chaussettes

Most of the advice regarding the SOP has been spot on, I think, but I would add that if you have any professors who know you and your work particularly well (your letter writers, I should think), ask them for advice about what should go into your SOP and how you should approach it BEFORE you begin writing. Gradcafe, while immensely helpful in that regard, is not a substitute for the guidance of your advisors. The two professors whom I asked for SOP advice, one a veteran of his field and the other a member of the adcom of a program I was applying to, were able to give me very helpful and field-specific pointers regarding unsuccessful/successful approaches they had seen in SOPs and what direction they thought my SOP should go in, based on what they knew of me and my interests. In fact, if you are having trouble defining your research interests, you might find that in the course of conversation one of your professors who knows your work well will be able to describe it more coherently and articulately than you! You can save yourself from a lot of the time and agony of revising the SOP if you start off on the right foot with a first draft that, while perhaps roughly written and not conceptually complete, is pointing you in the right direction from the get go. Also, if you are applying to a program that requires a diversity/personal history statement and have access to someone in the know, ask them about the relative importance of this. There is no need to stress out about writing a diversity statement and to give it the same attention as the SOP if it has no bearing on admission to the department and is used for diversity fellowship eligibility purposes, as was true in my case.

It is fine (and perhaps admirable) for you to post this warning for the benefit of prospectives who might consider UCI's Comp Lit program unaware of the depth and seriousness of the issues you described, but to use your individual experience in one program at one school as an indicator of the worthiness of the humanities in the entire UC system as you do in your first post is shortsighted and egocentric. As mentioned before in this thread, every school and every department is dealing with the financial situation in its own way, and I can guarantee you that although it does, by your account, sound as if Irvine's Comp Lit program is suffering tremendously, that is most certainly not the case in a lot of other programs at other UCs, many of which are as strong (or nearly as strong) as they have ever been (of course, this would also vary by subfield). Of course, most students (certainly all well-informed ones) are aware that the UC's humanities programs often cannot offer funding on par with other comparable institutions, but many find that it is worth the sacrifice--and you'll find that other Comp Lit programs at UC schools have quite a secure amount of funding and have made their best students generous offers by any standard, not just in comparison to other UC schools. Additionally, your assertion that west coast schools have little knowledge of European history and literature is not only unfounded but also quite insulting to the many fine scholars at those institutions, especially those who are choosing to accept or remain in less lucrative positions out of love of the UC system and/or a commitment to public education. Your opinion and your warning may be quite valid, and if I had been considering Irvine I would definitely be taking a second look, but as it is, your post comes off as a bitter and presumptuous potshot against the UCs motivated by your own personal dissatisfaction in a program that can hardly be considered the sole or even a primary representative of the state of the humanities/Comp Lit in the UC system.

Dear MM,

I am glad that you've discovered a program that will accommodate your schedule. I'd like to offer two salty cents -- one a criticism, and one some friendly advice -- from one wise old (ahem, mature) lady to another.

First: your seeming victimhood. Ever since you first began posting on the Grad Cafe, you've been blaming everyone else for your problems. Now, you may not actually blame others in real life, but you certainly do in your posts here. I think from the start, when others had been accepted to programs and you hadn't, you complained that those others must be LYING to you and trying to make you and others feel bad. Then when you didn't get into the departments you wanted, it was because the admissions committees were total jerks who wouldn't overlook your spotty past record to see your very stellar improvements. It was THEIR fault, and not yours in the least. Then, when you decided that you couldn't make graduate school work this year, it was your husband's fault. Now, you shout:



You suggest that it's not YOUR fault that YOU didn't do your research as the rest of us did. It's the fault of others who didn't know in advance to suggest programs that would accommodate your personal schedule and lifestyle. It's the fault of the departments who don't accommodate your personal schedule, who "give [people like you] the middle finger schedule-wise," which suggests that they hold parents back on purpose, just to be jerks. You know, I seem to remember a post of yours -- one of the ones about how no one can hold you down, which generally are quite admirable -- in which you said that so many things have been done TO YOU to keep you from pursuing your dreams. So many things have been out of YOUR control that have held you back. This is what I, personally, have to say: oh, PLEASE. Perhaps it's just me, but I'm pretty sick and tired of hearing about how your problems regarding graduate school are all everyone else's fault. You, my friend, are not a victim. Take some ownership of your life! You have made the choices that have put you were you are today, and you will continue to make choices. Yes, sometimes you may have had very, very undesirable options. Sometimes, they didn't seem like fair choices. Too bad! They were still choices, and you still decided. You are a strong, intelligent, and powerful person who has carved a life for herself. OWN IT. Stop complaining that it's been done to you.

This is just a quick side note about programs "giving parents the middle finger." Look, I'm a parent, too. Sometimes, our schedules are very unfortunate. However, I would never, ever expect a graduate program, especially a top graduate program such as Virginia or Carolina, to accommodate MY schedule. Heck, I'll jump through hoops for them. I don't expect it to be the other way around! Also, graduate school is a JOB. It's not something you do in your spare time for fun. Complaining that a department's schedule is inconvenient for you for any reason -- even as a parent -- is ridiculous. It's like saying, "Goodness, I really want to be an elementary school teacher but the school district just gives parents the middle finger schedule-wise! They never hold school in the evenings when it is convenient for me!" Don't tell me that is a facile analogy, because it's not. Graduate school IS A JOB. Get used to it, sister, or find a new goal.

My second point -- hopefully this one won't come across as quite so harsh -- is regarding your applications and how to make them stronger for next year. I've noticed that in many posts you speak of getting a doctorate as if the diploma itself is your goal because you already are a great scholar and you just need the credentials to prove it. Graduate admissions committees despise this attitude. As a candidate who applied to PhD programs with a masters in hand, I can tell you that despite what many MAs think, it really is more difficult to get into English PhD programs if you already have a masters in English BECAUSE professors hate having to deal with know-it-all graduate students. Those already holding masters degrees tend to be more knowledgeable, yes, because they've had more schooling. They also tend to be a bit more confident. They ALSO tend to be the students who walk around as if they don't need any instruction or faculty advising. In short, they're difficult to teach because they act as if they don't need it. Before the masters-carrying applicants out there get very angry with me, let me say that this depiction represents only what faculty dislike the most, and NOT all of the MA-in-hand students out there.

Clearly, MM, you can handle your scholarship. This is a plus. Presenting it as if you're already a well-established scholar who doesn't need no stinkin' school -- and who only wants the diploma to prove it -- will be, and possibly was for you this round, hugely detrimental to your applications. You must spin your experience in such a way that it won't make admissions committees suspect that you'll be an unteachable jerk. Teachability is one of the traits that admissions committees prize most in applicants. When it comes to your applications, help yourself to a healthy portion of humble pie. You've published, you've presented, you've taught. These are wonderful things, but they'll actually work against you if you present them in an arrogant way. It's possible that you were very humble in your statement of purpose -- I would have no way of knowing. However, at least in your posts on the Grad Cafe, you're incredibly arrogant. You rail against students who get into graduate school as twentieth centuryists but don't know everything there is to know about the twentieth century! You complain that medievalists are admitted when they only know a fraction about medieval literature and criticism that you do! Horrors of horrors, are these applicants who are attempting to go to graduate school to LEARN about areas they are not already experts in? Excuse me, MM, but this is WHY students go to graduate school. TO LEARN about things. Not because they already know everything. Admissions committees don't want know-it-all experts. They want humble, teachable students who have the potential to be great scholars but who still need SCHOOL. They don't want someone who presumes to be a peer to the greatest faculty out there already! Goodness, no.

I fear that this post may come across as rather cruel. I do not mean to to be. However, it's been months of the same posts, the same reactions, the same anger and cynicism from you, MM. Take it down a notch, please. Empower yourself, take ownership of the choices you have made, and have a little grace and humility.

Thank you,
Your Friendly Neighborhood Truth Snake

YES. I could have written this post myself. Every word, true, true, true. You know what makes me really angry, though? It's the fact that my first choice is many folks' safety. If you don't WANT to go to a program, don't apply. When I see someone with 8+ applications, I don't think "there's a person who knows what s/he wants in life" I think "that assh-le is probably going to take my spot and s/he clearly doesn't even want it." Nine times out of ten (OK, eight ;op), that person him or herself will tell you s/he "only applied there as a backup". That's really discouraging.

I wish everyone had the foresight to apply only to the schools s/he really wants to GO to, instead of just randomly applying to 8-10 of the top 25 English departments. I know that's generalizing - there are a lot of people here who have clearly done their homework and have very specific reasons for their choices. But there are an equal number of folks with "I don't really know what I want to be when I grow up" etched all over their lists - you know? I'm not trying to be hypercritical, but I do want to point out that for some of us, UNC-Chapel Hill is the best possible option (especially when we are medievalists/Celticists/ Arthurians and they have next-to-God-on-the-Celtic-scale Pat O'Neill and the soon-to-be-emeritus-but-he-could-still-work-with-you-on-your-dissertation-if-you-asked-him-nicely-Don Kennedy (a deity among medievalists).....and for others, it's just a top-25 school they applied to as a safety.

So - if ten folks applied for one slot, and six of them didn't REALLY want it, and the one that gets it drops or transfers midway through....who won? Now, multiply that by the obscene number of people competing for spots at the top 50 or so institutions...wow. I'm surprised any of us is even still functional against those odds!

I'm rambling. I'm sorry. I am not trying to be a Debbie Downer, I just hate hearing so many stories about people who can't get a break, when they know so clearly what they are and what they want, and I know so many others who maybe shouldn't be applying at all yet, and will more than likely drop out or become ABDs. (for the record - I know an equal number of applicants who are wonderful scholars and who I hope get full funding and know will do brilliantly...I'm in no way implying this is even more than a minority....but it is a reality, however small the number of people doing it. And they do hurt everyone's chances all the more, in some cases).

In the meanwhile, for myself, I am dying to do more advanced research, to study Old Irish, Anglo-Norman and Anglo-Saxon, and to write my articles and book(s). I'll certainly do this with or without a program...but with would be easier. I teach at a private boarding school and I get to create my curriculum from scratch, teach whatever I want, the way I want...unlimited (within reason) resources - you can bet I'm not applying to PhD programs because I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, or that I'm not really sure but I THINK this is what I want - because if I am accepted, I will be leaving an extremely cushy job, excellent benefits, and a VERY nice salary...but I'll be going towards my lifelong passions with more guidance and more criticism of what I am doing, which will make me a better scholar, writer and reader, and that is what I want. One way or the other, I will be a medievalist for the rest of my life. I would love to do it in a PhD program with other medievalists as mentors and colleagues...but I have done it for ten years more or less without that and gotten along just fine, if in lonely fashion for the most part.

Then someone please explain how people get a 4.5 on the writing portion and still get into an English program? It would seem that if a program begins with numbers they're not very consistent.

Edit: Not that I disagree to an extent, but if we take the results board for its word, some recent acceptances had 4.0 and 4.5 writing portion numbers, including a Stanford acceptance, which seems counterintuitive.

It's not that you're being picky, it's more that you can't understand irony or subtext without having it spelled out for you.

I hate to be anal (but I am) but it's the tone -- how you put it across. It sounds sweeping -- I don't suppose many care for this but as I said I'm a sensitive little twat. I would've said something like 'perhaps being white, which means being the majority race, means that one's use of the word "exotic" is less critical' or something or the other. Of course I am beginning to realize that I'm picky even for an english major

why did i get a downvote for pointing out that white people don't get as easily offended by the word "exotic"?

why do people hate me?

I was just having a conversation about this topic yesterday. We were trying to figure out who is the more "insensitive" one--the person who uses a word like "exotic" unwittingly or the one who picks up on the negative connotation?

Like I said--I honestly didn't mean to offend.

Being white does that to you

Don't take this the wrong way, but aren't you in grad school already? Why don't you ask one of your professors, or someone else in your program, or even a librarian? Seems a more effective strategy than grad cafe.

Lyrus, that's brilliant. (I've known German for awhile, so I have a decent grasp of the incidentals and their shades of meaning/emphasis). Since Middle English and Middle German are closer than the modern vernaculars are, I bet you're right on. Thank you!
 
DontHate ~ lol, who's to say I didn't? I must admit that being told it's acceptable to use an edition with a facing page translation if I'm having trouble with the Old French (HAHAHA right.) was not exactly the answer I was looking for. I will confess that I was sort of also thinking that medieval lit is awesome and maybe getting any medievalists here a chance to, y'know, talk about medieval lit outside a classroom context would help release some of the pressure of this time of year, because when I was applying every opportunity to do so helped me out emotionally, and I thought maybe it could be the same for someone this year. I'm sorry for intruding.
 
Thanks again, Lyrus!

Most of the advice regarding the SOP has been spot on, I think, but I would add that if you have any professors who know you and your work particularly well (your letter writers, I should think), ask them for advice about what should go into your SOP and how you should approach it BEFORE you begin writing. Gradcafe, while immensely helpful in that regard, is not a substitute for the guidance of your advisors. The two professors whom I asked for SOP advice, one a veteran of his field and the other a member of the adcom of a program I was applying to, were able to give me very helpful and field-specific pointers regarding unsuccessful/successful approaches they had seen in SOPs and what direction they thought my SOP should go in, based on what they knew of me and my interests. In fact, if you are having trouble defining your research interests, you might find that in the course of conversation one of your professors who knows your work well will be able to describe it more coherently and articulately than you! You can save yourself from a lot of the time and agony of revising the SOP if you start off on the right foot with a first draft that, while perhaps roughly written and not conceptually complete, is pointing you in the right direction from the get go. Also, if you are applying to a program that requires a diversity/personal history statement and have access to someone in the know, ask them about the relative importance of this. There is no need to stress out about writing a diversity statement and to give it the same attention as the SOP if it has no bearing on admission to the department and is used for diversity fellowship eligibility purposes, as was true in my case.

Most of the advice regarding the SOP has been spot on, I think, but I would add that if you have any professors who know you and your work particularly well (your letter writers, I should think), ask them for advice about what should go into your SOP and how you should approach it BEFORE you begin writing. Gradcafe, while immensely helpful in that regard, is not a substitute for the guidance of your advisors. The two professors whom I asked for SOP advice, one a veteran of his field and the other a member of the adcom of a program I was applying to, were able to give me very helpful and field-specific pointers regarding unsuccessful/successful approaches they had seen in SOPs and what direction they thought my SOP should go in, based on what they knew of me and my interests. In fact, if you are having trouble defining your research interests, you might find that in the course of conversation one of your professors who knows your work well will be able to describe it more coherently and articulately than you! You can save yourself from a lot of the time and agony of revising the SOP if you start off on the right foot with a first draft that, while perhaps roughly written and not conceptually complete, is pointing you in the right direction from the get go. Also, if you are applying to a program that requires a diversity/personal history statement and have access to someone in the know, ask them about the relative importance of this. There is no need to stress out about writing a diversity statement and to give it the same attention as the SOP if it has no bearing on admission to the department and is used for diversity fellowship eligibility purposes, as was true in my case.

Most of the advice regarding the SOP has been spot on, I think, but I would add that if you have any professors who know you and your work particularly well (your letter writers, I should think), ask them for advice about what should go into your SOP and how you should approach it BEFORE you begin writing. Gradcafe, while immensely helpful in that regard, is not a substitute for the guidance of your advisors. The two professors whom I asked for SOP advice, one a veteran of his field and the other a member of the adcom of a program I was applying to, were able to give me very helpful and field-specific pointers regarding unsuccessful/successful approaches they had seen in SOPs and what direction they thought my SOP should go in, based on what they knew of me and my interests. In fact, if you are having trouble defining your research interests, you might find that in the course of conversation one of your professors who knows your work well will be able to describe it more coherently and articulately than you! You can save yourself from a lot of the time and agony of revising the SOP if you start off on the right foot with a first draft that, while perhaps roughly written and not conceptually complete, is pointing you in the right direction from the get go. Also, if you are applying to a program that requires a diversity/personal history statement and have access to someone in the know, ask them about the relative importance of this. There is no need to stress out about writing a diversity statement and to give it the same attention as the SOP if it has no bearing on admission to the department and is used for diversity fellowship eligibility purposes, as was true in my case.

Most of the advice regarding the SOP has been spot on, I think, but I would add that if you have any professors who know you and your work particularly well (your letter writers, I should think), ask them for advice about what should go into your SOP and how you should approach it BEFORE you begin writing. Gradcafe, while immensely helpful in that regard, is not a substitute for the guidance of your advisors. The two professors whom I asked for SOP advice, one a veteran of his field and the other a member of the adcom of a program I was applying to, were able to give me very helpful and field-specific pointers regarding unsuccessful/successful approaches they had seen in SOPs and what direction they thought my SOP should go in, based on what they knew of me and my interests. In fact, if you are having trouble defining your research interests, you might find that in the course of conversation one of your professors who knows your work well will be able to describe it more coherently and articulately than you! You can save yourself from a lot of the time and agony of revising the SOP if you start off on the right foot with a first draft that, while perhaps roughly written and not conceptually complete, is pointing you in the right direction from the get go. Also, if you are applying to a program that requires a diversity/personal history statement and have access to someone in the know, ask them about the relative importance of this. There is no need to stress out about writing a diversity statement and to give it the same attention as the SOP if it has no bearing on admission to the department and is used for diversity fellowship eligibility purposes, as was true in my case.

I'd say none of your stats would preclude you from getting into a top PhD program, although of course you certainly shouldn't count on it. It'll all come down to your SOP and writing sample, mostly. But there doesn't seem to be any reason why you shouldn't be trying for PhD programs, if that's what you want.

On the other hand, it actually wouldn't be that much trouble at all to apply to MA programs at the same time as PhD--the process is pretty much identical, so applying to X number of MA programs and Y number of PhD programs wouldn't be more work than applying to X + Y number of PhD programs. That is what I did in order to hedge my bets during the last application cycle. Even though you've said you can afford to pay for it, though, I would advise giving your most serious consideration to MA programs that offer some sort of funding, which tend to be more prestigious and offer better preparation for doctoral work. In the current climate, it seems like a bad idea to pay for any humanities degrees beyond the bachelors (and even the bachelors itself, I'm sure some would say); also, unfunded MA programs are often just convenient ways for a university to make more money, and students in unfunded programs are often neglected in favor of funded doctoral students. It isn't a coincidence that several of the better MA programs (for instance, Comp Lit at Darthmouth and French at Bryn Mawr, both of which offer funding on a competitive basis) belong to departments that do not offer a PhD. Alternatively, you might consider pursuing a masters abroad, maybe in the UK or France; I don't know very much about specific programs, because I wasn't willing to apply internationally, but I do know that the masters in the UK is often a more serious and rigorous degree than its equivalent--especially unfunded--in the States. I don't know what that application process would entail, though.

I'm sure you'll be a fine candidate for PhD programs, but if you can afford the extra time and application fees, it doesn't hurt to hedge your bets by applying to a few MA programs as well, especially if you're set on top 20 programs. Good luck with your applications!

I'd say none of your stats would preclude you from getting into a top PhD program, although of course you certainly shouldn't count on it. It'll all come down to your SOP and writing sample, mostly. But there doesn't seem to be any reason why you shouldn't be trying for PhD programs, if that's what you want.

On the other hand, it actually wouldn't be that much trouble at all to apply to MA programs at the same time as PhD--the process is pretty much identical, so applying to X number of MA programs and Y number of PhD programs wouldn't be more work than applying to X + Y number of PhD programs. That is what I did in order to hedge my bets during the last application cycle. Even though you've said you can afford to pay for it, though, I would advise giving your most serious consideration to MA programs that offer some sort of funding, which tend to be more prestigious and offer better preparation for doctoral work. In the current climate, it seems like a bad idea to pay for any humanities degrees beyond the bachelors (and even the bachelors itself, I'm sure some would say); also, unfunded MA programs are often just convenient ways for a university to make more money, and students in unfunded programs are often neglected in favor of funded doctoral students. It isn't a coincidence that several of the better MA programs (for instance, Comp Lit at Darthmouth and French at Bryn Mawr, both of which offer funding on a competitive basis) belong to departments that do not offer a PhD. Alternatively, you might consider pursuing a masters abroad, maybe in the UK or France; I don't know very much about specific programs, because I wasn't willing to apply internationally, but I do know that the masters in the UK is often a more serious and rigorous degree than its equivalent--especially unfunded--in the States. I don't know what that application process would entail, though.

I'm sure you'll be a fine candidate for PhD programs, but if you can afford the extra time and application fees, it doesn't hurt to hedge your bets by applying to a few MA programs as well, especially if you're set on top 20 programs. Good luck with your applications!

I'd say none of your stats would preclude you from getting into a top PhD program, although of course you certainly shouldn't count on it. It'll all come down to your SOP and writing sample, mostly. But there doesn't seem to be any reason why you shouldn't be trying for PhD programs, if that's what you want.

On the other hand, it actually wouldn't be that much trouble at all to apply to MA programs at the same time as PhD--the process is pretty much identical, so applying to X number of MA programs and Y number of PhD programs wouldn't be more work than applying to X + Y number of PhD programs. That is what I did in order to hedge my bets during the last application cycle. Even though you've said you can afford to pay for it, though, I would advise giving your most serious consideration to MA programs that offer some sort of funding, which tend to be more prestigious and offer better preparation for doctoral work. In the current climate, it seems like a bad idea to pay for any humanities degrees beyond the bachelors (and even the bachelors itself, I'm sure some would say); also, unfunded MA programs are often just convenient ways for a university to make more money, and students in unfunded programs are often neglected in favor of funded doctoral students. It isn't a coincidence that several of the better MA programs (for instance, Comp Lit at Darthmouth and French at Bryn Mawr, both of which offer funding on a competitive basis) belong to departments that do not offer a PhD. Alternatively, you might consider pursuing a masters abroad, maybe in the UK or France; I don't know very much about specific programs, because I wasn't willing to apply internationally, but I do know that the masters in the UK is often a more serious and rigorous degree than its equivalent--especially unfunded--in the States. I don't know what that application process would entail, though.

I'm sure you'll be a fine candidate for PhD programs, but if you can afford the extra time and application fees, it doesn't hurt to hedge your bets by applying to a few MA programs as well, especially if you're set on top 20 programs. Good luck with your applications!

One word: laaaaaaaaaaaaaaame !

C'mon, these people have dedicated their time to helping you and that's all you can muster? Seriously?! Do you really want to add laziness to the reasons why you're not cut out to be an academic? I guess the fact that more than one person here has called you out on "ignoring your interlocutors" must be an indication of something... I, for one, would like to know what you have to say regarding some of the great points people have brought up in this discussion. You also never indicated what you thought of most of the programs that have been suggested to you on this thread. I realize that you said "thanks" a few times to everyone but it seems more like a cop-out than sincere gratitude. Demonstrate that you are indeed grateful by engaging more sincerely in the dialogue. You did initiate it after all!

[quote name=Two Espressos - Lighthearted Parody ' timestamp='1308083292' post='258396]
Good points, postcolonialists! I feel too lazy to comment upon them, but they really are quite good! Kthxbyeyall!

Yes to all three! If your language background is not attested by your transcript, you should definitely mention it in the SOP; in fact, many Comp Lit programs explicitly ask you to address this in the directions for the SOP. Listing languages on academic CVs is also common practice, although how closely and carefully each adcom will look at your CV is variable--still, it can't hurt to remind them what languages you know.

Using your writing sample to demonstrate your language ability is also a smart move. If you've quoted your primary source text in the original and provided your own translations into English, be sure to include a footnote saying so.

A lack of formal language training can be an obstacle when applying to Comp Lit, but it's definitely not an insurmountable one, especially if you are otherwise a strong candidate and if you are well-versed in and interested in studying theory--so if you really think Comp Lit is right for you, don't let this discourage you from applying. One concern I do have, though, is whether or not you have any Latin. Most people (not everybody) find that acquiring proficiency in Latin is more difficult and time consuming than vernacular languages, and as a medievalist in any field, you will almost certainly be expected to learn Latin if you have not done so already. If you don't have any training in Latin and if it's at all possible for you, I would advise you to take a course in Latin, preferably, or else try to teach yourself a little. Not only will having a background in Latin (even just a little) stand you in good stead as a medievalist candidate, whether you are applying to Comp Lit or English or any other discipline, but it will also demonstrate your ability and willingness to acquire languages.

From what you've said on this thread, it does NOT sound like a linguistics program would be at all the right fit for you, unless you 1) are willing to focus on language/discourse to the exclusion of your other interests, which sound considerable, and 2) find a program that allows a non-theoretical focus (UCLA, for example, has a separate department for applied linguistics). Most linguistics departments, however, are very heavily theoretically oriented, so even if you were admitted (which is certainly possible even without a strong background in linguistics coursework), the core of your courses and the focus of most of your peers' and professors' research would be of very little interest or relevance to you.

You may find the passages easy to follow but the reality is that many people find them very difficult. This means the fault lies with the writer, not just with the readers.

Moreover, I would hardly say the following sentence maximizes information with minimum amount of text.

“The increase in the numbers of married women employed outside the home in the twentieth century had less to do with the mechanization of housework and an increase in leisure time for these women than it did with their own economic necessity and with high marriage rates that shrank the available pool of single women workers, previously, in many cases, the only women employers would hire.”



The question isn't whether something has a place in scholarly writing or not. The question is, does the writing help make life easier for the reader? If bold, underline etc help the reader, why should they not be used? Who made up the rules that scholarly writing should be not include the use of wordprocessing features (bold, italics etc)? Why can't we question these rules, given that they seem to come from ancient times when scholars didn't have computers?

The only reason I can think of is insecurity. 'Scholars' don't want others to think that because their writing is easy to understand, the scholar is really not very intelligent.



If a headline helps make life easier for the reader, why not?

ok now you've passed the border of making a point to being just plain obnoxious.

I agree. We ought to write accessible text. That is a separate issue from what texts the GRE should sample from. The GRE should sample from the kind of texts you will read in graduate school. Unfortunately, many scholars do write like this. You will need to be able to read such writing in graduate school, regardless of whether or not it ought to exist.