Branwen daughter of Llyr

It's the same, down to the funky windows 3.1 interface (they really do need to update the GUI a bit, move with the times. God knows we pay them enough LOL).

I can't help you much with the math, since I didn't focus on it at all while studying for the test (and it's a miracle I scored 670 on the quant section), but for the verbal: MEMORIZE THE WORDS. At least half the verbal section is comprised of analogies and antonyms, which you cannot succeed in without a large, high-brow vocabulary. I suggest using Barron's Essential 800 Words for the GRE and Kaplan's Advanced verbal if aiming for above a 700V. DO NOT rely on the reading comp - you need the vocab. My first verbal score was 600 - I then studied for 4 weeks (3.5 hours a day) and raised my verbal to 720. But don't just memorize words - read a lot of "thinking" magazines - The Economist, The New Yorker, etc. You'll be surprised how much it helps you. Each school accepts certain last dates for GREs, depending on their application deadlines. But November/December appear to be the accepted last months for the GRE, when applying for the fall.

Mendeley interfaces with google scholar for PDF info - it found the correct information for all but one of the 20 PDFs I saved in collections this week. I only had to manually input info for that single article (which was from 1912, LOL). Every time you add a PDF to a collection in Mendeley, it retrieves info from the file itself and asks you to confirm the info, or search with google scholar according to the title. Pretty nifty.

Mendely is pretty awesome - I just started using it this week, and have been extremely pleased with it so far. I have yet to test it's citation plug-in with Word (that will happen next month), but I'm sure it will be helpful in organizing the copious amounts of PDFs I'm saving for my next research paper (and I'm not even in grad school yet...)

I agree that writing out flashcards works - really embeds the words in your brain. Also, read A LOT - The Economist, Scientific American, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, any magazine that targets an intellectual community and uses complex sentences, words, and ideas is a good bet. I studied with the following books - Princeton's Cracking the GRE for basic strategies and vocab, Kaplan's Advanced Verbal, and Barron's 800 Essential GRE words. The month before the test, I studied for about 3 hours a day. I ended up scoring 720 on the verbal, and got a 5.0 on the AWA (I strayed from formulaic essay writing, being an English applicant LOL). Good luck!

Passing the Latin examination is important, obviously, but I actually need the language for research (I'm planning on concentrating on Medieval lit - and to work towards a certificate in Medieval studies). I also need the French for research (and Old French to read original works from the period), but I could always postpone my serious French studies until my first year of grad school (I do have a year of French from about 5 years ago, and it seems to have remained in my brain - also, I've always been better at reading and understanding written french than speech - which, luckily, is exactly what I need to focus on). My main concern is also making a mish-mash in my brain between Latin and French - I do know that having a good solid foundation in Latin will help my French considerably (after all, it is a derivative language), but while I fully expect to take an advanced Latin lit class (either classical or medieval), I doubt I will be taking a French lit class during my graduate studies, unless it's in Medieval French (i.e. Marie de France, Chretien de Troyes, etc.). I'm sure I'll figure it out come September - I'll see how much the Latin takes out of me, and see if I have the energy and focus to take on another language for reading book. Thanks for your input tho! It's good to know that the class is a breeze

I'm starting the Latin course in the fall, and actually hoping to augment it with the Jones/Sidwell "Reading Latin" books - I'm actually hoping to manage to either take an upper-level Latin lit course in year one of grad school, or test out and jump straight into Medieval Latin. My big quandary is whether to do "French for Reading" concurrently, or to just concentrate on Latin this year. *sigh*.

I know that Purdue funds some of their MA students, as do Fordham and Villanova. I also recall seeing that UConn funds some of their terminal MA students.

Stroke - do you mean the Sandberg "French for Reading" book? or did you use something else? I'm thinking about getting that done for French while taking College Latin online (I wouldn't presume to try to teach myself Latin, but French, I've taken a class with the French consulate before, so I have SOME basics down).

Book - I'm currently enrolled in a graduate summer seminar, conducted wholly online through UMass. Do a search for "UMass online" in google, and you'll get there. I'm also sure that there are other schools that offer the occasional graduate lit class online, as part of their continuing education programs. It may take some digging to find, but it's possible. Languages - I'm planning on taking my first year of Latin online as well (also through UMass) and then testing into intermediate Latin during my first year of Grad school. If you live near a community college that teaches languages go there and take their language test to see what class you should start taking and start taking the class.

What I've learned (and am implementing for 2011): When in doubt, ask, ask and ask again. My main problem in the 2010 app round was being woefully ignorant of the entire application process, what an SOP should look like in my field (IT IS NOT A PERSONAL STATEMENT), the language training that I need to address, the extent my writing sample needs to be a unique piece of scholarship that is publishing-worthy, and so on.Approach the entire process in an organized manner. To select schools, I created a word table for each school I was interested in - including application deadline, professors of interest in the program, what my SOP should focus on research wise and fit wise, pros, cons, and personal fit on a scale of 1-10. My 28 school table has now been narrowed down to 16 PhD programs and 3 MAs, and will soon be cut down some more. Once the final choices have been made, an excel will be created with the exact requirements for each program, core SOP ideas, and a checklist of stuff that needs to be created/sent to the school, and by what deadlines.Range more than the obvious choices of schools - I've found some programs that I LOVE that were far from obvious choices, both location-wise, and reputation-wise.Spend a LOT of time researching schools - I chose the four I applied to for 2010 in a somewhat random manner. And although I'm applying to three of those schools again, I now know that they are good fits for my research ideas, and my SOP will reflect that (one of them I'm not applying to again - not a good fit for me). Apply widely: despite being much more confident in my overall application for 2011 than I was last year, I'm still applying to a wide selection of schools that have a good fit to support my research interests - the competition is tough, and as the economy continues to tank, more and more people are applying to grad school. Prepare emotionally: the application process is draining, exhausting, and can be frazzling beyond belief. I hope I'm better prepared for it this time (without Prozac LOL). Thinking long and hard about research interests and be creative while thinking about them: All I can say is - thank god I didn't get in this year. I've focused my research interests and have come up with some really interesting new ideas in the meantime - which in turn has opened up many schools that weren't such a good match with my previous research ideas. My current (very broad) topic came to me after watching the end of "Kingdom of Heaven" with Orlando Bloom, and then having a discussion about the crusades at work. You never know where that absolutely great idea will come from!

I think it depends which language you want to be stronger in by the time you finish your PhD. Since you are more interested in French literature than in German, I'd say start with French, so that by the time you're in your PhD you can take advanced French literature classes. Since you only have to demonstrate reading proficiency for the languages, two semesters of German during your PhD should be fine as a second language, while meanwhile, advancing your French as much as possible. That said, unless you want to move beyond proficiency on either language, or you want one language to be stronger than the other for your research purposes, the order in which you learn the languages doesn't really matter since French and German have very little in common structurally and in vocabulary (for example, if you were considering French and Spanish - I'd say start with French, the more complex romance language, before moving to Spanish, the simpler romance language).

Thanks Tess I know 80th percentile is a respectable score, it's just not as high as I hoped. I did raise my GRE verbal from 600 to 720 in two months, so I know I could raise the subject score - I just don't see how I'll have the time to study to raise it significantly with everything else that's going on. Hopefully programs like Harvard and Yale will be somewhat lenient regarding the subject test score, since I aced the verbal (and have a very good overall general GRE score, qualifying me for fellowships and awards and such), and since I'm hoping to really nail my SOP and writing sample. As I stated before, I'm putting the subject test aside for now - if I see in September that I have enough time and energy, I may cram for it. I may also decide to let it lie at 630 (which is really only 20 points lower than the "high scores" recommended by Harvard). Northwestern, another of my top choices, doesn't even require it, I think. I've also finally found an academic use for my Hebrew - so it turns out I have a head start on languages! (surprisingly).

Most of the posters above me have already responded to most of the things you were worried about, but here's my two cents: I'm not from a prestigious program either - and I'm really not too worried about that part of it in my applications. I did well in my classes, I have a high GPA in English, and my profs remembered me after 9 years (the advantage of being a super-star student in a small, undistinguished program!). The subject test - you don't have to teach yourself "literature". You have to teach yourself "cocktail party literature" - i.e. recognition. If you have a year to prepare, do the following: Read through Norton's British literature anthology, Norton's American literature anthology, and Norton's anthology of criticism and theory (Blackwell's anthology of criticism and theory works well as an addition). Make index cards and revisit them every few weeks. Make sure you can identify a writer's particular style (i.e. be able to differentiate between a poem by Pound to a poem by Williams). Make sure you can identify "catchphrases" in criticism, i.e. "imagination" for Coleridge, "signifier" for Structuralism, etc. It's a horrible test, but it's doable. Also, many top-twenty PhD programs don't require it anymore (Duke is one), and many of the other schools just want you to get a reasonable score in it (i.e. pass the 550-600 range). I'll join in and say that you should definitely take a grad English seminar next year - I'm doing that this summer - it's providing me with the basis of a new writing sample, as well as a current recommendation (since I graduated from my BA in 2001). I'm taking an online course through UMass since I don't even currently live in the US - so it's possible. If you want to improve your languages, do so! If you're applying for 2012, you have PLENTY of time to beef up your German (I'm squeezing in a year of Latin and maybe French for 2011 - it IS possible to do, even when working full time!). I don't see any "failures" in your academic history - you are working part time grading UG papers - that's pretty decent! Good luck

US News and World Report - publish rankings (I think yearly?) of graduate programs in various fields. People new to the art of applying to English grad programs generally place a lot of emphasis on the rankings, rather than the scholarship and the fit with the universities they are applying to (I was subject to that myself). Not that the rankings aren't important (considering I have at least 5 top-ten schools on my list I can't say they aren't), but they are not the be-all and end-all of grad school apps

not a psych expert in any way, however, the following quote seems to say it all: "For most doctoral programs in clinical psychology, high grades (a GPA of 3.5 or higher, especially in psychology courses) and high GRE scores are vital. Most schools weigh the Math score more than the Verbal score, but neither should be much lower than the 80th percentile." this quote was taken from the Barnard College primer for psychology grad school. to read the entire thing: http://www.barnard.edu/psych/pdfs/GradStudyHandout.pdf go do a search in google about GRE scores and clinical psych programs. It's tough out there - clinical psych appears to be the most competitive and difficult program to get into these days. Good luck!

Can't help you much with the math, but for the Verbal do the following (I studied this way for 4 weeks, 3.5 hours a day, and scored a 720): Buy Barron's Essential GRE words, and work through the book unit by unit (including the section on roots). Use Princeton's "Cracking the GRE" for strategies in tackling analogies, antonyms, and reading comprehension questions (also arrives with 4 CAT tests online with registration). This book also helps with the math somewhat - I raised my score by 120 points, and I didn't really focus on the math at all - just by reviewing some basic math info (and I'm not very good at math). Use Kaplan's Advanced Verbal book (after you're done with the Princeton book). Download a piece of shareware called "Vocaboly" (doesn't cost much). Practice with it every day. It comes with a 1200 GRE word database. Has multiple choice quizzes and memory games for studying purposes. Read The Economist, Scientific American, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, and any other vocab-heavy "intellectual" magazine you can think of on a daily basis. Do every single CAT GRE on the download from ETS (free when you register for the test). I wouldn't bother with a course - just dedicate yourself to the cause and solve LOTS of tests. Good luck!

I'm probably re-applying to 3 of the 4 schools I applied to this past round (and didn't get in, obviously) - I plan to check the little "yes" box, and not address it further. I'm hoping that my revised and much strengthened app will speak for itself - and as ppl have mentioned above - why waste the space I already don't have in my SOP? I doubt I can even fit my research ideas and fit paragraphs in the space I'm allocated .

First, thanks for your encouraging post . Second, what you say about the languages is something I've completely understood during the past app year - one of the reasons I'm trying to get a year of Latin in before grad is exactly that - although I'm bilingual in English/Hebrew, Hebrew isn't particularly helpful for medieval lit studies (unless going for medieval Jewish writing, which I'm not LOL). I do have a year of French under my belt, and I'm thinking of taking it parallel to Latin this year as well - luckily, I have the basics, so I would probably be able to jump straight in to 3rd semester college level French. I'm not quite sure I should take both languages concurrently - but since I'm hoping that Welsh to be my third language (both UCLA and Harvard offer graduate level Welsh, which is why I'm so gung ho about their programs - getting to read The Mabinogi in the original is a HUGE part of it), I'm thinking that I should at least have a head start with French and Latin before I start grad school, right? I think that I will take your advice and put the subject test out of my mind for now. I'll continue reading my Blackwell for criticism (I need some of it anyhow to focus on a critical approach for my writing sample on Gawain and the Green Knight), and if I feel that I'm up for it around September, and that I have time, I'll register for the November test. You're right - my time is best spent tailoring my SOP's to fit Harvard and UCLA, as well as the other schools I'm applying to (the short list is yet undecided) and working on my research paper. Thanks again!

*sigh* am now even more confused. pinkbadger: I didn't black out during the test at all - worked solidly through the two hours and forty minutes of it. There was just a lot I didn't know. The April version of the test was absolute killer. Obviously it can't hurt to study for it again - it's just a question of time. I have a very limited amount of time - I'm taking an online grad seminar this summer, and starting Latin online in the fall, while working one full time job and two part-times, and I also am writing a new paper for my writing sample with the prof that is teaching the online seminar (and need to write quite a few SOPs for the application processes). With that limited time I'm not sure if I'll be able to raise my score in any significant way. Obviously, I'd ideally want to send out applications with two above 700 GRE's, a perfect writing sample, and a brilliant SOP - that's what it's all about, after all. I'm also after a not successful application round - I was rejected by the four schools I applied to. The issue that appears to come up a lot on this board is the relative insignificance of the GRE scores in English grad departments. I know the General GRE is important for the fellowships (and I'm very happy with my score), the question is basically this - is 80th percentile too low to be considered at all by the top ten? Many of the successful applicants this year have stated time and time again that it was their SOP and writing samples that got them in, not the GRE scores. But on the other hand, I have this internal drive to take the test again and prove to myself that I CAN get to that yearned for 99th percentile - especially since I'm an older applicant and have been out of school for so long. foppery: thanks . 80th percentile really isn't too horrible, I know. I also know I can do better if I really really apply myself to it. I just wish there were more sample tests out there - since the one released by ETS has almost nothing in common with the test I took (which included almost NO canonical works at all!). Riot - my general GRE (which I know matters for benchmark and fellowships) is beyond fine. I'm just wondering about the subject test. Which isn't even required by some schools. GAAAH. I swear, it would have been an easier call if I got a really low score.

Thanks for the advice . I was really, really hoping to hit the 700 mark, which is why I'm a bit befuddled about the whole thing. I really don't want to shell out another $160 and spend 4 months cramming for this test (although I don't mind reading theory - I'm currently browsing through Blackwell's). Aside from not really having the spare time to study, I would really like to focus my energies on getting my writing sample to shine like a polished diamond in the sun (and the SOP, of course). Between my summer grad seminar, 3 jobs, and Latin classes in the fall, I doubt I'll have that much spare time to significantly raise my score (i.e. to the 700 range). Since I already aced the GRE Verbal (720), I'm wondering if the subject test is THAT significant (after all, it doesn't count for fellowships). I sometimes have a sneaking suspicion that many websites post somewhat misleading info to discourage the faint at heart LOL. *sigh*. I'll continue mulling this over, I'm sure. dihtc0ke - thanks! GK - I'm not sure if it's a "minimum requirement" or "recommendation". Most English departments I'm looking at are loathe to actually publish required scores - I do know that I'm in the numbers range for all the schools I'm interested in - but the subject test is on the "lower" end of the curve than my other numbers. However, since SOP and Writing Sample are really the important factors in the application, I'm hoping that 630 will be fine (although I still have that nagging little voice yelling at me that I should take the test again and ace it this time). Sox - this is exactly what I suspected - that the policies are different from what they "state" on their website. And I must say, I'm somewhat about the -1 I got for my original post. If I offended anyone, I apologize, but what on Earth was offensive about it?

So I finally got my subject test scores back about a week ago. Not a thrilling score - 630, but not too horrible, either (80th percentile). For someone who's been out of school for nearly 10 years, it's really not too terrible. However, my two top choice schools (because of their program) are Harvard and UCLA - so I'm up against some big guns. Obviously, the subject test score won't hurt me when I'm applying to Southern Methodist - but Harvard requires a minimum of 650 (at least so they claim on their website). The question is - to retake the test in November (and study my ass off yet again, this time focusing heavily on criticism and american lit - my weaknesses) - or to just let it lie?? yes, yes, I know the SOP and writing sample are really what count. But I wouldn't want to not get accepted just because of the stupid subject GRE (a horrible, horrible test!!). Advise welcome! Branwen

I got the recommendation from Princeton's "Cracking the GRE" and followed it - and found it very helpful. I'm teaching a GRE prep class this summer and I'm definitely recommending both the Economist and Scientific American to my students - they should read them EVERY DAY (and cram vocab).

yup - i'm registering for Latin in the fall, and if I can afford it, French as well (I think I may be able to start with second semester French - I have studied it before, albeit a while ago. It's a shame they don't offer an online intensive). This summer I'm taking a grad seminar in medieval lit with UMass online as well.