MissHavishslam

I took the old one and the revised. The revised verbal is MUCH easier but you should still learn quite a bit of vocab. Kaplan has good set of 500 words. I'm retaking it again this summer because I didn't get as high a score as I would like but my score did improve 20% from the old test. They also got rid of the "the better you do the harder the questions get" tactic which helped a lot.

My interests are in my sig but more specifically, I am really interested in class structures and ecological catastrophes in AfAm literature. I'm working on my writing sample right now, an expansion of an MA seminar paper, that looks at the significance of the Okeechobee hurricane (1928) in Hurston's work. reluctantmidwesterner--have you thought about Pitt at all? I'm not quite sure about the route you take with young adult lit but they have a few people there (Troy Boone and Marah Gurber) who work with children's theater and children as the audience--although it seems like their focus is Victorian children's lit, so I don't know if that is too far from your focus. I didn't do my MA there but my grad advisor did his PhD there.

Mississippi is the only one that I am a little bit worried about. But you're right, it could be totally awesome. I grew up in Texas and even though I didn't come out until college I had many gay friends who (to my knowledge) never had any issues. I also have not had any when I go back to visit. I know that no place is 100% free of bigotry but it would be nice to not move to a place that's known for it. It's not something that will keep me from applying as I will visit the schools before making any decisions (if I am lucky enough to be accepted) and then factor in this issue.

Pittsburgh is very gay friendly. The neighborhood Shadyside has a few gay bars as well as Lawerenceville. I've never felt uncomfortable in the city. It's once you drive 30 minutes outside of it that it gets a little back woods-ish. There's tons to do and the only unsafe neighborhoods are ones that would be still be unsafe regardless of sexuality.

California is the only location on my list that I would be really stoked about. WUSTL is my favorite program so far, but I would love to live in LA. My girlfriend is not too pleased with the list that I have drawn up--especially the Southern states. I do want to make sure though that we, as a gay couple, will be able to move to a place that is LGBT-friendly (and safe). That's the only thing that is making me a little bit skeptical about a couple of my choices...

That's what I am struggling with too. I know the GREs are probably one of the least important factors of the application, but I still want to do well. My problem is that I know (esp for the subject test) that I am going to need to put a considerable amount of effort into studyings. My interests, unfortuneately, are not something that shows up too much on the damned thing. I haven't taken any British lit class in four years, DAMN THE CANON! My anxiety and horrible test taking skills tend to work against me in the worst ways with these tests. I feel like I am going to have to sit down and make a detailed schedule of how I am going to balance studying for the tests, working on my writing sample, and working on my statement. Mind you, I need to do all of this around my teaching schedule. Oy with the poodles already.

Totally agree with Cactus Ed. A funding waitlist sure as hell feels like a regular waitlist. I was accepted to Tulsa last year but was waitlisted for funding and did not end up getting any, which honestly felt like I didn't even get in. They told me that I was still welcome to attend but I figured that 1. I didn't want to pay $50,000 a year and 2. I didn't want to be in a program where I didn't get the opportunity to teach. Who would want to go out in this job market with no teaching experience? I finished my MA, am adjuncting, and reapplying next year. I've heard tell that some programs actually value applicants who have taken some time off of school, but it's not a requirement. I actually feel like I am going to have a much stronger application than I did the first time.

That's how I feel. I really (REALLY) want to stay in the Northeast/Midwest area but when I really look at programs the best fits for my interests are in the South or on the west coast. I love snow...I guess I should be willing to give it up for a couple of years...or really really pray for Michigan to work out.

I love derby names and books/authors lend themselves to it superbly WEB DuBruise, Zora Neale Hurtsome, Slammery O'Connor, Holden Maulfield, Lady MacTuff, etc. Obviously, I need to get into a program ASAP as I have way too much time on my hands! These sites are amazing!! Thank you! I originally wasn't going to retake it because my scores were so bad (as in I honestly think the only points that I received were for spelling my name correctly) and just avoid the schools that required it. However, UCLA and UC Davis fit my interests perfectly so it would seem to be a shame not to do everything in my power to have a stellar application for them.

Thanks for the advice. I definitely see the point. Michigan is a school I plan on applying to. I'm just worried that with my scores (they aren't bad but they aren't great) that some of the higher ranked programs won't even bother. I just don't want to have another application season like my last one, where I applied to a bunch of top schools and got slew of rejections. I do see that you are at Michigan, though, correct? Would you mind if I PMed you some questions about the program and faculty? I would love some advice, especially a fellow ecocrit.

Yeah, I don't know how much I am willing to rely on rankings. Just because the school is a top 20 does not mean that it will be a good fit for you. When I did my first round of applications I was accepted to Tulsa with no funding (no thank you), but it also was not a good fit for my interests. I think my main approach this time around is going to be POIs, placement records, and funding packages. I think that I'm willing to shoot for one top 20 school but that the rest (probably 9) will be more within my reach. I mean "in my reach" in regards to my GRE scores and undergraduate transcripts. My MA transcript is from a top 30 school and is stellar but I'm not sure how far that will get me. Also, in regards to rankings, I think placement is more important. Who cares about the ranking of your program when they have the ability to help place you in ANY job in our field?

Hello! I am a fellow 2014 applicant! I applied a year ago while I was finishing up my MA but decided to take a year off and do some teaching. How are you all going about narrowing down programs? Rank, POIs, funding packages, etc? I have a couple in mind and do not want to shoot too high with rank, like the ivies, but I also want the schools I apply to to be good schools with great placement records. What are your thoughts?