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Eva, That sounds really interesting. Having lived in Louisiana for the past two years (like the deep south, hiking in swamplands, forty minutes from the ocean, have to cross a big ass bayou by long ass bridge to get to the highway that heads north South) I feel as though the South is still really separate from everything else. I've often wondered if Civil War residue is the reason they've fought to stay separate. It's very strange...traditions and expectations are very different. I consider myself to be well traveled and adaptable and I have to say...I found myself surprisingly relieved when I made the decision to head back North.

Yes, our theory class will surely be a meet and greet ground I work with fairy tales. My favorite place to be is adult revisionist fairy tales (i.e. Angela Carter, Margaret Atwood, Oscar Wilde...etc.), but I've been known to dip into the classics and children's literature occasionally. That's going to remain my emphasis area (it's really the reason why I chose WSU). I also do quite a bit of work with feminist theory and have been branching out to film and media recently and hope to continue doing so. What are your interests or areas of research you are considering?

KenAnderson: I agree that program trumps institutional ranking. You have to go where the specialists are for your field if you hope to be successful. That said, again I'll point out that the majority (if not all) of the professors here (at Lafayette) graduated from a Research I facility. This is not something I conjured up, rather it is a fact that was pointed out by professors to students during a "What Makes you Marketable" conversation. It's just something I'm pointing out (that this university wouldn't hire the type of people if graduates). Of course, there are always exceptions, but it is food for thought and *I* certainly thought about it when I considered their offer of staying here for my PhD. Some people genuinely don't realize that publications and conferences are essential to getting a job (especially since many universities don't cover the cost...or enough of the cost for it to matter). I was just pointing out that they are essential. As far as my opinion about Rhet/Comp, I'm basing it around the conversations we've had here at UL regarding the field as well as the panels I've listened to and people I've talked to at the four conferences I've presented at over the past year. Also, this is just an fyi, Rhet/Comp didn't really gather any steam at UL until about five years ago when Dr. Ratliff came on board. Since then there have been numerous changes to the course curriculum. The most recent requirement (instituted at a university level) was the international requirement - that was this year - wherein 101/102 instructors are required to add international readings (about 6 or 7) to the syllabus. There are also, many professors here who are unhappy with the switch to rhet/comp and would like to see a return to literature in 101/102. There has also been a move to do some research on which universities are employing a rhet/comp model vs. literature model in the 101/102 classroom because it has been suggested that the move is being made by sub-par to average universities, universities with a high fresh/soph attrition rate, or universities that have a substantial class gap in the students attending. Georgia Tech has moved to a multi-modal 101/102 course and those courses are being taught using literature model not rhet/comp. I don't have much invested in this because I don't do rhet/comp, but I considered it and I listen and participate in discussions about it, but it seems that in order for there to continue being many writing instructor positions on the market rhet/comp needs to remain *as* valuable as it currently is or *increase* in value and over the past couple years...working in an institution where rhet/comp is a major component...there has been a significant push back against rhet/comp. Just recently (like a week ago) the university held a "Professions of Reading Colloquium" with visiting professors and the topic over the course of 3 days was close reading and substantial time was given to discussing bringing it and literature back to the 101/102 classrooms. It's just something to consider, and maybe not even that...maybe just information.

The R I and R 2 tags have to do with the Carnegie Classifications that are assigned to universities. I've only been recently concerned with this so feel free, anyone, to correct me if I'm wrong. It seems that the R I and R 2 tags are no longer being used by Carnegie (they've developed a new ranking system) although their new ranking system does translate and departments still refer to universities as R I an R 2. From what I understand (from a professor) the ranking of R I and R 2 has to do with what kind of research is being done, how much of it is being done, and how many doctoral students the institution is graduating. When it was explained to me it reminded me of the division classifications used in sports. The easiest way to find out what your university is ranked is to ask. ALL of your professors usually know (I have no idea why many/all don't tell us). When I was accepted to WSU and they were trying to convince me to go they kept saying "Research One" over and over again. That's when I started paying attention and asking questions. Also, familiarize yourself with the Carnegie Classifications http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/lookup_listings/ Here you can read the descriptions of what each classification means and look up universities to see what classification they have been assigned. Lafayette has a "Doc/STEM doctoral, STEM dominant" classification meaning that the research doctoral degrees which are awarded their are heavily based in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math. What this means is if you go on the market with an PhD in English from Lafayette the academy doesn't recognize that you've graduated from a research institution (this is seconded by the English program which is a "general" program). WSU has a "Comp/Doc:Med/Vet Comprehensive Doctoral with Medical and Veterinary" ranking meaning research doctorate degrees are awarded in a range of fields (the first one listed is humanities, social science and STEM). Thus, the academy recognizes you've graduated from a research intensive program. The program generally supports their rank (meaning you can tell a lot based on how the program is structured). At Lafayette the program is labeled by the department as "general" and you take 4 comprehensive exams. This supports the general program (which is not, by its nature, research intensive). At WSU you declare a field (i.e. nineteenth-century lit) and an emphasis (fairy tales) and your comp is structured around that specialty (which supports the universities research status). Hope this helps.

I agree that you need to be specific. You can always change your focus once you get into a program if you wish. In your SOP I would mention your undergraduate thesis (i.e. as an undergraduate I wrote....) Don't waste a lot of time on it, but you could spare a couple sentences to talk about it and why you liked working with it (I would say max 3 sentences). If you want to continue studying Victorian novels in your MA program, then after you briefly discuss your undergraduate thesis you could introduce your interest to continue with that field of study in your MA work. I've always had success with giving examples. For example, I work with fairy tales so in my SOP for PhD applications I stated, "While I have a thorough understanding of the history of fairy tales and have written and presented several papers on classical fairy tales and fairy tales through children’s literature, I prefer to work with revisionist fairy tales either directly, such as Emma Donoghue’s Kissing the Witch, or indirectly, like Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland or Neil Gaiman’s Coraline." So, perhaps you may want to consider mentioning a couple authors with whom you'd be interested in working with (I think text might be too narrow and just Victorian novels seems a little to broad). You could also narrow by time period (between the years of ...), or theory, sometimes even genre (i.e. Gothic Victorian novels). I hope this helps a little. Good Luck!!

I would agree that SOPs and Writing Samples are more important that GRE scores...especially the SOP. The trick to writing a good SOP is to know the university you are applying to (really know it) and know your field. Take the time to read about the university to explore the faculty and their publications. When you write your SOP be specific and be knowledgeable about your field. Talk about why you think you'd be a good fit for their program. Mention professors that you may want to work with by name, if the university is known for something (i.e. most of the universities I applied to encouraged interdisciplinary work...which is essential for my field as it crosses into many disciplines...so I said that). If they have a press that produces a journal about what you study, say that. Try to weave what you study into their program. "Cutting Edge" differs from university to university, but all universities are looking for someone who they think is a good fit. The best SOPs you write are the ones where you are honest, matter of fact, and you don't have a hard time weaving your interests into those of the university you are applying to. Your SOP should change with every institution. If you're having trouble naming a faculty member with whom you'd want to study it's probably a sign you shouldn't be applying there (I've chucked schools off lists for this). Good Luck!!!

I just turned 30 and I'm graduating this semester with my MA from Louisiana at Lafayette and am headed to WSU (Detroit) for a PhD. I don't think age is an issue with professors teaching into their 70s. Having said that, I often feel that because I'm older I can't afford to make the "silly" mistakes I may have made when I was younger. With the job market on the other end of the PhD tunnel it's especially important to situate in the most advantageous position. Sometimes I feel like all the good advice is kept under wraps; that we don't talk about it enough (how to succeed). Here are the important things that I've learned (either by experience or through research and talking with professors). 1) Your institution's ranking DOES matter. Louisiana at Lafayette is a Research Two institution. You want to be in a Research One institution. I believe all of the English Professors here (at UL) have a degree from a Research One institution (at least all the major players do - those on the tenure track). SO, this means that *even* Research Two institutions *don't* hire the people that they graduate because they are looking for the people who graduated from Research One institutions. This doesn't mean that you *won't* get a job if you graduate from a Research Two institution OR that you *will* get a job if you graduate from a Research One institution BUT graduating from a Research One institution is half the battle. 2) Fit is important. Because everything is so saturated, fit is important (for both you and the school). Don't get discouraged if you apply to a bunch of places and don't get in. Your application could have been amazing, but decision boards are looking for perfect fits...and you should be too. Go where the specialists are for *your* field. It will only increase your chances at getting a job because you'll have worked with the specialists in your field and you're likely to be better supported. When I applied for PhD programs, I only applied to 6 because only 6 had a strong background in what I do. Most professors will urge you to apply to 15 (10-15 will get you 1 acceptance...that's the methodology). It's a good methodology if there are 15 places you could apply to, but don't just throw darts at a map to fill the last 5 (or in my case 9) spots. Those last off the cuff 5 universities will usually know that you're not a good fit and even if you *do* get in - what good is it if there are little resources for you to draw on. For the record, I broke the rule, got accepted to 3 of the 6 institutions (including my first choice) and was told to reapply next fall to 2 others for entry (1 was a flat out NO). 3) Conferences. Conferences are important. They are especially important if you're looking to move up the academic chain (i.e. go from an MA program to a PhD). As a general rule, internationally ranked conferences are the best, nationally ranked conferences are good, other conferences are okay, and a conference at your own university is better than nothing (but doesn't count for much). *Any* conference that has to do with your field is *great* (small or large) and adds bonus points to the above statuses. 4) Publications. Publications are going to be important in securing a job (especially with the market). Research has shown that, even today, hiring committees *prefer* those who have conferenced and published over those who are good, even exceptional teachers. Universities clamor to grab students who are strong in publishing and conferencing. Also, publishing is weighted more heavily than conferencing...publishing is supremo. As far as choosing a field *shrugs* lot's of people have jumped on the Rhet/Comp train lately because of it's *great* job prospects. The consequence of that could be an over-saturated market soon. Rhet/Comp tends to operate under the ideology that all programs are making the change to Rhet/Comp and that's simply not true. In fact, many of the higher ranked universities (Research One) are still using literature in their 101/102 classes. There is also a shift to multi-modal teaching going on right now so media is an up and coming field. My advice (for what it's worth) is to choose a field you love. If you love it, you will work to do well in it and if you do well, the money will eventually come!

Yes, WSU English. Nice to meet you, too! I do have a car, but I plan on walking (maybe biking) as well.

Hi I'm headed to Detroit as well for a PhD in English Lit. Coming from Louisiana (University of Louisiana at Lafayette), but my homebase is Illinois. I was originally like "eh, scary" but I've been doing some researcch and talking with some friends who know the area and I don't think it's nearly as bad as people make it out to be. I will say that if you're not going to live on campus (I'm not), then you should probably live in Midtown. It's the closest to campus and all of Midtown is patrolled by the WSU Police (Midtown has the lowest neighborhood crime rate in Detroit). The theatre scene is really getting me excited. On the whole, I think it's going to be great!