Branwen daughter of Llyr

Round 2 here - (although haven't heard back from UVA - I doubt I got in). Am registering for an online summer class and writing a new writing sample - in my chosen field, focused, and research based (rather than close reading). will be writing a new SOP as well. I'll also be applying to a broader range of schools (10-12 rather than 4, all focused on fit - I didn't do my research properly this round), have already improved my general GRE score (but too late for this year, obviously), and am taking the subject test in three weeks and hoping for above a 700. So hopefully, next year, I'll be a MUCH more attractive candidate. I'm also applying to at least 3 funded terminal MA's (either scholarship or TA) just in case I don't get into a PhD program again (or get kick-ass tech writing position and pay in-state tuition somewhere - which could take a while considering I'm moving back to the US from Israel LOL so I'm hoping for funding). I will go to grad school. That's what I'm supposed to do. Everything is leading to that .

I'm too chicken to contact them. I haven't heard a peep from UVA throughout the ENTIRE process. If I've been waitlisted, I DON'T WANT TO KNOW - it'll send me on a spin (another raised hope) - and if I've been rejected - why oh why won't they let me know already?? (I would be shocked beyond belief if they waitlisted me. I can't imagine why - my app this year was a total bust - unless they enjoy unfocused SOPs etc LOL)

That is so true. Why on earth would I have to justify myself to someone who is an admin assistant? or to a cab driver? or to a shopgirl? Most people aren't out there to discover the cure for AIDS or cancer. And at least, we, as future professors, will have to opportunity to shape and educate young minds. And we love what we do. I think that's justification enough.

It was a book I was impressed with as a teenager. However, I grew out of it - especially when I took an intro to philosophy class in college, and learned what REAL philosophy was all about (and kind of fell in love with philosophy LOL, although not as much as with theater and literature ). I feel about Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance the same way I feel about The Fountainhead (although The Fountainhead is MUCH better fiction) - it's extremely impressive when you're a teenager. However, as you grow up, accumulate some experiences and knowledge, you become disenchanted with it. I didn't read Sophie's World or Razor's Edge, so I can't comment on either.

It's the same justification for studying anything else for years & years. Mine is perfectly practical. I want to teach English at the University level, and I want to contribute and participate in the ongoing discussion about literature with my research. To do both of these things, I need a PhD, which means years & years of study (like jonnyleston, I'm also a writer, so that's a separate excuse altogether). The study of literature helps develop analytical skills, writing skills, and thinking beyond the obvious. Looking for hidden connections and patterns is a valuable skill. Is there a justification for studying literature in general (i.e. not my personal reasons)? Of course there is. Just about anything we study in the Humanities (literature, Art History, etc.) revolves around some type of human creation. There is a LOT we can learn about humans from human creation. Motivation, ideology, patterns of myth, cultural "truths." After all, there is more to life in the human condition than survival and reproduction. The study of human creations is just as important as the study of the mechanisms of the universe (astrophysics), the mechanisms of living organisms (biology), the mechanisms of human emotions or thought (psychology), or the mechanisms of human trade (economics).

In the Jewish tradition, if someone is interested in converting to Judaism, the Rabbi must turn them away 3 times before accepting them as students. A test of resolve sort of thing. May we only have to go through this once - here's to a successful application round for 2011!

So do I, incidentally. And like others here, while I agree with the general idea (go to where the best fit is), the underlying rage is a bit offputting. and yes, breaking paragraphs is a good idea once in a while - especially when moving between rant and sarcasm/irony every other sentence.

The funding issue is the main reason why I'm so gung-ho about the subject test, and was so pleased about my second round of general GRE scores (that, and I have this intense need to prove that being 9 years out of school DOESN'T MATTER - I CAN STILL STUDY MY ASS OFF!!). Many state funded U's give out TAships and funding based on GRE's. Sux, horrible, unfair, but it exists. Obviously, the GRE's are less important in programs where acceptance automatically means funding.

ummmm.... Prozac anyone? (sorry. I, too, have NO IDEA what was sarcastic, what was serious, and what the difference between them was).

If you're interested, UMass offers an online course (undergrad) in Latin. You can get your latin to intermediate level in a year, easily, just with their online intensive course, and then take a grad latin class while doing your PhD next year or test out of the requirement. I'm doing this, since my Latin is non-existent as well (although my middle English rocks). I'm actually looking forward to it - it should be fun, and the online tuition isn't too bad

Oh yeah, I'm being much more careful this time around. I'm also hoping against hope that where ever I end up, I do excellent work and will be able to find a job. I'm so passionate about my field that I'm pretty sure I can find a decent job with my own personal drive and motivation. However, a prestige factor can't hurt, will probably help, and a program dedicated to placing their docs in TT positions is always a good thing. Yes, there are up and downs even within the top 50. However, I've seen some programs ranked in the 30-50 range with relatively amazing placement rates (WashU, for example), as well as less successful ones in the 10's. It's a bit of a seesaw, very odd, and very unpredictable. I'm pretty sure I'll end up applying to 10-12 PhD programs, and 3 funded / scholarship MA's (Georgetown is on that list...). My long list (consisting of about 25 schools) all has decent placement rates. Maybe it's the correlation with strong medieval programs, I dunno. Maybe because I'm so not interested in most modern and "hip" studies. But placement is important enough to me that programs such as SMU are probably not going to make it for the app round next year, despite the possibility of working with Bonnie Wheeler - it's so new that I'm a bit scared off regarding the job options afterward. However, I'm really really hoping to get into either Harvard or UCLA at this point (yay Welsh Literature and Language secondary field!), so if everything works out well, I won't have to worry TOO much about post-doc placement (yah, I'm an optimistic chickie, aren't I?). Obviously, for the right program, I'll even brave LA and all the beautiful plastic people. Or the snotties in Harvard (Boston is my hometown, so that's all good...).

Hey, I'm an English major, and I'm enrolling in an online UG class this summer, for the sole purpose of having access to a prof for my writing sample. Obviously, it'll be great to take a medieval lit class again, but I already have one on my transcript, so it's not like it's anything new. We do what we have to do to get in a grad program in 2011. As I said in my earlier post - I seriously doubt you'll have to do the entire BA. A few lit classes to focus your interests should really do the trick. Upper division UG should suit that just fine.

I'm totally humbled. Despite knowing that my apps this year were a long shot (well, being told by my dad that they were a long shot), the rejections still stung. And over the past 3 months, I've learned that I actually know NOTHING compared to most applicants. Not just in my field, but about the whole app process. I only started researching other schools AFTER January, I had no real, solid idea as to my interests, and I kept swinging between Medieval / Early Modern, which of course, reflected on my SOP, as it was all over the place, unfocused, and probably extremely juvenile, despite me being nearly 38. Despite focusing my research interests, I'm actually terrified of writing the damn thing again. I have NO IDEA how to balance the "bragging" without sounding like a self-involved prat (and what do I brag about, exactly? graduating with honors from a tier-3 state school??). I'm worried that my writing sample won't cut it. I'm worried that after nearly 9 years out of school, with no real work in literature (except extensive personal reading), I'm going to land in my online summer class like a ton of bricks and BOMB. And although I have good stats, so do many of the other applicants. Am I even as brilliant as I think I am in this? How in GOD'S NAME do I stand out from the crowd of incredibly talented scholars sending in apps? So I know I'm going to do this all over again next year. And I'm hoping that I'm better prepared. But at the moment, I'm second-guessing everything - am I good enough? Do I have what it takes? Or is yet another dream just poised to be crushed? (I'm blaming stress and lack of sleep for the above post. And a small case of nerves. And a big dose of insecurity. I try to be much more positive usually...)

I was raised by a woman who firmly believed that a happy, fulfilled mother, meant happy, fulfilled children, no matter where they lived. I was a suitcase child - moved where ever and whenever (appx every two years) cross cultural (away from the US when I was six to Israel), until high school. we still moved houses when I was in high school, but I didn't change schools anymore. My half-sister was raised VERY differently. She's 11 years younger, and some of my mother's wanderlust had calmed down by that point (due to a successful second marriage and some maturity). The "family" needs (i.e. my sister's needs) were taken into account much more than mine. she wasn't raised out of a suitcase. Both my sister and I have our share of problems as adults. We are also, overall, had fairly happy childhoods. We also have very different personalities (and always have), which might be the more important factor than the way we were raised. I guess my take is - kids will have problems, no matter if you move them or not. Young children, especially, have less trouble adjusting to different environments, but teenagers can handle it as well. However, every child will develop some SERIOUS problems if their parents are miserable and unfulfilled in their lives. Somehow, it always gets taken out on the child - either the child becomes the main focus of the parent's hopes and dreams (and must fulfill them as a proxy for the parent), or the child is raised with the belief that their hopes and dreams are meaningless and they should concentrate on "useful" stuff. In extreme cases, it can result in violence - physical or emotional. I'm not saying it's a good thing to move your family around every year, but a move to a different state might actually benefit the child quite a bit. Help them get a different perspective, meet different people and even different cultures. It might open up their mind, flex adaptability. So I suppose I'm middle-of-the-road on this. Don't ignore the overall family needs - but don't become a slave to them either. Any relationship should also leave plenty of room for the individual. Houses can be sold, babies are easily moved, new jobs can be found. Life requires flexibility to live well and happily. Sometimes it means one person defers for a couple of years. Other times, it means moving willy-nilly cross-country.

I doubt you need a full second BA in English lit to get into an MA program. What you might consider doing, (if you can't get in to any graduate classes this fall), is taking about 3-4 lit classes and applying your work there for the MA application in 2011. That way, you're IN SCHOOL and learning things and you're getting those few lit classes that you need to create a writing sample and focus your SOP. With a few lit classes under your belt, a writing sample about literature (that incorporates some of your IR strengths), and a strong SOP, you shouldn't have too much trouble, and I'm sure they'll consider your application.

I'll add to that - every single one of my profs in the English department in my tier-3 State university undergrad was a top-notch university phd - Yale, Northwestern, Stanford, etc. And this is an English department that doesn't go beyond the MA... Also - every single ivy or comparable school I've looked at has extensive teaching - at least 3 years out of the 5. And every single one has a pedagogical seminar as a requirement.

You were attractive enough to be waitlisted (a big feat this year). Listen, don't be discouraged. A LOT of extremely qualified, published, 4.0 graduate GPA people didn't get in this year. It was a very very tough application year due to the surge in numbers of people seeking graduate study + schools getting funding cut and halving their entering cohorts. All I'm saying is - apply again next year (2nd round applications seem to be overall successful), sharpen SOP to a diamond-point, make sure your writing sample COULD be published as far as quality goes, and pray to whatever higher power (or the ghost of existential nihilism, LOL) . Sure, upping your verbal score to above 700 can't hurt - but I doubt that it will be the thing that makes the most difference. From everything I've read on the boards this year, the most successful applicants didn't necessarily have amazing GRE scores. they had spot on writing samples and SOPs.

This thread has just turned me off CU Boulder. I didn't like their site much and I was concerned about their VERY vague funding page. I've just struck them off the list.

Yes, I know But she's hoping to do it in highly ranked schools. Many thanks!

I advise about the process - looking over SOPs, helping with getting all materials together, and holding the hand of someone who has NO IDEA what she's getting into, doing some research, and making sure her scores (GPA & GRE) are in the right range for the programs she's interested in. but thanks for the link - I'm familiar with PhD org.

I haven't heard from UVA yet either. I don't know what to make of it. I'm pretty sure I've been rejected, but what is TAKING THEM SO LONG??? I haven't heard from Cornell, either (although Cornell is mailing by post - so that reject letter may be waiting in my mailbox... I should go pick up my mail today anyhow... LOL).

SOP - (I'm a medievalist as well, but Late medieval and Arthurian/Celtic, not Anglo-Saxon) - Just try again, more schools, obviously, VERY focused research interests in the SOP - exactly what turns you on in the field (in academic language, of course) What was your process in writing your most successful papers, why you want to go to grad school in general, and all that. You've been waitlisted this year, so with a little tweaking, you have a great chance of getting in next year. Published - you don't have to be published. But the writing sample should be "publishing-worthy" - i.e. it could GET accepted at a journal in the field.

No offense taken! Truly .

Hello all, I'm English Lit applicant myself, and am the first to admit that I know NOTHING about statistics. I am, however, advising a prospective PhD candidate about her application process to a Statistics PhD. She is basically interested only in top-10 ranked schools (otherwise, she's stay at Hebrew University in Jerusalem) for Operational Research and/or Biostatistics (see, I don't even know what those mean...). I've obviously found the US News rankings, but since I know that they don't always reflect reality, I would appreciate the advice of people actually in the field: What are the top ten ranked schools in the above sub-fields (i.e. the most coveted, prestigious programs in the US)? After narrowing down the search to 10 schools, I can take it from there - I just want to make sure I'm looking at the right schools for her! Many thanks in advance for your patience with a non-math person (and if you ever have questions about medieval literature, don't hesitate to ask!)