callmelilyb

Just finished: The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Have about ten pages left in: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Am about 150 pages into: The Way of All Flesh. Also reading: A shit-ton of poetry in the vein of Emily Dickinson, Eight American Poets and Poem A Day. Next I want to read: Invisible Man. This is a good thread to get book recommendations on... David Foster Wallace and Milan Kundera are both great. Thought Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance had some interesting moments but was overrated.

Yeah, actually I think that is more common. I was thinking Berkeley....but that's what I get for thinking that my little corner of experience represents the rest of the world!

I might be totally wrong here, but it's my understanding that RhetComp is usually it's own PhD program/department, rather than a subfield of English Lit PhD programs...I think this is different when you're talking undergraduate but once you get to the PhD level they are basically separate fields. Could be wrong here though...did the programs you applied to house it as a subfield under their English PhD program? As far as competitiveness or number of applicants, I think it is generally less "popular" than the traditional English Lit route but I don't know that that makes it less competitive. I HAVE heard that it gives you a serious advantage once you hit the job market though, so if can like it, lucky you!

Um, can I just say that if I could start my undergraduate career all over again today -- I'd do Comp Lit, Russian, French. Totally hate you at the moment. :]

I'm putting a vote out there for modernism and 20th century as the most popular fields. As far as competitiveness -- I'm not sure one can really say...who knows what kind of applicants each school is looking for in a given application cycle? There are so many variables at play that I think choosing a subfield "wisely" may be kind of a wash. As other have pointed out, while Modernism and 20th Century are the most popular, and hence probably have the most applicants, I'd also proffer that there's also a lot more room for them as well. I too have heard that Medievalists have a *slight leg up as far as number of applicants, but then again, most of the medievalists I know are so die-hard that they tend to be some of the most well-qualified applicants I know too. My area of interest is one that I've sort of made up by pulling from various subfields....who knows how that will pan out?

Okay you guys -- what do you think about programs who list the Subject Test as "Recommended"? I know that "highly recommended" means that you should really send it in, and that optional means send it if your score is good and don't send it if it's low, but I'm not sure where on the spectrum "recommended" lies? I'm specifically thinking of Rutgers Comp Lit program...if anyone has specific information about them. To give some context I'd prefer to NOT send it, since my verbal score is high (740) but my subject test score is low (550)....do you think for someone like me it would be best not to inlcude it? How are others in similar situations handling the "recommended" category? Thanks!

I'm going to second the comments made by the previous poster regarding your "chances" -- in general your application looks very solid and I think you've got a good chance of getting in. And as far as age goes, I think it could go either way. While it's certainly impressive that you've done all of these things by the age of eighteen (and now I'm going to be a crusty old person) I also think there is a certain maturity that comes with age that is nearly impossible to grasp until you've had a few more years of life experience -- and I think adcoms might feel the same way too. Gosh, I'm 25 years old and I wonder if I'll seem "mature" enough to adcoms. That doesn't mean you shouldn't apply, or that you don't stand a very good chance of getting in, but rather that if you don't get in this round I'd say it has more to do with that than anything else and I'd suggest you perhaps apply to a masters program or two that you could get started on just in case to prove to adcoms the next time around that you really can hold your own in high level academia. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Since I know that none of you are busy right now and have all the time in the world to devote to me and my application process....I was wondering if anyone on here would be willing to read my statement of purpose and hack it to pieces with a rusty blade? I would most excited about readers who are not afraid to hurt my feelings or tell me that I'm a total jackass or that I need to start over with a blank sheet of paper, etc. I've read suggestions that some of you have given to other people who have posted and I think you guys are basically dead on and know what you're talking about so I'd very much appreciate your knowledgeable insight/criticism. If any of you are willing to read it and offer insights, please PM me and I will send it your way....I'd also be more than willing to read yours and offer my own suggestions as well!

Since I know that none of you are busy right now and have all the time in the world to devote to me and my application process....I was wondering if anyone on here would be willing to read my statement of purpose and hack it to pieces with a rusty blade? I would most excited about readers who are not afraid to hurt my feelings or tell me that I'm a total jackass or that I need to start over with a blank sheet of paper, etc. I've read suggestions that some of you have given to other people who have posted and I think you guys are basically dead on and know what you're talking about so I'd very much appreciate your knowledgeable insight/criticism. If any of you are willing to read it and offer insights, please PM me and I will send it your way....I'd also be more than willing to read yours and offer my own suggestions as well!

So we've got "be forthcoming" and "don't list anything" out on the table.... Ultimately, I agree that it's probably not a seriously important factor on the apps, but I have a feeling that they use it for something if they specifically ask for it....and the uses that other posters have mentioned seem likely. I'll have to chew this one over for a little bit longer and see if anybody else weighs in..... Thanks!

I remember reading a post that covered this issue a month or two ago but not I can't seem to find it anywhere. I'm just wondering what you guys think about listing other schools that you're applying to on your application? Are you guys dropping big name schools, showing your range or just keeping mum? I'm not sure what to take from this application questions or why they want this information...any insights?

Thanks for the link!

Duke has separate PhD programs in English and Literature....literature seems to be more interdisciplinary, but not specifically "comp lit" per se, while English looks like a traditional English Literature program. Does anyone know about these respective programs and what the differences are? Does one have a better reputation than the other? Thanks!

Hello all! I have spent hours looking through websites trying to scrub up a list of programs that would me strong in immigrant literatures, minority literatures, ethnic american literatures (especially latino/chicano, but also asian, afam, etc.)....but my list is pretty slim. Anyone know of programs that are particularly strong in these areas? Thank you!

I've tried to make my fit paragraphs refer to university and programs strengths rather than naming specific faculty...I kind of feel like I have no idea if I want to work with someone until I get there....but I CAN tell if the program has the kinds of resources for my articulated project, if they share the same values and approach that I do, or if they even just have "a lot" of faculty working in complementary areas. The only time I mention faculty by name is when I have read one of their works in its entirety and therefore feel comfortable making some assumptions about whether or not we might have common interests. I know there are a lot of people on here that get really into the nitty gritty of naming professors, and I think that is ONE of the available approaches, but certainly not the only one. What you really want to convey is that you've got a legitimate reason for applying there, and I think that can be done without dropping names.

Thanks for putting everything into perspective for me. You guys are awesome!

Pamphilia: I think relevancy is a matter of packaging. Well, 99% of the time anyhow...but without knowing what kinds of things you're really thinking about I couldn't speak to whether or not it's too much of a stretch. But, as far as I know, the personal statement is the one place where you can get away with that kind of stuff....

I thought all of the UC campuses asked for one, but it looks like UCLA doesn't. Sorry to worry you guys!

Can anyone else give me a yay or nay vote on whether or not I should still apply this application round? A simple yes or no will suffice, an explanation is just a bonus! Thanks you guys!

Did anyone else see the thread over in the general "applications" section about submitting apps? There are crazy people on there who already submitted apps that aren't due for weeks and months! Holy cow. I want to keep working on my writing sample and SOP until an hour before they're due for crying out loud!

I'm kind of in a similar situation....I also have a mix of programs that ask for both personal statement and statement of purpose. Trying to write a statement that works for both types of programs has been one hell of a task! How personal do I get in the statement of purpose depends on whether or not the program is also asking for a personal statement. I think, as you've mentioned that the personal statement is a perfect place to mention experiences that may not seem "directly" relevant to English but have still played an important part in shaping who you are and where you are coming from. That being said, I would guess that for the handful of schools that do specifically ask for a biographical/personal statement, that it's important to them. For places like UCLA and UC Davis (and any UC campus) they are DEFINITELY important. I can't say for sure if this is true for the other programs I see you are applying for. At any rate, take it seriously. Even if a bunch of people get on here and tell you that nobody really looks at it, does that mean you're going to risk sending in a bad piece of writing? If nothing else, I'd look at it as another opportunity to showcase my writing skills.

Thanks joeygiraldo! It is kind of my secret hope that the subject test is less important. Especially since the things I'm interested in are the very things that are poory represented on the subject test. It's good to know that an average subject test score is not necessarily grounds for being summarily rejected from good programs.

It's my understanding that programs look to your writing sample and statement of purpose for evidence of your writing abilities....I'd guess that if your AW score is 3.0 but you present a very well-written writing sample and seem eloquent in your statement of purpose (which I'm guessing is the case based on the credentials you supplied) then you have nothing to worry about. As an aside, before you took the test did you go over what each of the essay tasks were asking you to do? (Like in a study book or something like that)? Because they are fairly specific in how they want you to approach each question and what skills it is designed to measure. So perhaps, if your essay was really well written, but sort of philosophical or "abstract" as you say, then that might be what the issue was. Dunno? I know that I did well on it and I basically wrote the "high school english paper" response that I figured they were after....you know, Intro, topic sentences, conclusion, etc. But something that I'd probably get a C on if I turned it into a college class.

Hello everyone, I need some advice. I took the subject test in October and got a mediocre score of 550 (51%). I didn't major or minor in English so I guess I'm not totally surprised but I'm still really disappointed. Question: Should I even apply to PhD programs this round or should I study for a year, retake the subject test and apply next fall? I wonder if a score of 550 is going to automatically keep my from getting admitted to my dream programs....? My verbal score was high: 740 (99%). I've taken 7 upper division Lit courses with GPA of 4.0 in that coursework. My gpa in my poli-sci major is 3.97 and my cum undergrad gpa is 3.7 (3.9+ in the last three years, after ending my sophomore year with a 2.6!) I go to an unranked public university in California. I think my writing sample, statement of purpose, etc. are very good...I've gotten lots of help from various professors on campus. What kinds of scores are people who are getting into programs in the top 30 or so have? It's my understanding that you definitely want over 600 and 650 seems to be the magic number, right?

Yes, U Michigan is an awesome program. I've thought about the joint program as well, and depending on how the subject test score goes I may ultimately decide to apply to that instead. Good luck!