To Ivy, or not to Ivy

OP- a doctorate is not just “well I’m done with a master’s degree so the next step is a PhD”.

It will be a very deep dive into research- something you are passionately interested in pursuing, and for many people- very hard and not that much fun after the first year. You will soon transition out of the “learning for learning’s sake” phase of a doctoral program into the ‘You need to complete your research and finish your dissertation before your advisor asks “what the heck are you doing here anyway” phase.

All of which is to say- focus on getting your Bachelor’s degree right now. The world isn’t running out of history. Take it one step at a time. And while U Penn may sound fantastic and prestigious and all that- if and when you are ready to apply to a doctoral program, the universe may tell you that the right program for your interests is at U Maine or University of Illinois or Johns Hopkins or BU. If you’re interested in Imperial Russia, you need to find a program with scholars who study that- and are willing to take you on. And if your interest is in American Colonial history, you’ll want both a robust department/faculty, AND lots of opportunities for inter-disciplinary research– archaeology (every time someone digs a trench in downtown Philadelphia for cable wires, they pull up 18th century household goods, ephemera, etc.), literature, sociology, etc.

So first things first. Figure out with your transfer advisor what your options are now for getting a BA and kick the can down the road on everything else.

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