callmelilyb

I was accepted to a handful of solid English programs with a B.A. in Political Science. Though I did have a minor in English it was pretty bare bones (rhet/comp, grammar, and survey courses, mostly...maybe two upper division seminars that were outside my field of interest and no theory....) I also know of at least one other person in my program who has a degree in American Studies.

Hi there, I'm already in a program -- and I know that our program, while they have not yet sent out acceptances are already in the stages of planning their recruitment weekend. I assume that other programs are also doing the same. Often programs involve a few of their current students in the planning process for this (not to mention programs can be abuzz during admissions time with the planning process) and I was reaching out to some of the students who are already in these programs and may have the scoop on (tentatively) what weekend those programs were going to hold recruitment. Our program is trying their best this year not to conflict with some of the other programs that we tend to pull similar applicants from. Thanks for your response though.

Hey all, just trying to plan ahead and wondering if anyone knows what weekends they are planning to hold their recruitment: Yale Columbia Northwestern Duke I know things are a bit early probably but if any of you are involved in the planning process or have caught word about which weekend (I'm guessing in March) that you're planning to hold recruitment that would be awesome!

Hey there - Vanderbilt has only one "required" course for PhD students which is a "Professionalization Seminar." Other than that you have complete autonomy over your coursework, and in fact, they highly encourage students to take seminars outside the department. Offically, you can take 3 courses in other departments without needing special permission beforehand, and more as long as you clear it with the dgs. Courses outside the department that are crosslisted with English (which are offered essentially every semester) do not count toward your 3 courses. Essentially everyone I know in this program has taken coursework outside the department, including myself. In addition to this, to foster interdisciplinarity, Vandy requires you to have at least one reader on your committee who is from outside the English department.

I've already sent some of my thoughts on this issue to jprufrock in a personal message but I'll add some of them here for others to consider. When one thinks about "funding" it is important to consider things outside the personal funding package that you receive. Considerations of funding should also entail how much work the program will require of you to receive your stipend (teaching two courses of 20+ students a semester is not the same as teaching one course a semester that is capped at 12). Funding also means the amount of additional monies that will be available to you for: research and conference travel, attending summer institutes, dissertation research, archival work, etc. All of which arguably have as much of an impact on your ability to get a job as a program's ranking. Lastly, funding structures have undeniable effects on department culture and environment. Granted, if you are talking about programs whose rankings are wildly disparate then these things becomes less important. If you're talking about programs in the top 25-30 range then all of these considerations should play a larger factor in your decision.

I can vouch for Vanderbilt's funding -- all students are given 5 years at around $25k/year (I want to say it's $24,500?). Quite a number of the English students receive topping up fellowships in addition to the basic funding package...I know that in my cohort of 8 people (which is larger than normal, I think they usually shoot for 6) -- 5 received topping up fellowships. These range in ammount from an additional $6-10k/year for the five years. Previous cohorts seem to be similarly well-funded. The fellowship is service-free for year one, and then years 2-5 you are responsible for one class each semester capped at 12 students. There are also dissertation enhancement grants available that relieve one from teaching in the later years. One neat thing that's also offered at Vanderbilt is that after you finish your dissertation in the 5th year, you are guaranteed a one year lectureship for year 6 with full pay and benefits that you can devote to being on the job market. Apparently it can be helpful to go on the job market with dissertation "in hand" and also not being trying to wrap up a dissertation and apply for jobs at the same time. *Okay, I'll end my Vanderbilt plug here! Besides the personal benefits of having a breat funding package, I think it's also important to keep in mind how much funding structures and packages influence the program environment. Programs that fund all students generously, it seems, tend to be less competitive, more collegial and collaborative. I can certainly say that is true for Vanderbilt's program. Other, larger or less generously funded programs tend to be more competitive, as students vie for limited fellowships and grants. This could or could not hold true generally -- my assumptions are based on my limited experiences with friends and family in various programs.... I wouldn't be quick to assume that one system is better than the other -- I believe it really depends on the person. Some people really do thrive and produce better work under the pressure and demands of a competitive environment. Others buckle under that sort of pressure. It's good to know what kind of environment you do your best work in. I also agree that the private/public funding split doesn't always hold true. The funding pacakge at Rutgers is certainly generous than others I have seen at some of the big name private programs. It really depends. And as others have mentioned, even if the base package at a public program isn't great, almost all programs have topping up fellowships and additional funding opportunities that can make for a financially comfortable package. At any rate, I think it's best to apply without regard to funding -- because you never know what your personal funding offer will be until you get that letter....it may be much better (or worse) than you expected. If anyone else has any questions about or is interested in Vandy's program, I'd be happy to answer questions. Good luck you guys (I promise you will live through this)!

Thanks samjones!

So I feel like I'm probably off-topic based on the direction this thread has taken, and where it's ended up but I'd still like to make a few (hopefully) succinct comments on issues that were breached earlier in the conversation regarding privilege. As far as privilege is concerned, I'd argue that true privilege goes far beyond, and much deeper than things like "free time" and unlimited resources. What about the privilege of even knowing from an early age that you'll be going to college, or that graduate school exists, or that it exists as an option for you? What about the privilege of higher education even being part of the paradigm through which you evaluate your life options? Free time, having to work while studying or attending school, having the resources to buy books and apply for school, etc. etc. are all very real disadvantages for lots of people, but they are also quite palpable disadvantages that we can articulate and conceivably do something about. Coming from a family/heritage/background/culture/subculture/socioeconomic status/etc. where education isn't even talked about, let alone valued is a disadvantage that is far less tangible and far more difficult to overcome. While I'd say that there are probably a small percentage of people in damn near every program (including Harvard, Yale, etc.) that come from what we stereotypically view as "disadvantaged" i.e. they worked to put themselves through school, faced hardships, etc. I'd argue that there are very few students in these programs who never even thought they'd go to college in the first place. Maybe I'm wrong here, but....I know that personally, coming from a background where nobody is educated that this was the greatest hurdle for me. I went to college (the local one) out of sheer intellectual curiosity (thanks to God I was born reasonably intelligent and found things like geography and chemistry and literature interesting) and so took random classes here and there with no real goal of becoming "educated" in mind. It wasn't until I did really well in my coursework and met with enthusiasm from professors that I thought about actually getting a college degree. Do you have any idea what it's like to look at your family members (cousins and siblings under 20 with children and without even a high school diploma) and tell them, "No, you're not going to have kids any time soon, you think you'd like to get a PhD." Cue crickets. The fact is there are lots of reasons outside of being very intelligent and very hardworking that someone won't end up at an Ivy league/top ranked school. I'm not saying that anyone has asserted anything to the contrary but rather that it's important for all of us to keep this in mind. I think we all "know" this, but ya know! At any rate I'm not sure if this is even useful to anyone but there you have it. Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE that someone actually named MY alma mater as the exemplary "opposite" of Yale. GOOOOO Chico State! LMFAO.

I got into two programs this year straight from undergrad. I hadn't take any graduate coursework (except a few of those undergrad/grad hybrid seminars that have been mentioned). I'm also sort of an oddbird in that I was a political science (actually IR) major. I had only completed the equivalent of about half an English minor (18 units I believe) when I applied. I came from a completely unranked public univeristy....I got into good programs, one is top 20 (Comp Lit) and one is top 30 (English). So it CAN be done. That being said, these are my thoughts: My main concern for those coming straight out of undergrad would be the writing sample. Not having completed an MA or having done any graduate coursework I hadn't really written a paper over 6 pages in English, let alone a serious piece of scholarship. This meant I had to spend A LOT of time turning a 6 page seminar paper into a 13 page writing sample (which still should have been better/longer), and had to wade through all sorts of intense and obscure theory on my own. Plus, I had to take my best paper which was in an area of literature completely unrelated to what I wanted to work in. I think for some who come from undergraduate programs that are more rigorous or that require a more serious piece of scholarship (like an Honors Thesis or Senior Thesis) might not be in such bad shape but I am LUCKY that I got into two great programs with the writing sample I had. Coming straight from undergrad (and non-English major at that) my area of specialization was something quite hazy (I knew I didn't want to do Victorian Lit, okay...)...and if I'd done an MA I would have been able to spend more time really figuring out what lights my world on fire and really getting a good grasp of the major arguments and issues being grappled with in that field. I could have spent time really broadening my exposure in that area reading all of the major figures, etc. etc. As it stands I've got A LOT of catch up to do this summer in the way of reading and getting well-versed in my area. While I was lucky that I got into two great PhD programs and am happy with my options I DO feel like I just barely squeaked in and there is no doubt in my mind that if I had done an MA somewhere beforehand I would have been much, much, more competitive and might have had a shot at some of those TOP TOP programs. I guess what an MA really does for you is buy you TIME, and if you take that time and use it wisely (reading lots, crafting an amazing writing sample, studying for the stupid GRE's)....it can be highly beneficial. Other thoughts: I've heard that BA-holding applicants are judged slightly less critically than MA-holding applicants. I don't know how much of this is true but it sort of makes sense that you'd be expected to be a little more polished and put together if you've gone through an MA program. My experience, both on this board and at recruitment events is that there tends to be a pretty good mix of all types of applicants. I'm sure some schools probably favor a certain type of applicant but I'm always wary of people who claim that there is a hard and fast rule anywhere (be it for type of degree or test scores or....). You've got to be an outstanding applicant, there are many, many, many different variations of this. Sometimes it means having ridiculously good test scores, sometimes it means having compelling work experience (mine really worked in my favor), sometimes it means having an MA, sometimes it means speaking three languages, sometimes it means having a very exciting and unique area of interest. Just look through this board and you'll see the range of test scores and interests and backgrounds that get into great programs. It ALWAYS means having an outstanding writing sample. I think getting an MA can really help with lots of these things, but if you've got them without it, don't waste your time. That's my 2 cents.

For some strange reason I'm kind of flattered you confused me with Pamphilia.

Hi Melusine, I declined a Rutgers Comp Lit offer, but that was about a week ago.

Ha ha. It's good to see someone so excited. This is kind of how I felt when I switched from IR to English Lit....I was exhilirated, mostly because I knew it was the right choice for me (career woes aside).

This is the case at the institution I'll be attending as well. There was a little caveat statement somewhere on my materials....while I don't think it said outright that I couldn't get an external job, it implied as much. I got the impression that that accepting the funding would require that I spend all of my time on scholarship. I believe for someone who really needs money they usually prefer that you pick up some hours doing research for a professor or something of that nature.

Bwahahaha. My existence has just been rejustified (and I'm not talkin' about margins).

People like James Franco make it impossible to justify my existence.