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These can be expensive BUT many programs can waive those fees if you ask.

Don’t hesitate to ask—the worst someone can say is no and programs often regard application fees as a barrier.  Keep in mind that programs don’t set those fees—another element of the university bureaucracy does.

If you want to work on the history of a country other than the United States, you’ll need to possess language competence before you apply to graduate school because you’ll need to read primary sources in that language and (eventually) travel to it for research.

Some programs require non-Americanists to know two languages.

Use your undergraduate years to build your language capacity.  Students whose transcripts show that they are fluent (or nearly so) check an important box for an admissions committee.

Ask faculty who know you well and can speak at length regarding your abilities and interests.

Only ask academic faculty—your supervisor at the bank may know you well but is not in a place to discuss your academic qualifications.

Here you want to make the claim that you’re a good candidate for this particular program.

Avoid “I’ve always loved History” introductions; that’s assumed at this level.

Focus on the periods, themes, and questions that drive your passion for History—for example, “I’m interested in exploring the interplay of class and gender in industrializing European societies” or “I’d like to examine American foreign policy vis a vis Russia in the 1930s.”   Explain how your undergraduate training has prepared you to tackle this line of research.

The best writing samples are longer papers that integrate primary and secondary source research/analysis.

Your Senior Seminar paper is a natural fit for a writing sample but you may be able to use a shorter paper (e.g., 10-15 pags) as a writing sample.  Programs sometimes spell out their preferred length for a writing sample.

1).  Writing sample

2).  Personal Statement

3).  Three letters of recommendation

4).  Transcripts

5).  The GRE (maybe?)

1).  Throughout your undergraduate career: Get to know some History faculty well—take their classes, visit them in office hours to discuss course materials and your future plans, impress them with your ability.

2).  No later than the spring before you apply: Let these faculty know several months before you apply that you’re interested in graduate school.  When you broach the subject, they are likely to provide some invaluable advice (e.g., programs to consider given your interests, faculty whose work aligns with yours, and so on).