History Admissions 2008

[luvalicious]

Wow, 2 weeks after I'd given up all hope and moved on to preparing for next year, I receive a (big) package in the mail from University of Chicago offering admission into their MA program for International Relations. No funding, but I'm wondering if it's worth it to bite the bullet and take loans for a year? Would attending an MA program significantly increase my chances of getting into a top 10 PhD program?

Congrats, and most schools say it doesn't significantly help or hurt your chances, but mileages vary. I think in my case it helped me, because I was able to show I was already doing that kind of work anyway, so maybe it depends on what you do.

[Ladylish]

I think an MA can help, but if you are considering finishing an MA in 1 year and reapplying for Fall 2009 for the PhD, I don't think it will. You have to remember the bonuses of working on a MA include getting to know faculty and them knowing you rather well, proving with your GPA you can do graduate work, and proving with your thesis you can do primary research and have a strong grasp of your field (both of which your major advisor can atest to in their LOR).

If you are applying again by Dec 1, you wont have much time for faculty to assess your abilities, you won't have any graduate class grades on your transcripts, and you wont have much of your thesis written for your advisor to say you will be finished in time to start a PhD.

If you are going to do a 2-year MA, then I think it would give you these added benefits when you get to Fall 2010 apps...but I'm not on adcoms.

[thelowendhz]

Hi everybody,

I'm new the forums and I hope that everyone is having some success. I've applied to ten programs in all and have thus far been admitted into UCLA and UNC, both with five years of aid. I'm planning on visiting them both in April before making any decisions, but for my field - medieval - I think that UCLA would probably be the smarter move in terms of my future. However, I won't make any decisions until I meet with these professors and visit the programs. Any other medievalists in here? Anyone actually manage to get into Notre Dame's Medieval Studies program?

Ryan

[bleistift]

I think an MA can help, but if you are considering finishing an MA in 1 year and reapplying for Fall 2009 for the PhD, I don't think it will. You have to remember the bonuses of working on a MA include getting to know faculty and them knowing you rather well, proving with your GPA you can do graduate work, and proving with your thesis you can do primary research and have a strong grasp of your field (both of which your major advisor can atest to in their LOR).

If you are applying again by Dec 1, you wont have much time for faculty to assess your abilities, you won't have any graduate class grades on your transcripts, and you wont have much of your thesis written for your advisor to say you will be finished in time to start a PhD.

If you are going to do a 2-year MA, then I think it would give you these added benefits when you get to Fall 2010 apps...but I'm not on adcoms.

Yea you are definitely right, I'd wait to apply for Fall 2010 if I were to accept (geez...that's a while away!). I'd rather take a 1 year program actually, I'd have no problem getting a job or spending some time abroad to brush up my languages, which I'd prefer to spending another $40k.

[pgmpeace]

This is a little late in coming, but I thought I'd just drop the info in there. I thought I'd let y'all know that I have accepted an offer to work under Scott Bartchy at UCLA. The specialty is technically called "History of Religions," but I will mostly be concentrating on Christian origins.

I talked to Bartchy over the phone on February 1st, when he was down to the final two people for one spot. I received my acceptance letter from the Graduate Division by email on Feb. 23 (it was oddly dated Feb 6th) and from the History Dept on March 2.

I'm interested in social concerns (Bartchy) and apocalypticism (Ra'anan Boustan) in early Christianity and Judaism. There's a lot of freedom to the program, so I'll be able to take classes in the NELC and Classics departments as well. It's a good fit for what I'm looking for!

[Cornell07]

Well, kiddos, I've sucked it up and overhauled my personal statement; I'm going to take a crack at the new Columbia-LSE MA in International & World History. Back to the revision process!

[TMP]

Cornell07- you can do it!!!! Take all of your lesosns that you've learned from this process and apply them to your SOP and new app for LSE/Columbia MA.

It works.... because...

I GOT IN MICHGAN!!!! It's for my MA in Judaic Studies. I am totally beaming and bouncing over this! I did have to revise my SOP and send in a new writing sample at an indirect request of the professor that I want to work with who's the head of the adcom for MA. Oh my god, I am going to GRADUATE SKOOL in the fall!

(And my brother's thrilled only because he's going to Miami U and we're in the same hockey conference haha and he does know that Michigan is a great place)

I still have to hear from NYU and Brandeis... the horrible letter from NYU should come this week...ugh, hopefully.

I know that the reality and fear will sink in once I sign off the loans... eek. :shock:

[BC08]

It's official: I'm going to Harvard next year. I think getting some real experience at the grad level will 1) allow me to make sure I REALLY want the PhD, and 2) give me some excellent credentials to pursue that end.

I'm excited for the first class at Harvard Yard already.

[missycari]

Congrats, BC08! What's your subfield?

[BC08]

Early American Republic (1607-1876).

I totally forgot to mention that it was Harvard ALM, not the GSAS PhD program. I didn't mean to come off as misleading or disingenuous at all, but thanks for the congratulations all the same! It feels good to hear after the 'run to perfection' I've experienced so far with graduate admissions!

[missycari]

No worries, I knew you meant the masters program because I remembered some of your posts. Although I didn't realize until just now that the ALM is, I guess, a liberal arts masters rather than a history-specific one. Well, I'm sure that will be great! Have you visited Harvard? I visited last week and was amazed. It's such a fun area! And the campus is lovely.

[BC08]

I've been to Harvard Square many times throughout my life, it's one of my favorite places in the Greater Boston area. I had the ALM in mind as a backup just because I wanted the funded PhD like everyone else, but the more I looked into it the more I realized it was a legitimately challenging program that would substantially upgrade my research experience, so I figured it's worth a shot. I'll probably sit out next year and try again for PhD admissions in the fall of '09 with some Harvard recommendations next time around!!!