queennight

Also - if anybody has any tips for how they studied for the GRE English Subject Test (timeline, study schedule/day, books tackled, etc.), I'm sure that all of us would love to hear! (I certainly know I would, at least!)

I realize that I just sent you a PM about this Wyatt - but I concur with davidipse, Princeton's prep book seems to be a nice start to studying! I'm loving how witty the author is - it really makes you feel like he's on your side.

Wyatt, I'll definitely PM you ASAP - thanks in advance! I'm glad to know that somebody else will be cramming over the summer with me. And about the entire GRE re-write process - your verbal score is strong as it is, so in my opinion a re-write could only be beneficial (because they'll always see that first score). The logical format is definitely the winning method, TBH ! And let's be real here - the difference between a 5.0 and a 6.0 is much more likely to be whether or not the marker got a coffee in the morning anyways. At that point (get it?!) it's definitely just a facetious difference anyways, and more relevant to the marker's personal taste in writing styles than your own ability to construct a well-crafted essay.

Wyatt, your verbal score is really good! The problem with analytical that I found was I feel often the marking can be so subjective - the mood of the markers, I'm sure, plays hugely into how well you do. Are you going to write your English Lit Subject Test too? I haven't started studying for mine but I've heard it's much more brutal than the General.

I know that the Canadian universities: Waterloo, York and Concordia (I think?) run some interesting digital media studies Ph.D. programs as well, if you're interested in applying internationally!

I'm not sure whether or not this requires an entirely new thread, but I figured it might help out some people who were in the same boat as me. I apologize for this rant in advance! I only had about 1 and 1/2 months to prepare for the GRE General test, and I wanted to share some tips for anybody who is in a similar boat (strict timeline, not able to rewrite because of finances, etc.) or has simply just slacked away their time (we have all been there!). If you have any other suggestions for General (how you studied, your timeline, etc.), please share!! I'm sure it could help some lonely and frightened soul lurking from behind their computer at three in the morning. I purchased the Kaplan GRE General book (2014) and also took out the Princeton GRE (2014) from the library. In terms of quality - to be honest, both were quite similar (different techniques, but the same points in general). I preferred Princeton Verbal to Kaplan, but I'm sure this was just a matter of taste. In other words - there really is no difference, and it's a question of semantics. I did not study for quantitative, which I scored in the 65th percentile for. (LOL CANNOT HELP YOU THERE) VERBAL: It is very easy to score a low 80 or high 70 just running on luck alone and guessing - this is the main reason why everyone claims the GRE is an 'easy' test. However, boosting your score into the 90s was the difficult part, at least for me. I actually found it very stressful. I didn't realize this at the beginning of my studying (when the raw panic sets in and you're staring at two massive tomes that you have to get through in a short period of time) but ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS MEMORIZE THE WORDS. This is a bit of a blanket statement, but for me it was incredibly accurate. MEMORIZE MEMORIZE MEMORIZE. Once you have all of the words down (they call them GRE Hit Lists), cross reference in different books and add to them. I completed a total of 6 practice exams and all of the online quizzes for Kaplan, which I found helpful. At the beginning of my studying, my scores were ricocheting all over the place - one day I'd be getting 60s, then next high 90s. The reason for this is that you are guessing. Once your scores start to ironically lower and stabilize (at least in my case) - this means that your vocabulary is starting to improve. By the time that you have memorized all of the words in the books, you'll be scoring easily (minimum) in the 80s. In terms of reading comprehension/critical reasoning, there isn't really much that you can do other than start reading more on the side (as I'm sure most of us English majors already do). I started reading the New York Times almost every day (online, just a couple articles) and started finding myself recognizing certain GRE words that were used in the articles themselves. Make sure to practice online reading - it's different from being able to grab a highlighter or use your finger to read along. Also - make sure to take notes as you read through the longer passages - how you organize them will differentiate between which guide you use to study, but the concept is the same. Notes are a lifesaver, especially when your eyes are burning from four hours of squinting at a screen. To conclude: THE KEY TO SUCCESS IS MEMORIZING. I fully didn't recognize this at the beginning and wasted a couple weeks freaking out over exactly how to approach the questions. Once you have the words down pat, you'll be scoring at least in the 80s. The push into the 90s will be a further hard struggle depending on your initial vocab - write down words you see in daily life, on practice exams, from books that you're reading. But once again - all you need to do is MEMORIZE. I also used WordSmart. Just two hours of memorizing a day should be more than enough to boost your scores in a one month period. ANALYTICAL: I scored a 6.0 on my analytical, and the main reason for this was practice and passion. Take out a GRE prep book from the library and read through the 'excellent' examples of analytical - watch the way that the authors format their introduction samples and then use that format (with your own language) for each sample essay, no matter what the topic. It will save you the pressure of spazzing during the exam when you can't figure out how to format your introduction. There is a skill to analytical, and that is creativity. Nobody who is grading a GRE essay wants to read through a boring or academic essay, which is counterintuitive to what we learn in school. If you are given the topic "To understand the most important characteristics of a society, one must study its major cities" (from the ETS website), blabbering on about why Chicago's infrastructure matches its ethnic demographics is not particularly enthralling. You'll get a 4.5 for that, but if you're aiming for a higher score (which you might not be!), you have to separate yourself from the other contenders. Infuse your language with strange/bizarre facts that can color your argument - so for instance, if you are arguing for similarities between a culture and a city, talk about the mythological background of a city such as Rome (Romulus and Remus) and how that fascinating myth of being raised by a wolf reflected the eventual mentality of the Romans. If you look at the essay topic and think 'WOW, I can't wait to write this essay,' most likely you will do well. You just have to trick yourself into being interested in what you're writing. I hope that helped anybody who's panicking right now over their GRE General! Remember to take breaks and to not stress out too much - you break the exam, the exam doesn't break you. If anybody else has suggestions from their own timeline, I'm sure others would love to hear! Also - contrary to what some bloated and obnoxious people say (yes, bloated), the GRE is not an IQ test. If your scores stabilize at 85%, that does not mean that your verbal/analytical IQ is 85%. You can always improve. You can always do better. And I have no doubt that you will! xx

If you've dreamed since birth about going to Columbia to achieve an English MA, are aware of the financial consequences and the fact that it most likely won't give you an outstanding boost over B.A. applicants to Ph.D. programs (unless you consider applying internationally and need one), then do it. I'm not sure that one year of your life is necessarily worth $60,000, but it's up to you. It's a huge honor to just be accepted - it's fantastic that you're in a financial situation where you can pay for it (I certainly wouldn't be able to without a fellowship!) but obviously you have to weigh for yourself whether or not the cost can truly be justified.

Also, keep in mind that for each of your half-year courses, assuming that UWO runs its MA program the same way as most other Canadian universities, you'll be required to complete a 20-25 page paper for each half-year graduate course (or 2 for a full-year). So that means in terms of actual page count: 1) Course Work: (equivalent to 9 half courses) 180 pages minimum 2) IRP: (equivalent to 6 half courses + 50) 170 pages minimum 3) Thesis: (equivalent to 4 half courses + 100) 180 pages minimum All three options work out to about the same page-counts, so really the only difference is that you lose out on writing more individualized/differentiated topics. Hope that helped! (And hope my math wasn't too terrible.)

Absolutely understand the concern - I'm interested in seemingly bridging a couple different areas with a Ph.D., and I'm worried how to approach this in my application. But yes - any suggestions for schools strong in poetics would be super helpful. And agreed SO MUCH about the American/British divide; it's a similar connundrum with how Yeats always gets smashed into either the modernists or the Victorians based on which area you're studying. Drives me nuts!

This most definitely doesn't answer your question but I'll chime in too - I'm interested in combining lit theory with poetics, and would also love to hear suggestions of strong programs in the department of poetry! I've been looking around and most departments are obviously organized by time-period-genre rather than subject type (with the exception of the 'development of the novel' area). Any suggestions would be great! Right now I think I'll be applying to programs that are strong in postmodern lit theory, but if anybody knows of combination schools, I'd be thrilled to hear.

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind.

I'm not sure whether or not this helps at all, but when I did my undergraduate I transferred majors (initially was Science, then jumped through a couple more finally into English). I contacted a couple of the major grad schools and they said that they only look at your undergraduate English marks for consideration. Not sure what the policy is on Masters, but I'd figure it would be similar.

Not sure whether or not this clarifies for anyone, but I know US News (Grad School Rankings) creates a list of English Ph.D.s as ranked according to different areas. Here's the link in case anybody is interested: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/english-rankings You can also select the 'specialty' and see where a school ranks. This being said, I'm pretty sure most of this is decently subjective nonsense hahah and your success in English as a profession will more be based off of your own personal dissertation than just the school that you attend. (But then again I'm applying for Fall 2014 and have no idea, so also just a general thought.) Also a side-note - the rankings totally change in the global market. Here's the link to supposed 'global university English Ph.D. rankings': http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2013/english-language-and-literature so hopefully you can see exactly how subjective everything is. I also think it's pretty subjective to compare somebody who is maybe working on Australian Indigenous Poetry at University of Sydney with postmodern Canadian Literature at UofT (12 vs. 15), but take from the rankings what you may.

Thank you so much for the suggestions! I'm also pretty tight financially and can also write the GRE once, so I'm freaking out a bit about writing it. I've got the Princeton GRE as you recommended from my local library and I'm going to study those words in addition to Kaplan's (Princeton seems a bit more well-developed, tbh). Thanks again for the advice! I'm going to take a breather today and then go hard for the next two weeks. Hopefully my reading comprehension will somehow magically improve from reading the New York Times daily, which is what I'm hoping for. xx

Hello! I'm new to the forum (although a long-time stalker). I'm intending on applying to Ph.D. programs in the States after writing my GRE on June 4, and then the GRE English Lit Subject Test at some point in the fall. I'm currently enrolled in a Masters program in Canada, and have some minor conference experience. I'm a transfer student so I have some courses outside of the English realm, but all of my English Lit courses are relatively strong in terms of grades. I'm currently finding that my scores are fluctuating quite a bit when I write the GRE practice tests. I've been studying from the Kaplan book (on the General GRE) and I've put a heavy focus on the Verbal section (I really have barely studied Quantitative at all). However, my scores are all over the place - one practice test I'll be getting around an 89%, and the next I'm in the high 70s. I've made lists of words to memorize, and I've found those have helped a lot, but I'm concerned about my Reading Comprehension, which I think is lagging me down. I have about two and a half weeks left before the exam, and I'm aiming to break into the 90th percentile (which is even a low-ball considering the programs that I'm hoping to apply to: Duke, Harvard, Stanford, UCLA and Brown - a girl can dream). My Verbal Scores have moved from: 156 to 159 to 162, which is hopefully a good sign, although on my last practice test I achieved the laudable score of 3% on the Quantitative Section. If anybody has been in my spot before, does anybody care to share any tips for how to improve their GRE verbals, particularly reading comprehension? I'm finding that the Kaplan book generally just states "read the New York Times or academic articles" which is something that I pretty much do in my spare time, so it's not enormously helpful. Actually, the section on reading comprehension seems to be more than a bit useless, so I'm not sure exactly what to do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for reading!! xx