Hello!
I am currently enrolled in two masters programs (German Language and Literature, Comparative Literature) at a university in the German-speaking world, and I am interested in applying for American PhD programs in one subject or the other once I've completed my degrees. Is anyone out there/has anyone out there been in a similar situation?
A bit more relevant information about myself: I'm an American who ended up abroad on an English-language teaching fellowship after completing my bachelors in 2013, and then subsequently began MA study. My undergraduate stats are decent (I graduated from a competitive LAC with a 3.8 GPA), although I did not write a bachelor thesis. That being said, when I finish my masters degrees, I will have written two masters theses. However, this won't happen until 2017, as I'm also working part-time to afford rent and other living expenses. This means that if I were to ultimately pursue the goal of a PhD, my first semester would be in the fall of 2018, a full five years after getting my undergraduate degree.
I'm curious to know what kinds of things American PhD programs in (foreign language) literature would be especially keen to look for in an applicant with a European MA in addition to, of course, excellent scholarship and a thorough research proposal (i.e., same things they look for in everyone). Moreover, I would also like to know whether any PhD programs out there are particularly receptive to applicants coming from Europe.
I'm wary that my somewhat non-traditional candidate profile will somehow end up hurting my chances, but I'm committed to at least sending some apps out in a couple years and seeing what happens. Thus, I want to be as deliberate as possible right now in hopes of bolstering my profile in whatever ways possible.
Thanks for reading!
