aves

Thanks for all your helpful info, cowgirlsdontcry! I really appreciate it

Thank you so much for your feedback!! That is definitely helpful to know! I think since I've been out of school for a couple years too, it'd just be too difficult to start from scratch, so I will improve upon an old paper. Thank you!

Hello all, I'm going to be applying for English PhD programs and a few Masters programs as well. Not every program specifies the type of sample they want, but I've seen a couple call for critical essays. I'm wondering if most programs prefer an essay analyzing a text with no scholarly sources (simply all of your own ideas/arguments) or if they'd prefer one that analyzes a text but utilizes scholarly sources? Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with either? Since this is for English programs, I really don't want to mess this part up! I have more well-written essays that only have the primary text as a source and an essay I have in mind that uses a lot of scholarly sources, but it needs work for sure. I would certainly be willing to make changes though. Or I was even thinking of starting from scratch, but being out of school for a couple of years now I don't have access to the databases like I used to. Any feedback is much appreciated!

Hey everyone! Has anyone had experience applying to schools in one geographical area? My husband has a great job in Chicago, so my school options are relatively limited (but I suppose could be worse). I'll be applying to about seven or so schools. I'm just wondering if anyone has ever found themselves in the same situation. I know this limits my options and chances, but it's really the only option considering the circumstances. It'd certainly be nice to hear from someone who did this and ended up getting in somewhere. Thanks

I'm definitely in this boat right now! Going to be applying for Fall 2018 PhD programs and a few Masters. Mainly working on improving my GRE scores right now then improving my writing sample and writing my SOPs will come later. Just trying to stay sane while studying 7+ hours a day for this test

Hello all! I'm new here, so apologies if there are already too many discussions on this topic. It appears I've fallen down the rabbit hole and have read (dozens?) of everyone's posts and replies, but I still have questions. Everyone seems very friendly and helpful, so thanks in advance for that! To be honest, I'm freaking out a bit about applying for English PhD programs for Fall 2018... I've wanted to apply to these programs for some time now, but finally got the courage to do something about it after being out of college for two years. It's not being in the actual programs or even job prospects that worries me but getting in as I'm sure it worries everyone else... I will also apply to a few Masters programs as "backup." So for those who have been accepted into such programs or anyone with knowledge on the subject, what do you feel was/is the greatest factor in acceptance? GRE? Writing sample? Combination of both? I'm basically treating my studies for the GRE as a full-time job right now so I can ace it and will worry more about the writing sample closer to application season. I know most programs say they look at your application holistically (and especially the SOP and WS), but I'm just looking for some honest feedback from people who have actually experienced this. It appears even though schools may say the GRE is never the sole factor that it is an extremely important one since the average scores are pretty high. Thoughts? Thank you all in advance! I look forward to becoming active on here.