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FeetInTheSky

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Everything posted by FeetInTheSky

  1. I've been down with the idea of a Ph.D. in rhet/comp when I figured out the following: 1) I like serious intellectual engagement, especially when it's used to solve problems. 2) I like writing and I like teaching people writing. The days I spent in college at my writing center and TAing an intro to lit class (which was doubling as intro to comp) were among my most satisfying. Therefore, Ph.D. programs in Rhet/Comp sound like the best idea possible. Not only do I get to prepare for a career that involves helping people become better writers in my own classroom, but I also get to research how to make other people better writers. So basically what you're telling me is that I get to do #1 for the sake of #2, not only in my classroom but in classrooms around the world, if I can come up with some interesting research question that other people read? Sign me up. The other angle that's been really important to me was realizing that even if I don't come out of this whole extravaganza gainfully employed, I will at least have had six or however many years to study something I really care about. Still seems like a pretty good deal. In terms of the "wave" of Rhet/Comp applications, I'm not really sure. I went to a small liberal arts college where none of the faculty studied composition. The whole English department is in Lit. I was eating lunch with one of the deans (perks of the small liberal arts college...) and he mentioned the idea of Rhet/Comp kind of off-handedly as an idea I should look at, and I went home to check it out and was blown away. It wasn't necessarily a calculated decision about the job market or economics or anything like that, but I will admit that finding out that it's the more job-friendly field was certainly an important point in actually pulling the trigger and going into application mode. But that's just one person's story...
  2. While I'm not currently enrolled, my work life is very busy and so I suppose it's the same general idea. As gross as it sounds, I've been waking up earlier than I need to and doing my application things in the a.m. (and so I suppose being on GradCafé at 7:32 a.m. counts?). The issue is that at the end of a long day I'm not in the right frame of mind to do this stuff and I'm not very motivated, but right when I wake up in the morning I don't have any of the day's other stuff clunking around in my head. I can usually get a good hour and a half of work done before breakfast, then more on my lunch break.
  3. - GRE - taken and survived (67th% on the math after having not done algebra in seven years. come at me.)* - Professors have agreed to write letters of recommendation - Revising an old paper for my writing sample and beginning to face the horrifying spectre of statements of purpose. Trying to snag myself a spot in an MA + PhD track in Rhetoric and Composition to study language and exclusivity and how that translates into the classroom. I have a year of writing center experience, a semester of a TAship in Intro to Lit, and I recently learned that a paper I published in my school's research journal** has made it onto Pinterest. If that's not a good omen, I don't know what is. I'm looking at UMASS Amherst, Pitt, OSU, UMD, Northeastern, Northwestern, Oregon, Austin, Nebraska, Carnegie Mellon. It's going to be a fun year, it seems.*** Best of luck to all of you. I believe in you! *I have absolutely no idea how that happened. **how's that for a prestigious publication, eh? ***how do you know I'm getting excited for graduate school? Even my forum posts have footnotes.
  4. Evening! I'm currently revisiting my undergraduate papers for submission for Ph.D programs in rhetoric and composition. The trouble is, I have never taken a class in Rhetoric and Composition. I didn't know that Rhetoric and Composition was even a field until six months ago. As such, I'm moderately wigged out about having no writing samples in the subfield. I have plenty of English papers (some of them are even good!), but they all take a lit-crit approach. My question is whether any of y'all know if it's a cardinal sin to not have any written material in Rhet/Comp when applying for Rhet/Comp. Basically, should I start a paper in this subfield now (even though I don't feel too qualified to do so without taking any coursework), or should I hope that my statement of purpose will effectively demonstrate my willingness to participate in conversations within the field? Your reading of this is greatly appreciated. Here's a picture of a turtle in a reindeer costume, because why not?
  5. Indeed. The internet is difficult. Sorry about that!
  6. Thanks for the advice everyone -- it's very much appreciated. I will certainly start investigating state universities with funded teaching assistantships. The MA/PhD conundrum is still there, but the options are slightly more clear. To quickly address @ProfLorax's point about research... I don't loathe research, not one bit, but I don't want it to be a focal point of my career. I could probably conduct research for a while in a PhD program and then get a teaching-heavy gig at a two or four-year college. If the credential will help me in doing that, I just may do it still. The sticky part is that I've never done any Rhet/Comp research, as my undergraduate English program was very Lit heavy, and so I'm honestly not even sure of what it entails. Perhaps, then, I should pursue a Masters first, see where things go, and keep my options for the PhD open. After all, applying for a terminal masters doesn't mean I can't apply for a PhD in the future. And in terms of Spring enrollment... that was simply an oversight. Drop-down lists are hard sometimes. I meant to pick Fall 2017. Whoops. Again, really, thanks so much for your advice. I really appreciate it. The wide world of graduate school is rather intimidating and it's great to know that there are some people out there who want to help.
  7. Hi everyone! Long time reader, first time caller. I realized recently that writing is my first love and that teaching writing might just be the fulfilling career I've been looking for since finishing my undergrad. Epiphany accomplished. What's currently unclear to me is whether I need to get a PhD, or if an MA is sufficient. Research doesn't interest me all that much, but I fear a career in Adjunct Purgatory. The other wrinkle in the plan is that I'm trying to not pay for graduate school (ha!) and so I'm most interested in programs that have some kind of teaching assistant work that can help with some tuition remission. My question to you, my esteemed reader, is whether I can have my cake and eat it too. The big draw of doing a PhD program is that it would be funded, but I'm not particularly interested in scholarship and I would rather just be a writing teacher. The conundrum is whether I can get an MA, not pay (too much) for it, and still have a job in the field I love. I hope this was clear and I really do apologize if this is a question that's been asked and answered here before. I've seen some stuff about Rhetoric and Comp programs, but some of that is old and I know that sometimes this stuff changes quickly, especially post-recession. Thanks so much for reading my post!
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