nailbiter

I just PMed you as well, thanks in avance!

Escapingindiana: wow we do share many interests! It's nice and encouraging to meet someone else also interested in said fields Hopefully both of us will find programs with great fit and get accepted. Now that is some wishful thinking there... but anyways, I actually did the same thing; I started by crossing out programs with unkind websites. There are so many programs out there and I feel like the websites also show how they would take care of students, etc. Also, thanks for answering my questions. So no need to panic about language requirements yet. Good to know!

Isabelarcher: yes, I am bilingual, and speak Korean as well...but sadly it won't be that helpful. The thing is I'm not that interested in Comp Lit, and Asian American Lit is also not my top priority when it comes to fields of interest. Most of the websites I've been to list mainly European languages-French, German, etc, or Spanish and all-, and many state that unless you are studying a related field the requirements must be made by European languages. Hence French, the only European language I've ever studied!

Champagne, thanks! Good to know AW and quant scores won't matter much. Also, thanks for the advice on writing samples. I guess the best way is to try to show that I am aware of on-going research on the topic, and have my own take on it as well. Anyway, I totally agree, when I look back later I don't want to think I could've done better, improved this and that, etc.

Hi everyone. New here, can't believe I found this thread only now. Anyway, I'm applying for Eng Lit for Fall 2014. Hopefully I'll be able to continue studies in a M.A/Ph.D program, but I am considering applying to a few funded M.A. programs. Being an international applicant, who will get a B.A. in English Literature from a non-English speaking country, I guess a funded M.A. wouldn't hurt? Language isn't an issue for me(I was born in the U.S.), but I think experiencing grad school and getting to know professors and just being physically closer to the academia wouldn't hurt. Obviously I am still trying to figure out what to do, but Ph.D programs are definitely my priority. That said, I've taken the GRE test, and while I think my verbal isn't too bad (164), and hopefully my quant scores aren't dismal (156), I am concerned about my AW score(4.5). I've read through websites and most say they concentrate on the verbal section, but none directly address whether AW scores matter. Do AW scores matter? Since there are SOPs and Writing Samples in the application anyway, I think they shouldn't…. Also, just thinking of the subject test freaks me out. (I'm planning to take it in October.) But I guess it's the writing sample that is really nerve racking. I can either expand on the papers I've written, or write a new one, but either way I can't help but think that whatever topic I'm writing about is clichéd. Everything is so intimidating (plus I'm probably stressing out too much) but at this point I feel like everything I'm interested in and want to write about has already been studied and written about. My current focus is to find the right approach, topic and text for my writing sample, since it is also related to writing SOPs, which I guess is the best way to show my competency as a student with a B.A from a non-English speaking country. Also, I have just started to compile a list of schools, creating excel and word documents, etc. My interests are in women and gender studies(also, how race works as a factor in such), literature from 19C to modern, child lit and YA lit, and film studies. (Any suggestions on programs?) My concern is that these could appear to broad to adcomms. Anyway, I started with the top 20 and 50 list but have started to realise that fit is more important than ranking. I'm just astonished by how some web sites seem to be designed for the sake of never giving you any information. Sorry for all the rambling, obviously I'm going through a "OHMYGOD I'M NEVER GOING TO GET IN ANYWHERE" sort of meltdown, so I'll try to stop here now, and start reading through this thread. Oh, and one last thing about language requirements- how important are they in applications? I'm a beginner in French and the one thing I can say fluently in French is that I can't speak French. Thanks guys, and any advice/comments would be much appreciated!

Thanks for the nice responses, Andean, blakeblake, and stillalivetui! I guess I really should be working on my writing sample then. Math has never been my strength and it's a relief to move on from the GRE and Quant material.

Thanks for your response, midnight! I guess it didn't really occur to me that schools would evaluate the individual sections of the GRE test(stupid, now that I think of it)! Half of the schools I apply to require a subject test, so I will need to take it anyway. But now I realize I should probably do more research on the grad schools I'm planning to apply to, and figure out how much the GRE scores will matter. I'm quite new to grad school applications and my school's faculty hasn't been great help to make matters worse. So thanks again!

Hi, I'm an international applicant applying to English Lit programs this fall. I took the GRE general test and I'm not sure what to make out of my scores. The question is, should I take the test again, or focus on studying for the subject test, writing sample, SOP, etc....? (I'm aiming to apply for Ph.D programs in top universities, ie Columbia. I graduate college this year, but don't have any publications or whatsoever as undergraduates do not get many opportunities at my school) That said, here are my scores: Verbal 164 (93%), Quantitative 156 (68%), AW 4.5 (73%) (just for reference, I scored 118 on the TOEFL) My math and AW scores worry me- are they too low? Should I retake the test? Winter break has started a few weeks ago and I still have no idea whether I should take it again or focus on other stuff(I haven't taken the subject test yet, or have a writing sample yet as well). Kind advice would be much appreciated!