youngcharlie101

Good day, everyone. Apologies for the long story, but your feedback is truly appreciated. I guess I'll start with who I am. I'm Charlotte (Charlie), African, born and raised in London. I went to NYU for my master's in interdisciplinary humanities. I graduated with a 3.9 GPA and I want to go for a PhD in English Literature. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but NYU is a very pretentious school. The professors never email you back and don't care if they miss a significant deadline. During office hours, they will slam the door in your face. For classes, they don't respond to emails, but insist that you email them instead of stop by. I had to beg two of my professors for solid recommendation letters, and they didn't even submit them on time. Everyone there thinks they are god's gift to the Earth, and it was quite difficult for me, being an exchange student with no friends or family in the lonely city of New York. When I graduated from that disaster of a school, I took the GRE. My scores sucked, but I am planning on retaking the exam and overcoming my test anxiety. (I blacked out before and during the exam. Nose bleeds, panic attacks, etc. I am seeking help as I know my anxiety stems from a bigger problem). I sucked it up and applied to six programs anyway. The results: I was rejected from all my PhD programs. To make matters worse, I lost my fiance, the love of my life and my future husband, and I buried my grandmother, the one who raised me and the only person I had by my side. I was also diagnosed with diabetes, and I went through severe depression. I'm still recovering from my alcoholism, my nicotine fits, and my intense mood swings. I am trying to put 2015 behind me. I plan to reapply for the English PhD someday, but for now, I want to receive my New York teaching license. I would actually like to teach secondary ed for a little while. But here's the thing: I have a master's from a good school. I didn't double major in Secondary Ed when I was in college, so I have to seek higher ed to get my New York teaching license. I can either go for a post-bacc program, an Ed.M (Master's in Education), or a Master of Arts in Teaching. I only plan to go to local universities, not top-ten schools. While I know it won't assist my application in the future, will getting a second master's degree from a lesser-known school take me out of the running? I want to teach for now, but someday, if I ever forget this past year and the bad taste it left in my mouth, I might want to reapply to the PhD programs. Any guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.

Hi, Ian. Good to hear from you. Thanks for this solid advice. I'm definitely going to see if I can audit a class at NYU.

Good day, everybody. Forgive me, I had posted this in the Literary Arts section, but I do believe I was wrong to post it there. I feel that my questions are more aligned with the application process. My goal is to get a PhD in English; it's something I have wanted for a very long time. I had a very bad application season last year, but I am willing to work hard and do it again. Right now, I'm subbing in high school and getting my standard teaching license; I do love teaching, and I think I want to teach high school for a bit before moving forward with the PhD. But here's my profile, and I feel like a despicable candidate. I graduated with a 3.9 GPA from NYU. I'm an African student from London, but I got my MA here in the US. My MA was in Interdisciplinary Humanities, and I sort of regret it. I should have gotten an MA in English Lit. I do have two solid recommendations from my NYU professors, but I am trying to seek a third. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but many of the professors at NYU don't like to help their students. They ignore emails and slam the office door in your face. (It's happened to me twice). As for my GRE, my scores were abysmal. I was hospitalized twice for anxiety, and I think I'm starting to get it under control. Something about tests makes me tick. I plan to retake the GRE sometime next spring. I got a 5.5 in Analytical Writing, a 153 on Verbal, and a 146 in math. For my personal statement, I think I have a solid idea for research, but I'm still perfecting it: I am willing to study 20th Century American and African American writers, focusing specifically on themes of masochism and violence as avenues for female expression. I am not published. I guess my biggest questions are as follows: 1- How do I get a third LOR from NYU? 2- What's the best GRE software you have used? I liked Magoosh and Manhattan Prep, but I'm interested in learning about others. 3- If I want to get into an English PhD program, how can I study for the Literature in English GRE? 4- What can I do to become a better candidate than last year? 5- Is there any way to remove the bad taste of last year's cycle from my mouth? Thanks so much, everybody. Wishing you a happy beginning of the school year. Cheers.

Good day, everybody. I'm thinking about applying for a PhD program, but I want to take some time off to teach. Right now, I'm currently teaching high school English. I want to strengthen my application for the Fall 2017 season, however. I graduated with a 3.9 GPA from NYU. I'm an African student from London, but I got my MA here in the US. My MA was in Interdisciplinary Humanities. I do have two solid recommendations from my NYU professors, but I am trying to seek a third. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but many of the professors at NYU don't like to help their students. They ignore emails and slam the office door in your face. (It's happened to me twice). As for my GRE, my scores were abysmal. I was hospitalized twice for anxiety, and I think I'm starting to get it under control. Something about tests makes me tick. I plan to retake the GRE sometime next spring. I got a 5.5 in Analytical Writing, a 153 on Verbal, and a 146 in math. For my personal statement, I think I have a solid idea for research, but I'm still perfecting it: I am willing to study 20th Century American and African American writers, focusing specifically on themes of masochism and violence as avenues for female expression. I guess my biggest questions are as follows: 1- How do I get a third LOR from NYU? 2- What's the best GRE software you have used? I liked Magoosh and Manhattan Prep, but I'm interested in learning about others. 3- If I want to get into an English PhD program, how can I study for the Literature in English GRE? Thanks so much, everybody. Wishing you a happy beginning of the school year. Cheers.

By the way, what do you think of the English GRE? What's the most effective study aid that you would recommend? Thanks a lot, mate.

Hi, again. I actually would like to teach high school for a bit. I need to take a break from the horrific experience that was graduate school. I was actually offered admission at a school in Philly, but there was no funding and no chance to ever become a TA there. That's why I turned down the offer. I think I might go back to grad school later, when I'm like 30. But in truth, I have a deep appreciation for kids, and I think I want to teach at the high school level for a while before going back for the PhD.

Good day, everyone. I would like to hear your input about possibly applying for the Fall 2016 application cycle. I recently graduated from NYU with a Master's in Humanities. I wrote a thesis on apartheid in South Africa, so it was more anthropologically-based. I did apply to some Comp Lit PhD programs last fall, but I was denied by 7 schools. My main research interests were 20th Century African and American literature. Come to think of it, I am a bit more passionate about American Modernism. One of my dear professors in London told me it would be worth a shot to apply for a PhD in English Literature. But I am terrified of the GRE Subject Test. I already bombed the General GRE, and I have no idea how on earth to study for the English GRE. Many schools require it. In the meantime, I am trying to find work as a high school English teacher. I got my certification this past March. I think I'm going to spend a year (or two) teaching and sprucing up my application. I have two great recommenders from NYU's English Dept and Comparative Lit department. The third might be a professor whose class I took at Rutgers' Comp Lit department. I need high test scores, so I'm going to try again. But what else can I prepare for?

Thanks, mates. This is solid advice. I definitely would like to start teaching for a bit. Perhaps I can try delving more into English literature instead of Comp Lit. But I'd need high GRE scores on the English test. Oh boy... Here we go! Yes, I do have an MA, but I have heard these awful posts about MA degrees in Humanities. I figured it would be best to get an MA in English. But it doesn't matter, right?

Oh no, you're absolutely right. I would have to take out loans. To be honest, I don't want my PhD to be something I go into debt for. It's not fair. I did everything I could to make my application better, but it was all in vain. Right now, settling down as an English teacher would be my best bet. It sounds the most comfortable.

Hi, all. I think I might have posted something similar before. I'm an NYU graduate of Humanities. I have my MA from their Draper school. I applied to some PhD programs in Comparative Literature last fall, and much to my dismay, I received no acceptances. Last year, in August 2014, I was offered an admission to Temple University's PhD in English. However, it was an unfunded offer. They gave me no info on funding, nor did they even mention a TA-ship. Also, no enrolled student can be offered a TA-ship if he or she was not offered one upon admission. I deferred their offer of admission last August in efforts to work harder on my application. But I was still denied admission to all the schools I applied. I think I was kind of ambitious. All the schools I applied to were Ivy Leagues or Top-10s, and I only applied to 7. Next time, it should be 70. Well, on the plus side, I'm now a licensed NY English teacher. I even have a job offering at a Catholic high school in Queens. My mates are telling me to take the unfunded offer to Temple as I can get my PhD in 4 years or less. It will also give me the opportunity to move out and start my new life in Philly. I had a miserable time in New York. Broken engagement, broke as hell, etc. I have three options, but I'm not sure where to start: - Option 1: Take the unfunded offer to Temple, move to Philly, and get my PhD from a lower-ranked university. - Option 2: Try to get a high school teaching job, take a break from this mess of graduate school applications, and settle down as an English teacher for a while. - Option 3: GO TO TEMPLE FOR A TERMINAL M.A. and then apply to PhD programs elsewhere after completion. You could literally save my life right now. Please help.

IQ, I apologize you took the down vote to heart, but it was only because you angered me with "You don't know what you want," which is simply not true. It's the internet, mate. You don't know who I am, so your assumption was a bit skewed. That's all I meant.

Thanks so much, all. I've much to think about, but I think I will settle down as a teacher right now. I was offered a job this morning, right as I'm about to leave for the U.K. Must return to New York by June for training. It's quite all right that I won't be going for the PhD now. I just lost my beau and much of my health. I don't wish to be hospitalized for a while. But know that everybody's graduate school experience is different. Some of my mates adored NYU, but for me, it was not the right fit. I would have been happier studying anthro or African Lit at a different environment. Perhaps I can try again some other time, but for now, I accepted the teaching job. It'll be nice to teach literature for a while.

This isn't supposed to be a pissing contest, mate.