"So where are you going to school?" -C-house
Deciding between UConn and W&M is going to be a lot harder than I thought. Both departments are VERY strong in early American history. Both departments, however, have their chronological focus more in the colonial/Revolutionary/early Republic periods, rather than the Jacksonian/antebellum stuff I like best. However, neither are deficient there. I'm just not your typical early Americanist; it's not my fault the nineteenth century is underrated.
Visited UConn on Wednesday and really liked everything about it. Can't go wrong with Nancy Shoemaker, Cornelia freaking Dayton, Robert Gross, Richard Brown, and Christopher Clark. Their department is hard core. Fact. The students were all friendly and seemed to genuinely enjoy the program. They were smart, not crazy competitive with each other, all good things. I wouldn't necessariy enjoy TA-ing a class I know nothing about, which could happen, but they all survive. If I find W&M disappointing for any reason when I go there in April I could go to UConn and have a fantastic experience. That is very nice to know.
W&M's offer just got even more appealing, however, as I've been offered one their most coveted graduate apprenticeships, working for the OIEAHC and the _William and Mary Quarterly_. _WMQ_ is in the top three most prestigious sholarly journals in history in the country, with the _JAH_ and _AHR_. My adviser hardly gets excited about anything, but he wrote, "Wow! This is good news indeed. I knew of this program from my own time as a fellow there, and since from the work they've done on this or that article, and it is a GREAT program, at a terrific place--the Institute's right on campus. Great camaraderie among the apprentices and collegiality with the Institute staff, and great skills taught, too. . . . Anyway, whatever direction you take after the MA, the skills you learn there will be VERY helpful; the Institute's one of those rare places that still does things right."
Clearly I MUST take this, but the problem is that you have to arrive on campus three weeks early. That means I have to find someone else to take over my babysitting job for August, because I can't just abandon the kids halfway through the summer without helping to find a replacement. If you know any responsible girls who would be interested in babysitting for two angels 8:30-3:30 M-F in August PLEASE let me know!
Visited UConn on Wednesday and really liked everything about it. Can't go wrong with Nancy Shoemaker, Cornelia freaking Dayton, Robert Gross, Richard Brown, and Christopher Clark. Their department is hard core. Fact. The students were all friendly and seemed to genuinely enjoy the program. They were smart, not crazy competitive with each other, all good things. I wouldn't necessariy enjoy TA-ing a class I know nothing about, which could happen, but they all survive. If I find W&M disappointing for any reason when I go there in April I could go to UConn and have a fantastic experience. That is very nice to know.
W&M's offer just got even more appealing, however, as I've been offered one their most coveted graduate apprenticeships, working for the OIEAHC and the _William and Mary Quarterly_. _WMQ_ is in the top three most prestigious sholarly journals in history in the country, with the _JAH_ and _AHR_. My adviser hardly gets excited about anything, but he wrote, "Wow! This is good news indeed. I knew of this program from my own time as a fellow there, and since from the work they've done on this or that article, and it is a GREAT program, at a terrific place--the Institute's right on campus. Great camaraderie among the apprentices and collegiality with the Institute staff, and great skills taught, too. . . . Anyway, whatever direction you take after the MA, the skills you learn there will be VERY helpful; the Institute's one of those rare places that still does things right."
Clearly I MUST take this, but the problem is that you have to arrive on campus three weeks early. That means I have to find someone else to take over my babysitting job for August, because I can't just abandon the kids halfway through the summer without helping to find a replacement. If you know any responsible girls who would be interested in babysitting for two angels 8:30-3:30 M-F in August PLEASE let me know!