Pickle_Geuse

Hello All, I'm currently a senior at the University of Maryland. My majors are English Literature and Philosophy. At present, I've done okay with my course work. I have an overall G.P.A of 3.4 and 3.8 overall in English. I'm applying to several P.h.D programs in English (i.e., NYU, Maryland, WashU, JHU). However, in my current and final semester of taking English courses, my G.P.A has dropped to possibly a 3.6 or 3.5. Does this hinder my chances of getting into highly ranked schools? I have decent recommendations, and I work as a writing tutor. My emphasis is African-American literature, specifically modernism, and I believe my writing sample reflects that I'm "research competent." I've been reading a lot of posts on the forum about application cut-offs, and with the GPA I have I'm not sure if they will even get around to considering my application with such a low G.P.A. I don't want to invest time and money applying to schools in which I have no chance of being considered pass the first round of cut-offs. What should I do? Am I being unrealistic about which schools I apply to? Or, am I completely confused about the selection process?