I am a freshmen (international student) at Brown studying history and political sciences and interested in applying for PhD in Eastern European/russian History.
As I have began searching for information about according programs and adjust my academic schedule, I realized there is a need to have skills in some languages. So, if I have native proficiency in Ukrainian, Belorussian, and Russian, do I need to learn additional languages to strengthen my PhD application, given that I have much lower acceptance chances by being an international student? If so, would knowledge of German and Polish be beneficial for me?
Probably not. Although once accepted, you may need to learn French and German (some PhD programs require reading proficiency in those languages for advancement to candidacy - you will need to check the requirements of the programs you apply to). Polish is pretty useful, if you have time for it - and, with Ukrainian knowledge, would not be difficult for you to learn. But I don’t think that will make or break your application, unless you are specializing in Polish history, of course.
I am thinking more about this and this is my advice. Think about what specifically you want to study. Is it Russian history or Eastern European history more broadly? If the latter, are there are specific countries you want to study? Then think about what languages you will need to do PhD-level research. Russian for sure. German and French are helpful research languages for any European history study (which is why some PhD programs require them). Any other regions with associated languages (such, you mentioned, Polish which would be very important if you want to study Polish history, less important if you are really focused on Russian history).
Now, I do not think it is critical that you study these languages prior to applying - but helpful, if you can. And, if you do pursue a PhD in this area, you will need to learn them eventually, so why not start if you have the time.
But ask yourself, based on what specifically you want to study, which languages would be most useful for doing research?
Thank you for your advice! For now, I am not that sure what period and specific area of history is more appealing for me. However, my interest leans more towards Eastern European history in general and, specifically Ukrainian-Polish relations and 19-20th century Ukraine, which, I guess, involves Polish and German.
Generally, my main rationale to learn them while undergraduate is to do it prior to the grad school, because I have time/desire, and to support my PhD application, since my chances are lower.
If Ukrainian-Polish history, then definitely you will need Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, and German at a minimum. Again, not necessarily for your applications, but in order to be able to do the research required for a PhD. And if you do have the time in the schedule to learn them now, all the better. And this will allow you to expand your research potential/ability as an undergrad, which could be good as well.
Also, keep in mind that for a PhD, you don’t necessarily need to be able to SPEAK these languages. You need to be able to READ them. Polish will be very easy for you. Some colleges also offer specific classes such as German for Reading or French for Reading (because grad students need these skills). So something you can look into.
Great advice here. I think you have enough languages at this point and you can learn German and Polish later (but can also start learning one of them now, of course). I think your senior thesis/writing sample, how you formulate your statement of purpose and your letters of recommendation will have more impact on your Ph.D. application than an extra language. It can be a good idea to try to publish a paper --there are a couple of venues for undergrads in this area, for example a Columbia journal (“Birch”) and one at UCLA.
Thank you for your advice! I did not know such undergraduate journals event exist. Do you think if there is any chance for an undergraduate to publish in other, not only undergraduate, academic journals?
I haven’t heard of undergraduate students publishing in top academic journals in this field, just because it takes time, experience and training to conduct research and produce a publishable paper at this level. Maybe a co-authored paper, if you help a professor with their research or data (this is more common in sciences I believe but not unheard of in other fields). But it’s not necessary. Any academic publication at the undergraduate level will already be very impressive for grad school admission. I also see that you’re a freshman, so I wouldn’t worry about this for now. If you’d like to start a new relevant language, this is great. You’ll probably have a seminar at some point where you’ll be taught how to write a research paper, and then you can discuss publication options with your professor/advisor.
Yes, to both Polish, and reading knowledge of German. If your school offers a class in reading German, I suggest that you plan to take it. German was historically an extremely important academic language in the 19th and early 20th century, so you would need it to do research using the original materials from that era. You don’t need to speak it, unless you’re planning on working in Germany.
You already have 3 Slavic languages, but I think that it would strengthen your application to also have Polish. It would be so easy for you, with your fluency in both Russian and Ukrainian, that I think that you could add Polish on as an additional, extra class, throughout your time at Brown, right through the highest level that they offer.
There are summer language intensives offered across the US. A very economical one, that is usually excellent, is Melikian at ASU. They offer scholarships - the deadline is in about a week. You could probably jump right into second year Polish, with just a little advance prep. Their timing is good, too, because you can do the summer course, and then go spend the rest of the summer in Poland consolidating the language. Polish | The Melikian Center: Russian, Eurasian & East European Studies
You should definitely study Polish, and German will also be helpful. My feeling is that learning how to read and write, meaning that you should take courses aimed at teaching people to speak and read, rather than “German 101”. SO courses that are more technical than academic. Considering your interests, you probably won’t be reading that much literature in these languages.
You probably may want to become familiar with older versions of Polish and Russian as well, considering how far back the relationships between Ukraine and Poland go. Maybe learn some Lithuanian as well, though that is far more complex than learning Polish as a Russian speaker.
Presentations at conferences are also good ideas, though I’m not entirely certain that there are such opportunities in History.
Warning: the job market in History is abysmal. On the other hand, it’s better for people who graduate from the “top” PhD programs. With an undergraduate degree from Brown, your chances at being accepted into a “top” PhD program are far higher than had your degree not been from an Ivy, so you are doing well there.
However, always remember to have a Plan B, and that Plan B (or Plan C) should be in the country for which you have citizenship.
This is a very good point. I am obviously not sure what your goals are and why you are interesting in pursuing a history PhD. But I do know that the job market in the US is currently abysmal. When I entered a PhD program a number of years ago, I dreamed of an academic career. About two years in, reality hit and I realized how very unrealistic that would be in my field: if I could even find an academic job, it would most likely be adjuncting, which I will not do (pay is too low to support me and my family, no job security, ridiculous and stressful workload - just not worth it to me). There are just not enough tenure track jobs in the US for the number of PhDs being graduated each year.
Now, you may have no intention of staying in the US once you finish your degree and it is possible the academic job market is somewhat better where you want to go. But it is something you do need to think hard about.
This I would degree with, although based only my own experiences. I went to a middle-ground undergrad university and did my PhD at a top US university (not Ivy because it is on the west coast, but consistently ranks at the top of any best universities list). Two things about this experience:
I probably got into this university because I went to a middle-ground university for undergrad, not despite it. At the middle-ground university, I was a straight A student, did the honors program, won various awards, and was a standout student. Had I gone to an Ivy or similar, I would likely have been average among the students. Being a standout student in undergrad is what got me into a top grad program, and for me, that was more possible at a middle-ground undergrad. Of course, you may be a super star at Brown - and, if so, that is fantastic. Wherever you are, strive to be at the top if you want a good grad school.
As mentioned, I got my PhD from a top university. I never even bothered going on the academic job market because of how terrible it was, but many of my classmates did. I can count the number currently with academic jobs on one hand. Big name doesn’t matter if there simply are no jobs. What does seem to help is publishing. Publish, publish, publish. That’s your best chance to get a foot in the door on jobs.
All of the above is just my opinion based on my personal experience. Obviously, it will not apply to everyone.