<p>I know this is too early and I should not be worrying about such things, but I just got my grades and they were okay, not fabulous, but not poor. They were about average at my school (Wake Forest). I aspire to go to graduate school for History (more specifically American Colonial History) at a school like UVA or William and Mary and I know that “average” will simply not cut it. Will these medicore freshman grades be held against me?
Also, is there anything I should be thinking of or keeping in mind over the next few years when I might be applying? I just know that I wish I knew certain things earlier when applying to undergrad.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Usually major-specific and grades obtained your junior and part of your senior year are weighted more heavily, so you shouldn’t have too much to worry about. Plus you’ve got two more years to hopefully bring yourself up.</p>
<p>Hey,</p>
<p>I’m actually looking into getting a PhD in History as well (but more likely global/comparative, not american), and I wouldn’t worry that much, I go to Tufts (and just finished my freshman year as well), obviously very similar to your school but in Boston, and from what I’ve heard, Bezel is more or less right, much more emphasis is placed on your grades in History and junior/senior (upper-level) courses. We should talk sometime, nice to see another person interested in History graduate school, good luck!</p>
<p>is there anything I should be thinking of…</p>
<p>Yes. Apart from the usual advice of “get good grades”, you’ll want to take every opportunity to attend academic/social events in your department and related departments. Odds are that there are a series of colloquia or lectures every semester in your department (often with free food). At them you’ll get to meet your professors socially, learn about current research, and begin to get a feel for what is expected at the next level.</p>
<p>You should also know that grad admissons is nowhere near as numbers oriented as undergrad. Your LORs (from the profs. you took classes from and got to know at the colloquia), SOP, and reseach experience (either independent or as part of a senior thesis) are all more important for admisson given reasonable GPA and test scores.</p>