bhr

Dude, some of those posts are 2-3 years old. Maybe you should lay off tagging people with advice

I'm in R/C. At 26/27 you would have been the second youngest member of my cohort (with half being a decade older or more)

There were MSU results on the board a month ago.

I wouldn't let a lit theory course discourage anyone from an R/C program. We share a lot of theory with lit (they completely stole some of their guys from us).

I can tell you from my experience that it's incredibly program-specific. Last year I got waitlisted at two programs, one the same day that their acceptances went out, the other about two weeks after (I later learned that they were holding a couple slots to determine if there was going to be funding available to take a larger class). Some programs don't do waitlists or rejections at all, and just keep everyone "active" and waiting until April (they call it rolling admissions in some cases).

Note that MSU notifies R/C in December, and English in late January. We share a recruitment weekend, but that's the only overlap between the two programs.

I'm pretty sure that is Jim Ridolfo's map from rhetmap.org, and it's probably best to include the link to the main page if you are going to share it. He does a lot of work tracking programs and jobs every year. I'll also point out that your list is all over the place, and you probably need to focus in a little before applying. It appears that you are only looking at PhD direct admit programs (though I don't think ASU or Purdue offer that), so I'm not sure what the hell you are doing.

Any place that disqualifies a candidate they would otherwise accept over a minor typo or three isn't a place I would want to attend (and have to submit work to). Having worked on a major journal, I've seen the typos that leading scholars make on articles, and they think nothing of it.

Acceptances/rejections are already on the board for this year.

R/C PhD here, with a couple of very hire-able specializations, so take this all as biased: There is no question that R/C programs have better outcomes on the job market, and have for the last 5-10 years, though it should be noted that much of that hiring is either in comp studies (literally the teaching of writing) or in tech comm/business writing, so if those don't appeal to you, or you can't think of ways to do research in those areas, than you aren't really much better off than if you just get an English degree. That said, I know a number of people who have straddled the two fields, doing work on discourse communities, or looking at lit in the comp classroom, or doing DH work. The key is to make sure that you are taking enough work in pedagogy/practical professionalization, that you can talk about your teaching ability, as even the English/Lit tenure jobs require the ability to teach FYC these days if you aren't at an R1 (and even then...) So, the truth is that if you are looking at an MA I highly recommend going R/C. A much higher percentage of our MA programs are fully or partially funded, and most come with opportunities to teach your own classes or work in writing centers (two areas that offer both research opportunities and jobs). You won't get a tenured job with an MA, but it will give you enough experience to know if R/C is something you would consider pursuing, without costing much out of pocket, and, if you opt to go into a lit PhD after, you will be a more competitive candidate both for the PhD and on the job market with that experience. We all read much of the same theorists anyway (they won't admit it, but Derrida is one of ours). You can also look at programs like UMich's english ed, where you take a mix of classes from literacy, R/C, English, etc. The other thing I'll say is to start looking at the journals in the field. CCC is doing some really good stuff now that Alexander is the editor, while the Rhetoric-style journals will give you a good look at theory (so much fucking Burke!). Stuff like Computers and Composition and Kairos will show you the cool digital work being done (the biggest growth area). Others can recommend Lit journals, as I don't read them.

Two things I learned: Always have an extra letter writer. One of mine, who is both on my committee and my boss that semester (and someone I have a great relationship with), completely whiffed on one of my letters last year. He thought he had submitted it, but it hadn't completed, but when he logged in it looked like it was done, so he just ignored the email reminders through their system (and kept telling me it was in and that the problem was on their end). I, thankfully, hit up one of my other committee members who submitted one at the last minute for me. Put those requests in early. Submitting your application a week before the due date and then generating the email request is doomed to failure, especially because your advisor may have finals to grade, student emails coming in constantly, and PhD students going out on the market. My advisor suggested that I have the requests sent out no later than 10/15, with reminders sent in mid November. The good news, honestly, is that few places really will ignore one that comes in a couple days late. They aren't even tracking their own systems that closely, and few programs (my current one excepted) start looking at applications before the Spring semester.

I bought beer for all my committee members. I went home for break last year, and brought back a sampling of beers that we can't get locally.

I had my first acceptance by December 15th last year, and a waitlist from another school a few days later.

Some of you will have decisions in hand within the next two weeks. That's got to be a pretty good feeling, right? That all this planning/waiting is about to pay off.

Two comments on your WS: Don't fuck around with font size/margins. We've all taught, and we all know when students have done this because they can't follow basic instruction. Programs ask for 8/10/12 whatever pages because that's the amount of time they have to dedicate to reading the paper. They don't want 15 pages for a 10 page sample, and submitting one is disrespectful of their time. Your sample should demonstrate that you can conduct research and write about it. The topic itself really doesn't matter that much, since most students change research from BA/MA to PhD. If you are submitting part of a larger paper, you should include a paragraph or two explaining where this paper fits.into the larger project. Also, if programs give you an option between word docs and PDFs, do PDFs (particularly if you use images/charts/graphs). PDFs give you some confidence that your paper will be read exactly as written, without getting burned by weird formatting in their word processing /printing process.

This is a really stupid reaction. There is nothing disingenuous about an application deadline just because they start looking at applications early. Some of these programs have hundreds of applicants to read through, and try to respond within 30-45 days. They start reviewing materials as they come in in a lot of cases, but don't make decisions until after reviewing all the ones that meet the deadline. That's what "full consideration" means. For what it's worth, a lot of those early reviews are just for completeness.

As someone is is answering emails sent to our program, please do not send last minute form letters asking about information that is available on the department website. Also, make sure to get the name of the school and program correct. I will pass this information on to the DGS.

I know people in C/R with MAs in Literature, Education, History, Classics, English, and Physics, along with MFAs in creative writing and theater (my own MA is in Comp/Rhet, which is the most common). I can't tell you if Syracuse would be ok with that (I believe they would), but Michigan's program is actually in the Department of English and English Ed, so I don't see the problem there. Mostly, it comes down to how you frame your experience relative to the work you want to do.

So, I think it's worth saying that, in the short term, a Trump economic plan could actually benefit private schools and R1s. Reduced taxes on the rich, and an increase in charitable deduction credit, could see more large gifts given to the already-wealthy schools. Harvard's endowment isn't going to be hurt by rich people getting to keep more of their money, for example. Now, we all know that trickle-down economics are bullshit, and I fear for my friends in fields affiliated with social justice work (humanities, some social sciences, journalism). As a Rhet/Comp person, I already see how my field is seen as a service, rather than research based, by many in the university, and I don't think that's going to change any time soon (offering us some protection as a discipline, but not as individuals who could see tenure jobs disappear). As someone who has worked heavily in donor-funded programs the last couple years, I know that a Trump presidency could mean more money coming in to those programs, but also know that those programs only benefit a small subsection of our student body (that already tends to be white, middle class, and suburban).

I'll third the other folks. This question is for folks like me, who applied for schools with some poor academic marks in my history. That said, it does present an opportunity to spotlight some specific coursework. If any of your upper level courses, for example, were cross-listed as graduate courses (not uncommon in some fields), or if you did graduate level research (something with a presentation or publication as the end goal), you can use this question to highlight that.

This is a great question to ask the department/faculty in question. It's often going to be specific to the school, professor and even you whether someone is able/willing to work with you. At OSU, for example, I know a prof that worked with people at multiple campuses before he retired.

I'm completely ok with application fees. Can you imagine the number of applications a program like, say, Harvard English, would get if they were free to apply? All those people who would send one in "just for the hell of it?" They aren't particularly onerous, and getting an income-based fee waiver is possible at most places. I do have a problem with the GRE fees, but that's a personal thing. GRE scores and transcripts should be accepted unofficially, with the official ones only needing to be sent after acceptance (or even for final round selection, if a program really wants to make sure).

I'll third the "take encouragement, but don't count on it meaning anything" response. There are so many factors that go into selections (cohort composition, who has money, if that POI is even on the review committee) that you shouldn't count on anything coming from a friendly response. That doesn't mean you shouldn't maintain these contacts, however, as it sounds like they have offered valuable feedback and have been welcoming. I would say, even if you wind up going somewhere else, that you should keep a list of these folks and follow up with them after the process to thank them for their help. Leave a good impression, as you never know who winds up impacting your career in the future.

I would not apply to an English program with a GRE Verbal under 160, but that's just me.

Look, I tried to help. The "won't be read or acknowledged" bit is the stuff of internet trolls and assholes, among which you are clearly counted. I kept trying to make it clear that there is always going to be a "data collection" piece to every paper, whether it's called data or not, and even gave you examples. @pro Augustiseven gave direct examples from a different branch of the humanities that supported my point, but you want to be handed answers over DM instead of just engaging. The reason we have these conversations publicly is so other people, blessed with the same lack of insight that you have, can benefit.