heard anything one way or the other. Is it just me or does it seem the view decision link will never appear? I keep checking and checking, but it's never there. I know with about a quarter of the total of acceptances posted on grad cafe, the odds of getting in are increasingly becoming slim, but it is still possible to be waitlisted. I just wish I knew either way. Any other feelings on this?

[luvalicious]

To all Northwestern applicants who have not heard anything one way or the other. Is it just me or does it seem the view decision link will never appear? I keep checking and checking, but it's never there. I know with about a quarter of the total of acceptances posted on grad cafe, the odds of getting in are increasingly becoming slim, but it is still possible to be waitlisted. I just wish I knew either way. Any other feelings on this?

I was actually accepted but it wasn't until this evening that the "view decision" link was posted. It appears that they are kind of slow putting the link up.

Best of luck to all those still waiting to know one way or the other. I'm still waiting on one program and every day I feel a little more crazed.

[el217]

To all Northwestern applicants who have not heard anything one way or the other. Is it just me or does it seem the view decision link will never appear? I keep checking and checking, but it's never there. I know with about a quarter of the total of acceptances posted on grad cafe, the odds of getting in are increasingly becoming slim, but it is still possible to be waitlisted. I just wish I knew either way. Any other feelings on this?

I called the program on Wednesday (omg scary!), mostly because I know that the visit is soon and the uncertainty is literally driving me insane. The grad assistant wasn't around, but the woman I talked to in the main History office said that invites to the Open House (and I think rejections as well?) were going out "in the next day." I still haven't gotten anything and the "view decision" link still hasn't appeared, so I don't know how accurate that info was. Maybe we'll hear today? I already have 2 offers so it's not a huge deal if I don't get in, but like you, I just wish I KNEW. Good luck!

[NSGoddessQ]

I got my rejection from Harvard today. You know, the afternoon after the night that the boyfriend submitted his application to Boston University, which he was waiting to do until we heard whether or not we could have a potential match in Boston. :x

I really don't mind being rejected (again, I'm v. happy with the offers I've got and am going to agonize over the decision as it is)...but for the two paragraphs that they sent, they really could have just opted for the website or the email notification, like Yale did.

I'm just saying. If you're going to tell me that I didn't make the cut, opening an actual physical envelope isn't going to somehow turn it into a transcendent character-building experience.

[Gumby]

An FYI to anyone who applied to UNC:

I called there today to ask if they had any idea when offer letters would be sent out -- primarily because I need to plan how March (with its visits and its midterms) is going to go. If they take me, I'd love to visit, but I'm going to have to know in enough time to be able to make arrangements. It would be great at this point to know when I might know!

The woman on the phone (who was very nice) said she understood completely. After thinking about it for a little bit, she said that their break starts on 3/3, so hopefully the first letters may begin to go out by March 5th. She assured me that this wasn't an exact timetable, and that "everyone should know by the beginning of April." (I would hope so.)

I feel like this isn't a lot of new information for you guys, but I also figured I would share, with the caveat that it sounds like you shouldn't freak out if you don't hear even into mid or late March!

Good luck to all -- especially as you try to figure out travel plans. ::facepalm::

Thanks, this was starting to worry me.

[cadence]

To those of you who have heard from Harvard: did any of you apply to the History of American Civilization program?

[Cornell07]

I applied to US history, not American Civilization (aka American Studies)

[daydaydvd]

Another week I do not get any news. It kills me ! 4:38pm EST