bluecheese

I have a strange background: undergraduate degrees from small state schools in history and english (from two separate schools; strange, I know) and an MFA in poetry from a large (relatively "prestigious") public university. I applied to a small pool when applying to MFA programs since I split my applications between PhD and MFA programs (I applied to 11 total that time... 6 MFA, 5 PhD). I regret doing that to a certain degree (although, retrospectively it was fine given that I've gotten a lot out of my current institution). I know that I want to attend a PhD program next year, and I know what I want to study. So, it seemed advantageous to apply to as many schools as physically feasible. All of the schools I applied to are great on some level (or in some discipline that will directly benefit me). I admit that it was an atypically large list. But I also know that I'm devoting the next 5 years of my life to this, so I want to have the best opportunity possible. Also, 2000 dollars and a bunch of annoying fit paragraphs now, may result in a much better stipend (and much better job opportunities) next year (and down the road).

Also, I don't consider it to be "slinging mud at the walls." All of these programs have a substantial number of faculty that I would consider working with, and each has at least a couple that I'm excited to work with. Sure, there are some that I'm drooling over more than others--but those often accept 2-3% of applicants (and in some cases less). I already have an idea of the vein I hope to work in, so making sure they have faculty that will allow me to do that was all that I need. Now it depends of if there are faculty there that want to work with me. Supposing that I received multiple offers, I'll also be able to bargain for better funding packages, etc.

Broadly: Queer literature and film (with a special emphasis on gender in 20th & 21st century poetry and poetics). My proposal (statement) was quite interdisciplinary and somewhat trans-historical.

Yeah, it was exhausting applying to all of them. & I still have 4 left to do.

List of Schools: NYU English Berkeley Rhetoric UC Santa Cruz History of Con OSU Comparative Studies UMN - CSCL Duke English SUNY Buffalo English University of Chicago English Ann Arbor English/Women's Studies MIT Comparative Media Studies Brown MCM U Penn English William & Mary American Studies Stanford MLT Syracuse English Rochester Visual and Cultural Studies Yale American Studies Iowa English Penn State English Albany English Loyola Chicago English WashU English Georgia Tech Digital Media Brown English Utah English Yes, that is 25. Yes, I am broke. That said, I believe strongly in applying widely in order to get the best funding/opportunities. Each of these schools actually has faculty that I would be happy to work with. This is the list I created after cutting it down from a list of 33 schools that had a substantial number of faculty in the areas I'm studying. I guess some people will think this is cray. I don't. This is partially based on my experience applying to MFA programs. The school that I ultimately attended was one that I added on a whim (it is topped ranked, but I applied there sheerly based off of where it s located--it was four hours away from my parents, and three hours away from where I was living at the time). I received acceptances from other schools, but after looking into the faculty and opportunities of the university as a whole (after being accepted), I couldn't pass up the institution that I attended for my MFA. All of the above have multiple faculty working in areas that are of interest to me. I'll get picky after I see who is interested in working with me, and what financial packages they offer (also placement ratings, cost of living, ease for my partner to find a job, etc.).

I'm finding this subset of nonfiction to be extreamly frustrating to write. I guess I wonder at what point will the application go over a certain threshold and become more like a research proposal, than a statement of purpose by a prospective graduate student with specific research interests. Is it not okay to have a specific thing that one is interested in reasearching? I do have that, although I also have a bunch of other, related interests. I'm on the third of forth draft (I just started day before yesterday); I hope I get it somewhere within the spectrum of "acceptable" before I have to start sending it around.