sillyrabbit

I don't have any advice, but I did a study abroad term at the University of Glasgow - I loved it! Definitely one of my favorite cities in the world...ah I need to go back.

Jasbir Puar, Michel Foucault, Walter Benjamin, David Eng

Hey all, Just curious about how best to approach this. I've heard that it's good to mention any language proficiency in your SoP, especially for certain subfields (i.e. Latin for Medieval English). Is this true for all applicants? I feel like secondary languages are less important for my interests (20th/21st c. American literature, queer theory, Asian American literature). I do have Spanish language proficiency from college. Should I mention this specifically in my SoP, or should this be evident in a transcript (and, thus, be enough to make Universities feel confident that I can pass their language exams)? I feel like mentioning my Spanish language proficiency would be an add-on, since it's not directly related to other parts of my SoP.

Wow - that's crazy. Luckily my test started exactly at 9:01 (our instructor was a stickler about testing process/procedure). I think with this test, timing definitely was an issue. I completely expected a decent amount of testers to leave at the 2:30h mark...but I think only one girl ended up leaving at 2:30h (out of a room of 50+). When the proctor announce 2:30, you could hear a wave of page ruffling...I presume because people just then realized how little time was left... I barely completed all the questions on the test because I was determined to make an educated guess on every question...but at the cost of rushing the last few passages....

Content wasn't exactly what I expected but not too far off Biggest difference I thought was question type (or lack thereof of certain ones covered in the Princeton Review!)

It was a crazy 3 hours - definitely exhilarating! Very different than any of my practice tests, though

I was so nervous last week, but at this point (the day before the test) I feel oddly calm about it...I'm so ready for this to be over, so I can go back to the important parts of my application.

One week left! Agh! I've taken my second practice test and saw an increase in my practice test score…so that's a good thing, I guess. Can't wait 'til this test is over.

Hey all, Is anyone else in this year's English PhD admission cycle also applying to more interdisciplinary programs such as American Studies/Ethnic Studies? I am currently applying to a mix of English and American Studies PhD programs and am wondering if anyone is in the same boat. My B.A. was in English Literature, so I would consider myself a literature candidate, first and foremost. But, as I worked through my undergraduate thesis, I realized that I could easily see myself content in an American Studies program.

I second that meltdown.

Thanks for the offers! I might send you a few PMs...

Has anyone taken the GRE subject test already? That's basically the focus of current freakout...

Thanks all for your feedback! It definitely makes me feel better hearing these responses. It's just nerve-racking when most schools explicitly say they don't publicize average or minimal scores. The ones that do say things like "an average of 166 or higher are positive additions to an application," which just leaves you wondering so much.... Wyatt, I totally understand what you are saying. In the past week, I've also been freaking out about my GRE score, when I know that a stronger writing sample and SoP matters more in the end. Simply, the GRE/GPA are the only quantitative additions to an application, and it's so easy to fuss over those numbers since it's difficult to discern how "good" your writing sample is relative to other applicants.

Hi all! I'm relatively new to this forum, and I was hoping to gather some general insight as to what is a "good" GRE verbal score. I know that it's a number and definitely not the most important part of the application. However, at what percentile/scaled score is the score "good enough" and not worth spending more time on, just to increase it by a few percentage points. I am hoping to apply to top tier schools this application season. Maybe I'm just obsessing over a number, but my perfectionist side always feels like I can take it again to "get a higher score." (Apologies if this topic has been discussed elsewhere) Thanks!

I'm also in this boat! (See signature for list of schools)

As am I!

Thanks for the info!

I am applying to primarily English PhD programs but also to a handful of related, more interdisciplinary programs (Am Studies, Cultural studies). Is anyone else in the same boat? Or, are most people applying strictly to English PhD programs? For those of you who are applying to English PhD programs and other similar degree programs, how did you discern which program to apply to for each university? Obviously, fit plays a big part and programs vary across the board (so research into individual programs will provide the real answer), but I am wondering if anyone has any generalized insight, as a rule of thumb. Are English programs generally stronger, and do they offer better funding and job placement? Are they usually more or less competitive than more interdisciplinary programs? For schools that allow multiple applications, would you even recommend applying to more than one program? For example, I am thinking of applying to both UMich's English program and Am. Studies program because I can see a fit for both (although if I had to pick, I would pick English). Any insight on what effect this has on the application? Thanks for reading, and any advice would be much appreciated!

Hi, all! Wanted to pop in and say hi. Just decided to create an account, as I will be joining you all in this application season. Definitely excited and nervous!