youngcharlie101
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Posts posted by youngcharlie101
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Speaking frankly here, and I know I'm just some guy commenting on the Internet, but...
-I'm completely at a loss as to why you would want to get another M.A. in English. One should be enough, unless there is a VERY compelling reason otherwise.
-Hating a program and despising professors is not a good sign. While I can't say whether or not NYU's English department is "typical," it is nevertheless academia...and if you had a really bad experience, then it might be a reflection on you and whether academia is the best fit for you in general. You say you hated your pretentious roommates and hated the city as well? That's...a lot of hate.
-The GRE can be stressful, to be sure, but if it is bringing on dangerous fits of anxiety, including hospitalization, it's hard for me to imagine what the stress of a high school (or college) classroom could do. Again, I don't know you at all, but these are signs you need to take seriously.
-Your posts are tinged with talk of "trauma," "stress," "hatred" for various aspects of the process. At some point does this add up to something other than "try again"?
Again, just some frank thoughts. In a high school classroom, you'll be encountering up to thirty or so teenagers...most of whom are only there because they have to be. It will be stressful. A Ph.D. program will be five years of academic rigor, including stress-inducing comps and dissertation deadlines etc. It's a lot of anxiety. Much more, comparatively, than the GRE.
I wasn't in the NYU English department. I took some classes in that department, and LOVED it. It's the NYU Draper Program that I wasn't so fond of.
And also, I didn't get a chance to visit the campus when I first got accepted. I live in London.
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Oh no, your advice means the world to me right now. I feel so isolated from my own community that I come here to seek advice about grad school.
You're so right. I definitely need to stay the bleep away from academia right now. My emotional and physical sanity depend on it. Hopefully teaching will be a good calling for me.
Thanks, friend. :-)
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I think the best years of my life were in college. It wasn't a shark tank where everyone was waiting for me to fail.
I'm trying so hard to erase the trauma of NYU from my brain. I was tested at every turn. I lived in a city I hated with these pretentious roommates and verbally abusive folk; I was hospitalized twice and treated like garbage by the professors; I lost the man I loved; I wrote a thesis with an adviser outside NYU since the professors wanted nothing to do with me.
Ugh, I hate NYU. I'm a very angry woman right now. Lol.
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Well that all makes some sense to me.... If you're sure you want to get that MAT, I think you should just apply for that, go through your training and your student teaching, and see how you feel when you're done.
Thanks, friend. Yeah, I think I might teach for a bit, and if I ever change my mind about the PhD, I guess I can try to go back. Grad school will always be there.
It's terrible, you know? I wish I would have known this about NYU before I invested. The hierarchy disturbs me immensely.
But hey, at least I know now what I didn't know then. Here's hoping I'll be happy sometime this year.
Thanks very much for your patience in reading my question. -
Why I want to settle down as a high school English teacher for now:
1- I almost died a few months ago from an anxiety attack that left me hospitalized, so I need to get healthy while working in my field preferably. (And please note that just because I'm sick, it doesn't mean I'm not cut out for academia, QE's, etc. There are plenty of anxious people who have made significant contributions to academia).
2- I am sick of the GRE, the nausea, the panic attacks, the constant bickering and arguing with my family, the blackouts, the study groups, the endless practice tests, the money spent on material, the tutors and their impatience, and come exam day, the terrible scores I always receive.
3- I am overall tired and mentally drained of trying to get into graduate school right now.
4- I would like some teaching experience since I wasn't an Ed major in college.
Why I despise NYU:
1- I get it. You're NYU. You go to one of the most competitive programs in the nation, but that doesn't give you the right to belittle your colleagues or talk down to those who haven't had the same advantages.
2- The professors have no compassion, nor do they wish to help a non-English department foreign student. I basically had to beg my three professors for solid letters to PhD programs and even then, they told me I don't have a "shot in hell."
3- The cost of living and the fiance I lost
4- The way the professors don't show up to office hours or respond to emails, yet they always have all the time in the world for their English/Comp Lit students.
Why I want a PhD in English
1- I want to research a topic that I am passionate about. Reading a book or attaining a master's simply isn't enough. I want to become an expert in my field.
2- I wish to broaden my scope of the American novel
3- I want to be a professor and encourage a modernized society why the novel is a significant aspect of the working world.
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Can I ask-- why do you want to be an English professor? I'm sure there's a lot of reasons that your experience was unpleasant, and I don't doubt that there are many pompous professors in the world. But if you're particularly bothered by that kind of thing, academia might not be your long-term career goal. I don't detect a lot of pomposity in my own academic life, but I'm not sensitive to it. More to the point, I worry that your hate of NYU's MA program may have less to do with the specific program and more to do with academic culture writ large. I'm also disturbed that you would define your MA as useless and a school as "really shitty." If you don't value your own education, how can you turn around and ask PhD programs to respect your work? I get that this is partly why you want to get an MA in lit. But if your MA in lit is only a means to improve your PhD program chances, that seems like a low-upside approach to me, given that the literature job market is so terrible and that you'd likely be paying out of pocket/with loans for an MA in lit. And since you're talking about getting a second MA, then teaching high school, then getting a third MA, we're looking at, what, 4-5 years in a best case scenario, then 5-8 years of a PhD? I'm not trying to be discouraging. I just don't really get this plan.
Do you want to teach high school? It's an honorable profession that can be very rewarding. The pay is low to start and it can be a major emotional investment, but in time you'll make more money. And your odds of building a career are much higher than in higher education, and would take way less school than the plan you've laid out here. Have you thought about that? Or is high school teaching just something that you see as a means to get into a PhD program? I'm not sure that would help you. I dunno, just my 2 cents.
If it's the unversity's cash cow program, then it's a shitty program.
Just ask the professors at Columbia, U. Chicago, CUNY, and U. Mass Amherst. They all said the same thing. -
Hi, everyone.
I'm a reject (tee hee) from all my PhD programs. But I'm taking it in stride and working hard to figure out my next move.
I got a useless MA from NYU in Humanities, and it's a really shitty school. I got some solid recommendations from two professors (that weren't too busy or pompous), but I feel like I need to broaden my scope of literature more. This is why I'm contemplating getting a second MA in English Lit.
However, in the meantime, I'm working to get teaching experience under my belt. I got NY certification to be a high school English teacher, but to work, the schools are looking for experience, which I don't have. This is why I'm applying to a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. They can give me student teaching experience and high school placement. It only takes a year.
But I want to go back for a second MA in English for when I do apply again to a PhD program. NYU was a terrible experience for me. I HATED it there, and I despised the professors too. Although I did get two solid letters, it wasn't enough for me to get accepted. That's why I think a second MA would benefit me.
I'm not sure if I should apply for both an MA in English and an MAT, or should I just apply to one and wait? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
Cheers.
- youngcharlie101, Dr. Old Bill, echo449 and 1 other
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Thanks, everybody! Yeah, I don't want that much debt on my plate. It's a no no to Temple.
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Contact them and ask about potential funding. One of my unfunded MS offers told me that most MS students do get funding once they are on campus. That professors like to get to know the students during the first semester before committing to RA/TA.
PhD is different though since it lasts more than 1.5 - 2 years, so worst case with an unfunded MS it is just 2 years of collecting debt. If you get the vibe that you won't be getting assistance quickly while at Temple you will have to accept that you will be collecting debt for 4-5 years (and I'm not sure English teacher will be able to pay off that much debt quickly).
Perhaps do your MA first and then try to get better offers for a PhD when you complete it (my intention on apping to MS programs was to make my PhD applications stronger) ?
Hi, Ian. Thanks for your help, dear friend. This is solid advice. But the thing is, I have my MA in Humanities. To be honest, I would love to go for a second MA in English Literature. I want to make my PhD applications as strong as possible.
But I'm torn. I want to get teaching experience at the same time. I wish to God I were an education major in college so I would at least have some teaching experience.
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Hi, everybody.
Well, my application season went up in flames. Last year, I got an offer of admission to Temple in Philadelphia for a PhD in English. The only downside was no funding. I'd have to pay out of pocket.
Back in August 2014, I deferred admission to Temple for one year and worked like hell to get into a funded program. I studied like a fiend for the GRE, I begged my professors for good letters, and I left my temp position just to solidify my application.
I have three schools left to hear from, but I am taking them all as implied rejections. I was planning on going to a nearby university to get my Master of Arts in Teaching. I'm trying to be an English teacher now since my first dream of being a professor went up in smoke.
But I just remembered my unfunded offer to Temple. Should I take it even though I'll be a commuter and I'm broke as sheet?
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Has anybody heard from Rutgers Comp Lit?
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You guys, we all made it through this season! It's a brutal process, but we all deserve the best. We should all be proud of ourselves. ❤️ Pass the wine?
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Rejected from Yale. This concludes my app season. NYU here I come. Sad, but now the wound licking is final at last.
Congratulations! This is a wonderful school, wonderful program. Go kick some butt!
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I personally despised NYU's Draper Program. I would have much rather gone to get my MA in Comparative Literature.
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I'm reading "Lolita" for the first time. It's quite intense. What a creepy pedophile! But there is one line that makes me cry every time I read it, especially since I'm going through a breakup with my first love:
"My solemn exasperation was to her the silence of love." <3
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YC, you seem like an incredibly motivated person, who also would benefit from being out of school for a second from your comments in this in other threads. If your dedication is even half of what you exhibit on these forums, you will be able to come back after a year better than ever, and ready to take great programs by storm.
Also, you can look into classes as an unmatriculated student if you are concerned that you would need letter writers; even this would be much cheaper than an unfunded MA.
You're definitely right, friend. It's so terrible to think of paying for a second MA. Blegh..
Thank you so much. I'll definitely look into possibly taking some courses to meet professors.
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Bye bye, NYU! Bye bye, pompous professors with no tushy holes! I can't believe I actually wanted to continue studying there. It was my first choice, but after getting rejected and berated by a pompous professor for even trying to get into NYU's Comp Lit department, I realized that I'm actually much better off being human. :-D
- Dr. Old Bill and SilasWegg
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Bye bye, NYU! Bye bye, pompous professors with no tushy holes! I can't believe I actually wanted to continue studying there. It was my first choice, but after getting rejected and berated by a pompous professor for even trying to get into NYU's Comp Lit department, I realized that I'm actually much better off being human. :-D
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Hey, everybody!
Wanted to thank you all for always guiding me and being some awesome friends.
I'd love your opinion on another matter, if that's okay.Well, I graduated with my MA in Humanities and Social Thought from NYU. To be honest, this program was a waste of money. I've often heard that the Draper Program at NYU is the cash cow. I didn't learn much, and I'd like to be more well-rounded in literature, especially if I have the desire to go for a PhD later.
I'm interested in Rutgers' MA in English at Camden. They even have teaching assistantships and a generous funding opportunity. Here's the thing though: I missed the February 1st deadline to be considered for the teaching assistantship. The regular deadline for the MA is July 1st.
I'm currently getting my New York teaching license, and I'm going to work like hell to get a high school teaching job. However, should I wait to apply to Rutgers next year so I can be considered for the assistantship? Or should I give it a shot and apply this year before July 1?
Thanks!
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Extended time and extra breaks may be helpful accommodations if you choose to retake. I'm not advocating that you do, but you should know all the options.
https://www.ets.org/disabilities/test_takers/accommodations/
I've tried SO hard to get accommodations last summer. I'm going to see my doctor next week and ask her to write me a very detailed letter to ETS with my hospitalization records.
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I seriously doubt your GRE scores are what's keeping you out of schools. Focus on your writing sample and your statement of purpose.
Thanks very much, dear friend. I will try again and see how everything goes.
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I'm really uncomfortable with the suggestion that some people can't "hack" grad school because of a disability. People with anxiety, autism, panic attacks, depression, and PTSD make important contributions to academia all the time.
I do agree that you, youngcharlie, need to prioritize your health above all else. Does ETS offer accommodations for documented disabilities? You may want to look into that. Also, what did your professors say about your GRE scores? Did they offer any strategies for how to overcome them in your application?
ETA: Let's not wish we had another disability in place of our own.
You are awesome, friend. Thank you very much.
It makes me sad when people think that I'm not cut out for academia because of the childhood I had. I didn't ask to have psychological issues. That's like saying to a blind person, "Maybe you're not cut out for walking."
But I am going to get a hold on this terrible beast consuming me. Anxiety hurts really bad.
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Actually, they could be. My university has a minimum required score of 300 and the graduate college has rejected applicants recommended by departments for low GRE scores.
That said, to the OP, to put it bluntly I don't think graduate school is for you unless you can get your anxiety under control. Graduate school is very stressful and if the GRE hospitalizes you I'd hate to see what grad school does.
I'm trying to. Really I am. Sometimes I wish it were a limp or diabetes than anxiety.
Wanting to be a high school English teacher before PhD?
in Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition
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Well, you know absolutely nothing about me, so there's that.
I apologize if I offended you, but perhaps you can try getting through to NYU's Draper Program.