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orphic_mel528

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Everything posted by orphic_mel528

  1. Don't freak out. See my original comment. I do not understand the rationale for requiring this exam, and many programs (very prestigious ones) do not. Half of the ones I'm applying to don't require the test. I think programs are really moving away from standardized testing in general, and putting far more emphasis on GPA, recommendations, and, of course, your writing. So put your focus on that. Just do the best you can. You have to accept that this is like being blindfolded, throwing a bowling ball in what you hope is the general direction of the pins, and then hitting the pins to boot. Seriously. If you do poorly on this test, you will still have (I hope) a glowing set of recommendations, a glowing GPA, and bonafide excellent writing skills. Do not freak out. This test is not going to make or break your application, honestly.
  2. Do not, for a moment, treat this like a test for which you can sufficiently study. By study, I mean learning or reviewing actual literary material en masse. This test is absurd. I've said it, my friends who are now PhD candidates have said it, and my professors have said it. It is glorified trivia. It barely reflects readiness for doctoral level study in literature. It does not require you to write, or to synthesize information. It merely asks you to remember random tidbits about everything that's ever been written across the entire literate planet since the Middle Ages. A question I remember clearly: "Which of these authors was not employed in a non-literary profession prior to their first publication?" Speaking as someone who already completed an MA in English: This question is not remotely related to skills you need to have or work you do in graduate school. We don't work like that. We're not generalists. The idea of that is absurd. And one of the first questions on any doctoral application to an English program asks you to designate your topic of interest. The percentage of actually relevant questions on the GRE Lit test is, I dunno, maybe 5%? All that said: yep, you sure do have to take it to qualify for many programs. When you take it, I guarantee you will stare at the first page of questions and say to yourself, "Are you kidding me?" This feeling will persist until you finish, and then you have to address the persistent voice in your head that says, "Dude, just light your answer sheet on fire, honestly. And then maybe yourself." It's not that it's hard. Hard is not the issue here. It's not a matter of intelligence. This isn't a matter of successfully coding a computer program; it's not testing your skill as a writer or a reader. It's simply a matter of the truth that few humans are capable of having a broad enough catalog of memorized tidbits--obscure, esoteric, trivial tidbits--to excel at this test. Do not for a moment attempt to endow yourself with a superhuman and exhaustive encyclopedic knowledge of the Norton Anthologies, all of the critical theory disciplines, all of the authors and their lives and the bad historicism that the GRE is evidently besotted with asking about, or memorize Shakespeare's catalog. I'm not saying this was your plan, but if anyone tells you to do this, punch them because they hate you and are trying to kill you. Get yourself a nice test strategy book from Kaplan and learn the tricks, because that's what the GRE is about. It's not about knowledge, it's about logical thinking and strategy. Remind yourself that English programs know this test is looney, and probably most of the admissions committee thinks it's frigging looney. There is going to be a threshold that, if you fail to meet it, they would have right to be concerned. But trust me when I say, from what my professors on admissions committees told me, they know this test is the devil, and they don't expect perfection or anywhere close. Good luck. Strategy, not rote memorization. Buy the book, learn what they're likely to test on in 2016/2017, focus on those areas, review your crit theory notes, and try your best.
  3. I am not getting any recommendations from any UG profs I had, as I completed my BA 14 years ago and I doubt any would remember me Thank you for your reply, though; I appreciate your help, truly.
  4. I have a unique situation, maybe. I completed my BA in Psychology. I battled cancer throughout the last few years of my undergraduate work, and that's reflected in my undergraduate GPA. I'm not even sure I pulled off a 3.0. Stupid at the time, but my circumstances during that time...school was pretty much the only reason I had to keep going. Let's put it that way. So instead of dropping out, I kept working while sick. I just didn't want to put my whole life on hold and just be sitting, day in and day out, not working or doing or thinking anything except, "I have cancer." Hope that makes a little sense. I completed my MA in English (Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies). My final GPA was a 3.976. Yes, I do have to recite it to the third place after the decimal because I am bitter about my one A-. Anyway, to the questions: 1) Should I address my low undergrad GPA in my SoP, and if so, how? I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to pull the, "Oh boo hoo, I fought cancer and won, you should let me in because that makes me special." I don't feel like that and would hate to be misconstrued that way. However, I'm also worried they're going to look at my undergrad GPA and be like, "What the hell happened here?" I don't know whether to hope my graduate GPA will just speak for itself or to mention that I had health issues when I was an undergrad, but then I worry that the lack of specificity when I say "health issues" might lead them to believe I'm unstable. SO MUCH WORRY. 2) Do I need to address my different degrees/disciplines in my SoP, and if so, how? I've read the sticky on SoP composition and it definitely seems to stress that you should focus on what you're doing now and what you want to do in the future. I see the relationship between my two degrees, but to explain it makes my SoP overly expository, I feel. But I'm wondering if they're going to look at my BA and say, "Well, what made her switch to English all of the sudden?" I just don't want it to get overly autobiographical and waste space, so to speak, on that when I should be talking about my research interests. Any suggestions on these issues?
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