Warelin

I think it's important to realize that there are no safeties in English. There have been many applicants in the past who have been rejected from every school they applied to except Berkeley. There have been multiple people with perfect scores that have shut out from their season. There have also been people who have managed to get an acceptance at many schools they applied to despite not having great test scores. None of this was dependent on a school's ranking because ranking does not equal number of applicants nor does it signify strength in a specific area. The ranking of a school is really only important if your end goal is to maximize your chances of doing research at a R1 School. Most jobs are not at R1 schools. There are many jobs that would welcome the skills that can be obtained through an English PHD outside of academia, but a Ph.D. isn't required for the great majority of them.

Do you know what your field of interest is? Do you know which schools you'd like to apply to? Do you have an understanding of the different strengths that some programs have? Are you prepared for a paycut? Do you understand how doctoral research differs from undergraduate research? What are you hoping to get out of a PHD program? Would you be okay if you can't achieve your goal post-PhD?

I think it is important to remember that your definition of 'fit' is likely very different from a department's definition of fit. Professors do not want to produce mirror images of themselves. They're interested in finding new ways to examine various types of studies.

Small note here: English program rankings as rated by USNews do not apply to Rhetoric and Composition Rankings. Additionally, some programs are more rhetoric-heavy while others are more composition-heavy. Some might even lean towards being more digital humanities focused, but such programs can also be found in Literature programs. There are also some Rhet-Comp programs that are more literature-focused. In most cases, the funding would be the same for programs that offer both a Literature and a Rhetoric/Composition track. Responsibilities for obtaining the funding might be different for the two tracks though.

As for WashU's funding, it's likely that their funding will continue at their rates for a very long time. WashU is a top-tier college that has a history of increasing their stipends each year to adjust for cost of living increases. They also have one of the largest college endowments. I think placements are a bit harder to calculate because a lot of the market depends on who you know through conferences and other events, who your professors may know, your dissertation topic, whether it fits what other programs are looking for, your interviews, and so on. Due to it being a (now) new program, it might be worthwhile to ask potential WUSTL advisers where their (undergrad) students have gone for graduate school. While your options post graduation will likely be different due to having a different set of options, it'll give you a sense on what schools/type of schools might be the most familiar with Washington University in St. Louis.

I’m glad it worked out for you. I think most schools are willing to work with you if there are barriers to completing certain parts of your application. Most are genuinely interested in their applicants. Best of luck with your applications! If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a PM.

This might be a worthwhile conversation to bring up to schools you're interested in but that currently have the GRE as a requirement. I imagine that a few would waive the requirement if the GRE isn't available in your country.

I’d also consider expanding your search outside English. I think your interests could easily fit within either American Culture or Women, Gender and Sexuality programs. I’m not saying that being placed in English is impossible but options might not be as plentiful as considering other fields. English has a tendency to be able to classify interests based on time periods. Young Adult Fiction is harder to classify because of this. Other fields may have a different way that they classify applicants.

Washington University in St. Louis might be worth a look into: Research Interests: https://english.wustl.edu/browse Graduate Certificates: https://english.wustl.edu/phd-program#primary

Are you referring to Android Package Kits? If so, it doesn't really fit into what we're looking for.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MYcxZMhf97H5Uxr2Y7XndHn6eEC5oO8XWQi2PU5jLxQ/edit#gid=0 ^ List of schools in that don't require the GRE Subject exam: Brandeis , Buffalo, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon, Colorado, Cornell, Davis, Duke, Emory, Harvard, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Princeton, Rutgers, Virginia, WUSTL, and Yale.

I'd like to elaborate a bit more on @WildeThing's post here. I think there are a few things to consider here. There isn't a single degree that could guarantee you that you'd be considered equally at all schools. Some teaching-focused schools are hesitant to hire ivy-league grads because they're concerned that the individual might leave them when a research-focused position opens up. They're also concerned that ivy-league grads and other top10/top20 schools may not have enough teaching experience or may not want to be in an environment that focuses on teaching. A school in the top 20 may not rank as highly in certain disciplines. Notre Dame, Rochester, and George Washington University are known widely for their early modern program. WUSTL is very strong in (Post)Modernism, Drama Studies (modern), Gender and Sexuality Studies and is expanding in Transatlantic and Transnational. Tufts has traditionally been strong in Gender Theory. Pittsburgh has a really strong Film concentration in English. Rice is strong in Gender and Sexuality, Medical Humanities, Postcolonial and Ecocritism. None of these are top 20 programs, but have built a strong concentration in the listed that likely rival schools that are considered to be in the top 20. However, if the goal is to teach at a R1 school, it is much easier to accomplish from a top 20 program. But there are also post-docs that might help you accomplish your goal. I've had friends who have gotten a degree from ivy leagues schools who still had to complete postdocs before landing in a TT position. I have friends who have graduated from schools ranked in the 30s who have landed tenure track jobs at ivy-league schools. It might also be important to note that the majority of schools that are hiring are not R1 schools but rather teaching-focused institutions. These institutions are more likely to care about your teaching ability and record, but it's important to not disregard original research. I'm not sure more options is necessarily correct here, but I think there is a difference in the types of positions that are most readily available to you upon graduation based upon the connections you have access to. Lastly, I also want to note that a school accepts you because they believe in you. Sometimes, even the brightest students fail due to unforeseen circumstances or not feeling supported enough. An acceptance from any school doesn't mean anything if you can't graduate from it.

The English department isn't likely to care. There might be some graduate schools which require a minimum score to be considered for certain school-wide fellowships. For example, Buffalo requires a 313+ to be eligible for nomination for additional fellowship support from the Graduate School.

How rare are classes that are within the vicinity of your area? How rare are your required courses?

YES! CONGRATULATIONS! This is very well deserved!

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I think you'll find that graduate admissions functions very differently from undergraduate admissions. I think that you'll also find that most people attempting to apply for a PHD program are fairly well-read within the specific areas they're interested in. I think most would also admit that they also wouldn't place themselves among the top ten percentile within that specific field. That is to say, that should you get accepted into a program, you'll likely find that most people have read dozens of books and articles within their field and it's likely that your coursework may see you reading a dozen books a semester and a couple of dozen articles per class. It sounds like you've started a good habit by reading now because grad school will expect no less. It's encouraging that your professors are encouraging you but it's also important to note that your potential graduate professors might be more strict because the objectives are different. There isn't anyway that anybody would be able to answer this for you. It would depend on your writing sample, SOP, letters of recommendation, your academic fit within the university as well as who else applied that year.

No. There are a lot of factors which determine one's acceptance or rejection into a program. If it was based on just x grades, only the top 20 or so students from the top 10 schools would be considered for grad school. A good working knowledge is good to have. However, I doubt very few full professors would go to say that have the "top 0.1% knowledge of specific debates" within their specific subfields. The brightest professors I know are still reading and digesting new information on a daily basis. Stating that you're in the top 0.1 percent implies that you don't need a PHD. It sounds as if you believe you're more than ready to contribute scholarly articles right now and become a leading scholar. A PHD is meant to help those who have a good fit with their program achieve this goal but it sounds to me that you wouldn't benefit from going through a PHD.

I've moved this topic to the "Literature, and Rhetoric and Composition" subforum because I believe you'll get more answers here.

I think that information can be gleaned in a lot of cases. Certain programs are known for being theory-heavy while others are more known for their cultural studies or film studies or etc. Taking a look at recent dissertations done at said programs might also help you gain a better understanding of what they might be looking for. Whatever topic you're most interested in studying, choose that one and have multiple people look at it. Your writing sample and SOP should be on related topics.

Unless it states otherwise, I'd recommend sending in only 1 paper. Very few programs request two writing samples. They really want to see your ability to take a stance on your issue and how you progress through your ideas on a piece of literature(s).

Yes; ideally, you'll be sending in work that the program has faculty working in the same area. Ideally, your WS would also be current in understanding gaps within the field and where you fit into today's conversation. Some places might prefer English professors but I don't think I've seen any programs care much about which area of English it is. Generally speaking, I think any professor in the humanities or social sciences would work fine for letters. A Language Professor might be helpful if your concentration was medieval or early modern. Some programs might not require your degree to be in English but they still require you to prove that you'd be able to prove you can keep up with coursework/comps/dissertation work. They often don't distinguish between degrees so often you'll be held to the same standard. Some FAQs might state that you might require x amount of classes in Literature, but I don't think I've seen any that raise a fuss if your degree is in English. Depending on the program, there are likely some programs that would very much welcome a rhetorical paper. There are some programs that are very heavy on theory; while others are very big on close readings. Most of the time, they just want to gain a sense of your writing style and how your interests and strengths line up with theirs. It's likely that you'll feel a better fit at bigger schools because they have more faculty but so does everyone else due to their wider range of interests. Some programs are also more cultural studies focused.

I believe you're thinking of Interfolio. It's more commonly used for the academic job market but very few schools accept it for graduate school applications. As such, I would recommend talking to your graduate programs to make sure they're able/willing to accept letters from Interfolio.

Most, if not all, public libraries should allow you to access databases that they have a subscription to.

A lot of people apply during the fall semester of their second year in their Master's program. I think the biggest hurdle you might face with a one-year program is potentially not having strong recommendation letters. Since applications are due in Dec/Jan, it's likely that you'll have to ask for recommendations at a time where your first major paper hasn't been assigned yet. As a result, your instructors will have very little to work off of. (Edit: @illcounsel seems to have been thinking the same thoughts at the same time) The second area of concern is that your interests might change within that time period. And while a program doesn't force you to stay within a specific time period, I think they can read into whether you seem passionate about something or whether you're writing about something because it feels safe.