boomah

Are profs normally okay with that? I'd love to do that if it's an acceptable thing!

I'm actually doing an MA in Comp Lit right now! But I'm in the same boat as you, youngcharlie, because I'm thinking of transitioning to History for a PhD, and I'm worried that my BA in English and MA in Comp Lit won't do it. Would you guys suggest me getting another MA, or is the switch possible without?

Oh--I'm happy to do it for free. But is it really not going to help with admissions? Wouldn't the experience reflect well on me, especially if they write me a letter of rec saying that I'm capable of working in history despite my background?

Hi all, I hope everyone's application season is going well! I majored in English back as an undergraduate and now would like to transition to graduate school in History. I'll be applying next year, to MA as well as PhD programs, but I was thinking of what I could do in the meantime to improve my chances at admission especially given my non-traditional background. I'll be moving back to my hometown in the summer, and I was wondering if it would be appropriate to reach out to individual History faculty members at my alma mater (or another institution) and offer to become their research assistant. I think it would be great valuable experience for me and would provide something History-related for my resume. To them, the benefit is that they get someone to research for them, write, edit, whatever they want. It's mutual benefit--yay! But is this a thing? Would it be appropriate to do that? Would they be happy to receive an offer of free assistance or would they be creeped out at this out-of-the-blue email? Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you.

Hi everyone, In my new role this year, I'll be working with students on revising and editing their papers. Normally, they come into office hours and we look at the paper together, and discuss it there together, in person. To the many of you with TA experience: how do you give feedback on papers? What steps do you go through, or what questions do you ask yourself, to look for weaknesses in student papers? I'm a bit nervous doing this for the first time...

Any experiences? I'm interested in this as well.

I think there's this expectation that you need to be brilliant to get into grad school. So if you don't feel brilliant, and you see all these other kids who know so much more, you naturally feel like an imposter. But I think your point is really important, that we're there to learn anyway. Gah! I hate it when that happens to me. But I guess you're right, I need to focus on my interests and become an expert on them (while of course keeping my eyes open to new interests). So true. Like you said, I think we're all capable of producing serious scholarly work. Any gaps in knowledge are easily filled, so there's really nothing much to worry about : )

Hey, thank you so much for all the responses! They were all really helpful. Yeah, I'm just starting to realize that. I think it's going to be postcolonial for me. That sounds so useful! I wish I'd done something like that during undergrad days. If it's not much of a hassle, would it be possible to share a screenshot of one of these master spreadsheets? (By the way, Wyatt's Torch, I noticed you're planning on applying to Rice. I did my undergraduate there, so if you have any questions, I can try to answer whatever I know). Yeah, I'll have to train myself in that. proflorax, thanks for that super helpful post! I sort of have imposter syndrome right now. Do you remember what it was that led you from having imposter syndrome to writing the best seminar paper? What steps did you take to ensure you're performing well? Definitely need to do that. Will start right now!

When I was an undergraduate English major, I never actually felt that I'm at the top of my class. Now that I'm starting an MA, I'd really like to excel. What are your tips to performing well in studying literature? Some mistakes I'm thinking of avoiding this time around: -Not giving myself enough time to read -Starting papers the night before -Writing papers without discussing the ideas with professors -Going to class without any prepared thoughts on the readings What other advice and tips can you guys offer? (In general about literary studies, or the way you analyze literature, or how to handle an MA lit program, or anything else about being a grad student/student of literature). Thanks!

Thanks for all the replies! This was the program I was most interested in, due to it being close to home: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/mes/graduate/mes/programs.php The program requires 6 hours of history courses, as well as : • 6 hours of arts/humanities • 6 hours of concentration courses I'm not sure if the above 12 hours can also be history, but if so, that'll be a total of 18 history hours. Then, there'll be six hours of thesis under a history prof. I'd appreciate it if any of you guys could comment on how history PhD programs would perceive it.

Unfortunately, I don't have many history classes... I wish I had known my future plans during my undergrad days, but I was sort of clueless back then. The reason I was considering a Mid East Studies MA was that it focuses on the Mid East, as opposed to many MA History programs I've seen which seem quite general (you take courses on all sorts of regions and time periods). Also, there seems to be better funding for Mid East studies MA programs, and they also seem to be quite flexible, allowing me to focus on history courses. Considering that, do you still think a History MA would be better? Are there any History MA programs you would recomend that have strong Mid East faculty/resources? Thanks!

That was probably a good idea. I'm sorry, I don't frequent the forums that much, so I forget what I've written! Basically: my undergraduate was in English, and I'm now headed for a master's in Comparative Lit. But I'd like to switch gears after that and go for a History PhD. What I was wondering was: how do I tailor my Comp Lit MA program so that it benefits me in History PhD admissions? And would that be enough to get into History PhD programs, or would I need to another Master's? My area of interest is the Middle East, so I'm considering doing another Master's in Middle Eastern Studies before applying to PhD programs.

Hi all, I'm starting a one-year master's in the Fall in Comparative Literature, after which I hope to switch to History. What can I do during my master's program to help my chances of transitioning to history? Would I need to do a second MA in History? (My undergrad was in English). Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks! That's definitely helpful. I guess I should start scouting for History programs then.

Hey all, I'm a bit confused on whether to pursue a PhD in Middle Eastern studies, or in History focusing on the Middle East. Middle Eastern studies is appealing because of its interdisciplinary nature; my interests include modern Arab history and politics, colonialism and nationalism in the Middle East, Middle Eastern religious movements, as well as Islamic law and theology. I also have an interest in Mughal history and Islamic revivalist efforts in South Asia, which I'm not sure will fit in every Middle Eastern studies department, but will in at least some (such as Columbia's MESAAS). The appeal of History is that the field seems more solid and established. I have no idea about the statistics, but my impression is that it'll be easier to get a TT job with a History degree than with a Middle Eastern studies one (not many universities have Mid Eastern studies departments). But then, I'm afraid that History could be too limiting to my interests. I don't come from a History background, so I hope I'm wrong on that! So what do y'all think? Any advice? Thank you.

Dear language learners, In your experience learning a foreign language, what have the most effective methods for picking up and retaining new vocabulary? Thank you.

I know that undergrads usually say "Dr. Smith" or "Professor Smith," and PhD students normally call professors by their first names, but where do MA students fall in?

Off topic: are there any funded MA programs in Middle Eastern studies / Islamic Studies / NELC?

Anyone going to Dartmouth this fall?

Thanks for that detailed reply! And thank you everyone else for the further suggestions. I'm thinking of reading Parker's book first along with the Yale course. Then, I'll get the two anthologies and read some of the primary sources. Then maybe some more general books. Then postcolonial. Sigh. So much reading, so little time.

Hey thank you everyone for the suggestions! The only book I've read is Jonathan Culler's Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, which davidipse also mentioned. I also read excerpts from various primary sources during my undergraduate classes on lit theory, but I was way too busy that semester to pay attention, hence my need for more. What do you mean by theory with a small t? Thanks! That looks quite useful. That sounds like a fun essay! Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Seems like I have a lot of theory reading ahead of me. For those who asked, my main interest is in postcolonial theory, so if y'all have any suggestions for good books in that, I'd appreciate those as well. I was thinking of reading a couple of general books first (like the ones suggested here), and, once I'd gotten the general feel for theory, move on to postcolonial readings specifically.

Hi all, Do any of you know any good books that will give me solid grounding in literary theory? I know the basics, and I'm looking to go a bit deeper in... Thanks!

I lurk more than post, but I'm an MA applicant. I applied to two programs, got accepted to one (with funding), and will most likely be accepted at the other as well (though there's no funding there, so I'm settled on the first). I felt that I needed some more time and thought before I figured out PhD plans. Hence the MA.

Hey thanks everyone for the replies! They were quite helpful. So, basically: Don't read fast, know what you should be reading, skip/skim what's of limited interest, do previous research. brod, do you have any recommendations for particularly helpful online videos?

Since most of y'all are students of literature, how do you read quickly? (Novels/papers/essays/books etc.) Sometimes I feel that I read too slowly. If I force myself to read fast, I'm bound to miss important details. Any tips or techniques?