Dr. Old Bill

I'm just chiming in once more to echo parts of what Greenmt said above. I also feel supported at UMD, even though I'm a Master's student and not a Ph.D. candidate. While there will always be a slight divide between the M.A. cohort and the Ph.D. cohort, it's very slim at UMD. In fact, I had a long chat after class with a fellow early modernist the other day, and I was convinced she was a second year M.A. I'd had classes with her before, attended a part at her place etc....and I really had no idea she was actually well into the Ph.D. program. In other words, I've never had the feeling that the M.A.s and Ph.D.s (and even the M.F.A.s) aren't on the same level playing field. But I digress. Support is definitely there. I won't get into detail, but Ralph and others in the department have really gone above and beyond to help me out with funding etc., and I've heard the same from a lot of folks in my cohort. There is still some general distaste at the campus-wide politcs (comes with the Big U. territory, as ProfLorax and Greenmt have said), but the English department feels solvent, sound, and supportive for the most part. As for properties around the area, I can definitely affirm what Greenmt has said about there being hidden gems. For instance, I live in a nice suburban condo about five miles from campus, which is typically a fifteen minute drive. My wife and I pay $1200 per month, with all utilities included. It's a quiet area, but very close to anything you could want, whether that is a couple of grocery stores, a Costco, an Ikea, a Home Depot, a Best Buy...you name it. So places that are reasonably priced and reasonably close are quite possible, even if the "mean" of those factors makes the bigger picture of the general area appear worse.

Yes, this is all very true...particularly the foot traffic bit. I drive to campus every day, and that can be a bit of a challenge sometimes... As for the comment about UMD being suburban, I think that's pretty accurate. It's certainly nothing like Manhattan. In the immediate vicinity of UMD there are some good areas and some bad areas, but on the whole it feels very middle class / suburban. The nice thing, of course, is that it's inside the beltway and quite close to D.C. -- between 20 minutes and three hours away by car, depending on traffic. (I'm mostly joking about that latter number. Mostly.) The main English building, Tawes, is quite beautiful. There was just a major renovation that virtually doubled the size of the interior (though most of the new classrooms will be used by American Studies), and there's even a cafe that should open in about a month. Overall, it's quite a big campus, so you have a lot of retail and restaurants within walking distance. Since I'm old, married, and live off campus, I don't socialize as much as I ought, and so don't know the real hot spots, but there certainly are many places to eat and hang out. I'm particularly fond of Casey's Coffee, which is about a five minute walk from Tawes. Their coffee is excellent (I buy my home-use beans from them), and their food is pretty good too.

ProfLorax knows better than I, but I can definitely affirm that this is true. At the day for admitted students last year, there was a wonderful young woman who attended, even though she was still on the Ph.D. waitlist. I talked with her (and another fellow) for a long while, and Ralph, the DGS, was kind of hovering around, quietly listening. After she left, I said to Ralph "Boy, xxx sounds amazing. I really hope she gets in off the waitlist." And she did! I'm certain I had nothing to do with it, but it goes to show that waitlisted folks can and do get in at UMD. There's hope, so be kind, friendly, and optimistic!

I can't really comment, as I'm working on an M.A. now and will be (re)applying to Ph.D. programs later this year...but thanks for starting this thread!

Listen to ProfLorax. Don't freak out in January. Don't even freak out in March if everything comes back negative. I will be applying to Ph.D. programs in the fall, after applying to -- wait for it -- 17 programs in last year's cycle. Fortunately I'm now working on a Master's with full funding, and it has given me the opportunity to see a slew of mistakes I made when going through the process the first time around. That isn't to say that my applications were bad -- it's just that even with all of the wonderful advice here on GC, the mistakes were all too subtle (individually) to have been mentioned in threads. But being shut out (for the most part) stings for a good long while (a year later and it still stings me), then forces you to think about how to improve for the next time. While I'm not looking forward to next year's application cycle, I'm already actively thinking about it -- particularly what I can do to make my applications better (obviously). These are things that you will only realize once you talk to some professors who have sat on admissions committees, or get into a lesser program and get a feel for what works and what doesn't in academia. I begrudgingly admit that getting a Master's first has been a good step for me. As I've said many times here over the past half-dozen months or so, I have no doubt that I could have thrived in a Ph.D. program...but that doesn't mean that going through the M.A. doesn't make me a better candidate, and frankly a better academic. This post feels like it's been all about me, but I'm hoping that my experience is a bit helpful regardless. Incidentally, I met with my M.A. mentor on Tuesday, and she confirmed something I had quietly suspected. If you read The Chronicle, and various other trade magazines about higher education (specifically English), you'll get the sense that programs are embracing transhistorical, interdisciplinary, transatlantic approaches. When I wrote my SOP a year and a half ago, I thought I was being a bit "leading edge" and "unique" by proposing a transhistorical, transatlantic course of study. My mentor, who sits on the adcomm for my program, said that this trans / inter etc. focus is the ideal that is espoused by many academics, but from a functional standpoint, it's still the norm to sort candidates into easy-to-categorize piles. It's so much more convenient for them to say "Oh hey, Wyatt's Terps is an early modernist" than for them to say "Oh hey, Wyatt's Terps has a grounding in early modernism, but wants to look at things on both side of the Atlantic, and cross a bunch of literary eras to make his case..." In the latter instance (which exemplifies what I wrote in my SOPs), it makes it difficult for adcomms to group me with other applicants. In other words, it seems that there is a lot of relativism in adcomm decisions, and if there are few candidates to compare one's SOP focus to, it has more of a chance of hitting the slush pile than the standout pile. The gist is that for the sake of applications, it seems that sticking to a categorical era is quite important. Anyhow, I've rambled on a lot longer than I expected, but hopefully there are a few helpful nuggets in there somewhere.

What is this "Ohio State University" of which you speak? Perhaps you are confused with THE Ohio State University? Seriously though, congrats to the successful admittee!

The chances of getting a tenure track position after finishing a Ph.D. at any program are slim. That said, Rice has a pretty good reputation. Although WashU is often referred to as "the Harvard of the Midwest," I've read the same phrase with reference to Rice and Vanderbilt as "the Harvard of the South". Most of their strong programs are in literatures of the last 200 years, however, so if you happen to be an early modernist etc., it's probably not a great option. I applied there in 2014 on the strength of one faculty member in my chosen field, and he was extremely supportive, and was legitimately disappointed when I didn't make the cut. Not sure if that level of consideration extends to the rest of their faculty, but there you have it.

I've just finished my first full semester of an MA program, and my life circumstances are a bit atypical (mid-thirties, married to someone who makes a decent wage etc.), so you can take my thoughts with a grain of salt. With that in mind... The funding question definitely varies from school to school, and even program to program. Assuming you are talking about Ph.D. programs, I think around 20k per year is about average for the top 50. Some certainly offer more -- the Yales, Harvards, Princetons etc., as well as a few surprising randoms -- but most packages hover around the poverty line. That said, they pay your tuition as well, which is no small perk. A now-inactive GC user created a collaborative spreadsheet a few years ago that gives a good idea of what most programs have to offer. Here it is. Just remember that it's a bit dated. If you're willing to live in a room in a house, or have a few roommates, that's certainly doable on its own, but I suspect you might want to get out some student loan money to help with things. This is probably a divisive point here, but even I have taken out a bit of loan money as a grad student, as it simply helps. I haven't run into much in the way of evident departmental politics or bureaucracy where I'm attending. I'm sure it exists, but I feel fairly supported. That said, I don't feel as supported as I did as an undergraduate. There's more that you need to figure out on your own, and if you meet with a professor, you should have something substantial to say, or else it looks unprofessional. Good social habits go a long way. When it comes to GAships and other appointments, there can be "favorites" based on performance elsewhere, or a particular professor / administrator liking a candidate. But that's a reflection of the non-academic world as well. Politics exist, and while it seems to be magnified in academia, in my non-academic and academic experience, I don't see much difference (so far). As for friends, that has admittedly been a bit harder for me (again, I'm old and married). Having said that, there have been several social gatherings created for both my cohort and the grad students in general, and I've gone to three of them and socialized a bit. The opportunity is definitely there for friendships, but time constraints really are a factor. That said, several in my cohort have definitely become friends, and social media (Facebook especially) is a surprisingly good way to associate with everyone that you can't regularly meet with. I would say I've made a number of "close acquaintances" in my first semester, and there are many fellow students whom I admire and look forward to having more classes with. There is a tinge of competition at times (talking about grades is particularly gauche), but for the most parts things have felt very amicable, and I've been able to help other students proof their papers and know I could have the favor returned if needed etc. Hope this helps!

Speaking as someone who was intending to get into a Ph.D. program but fortunately received a fully funded (through GAships / TAships) MA offer that I gratefully accepted, I can tell you that the funded MA step is a good one. This isn't to say that I don't think I could have been just as comfortable in a Ph.D. program right now, but it has helped me acclimate to graduate-level work. This past semester marked the most stressful few months of my life, and there were times when I was seriously questioning whether I still wanted to pursue a Ph.D. While I ultimately acknowledged that it was the in-the-moment stress talking, and not the better part of myself, I can totally see how going through the process can tell a person that further graduate study is not for him/her. As others have said on this thread, reputation might matter a bit, but there are many more important considerations. If you're doing it to see if you want to pursue a Ph.D., don't worry about reputation...worry about whether the work you do makes you want to pursue a Ph.D. I have a friend from my UG institution who is whip-smart and seems to me to be the kind of person who would thrive in academia. Being of the typical UG age, however, she had some of the personal issues that often come with the first college experience, meaning her GPA was somewhere in the low 3s when she graduated. She hasn't been able to find work in any compelling field since she graduated last May, and I'm gently trying to encourage her to go to a mid-tier institution (with a high MA acceptance rate) to do a one-year MA and ultimately apply to Ph.D. programs, if she does well enough. Without the MA, you don't get a good sense of what you're capable of. It's entirely possible that you think you can do graduate-level work, but ultimately can't. I was mentally prepared for the workload etc. of grad school, but knowing it and experiencing it are two different things (compounded if you have a significant other or family to take care of / spend time with). Ultimately, be glad that you applied to the MA programs you did, and be grateful if any accept you. Any of those options should serve you well whether you decide to pursue a Ph.D. or not.

Got my first grade back for a graduate course, and it was an A (in the Teaching First-Year Composition course), so I'm happy. Still no clue about the other two courses -- one of which I'm anticipating an A or A-, and the other I truly have NO idea, since there was nothing graded throughout the semester...but I'll take this first A as a sign that my thinking, research, and writing are up to snuff at graduate level, at the very least. I had always suspected they were, but there's nothing like having professorial affirmation.

AWESOME NEWS!!!!

Thinking more about it, my dream of all dreams would be teaching Early Modern courses at my alma mater, which is a fairly prestigious SLAC. I positively adored my mentor there (who is also an Early Modernist), and the thought of working alongside her would be...well...a dream come true. A side dream would be doing the above, then winning the lottery and buying a giant used bookstore that I can run on the side without having to worry about whether or not it turns a profit. Oh, and maybe have a music studio in the basement of said bookstore so that I can dust off my prior degree in music production and put it to good use, recording local bands on weekends.

While I would love a TT job, my dream is just to teach college period. Part of that dream is coming true next year, as I am lined up to teach 101, but I'm quite sure that I'll be perfectly happy teaching undergraduate English courses -- preferably some literature, and REALLY preferably some Shakespeare or Renaissance surveys -- so long as I have a consistent appointment (which does not, contrary to popular opinion, need to be a TT position). If I have to get an alt-ac career due to an increasingly abysmal job market, I will at least be somewhat content adjuncting a course or two per semester. The big takeaway is that while I love research and love writing, my main interest is (and has always been, from day one of my academic endeavors) in teaching at college level.

Nothing celebratory on my part, I'm afraid. The next two weekends will be completely consumed by reading, research, and writing, with the aim of producing three lengthy papers. In fairness, I have a lot of the research done for two of them, but there will be a lot of "heavy lifting" before I hear the final Cheyne-Stokes of the semester. But! I bought a PS4 and Fallout 4 as a treat to myself for when the semester is done. I haven't taken it out of the box yet, lest temptation get the best of me, but I figure it will add a bit of extra incentive to get through a tough eleven days.

A - frickin' - men.

Okay. Seriously. WHEN are the three of us grabbing a meal at Franklin's???

I wish that I was in the room where it happened...the room where it happened! Congrats, Prof Lorax. Couldn't have happened to a more wonderful...Lorax!

I would just go with the 4.0 in the English Literature M.A., as that is the most relevant to your field of study. Even better, if it happens to be the most recent of the two degrees.

I did some reading on this topic a year or so ago, and have been using Century Schoolbook for my papers this semester as a result. It's one of the most readable serif fonts, and is widely used in legal fields for that very reason (given the extreme amount that lawyers etc. have to read). As for my applications, I started off by using Times New Roman, but switched to Arial based on advice I received here. Sans serif fonts are easier to read on a screen, and the going assumption at the time was that most adcoms would be reading the apps electronically. Not sure if that holds any water or not, and ultimately I suspect the font doesn't really matter (within reason), but I do think that Times New Roman has largely fallen out of favor in many circles.

Personally, I wouldn't consider the thesis/non-thesis requirement a factor in your applications. Regardless of whether you ultimately have to write a 60-page paper, or a few 20-pagers, the adcom is looking for your potential as a scholar. That means (among other things) research interests that show depth of thought and engagement with the material of your chosen era / genre etc. I would strongly discourage taking a "good enough" approach to your SOP, whether it is for a M.A. or not -- Ph.D. applications and M.A. applications should pretty much be thought of in the same way. Many on this forum have applied to M.A. and Ph.D. programs with the same SOP framework. Again, don't think of yourself as "only" an M.A. applicant. Ph.D. may be the final goal for many, but the M.A. is not necessarily just a stepping stone...nor is it seen as such by most (some, to be sure, but not the majority). In other words, don't worry too much about things like thesis vs. non-thesis, an don't be concerned about POIs not emailing you back. Hell, I have former professors who I'm borderline friends with who don't email me back. It's nothing personal -- it's just a combination of email oversaturation and a prioritization of time.

I don't have a lot to add to this thread other than to say that this sounds like a great research project...and one that will likely appeal to a lot of academics (and, of course, adcoms). When I read this, my mind goes immediately to Bertha Mason, which is surely one of the most obvious examples in the Brontës' works, but even beyond exploring perspectives on this original "madwoman in the attic," I suspect a lot can be done with your proposal. Good luck!

For what it's worth, I had a 162 verbal and was very disappointed...to the point that I retook the GRE six weeks later. I scored slightly lower the second time around (my alarm failed to go off, and I had to rush to the testing center 50 miles away, which left me completely rattled. Excuses, excuses), and I sincerely considered it taking it yet again, but didn't. In retrospect, I probably should have taken it a third time just in case... I firmly believe that in a relatively unfair process like grad school applications -- a process that is only a one- or two-time endeavor for most of us -- you might as well do all you can to make yourself a competitive candidate. There are enough adverse forces that will make some of the decision for you, so you might as well take away as many obvious red flags as possible. Different people have different approaches that work just as well, however.

For $200 and four hours of your time, I would retake it if only for peace of mind. You're paying close to that amount, and likely spending a similar amount of time for each individual application, after all. If you know that the GRE is an area of weakness, taking a bit more time and spending a bit more money to fix that seems prudent to me, at least. But as ever, YMMV...

This may be apropos of nothing, but... As an undergrad, I was assigned an advisor in the English department. His interests seemed nothing like my own -- literature and medicine. He was a nice man, and fairly old, having taught at the institution for forty-five years. I was in his office one day, and happened to notice a couple volumes on Edwin Arlington Robinson on his shelf. I was a fan of Robinson's poetry myself, so I mentioned them...and we talked about how he had done extensive work on Robinson in the 70s. From that, I proposed the possibility of working together on an independent study, and he reacted enthusiastically, welcoming the "opportunity to revisit Robinson again." My point is that even if a professor might have moved on from a particular research interest, it doesn't necessarily mean that he / she has abandoned that interest...just that the research had run its course, and the professor moved on to different things. In this case, it happened that his son had gone to med school and had become a doctor, which led to the prof's interest in the intersection between literature and medicine. His interest in the work of Robinson was not gone...just dormant. Long story short: whether a professor's research is current or from long ago, that professor had a great deal of investment in the material. That level of investment is unlikely to pass away from his or her view completely.