Fall 2018 Applicants

[Imenol]

3 hours ago, Yellow Mellow said:

You did it again!! Wisconsin is not a top pogram  

In fact, Wisconsin might be the best or one of the very best programs in one of history's most rapidly growing subfields (Environmental History)

[ltr317]

3 hours ago, Neist said:

... Huh?

@psstein pretty much stated my thoughts @ltr317. There are very few independent history of science programs anymore. And the ones that can kind of be considered history of science are more interdisciplinary fields, such as STS. Regarding jobs, if you want a job in a history department, it's my understanding that a history degree is usually preferred, be it history of science or good ole fashioned history. However, freestanding HoS departments tend to be more interdisciplinary in my experience, and I imagine that most freestanding department are likely less picky about degree type and more picky about demonstrated research focus.

Edit: Ugh, this forum software...

6

Your answer brought up American Studies in my mind, which is also interdisciplinary.  There is a professor in my current MA history program who earned his PhD in American Studies.  I've also seen a fair number of them in other history departments while I was researching appropriate PhD programs.  Thanks again. 

[ltr317]

1 hour ago, VAZ said:

Thanks! It's Minnesota. I guess I am the fourth person on this forum according to RESULTS....and I don't think I am getting any university-level fellowship (i.e. the state school early admission).

So, @khigh don't fret; you may hear good news very soon. ?

Congrats!  Put that one in the bag and make room for the others.

[ltr317]

1 hour ago, TheHessianHistorian said:

Just got a phone call from my POI at University of Alabama for their Master's in History program. I've been accepted! Funding info to come next week. Was also invited to a meet-and-greet on campus in late February. This is the first I've heard back from any of the programs I applied to, so I'm quite excited. At least I know I'm going somewhere. Now to hear back from the other 14 programs. 

Congrats to you too!  Put your acceptance in the bag, but you may need a bigger bag with all those applications. 

[gnossienne n.3]

3 hours ago, Tigla said:

I already submitted an 8,000-word writing sample to them with my application. Now, they are asking for a second 8,000-word writing sample that is different than my first. That is why I am confused a bit.

Yep. Sometimes they want a lot of writing.

[Yellow Mellow]

2 hours ago, anon1234567 said:

Wisconsin has a very good history program. In fact, a senior Harvard faculty member thinks quite highly of it. 

Of course. My point is simply that it is not a top program at the level of Harvard, Chicago, and Columbia (the programs to which it was being compared in the post to which I responded). Simply look at the placement record. It is just dishonest to suggest otherwise. 

1 hour ago, Imenol said:

In fact, Wisconsin might be the best or one of the very best programs in one of history's most rapidly growing subfields (Environmental History)

Cronon is very good. He is an anomaly in Wisconsin though. If he has not moved to a better place it is simply out of a geographical preference (Anthony Grafton implied something of the sort in an AHA meeting if I recall correctly...)

Edited January 23, 2018 by Yellow Mellow

[psstein]

5 hours ago, Yellow Mellow said:

You did it again!! Wisconsin is not a top pogram  

I asked you if you have anything to contribute beyond "Wisconsin bad!" Clearly, you don't. And, as anyone with experience will tell you, you're wrong.

As with every department, it varies what you're working on. I wouldn't tell someone working on medieval monasticism to come here (shout out to @telkanuru), nor would I suggest someone interested in Dutch Republic come here. Also, the placement is better than you seem to think. Keep in mind that we didn't have a fully funded program until the mid-2010s.

Edited January 23, 2018 by psstein

[psstein]

5 hours ago, ltr317 said:

@psstein thanks for the answer.  It's not my field but I was curious because some HoS programs have their own department. 

There are historical reasons for that. If you'd like, I can provide a few journal articles.

 

2 hours ago, anon1234567 said:

UPenn does have an early modernist, Harun Kucuk. 

Thank you, I didn't see him. My focus is early modern Europe, so I'm ignorant of Ottoman World scholars.

[psstein]

4 hours ago, Imenol said:

Who are you? It does not seem you have anything productive to add to the conversation... Why so much hate on Wisconsin? It seems quite childish to me. 

I'm of two minds on this: either he/she never got into the program and is bashing it as a result, or he/she has some bizarre issue with my posting.

Either way, I've reported it.

[ltr317]

28 minutes ago, psstein said:

There are historical reasons for that. If you'd like, I can provide a few journal articles.

 

 

 

Yes, that would be great.  Thanks. 

[ltr317]

1 hour ago, Yellow Mellow said:

Of course. My point is simply that it is not a top program at the level of Harvard, Chicago, and Columbia (the programs to which it was being compared in the post to which I responded). Simply look at the placement record. It is just dishonest to suggest otherwise. 

Cronon is very good. He is an anomaly in Wisconsin though. If he has not moved to a better place it is simply out of a geographical preference (Anthony Grafton implied something of the sort in an AHA meeting if I recall correctly...)

I totally disagree with your statement and think you're dishonest by making sweeping generalities.  I researched about fifty history PhD programs in the past year when I was considering pursuing a doctorate, and the vast majority of the programs had at least one faculty member with a Wisconsin PhD.   All these programs obviously had a high regard for Wisconsin grads to hire them, or the program has such diversity in different fields that grads are attractive employees.  Either way, there are tons of Wisconsin history PhDs teaching all over the country.    

Again your opinion is without merit.  Why should Cronon leave Wisconsin?  He received his undergraduate degree from the university and he has an endowed chair.  His entire career has been at the university.  

Edited January 23, 2018 by ltr317

[psstein]

23 minutes ago, ltr317 said:

Yes, that would be great.  Thanks. 

Sure, I've PMed you the citations.

[TheHessianHistorian]

26 minutes ago, ltr317 said:

I totally disagree with your statement and think you're dishonest by making sweeping generalities.  I researched about fifty history PhD programs in the past year when I was considering pursuing a doctorate, and the vast majority of the programs had at least one faculty member with a Wisconsin PhD.   All these programs obviously had a high regard for Wisconsin grads to hire them, or the program has such diversity in different fields that grads are attractive employees.  Either way, there are tons of Wisconsin history PhDs teaching all over the country.    

Again your opinion is without merit.  Why should Cronon leave Wisconsin?  He received his undergraduate degree from the university and he has an endowed chair.  His entire career has been at the university.  

Agreed. I actually researched and collected a spreadsheet of 200 of the best graduate programs in history for this application season. I saw TT/tenured profs with PhDs from UW-Madison everywhere. Yellow Mellow is either being very dishonest, or very ignorant.

[Pacifist101]

Since the waiting it out period has now started for me as well, I'm overthinking everything. How much would you read into a POI encouraging you to apply? Means nothing, close to nothing or maybe a little more than that? I feel like I know the answer, but I'd like to see what you guys think.

[psstein]

6 hours ago, VAZ said:

Just wondering: if I get an email of unofficial acceptance from POI or DGS, what is the chance of receiving the official offer in the following weeks? Will they change minds? In other words, should I now celebrate? Thanks!

Unless you're a former felon or have a GPA lower than 3.0, you're in. It's very rare, though not totally unheard of, for a departmental offer to not be accepted by the graduate school.

Edited January 23, 2018 by psstein

[DGrayson]

56 minutes ago, psstein said:

Unless you're a former felon or have a GPA lower than 3.0, you're in. It's very rare, though not totally unheard of, for a departmental offer to not be accepted by the graduate school.

The case of Michelle Jones is one example of this. I’ve attached the NYT article as I found it pretty interesting and hey...anything to pass the time right?  

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/13/us/harvard-nyu-prison-michelle-jones.html?referer=

[TMP]

1 hour ago, InternationalCatLover said:

Since the waiting it out period has now started for me as well, I'm overthinking everything. How much would you read into a POI encouraging you to apply? Means nothing, close to nothing or maybe a little more than that? I feel like I know the answer, but I'd like to see what you guys think.

Nothing at all.  Just a nice thing to say unless said at least several times, then, maybe it's really genuine  Or as a means of doing his/her part to contribute to raising number of applications just to show that the program has low rate of admissions and thereby declare itself highly competitive (especially in the eyes of the Graduate School/University).... Either way.  It's kind of like Harvard saying "We have so many applications but we're still putting tons of money in marking to keep the applications rolling so we can be even more selective than Princeton!"  Along those lines.

Sad to say, as @telkanuru and I have pointed out, the bottom line is always about putting value on the program's existence vis-a-vis the Reality of the Decline of Anti-Intellectualism in America.

[Yellow Mellow]

7 hours ago, ltr317 said:

I totally disagree with your statement and think you're dishonest by making sweeping generalities.  I researched about fifty history PhD programs in the past year when I was considering pursuing a doctorate, and the vast majority of the programs had at least one faculty member with a Wisconsin PhD.   All these programs obviously had a high regard for Wisconsin grads to hire them, or the program has such diversity in different fields that grads are attractive employees.  Either way, there are tons of Wisconsin history PhDs teaching all over the country.    

Again your opinion is without merit.  Why should Cronon leave Wisconsin?  He received his undergraduate degree from the university and he has an endowed chair.  His entire career has been at the university.  

I guess we might simply have different standards or different understandings of what a "top" program is. I was replying to an user that placed Wisconsin at the same level as Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, and Princeton. In the latter, which is obviously the program I am most familiar with, I am not aware of any professor with a PhD from Wisconsin, yet I could mention from the top of my head several professors with PhDs from each of the three other institutions. 

Look, if people want to apply to Wisconsin so be it -there certainly are worse programs. Perhaps my situation is different because I am an international student who was offered funding at my home institution, so I would only leave my Europe aux ancient parapets for a really good (actually top) American university, preferably one that is not in the middle of nowhere. 

[Kingsouth]

Hello everyone, 

 

Long time lurker that has been unfortunately baited into posting because of @Yellow Mellow and his rather obnoxious set of posts.

 

Firstly, I'm also an international student that has fortunately had the privilege of spending a fair amount of time at all of the Universities you've named as well as Wisconsin. The program in Madison may not rank alongside the Ivys and their ilk, but it is nonetheless a fantastic program that any historian would be fortunate to enter, and one that has a significant historical pedigree dating back to the 70s (to my knowledge, this may differ per field).

 

But dismissing Madison as being 'in the middle of nowhere' whilst professing your familiarity with Princeton makes me seriously question your credentials. Have you been to Princeton? It's a hike, built in the middle of a swamp and also in New Jersey... It's a fantastic school with an amazing cohort, and is again a school that any historian would be fortunate to enter. But it seriously struggles because of its location. Virtually everybody worth their salt is aware of this.

 

I'd suggest stop attacking other institutions with vague assumptions and stick to your own research and academics. Its unfortunate that your European uni didn't have a core unit in etiquette and manners.

 

Good luck to everyone else this round and congratulations to everyone who has thus far found success and to those already embarked on their doctorate. 

 

Sincerely,

Kingsouth

Edited January 23, 2018 by Kingsouth

[Yellow Mellow]

10 minutes ago, Kingsouth said:

Hello everyone, 

 

Long time lurker that has been unfortunately baited into posting because of @Yellow Mellow and his rather obnoxious set of posts.

 

Firstly, I'm also an international student that has fortunately had the privilege of spending a fair amount of time at all of the Universities you've named as well as Wisconsin. The program in Madison may not rank alongside the Ivys and their ilk, but it is nonetheless a fantastic program that any historian would be fortunate to enter, and one that has a significant historical pedigree dating back to the 70s (to my knowledge, this may differ per field).

 

But dismissing Madison as being 'in the middle of nowhere' whilst professing your familiarity with Princeton makes me seriously question your credentials. Have you been to Princeton? It's a hike, built in the middle of a swamp and also in New Jersey... It's a fantastic school with an amazing cohort, and is again a school that any historian would be fortunate to enter. But it seriously struggles because of its location. Virtually everybody worth their salt is aware of this.

 

I'd suggest stop attacking other institutions with vague assumptions and stick to your own research and academics. Its unfortunate that your European uni didn't have a core unit in etiquette and manners.

 

Good luck to everyone else this round and congratulations to everyone who has thus far found success and to those already embarked on their doctorate. 

 

Sincerely,

Kingsouth

All that is true, but you forget something that is crucial for me -Princeton is close to New York, so close that some of us decide to live there and commute after the third year. Otherwise, you are still a bus ride away from an environment that is, to be honest, much more to the taste of a Western European than Madison. 

I am simply baffled as to why my posts seem to be so offensive to so many  I have simply expressed a view regarding Wisconsin's status that differs from those of others. I have not offended anyone while doing so. 

[TheLearnedPig]

My input for the Wisconsin debate: 

 

[Manuscriptess]

13 hours ago, anon1234567 said:

Columbia has a policy against taking students with MAs from Columbia? We didn't have many in my cohort year, but there were one or two, both from the EALC program come to think of it.

Yeah, just for the Medieval/Renaissance Studies MA program. Idk about the other MA programs. MedRen is pretty new, so they want to build the reputation by getting admits at other schools-- that's just what AJK told everyone in the program rn.

Edited January 23, 2018 by Manuscriptess

[khigh]

2 hours ago, Yellow Mellow said:

All that is true, but you forget something that is crucial for me -Princeton is close to New York, so close that some of us decide to live there and commute after the third year. Otherwise, you are still a bus ride away from an environment that is, to be honest, much more to the taste of a Western European than Madison. 

I am simply baffled as to why my posts seem to be so offensive to so many  I have simply expressed a view regarding Wisconsin's status that differs from those of others. I have not offended anyone while doing so. 

I’m going to guess that you have never been to Wisconsin. You say it’s not very European. It’s not very BRITISH, but Sconi and Minne are very Scandinavian. We’re talking Norwegian societies, lutefisk on the menu, Scandinavian style houses, gjällerhorns, and runestones. I don’t like Wisconsin, but that is because I am Minnesotan. We are rivals and, I’m going to say it, our cheese is better. 

You can love certain cities, but that does not mean that others do not feel a connection or love with the place they live. There is no reason to degrade a place you have never lived. 

[OHSP]

3 hours ago, Yellow Mellow said:

I guess we might simply have different standards or different understandings of what a "top" program is. I was replying to an user that placed Wisconsin at the same level as Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, and Princeton. In the latter, which is obviously the program I am most familiar with, I am not aware of any professor with a PhD from Wisconsin, yet I could mention from the top of my head several professors with PhDs from each of the three other institutions. 

Look, if people want to apply to Wisconsin so be it -there certainly are worse programs. Perhaps my situation is different because I am an international student who was offered funding at my home institution, so I would only leave my Europe aux ancient parapets for a really good (actually top) American university, preferably one that is not in the middle of nowhere. 

Margot Canaday, Associate Prof, PhD from Minnesota 
Hendrik Hartog, Prof, PhD from Brandeis
Erika Milam, Prof, PhD from Wisconsin
Rosina Lozano, Assistant Prof, PhD from USC 

Just some of the Princeton faculty I know from my own work. I'm an international student who wanted to go to Wisconsin but basically, even with an additional fellowship, I thought it was going to be far too financially precarious. In certain fields--gender and sexuality (esp. trans* studies) and environmental history--it makes more academic sense to go to Wisconsin than to somewhere like Columbia. But then being in New York also has advantages. Nothing guarantees a job, including a PhD from Princeton. 

[anon1234567]

50 minutes ago, Manuscriptess said:

Yeah, just for the Medieval/Renaissance Studies MA program. Idk about the other MA programs. MedRen is pretty new, so they want to build the reputation by getting admits at other schools-- that's just what AJK told everyone in the program rn.

So you heard it from the horse's mouth so to speak. So, where are you applying to? I heard Harvard is pretty good for medievalists. A friend applied there.