Tim Orr
Ph.D. Candidate 19th Century (US)
“The moment I set foot on the soil of Pennsylvania State University, I knew that I had made the right choice for graduate school. I earned my undergraduate degree at a small liberal arts college in southern Pennsylvania, and, at first, I wondered if a large university would be the appropriate place for me. However, all anxieties I possessed evaporated immediately upon my arrival; the faculty and staff with the Department of History and Religious Studies proved themselves attentive, generous, and intelligent. Moreover, my professors required their graduate students to meet an exceptionally high standard of excellence. Having always forced myself to meet similar requirements throughout my academic career, such a challenge came as a welcome surprise. Additionally, the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center – the Department’s unique association of faculty, staff, and graduate students devoted to studies of the “Middle Period” of nineteenth-century America – proved wonderfully generous in supporting my research. The Center’s faculty and staff have often asked me to contribute towards field programs and scholarly events, including the Mont Alto Civil War Seminar and the Graduate Student Workshop. These opportunities have enriched my academic career, nurtured my talents, and allowed me to become part of a vibrant family of Civil War historians. Penn State’s graduate history program – though not for the feint-hearted – is the perfect place for those passionate about understanding our world’s fascinating past.”