I suppose it would be irresponsible of me to not say something up front about how bleak the future is for aspiring academics in the humanities. When I applied to a Ph. D. program, my adviser told me, "I'll be happy to write letters of recommendation for you, as long as you know there probably won't be a job for you at the end of it." This is something that is on everybody's mind as they go through grad school. But rather than just saying, "you'll never get a job," I think a non-defeatist analogy is more appropriate. Think of the transition from undergraduate school, to grad school, to adjunct faculty, to tenure-track faculty, to, finally, tenured faculty as you would the career path of a professional baseball player. When you are admitted to grad school, that's like being drafted by a major league club and being shipped off to the lowest level of the minor leagues. Hundreds of players get drafted, some only so that the clubs can fill out their minor league rosters. By being drafted, however, you showed that you have raw talent. If you finish a master's degree and do well, that's like being promoted in the lower levels of the minors. You're paying your dues and getting better. By finishing this degree, you're showing considerable talent and the ability for future growth among people at your level. When you get through coursework and prelims of a Ph. D. program, that's like getting all the way to AA. Now you are among the best prospects for growth at a high level. So you go to work on your prospectus and dissertation. It can take years. But when you defend and finish your Ph. D., that's like getting all the way to AAA -- if you are a professional baseball player, that means you have a lot of talent and the potential for even more growth, even if slots in the big leagues are few and far between and being held by old-timers who refuse to retire (A-Rod, anybody?). When you are working as an adjunct or visiting professor and trying desperately to find that tenure-track job, that's the highest level of the minors. And if you talk to a ballplayer, this is the most frustrating time in their professional lives. Hard work by talented people who make no money, have no stability in their lives, and keep hitting their head against the ceiling. Many talented people quit in frustration. However, there are a few who are lucky enough to get called up to the show. That's like getting your tenure-track job. But for both the ballplayer and the junior faculty member, it's not easy to keep that job. You have to now work even harder than ever to stay there. But once you've proven yourself, written that book, and demonstrated that you're a competent teacher with staying power, you get tenure. This is about as far as most of us ever dare dream. That's like the ballplayer who signs a lucrative free agent contract. You have arrived. Now, there are a few historians like Gordon Wood, Sean Wilentz, Eric Foner, or Glenda Gilmore who have literary agents and write for big publishing houses. That's what it means to be in the Hall of Fame. The odds of getting there are extremely small and most won't make it. But, as with baseball players -- you have to keep striving. That's why we're all here: to get that contract and to be living the dream. For a while, playing might be enough. But it doesn't pay the bills. It takes amazing levels of dedication and hard work, but it can be done.
Now for more practical matters -- school is now your career. The most important thing I can tell you here is that you have to approach grad school like it's your job. If you were anything like me in college, you didn't really take this approach to your schoolwork -- studying was just what you did, but you had other commitments as part of the "college experience." Sure, studying was a major part of your life, but you might not have approached school with the same gravity that that you brought to a career. As an undergrad, there were classes in which I fully expected to get a B. If you're in grad school and aren't working desperately for a 4.0, don't even bother showing up. Now, you will be expected to read, on average, around 750 pages per week and write three papers. Some weeks, the load will be more and others less. Even if you're a fast reader (I am not), you'll find that course work is enough to constitute a full-time job (and then some). Get your assignments done every week and turn nothing in late. There is no room for excuses in grad school. There might have been wiggle room as a undergrad for this type of BS, even in your upper-level courses, but not now. Expect to work 10 hours every day, 7 days a week. This is in addition to the time you spend in class or your assists. Toward the end of the semester, you'll work seemingly around the clock. As an undergraduate, an absence from class (or even several) wouldn't really be noticed by the professor. As a grad student never, ever miss class without prior approval of the professor. Unless you are so ill that you cannot physically sit in class, go to class if you aren't feeling well. If you miss even one class, your professors will rightly assume you are not taking your career as a graduate student seriously and they will judge you. Professors will talk to each other about you. By the end of the first few months of school, you will have developed a reputation that will follow you around. Make sure it's a good one. If you have the reputation for being lazy, you will find it difficult to get people to work with you.
In the first week of school, you'll get your syllabi. I remember the first days of my MA program when I looked at the assignments and the timeline and I said to myself, "There is no way this will all get done." As I said, you'll be assigned three books and about 9-12 pages of writing per week. Don't expect to read every word. You'll get very adept at "reading like a graduate student," which usually means reading the introduction and conclusion closely and skimming the rest well enough to speak intelligently about it in class. Class is based on discussion, so make sure you know the argument of the assigned readings and can pull it apart for your professor and fellow grad students. Work every bit as hard at your writing as you do on the reading - this and your class participation are what you will be graded on. Don't fall behind on your end of the semester projects as well. I know that I've rushed a lot of these entirely too much and it usually shows. Those are always looming off in the distance. Plan every day and have goals of things you want to accomplish and keep working until you've reached those daily goals. If you are the kind of person who needs a lot of beauty rest -- you'll either start working faster or you'll learn to live without so much sleep. But, looking back on the first semester of MA program, I remember getting to early December, with everything finally done, and feeling like a small miracle had taken place. That's one of the best feelings on Earth for the student who is in coursework.
If you are matriculating to a new school, you probably won't know anybody in your program. Don't worry, though. Every department has mixers with grad students and faculty so that you can meet strangers in an awkward and contrived social situation and make pointless small talk. Best yet, everybody knows that academics are the most socially adept creatures on the whole planet, right? You can probably tell that I hated going to these mixers, orientations, and parties my first year. Like many of my colleagues, I don't meet new people very well (if I did, I'd probably be in sales). But I cannot stress this enough -- you really need to go to each of these departmental gatherings early in the semester. Especially if you have funding or will be competing for it in the future. What I'm saying here is that departmental politics matter to grad students. If your adviser (who gave the green-light for your admission) doesn't see you and speak to you at the party, it will be noticed and you will likely be judged accordingly. There are other ways that politics matter for a grad student. If, for example, your adviser gives a special lecture or talk, you had better be on the front row (or you need to send an apologetic email giving a damn good reason why you can't be there). Departmental politics matter in other ways. In my MA program, one of my best friends put together a great committee for her thesis, all of whom agreed to serve because they respected the student. However, two of the professors on the committee hated each other's guts. And the tension between these two almost caused her entire project to unravel. While I definitely think everybody should do their best to work past the petty political differences in departmental life and be cordial and professional with everybody, you really need to have an awareness of departmental politics so that you can navigate your way through your degree with the least amount of pain as possible.
It is very common to have anxiety, depression, or other mental problems when adjusting to life in grad school. Odds are you have moved a considerable distance to your new school, you don't know anybody, you might be socially awkward, and you're probably adjusting to a very difficult work regime. This is a major life change and there will be times when you have a complete lack of confidence. This exact thing happened to me my first semester in a Ph. D. program (and I had even been through an MA program before). I cannot stress this enough -- anxiety and depression are serious stumbling blocks to your success. If this happens to you, get treatment right away. I ended up doing very well my first year and earned what I feel is a solid reputation among by professors and colleagues, but I wouldn't have been able to do it without antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, and therapy in the first few months of my semester. At first, I hated my school. Nothing was going right, and I wanted to go home but I sought help and I pushed through it. Now, I'm very happy at grad school. Don't let mental illness destroy your future. And if you get through the first semester or the first year and you're still not happy, then don't be afraid to just walk away. The job prospects are bad enough that if your work doesn't bring you joy, it's just not worth it. (A friend of mine made the wise choice not to return to grad school this year. Please read her blog post about her decision, How to Quit Grad School and Still Feel Beautiful.)
It is critical that you socialize outside of the office with your graduate cohort. I'm lucky enough to be part of a cohort that has a standing appointment at the bar, every Friday night at 5. I've talked about my personal and professional problems over $1.50 drafts with sympathetic listeners. I've also done the listening. We've discussed history, sports, politics, and told funny stories that had nothing to do with academics. If you're married or have a significant other, bring that person along with you. Regardless of how busy you get (and it'll be bad), you need this time at least once a week. This is where you'll make your best friends in grad school. I'll also let you in on a little secret. Every grad student feels like they are the least talented one in their group and wishes they could be more like their colleagues who are clearly faster readers, better writers, are more articulate in seminar, and still have time to actually cook, exercise, or what have you. Everybody feels this way. There is no better place than the bar to discuss these feelings and find out that you are not alone. You will bond over beer; this is not wasted time.
Outside of having three classes a week and a few assists, you will largely set your own schedule. Make sure you set it up in a way that works for you and your quirky habits. For example, when I got to my current university, I had never been a teaching assistant before and had never scheduled office hours. I've always liked to work late into the night and early morning hours -- sometimes as late as 3 a.m. In my first year, I didn't have a single morning class, but I thought that if I scheduled my three office hours for 9 in the morning on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I'd get myself up, out the door, and to the office to work. The problem was, I had no other compelling reason to be at the history department those days. I found myself dragging my tired body out of bed to go to office hours (which nobody ever came to) and just going back home, having coffee and working there. That time from 9 to 10 became a waste. I never got too much done during office hours because the GTA office at my university is not the most conducive to actual work (there are people around socializing, students in and out, etc.). The next semester, I scheduled my hours right after my assists and before a seminar. I had to be at the department anyway and didn't have go just for office hours. The moral of the story is, plan your schedule wisely and make it work for you and your study habits.
A few other quick tips (I realize that this post is getting way too long):
- Get an external hard drive and back up your work frequently. If your computer dies and you can't get your research off of it, it is no stretch to say that it could derail your career.
- Exercise and eat right. It sounds simple enough, but this is often the first thing that goes out the window for grad students. I gained thirty pounds my first year (it took all summer to get back into shape). I know other grad students who have similarly gained weight. A healthy diet and exercise will also be good for your brain, so don't consider this wasted time. And who has the money to buy bigger clothes every year?
- If you don't get good grades on your first few papers, don't panic. Each professor has their own expectations and you will adjust and improve.
- Make sure you have good textbooks on your bookshelf because there will be times when you need more historical context than you get from your assigned readings. There have been a number of continuity gaps in my education and I've probably forgotten more history than most people will ever learn. So I keep a textbook handy in case there are certain things I need a refresher on. It will look bad if you can't remember basic historical facts in seminar.
- When you get to grad school and are hanging around the office, there will be people there who are preparing for their preliminary exams. When they talk, it will be clear that they will know so much more than you do that you'll feel stupid and overwhelmed. Do yourself a favor and don't listed to them as they talk about their exams. You will get there in time, but your first semester, you will probably need to focus on just getting through without paying attention to all this nervous chatter surrounding people who are at a completely different stage of their career.
- Keep in contact with your non-academic friends. Sometimes you need to be reminded that there's a world apart from historiography.
- If you haven't done so already, get a Twitter account and start following other grad students and professors at other universities. Read the links they post and engage with them on issues that matter to the profession. This is a major way that professionals connect nowadays.
- Subscribe to a few journals and try to keep up with them. I subscribe to the Journal of Southern History and the Journal of American History because they are my fields. You can usually get a student discount on the subscription rates. I know you're reading a lot anyway, but journals still remain a vital for the profession. Through journals you will stay informed on current scholarship and also the many issues that the historical profession faces.
- Create a CV (an academic résumé) that lists your accomplishments and positions. There are many examples out there, but a lot of universities post the CVs of their professors online. These should be your templates. If you don't have much to list at first, don't worry because you're not alone. You can send your CV to smaller professional journals (many state historical societies publish journals) and see if they'll let you publish book reviews. It's a great way to boost your CV and get your name out there in print.
- Take advantage of any professional development that your university or department offers. First all, it's good politics to be seen by your professors trying to improve yourself. Second, it really helps. It might just be a research talk or it could be a seminar for teachers, but make an effort to go.
@Chris_Bishop @GradHistXchange Write a 1 page summary of every book (and most articles) you read. Save them by author name on your computer.
— Jason Warren (@lostinhistory) August 7, 2013
@Chris_Bishop @GradHistXchange Don't be afraid to ask questions, particularly if you feel like you don't know what the hell you're doing.
— Emily Suzanne Clark (@clark_ems) August 7, 2013
@Chris_Bishop @GradHistXchange Practice distilling the core argument and de-emphasizing the fluff.
— Michael Miles (@miles120) August 7, 2013
@Chris_Bishop @GradHistXchange Time management (i.e. remembering to sleep).At any rate, these are some of the things I either wish I had known or that I was glad I knew going into graduate school. I'm sure that the second I post this, I'll think of 20 other things I need to tell you, but if I do, I can leave them as comments. If you can think of other tips, please leave them as comments, or send them out over Twitter.
— Matthew Sparacio (@SparachNSniff) August 7, 2013
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