Saturday, July 10, 2010
Oh Gods, Commitment....
I haven't even started writing any formal statements of interest for grad school applications; I've only been corresponding by email with some prospective advisors to see if they're taking students, will meet, etc. But writing down what I'm interested in studying? Kind of daunting; in a few sentences I'm on the road to committing myself for years of study. I better mean what I say, no?
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3 comments:
Well, not absolutely entirely. You certainly can change focus after you enter a degree program. However, it's helpful if you can figure out which faculty member(s) are the folks you'd like to work with, who would be right for your interests. Beyond that, articulating a general area of study, but leaving yourself some wiggle room, is the best course. You do no, IMO, need to know the exact subject of your dissertation. You'll learn so much before that time comes, things inevitably will change anyway.
Thanks :) I am leaving doors open, making statements about my general interests (general approaches, desire for interdisciplinary work with an historian, and Big Research Questions) rather than pinning myself down to specifics (time periods, regions, types of sites).
I figure a lot can/will change once I jump in. And Big Questions should be able to be addressed at any number of types of sites in all different time periods.
Good luck. Those things are daunting indeed!
(And as Squady says, you CAN change once you're there, so not to worry.)
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