littlepigeon

My WS will be part of the MA thesis I wrote this spring, which covered the problem of consolation in Pearl and Chaucer's Book of the Duchess. The thesis itself is upwards of 30 pages, so I'm just going to use the section on Pearl, as it's far more coherent and well-written than the Chaucer portion. Here's where I could use some advice... Some programs state that if you're submitting an excerpt from a longer work, you should just provide a brief paragraph explaining the context for the excerpt. Others don't provide any such instructions, though will often note that excerpts are fine to submit for the WS. In your opinion(s), should I *just* submit the body of the Pearl section itself--that is, without either an introduction or conclusion--and just provide the context for those missing parts alongside the WS? My original plan was to amend both the intro and conclusion to reflect the move from talking about two poems to just the one....but I obviously don't want to have to put more editing time towards the WS than is truly necessary. (I'm already going to have to do a bit of editing on the body of the paper, just to revise a few things I didn't have a chance to fix before I submitted the thesis a few months ago.) Sorry if this post/question is a bit scrambled...and I realize I'm not providing you all with any concrete writing to work with. Nevertheless, your thoughts on this matter would be appreciated!

Precisely! The giddiness almost even overwhelms that whole nauseating expectation of chainsaws! (Love that, Unræd. Too perfect.) And yes, the K&R textbook set was a great beginner's guide to Latin, for sure. I recommend it to anyone thinking about "teaching themselves" or looking for a way to review that isn't via the same textbook(s) with which they originally worked...

Cloud and Unræd, these are both extremely useful responses. I'll definitely be applying strictly to English programs--not ones in Medieval Studies--so thankfully the very daunting Latin exam Toronto requires of its CMS students wouldn't apply to me! I think I'll likely end up applying there just because, as you say, why not? But I did notice, as Cloud points out, the dearth of pedagogical training offered there. That would be a pretty big "con," relatively speaking, but at the same time, I'm still compelled (at this point, at least) to apply there simply for how exceptional every other aspect of their program is/how eager I am to work with the medievalists in the English department.

Glad to see that I'm not *super* behind in preparing for the upcoming whirlwind that is application season! When I did my M.A. applications two years ago, I procrastinated a LOT (a lot, a lot), so I've been trying not to end up stumbling down that path again this year. I'm really quite happy to have spent most of the summer doing language studies; it makes me feel like I've been especially productive this year (and I'm also realizing it was, in fact, extremely productive). Unræed, my course used Keller & Russel's Learn to Read Latin textbook/workbook set. I've gone ahead and purchased the Wheelock set, though, so I can keep studying on my own during this "year off." That's pretty cool you're working at a Med/Ren Studies center; is it kind of a desk job or do you get to do research work with professors, etc.? *UGH* is all I have to say about studying for the Subject test...but such is my general sentiment about the application process, mixed in with nervous anticipation and little-kid excitement...

Hi all, I'm new to GC, so am just responding to various posts in sundry topics in the Lit/Rhet forum to try and join in some conversations. Most of you sound like you've had a pretty enjoyable summer! Mine has been enjoyable, though nothing close to a "vacation"--today was the last day of the six-week intensive course in introductory Latin I've been taking at UChicago. Two semesters of Latin in six weeks has my brain feeling pretty exhausted, but I have about three weeks before my new job starts, so I'm looking forward to catching up on the rest of life. Namely, I need to finalize my list of schools, keep studying for the GRE Subject test, draft my SoP, and put together my syllabi for the two classes I'm teaching this semester. So basically, there truly ain't no rest for the wicked (which I sort of am, given that I ought to have made more progress toward preparing my application materials by now!).

Wyatt's Torch: I just attempted to access my ticket again, and was successful this time. The only thing I did differently was manually enter my Confirmation number instead of copying and pasting it from the email containing it, so maybe give that a try if you haven't already?

I'm taking the Subject test on Sept. 27. When I tried to access my ticket just now, I got the same error message as you. Sigh. Guess they'll be receiving a call from me, as well...

Unræd, it's great to have another person who'll be going through the application process here. I will admit, sheepishly, that you're leagues ahead of me in your preparations! I've been doing an intensive course in introductory Latin for the past six weeks, so have only had enough free time to research various schools this summer. Today was my last day of class, though, so I'll really start diving into all the major tasks over the next week or two. Arthurian and Cloud, thanks for your suggestions! I hadn't considered either UNM or Austin, but will look into both of their programs as I finalize my list of schools. Out of curiosity, did either of you look at Toronto when you were applying? I'm really interested in their program, but my advisor told me that they rarely accept applicants with little to no background in Latin (the course I just finished covered the equivalent of two semesters, but she seemed confident that that wouldn't be sufficient). If either of you has any info on that issue, it would be greatly appreciated. Looking forward to keeping this forum going! Hopefully we'll draw in some more people as the "official" application season gets closer.

Hi, all. I know there's an older forum for all the medievalists applying to programs in English, but I thought I might start a new one for the Fall 2015 application season anyway. I'm applying for Ph.D. programs this year, having completed my MA at Northwestern this past spring. My interests are quite varied, but primarily center on medieval literature of death, grief, mourning, and consolation; hagiographies; representations of children/childhood studies; and medieval reception of antiquity and the perpetuation/revisions of the classical tradition. I love the Pearl-poet and Chaucer (particularly his earlier work), and am currently studying Catherine of Siena (though not specifically for any future research project). I'll be taking the GRE Subject Test in late September, and hope to draft my statement(s) of purpose over the next two to three months. That's all the relevant information I can think of at the moment, but I hope lots of other applicants join this group so we can all get to know each other better. It would be great to have a substantial support system of likeminded hopefuls throughout this application season!

To these really helpful posts, I'll just add that Harvard's "Guidelines for Admission" page states that a score of "at least 650" on the Subject Test is a "positive addition to the application." Harvard (and a few of the other "highest-tier" programs) require both the General and Subject GRE, but all of those at which I've looked so far make it clear that neither of these scores will in any way determine an applicant's admission or non-admission. And as has already been said, a lot of really good programs don't even require the Subject Test (some are even getting smart enough not to require the General test anymore, I think!). All in all, I'd say that if you can manage a score of 600+, you'll be doing yourself a favor; if not, though, I seriously wouldn't stress about it too much.

I believe there are currently two testing dates for the Subject Test in late September, as well as two in late October. I registered for one of the September dates so that if I know immediately after I take it that I absolutely bombed it, I'll have the option of retaking it the next month. I'm fairly certain these four dates are the only ones until sometime in the spring of 2015, however.