YesPhDinHumanities

Teaching experience might not necessarily help you get into a PhD program (though I think it really depends on the program... as with everything), but I think it will definitely help you as you're looking for jobs after the PhD. A candidate who has more teaching experience beyond the teaching offered in the PhD will be much more attractive (especially at institutions that look for teacher-scholars, which many do these days) than someone who only has the experiences offered during his or her degree(s). Yes, teaching takes an emotional commitment as well as a time commitment, but as others have said, you'll know for sure if teaching is for you afterwards. So I'd say get the teaching experience, adjunct in the summers, and just build up your CV with experiences beyond your coursework as much as you can. It's often all of the other stuff that is seen as "value added" when it comes to applications of all kinds (programs, jobs, etc.) If you're an excellent student but all you did during your MA and PhD was what is required of you, you're not going to be as attractive a candidate as others with different kinds of experiences.

Replying late to this thread, but I thought my point of view might help some future applicants who are worried about the GRE... I know it's just one anecdote, but I have awful GRE scores (except in writing, 92nd percentile) and I got into my top choice PhD program and landed on very short wait-lists at my next two top choices. All of these programs have excellent reputations for my areas of interest. I went to a small liberal arts college for undergrad that is in the top 100 in the country but is not a college everyone knows about. I went to a big state school for my MFA where the MFA is well-regarded in MFA circles, but it isn't the top state school in that state and isn't otherwise well known. I had great GPAs in both, but I think most people who think about pursuing a PhD will likely have high GPAs. I think the real singular determining factor is FIT. Of course many factors play into a program's perception of the fit, including the personal statement, writing sample, and value added experience (masters degree, teaching experience, additional academic work... it's worth saying that when I met with faculty and admins during my program visit they all had my CV in front of them, not my personal statement). I agree with patientagony, the writing sample is probably the most important thing for the people on the admissions committee, not only because it demonstrates your ability to think critically, but also because it (ideally) shows you engaging with your research interests and reveals the potential and promise of those interests. In short, unless these programs were only looking at the writing scores there is no way the GRE was (for me, anyway) any kind of gatekeeper in these decisions. The programs I got into and got wait-listed for have reputations for specific strengths that match up with my strengths and interests, and project philosophies and missions I also believe in. During my MFA search I just applied to thirteen programs mostly due to big names and ended up at my "last choice," and I couldn't have been happier with my experience. The people who serve on admissions committees know more about their program than you do, so THEY KNOW when they come across an applicant who they can support and who will do well by the program in their future publications and professional work. I guess I can be my own devil's advocate and say that perhaps it's true that I didn't get into the other programs I applied to because someone similarly qualified had higher GRE scores than me. When I think about that, though, a program that didn't consider me valuable because of low scores on a standardized test that is a manipulative logic game rather than an actual test of critical thinking isn't one I'd want to go to anyway.

Yup, going to Pittsburgh. Great fit, great city, loved just about everything I learned/saw/heard during my visit. Looking forward to working with Bartholomae et al. Everyone else want to chime in? I'm interested to hear where people are deciding to go.

One of the better readers is Cross-Talk in Comp Theory. Lots of the expected scholars, but (clearly, given the title) organized by tensions/debate/discussion. The Norton is pretty good, but not very up-to-date. Cross-Talk was maybe put out in 2003? So, a little dated, but I like the way it's put together. I'd also say reading up on recent longitudinal studies in comp pedagogy, esp. Anne Beaufort's College Writing and Beyond and Elizabeth Wardle's early results from her longitudinal study. I'd recommend David Bartholomae's Writing on the Margins if you haven't read that collection of his essays. Also, if anyone is at all interested in concepts of genre, Bawarshi and Reiff's Genre: An Introduction... is available free and online via the WAC Clearinghouse: http://wac.colostate.edu/books/bawarshi_reiff/ and is an EXCELLENT synthesis of approaches to genre in writing studies (broadly conceived).

Congrats to those who have acceptances and for those rejections.... it IS super early in the process. Good luck everyone! I'm happy to say I was the recent poster on the results page with an offer from the University of Pittsburgh PhD in Cultural and Critical Studies (concentration in composition). Any lurkers out there also hear from Pitt and considering attending? I think it's a really great fit for my interests and I'll probably accept, barring something crazy awful happening during my campus visit.

I was one of the posters for Pitt for their focus in composition. I'll likely accept - it's a really good fit for my interests. It seems from the other posters that they sent out all notices and waitlists at the same time, regardless of concentration. I'll say, though, that a lot can happen in the next several weeks. If you haven't received a flat out rejection you might be in some secondary waitlist. I had that happen to me during the MFA application process. Sometimes no news is good news? I wish I could give you some more info but beyond the offer they didn't give much context into the applicant pool, etc. in the email. You've got a lot of good programs in your list... I hope you get in somewhere that's a good fit for you! Good luck!

Hey all, Good to hear from comp/rhet peeps! It's so frustrating seeing all these science degrees popping up with early acceptances, isn't it? I have an MFA in poetry and a dozen years experience in Writing Centers (as tutor and then administrator). I've been working as a Writing Center Asst. Director at a small college for the last three years, where I've also been teaching first-year writing and our tutor preparation seminar. I'm largely going for comp, but I'm interested bridging worlds and bringing my interests in avant-guard poetics into composition work... So, basically programs will either eat me up or say, "no thank you!" Ha. At this point (having already gone through this with the MFA), I don't think I'll be surprised by anything that happens. I applied to: 1) University of Pittsburgh (Comp. via Cultural and Critical Studies) 2) UNC Chapel Hill (Comp/Rhet) 3) UMass, Amherst (Comp/Rhet) 4) Univ. of Maryland (Comp/Rhet) 5) NCState (Communication, Rhetoric, and Technology) 6) Univ. of Denver (Rhetoric and Theory, highly flexible dept, could dual focus in poetics) 7) SUNY Albany (where I could dual focus in poetics and pedagogy) 8) Buffalo (poetics, my one creative-only program).