queennight

100%!! I think the worst part is the asking - I think I'd prefer to do it in person, but standing around awkwardly during their office hours and then shooting them puppy dog eyes while mentally begging them to say yes is just so nervewracking. I already had to do this for my MA application and it was pretty much eye-gouging-out worthy. Not that any of the profs replied in a negative way - but it's just so awkward. I feel like I'm asking for a massive, massive favour.

Is it at UofT? I've literally been flooded with emails about conferences here so I'm not sure exactly which one you're referring to! If you're talking about the UofT Graduate Conference, I know that it's in May normally and they have opened it up to other universities to submit as well. I've never been!

Does anybody have any tips in terms of writing the GRE English Lit? I've noticed a lot of us on this forum wildly panicking about the test itself, but it doesn't seem like there are a lot of resources floating around (aside from vade mecum and hapax). Even just a general idea of how anybody studied (or is planning to study) for the exam would be a huge help - timeline, cue cards/no cue cards, stuff like that. In terms of myself, I'm writing in late October (the only time it's offered in my area), and I'm hoping to dedicate a solid 2 months (because I'm pretty certain at this point that I won't study before September and my awful summer job is over) to the process, underneath all of my other schoolwork. I bought the Princeton GRE book (which is, honestly, a bit of a blast to read) and I've also downloaded online study guides, but haven't done much otherwise. Any advice/sharing during the process would be hugely appreciated!

In terms of the writing sample I'm planning to submit, it's for a third-year course that I took in my last year of undergrad. It focuses on the 20thC American poet Wallace Stevens (one of my favorites) and how his work intersects with certain philosophic theories. I had to tear through a couple hundred of his letters in order to find the appropriate references, and I am aware of how insanely esoteric my paper is ; I'm just hoping that it's so specialized that it might peak interest. My SoP is basically on the exact same idea - how Romanticism/early Victorian literary theories intersect American Modernism, more specifically in regards to poetics.

:') Cheers to keeping the dream alive! Great motivation, Wyatt.

This is so insanely kind. I have no idea how to do it, though! In terms of crazy schedule - LET ME JOIN YOU ALL HERE IN FREAKING OUT. I'm starting my MA program (which is a condensed 1-year of pure coursework mayhem anyways) in September, as well as dedicating the first bit of the semester to being a frosh leader/mentor. On top of that I've got applications to Ph.D.s and law school, and I still haven't gotten the nerve to ask any of my professors yet (here's to procrastination ...). I've got my GRE English Lit in late October and I still haven't decided fully where I want to apply, especially after learning I have a bit more lee-way in terms of funding dollars ... guys. It's going to be crazy.

You are being completely and utterly silly (or should I say ... facetious ... - Thank you, once again, ETS, for the pretentious vocabulary boost), a 170V is perfect and no doubt you are as well. No need to re-write. (Unless, of course, you are super-powered and know for certain that you will score a 170V on the re-write as well.) Your quantitative score is still more than decent, especially considering that most english majors are all lackluster math students to start with. Welcome!!!

We are the same person. I'd like to say it gets better but I have no idea if it does. "obscene amount of flash cards" pretty much sums up my study technique at this point. CHEERS TO SELF-DOUBT! (I'm sure we'll all be fine. Deep breaths, guys. I have no doubt we are all above adequate!!! )

Ugh, it's brutal to see that you guys are going through this too. For me, it's often strangely before a strong weather pattern - my doctor says the barometric pressure can trigger the migraines before a rainstorm. It's weirdly like having a superpower that's completely useless: "Oh look! It's about to rain! Instead of finding shelter, let me lie on the ground and clutch my head!" Sometimes I wonder how my ancestors survived. How do you guys deal with them? Is there some magical technique to it all? Anybody have any de-stressing techniques in general (even for just general application mayhem)?!?!?

My summer has been absolutely jam packed so far! I smashed through graduating by June and then jumped right into studying for the General GRE, which really knocked the wind out of me in terms of motivation. Although I wrote it in early June (and studied for all of May), I've been feeling exceptionally burned out ever since. I also was diagnosed with migraines in December, and I've been trying to work through how to deal with them (I seem to get auras especially when I'm stressed) with all my upcoming responsibilities! During my regular day, I work from as early as 7 in the morning to 8:30 at night at an outdoor pool in my area, as a head pool supervisor. I have a staff of about 25 lifeguards and 4 building attendants, and it can be difficult (but fun!) sometimes to manage the numbers, on top of being the same age as most of them. Other than that, I've written the majority of my general statement, and I've purchased the book for the English Lit GRE, which in my mind counts as beginning studying. I'm writing it in late October (the only time it is offered in my area), and I've heard that taking about 10 weeks to seriously study for the exam is the general number you should be looking for, so hopefully by mid-August I'll be good to go. I've been downloading and slowly making my way through different study guides that you can find on this forum and also have been making little cue cards to study from! Otherwise, I'm looking forward to starting my Masters in September and also frosh week for undergraduate students, where I'll be a Frosh Leader (the last year that I can do it!) that helps mentor and guide younger students just entering the university. I have a couple trainings to look forward to; I also have a couple meetings with my department head to discuss graduation plans, etc. - and then I'm considering also applying to law school on the side as a backup in case this Ph.D. doesn't materialize although we all should be hoping for the best! It's going to be a very very very busy race to the finish line, but cheers to this friendly forum and supporting each other through these times! I'm looking forward to panicking with each and every one of you - I jest. But seriously, I'm super appreciative for everyone I've talked to on this forum so far, and I'm proud of ourselves for daring to reach for the sky, no matter what the outcome.

Don't know about you guys, but I'm going to take this news ecstatically and continue tearing through season 1 of Hannibal on Netflix instead of studying for my English Lit GRE. I mean, now that we don't have to worry about the competition, right?!?!?!?!? RIGHT?!

Although I can't even remotely say that I have a background in drama, it might be interesting to specialize your potential dissertation by explaining exactly how you would compare literature and dramatic works side-by-side: what initially comes to mind would obviously be why we sometimes study sections of Shakespearian plays as raw poems vs. why we sometimes contextualize them within the overall plot. If you're suggesting that we view these plays as poems in their own right (a suggestion that I would tend to agree with) then you might be interested in something more along the lines of comparative literature! It also sounds like you're very much so interested in the raw pedagogy of intellectual thinking - something to consider in the framing of your thesis. I agree with the previous suggestions that maybe some more clarification could be used, but also interesting stuff.

Congrats!! What an incredible accomplishment - can't say I'm not intimated by the pile of research I've got in front of me for September.

Also an important sidenote - if anybody else is an applicant from Canada, the testing dates are offered in a limited amount of locations, so make sure to sign up early! Unfortunately, where I live I can only take the test in October, so it's kind of a brutal scheduling misnomer.

Wyatt this is such positive advice, and I sincerely echo it. I personally haven't completed my English Subject Test (will be writing in October of this year) but I am sincerely hoping that the score doesn't matter quite as much as other aspects of your overall application. This being say, a good score can never hurt you. Some schools do in fact stipulate cut-off/general averages (UCLA, Harvard, etc.) whereas others (Duke, for instance) don't even require it or don't even mention a general average to aim for (ex. Stanford).

Thanks for the tip TakeruK, totally a good point to consider!

Never even thought about this! Jeez

Thanks for all of this advice! Yeah - I'm finding balancing the whole drooling-adoration-thing difficult with presenting a serious potential dissertation topic, but I guess I should learn to reign my enthusiasm in. I also have one last question (that will probably vary a little bit): how much in regards to the SOP should be dedicated to your own backstory? I'm worried that rambling on about my changes in major might be seen as useless to the committees, but at the same time I'm worried that if I shorten down an explanation of my academic history it won't be as explicative as it should be. Such a tough call! I'm thinking maybe around 300/400 words max (to work experience, why I enjoy English, etc.) - does that sound reasonable?

I am struggling so much with motivation for this GRE, I think probably because I'm so burnt out from finishing undergrad and the GRE general! Are most people using flashcards and summaries to study? I'm pretty positive this is going to be the Sparksnotes version of the entire English canon in three months type of exam for me; feeling pretty burnt out at the moment! Good luck to everyone else who's starting to slog through all of this material, hope you all aren't struggling as much as I am!!

Hey Diba, I actually have no clue about cultural studies programs, but maybe if you checked under the 'interdisciplinary' board they could maybe point you in the right direction (I have a sense that maybe you're looking for some cross-referenced programs)! Good luck with searching!!

I have a general question in response to this issue then: is it too tacky to write (at the end of your SOP) "I'd love to work with ____ because I'm a fangirl of his/her work blah blah blah and they are the perfect professor for me and blah blah blah"?! This is basically what I did for my MA application last year and I got accepted, but I'm wondering whether or not this is too cliche and keenish for a formal Ph.D. application? Is mentioning a professor from the certain school you're applying to a bad idea (as some seem to note about using professor's research in your own WS)? Any feedback on this from those who have already applied/are in the same boat as me (applying for 2015 fall)?

This is a great idea, and let me just pop in that some graduate assistants are more than helpful if you even want to email them instead of graduate students (for funding questions, etc.). Although some of them have been pretty blunt in replying to me re: international funding, at least a couple of them have dedicated some time to replying to my more dumb questions, which I appreciate.

Thanks for the hint Wyatt - now to procrastinate signing up because I dread this exam so much!

unread, you are definitely way more advanced than I am, and kudos to you for being so organized aha !! Also I liked the 'cocktail-party' quote above - I'm glad to know that you've chosen the Princeton prep book like me I'm hoping that it will definitely work to our favour. If not, at least the author really seems like he's on our side, right? I still have to contact two of my professors for LORs (one I already have), so that's amazing that you're that ahead - I'm thinking I'll probably drop by their office hours when September starts up back again. That's ironically one of the areas of my application that I'm most dreading - for some reason asking professors to write LORs for me always feels to be a somewhat awkward and needy experience. I'm incredibly tempted to just shoot them an email (RIGHT NOW), but I feel seeing them face-to-face would be a more polite way to broach the topic.

Also just to jump in - in terms of extra practice tests, where do you guys recommend finding them? I know that ETS provides one on their website, but I can't seem to track down any others.