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TakeruK, Thanks for your prompt reply. I actually did not even reference my GPA in my personal statement other than a small comment along the lines of 'for better or worse my grades reflect this' in reference to completing both degrees. Different schools of course have different leeway when it comes to additional information and my upcoming application allows for additional materials to be submitted 'within reason.' What I have done is write a half-page explanation of my transcripts. I then took all my transcripts (I also have an MBA) and strung everything together into one PDF which I plan to upload as one document. I'll either do this as my transcript upload or as an additional material submission. I'm with you in that I feel it's fair to describe the GPAs this way, but I think it does require the explanation because if they look at the transcript it does have a GPA next to each degree...it's just that these are essentially created by time, not by coursework if that makes sense. "Don't make excuses about "harder" EE classes and no need to advise faculty members to look at each course individually---they know how to do their job." Also, probably good points here - I may need to take another look to make sure I'm not doing either of the above too strongly/overtly.

I'll be sending out a few grad applications at the end of the month (to non-US schools). My undergrad experience started more than 10 years ago and at the time I was the first student in a decade to complete concurrent Bachelors degrees - one awarded in 2009 and one in 2010. Sounds great just saying that, but doing this (and a few other factors) also took a toll on my engineering grades. Additionally, there wasn't really a system in place to illustrate any separation of grades on the transcript and the overall way it's displayed is odd. To combat this, I've written an explanation of the grades and I am concerned that it may read deceitful which is not my intention. My intention is to best market myself for admission to the program. Essentially, on the transcript it just reads '2009 - degree awarded, GPA' and then further down '2010 - degree awarded - GPA.' Because there is only a year between the two, the GPAs are nearly the same - something like 2.98 and 2.95 (annoying, I know). What I am trying to do in my explanation is state that the above tells one side of the story and that another way to look at it is by separating the two degrees (General requirements + BA and then General Requirements + BS). This results in a BA in English at like a 3.4 and a BS in EE at like a 2.7. I'm trying to show a more reasonable story of success within English and lower grades within the much more difficult engineering program. I also state that the best way to look at my transcripts are probably to just examine the individual coursework. I'm hoping someone with experience reading and seeing transcripts can look at my explanation and help assess whether it is a fair explanation or if it sounds fishy. I want to set myself up for success rather than stop myself right at the door. Any help over the next couple weeks would be huge so feel free to PM me or respond here. Thanks

Any English M.St applicants out there still waiting to hear back? I applied to English and American Studies as well as English Language and Literature (1830-1914). I understand there may be some problem with the new online application system and on top of this the department will be off for part of this week? I've emailed just to confirm that my applications are being assessed and also attempted to call, but so far no luck connecting on either front. I'm not really in a rush and Oxford is the only place I have applied to, but with applications historically being assessed this past week I am getting nervous. Additionally it seems that Oxford tends to send out the majority of acceptances before rejections, but then again even the number of those reported thus far on the board are comparatively quite low from past years. Is calling the best option or should I just sit tight? I don't want to bother anyone during such a busy time for then, but I just hope if they are having problems with the system, I haven't been dropped off the radar because of it!

Didn't apply to the History Department and by no means an expert, but from what I observe with the admissions process, you won't get anywhere emailing them during this extremely busy time of year. My understanding from all I have read throughout this process is that your best bet is to email the department, not the Graduate Admissions Office. Perhaps you could also try calling (either) office as people are more likely to pick up a phone than sort through hundreds of emails.

I applied to the Ertegun as well (pretty last minute, unfortunately). That's a humanities scholarship - what program are you applying for? Also, you have me a little worried with this talk of emailing admins and whatnot. I took the website for what it said and had zero contact with anyone...hope that didn't hurt me at all!

I take it you two are PhD applicants? My understanding is MSt applicants should expect to hear in late March, at least for the humanities.

I know this post is going to be long and boring, so anyone taking the time to read or assist I want to thank you in advance! Background: After receiving a BA, BS, and MBA I am now carrying nearly 90K in student loans. At the time I went for my MBA I knew I would be joining the Army which at the time had an enlistment incentive called Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP). This program would have paid off 65K in loans over the course of three years. Unfortunately, the Army in all its wisdom canceled this incentive for Officer contracts just days before I swore in. Thus, I'm carrying a debt level that puts me as I understand it in the top five percent or so nationally (awesome...). I'll be getting out of the Army in the next year or so and have already applied to a Masters program in the UK that I hope to a) be accepted into (I'd have to defer a year) and b )would like to be able to stay on for the 3-year PhD. Don't worry though, this would be entirely funded by the GI Bill and a small amount of savings I've put aside. I'm not crazy enough to take on more loans. My mid-term goal is to knock out the PhD and break into a top 10-20 consulting firm five years from now. If successful my level of debt will not be a huge problem, but I need to be smart. Current Loan Situation: Currently my loans are serviced by Navient...formally Sallie Mae which had to restructure after screwing vets out of Civil Service Relief Act benefits (In fact they told me several times that I had to be deployed to collect these benefits which was a lie). These are structured under 13 different different loans and for simplicity's sake I'll say that they are essentially 50/50 on subsidized/unsubsidized. They range in interest rates from about 3-4% on the subsidized to 8% (ugh, I know) on the majority of the unsubsidized. All loans are limited to 6% during my service, but will go back up after I get out. Right now my subsidized loans are in military deferment and I pay $267 per month towards my unsubsidized. Paying this amount means that my principle is technically going down annually, but it's almost all going to cover the interest. I believe it moved from 91K last year to 90k this year. If I stay on the current plan after the Army my payments could theoretically raise 50 percent to cover the same small chipping away of the principle when considering adding the subsidized loans (with half the interest rate) back into the program. Not very sustainable. A Possible Change: I received a mailing recently from a 'Consumer Advocacy Group' named "Student Processing Center" that is attempting to sell services relating to helping people file for Loan Consolidation with the Department of Education. After spending the afternoon reading all their literature I have realized that they are selling a service for a pretty big chunk of change that I can do myself for free (ie $699 for filing and $30 a month for handling for a 25 year loan aka 9k). So while clearly I won't be using them I am thinking that consolidating under the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act with the Department of Education might be hugely beneficial as they had explained it to me. My understanding of the benefits is that my 13 loans would be consolidated into one loan which would be serviced by the Department of Education rather than Navient. I also understand that this consolidated loan would use some weighting system to develop an average interest rate. Additionally, under the Department of Education, loans would be forgiven after 25 years rather than 30. Questions on Consolidating: Consolidating loans seems like the smart move, but I'm looking for advice on the situation from anyone in the know. I want to make sure this is the right move because it's huge money that I didn't necessarily have enough respect for at 18, but now do at 28. Apparently because of the pay structure of the military I qualify for income based repayment which I've been told means that with a monthly payment of around $250 I would be covering all my loans and reducing the principle. Additionally, they claim that if I begin under this premise, even if my income increases substantially, my payments could only be increased to 50 percent of what they would be on a standard payment plan. This means that even if I got out of the PhD and began making 175K a year my loan payments could only increase to around $500 because the standard repayment for 90K is just over 1K/month. I'm just confused about how all the math is working out, because in my mind if I have 90K with an average interest rate of 5% that's $4500 in interest annually meaning I need to cover at least that in order to keep my principle from increasing. Yet, at $250 a month that's only $3000 per year. I don't understand how my principle would not be going up with such low payments? Does the consolidation somehow retain some of my original subsidized benefits? If so though, my payments would have to go up after the military when I had to begin paying them again, yet they claimed my payments would not increase and might even lower due to being back in grad school. It seems they are suggested that as my income drops from 40K in the army to 0 in grad school my payments could somehow be reduced without the 4.5k in interest adding on to my principle? Maybe this means I would still have to pay back that interest later, but that it wouldn't be capitalizing onto the principle? I just don't see how it's all adding up and really want (and need) to do the right thing here. I just want to keep the payments low and manageable until after grad school and ensure the principle does not increase because the possibility of paying monthly and still going backwards to be beyond depressing. Essentially, if I owe 90K right now I don't want to put myself in any situation where my total amount is going up whether that by be an increase in principle or some other crazy scheme where they hide interest somewhere else and my total owed is increasing quietly. Any help with this issue would be HUGE and if more details are needed let me know

It's funny how these boards work. When I was applying to become an Army Officer, I was GLUED to a similar forum for that and I honestly think all I learned through utilizing it helped me to be successful. I'm hoping the same is true here with my Oxford applications. I applied to two English Masters programs (also college preference of Balliol) and if I'm accepted hope to continue on to a UK PhD program. Like most here, I'm fairly concerned about funding...well ALMOST as concerned about it as just getting in. My CV is pretty well rounded and I think interesting, but my undergraduate grades are pretty bad (in fact much lower than their 3.7 'requirement'). I do have some funding from my service which will cover a foreign rate of 20K tuition and 1.4k/month living for 3 years (USD). I'm hoping I can pick up the gap through the various funding options they have, but I know it's unrealistic that if I'm even accepted I'll be competitive enough for scholarship. Also, by mentioning my funding on their application I may have essentially ruined my chances of receiving their funding even though getting it would greatly set me up for success in funding the PhD. My biggest concern is getting it by year 4 where I would be completely on my own and I really can't afford using any loans on top of what I have from my last 3 degrees... Anyway, I wish everyone the best of luck (especially me) and hopefully we will all end up just where we want to be.

I've a thought a lot about some of the feedback I've received here so far, and after a recent 2 week trip to Oxford to visit a friend in a Masters program, I've decided to take a shot at the Oxbridge circuit. I think it would be a great way to determine if I actually want to study English at the doctoral level and also be an amazing experience. If successful there, it would certainly bridge the gap many of you have discussed, and put me in a much better place to apply to US programs afterward. The only real downside is it would set me back a year on my transition into the Army Reserves as I obviously couldn't participate there while abroad. I'm currently applying to two programs and Oxford and two at Cambridge. I'm gathered all my LORs and transcripts, completed my CV, SOP, the online apps, and am working towards finishing up my writing sample. Tonight I was glancing through the FAQ on the Oxford site when I noticed this: What grade point average (GPA) score do I need to be considered? For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA we seek is 3.75 with at least 3.85 in the Major. Well as you can see from above, I don't have this... Is this a deal breaker? Does it mean they will simply throw my application in the trash or is it something they put up in hopes of receiving mostly a certain tier applicant? I was pretty bummed out when I saw it, and was sort of thinking from before that they'd take a more whole candidate approach. Cambridge seems to have a more relaxed stance from their website: "The Faculty is willing in principle to accept candidates with strong 2.1s, or mature students who have not pursued an orthodox pattern of higher education, provided that such applicants have strong backing from their referees, have a feasible topic, and are well qualified for their proposed course of research. We recognise both that things sometimes do not go candidates’ way in examinations and that a sparkling examination style is not always the best qualification for graduate work." I'm fairly set on applying anyway, but I don't want to be shredding money either... The person I was visiting with was my graduate school roommate who had similar graduate grades, and worse undergraduate ones. So he was able to pass this barrier, though he wasn't in the English department. Does anyone have any experience or insight on this? On an unrelated note, I'm also looking for people to bounce my CV/SOP off so let me know if you're interested in helping out

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!

I've received advice in another post here to look at Harvard Extension and UC Berkeley Extension. After a quick check, both seem to offer graduate courses online in my area of interest. They post video feeds of the classes shortly after they are given, and all assignments are treated as if you were in attendance. I'm not sure that this will adequately demonstrate a graduate level top tier readiness, but given my circumstances I don't think success in a few of these courses could hurt considering a terminal MA is not an option.

HJ2012, After some thought and a little more research I think you're dead on and I agree I need to take some courses at the graduate level that relate to my planned study and furthermore I need to do darn well in them. I've posted a question in the English forum asking for some help in finding some programs that meet my needs (online/reputable). I'd like to knock out 3-4 courses over the next two years to help illustrate my commitment and aptitude. Hopefully I can also use them to help create a writing sample and further shape my SOP ideas. So for now its using the research of cool programs as a motivator, prepping for the GRE, and knocking out a few graduate level classes... I'm curious about your father now - is he teaching as part of his career progression... or did he leave the service for an advanced degree to then teach? My current commander taught for 3 years at West Point as a Major. Is he Active Duty or part of the reserve force? That would be pretty crazy if he has taken a path similar to what I hope to do of academy with part time service...

I currently hold a BA (English), BS (Electrical Engineering), and an MBA. I know this is going to sound very odd to most people, but after a very grade-focused high school experience I simply didn't look at my grades in undergrad. I mean I literally did not review a single grade I received (they were posted online) until I was forced to when applying to my MBA program the year after I graduated. I took classes that I thought I would enjoy, put more effort into those I did, and judged my success on what I felt I was getting out of them rather than what I received. Anyway, that philosophy worked out fine when I thought I would eventually utilize my professional degree (I always felt I was studying engineering for a career, and english for a passion) which I am 100 percent sure I will now never use. GET TO THE POINT : My English BA GPA ended up being around a 3.4 (it's sort of convoluted when you consider my two Undergrads overlapped even though I walked/received the degrees 18 months apart). My grad degree is unrelated to English. I'd like to take a few (3-4) online graduate study courses as a non degree seeking student over the next two years as I prepare to apply to some competitive programs. I hope to illustrate proficiency in courses that mirror those I would be taking if accepted into a program. They have to be online, unfortunately, as I am in the Army. I see great opportunities at universities such as Stanford for Engineering, but no such luck when it comes to the humanities. Does anyone floating around here know of anywhere I might look for this? I've checked Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Princeton, Brown etc with no such luck. Any help would be great!

HJ2012, Thanks again for your continued feedback - I understand it takes time and effort to follow these threads and support people like myself. It's also nice to gain some input from someone whose already fought the good fight and found their slot. It's sounds to me like your general assessment is that I have some pitfalls in my limited portfolio to overcome and I think that's certainly my reality. Would it be fair to say that you don't feel these setbacks are insurmountable? Maybe I need to let the situation develop a bit more and see how some of my assumptions pan out such as GRE, SOP, and LORs? Anyway, I suppose it could be worse as I'll be applying to these programs while holding a pretty stable and prestigious job (as opposed to sitting in purgatory after graduating undergrad). At this stage in the game my angle is probably going to be finding the best fit schools (I have a list...and a couple I'd be really excited with) and a campus I'd love to spend 5-6 years at and giving it 1-2 application seasons at my top choices. I don't think I'll be the type of candidate to just settle on a given program to reach an end. So maybe my story will catch an eye and maybe it won't, but it sounds like the general assessment is that I'm not COMPLETELY crazy for giving this thing a go with my resume/background...

Alright folks, back from the woods. Thanks for the responses! A lot of good input right off the bat. To address the research\conference concerns: This may be a weak area as I am only 27 and went directly to my MBA following undergrad and received my commission to the army shortly after. During undergrad, a thesis was required for electrical engineering which was a two year process, but only required in English for honors. It would have been simply too much to do both at the same time, so I only have completed a fairly intense electrical engineering thesis. As for the MBA, it culminated with a 'capstone' project which I would hardly put on par with a graduate level thesis. I guess conferences weren't really on my mind back in undergrad, and the transient\international nature of the MBA didn't exactly facilitate it either. Thanks for the input in the LORs. My thought process was to span the complete course of my experience. I know I could get a strong rec from my undergraduate professor who I knew for 4 years. I suppose my hope with someone from the army was to speak towards my work ethic and dedication, but I certainly see your point. My concern with adding a second grad professor is that first he\she would be an international business professor, and that secondly I never spent more than one term at any given campus so they would have only known me for a short time. Perhaps I should consider two undergrad, one grad, and one from work? As for my research area, this I am hesitant to discuss in too much detail here (in PM, yes), but I will say it's in the field of American lit and certain aspects of literary theory. I absolutely need to work though it with those in the know, however, before I start putting it on paper. As too my non traditional path, I find studying English a gateway into understanding people and the world. This is really what I'm after. My travels and my experiences in the army are all about trying to understand people and cultures and all the elements that make up living. You can explore a lot of these ideas in literature, which is why I'd like to explore it further as a career. If you think about it in this sense, I think my path isn't all that odd. Again, Thanks for the input so far folks.

I've spent a couple of days browsing here and am aware of the stigma associated with the 'what are my chances?' postings so I really am aiming here to avoid doing that. With that said, I'm gearing up to start the research process for a possible English PhD program come 2016 and would like to be pointed in the right direction. I have a basic understanding of the process and am aware of the immense weight that is put on fit, statement of purpose, your writing sample, and being the right candidate at the right time. With that said, I'll provide some basic insight to my academic and professional record: Undergrad - Top 25, private, small liberal arts (I feel like I should just say what it is, but everyone seems to hide this?) BA, English 2009 (3.4) BS, Electrical Engineering 2010 (3.0) *I was one of two students in the last ten years at my college to take advantage of a weird state law that allows students seeking a professional degree (in my case, engineering) to receive a second bachelors with an additional two years study (I took enough additional classes throughout to do it in one additional year). I guess it's some initiative to help create more well rounded STEM graduates. Anyway, it was a cool program and I got to walk twice even if it did hurt my GPA. Graduate - Flagship program of fairly non-competitive large private school. Entire program done abroad over 18 months living in five countries and traveling to 55+ while studying in a 14 person cohort. Global MBA (3.4) Professional - I am currently an Active Duty Army Infantry Officer. At the time of application I will be a Captain with just over 4 years experience. My goal is to get into a PhD program and transition from active duty to the National Guard of whichever state the program I matriculate into is in. This would mean one weekend a month and two weeks out of the summer service, but I would also reach the rank of Major during the course of the program. Ultimately, I'd hope to teach at a small college while maintaining this small role in the service. Assumptions (I know these are garbage) - GRE - somewhere in the 95+ percentile based on SAT and GMAT performance LOR - 1 undergrad professor, 1 graduate professor, and 1 Colonel or above in my chain of command SOP and writing sample - Should be fairly stellar considering the timeframe I have to complete them Questions - With this profile, what weight should I put on pursuing top, mid, and lower tier schools? What ranges might my reach, fit, and safeties be? After running the gambit with schools thus far in my life I have a pretty sound understanding of what makes a top, mid, and lower and I'm confident I know which is which. Am I crazy to even be looking at websites and programs for Brown, Duke, Hopkins, Chicago etc? Am I a better candidate in mids such as BU? Are the mid tiers actually my reach? I'm in the Army after all so I'm used to hearing things pretty straight forward so certainly don't be afraid to tell me how it is as this is clearly more valuable anyway. Any advice in this area or just tips for starting out in general is greatly appreciated and if there is missing information here please let me know and I'll reply as quickly as possible (though I'm heading into the woods tomorrow until the 22nd so there might be some delay on my part). Thanks!