Medieval History Phd: suggestions on where to apply, please.

Graduate School
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<p>I posted long ago utterly unprepared, but as a rising senior I now have a much better idea of what I want to study. However, I'd love some help finalizing a school list. Here are my stats and possible choices of schools to apply to. Let me know what you think of them or if you have any other suggestions on where to apply. I know this is a long-ish post but I'd really appreciate any help. Thanks!</p>

<p>major: Medieval Renaissance Studies and Classics, Minor: German
gpa: 3.81 (from a top liberal arts college)
languages by the time I apply: Latin (7 semesters), German (6 semesters), Turkish (3 semesters), Old English (1 semester), French (4 years in high school)
GRE: haven't taken it yet, but from practice tests I expect mid 700's for verbal and low 600's for quant</p>

<p>Awards/Fellowships:
Schwartz fellowship (from Med/Ren department)
Ann Cornelisen fellowship (summer language fellowship from my college)</p>

<p>Summers I've mainly been doing language work, but I have done archival work in special collections. I have also worked as a research assistant for my history professor for the last year and a half and for next year I got the position of Classics intern (tutoring elementary latin students and grading quizzes, plus research). </p>

<p>I'm interested in studying the High Middle Ages/early Renaissance, looking particularly at the relations between Christians and Muslims during the later crusades and with the early Ottoman empire.</p>

<p>the schools so far:
University of Toronto (history/medieval studies?)
Princeton University (history/near eastern studies?)
Harvard University (history)
University of Washington (near eastern studies)
Yale University (history)
Stanford University (history)
Suggestions?</p>

<p>concerns: French was taken during high school and thus is not on my transcript; lack of publications; amount of Turkish needed for applying to a near eastern studies program?; no Arabic!</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/553284-medieval-studies-competitiveness.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/553284-medieval-studies-competitiveness.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Sorry to say but same advice applies even though it’s been nearly a year. Ask your professors. Know that languages will be the FIRST (or at least top 3) criteria that professors in sub-field will look at to weed out applicants quickly. You will certainly need to demonstrate in some way that you do have French (via placement exam to show on your transcript, take an upper level French course in the fall, or use French language sources for your writing sample).</p>

<p>You will be competing with people who will have more language training than you and have MAs so I would apply to MA programs as well.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the reply.
Sorry I should have specified that the list I came up with was a product of talking to professors in my department. I definitely took the advice from the last post, I just wanted to supplement that with suggestions from outside to finalize that list or change it as needed… </p>

<p>I’ll definitely see what I can do about taking French next semester. As for MA programs, I noticed that most of the schools I’ve been looking at only offer an MA en route to a Phd. However, I have been throwing around the idea of getting an Mphil abroad in England before applying for a Phd…</p>

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<p>These links may help:</p>

<p>[ACMRS</a> Online Resources - Cara A - F](<a href=“http://www.acmrs.org/web_pages/online_resources/online_resources_cara_af.html]ACMRS”>http://www.acmrs.org/web_pages/online_resources/online_resources_cara_af.html)
[ACMRS</a> Online Resources - Cara G-O](<a href=“http://www.acmrs.org/web_pages/online_resources/online_resources_cara_go.html]ACMRS”>http://www.acmrs.org/web_pages/online_resources/online_resources_cara_go.html)
[ACMRS</a> Online Resources - Cara P - Z](<a href=“http://www.acmrs.org/web_pages/online_resources/online_resources_cara_pz.html]ACMRS”>http://www.acmrs.org/web_pages/online_resources/online_resources_cara_pz.html)</p>

<p>Have you looked into UCLA, Cornell, Columbia/NYU, or especially Chicago? They’re not any easier to get into than your others, unfortunately, but even the not-so-good programs are highly selective these days.</p>

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<p>As an over-planner, if you’re considering graduate school in the humanities, you really need to read the below articles if you haven’t already. A year ago, I thought becoming a history professor was obviously the career for me and what I should pursue above all else. I still think I would be good at it, but there are many things which aren’t nearly as over-saturated with qualified individuals that I could also do. Do some serious research (into the career prospects for a medieval studies grad student) and read the Chronicle of Higher Education as much as you can if you have any intention of going to grad school; your college library likely has a subscription to it allowing you free online access (if you search for it under journals on the library website). I was given that advice when I started to consider grad school in the humanities, and I am very glad of it. It doesn’t much matter whether you are able to get into a program if the right thing for you is to not go at all.</p>

<p>[So</a> You Want to Go to Grad School? - Advice - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/So-You-Want-to-Go-to-Grad-S/45239/]So”>http://chronicle.com/article/So-You-Want-to-Go-to-Grad-S/45239/)</p>

<p>[Just</a> Don’t Go, Part 2 - Advice - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/Just-Dont-Go-Part-2/44786/]Just”>http://chronicle.com/article/Just-Dont-Go-Part-2/44786/)</p>

<p>[Graduate</a> School in the Humanities: Just Don’t Go - Advice - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846/]Graduate”>http://chronicle.com/article/Graduate-School-in-the/44846/)</p>

<p>[Neither</a> a Trap Nor a Lie - Advice - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/Neither-a-Trap-Nor-a-Lie/64535/]Neither”>http://chronicle.com/article/Neither-a-Trap-Nor-a-Lie/64535/)</p>

<p>[The</a> Big Lie About the ‘Life of the Mind’ - Advice - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/The-Big-Lie-About-the-Life-of/63937/]The”>http://chronicle.com/article/The-Big-Lie-About-the-Life-of/63937/)</p>

<p>[We</a> Need to Acknowledge the Realities of Employment in the Humanities - The Chronicle Review - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/We-Need-to-Acknowledge-the/64885/]We”>http://chronicle.com/article/We-Need-to-Acknowledge-the/64885/)</p>

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<p>Excellent post, BusinessGuy.</p>

<p>As a matter of fact, I think this post should be on the first page of the venerable GradSchool 101 thread.</p>

<p>Anyone considering graduate school in the humanities should read those articles.</p>