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Trinity History Department

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  • 13-04-2006 11:05am
    #1
    pendragon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭


    Hi I am thinking of applying for the M.Phil in Reformation and Enlightenment Studies has anyone applied for or done this course?

    I have thoroughly read everything on the hist fac website. I would like to hear more about it, get an idea of how difficult it is to get into, or about other history department experiences if you dont know specifically.

    If you have a II.i at undergrad do you need to have a high average mark to have a chance at getting into the history dept for a taught postgrad course at trinity?

    I-d love to hear anything anecdotal even about experiences with trinity's history dept. Thanks in advance for any help or advice you can offer. :)


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    #2
    Nietzschean
    Registered Users Posts: 7,314 ✭✭✭Nietzschean


    I'm not sure if anyone here is doing history, and so are likely to be of much help. Having a look through the who's who thread and then pm'n people who have related courses might yeild better results...

    ...Though i could be wrong..given up knowing what everyone does :)


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    #3
    pendragon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭pendragon


    Nietzschean wrote:
    I'm not sure if anyone here is doing history, and so are likely to be of much help. Having a look through the who's who thread and then pm'n people who have related courses might yeild better results...

    ...Though i could be wrong..given up knowing what everyone does :)
    Thanks for the advice someone at thestudentroom.co.uk pointed me over here. Will try what you suggest. :)


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    #4
    pendragon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭pendragon


    Where is the 'who's who' thread by the way? :D


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    #5
    discokid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭discokid


    Pendragon,

    Firstly, I'm not a history student, but I'll tell you what I can. I am on the MPhil Register in the School of English, and I know a number of people taking MPhils in History. Generally, they seem very happy with the courses, and are finding their MPhils wholly positive experiences.

    As for entry, you should have a good chance with any II.i, but obviously if there are lots of people going for a few places, the averages will be looked at, as well as your past interest in the topic (essays, courses taken etc), and your general academic CV.

    If you want to speak with students from this year's course, you should email the course director and ask him/her to be put in contact with a student or two. They should oblige...

    Lastly, good luck!

    Katie


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    #6
    Nietzschean
    Registered Users Posts: 7,314 ✭✭✭Nietzschean


    pendragon wrote:
    Where is the 'who's who' thread by the way? :D
    its the first thread on the tcd board, a stickie


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    #7
    pendragon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭pendragon


    discokid wrote:
    Pendragon,

    Firstly, I'm not a history student, but I'll tell you what I can. I am on the MPhil Register in the School of English, and I know a number of people taking MPhils in History. Generally, they seem very happy with the courses, and are finding their MPhils wholly positive experiences.

    As for entry, you should have a good chance with any II.i, but obviously if there are lots of people going for a few places, the averages will be looked at, as well as your past interest in the topic (essays, courses taken etc), and your general academic CV.

    If you want to speak with students from this year's course, you should email the course director and ask him/her to be put in contact with a student or two. They should oblige...

    Lastly, good luck!

    Katie
    Thankyou so much for the info, it is very helpful. I feel quite reassured hearing that I might not need a high II.i. What things are important on my 'general academic CV'? Because I see that I dont get to write a personal statement for a taught masters course which is quite different from UK and US where I also applied.


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    #8
    Hermione*
    Registered Users Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭Hermione*


    My friend did the reformation and enlightenment course and really enjoyed it. Having said that, I cant remeber many of the details of the course, which I'm sure he told me :o Actually another friend did this last year, and she really got a lot out of it, with the exception of the fact that her supervisor left the country for a month just when she was starting to write her thesis! :rolleyes:

    Having applied to Trinity's modern history dept, you'll need either an academic transcript if you're a graduate or if not, duplicate judgement froms. I didn't give a list of courses studied (too long, for a start) but I did give a synopsis of my thesis proposal (I find it strange that you only have to wqrite two lines on the proposal!) and how I'd research it, what thought I'd given to it already etc. The references should cover everything else like your general ability, interest, etc. I don't know if the forms for your course are the same as those I had to fill out, but mine provided forms for my refereees to fill out which were really detailed!


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    #9
    discokid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭discokid


    What things are important on my 'general academic CV'?

    While you don't get to make a personal statement for taught postgraduate courses in Trinity's graduate application procedure, they do ask you to include a CV (see the check list on the back page)...

    This is not intended to see if you worked in Uncle Joe's bookies for a summer, or whether you enjoy snorkelling and S&M in your spare time. Here, you have the opportunity to list your grades throughout your college career, your dissertation title (and its grade, if it's a good one), any prizes or bursaries you were awarded, courses you took as your major... etc. Of course, you can also list your extra-curricular activities and maybe include any jobs you feel are worth mentioning.

    The other really important factor in getting a place is making sure you have good references... Think carefully about who you ask to do this, and let them know why you are applying for the course, so they can represent you properly in their letters.


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    #10
    pendragon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭pendragon


    discokid wrote:
    While you don't get to make a personal statement for taught postgraduate courses in Trinity's graduate application procedure, they do ask you to include a CV (see the check list on the back page)...

    This is not intended to see if you worked in Uncle Joe's bookies for a summer, or whether you enjoy snorkelling and S&M in your spare time. Here, you have the opportunity to list your grades throughout your college career, your dissertation title (and its grade, if it's a good one), any prizes or bursaries you were awarded, courses you took as your major... etc. Of course, you can also list your extra-curricular activities and maybe include any jobs you feel are worth mentioning.

    The other really important factor in getting a place is making sure you have good references... Think carefully about who you ask to do this, and let them know why you are applying for the course, so they can represent you properly in their letters.
    The problem is I didnt get any prizes or anything like that, my thesis topic is in another field, and listing my courses would just be a duplication of my college transcript... I am trying to get good references though.


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    #11
    Hermione*
    Registered Users Posts: 14,983 ✭✭✭✭Hermione*


    If that's the case, try to emphasise why you want to do the course, and what you hope to gain from it. I havent won prizes either, and not all my grades are entirely excellent :o , but I emailed lecturers in the departmnet before I applied to gain bonus points (well, I also needed to ask a relevant question!). It'll depend on how over subscribed the course is, but presuming most applicants have a II.i, then I'm hoping enthusiasm will stand for something ... if applicants have firsts though, God knows :confused:


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    #12
    pendragon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭pendragon


    Hermione* wrote:
    If that's the case, try to emphasise why you want to do the course, and what you hope to gain from it. I havent won prizes either, and not all my grades are entirely excellent :o , but I emailed lecturers in the departmnet before I applied to gain bonus points (well, I also needed to ask a relevant question!). It'll depend on how over subscribed the course is, but presuming most applicants have a II.i, then I'm hoping enthusiasm will stand for something ... if applicants have firsts though, God knows :confused:
    Yes. But how do you emphasise why you want to do the course in a CV? I dont get to write a personal statement for my taught MPhil app. Are many courses very over subscribed? Thanks by the way this is all very helpful :)


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    #13
    Tacitha
    Closed Accounts Posts: 131 ✭✭Tacitha


    I've done the course - it was a great year. If you're expecting a 2.1 from a reputable university, there should be no problem. On the personal statement issue, and to find out more about the course, you really should e-mail the course director - details here:

    http://www.tcd.ie/Modern_History/Postgrad/Mphil/Mphildirector.php

    That way you can explain your interest and make the initial contact - she'll be very happy to hear from you. And a contact in the dept is a good idea, because graduate studies can be very inefficient, so it's good to get reliable information directly on your application status. Good luck!


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    #14
    pendragon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭pendragon


    thanks, I will defn email her, but with your inside knowledge can you think of any questions about things which dont appear on the website but will make me appear knowledgable and intellegent? Of course I want to hear more generally, but if I have a few smart questions that turn out to be quite appropriate I think that would help. thankyou for the advice :):D


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    #15
    PHB
    Registered Users Posts: 20,617 ✭✭✭✭PHB


    Helga is one of the best lecturers in college. She is the most student friendly lecturer I have ever met. I havn't done the course, but I guarentee if she is teaching it, it is a great course. Any problem you ever have, she will happily help you out.

    One time during an exam a friend of mine was talkiing to her, saying how disappointed she was that one of her questions didn't come up. Helga said, don't worry, just do it in question 7 and I'll correct it anyway.


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    #16
    Tacitha
    Closed Accounts Posts: 131 ✭✭Tacitha


    Well, I would mention that your dissertation is in a different field, and what it is, because the field won't be a problem, but the fact that you are researching anything is a bonus. People come in from lots of different courses, and some would never have done this.

    One thing I'd ask about is the Old Library, which we used all the time for research and events. The main catalogue for books pre 1872 isn't online, so it would be sensible to say that you're interested in such and such, and ask if the TCD collections would be good (usually they would, because it's a copyright library and a brilliant collection).

    If you've done any language study, even at school, I'd mention it; if not, and you'd be interested in picking up a language, I'd ask about that. Some people in my year did beginners German or Latin. It wasn't part of the masters, but Helga helped arrange it. On the other hand, if you want to stick with English, that's not a problem.

    Ask about next year's event
    http://www.tcd.ie/Modern_History/Postgrad/Mphil/Mphilevents.php
    These can be exhibitions in the Old Library, short films, digital projects, publications. The idea is to have a class project where people can pick up a few computer skills and research skills and think about how to communicate history to a wider audience. It's usually great fun - field trips, launches in the old library, but no pressure to contribute too much if you have family or job issues.

    The course is stimulating, but it's also very cosy - in my year, there were ten of us, which is a nice number, and we got to know each other really well. Pretty much all the seminars involved tea and biscuits; some were more like coffee house discussions than lectures, and then there were expeditions to other Dublin libraries. You got to know the lecturers very fast, and they all had open-door policies so you could go and chat about the course or the future. They took Masters students very seriously.

    I really don't think you should have any problem: just be sure to bypass graduate studies if you don't hear from them early, and go straight to the course director. Once she has your application (which does have to go via GS) she can give you an informal decision. Tell her if you have funding that needs a formal decision by a certain date, and she can put pressure on them to move the paperwork. If you're going to be in Dublin in the summer, make an appointment to go in and introduce yourself.

    Can't think of anything else at the moment, but let me know if you've any more questions. I'd thoroughly endorse PHB's comment too.


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    #17
    pendragon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭pendragon


    Thanks thats all really helpful :):D


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    #18
    Crash
    Registered Users Posts: 11,195 ✭✭✭✭Crash


    Tacitha wrote:
    One thing I'd ask about is the Old Library, which we used all the time for research and events. The main catalogue for books pre 1872 isn't online

    just an aside, that catalogue is being sorted as a comp sci second year project at the mo. last year they OCR'ed the printed list, now its being done up properly.

    /OT


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    #19
    claire h
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,056 ✭✭✭claire h


    Helga is indeed fantastic. Plus she's very into the propaganda side of the reformation stuff (and the music), so expressing an interest in such things would win you points. :)

    Also, the history department in general are fairly well organised, at least in comparison to some of the other departments in college. IMHO, anyway.


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