Fall 2018 Applicants

[Pacifist101]

Has anyone heard from any other schools in Ohio?

[psstein]

5 hours ago, Account6567 said:

Yeah I thought about emailing just to do my due diligence and ask what their internal aid could possibly entail, but $50,000+ to attend an unnecessary MA is ridiculous.

The "internal aid" is probably like Chicago's MAPSS program, one-third tuition and no stipend, which means you're paying $60,000 out of pocket for a MA.

[Account6567]

1 hour ago, psstein said:

The "internal aid" is probably like Chicago's MAPSS program, one-third tuition and no stipend, which means you're paying $60,000 out of pocket for a MA.

Thing is for Chicago's program though, I applied because I've actually heard of people getting full ride scholarships to make it a viable option. I haven't seen anything suggesting Columbia's is the same way in this regard.

[AMD718]

Has anyone been placed on a "priority waitlist" this year, or before? Any information about such waitlists would be really helpful as I try and learn about my odds. 

[dr. t]

1 hour ago, AMD718 said:

Has anyone been placed on a "priority waitlist" this year, or before? Any information about such waitlists would be really helpful as I try and learn about my odds. 

Sounds like just a more encouraging term for "you're on the waitlist."

There really aren't odds. Depending on year, school, and program, sometimes the waitlist means pretty much a guaranteed acceptance. Other times, it's a polite way of saying "try again next year!" There isn't a pattern you can deduce, because sometimes six schools will be fighting over the same wonderbread candidate and sometimes everyone is just clinging to their one acceptance.

[HistoricScout]

So I’m still waiting on a response from IU. 

I’m wondering if I should email their graduation admissions director though. My father unexpectedly passed away the day that NIU’s semester started, so I’m taking a leave of absence this semester and I’ll finish my MA in the fall. Would it be rude to email the admissions committee at IU to inquire on the status of my application and if I’m accepted, to kindly ask them to defer it to fall 2019? 

I haven’t heard anything back from them so I’m assuming that I am waitlisted, but I don’t want to prevent someone from being accepted this year that can take my spot. 

[TMP]

14 hours ago, HistoricScout said:

So I’m still waiting on a response from IU. 

I’m wondering if I should email their graduation admissions director though. My father unexpectedly passed away the day that NIU’s semester started, so I’m taking a leave of absence this semester and I’ll finish my MA in the fall. Would it be rude to email the admissions committee at IU to inquire on the status of my application and if I’m accepted, to kindly ask them to defer it to fall 2019? 

I haven’t heard anything back from them so I’m assuming that I am waitlisted, but I don’t want to prevent someone from being accepted this year that can take my spot. 

I'd wait and see.  If you do get in, then you can ask for deferral.  If you don't get in, then there's no point in waste time and energy.  Spend time with your family.  That's more important than worrying about grad admissions decisions.   

[astroid88]

I was denied from Georgetown on Thursday, but I got an email from them yesterday basically admitting me to the law school. Thanks, I guess? Haha

[Pensador]

Does anyone have any suggestions for someone who might be weighing offers from schools within the same consortium like NYU and Columbia?  I know that picking either institution won't preclude me from attending classes, workshops etc. of the other.  My work is currently between Early Modern Europe and the Caribbean. I will be visiting both soon to learn more about my cohort and the department cultures but I am open to some questions I should be asking myself as I approach the visits to come to a final choice.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Pensador

[pilisopa]

On 2/23/2018 at 4:00 AM, psstein said:

The Ivy MA programs are cash cows and largely not worth it.

Do you mean for history or just across the board?

On 2/23/2018 at 4:07 AM, ltr317 said:

Amen to that!

 

On 2/23/2018 at 4:25 AM, Account6567 said:

Yeah I thought about emailing just to do my due diligence and ask what their internal aid could possibly entail, but $50,000+ to attend an unnecessary MA is ridiculous.

Is the cost the only reason you guys are saying it's not worth it? The reason I'm curious is because I've realized that there are missing components in my application and I feel like I could benefit if I did an MA to close gaps for a future PhD application. What about quality of the programs? Potential to buttress a future PhD application?

[anon1234567]

2 hours ago, Pensador said:

Does anyone have any suggestions for someone who might be weighing offers from schools within the same consortium like NYU and Columbia?  I know that picking either institution won't preclude me from attending classes, workshops etc. of the other.  My work is currently between Early Modern Europe and the Caribbean. I will be visiting both soon to learn more about my cohort and the department cultures but I am open to some questions I should be asking myself as I approach the visits to come to a final choice.

Congrats! 

Make sure to speak to current graduate students about the faculty, and specifically about your future potential supervisor/supervisors. Columbia encourages students to develop relationships with a few faculty members for different needs, professional and emotional.  

Both history programs are excellent, so you'll likely be making the decision based on the supervisors in your intended field/s.  

[OHSP]

2 hours ago, Pensador said:

Does anyone have any suggestions for someone who might be weighing offers from schools within the same consortium like NYU and Columbia?  I know that picking either institution won't preclude me from attending classes, workshops etc. of the other.  My work is currently between Early Modern Europe and the Caribbean. I will be visiting both soon to learn more about my cohort and the department cultures but I am open to some questions I should be asking myself as I approach the visits to come to a final choice.

Feel free to message me about NYU. Both schools have great people in your fields--I'd try to email some current students before your visit to see if they have time to get a coffee etc while you're here--I can't speak for Columbia but at NYU's school visit you're most likely to meet people 3rd year and above, and I think it can also be useful to know how things are going for current 1st/2nd years with your potential advisor.

[dr. t]

4 hours ago, Pensador said:

Does anyone have any suggestions for someone who might be weighing offers from schools within the same consortium like NYU and Columbia?  I know that picking either institution won't preclude me from attending classes, workshops etc. of the other.  My work is currently between Early Modern Europe and the Caribbean. I will be visiting both soon to learn more about my cohort and the department cultures but I am open to some questions I should be asking myself as I approach the visits to come to a final choice.

Not to sound like a broken record, but placements, placements, placements, placements.

[CBC]

When is Chicago releasing its PhD decisions? It's been over 2.5 months now.

[OHSP]

1 hour ago, telkanuru said:

Not to sound like a broken record, but placements, placements, placements, placements.

With the enormous proviso that when you're asking about placements you need to know how the school places people who have graduated from your field and/or under your advisor. 

[dr. t]

1 hour ago, OHSP said:

With the enormous proviso that when you're asking about placements you need to know how the school places people who have graduated from your field and/or under your advisor. 

Yes, exactly. What kind of job do you want? Which adviser has more of their students in that kind of job?

[anon1234567]

1 hour ago, OHSP said:

With the enormous proviso that when you're asking about placements you need to know how the school places people who have graduated from your field and/or under your advisor. 

I second that. 

[Pacifist101]

How much does it matter who your advisor is for your future? It obviously matters in terms of what they can give you as a mentor during your education, but I'm curious about the name of your advisor itself. So let's say there's Professor L who is known to have had a few successful students and now he has another student about to graduate. Will the student benefit from simply being "Professor L's student"? Conversely, what if there is Professor N, who's a young faculty member and has not yet established a substantial record of placement. Will it harm his student that he's "Professor N's (=no name) student"?

[dr. t]

1 hour ago, Pacifist101 said:

How much does it matter who your advisor is for your future? It obviously matters in terms of what they can give you as a mentor during your education, but I'm curious about the name of your advisor itself. So let's say there's Professor L who is known to have had a few successful students and now he has another student about to graduate. Will the student benefit from simply being "Professor L's student"? Conversely, what if there is Professor N, who's a young faculty member and has not yet established a substantial record of placement. Will it harm his student that he's "Professor N's (=no name) student"?

You can't quantify it, but if the hiring committee (who is almost by definition going to be people not in your exact field) recognizes a big name, it can't possibly hurt - unless they're mortal enemies.

[narple]

5 hours ago, CBC said:

When is Chicago releasing its PhD decisions? It's been over 2.5 months now.

They have already sent out acceptances. Rejections go out early March.

[psstein]

7 hours ago, pilisopa said:

Do you mean for history or just across the board?

 

Is the cost the only reason you guys are saying it's not worth it? The reason I'm curious is because I've realized that there are missing components in my application and I feel like I could benefit if I did an MA to close gaps for a future PhD application. What about quality of the programs? Potential to buttress a future PhD application?

I mean for history or most humanities.

Cost is a big part of why it's not worth it. Going into debt for a MA or PhD in any humanities field is not a good idea, especially in view of the job prospects. There are funded MAs and some relatively inexpensive MAs. Neither of those are bad decisions, especially in view of the fact that the MA institution isn't all that important in the long run.

[psstein]

1 hour ago, Pacifist101 said:

How much does it matter who your advisor is for your future? It obviously matters in terms of what they can give you as a mentor during your education, but I'm curious about the name of your advisor itself. So let's say there's Professor L who is known to have had a few successful students and now he has another student about to graduate. Will the student benefit from simply being "Professor L's student"? Conversely, what if there is Professor N, who's a young faculty member and has not yet established a substantial record of placement. Will it harm his student that he's "Professor N's (=no name) student"?

Your advisor's reputation follows you after his/her death, so it matters quite a fair bit.

[Account6567]

7 hours ago, pilisopa said:

Do you mean for history or just across the board?

 

Is the cost the only reason you guys are saying it's not worth it? The reason I'm curious is because I've realized that there are missing components in my application and I feel like I could benefit if I did an MA to close gaps for a future PhD application. What about quality of the programs? Potential to buttress a future PhD application?

An MA program can be worth it, if you have legitimate gaps that further education will help with. It's more so that the MA programs offered by these top schools are usually not worth it because the cost is extreme and prestige matters a lot less for the MA than the PhD. If you get a great deal (MAPSS for example does offer a few full rides) or are wealthy, then sure, go to the best program you get into, but otherwise the difference between an average MA and a great one on your application is not worth the cost. 

[Account6567]

5 hours ago, CBC said:

When is Chicago releasing its PhD decisions? It's been over 2.5 months now.

I think it's likely from the results and past cycles that all those accepted have been notified unfortunately, but expect to officially hear back in early March, probably early next week if I had to guess.

[ashiepoo72]

38 minutes ago, psstein said:

Your advisor's reputation follows you after his/her death, so it matters quite a fair bit.

This is why it's important to ask your adviser about their placements. I asked mine point blank before I chose a program. For some reason admits tend to shy away from this, but in my limited experience professors don't get offended by it because they know how troubling the job market is.

Beyond that, you want someone who will go to bat for you before and on the job market as they will be writing you recs for years and years. I've heard horror stories from people whose advisers are not excited about their work. Conversely, I've heard of advisers who go above and beyond (to the point of one even flying out and having meetings with job committees--this blew my mind tbh), and it should be apparent which works out better for new PhDs.