Warelin

I wasn't talking about adjuncting after you get your PhD. Unforunately, most newly-minted PhDs end up adjuncting at some point or another while they wait out the job market. At this point in your career, adjuncting is probably inevitable, and you really can't (and perhaps shouldn't) run off and get a job unrelated to academia if you want to stay current. And no, adjuncting doesn't make you more hirable. If you adjunct long enough, you may actually see your chances of getting hired diminish. Adjuncting might be necessary, but it doesn't guarantee that you "bring more" to a department or stay current. It means you teach a s-load of classes for low pay. If anything, this can cause you to fall behind in your research and be less "current." If you think it's difficult to go to conferences and get things published as a grad student, wait until you're teaching three or four times that load. Not to mention the fact that adjuncts don't get conference funding and other grad student benefits.

The OP's question, however, was about the choice to adjunct between the MA and the PhD. It is my recommendation one shouldn't adjunct at this point, and that it really won't do anything for your PhD application. Taking a year or two to work instead--to make better money and get benefits--is probably the wiser choice in this situation for the OP's sake and for the sake of everyone else in this profession. Universities hire adjuncts because they can, because it's a buyer's market right now. Let's not rush to join that party. I'm not saying that one person's choice not to adjunct can really make much of a difference, but seriously, let's save the adjuncting for when we absolutely have to do it because we have no other choice.

And ComeBackZinc is absolutely right--you guys are overthinking this. Your application to PhD programs is about your application--not about your work experience or your teaching experience. I know it's tempting to try to find a smoking gun for why you didn't get in (was my GRE too low? were my interests not a good "fit"? if I had taught more would they notice me?), but your teaching is really the last thing to focus on right now. In fact, many universities reward their best applicants with time "off" from teaching.

Most people in my program didn't go straight through. Most of my professors didn't go straight through. However, many of my friends who did go straight through regret it. They feel like they put all their eggs in the academic basket--at 30ish they've never worked before, they're poor and in debt, they've never navigated a job market before, and so they need to find a job this year or bust.

You are lucky to be protected by a union. Many grad students aren't. Some states even have laws against grad student unions. Just an FYI.

That changes nothing for me. You can still work with them if you want to. If you choose not to, then that's up to you. 
This assignment isn't keeping you from working with anyone. You can do an independent study with them, take their courses, volunteer as a RA for them, etc. If you're going to use your assignment as an excuse for not working with certain faculty, then that's on you and no one else. Honestly, you're taking offense where there shouldn't be any and overreacting. 

@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.

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.

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.

Imagine going on a first date and telling the person that you chose to date them over someone else that most people would consider more attractive. Is there any way that you can see that being interpreted positively? It's one thing if they ask, but I would not volunteer this information and I don't think it'll go over well if you do. 

I agree that funding is a very important factor, but I think that MA programs also gain "prestige" through their PhD program placement.  It is worth asking schools for that information if it is not available on their website (only, of course, if you are thinking about going onto a PhD, otherwise it might be worth asking what fields/positions that their MAs have entered post-graduation, if they know).  
Usually people are using the nomenclature "unranked" casually to refer to an MA at a school either without a PhD program or with one that is not ranked in the top-whatever number of USN&WR schools.  Some schools, like Georgetown, do not have a PhD program and therefore their MAs may (arguably) receive more attention from the faculty, another "prestige" factor.  If you are not hoping/planning to go onto a PhD program, however, then an MA from a big name school with a top ranked PhD program might be more helpful in whatever field you are thinking about entering than a funded MA from an "unranked" school (even if those MA programs have a mixed reputation within the academy).  
However, of course, just like for PhDs, it is also important to consider the professors in your field, both as potential advisors/mentors (will they help you to do your best work?) and, if you are going on, as recommenders (how much weight will their recommendation carry when/if you apply to PhD programs?).  A school with a prestigious reputation (either as an MA or PhD program) might not be the best fit with your interests/goals.  
Figuring out what you want from your MA program might help you to prioritize these factors (and others!) and figure out a list of the best schools for you.

Even though there's no official ranking system in place for MA programs in English, there are still two leagues, I would say - funded and unfunded MAs.
The general wisdom is to go with the funding when it comes to MA programs. If they're willing to fund you, that usually means they're more invested in you and that you can get some useful experience (teaching, tutoring, etc) out of the deal that can help for PhD applications/admissions.

Ranking is just formalized hearsay. No, seriously, that's how they do it: they poll a bunch of academics' opinions on programs and average their opinion.

This question comes up surprisingly often here. There's no ranked list (not by USNews, at least) of M.A. programs, but despite that lack of ranking, certain programs are still notable for various reasons. Think of it this way: even if there was no USNews ranking for Ph.D. programs, you would know that Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford etc. are all "prestigious"; the same goes for the M.A. programs you mention, among others -- they're known to be prestigious, even if no one has done a reputable systematic ranking.
 

Hi! I'm student and and they assigned me a project about the hippie movement .
I already have it made 70% but I lack the political reaction and the Church against this movement 
There is one who knows about it? 
Thanks very much 

The Professor is In says no descriptions (linked earlier in this thread), but people aren't unanimous about it.  I personally wouldn't because it makes the CV look too much like a resume, but if you think it is useful or helpful to your application, maybe?

That's pretty thick coming from the person who previously recommended avoiding ALL MA programs that offered PhDs. Sorry I didn't check the date, though, and was therefore unaware of your conversion.
 
PS: Girl Who Wears Glasses you're the most consistent internet troll of all time.

A bit late, but I presume new readers will find this useful:
 
I am happy with my landlord, a small company called Capstone Property Management (Dempsey Real Estate). You probably have to dig a little to find what they are offering - I got mine word of mouth.
 
From looking around town over 2 years, I can say that the houses and apartments run by Delview look the worst. Sealy is a big corporate apartment management firm - they have strict rules and relatively high rates, but seem to operate nice properties.
 
I moved here from Austin, so I'm a bit disappointed in the night life. That said, there are plenty of places where non-cis patrons can feel comfortable. The Alcove, Egan's, and Mellow Mushroom are three places where my gay/bi friends gather, and there is one gay bar, Icon, that actually has a drag show on Saturday nights, followed by a dance party.
 
The campus has an active Allies program, and has been installing non-gendered bathrooms as they remodel buildings and build new ones. Hope that helps
 
Side note for those considering the University of Alabama and the city of Tuscaloosa:
 
Neighborhoods:
There are 9 recognized neighborhoods. If you want to get by without a car and walk everywhere, your best chances are to get a job on/near University Boulevard. The shops next to the University are commonly referred to "the strip" and it has a grocery store, restaurants, pizzerias, a hair salon and pubs. Unfortunately, these apartments tend to be smaller but you can often get a good price if you have a roommate.

Southeast Tuscaloosa is where the Arboretum is. Many runners and dog owners frequent here.
North of the River are a few apartments and golf clubs. Nothing here that I really could recommend that another neighborhood couldn't offer. Costs are higher and traffic can be bad due to it being mostly families.

There are a lot of things going on in the Forest Lake neighborhood. It's about 2-3 miles to campus. It's walkable but a bike would be recommended.

East Central & University is where most of the undergrads live. Graduates tend to live in or around Forest Lake or in or around Northport. Northport is smaller but has a small town charm in its downtown district.
Realtors:
H.A. Edwards (http://www.haedwards.com/)
Sealy (http://www.sealyrealty.com/)
Duckworth Morris (http://duckworth.com/)
Other than that: Yes, football season is really crazy but it could be a really good time to get groceries if you don't care for Football. Roll tide.
 

Writing concisely is, in and of itself, a discipline, and a discipline worthy of practice.
If you're within ca. 10%, i.e. 1 page per 10, whatever. Otherwise, you're not doing the assignment, and the great quality of your paper doesn't transform it into the assignment. 

I agree with @echo449, and would go so far as to say that even taking some graduate level courses without necessarily going for a degree might be worthwhile if you can afford the cost of a course or two per semester while you keep working. Fortunately D.C. has enough fantastic schools to make that a viable option for you -- GWU, Georgetown, American, UMD (I'm biased), Catholic U.... Basically, demonstrating that you can do graduate-level work in the field of English will help your cause immeasurably when applying for a Ph.D. It will also give you the opportunity to develop a writing sample, and ideally make some positive connections with professors.
I suspect that it would be a longshot getting into a Ph.D. program without having anything recent in the field of English on your transcript. Your reasons can be extremely valid, but chances are that you'll have to demonstrate your ability a bit before you can be brought into the relatively elusive fold of doctoral study.
P.S.: Do you have a general idea of the field / period you are interested in? That will help whittle down suggestions for journals to look at etc.

Happy to say I accepted a fully funded offer to UW Seattle that came in at the eleventh hour! If any of you have recommendations for living in Seattle or attending UW specifically, please feel free to share any info/insights you might have; it would be much appreciated! Cheers to all of the other acceptances this application season, and best of luck to those re-applying for the next cycle.

I take it, "fuck off to Starbucks because you're an English major trolololol" is valuable help?
You know what grinds my gears? People who think they're ~~providing a service by shitting on posters on an anonymous forum. Like, shut up. You're not here to help anyone. You're here to rant and feed your ego. Any tough love "advice" you give you do because acting mean and superior makes you feel good about yourself. If you actually wanted to help, you'd use those skills that you're punching into OP right now to figure out that nobody gives a shit about what somebody with "truther" in their name thinks about them, and put a face to your advice by mentoring students in person, joining organisations, or otherwise getting off your ass and doing something in the real world, and you'd do it with compassion, because the first rule of helping someone is not hurting them. But noooo, it's easier to sit on the throne with your pants around your ankles and diddle angry messages into the internet, and if you close your eyes, you can even feel proud for doing it!

I think that's an important distinction to make. The makeup of an applicant pool will differ per school. And we also know that some programs are stronger in certain fields even if they are ranked lower overall.

I still have my list from last season about which schools require the subject test. Would you like the list of schools?

I still have my list from last season about which schools require the subject test. Would you like the list of schools?

Wow, that's kind of a bitchy reply. But get this:

It's so nice and fun to disparage the ranking system, but the simple truth is that, if a school does not have guaranteed funding for its students, strong library facilities, good professorial resources, and an effective history of graduate placement, then that school will not rank well. In this sense, the rankings systems are indeed meaningless on a micro level (that is, saying that #13 School A is qualitatively better than #15 School B as an exclusive result of their ranking differences), but it is by all means relevant on a macro level. Number-13 School A will almost always serve its graduates' careers more effectively than #57 School C. It's silly of you to suggest that a typical graduate of, say, Brown will not have comparably higher buying power on the job market than a typical graduate of, say, Arizona State. Let's be real.

Given that information, it is indeed bizarre that a student who is admitted to virtually all of the top-20 schools s/he applied to is rejected from every single school in the 50s and 60s s/he applied to. I started this thread as a means of helping applicants feel out how to compose their applicant-school lists. If this trend is indeed real, then that information would be crucial.

It is also not the case that every applicant applies to every school sincerely, that every applicant mentions 3 or 4 professors, etc. I certainly did not quote professors from every school I applied to in my writing sample, as I did with many of these schools in the 50s and 60s. And I did not apply to every school with equal sincerity, as a number of my applications were made strictly because of the advice from my undergraduate mentors, for geographical reasons, etc., rather than a personal passion for those programs. I'm certain this is true of many people on this forum, particularly given that many of us are applying to 15 or more schools and therefore cannot devote ourselves equally to each individual application.

Meanwhile, I appreciate how you've listed out all the potential ways by which I may have been rejected. But I was indeed aware of those matters, as any moderately thoughtful person would be. I was curious if anyone had any useful information about the trend of this, as that would be valuable information for future applicants.

On a separate note, you might consider going into a Master's program first to see if you like grad school since it tends to be very different from doing an undergrad degree. Also, the grad degree would most likely override any grades from your Bachelor's.

On a separate note, you might consider going into a Master's program first to see if you like grad school since it tends to be very different from doing an undergrad degree. Also, the grad degree would most likely override any grades from your Bachelor's.