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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What do you mean by "recent" Ph.D.?
Generally, we mean not longer than 5 years past receiving the degree. However, we're somewhat flexible, particularly in the 6-9 year range. People longer than 10 years beyond the Ph.D. should probably not apply unless they had a career break shortly after the Ph.D. and have only recently re-entered the field. Preference is given to more junior scholars.Q: I have just begun work on my Ph.D. Am I eligible to apply?Our informal guideline for Ph.D. candidates is that they must have passed their general (qualifying) examination or equivalent to be eligible. The main criterion in this regard, however, is that successful applicants must produce a substantial paper based on archival research, normally related to the topic of the dissertation. Students early in the degree process usually have not had the opportunity to do sufficient research to meet this requirement.Q: When is the application deadline?April 30, 2008Q: What are the dates of this year's Seminar?The dates for 2008 have not yet been selected, but it is likely that the Seminar will run from Monday, August 4, throuogh Wednesday, August 13 (the duration of the Seminar is in part dependent on the number of participants, so the end date will not be certain until late May).Q: One or more of my letters of recommendation will be late. May I still apply?Yes; while the process goes more smoothly if everything is in hand by the deadline, we can accept letters thereafter. Applicants should notify the Seminar office when they know this will be the case.Q: I need more time to get my application together. Is the deadline absolute?We try to be flexible, and can usually grant short extensions; applicants must contact the Seminar office to let us know that a late application will be forthcoming.Q: Do you accept materials by email and fax?Yes, with the following caveats:Q: Where should I send my application?
Letters of recommendation sent via email must come from the email account of the referee.
Faxed materials should be followed by mailed or emailed copies (because faxes are often unclear).
If sending materials via email, please use the pdenault@fas.harvard.edu address.Please see our contact page for this information.Q: Do you acknowledge materials?We acknowledge receipt of applications and letters of recommendation sent via e-mail. We don't generally acknowledge paper letters of recommendation, but we do let people know close to the deadline if they are missing letters of recommendation.Q: When will I be notified?Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process in late May.Q: When will the paper be due?We always set a deadline of mid-July, but the "bottom line" due date for 2008 will be July 25. Papers must be in the Seminar office in advance of the beginning of the Seminar.Q: The paper I would like to present at the Seminar is under contract to be published. Is this OK?Technically, yes, as long as a) the paper will not be published until after the Seminar meets, and b) your publisher has no objection to our posting it on the Web in its Working Paper form. However, papers presented to the Seminar are supposed to be works in progress, so we prefer that people not present such finished work except in rare circumstances.Please direct any remaining questions to Pat Denault.
© 2007 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Created December 22, 2005; last updated, November 26, 2007.