augustquail

I'm getting them too. I think I've gotten four so far. The only the thing that worries me is that they haven't received my official transcripts, which I sent over two months ago. They're not necessary for acceptance, just formal admission. Do they really start sending invites to see the campus soon? I thought it wasn't until early feb.

Adcoms first reactions: "She went to SUNY where????" "I don't understand this transcript. I don't understand the first paragraph of her sop. I think the first sentence of the writing sample is too general. Only 16 pages? doesn't she having anything longer than that? Why didn't she send us her master's thesis? Why did she take Earth Materials as a sophmore and get a C? Clearly English students need to understand geology in order to get by. FAIL."

When I got my Master's, I observed quite a diversity of ages among the other MA students. I was 22 went I started the program, and I think I was the youngest student. A lot of people were in the mid-20's, going back to get certification for teaching, or just finishing their grad degree. There were a few people in their early thirties, and one man in his fifties. There was very little "age-related awkwardness," the only thing I noticed is that the man in his fifties (who hadn't recently finished his degree, unlike you) seemed to have some trouble taking direction or accepting ideas from the professors who were ten years younger then him (and also happened to be women). I think this was more of an individual problem of his--he *was* kind of a dinosaur, and had the thinking that went something like "literature is inherently great, shakespeare is better than everyone, and racism is just a pyschological hurdle that people can 'overcome' by believing they can 'achieve.'"). It seems like you're not going to have these problems, though, and it definately helps that you recently finished your undergrad degree, so you know what's going on. Overall, I wouldn't worry about it. I think students/professors alike are used to dealing with people from all different backgrounds and with different goals.

SERIOUSLY. I actually just submitted my vanderbilt app today, but I feel like I've already been waiting for a while now. What to do in the meantime....I guess I'll just read a lot of books. Hopefully that will pay off in the future. How do you feel about your apps? I'm still having a rollercoster feeling...one minute i think i'll get acceptances, the next I imagine adcoms laughing at my application....

Back in the days of yore, people used this program called AOL INSTANT MESSENGER. When I was in high school, I didn't have internet access until I was in 10th or 11th grade. So, I get some high speed online, and I suddenly need a screen name. I was convinced that the name was extremely important. So I sat and read the local phone book (not all of it...) and found strange names. But my favorite was some old man named "August Quail." August is my favorite month, and I think that quail is a nice bird. Also, I liked the flexibility of the words, august also meaning inspiring reverence or admiration, and quail meaning to cower in fear. The name creates a weird, poetic incongruence that I like. Yup.

Yay! I'm applying there too. The campus is supposed to be really beautiful....and I think they have the best funding of any program I've seen so far. Good luck!

Duke Vanderbilt SUNY Albany U Maryland Berkeley UPenn U Michigan Brown Boston U Yale 18th/19th Transatlantic studies

I definately wouldn't contact them. Although it seems like the end of the world right now, it isn't really a big deal. If your sop and writing sample are great (minus the typos), I don't think a few little errors are going to keep you out. Someone on the WGI lounge posted a similar experience to the one you've described, except that they mispelled the name of a professor who happened to be on the admissons committee. They got into that program (a top one) anyway. So try not to stress!

I think--I'll be double-checking for sure, though--that there is only one school to which i'm applying that actually has any specific instructions about the writing sample format--like "name should appear on every page." One school actually instructs me NOT to put a header in at all, so I guess there will only be page numbers in that one... For the sop, I was just going to have "statement of purpose: my name" on the first page, I wonder if that's enough? I like the look of footnotes too, but I think I'll just stick to the MLA in-text citation for now.

I use a quote to open my sop (phd english lit), and I like it. That being said, the quote I use is relevant (it's from the text I write about in my writing sample). I think it really depends on the quote and its pertinence to 1) your field 2) what your approach to said field is. Is your quote about textual problems/writing/editing? It's probably fine. Is it from a giant book of quotations, like "shoot for the moon, the worst that can happen is you land among the stars"? don't use that. A lot of people on this board seem to think quotes are cheesy, but I think it definately depends. At its best, opening with a relevant quote can show how well you are able to work citations/info into your writing, and that you're familiar with some important text, and that you have a particular point of view/approach.

This discussion is very strange to me! I don't think that you necessarily *need* to mention theorists, but everyone's sop is certainly influenced by certain theoretical perspectives...I mean, if you're talking about investigating "discourse" as a major part of your work, that definately is rooted in poststructuralist thought. If someone's investigation is about historical context, its certainly rooted in materialist thought. There could be some combination of all kinds of theoretical approaches, but we can't pretend that our work is unrelated to theory... Sorry if this sounds weird, I'm still drinking my coffee.

My advisor encouraged me to discuss some of the theorists I used in my Ma thesis, because she felt this discussion would show how I was able to use these seemingly disparate theories into a discussion about the same idea. I definately mention 3 theorists...but I don't think they're particularly contentious. I also quote one of them (briefly) in my current interests paragraph. Though mentioning theoriests certainly shows the methodology you're interested in, I don't know if it really makes you seem like you're attached to one school of thought. I mention mostly poststructuralist theorists, but my interests reflect a marxist perspective too. I think it all depends on how the theorists are related to your work. If someone reading my sop doesn't like michel foucault enough to reject my application, then I probably don't want to go there anyway.

Brown also welcomes more than one sample, saying that 25 pgs would not be too much, but that a 5 page paper is much too short. I think I'll be send them my 15 pg writing sample, and then an excerpt from my MA thesis, hopefully totally around 25 pages (maybe a little more). For the rest of the schools, my sample will be about 15 pages (for those that require 10-15, like Yale! (why on only fifteen...) and perhaps 18 for schools that want 20 or less. About the works cited...I thought that it wasn't usually included in paper length? Eep!

This is probably a good way to go about it. I assume she'll talk about my thesis (she was my thesis director), but I'll ask her more directly and she what she thinks about it. Thanks!

I've completed an MA already, not because I got rejected from phd programs (this is my first time applying), but because I loved my dept, didn't want to leave it, and had geographical restraints. I was ready to do graduate work, and felt my undergrad dept still had so much to offer me. I completed an BA/MA program (5 1/2 years), so I'm hoping I'm considered a little differently from some other MA holders (who knows). My dept says it only admits students with the intellecutal maturity and ability to do grad work as an undergrad, so i'm hoping it says something about my abilities (i took my first 3 grad seminars in my senior year). Getting an MA was a great experience; not only did I *know* that getting a phd was what I wanted to do, I also discovered that I held my own with phd students--some of whom already had MAs--as an undergrad, and that I was thoroughly able to do graduate level work (my status as an undergrad didn't affec their grading--I was just treated like a regular MA student). I also have a deeper understanding of what I want to do, and how the academy works than I did as an undergrad. But perhaps the most englightening experience was writing my MA thesis. This was incredibly an incredibly difficult and issolating process--but I did it, and with great results. Being able to know that I can do that kind of in depth work is a real relief to me, and gives me confidence that I didn't have before. Though a MA thesis is much shorter than a disseration (mine was 90 pages), the process is in many ways similar, and I feel like I know what to expect from long projects that (hopefully) await me in the future. It seems natural that programs should hold MA holders to a higher standard. That being said, some programs (like U of maryland) only accept students to the phd programs who already have an MA. So I think how they value your previous grad experience will really vary accross the board. Some may only admitt a handful of MA holders, prefering to train people in their paricular way, and some may only admit a handful of BA holders, prefering to admit students who they know can hack it. Unfortunately, it's kind of hard to discern this on a lot of program websites!

As someone who is possibly "sidelining" my best work in order to maintain a nice fit--let me say I am extremely confused about what to do. I already have an MA, and my thesis--specifically my 2nd chapter--is undoutedbly my best work. That being said, this chapter is over 30 pages long, and presents quite a few difficulties in downsizing to 15 pages. For schools that allow a significant amount of writing to be sent, and allow moe than one sample, I will be sending a small excerpt of this chapter if I can manage it. The advice i've gotten is that if you already have an MA, your sample should be work IN your field--and as original as possible. The sample that i've been planning to use was originally a 12 pg paper written for a grad seminar (for a class that solidified my interest in 18th/19th transatlantic studies). My advisor thinks it's an excellent writing sample, so I trust her judgement. That being said, not submitting my thesis is still scary to me. It's not that there aren't similarities between my thesis and my field--I am interested in theories of space, race, and capitalism, and both address that. But the thesis is a very specific analysis of a contemporary event, whereas my writing sample examines one of the canonized texts of transatlantic studies. I could make an argument about why my thesis is connected, and get rid of my other writing sample--but i've read on so many application faq's that if your sample and your sop interests don't match, you are much more difficult to evaluate. Maybe i'll ask my advisor again...it's just getting down to the deadline and I still have so much more to do with my writing sample, let along chop down a 35 pg chapter to 15 pages. Yargh

Practice tests can be very useful, if you pay attention to the results. If you take a princeton review practice test (you get 2 free online ones when you buy the review book), when you click on 'review results' there is an option that lets you see the percentage of each *type* of question that you got right. Take that practice test, and then look at these results. Whatever is your lowest percentage, focus on that (though you should always study vocab). What I did to study vocab was to, over the course of a month or two, write down any word I read that I didn't know, or couldn't define clearly. I bought to gre review books, and I went through all of their vocab lists (like thousands of words) to find the one's i didn't now. Then I compiled all of these words into a word doc, with the definitions, and quizzed myself. The last week, I made a stack of about 100 words that were on the list that were either very likely to appear, or that I had a lot of difficultly remembering. There was only one antonym question I had to guess at, and I guessed it right, so this stuyding method definately helped me. I've always had a pretty good vocab, but I would have gotten 5 or 6 questions from if I hadn't studied more vocab.

It is a brutal process. I really think writing this 2 page document is harder than writing my entire Ma thesis, which was 90 pages. I'm having friends who were writing tutors look at my sop, and they're like--"you don't need that, that doesn't say anything new, don't need that either..." and I'm like 'noooo but I dooooo!!' It's painful. I feel like I need a scalpel and scissors instead of alphanumeric keys.

Strangely, I am interested in theories of space and race, also; i wrote my MA thesis around those ideas. So it definately is reconcilable:) Remember, your writing sample doesn't necessarily have to contain an example for every kind of methodology/theory you're interested. You could say you want to approach african american lit with questions about the 'city'/'place' in your sop,' and have still have a paper that is focused on african american lit or race theory. Maybe you could explain what made you become interested in city/space? If it was writing your MA thesis or a grad class, or reading a specific work, it might be worth mentioning in your 'future' paragraph. What time period are you interested in?

I think I saw in the lit forum that you do 18th American stuff? I'd be willing to swap with you...(I'm interested in 18th/19th century transatlantic studies, but I'm focused on american lit). I'll pm you my email address.

I agree with this! Do not look through books of famous quotes for an opening! I've been struggling with my sop opening for a while now. At first, I just began with "I'm interested in working in ___________field with _________questions about ____, ____, and ____-." then it changed to "in my doctoral studies, I would like to explore..." My advisor thinks that if I can have a more catchy opening that *is* germane (hehe) that'd be great, but getting to the point is ultimately the goal. As of now, I use a quote to begin (it's worked into the first paragraph--it's not hovering above the rest of the statement) from the text I wrote about in my writing sample. It's not a quote I used in my writing sample, because it address broader issues. I think it works. (here's hoping!) I like quotes, so I knew that I was eventually going to have one. Some people have said they're 'cheesy,' and I'm sure some quotes are. I mean, no one should ever quote something that's like "follow your dreams! sparkle:rainbow:unicorns!" or "my life like a long road, and it has led me to study ___"

Ha ha, "ethically wrong"! "Dear prospective student, We wholeheartedly object to the fact that your Statement of Purpose is printed on the skin of baby seals, using the blood of unicorns for ink. Also, we regret to inform you that while under review, your Statement of Purpose had too much to drink and began to verbally abuse the members of the admission committee, eventually giving them a series of severe seal-baby-paper cuts."

I'm going with 1.5 spacing.

I'm really running out of room in my SOP. GAHH. It's mostly because I spend 3/4 a page discussing my MA thesis, and making a case for how it *is* in fact related to my proposed field of studies (they're two different historical periods). My advisor seems to think that it is a good idea to discuss the theorists i used in my thesis to come up with my argument/terminology. It seems a little dry to me though, but it *is* important.... How are you guys doing with the length? Some schools don't give any word limit or page limit, but i think it's the unspoken rule that it shouldn't go past 2 pages or roughly 1,000 words. So hard to do, though! I will be messing with the margins for sure...

I'm just restating this information that I've heard from many previous applicants and current students: It is best if your sop and writing sample align. If they do not align, it makes you much harder to evaluate (as a candidate). That being said, if you only have a BA, then there is a lot more leeway with regard to interests/how well the sop matches the writing sample. However, if you have an MA your writing sample should represent a contribution to your proposed field of studies--one that is ideally aware of recent criticism and work in the area.