Bret Devereaux

Thinking about blogging topics after the Victoria II series is done. Want to gauge interest in some 'life in academia' topics, particularly: 1) What is grad school like in the academic humanities? 2) What is the job market like (beyond just 'bad')? 3) What is adjunct-life like?

What decisions can a student generally interested in history make, at various times (e.g. high school, college sophomore, college senior) in order to maximize the likelihood of success in a historical field?

So I won't lie - because academic fields are so competitive, there is a degree to which by the time you want to be a historian some paths are already very narrow, particularly in the upper reaches of the profession.

The long version can wait for the post, but the short version: 1) start learning the languages you will need in undergrad or high school if possible. 2) the high GPA in high school -> elite, selective college -> elite selective grad school trajectory makes things easier.

3) iron law of academic hiring is that almost no one works at a program more prestigious than where they got their PhD, consider that when selecting PhD programs.