Warelin

If you're not 100 percent interested in the deeper field, I wouldn't apply. PhD Programs require a huge amount of dedication. And quitting due to a lack of interest will cause a huge loss of income and retirement funds. There are a number of things that you can do in Physics that don't require an advanced Master's or PHD for.

On a side note: Did you ask in a way that allows the professor to say whether or not he believes he can or cannot write you a strong letter of recommendation?

...I hope you're not reading the anthology cover to cover. Skimming the anthologies for the basic ideas of authors should do the trick. You mostly just need to be able to recognize who wrote what based on what's provided. The writing style and era should be a major clue on who wrote what.

Assuming you're in Texas A&M based on your profile: A&M ranks 42 for economics alongside 3 other colleges which rank the same according to USNews. There are a total of 76 ranked colleges (which is 80 if one adjusts for colleges ranked the same at 76) $1,600 could be a fair, good, or great amount depending on where you live. Based on the research I've done, the average rent is 1k per month. You'll also have food costs+transportation cost+medical costs+going out costs+ misc. This should be doable for less than $600 a month. If you like college station, the professors, and it's a good fit, there's no harm in applying.

I'd e-mail the schools as an extra precaution. Usually the term is used to refer to your junior/senior year of undergrad. Otherwise, I agree with @slporbust2016.

A PH.D. isn't for everyone and nobody should feel like they're being forced into one. Doing so might lead to unhappiness which could result in a lot of stress and wasted time. These programs last between 5-7 years in the USA so there is a lot of dedicated time. A PHD takes what you learned from your Master's program and explores a tiny section in much greater depth. The goal is to develop significant and original research in a highly specialized field. There are also qualifying exams and a dissertation paper to write. In the sciences, POIs are important so you'll need to contact them with your ideas and interests to see your potential "fit". On a side note: What makes you excited? Has Physics ever made you excited?

@aob981 There are some programs who have a heavy preference on straight-from-BA applicants. These programs include: Penn State, University of Illinois, and Indiana University. For Illinois and Indiana, you apply to their MA program which is funded. Upon successful completion of the MA, they move you on to the PHD but you have the option of applying to other schools. Have you considered looking into Pittsburgh and Nebraska? Both have strong film studies housed under the English department.

Do you have 4 semesters worth of a language during your undergrad? Can you pass a proficiency exam? According to JHU's handbook, either will suffice for meeting the foreign language requirement. "All students must demonstrate successful completion of four semesters of college-level foreign language instruction or its equivalent, or pass a translation test administered by an appropriate faculty member. This requirement is waived for foreign students who are native speakers of a language other than English." I know in other fields that Students take language courses during the summer as to not slow them down during the school-year. Sometimes, additional funding is provided by the School for these purposes. Edited to add: You might want to take a look into this: http://krieger.jhu.edu/internationalstudies/funding/foreign-language-and-area-studies-fellowships/ since it seems that JHU has additional resources which can save you some sanity during your semester. Grad courses can be tough.

The Ph.D. program is structured to enable and encourage timely completion of the Ph.D. thesis. The 48 hours of course work required is typically completed at the end of two years, and the Department allows students with prior graduate coursework to transfer these credits as appropriate. For the typical Ph.D. candidate, the program requires that all requirements but the Ph.D. thesis be completed by the end of the third year, and the thesis topic will usually be approved by the end of the third year as well. --Georgetown Grad School Handbook. 4 courses is a lot too handle during grad school. Courses at this level involve more work and time than they do at the undergrad work. 3 is considered a full-load in most cases.

I'd caution against the word "backup" here unless a school admits every applicant that apply. I think it's important to figure out what type of work is being published from each university you're interested in. Is the work experimental? Does the work have a more journalistic feel to it? Or is it traditional? Likewise, certain universities are better known for their work on certain topics such as Place Studies or the environment.

The monthly cost of living in Boston runs around $1,600 for the average renter. And $2,200/month for renters who live alone. $1,600 is enough for the average renter to get food, shelter, heat and internet — the four necessities for living in Boston. OK, maybe you don't need internet access, but you're probably going to get it. Heads up though. The "average" renter has a roommate in Boston, which really helps with housing costs. If you're hoping to live alone in the Boston area (i.e. renting a studio or 1-bedroom apartment), your monthly rent will be more in the $1500-1900 range, which will make your total monthly cost of living closer to $2,000-2,400/month. Source: Jumpshell Neighborhood guide Taking these numbers into account (with a roommate) Boston will cost 1600*12= 19,200. However, the above numbers don't take into account Public Transportation.The cost for a monthly pass is $75. $75*12=$900. Other things to consider: Going out to eat Car registration fees Entertainment More "prestigious" neighborhoods Below "average" neighborhoods" Any past credit card debt payments Laundry* (Not all apartments have w/d in unit) Pet fees Security deposit fees

On the general exam: Magoosh is probably the most commonly used online resource. There's also PowerPrep from GRE. As a side note: No Englishprograms expect a perfect score on your verbal section. On the English Literature exam: A perfect score is even less important. Programs that state a preference state a preference from the 60th (Austin) to 75th (Illinois) percentile. The Norton Anthologies are probably your best resource for this. There's also HAPAX LEGOMENA: GRE Literature Test Preparation on UCLA's website.

Is it recommended that the CV be kept to one page or can it be longer?

Stephen Greenblatt (Harvard?) Isn't he considered a founder or something of New Historicism? Jean E. Howard (Columbia) Joe Loewenstein (WashU) Marjorie Levinson (Michigan- She published in 2012 on New Historicism) Alan Liu (Was originally from Yale, but moved to teach at UCSB)

How do you determine your institutional reputation when considering US schools? What if the school has a terminal Masters degree but no PHD degree?

Thanks for answering these questions. On a side note, how do you determine fit? As applicants, there are things that we look for. Would having multiple professors in our area of interest be considered a stronger fit or is there something else?

Are BA and MA applicants to the PHD program evaluated differently? Do you prefer straight from undergrad applicants or do you prefer them to have a MA? What's the ratio of BAs to MAs?

As a side, most applicants don't contact a POI for English. Contacting a POI is much more common in the sciences than it is for the humanities.

Everyone: Please try to keep things civil.

From browsing the forum, I've realized that Master programs for English aren't ranked. However, some programs such as Georgetown, Villanova and Wake Forest are mentioned for their "prestige". Others talk about getting into a Ph.D. program from an "unranked" Master's. But aren't all Master's unranked or is there some sort of ranked list that I'm unaware of?

These are general tips: 1. Living with Roommates help to cut down expenses dramatically. 2. Some schools offer tuition waivers and a living stipend. Some schools that offer living stipends won't allow you to work outside the university. 3. Some schools waive your out of state tuition so you only have to pay the in state tuition. 4. There are lots of events hosted by colleges which have free food. Use them wisely.

From UCLA: "The Department of English admits a fully funded class and all applicants are automatically considered for a number of funding options. The Cota Robles Fellowship application is the only application that must be independently completed if you wish to be considered for this award."

Many applicants will have great GRE scores, a 4.0, a great writing score and will have lectures at conferences and publications. Many of these applicants will also not get in anywhere despite all of their accomplishments. A lot of this depends on fit. How well do your interests fit within the school? How well does the school think you fit in; not only with what they're known for now but where they're going in the future. This is impossible to fit. Some schools might like the fact that you bring a different aspect to the field; others might consider it as a lack of commitment to the field. Some schools strongly prefer that you have a MA in English; some prefer that you are directly from undergrad. There is no way that we can know what your chances are.

From my understanding, school prestige only is really only considered if you want to stay in Academia.

No matter which option you choose: You will select by specific test dates, so your scores are all from the same testing session. The schools you designate will only see the scores that you selected to send them. There will be no special indication if you have taken additional GRE tests.