augustquail

I was wondering: why do online applications ask you to enter the names of the other schools to which you're applying? Since I haven't submitted anything yet, I just left the spaces blank. It seems weird to me....will it affect their decision if they think that you fit better with another school, or that they can't compete? Are other people filling this section out? Thoughts?

I totally agree with this....ETS is just plain cruel. They know the paper score release date is a little too close to the first program deadlines..... Also, I'm entirely too cowardly to find out my scores. I was really, really sick on the day of the test (like, fever-hallucination sick) and I left A LOT of questions blank. I'm terrified that I got a 400 or something. Since I can't retake it, I'd rather not know, because I think it would mess my brain up while I finish the *important* parts of my applications. Plus, only half of my schools (i think?) that require the lit test. And I'm hoping they don't take it too seriously. I think we've got about two weeks to see them online...

If you have the time to read things of theirs, I would definately mention it. For me, there is only one or two schools where I have really studied a specific work by a professor there, so I will mention their work in my SOP. But you don't have to have read something/everything by a professor to mention them in your sop; in fact, most people don't. You can (and probably should) mention someone if their work is interesting to you/courses they offer are interesting to you/their interests fit with your interests. The more you have read by a prof, the stronger your SOP may seem, but being able to mention of few profs and their interests and how those interests are relevant to your work is the main goal.

It would probably be easier to start your search by finding programs that have excellent constellations of victorianists. That way, once you have a larger list, you can narrow it down based on who might have other faculty working in children's lit/graphic novels.

I think it's the general consensus that the programs that are 'in your league' are the programs in which you fit best (research interests). So don't pay too much attention to ranking, just research programs and try to get a clear idea of what your research area is. The writing sample and the SOP are the most important parts of the application; so you want to wow them with your ideas/writing ability in the sample, and then make a strong case for why your interest fit in the program in your sop. You might also want to address your low gpa in the sop, depending on how low it is (under a 3.5? under a 3?). I think your grades will hurt you a lot more if you got bad ones in English/Women's Studies classes. If you did well in english, but poorly in everything else, it won't matter as much. And the fact that you're getting A's in grad courses says something about your ability to do grad level work. If you're not applying this season or the next, I'd just spend a lot of time research programs, reading things that professors at your prospective schools have written, etc. And think about your writing sample and who you'd ask for LORs. Good luck!

I'm applying to Ph.D programs in English lit too. And the GRE drove me mad for about a month...I ended getting a 670 on the verbal, despite much higher practice scores on powerprep (like high 700's and an 800 once). I got a 600 on the math, which i'm happy about because i'm terrible at math, and a 6 on the writing section. Currently I'm terrified about my lit score (i took it in oct). I only had about 2 weeks to study, and i came down with the flu (it was really bad) the night before. I was in kind of a fever-hallucination state while taking the test, and I left A LOT of questions blank...ugh. I actually had a nightmare about getting my scores back and finding out i got a 170 (which is impossible...the lowest score is a 200 i think). But i won't find out my scores until right before the first deadlines (i still don't understand how it takes them 6 weeks to process a scantron sheet). I'm applying to ten schools. My sop is in a disturbing state right now, and my writing sample is slowly coming along (i'm expanding a grad paper i wrote two years ago). Two of the schools to which i'm applying ask for a personal statement too...and that has me totally stumped. I'm on version three right now, i think. You should check out the who_got_in 2011 livejournal community. It's just english people applying and everyone is very helpful. Good luck!

I'm having a lot of difficulty as well. I've tried several different approaches, and the best one focuses on a hardship that isn't really listed in the prompt. Also, I can't really tie it to why I'm pursuing a ph.d...I mean, there are so many ways to answer the question, 'why do you want to get a ph.d. in ____ field?' and it's difficult to tie them directly to having a hardship in your life. How are you guys coming along with this?

I'm almost trying to steer clear of mentioning authors/works that have influenced me, because i'm afraid i'll go off into a long tangent (my first sop draft was like 1500 words!). I mention theorists that I used in my MA thesis, and how I used them, so hopefully that is enough. Is the inclusion of a "proposal" for a project something specific to one/a few of the schools to which you are applying? I kind of thought that future interests were meant to be more broad and were meant to be connected to the 'fields/interests' of the profs mentioned in the fit paragraph. I'm curious to know how you are going about the 'project proposal' thing...how detailed are you getting, exactly? My fear is that if I were to do a specific project proposal it would turn into a paper topic...I have a lot of project ideas, but it would be difficult to turn one into a neat little paragraph...

As far as the harassment goes, I'm so sorry that's happened to you in grad school. And it's absolutely not acceptable that your advisor has not taken you seriously. I mean, it's happened to you, it's not just a "concern," it's a legal issue. I second a lot of the suggestions here already: document, document, document. Also, do consider recording an instance, especially if your higher-ups are trying to ignore it. If you have evidence and present it to the DGS, they should absolutely do something for you. If they don't, write an article about it in your newspaper. Make sure everyone knows that these bastards aren't doing anything to help you. And the next time they harrass you, don't be afraid to fight back. Tell them they are the slime balls they are, and that you wont' tolerate their treatment (it isn't your fault or responsibility, but sometimes taking a firm stand and saying something to the persons face will make them back off, or just make you feel better!) My sympathies, they're fucking assholes. I hope this gets resolved for you!

based on your climate criteria, ualbany may be your best bet. Most of the time, it is COLD here. cold. but the in summers it does get really humid. you should summer in alaska haha

I'm kind of confused by this. Perhaps it's just my experience, but I think the best way to "improve" your research skills is to be in school and do research. What does "research student handbooks mean"? Are you referring to books that tell you how to write papers and find relevant books/articles? The only 'writing' handbooks i've ever used are the mla handbook and this other great grammar book called 'sin and syntax.' I think research is something you learn by doing. Didn't you have to write a research paper or senior thesis for undergrad? Honestly, if I had a year off I would read just immense amounts of books and theory/criticism--and not student guide books. Make yourself write a paper as a research exercise, maybe? Sorry if this sounds crabby. I haven't had enough coffee yet.

i'm applying also this round, so I can't help you out with the sop, but my advisor told me to look at it as a kind of utilitarian document. the writing sample should show off your best thinking, but the sop should be as clear and concise as possible. The way I'm approaching my (3rd?) draft is to break it up into basic paragraphs 1)what my current interests are 2) my significant research projects and how they relate to/have influenced my current interests 3) future/fit paragraphs, where I discuss what I'd like to do in the future and why ___ school would be a great fit for me. So as far as language goes, try to be as clear as possible and avoid rhetorical flourishes and what not. (Also--I saw your post in the wgi lounge and I think we have similar research interests--so if you want to send your SOP to me I'll be happy to look at it).

The AWA was the only section I didn't study for, too. And though I definately had an introduction and a conclusion, I didn't follow the 5 paragraph essay format either. It was acutally quite long. My question was kind of an "art vs. science question" and I talked about Leonardo Divinci, the Paris Museum of Modern Art, and the invention of the camera...I made some insane claims about cameras in general. I stopped myself before I brought in Deleuze, though haha. I will say the argument essay was fun for me too...it's a puzzle. I don't think someone gave me a 6 because it was a boring, "perfect mold" essay, either. In fact, I think someone would really need to break out of the mold to impress those graders, who probably see the 5 paragraph essay a lot more than they'd like to...

Though I agree with everyone that the writing sample eclipses the AWA score, I do sympathize with you medievalmaniac. I scored in the 95th percentile for verbal and got a 6 on the writing. I know that the AWA writing is vastly different from the writing we'll be asked to do in grad school. That being said, the AWA expects less from you; it's kind of like 'can you write a freshman comp paper? can you answer the question? can you pick apart this boring marketing summary and see the underlying assumptions? etc. Maybe this sounds awful, but I don't understand how someone can score under a 5 if they're a smart writer, (unless they're sick or something or just experienced some tragedy). What they ask you to do maybe be "a joke" compared to scholarly writing, but it does ask you to think on your feet and have some ideas of your own, (i.e. you don't have time to read articles and create a perspective based on other people's thoughts or criticisms...). I mean, a lot of grad school is being able to produce in a short period of time and work under pressure.

I really, really hope this application season will be different. It can't get worse, can it???

I might be wrong... but last year's application season was crazy. I mean, the 800+ applicants thing was crazy. Most schools say that they get somewhere between 300-400, and I think that was true before last year. Does anyone know why all of the sudden 2009 had such a large increase in applications? It's mind-boggling. It seems insane that the recession would make *more* people applying to English phd programs.

I'm applying to 10 schools....and sometimes I feel like that's too small a number! I don't have the same geographic restraints though, and I don't want to go through the application process again. It's now or never...

Just as a warning, some of the schools I'm applying to say that you have to explain 'low' scores..one program says below a 600 in the Verbal is considered 'low' (not a problem for you) or below a '5' on the writing. I don't think the AWA should keep you out if your writing sample is good...obviously that's a better indication of what kind of writer/thinker you are. Just be sure to check if they want you to explain low scores or not on your SOP. Also--is English your first language? If it isn't, I would definately not worry about the 4.

Just as a warning, some of the schools I'm applying to say that you have to explain 'low' scores..one program says below a 600 in the Verbal is considered 'low' (not a problem for you) or below a '5' on the writing. I don't think the AWA should keep you out if your writing sample is good...obviously that's a better indication of what kind of writer/thinker you are. Just be sure to check if they want you to explain low scores or not on your SOP. Also--is English your first language? If it isn't, I would definately not worry about the 4.

It's sounds crazy, and maybe this doesn't apply to people who haven't done a lot of writing, but I really think the wft attitude helped me. I looked over a few prompts before the test, but overall, the AWA was the only section I didn't study for, and I got a 6. I just figured vocab and math were more important, and I've had a lot of experience banging out an A paper in a very short amount of time. I think this was an example my procrastination actually helping me. And ets is definately looking for a very specific kind of writing, but I think overall you just have be able to say that you answered the question they asked you. It's not like only crap papers with no imagination get good scores; I talked about some crazy shit in my issue essay (it was kind of a "science vs. art" question), but it fit, and I reeled myself in before I brought in deleuze.

I had at least three questions that were straight old english translation. i think i left them all blank. I really felt like it was a test on 17th british poetry, with a few random theory identification questions thrown in there. The only thing I was happy about was the moby dick passage...it was that really homoerotic one "squeeze squeeze squeeze." i bet ets thinks they really shook things up.

I can definately sympathize with you; i wear contacts, so when they get fucked up my eyeball feels like its on fire. And I have a similarly awful story...friday night I started coming down with the FLU. Fever, chills, sore throat, headache, all that good stuff. I didn't sleep at all, and getting up at 7 isn't really my normal schedule anyway. I was a mess...since they didn't let me have tissues during the test, or water, I was constantly wiping my nose on my sleeve and coughing. Not a pretty sight. I'm hoping the fever-hallucinations somehow aided my test performance.

so i just got back from the test......what a nightmare. I think I left like 60 questions blank. Why is there so much fucking poetry on that test, anyway? YARGH

I'd be really happy if I saw lots of theory questions! Then I would know I would not completely fail. My program was very theory oriented. On the other hand, I never read Milton, Marvell, Gray , Yeats, or Marlowe in any of my classes, so I've had to learn all of that stuff this past week. It seems weird that they would put Eco on the test though. I mean, not that he isn't famous, but if they were trying to refer to a semiotic guy that everyone would know, why not pick saussure instead?

thanks for the tip! some poems I remember from reading once, just because they're so good. But the John Milton on the other hand...UGH. I will definately be watching some of these tonight.