BunnyWantsaPhD

there's tons of places on this forum where people have addressed the various forms of practice study guides, princeton review included. People are probably not responding because they know you can look at previous discussions instead. So, use the search engine to see what you can find. What I've heard is that the practice tests are a lot easier from Princeton compared to other types such as Manhattan. I thought the book was helpful--actually, I'm finding that most of the books say the same thing; it's just the level of difficulty of the practice tests that are different, apparently.

It seems, from the schools I've talked to such as Columbia, that the quantitative is not even looked at sometimes. Columbia basically said that you have to have a high verbal and the quant didn't matter. I'd suggest talking to the schools themselves and see what they say. But, damn, a 168 in verbal? That's awesome. I'm sure you'll be fine. At the very least apply and see what happens--they can't accept you if you don't give them the chance to do so.

I just actually replied to that post!

You'll hear from many people on this forum that there's no such thing as an "easy" or "safety" school because you either fit with the program or you don't. So first and foremost, make sure that you fit with the department and make a strong claim for why/how in your SOP. As far as the scores go, most of the department websites will tell you how the scores factor in. Columbia for example says that the average applicant to their program has a score in the 95th percentile. I'm applying there too so I called and talked to the department and asked how much it was a factor and the reply was "we expect if you've gone to an American college that you should be able to obtain these higher scores, especially if you have an MA." Obviously at a place like Columbia, which is #4 in the US for English, they're going to care about numbers. Other programs, like SUNY Buffalo have a whole entire paragraph about how they are not number driven---BUT, then they state at the end that you must still have a combined GRE score of 313 to get funding (so not to get accepted, but to get an extra fellowship amount of 6000 a year in addition to the 13,000 that you get once you get accepted). So, even schools that claim to be not number driven will still make decisions on them. After careful research and talking to people on this forum, it seems like the general consensus is that you should have at least a 160 in verbal--most places care less about the quant score. The past couple times I've taken the GRE in the past few years, I've continually scored a 158, and I just didn't feel like it was good enough. I want to be able to apply to a school and know that my GRE scores aren't the factor for keeping me out. So, I just re-took it yesterday and focused on not feeling anxious--my test anxiety is what has made me fail in the past (or at least that was my theory). Yesterday when I took it I got a 162 on the verbal. And, I feel really good about it because I hope that it won't be keeping me out. I'm not trying to brag here; what I'm saying is that you want to make each part of your application strong. And, if you're hoping to get into such top ranked schools, you'll probably want to re-take it. Maybe it's worth taking a year off? I know that seems like a huge deal, and it is, but it could also be really great and help you get to where you want to be. Also, one more thing--some of these "lower schools" (depending on what you consider to be lower) still consider the GRE too. For example, I applied to a place that was ranked #63 and I got in but I didn't get funding. I talked to the DGS and he said it was basically because of my GRE scores (with so many great applications they had to make a decision somehow). So, I think it's a bad idea to think that GRE scores don't matter at all or that your other materials can make up for them. All of these programs are competitive; scores matter. (oops, I submitted my response at the same time as the above person so hence the repetitiveness!)

I took the GRE again, and did much better on the verbal!!! Woo Hoo!! Just had to share that with someone, ha. My goal this time was to try not to be anxious at all when taking it, and it totally paid off. Now, about all the other materials....

Here's my two cents (my apologies if you find this too blunt, just trying to be helpful): 1) don't talk about high school. They don't really care about anything that happened before college. 2) be much more specific--at one point you say something like "various classes and various teachers have inspired me" or something like that--change it to something much more specific, i.e. which classes and why. 3) I would delete the word passion wherever you have it and replace it with something else. You want to "show" not "tell." Describe something that indicates your passion instead of saying that you are passionate. It's just over-used in SOP and people will roll their eyes. 4)Is there a way to make your paragraph on the writing center more personal? Many people know what is done at writing centers, so that paragraph really just winds up reiterating something that will be on your CV anyway. If you can't make it more personal/significant, then it's wasting space that you could spend talking about other things (such as coursework or your research interests) that is more specific. 5) I would rephrase/delete where you say something like "I can promise that I know Italian history even though my coursework doesn't reflect this"--instead of stating that, actually demonstrate that you know Italian history instead. 6) you need to move beyond your love of history and really demonstrate A) that you know history and what you want to study in a very specific way and why you want to study this particular field--what are your future goals? 7) can you make your statements on why you want to work with certain professors more specific? instead of saying it's "safe to say" that you would want to work with them, list why. What things have they published that sounds interesting to you and why? what approach do they take to the subject and how does that correlate with your own approach? You definitely need more on why the particular school you're applying to is going to be helpful for your studies, as well as what you are going to bring to the table for them--why should they choose you out of all the other people also have a "love" of this field? The major thing you want to focus on is whenever you bring up any topic make sure you are being detailed in specific. Remember, they don't know you at all. They don't know what classes you took, what you liked about certain classes or pieces of writing or time periods, they don't know what your goals are and why, and they don't know why their program would be great for you and vice versa. What you have right now is a good outline, but needs much more details to set you apart from everyone else. My suggestion would be to go back through the classes (or other experiences that you have) that you did take and write down some things that you did in each course that you found interesting, then form those into sentences/paragraphs, then cut it down to the appropriate length that they require. Good luck!

I think this has basically been said already, but if you think you would be disappointed going somewhere because they don't offer what you want to study, then don't apply there in the first place. You have to think about why you chose those places to apply to--if it's because of rankings, or because of location, that's not going to be enough of a reason for them to accept you into their program. I like what someone else suggested earlier--think about what types of questions drive your research, why you're interested in them, and what you want to do--think outside of just this person's work, even if they are the big wig in that area. Even with your example of Einstein you could talk about why you're interested in that theory and how it connects to other theories without making it all about Einstein.

I'd just go ahead and do both, but make sure you definitely send it to the department if they want it sent to them. Always go with what the specific department wants over what the online application says. If you really want to know, call the department--people don't always respond to emails.

So what past experiences and illustrations are you talking about if not how your coursework developed your interests? That's what I'm having a hard time with--if I'm not supposed to talk about things that are listed on the CV, and not supposed to talk about things that are listed on the transcripts (which, actually, typically don't give you much of an idea of what the course was about), and I'm not supposed to talk about how my love of literature stems from my familial experiences (at least in the academic statement), then what am I supposed to draw from?! (note: my frustration is not directed at you. just at this process).

Thanks for the advice-- I'm definitely not listing them. I included a discussion of them in order to talk about how my interests were formed. I just looked back at my draft and...you're going to laugh...I mentioned 8 courses. I really think that each one speaks to who I am today, though. Grr I'm not sure what to do. I can definitely cut down how much I talk about each course, but I'm not really sure how to delete a discussion of a lot of these. Here's an example of what I talk about: 1) First class on my main area of interest--how it got me interested in this field, what paper I wrote for it which was eventually expanded in a later class (#2) and then later into a conference paper 2) class 3+4 -- another class with a big wig in my field and then a class on what i specifically study now--I tie the two together to show how they influenced my thesis later on 3) class 5,6,7 = how I learned about various concepts that I used in my thesis and want to continue to research in the future--I mention how I learned about specific critics who happen to teach at the school I'm applying to and thus showing why I want to work with them 4) class 8 = study abroad course at Oxford--I don't want to leave this out bc not only is it Oxford, it also greatly shaped my MA thesis 5) back to class #2 = last class I took in my area which not only helped me with my thesis, but I also did a presentation in the class which I recently turned into a paper that I just presented at a conference. See my predicament? I just don't get how we're supposed to talk about our academic backgrounds without sounding like we're talking about unnecessary things....

"everyone" is just typically people on grad cafe, honestly--well, actually no, it's the websites for the programs as well (some of them say to go beyond your personal 'love of literature' and get to the academic stuff). You're right, I am making generalizations though. One question I have for the academic statement is whether or not to talk about courses I took--and how much space to spend on this. How are you guys tackling providing background information that proves your knowledgeable in this field?

Question: (and I'm sure this has been answered before, but I need some quick advice) Are you guys (or did you in the past) talk about the coursework you did in your Statement of Purpose? Are you mentioning theories you learned about and how you later integrated those into your thesis, etc? Or are you just letting the transcript do this work--because I'm worried about that since the transcript doesn't always list the title of the course, and even then there's only so much information you can glean from a transcript. I'm just having a difficult time trying to figure out what to say in the SOP to make sure that it's academic and not too personal (i.e. I'm trying not to talk about family, race, etc). So, if the SOP isn't the place to talk about our classes, then what do we talk about?

Thanks. I thought that's what they wanted, but I'm just not sure exactly how to address the "who, why, and how" in terms of personal information. I'm just worried about how to address them because everyone says not to talk about parents, race/gender issues and such, but I don't see how I can avoid it in this case.

Sure! That would be awesome!

Bumping this topic up because I need advice! What are ya'll doing for the U of M application--or what did you do in the past that was successful? Help!

I'm sure this has been talked about a lot already, but I'm just getting conflicting advice, so I didn't know where to start. First off, I'm applying to PhD programs in English Literature. Most of the schools seem to only have one statement that they want--whether they're calling it a personal statement or an academic statement. But, U of M wants both. Here's the description from their website: Clearly labeled academic & intellectual Statement of Purpose: up to two pages, double spaced, statement about your academic and research background, your career goals, and how Michigan's graduate program will help you meet your career and educational objectives. Disregard the 500 word limit as stated on the application. Clearly labeled biographical Personal Statement: up to two pages, double spaced, statement about how your personal background and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Michigan. This is not an Academic Statement of Purpose, but a discussion of the personal journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree. Disregard the 500 word limit as stated on the application So I've heard from many people that telling personal stories about your life and how you got to "love literature" is a really bad idea--but what about when they specifically ask for a statement that discusses your "personal journey" as described above? I'm planning on talking about classes that influenced by interests, papers I wrote (conference ones and ones for classes, including my thesis), and how these educational experienced formed my interests and influenced by decisions to pursue a graduate degree. I'm doing this for all of the academic statements of purpose. So, for one that asks for a personal statement too, is this the place to talk about how my parents and experiences growing up shaped me? For example, one reason I'm so interested in feminism is because of my mother being a feminist--obviously I would tell that story in a more interesting way, but is it inappropriate for a personal statement (like the one described above?). Or what about addressing issues of race--I'm always being questioned about my race because I don't fit into a certain "look" and I think it really has made me think about all the "boxes" we're put into, which is why I study people who don't fit neatly into these boxes. (I could make this sound more interesting, but I'm trying to be brief). So, to include that or not to include that? Should I instead have my statement of purpose focus on what I want to study, and the personal statement talk about the classes I took that formed that interest? I just don't get how to put together all of the conflicting advice. For example, one handout I received from my department on how to write a good statement gave the following advice. It said to think about the following questions before writing the statement. 1) What's special, unique, distinctive, and or/impressive about you or your life story? 2) What details of your life (personal or family problems, people or events) might help the committee better understand you or help set you apart from other applicants? So, my question is--if so many others say that it looks bad to talk about family and silly personal details, then what the heck sets us apart from others? Does our coursework really reflect a "unique" candidate? Long story short--what should I do about U of M's application in terms of the personal statement versus the academic statement, and how are others choosing to address how personal we should be? HELP!

Some places actually list on their websites that this is a viable option. The ones that don't list it as an option, I'm assuming don't do it because they don't want it to be an option. Though, you know what making assumptions does...

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I actually decided to rule out west coast schools so that I can stay close to my nieces and nephews. I know that's probably not what many people would advise me to do, but I don't want to be too far from my family--they are just as important, or even more so, than my career.

I actually talked to SUNY Buffalo yesterday and they said that you can get a stipend without having the 313 GRE score, but you can't get fellowship money. She said that the stipend is usually $13,000 a year, and if you have the 313 or higher score, you get an extra $6,000 a year! It's interesting because on their website they go on and on about how they don't care about GRE scores, they care more about finding unique applicants, but then they give an extra 6,000 dollars based on your scores. sadface.

The presentations I saw were pretty good, and the audience had questions for everyone. I wasn't really disappointed in that regard. I just thought it was odd that I never saw more than 10 people in the audience for the sessions I attended. I didn't know some of the sessions were on the boat! That is cool--though, I did feel a little sea sick when I did the boat cruise. Don't get me wrong, I would be terrified to speak to 50 people, but I just thought it seemed odd to fly across the country to speak to 8 people. I just hope that this isn't the way all conferences are because I was looking forward to this being part of my academic life (not that I'll stop presenting, obviously)

Thank goodness! I thought I was going crazy when someone else on here said it was amazing. I was pretty disappointed in the experience. I've heard from others that this is just how conferences are--is that true?

Am I the only one who was extremely disappointed? This was my first "real" conference and I expected it to be huge. I guess I thought we'd be in big conference rooms talking to at least 50 people. We were in hotel rooms, where they had removed the beds (and you could still see the headboards), added like 15 chairs and a podium. There were 3 people on my panel, including myself, and I think we talked to like 8 people. It just seems silly to have flown all the way across the US to talk in front of 8 people Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the experience of writing the paper and getting the practice of speaking in front of people, but if this is what our conferences look like in the English field, I'm going very bummed : (

Thanks for the advice. To answer your questions: the one who was on my thesis committee was basically a reader. He only saw the final draft. But he did have the most insightful questions during my defense and praised my work a lot. The "class" with the Oxford person, was a one-on-one tutorial/independent study that we tailored to my interests in order to help me form ideas for my thesis. I had to write a paper every week, read 2 novels plus criticism every week, and meet with her for two hours of discussion every week (in which she tore apart my writing and asked me questions about the reading, etc). It was almost like a mini-defense every week. Very intense. Awesome experience. And she loved my writing and our conversations. As far as what being a "lecturer" means over there--I have a feeling it's very similar to American standards. She just finished her PhD at Oxford and is now teaching there. So, it's not a great position, but it's still Oxford. Given that I already have two other recommendation writers who were a part of the thesis process, and who I also took two classes each with, I think I decided that maybe a different perspective would be good. Now the question is whether or not she'll be able to do it, and if so, how do I tell the other recommendation writer that I no longer need his letter? I really don't think he'll mind (actually, I think he'll be relieved), but how do I phrase it?

Well the whole "needing a letter from a full professor" puts a spin on things. How do you decide between someone that is a full professor that was on your thesis committee, but who you didn't take a class with versus someone who is a lecturer (but at Oxford) who you did take a class with and who has many good things to say. Two of my other letter writers are full professors, so I think I'm going with the Oxford person...

Thanks for the advice! I think both letter writers would be able to say good things and both of them are willing to do so. With the person who was on my committee, he could speak to the value of my thesis, my writing style, and possibly my personality, etc. But, we've never really spoken more than a handful of times. With the person from Oxford, she's seen more of my writing in terms of different papers (not page length because obviously my thesis was longer). We also had a one on one class together. And, she's from Oxford, which does matter. I know she would have nice things to say and it would be personalized. Niether letter would be lukewarm. The only reason I'm leaning towards the one who looked at my thesis is because he already wrote letters for me last year, and he said he would do it again. I haven't asked the Oxford person yet, and I did ask the thesis person so I would feel weird telling him I don't need his letters anymore. Ugh. I don't know what to do...I'm thinking if the Oxford person is willing to do it then I'll have her do it since prestige matters and my MA program is definitely not prestigious. How do I go about turning the other person down after they've already agreed to write them?