rhetoricus aesalon

That makes at least three of us that I know of! It's great that even so close to retirement, Cindy is offering to be close to the incoming cohort. She's great.

I love mini-vacations! I went to Savannah, Georgia with the hubs back in June. It was lovely and the first time this Californian had real sweet tea. Now I'm hooked!
 
As for the rest of the summer, I was fortunate enough to receive a hefty summer fellowship to complete my language requirement, so I didn't have to work or teach. I spent a month at Gallaudet University in their immersive summer ASL program, and as of this week, I am the first English grad student at UMD to satisfy the language requirement with ASL! The program itself was great, too. We had wonderful teachers and great classmates who were dedicated to becoming fluent in sign. I want to continue developing my ASL knowledge and skills throughout my time here in DC, so I'm sure that wasn't my last class at Gally.
 
Other than that, I've been assisting in a research project for my writing program, marathoning all the things on Netflix (I finished up re-watching The Office and the first four seasons of the West Wing; now, I starting Nikita for the first time), and preparing for all things baby. I've read through a couple of pregnancy books, did a prenatal yoga class, and started the registry. Oh, we also had our twenty week ultrasound this week and found out we are having a girl.
 
Next week, the hubs and I fly out to California for some much needed family time. We won't be able to fly out during the holidays (doctors frown on going into labor while 30,000 feet in the air), so we're spending two weeks with both of our families, soaking in all the family love, oceanic breeze, and burritos we can. 

The rumors are partially true. Cindy Selfe is retiring in two years. She agreed to be my joint advisor (I have a second) because she won't be around for my whole PhD. I'm pleased to get to work with her in any capacity because she was a large part of the appeal of OSU.

I finished my M.A. thesis!!!

Hey! I'm going to be attending in the Fall and moving this summer in July. I'm in the English department, but I'm hoping to meet people who like to write songs/play guitar/sing from all over. Anybody a musician?

Right. In my opinion, I think your interests are varied and general enough to be applied to many, many grad programs in rhet/comp. Primarily, because pedagogy is such a strong part of rhet/comp in general, most if not all programs will have a strong emphasis here, though you might want to check out the International Writing Centers Association (IWCA) or the Writing Center Journal to see which institutions are represented by their scholars as being leaders in writing center pedagogy specifically.
 
Generally speaking, feminist rhetoric will be similar: there are lots of people doing work here at many institutions. You might be interested in checking out (or joining) the Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition (CWSHRC) and more specifically the related conference FemRhets to see where scholars interested in this work are located. Here's a link to former conference programs: http://femrhets.cwshrc.org/past-conferences/.  Though, if you have a specific historical interest related to this area (maybe with your interests it would be contemporary feminist and cultural rhetorics?) you might be able to narrow down the search a bit.
 
Nonconventional texts and media, which you will see more under the term of multimodal composition, is also a big topic, but narrowing it down to graphic fiction is helpful. I just did a bit of poking around on the Kairos website and found a number of articles that might point you toward scholars and institutions doing work in the area; here's the link: http://www.google.com/cse?cx=006155699516671758047%3Abyaez4fl6ce&ie=UTF-8&q=comics#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=comics. 
 
With all that said, I stick to my claim that you will have the resources to succeed at many programs. Nearly all unis have a writing center now, and feminist and multimodal scholars are a staple to any department. Though, with that said, you might want to look into Michigan State if you haven't already. It will not be a safety school by any means--it's regarded as one of the top programs in the country--but I feel as though the program would align well with your specific interests in cultural studies. I have some personal reservations about the program we can talk about if you PM me, but there's no arguing it's a great program.
 
I'm sure you'll get better advice from others on the thread, but I think this is at least a good place to start!

I'm going to grad school because I have a fundamental intellectual curiosity and desire to be part of the scholarly conversation, and I know a PhD will both help me become part of the discourse and will situate me to land a job that actually PAYS me to do so.
 
The PhD will also give me the clout necessary to go to bat for programs that are important for students' development as writers, programs which have historically been marginalized because it's difficult (but not impossible) to assess their benefit. The PhD is necessary for gravitas.
 
I'm going to grad school because I've been watching my field (Comp/Rhet) grow over the past ten years, and I've noticed that job postings are more and more requiring PhDs, so if I want to continue to do the work in writing centers that I've been doing without limiting my options, I need a terminal degree.
 
In short, my reasons for going to grad school are not because I love books or writing (though I do), or because I wax poetic about wearing a tweed jacket with elbow patches and discussing rhetoric all day (though tweed is cool), but because I care about people and ensuring they have the tools to be the most awesome versions of themselves as possible. I am getting a PhD because the education allows me the opportunity to stretch and grow in new and challenging ways that will let me continue doing the work I love to do with writing centers and the writers who come through their doors.

Okay, now we can get started! If writing centers are an interest of yours, check with Academicat; one of her main interests is writing center administration. She's heading to Ohio State, but I can't remember what other programs she applied to. For feminist rhetoric, University of Arizona, Miami University, Ohio State, Maryland, Arizona State University, and Penn State are all great places. Miami and the two Arizonas both have funded rhet/comp MA's... I think. There are definitely more, but those were the programs on my radar. The great thing is that most all rhetoric programs will welcome students who are into nonconventional texts or media. I don't know of any with a stated cultural studies emphasis, but since rhetoric is found in pretty much any medium, you'll likely be encouraged to go out and discover some ripe pop culture texts for analysis! I am working on an article right now about a queer feminist zine that was popular in the early aughts; I also work with Twitter hashtags. I've never had a problem convincing a professor in rhet/comp that a certain text was worth studying. Still, it may be wise to look at the last few issues of some of the big journals in our field (Rhetoric Society Quarterly, Rhetoric Review, CCC) and see if anyone is doing the kind of work you want to do. Then, see where they work/study and where they went to grad school. That may help you narrow down the list.
 
As for your concerns about your competitiveness, I'm with Chadillac. You seem like you actually have some pretty strong assets under your belt. One of the great things about our field is that prestige of your undergrad institution doesn't hold weight. I don't think I know any rhet/comp grad students who came from the Ivy system! Rhet/comp as a field flourishes in public institutions (I don't know of any privates that even offer a rhet/comp emphasis), so don't consider your undergrad a deficit. 

I, too, agree that the idea of safety schools can be unhelpful at the grad level. Here's a former thread that discussed the idea at length last season: 
 
One thing I did want to mention, too, is that it sounds like you are in a great place to be a competitive applicant. Of course it's just my opinion, but having conference participation and taking the steps to do independent study in rhet/comp at the undergrad level are great points that will be invaluable as you are drafting up your SOP.
 
Have you come across any scholars that are particularly of interest to your studies? Any topics that peak your interest? As proflorax mentions, knowing a bit more about your interests is tremendously helpful in offering suggestions for programs that may be more/less competitive in their applications.

Hi, madhusirmani. Welcome!
 
As Wyatt's Torch mentioned, each school will have a slightly different process for applying to their program, so you will want to look at the university and department websites for each school you are wanting to apply to for more information. These websites will list their GRE requirements, too.
 
From your thread's title, I see you are interested in English lit, so you are right in thinking that most schools will require you take both the GRE general and GRE subject tests. If you do indeed need to take the subject test, I recommend you look to enroll to take it as soon as possible, as there are a very limited number of times per year in which you can take that test. The GRE general, on the other hand, can be taken just about any day of the year. Have you done some looking around the GRE website? If not, the link to do so is here: http://www.ets.org/gre.
 
Best of luck with your applications!

I, too, agree that the idea of safety schools can be unhelpful at the grad level. Here's a former thread that discussed the idea at length last season: 
 
One thing I did want to mention, too, is that it sounds like you are in a great place to be a competitive applicant. Of course it's just my opinion, but having conference participation and taking the steps to do independent study in rhet/comp at the undergrad level are great points that will be invaluable as you are drafting up your SOP.
 
Have you come across any scholars that are particularly of interest to your studies? Any topics that peak your interest? As proflorax mentions, knowing a bit more about your interests is tremendously helpful in offering suggestions for programs that may be more/less competitive in their applications.

I agree with mikers and Wyatt'sTorch that no PhD program should be considered a safety school, but if we know your interests and goals, we can suggest programs where you'll be a more competitive candidate. What are your research interests? Are you applying to MA and/or PhD programs? What is your career goal (university professor, community college instructor, high school teacher, editor, etc)? 

I agree with Chadillac: rhet/comp is a different beast, primarily because so few universities have undergrad programs in writing studies. My BA and MA are both in literature, so when I made the jump, my best seminar paper was a paper from a literature class. However, it did still align with my stated interests. In my writing sample, I looked at the representation of writing in two autobiographies through a feminist disability studies lens. Since disability studies and feminist theory were stated interests in my SoP, my WS wasn't a huge departure from the candidate persona I was trying to present. As writers, we frame our work in different ways depending on our audience; in my SoP, I discussed my previous work in literature in a way that lined up with my rhet/comp research interests. If you want to see how one successful candidate made the switch from lit to rhet/comp, I'm happy to share my materials with you! 

In my experience, rhet/comp is a bit different. If only because there still aren't very many undergrad programs in rhetoric, it's unreasonable to expect these two documents to connect when in practice most students don't have substantial experience with the kinds of research being done in rhet/comp as undergrads. For example, I used a paper in medieval lit for my MA applications to rhet programs, and I don't feel like it was a detriment. I should also mention my BA is in rhet/comp.
 
I'm trying to remember, too -- you're applying to MA programs, right? If that's the case, my opinion is you'll have minimal to no issues with a paper in a different subfield. But for a PhD, even in rhet, it will be more to your advantage to have a united SOP and WS. Applications at the PhD level don't just show you're capable of writing and supporting an argument but also that you are knowledgeable in a topic that you are planning to undertake in a dissertation. It's more of a risk for an adcomm to accept you based on a sample that is out of touch with your stated research interests, though certainly not a deal breaker.
 
Best of luck with your applications!

In my experience, rhet/comp is a bit different. If only because there still aren't very many undergrad programs in rhetoric, it's unreasonable to expect these two documents to connect when in practice most students don't have substantial experience with the kinds of research being done in rhet/comp as undergrads. For example, I used a paper in medieval lit for my MA applications to rhet programs, and I don't feel like it was a detriment. I should also mention my BA is in rhet/comp.
 
I'm trying to remember, too -- you're applying to MA programs, right? If that's the case, my opinion is you'll have minimal to no issues with a paper in a different subfield. But for a PhD, even in rhet, it will be more to your advantage to have a united SOP and WS. Applications at the PhD level don't just show you're capable of writing and supporting an argument but also that you are knowledgeable in a topic that you are planning to undertake in a dissertation. It's more of a risk for an adcomm to accept you based on a sample that is out of touch with your stated research interests, though certainly not a deal breaker.
 
Best of luck with your applications!

Perhaps this would be worth checking out http://www.amazon.com/Empty-Houses-Theatrical-Failure-Novel/dp/0691153167
 
It's by David Kurnick, who teaches at Rutgers

In my experience, rhet/comp is a bit different. If only because there still aren't very many undergrad programs in rhetoric, it's unreasonable to expect these two documents to connect when in practice most students don't have substantial experience with the kinds of research being done in rhet/comp as undergrads. For example, I used a paper in medieval lit for my MA applications to rhet programs, and I don't feel like it was a detriment. I should also mention my BA is in rhet/comp.
 
I'm trying to remember, too -- you're applying to MA programs, right? If that's the case, my opinion is you'll have minimal to no issues with a paper in a different subfield. But for a PhD, even in rhet, it will be more to your advantage to have a united SOP and WS. Applications at the PhD level don't just show you're capable of writing and supporting an argument but also that you are knowledgeable in a topic that you are planning to undertake in a dissertation. It's more of a risk for an adcomm to accept you based on a sample that is out of touch with your stated research interests, though certainly not a deal breaker.
 
Best of luck with your applications!

Good advice here so far. My addition is this: find out more about what academic careers entail. You mention liking reading and writing, which is great! But while those interests are key, I would say enjoying research and teaching are even more integral. So much of the academic career is obsessing over one unanswered question and going to great lengths to discover or craft an answer. I'd say that most often, the research takes up more time and resources than the writing. And then there's teaching-- with the way the job market is changing, more and more full-time jobs are teaching intensive. Perhaps talk to some professors in your department-- preferably recent hires. Ask about their job duties, scholarship, and grad school experience. See if how they describe their career aligns with what you envision for yourself.
 
Also, I'd like to end with the reminder that you can always write and read, no matter your field. I find that I did more writing when I was not in grad school, oddly enough. 

Here are some questions that I asked current graduate students in programs I visited and what students have asked me! Some of the more... "sensitive"(?) questions tend to work best over something like Skype or even better, at an in-person meeting during something like orientation or prospective student visit days, rather than email though. I also wouldn't recommend directly asking some of these questions as ice-breakers, get to know the other person a bit first
 
1. Are you happy in your program?
2. How often do you TA? What has your TA experience been like? Do you like it?
3. Do you feel that the department and professor care about your success?
4. Where else did you apply and visit? What made you choose this school over others?
5. Do you ever regret the choice you made?
6. What's one thing you wish you could change about the current grad program?
7. What do you know about working for Prof _____? (usually best if it's their advisor) What is his/her advising style like? Do you enjoy working with them?
8. Is the stipend enough to live on? Are you able to save each year? Do you have to take out additional loans?
9. What is the weather like year-round here? How hot/cold does it get? 
10. What is the rent like? How much do students usually pay? What parts of town are good places to live?
11. Is this city a safe place to live? Do you feel safe walking on the streets at night?
12. Do you know any students who are married? Have children? Is the school/department/professor supportive of students with families? (this was important to me but maybe not to everyone)
13. How many students were accepted this year? How many accepted last year, etc.... What's the average number of people that come into the program each year (some people are more hesitant to accept if there's a good chance they might be the only person in their year, or e.g. the only woman/man/minority/etc)
14. What is the atmosphere like between students in the department? Is it friendly? Competitive? Quiet? What about between the professors?
15. Do the students in the department socialize together a lot?
16. How many students graduate per year? How often is it that students fail a qualifying or candidacy exam? Are they allowed to retake them and is it automatic retake or do you have to petition for a retake (and how often are the petitions successful).
17. If summer funding is separate from the school year and you need to apply separately, how often are students successful?
18. What are the courses like at this school? How much time are we expected to spend on time (vs. research).
 
I always answer these questions honestly when I am asked and I know most grad students definitely don't mind taking some time out of their day to provide this type of information. 

I agree. I don't feel like other programs will make you overqualified. Though, it might be easier (i.e. more cost efficient) for networking with these schools to stay in Oklahoma--especially as you attend local conferences in the area. Another thing you might look into is what you need in order to be qualified to start teaching in the area. In Oregon, I was offered the opportunity to teach at a local CC after my first year of grad school--without a degree in hand--because I had completed a certain amount of graduate coursework in the area I'd teach, so this might be another reason you decide to stay in the area.
 
But my strongest recommendation is to find a program that will fund you. For me, this would be the first priority--even over location of the program. Funded programs will often offer you funds to travel to attend conferences, so you can still network in the area even if you're not living there. Plus, you will not be tens of thousands of dollars in debt for a job that may or may not pan out in the end.

The guy going into industry is starting at a higher figure than most profs will ever earn. But we don't do it for the money....

Congrats, MM!! I know how much you wanted this, and I'm so stoked that you will be joining a program you love! 

The best LOR you can get is from people who know you well. That's the first and most important thing. Now, it's better to get a LOR from someone who is better known than someone obscure because adcoms tend to put more weight on someone's word if they know them and believe they can trust them. People become known to others in their field in different ways. There is of course a correlation with being experienced and active in the field, but that doesn't mean that the best letters necessarily have to come from famous full professors. For example, a school might trust a LOR from a new assistant professor if that person was a student/post doc at the school so people know them there. Some new assistant profs are up and coming and actually get around quite a lot. Assistant profs who are in their 3-5th year on the job strive to be visible in order to help their tenure case, so they may be traveling and presenting quite a bit, and also publishing at a high rate. Newly minted Associate profs who just went through tenure probably just had a round of publications out and have been traveling in the recent past, so people will tend to remember them. On the other hand, some full professors stop being as productive once they take on administrative roles at their universities and may not carry as much weight as previously. Someone who is just retired might still be very active, or might have been really out of it for a long time; you can't know just by the person's official status. 
 
Unless you are in a situation where you have several people to choose you who know you equally well and you have the luxury of examining their records, I think the more important question in deciding who to ask for letters is what they'll write and how strong it'll be. A strong detailed letter is better than a short vague one, even if the signature on the vague one comes from someone famous.

So, I'm with the majority: DON'T DO IT! But you can certainly use this moment to your advantage.
 
There are two times when academics have any sort of power in this game, and it's when we're accepted to a grad program and when (if ever) we've been offered a TT position. So you haven't been offered funding. That doesn't mean you can't network. Make professional contacts with scholars in the program. Ask to talk with current grad students. See how others who haven't been offered funding end up paying to live in one of the most expensive places on earth without going into crippling debt or spending their entire life's savings.
 
You might end up being surprised by the resources that ARE available to you, even if that means you don't get to go to Columbia right now.

Thanks for the input everyone,
 
Just to be clear though, the programs I listed were for consideration as options for taking graduate level courses now, not for applications to their PhD programs (with the exception of Stanford which I plan on being my just for the heck of it super reach). The actual list I am developing is slightly more modest than that..
 
Poliscar - I understand your concerns with the Extension courses. I'm just trying to find a way to show some recent proffecieny in my area of interest beyond the undergraduate level. My concerns with a terminal MA is that my earliest release from the Army is 2016 at which point I will be 29/30. I don't want to get into a whole additional degree that likely will only be partially transfered towards a phd. Also, I understand funded/partially funded programs do exist, but I also do know the financial sting of having 3 degrees and I'd like to save my GI Bill for the last couple years of a phd where funding could become shaky.  
 
Chadillac,
 
Thanks for your interest. The short answer to your question is I would like to teach at a small liberal arts college while continuing to serve in the reserve component of the military. The longer answer can be found in my other active thread here:
I'm definitely feeling a little bit of the itch you describe above, though. Glad you were able to get back into it!