Fall 2018 Applicants

[Manuscriptess]

7 minutes ago, khigh said:

I've been going over all the data on the survey for the program. Either we are the earliest people to ever get rejected from the U according to the reports (earliest before now is 2/8) or we will hear good news (most acceptances are between 2/2 and 2/8). Hoping for the latter and preparing for the former.

Can you guys start a thread for just UMN stuff? It's kind of taken over this whole board.

[BuckinghamRabbit]

42 minutes ago, asmhardin said:

So, it looks like the Chicago acceptances so far have been Early Modern Europe, East Asian, and Ancient History.. Any US History acceptances at Chicago, yet? I know that based on past year postings, it looks like they stagger their acceptances quite a bit, but just wondering. 

Hope everyone is doing well - we're starting to get in the true thick of admissions decisions!

I’ve also deduced that they stagger their acceptances after looking at the previous years’ stats. I certainly hope they do because I haven’t heard anything. The really unfortunate part of all this is that it seems like they don’t send out denials until March. I don’t know if I can wait that long for a denial...

[psstein]

55 minutes ago, khigh said:

I've been going over all the data on the survey for the program. Either we are the earliest people to ever get rejected from the U according to the reports (earliest before now is 2/8) or we will hear good news (most acceptances are between 2/2 and 2/8). Hoping for the latter and preparing for the former.

Relax and remember that acceptances come in waves.

[asmhardin]

39 minutes ago, BuckinghamRabbit said:

The really unfortunate part of all this is that it seems like they don’t send out denials until March. I don’t know if I can wait that long for a denial...

I know what you mean.. I suppose if we don't hear back by mid-Feb, we can make a fairly safe assumption that we didn't get accepted. The waiting game is oh so fun. 

[khigh]

1 hour ago, Manuscriptess said:

Can you guys start a thread for just UMN stuff? It's kind of taken over this whole board.

Well, you don't have to worry about me posting about it anymore. Denied admission.

[DGrayson]

4 minutes ago, khigh said:

Well, you don't have to worry about me posting about it anymore. Denied admission.

 

[Qtf311]

That sucks.  Donkt give up though, from what I understand it usually takes most applicants two or three attempts to get in somewhere.  I was rejected by every schoolI applied to last year but it was a great learning experience.  Hang in there. 

[Ian Han]

21 minutes ago, khigh said:

Well, you don't have to worry about me posting about it anymore. Denied admission.

Their loss!! So sorry about that  

[TheHessianHistorian]

22 minutes ago, khigh said:

Well, you don't have to worry about me posting about it anymore. Denied admission.

Very sorry to hear that! Like commenter above said, it's their loss considering your deep knowledge of and enthusiasm for your subject. Best of luck to you if you apply again next year.

[Guest564]

Anyone heard from CUNY Graduate Center? I noticed one fellow traveler posted about being wait-listed earlier today. 

[khigh]

Thanks y'all. I'm going to take a few days to try to figure out what I want to do. They don't have anyone that fits, which I think is the major issue. I don't want to leave Minne, so I don't know if it's going to help to try to apply again. 

[ltr317]

5 minutes ago, khigh said:

Thanks y'all. I'm going to take a few days to try to figure out what I want to do. They don't have anyone that fits, which I think is the major issue. I don't want to leave Minne, so I don't know if it's going to help to try to apply again. 

So sorry.  I know you really wanted this since it was the only place you applied.  I think you should take longer than a few days to decide on plan B, since there's no pressing deadline for law school yet.  The university may decide to hire someone to take the place of the retiring professor.  In any event, what I'm saying is don't make a hasty decision when you don't need to do so.  

[khigh]

5 minutes ago, ltr317 said:

So sorry.  I know you really wanted this since it was the only place you applied.  I think you should take longer than a few days to decide on plan B, since there's no pressing deadline for law school yet.  The university may decide to hire someone to take the place of the retiring professor.  In any event, what I'm saying is don't make a hasty decision when you don't need to do so.  

I won't make a hasty decision. I just know that Dutch history is dying on this side of the Atlantic. 

[ltr317]

27 minutes ago, khigh said:

I won't make a hasty decision. I just know that Dutch history is dying on this side of the Atlantic. 

Yes, but there are still some places that have scholars in that area.  It's not my field but in NYC I know NYU has a scholar that researches in early transatlantic Dutch history.  

Oh, I almost forgot that I said not to make a hasty decision because you wrote that you'll take a few days to figure out what you wanted to do, but that's probably because of the initial disappointment.  

 

Edited February 2, 2018 by ltr317

[khigh]

26 minutes ago, ltr317 said:

Yes, but there are still some places that have scholars in that area.  It's not my field but in NYC I know NYU has a scholar that researches in early transatlantic Dutch history.  

Oh, I almost forgot that I said not to make a hasty decision because you wrote that you'll take a few days to figure out what you wanted to do, but that's probably because of the initial disappointment.  

 

It’s the not wanting to leave Minnesota. We want to start a family soon and I’m getting old. I can’t be in graduate school when I’m forty and expect to have a long career. I’m going to email on Monday to see what was lacking in my application and decide then if it’s something that can be improved for next year. If it is, I’ll try again. If not, it’s law school. 

[ltr317]

Ah, a family.  Okay.  Good course of action.  I'm a nontraditional, older applicant as well.  I don't need to teach, but I need and want the cred to write peer-review articles and monographs.  If law school is in your future, I hope you enjoy it more than me.  I went for a year, but after three days in law school I knew I didn't want to be an attorney.   Good luck with either path you choose for next year.  

[TheHessianHistorian]

47 minutes ago, ltr317 said:

Ah, a family.  Okay.  Good course of action.  I'm a nontraditional, older applicant as well.  I don't need to teach, but I need and want the cred to write peer-review articles and monographs.  If law school is in your future, I hope you enjoy it more than me.  I went for a year, but after three days in law school I knew I didn't want to be an attorney.   Good luck with either path you choose for next year.  

@khigh and @ltr317:

I'm 31 and will be 32 by the time I start grad school. My mother was about 40 when she earned her Master's (at Uni of Iowa), and about 50 when she earned her PhD (at Uni of Colorado), and she managed to find a tenure-track faculty position several years ago (in the humanities no less). My grandfather was 40 when he did his Master's degree (at UMN-Twin Cities) and 42 when he finished his PhD (at UMN-Twin Cities)...he worked as a school principal for 4 years, worked as a non-tenured college instructor for 10 years, and got a tenured faculty position at Uni of Wisconsin in 1997 at the age of 56. Granted, people in my family never retire (my great grandmother clerked at a store until she was 99 years old, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away 2 months later), so getting a job in our 50s means probably a 40-year career ahead of us. Point being: you are NEVER too old, as long as you feel like you've got the drive and the energy to go for it.

Bust your butt, do ambitious research, fight and claw for those awards, be better than everybody else, meticulously plan how you're going to get from point A to point B, and there will be no age limit to achieving your goal.

Edited February 3, 2018 by TheHessianHistorian

[lordtiandao]

Someone just posted an acceptance for Chinese history at UCLA. If you'r out there, will you be attending the visiting days?

[Qtf311]

I’m 41.  This is my second career...or will be hopefully.  My uncle is a professor at UMass and he didnt finish his Phd untill his mid-40s.  Age means little.  

[khigh]

1 hour ago, ltr317 said:

Ah, a family.  Okay.  Good course of action.  I'm a nontraditional, older applicant as well.  I don't need to teach, but I need and want the cred to write peer-review articles and monographs.  If law school is in your future, I hope you enjoy it more than me.  I went for a year, but after three days in law school I knew I didn't want to be an attorney.   Good luck with either path you choose for next year.  

If I do law school, it would be on the next app cycle and I could always apply to both. I am guaranteed admission based on my LSAT score (174) and extra curriculars in undergrad (Student Government Presidents are an automatic in for UMN-Law and I was a Top 10 Student), but funding decisions have been made. I can't afford to pay for even a year out of pocket. I would love working in sports management/baseball law (either the player's union or specialty contracts for international players) in the MLB. I know the Collective Bargaining Agreement front to back. I just want to be able to write, you know? But, it's not just me that I have to think about. Boyfriend will be calling when he wakes up and we'll be able to discuss all available plans. I'm sure he'd love if I go to law school on a full-ride and go work for the MLB. I would rather get a PhD, so Monday's email will probably be the decider along with the phone call.

[khigh]

3 minutes ago, Qtf311 said:

I’m 41.  This is my second career...or will be hopefully.  My uncle is a professor at UMass and he didnt finish his Phd untill his mid-40s.  Age means little.  

I'm 31, but the boyfriend turns 40 this year. Sometimes I wish I hadn't taken 10 years between high school and undergrad, but then I wouldn't have met my boyfriend, so I have no regrets waiting. He's the best part of my life and I would give up 100 PhD opportunities for him. 

[Qtf311]

You have time to decide what you want to do.  Going back to school has always been a goal of mine and I finally have the opportunity and time and support.  Getting into a phd program focusing on social justice issues and civil rights is a dream come true.  I put everything into going back to school and didnt have a back up plan because it was school or bust.  You have time.  Plus it sounds like you have other options you can persue.  Not getting in might be a great opportunity for you to really fine tune your goals.

[L13]

Sorry to hear about your rejection @khigh! I wish you the best of luck whichever path you choose from here.

[OHSP]

13 minutes ago, khigh said:

I'm 31, but the boyfriend turns 40 this year. Sometimes I wish I hadn't taken 10 years between high school and undergrad, but then I wouldn't have met my boyfriend, so I have no regrets waiting. He's the best part of my life and I would give up 100 PhD opportunities for him. 

My partner and I have a similar age gap so I understand on some level, but you also never know what will change in your lives. My nearly 40 year old partner moved from literally the other side of the world with me so that I could start my PhD in the US, and that's worked out well for her as well as me. 

[khigh]

26 minutes ago, OHSP said:

My partner and I have a similar age gap so I understand on some level, but you also never know what will change in your lives. My nearly 40 year old partner moved from literally the other side of the world with me so that I could start my PhD in the US, and that's worked out well for her as well as me. 

I would like this status, but I ran out of likes for the day.  You reminded me that the VU and UvA, Utrecht, and AU-Rome are still accepting applications and accept US student financial aide/loans. I have application waivers from VU and UvA, so maybe it doesn't hurt to try. Maybe this rejection is a sign to go ahead and make the move.  I wouldn't live anywhere in the USA other than Minneapolis, but I would love A'dam or Rome. The boyfriend lives in Berlin right now and he is willing/wanting to come back to Minne to be close to his family, but maybe I can talk to him about a 2 year research masters stint in A'dam or Rome...