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[lilelf23]

 Sorry - I know I disappeared again. I have spent every waking moment for the past two week studying for the GRE, which I was supposed to take at 8 am this morning - yes, 8 am - the bastards - they really are trying to torture us. Because of course that this means I had to get up at 6 am, to get ready and out the door and to south san francisco on

Comments

[beckalex]

As a grad student who is getting prepared to start researching Ph.D. programs, a word of advice:

Your professor is right. The time period is more important than area, especially if you're doing Europe. Also, don't go in with Ph.D. dissertation topic all ready to go. They want you to come in with a time period and an area if you have one. If you come in with a spiel about what exactly you're going to research, they won't want to work with you because it shows that there's nothing to teach you. Ideally, when you apply you want to say something like this: I want to study Colonial American history and my particular areas of interests are the South and medical history.

And with the GRE - all that matter is Verbal. Everything else is just gravy. But you probably know that already. Good luck!!!

[beckalex]

Thank you so much for the advice! That seems much more doable. As for the GRE - the verbal section was proving no problem, and I know no one cares about my math skills - its really the Issue essay I am worried about. The questions they ask are so weird and random!

[weevil_one]

Wow, that's really awful. I'm so sorry. At least you're further along in applying to grad school than I am. I don't even want to think about the GRE.