wintergirl

I'm too pissed to cry. What a f***ing rip off: Sure, I'll pay you $150 (plus cost to send all the scores) for you to come up with the trickiest, most obscure 230 questions you can. Whee!!! Assholes. Seriously, that test was insane. Yes, this. I wonder if we all took the same one today or if it's just luck of the draw as to the specific test you get? In any case, may we all have acceptances in our future--and copious amounts of alcohol/chocolate/sleep in our very near future. :|

Seriously. I've studied more for this GRE than any class I'm taking this last month and per my second practice test (taken this afternoon) my score's only gone up 60 points! Trying not to be totally discouraged. Ack! Good suggestion, bdon19. Adding one more thing to the list of things to be stressed about...

I've been studying for weeks and am still not optimistic about doing as well as I want. I mean, ALL the literature written since Beowulf?? Really??? But my recommendation is to at least read the Princeton Review GRE Lit book. It can't hurt! Good luck. I'll be suffering along with you on Saturday morning. : )

Four classes??? Sheesh! But I know where you're coming from: I'm in a MA program, supposed to working on my thesis (ha) while teaching, working, taking classes, etc etc. I feel like I'm constantly walking around with a madwoman look in my eyes. Surprised I haven't walked straight into a tree or building or something yet. I just keep reminding myself that once this stupid test is over, that will be one GIANT thing off our stress list. Then (hopefully) we can crank out what we need to for our apps. So.... meet back here on Oct.16th to strategize?

Ugh, ditto!!! Plus I have to present at a conference this week in another state so I am going CRAZY. I haven't even started my SOP or done much else besides contact reccers and start a handful of online apps. Been on the fence actually about postponing and taking the November subject test but know I'll be just as stressed (if not more so) in November, plus the scores won't be ready in time for my earliest deadlines of Dec. 1st. I've been using the Princeton Review book and the Norton Anthologies. Also planning to print out the online resources/notecards to have my colleague quiz me on our 8-hour drive (each way) to the conference. It's all so stressful, so weirdly I'm glad to see other people also freaking out. Maybe we'll get lucky and get the one-and-only "easy" lit subject test--ha! Anyway, good luck all. I'd love to hear how everyone's doing that last-minute prep! : )

I'm signed up to take the GRE subject test in lit in October as part of my PhD (English/AmStud) application process. I've got the Princeton Review book to help me prep and am planning to get Vol. 1 & 2 of the Norton Antho too. (Thank god for used copies on Amazon!) But does anyone have other suggested texts you've used to prep for this monster? Or any other tips in general? Right now I am a bit petrified at the amount of stuff you need to know. Yowza.

Thanks to everyone for the thoughtful responses to my question. Since I'm not even applying to the fall (and there's nothing I'd change about my status now), I was just hoping to get an anticipatory feel for any discrimination against MA students. Like all of you, will keep my fingers crossed that the right program for me will NOT see it as a negative -- for all the reasons you stated. Good luck to all of you in your own applications! : )

I'm in a Masters program now and applying to PhD programs in the fall (in English and American Studies). I wondered if any of you had experience/knowledge of PhD programs' view of applicants who already have a Masters. Is it a plus? A negative? Neutral? My MA will be in American Studies (Lit) and my BA was in English.

(Cross-posting from the Literature forum) I realize this may be a dumb question to ask here, but I'd rather ask it on this forum than ask the director of the program I just got accepted to and reveal my total ignorance... It's an American Studies program within the English dept at a state university. I knew that the program offered both an MA and MS in AmStud, but since my focus is going to be in literature, I assumed that I'd be working towards an MA. (I have already been awarded a fellowship that is related to the specific field in American lit that I want to study.) Therefore I was puzzled when I received my official acceptance letter from the GS today with a notation that I would be working towards an MS. Have you ever heard of an MS for a humanities degree -- much less literature? I tried to research it online and came up blank, other than reiterations of what I'd always thought: MA for humanities; MS for sciences & social sciences. I read something else that said the distinction of MS vs. MA is dependent on where you go to school, not the contents of the degree itself. (Again, my program offers BOTH.) Then a friend of mine told me that in her undergrad at UVA, a BS was given as a mark of distinction -- meaning a thesis was written, or something extra had been done. At my undergrad, it was as I said: BA for humanities and the arts; BS for science, math, social sciences. Can anyone shed any light on this? Have you ever heard of an MS for American Studies/Literature? While I will still attend the program, due to my fellowship/funding and specialization they offer in my area of interest, I am nervous that an MS will not look as legit to future PhD programs as the traditional MA. Thanks for any info! : )

I have a related question to the original poster: I've been accepted to a masters program already, and plan to apply for a PhD (at a different school) in a couple of years. My GREs were surprisingly decent (based on how very little I studied) -- 710 V, 570 Q, and 5.5 AW. I was told the same thing by my program that the math score didn't even matter. However, the programs I'm interested in for a PhD are much more selective that my masters program. I have been thinking that I should retake the GRE this spring/summer (before I start school) to up my math scores, which I understand can be done fairly easily with some studying. The head of my program told me not to bother, that my scores were fine for the schools I mentioned to her. Should I go with my gut and retake them just in case that DOES make a difference? What have your experiences been? Any situations where you retook it and actually did WORSE?

I am really glad to hear this since UCB's going to be one of my top choices when I apply for PhDs in a couple of years. I missed their masters app deadline this year (didn't even think about applying until late December, when I was basically told my job might be cut), but it worked out well since I applied and got a fellowship for a masters in my specialized area at another school. Hope everything works out for you, too!!

I realize this may be a dumb question to ask here, but I'd rather ask it on this forum than ask the director of the program I just got accepted to and reveal my total ignorance... It's an American Studies program within the English dept at a state university. I knew that the program offered both an MA and MS in AmStud, but since my focus is going to be in literature, I assumed that I'd be working towards an MA. (I have already been awarded a fellowship that is related to the specific field in American lit that I want to study.) Therefore I was puzzled when I received my official acceptance letter from the GS today with a notation that I would be working towards an MS. Have you ever heard of an MS for a humanities degree -- much less literature? I tried to research it online and came up blank, other than reiterations of what I'd always thought: MA for humanities; MS for sciences & social sciences. I read something else that said the distinction of MS vs. MA is dependent on where you go to school, not the contents of the degree itself. (Again, my program offers BOTH.) Then a friend of mine told me that in her undergrad at UVA, a BS was given as a mark of distinction -- meaning a thesis was written, or something extra had been done. At my undergrad, it was as I said: BA for humanities and the arts; BS for science, math, social sciences. Can anyone shed any light on this? Have you ever heard of an MS for American Studies/Literature? While I will still attend the program, due to my fellowship/funding and specialization they offer in my area of interest, I am nervous that an MS will not look as legit to future PhD programs as the traditional MA. Thanks for any info! : )

I hope you're able to talk to someone at your school's counseling center, OP. I have the opposite problem: I've struggled with serious depression for years, since I was an UG in the 1990s. I have good/stable years for 2-3 years, the occasional great year, and the inevitable crash that leads to constant suicidality and even hospitalization. (My last hospitalization was 5 years ago.) After being in the workforce for all these years, I'm going back to school full time. I'm taking on an MA at first, but my eventual goal is a PhD to teach at the college level. One of the reasons I'm going the MA+PhD route is to insure that I have a completed grad degree in case my depression comes back around to knock me on my ass again. I would love to hear from any other posters with a history of depression on how they're managing/planning to manage grad school stresses and triggers. I'm getting my plans together now for my line of defense come August!! Again, good luck to the OP. Depression and the self-cannibalism of the mind and soul is absolute hell. The only reason I'm still alive today is that I do not want to inflict heartbreak on my family (parents and siblings, since I don't have kids). But there is help and medications can go a long way to relieve the crippling anxiety.

First post!! : ) I know you wanted to hear from people WITHOUT stipends, but I am getting a stipend (@12K) -- for a 2yr MA -- that is definitely too small to cover all my living expenses. I am psyched to have gotten the stipend w/ tuition waver, but now I am faced with how to cover the rest of my living expenses. Thankfully I did not accrue any UG debt, so this will be my first foray into student debt. What do other people will small(?) stipends do to cover living expenses? Sorry if this is a stupid question. I am very new to all of this!