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rrk686

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Posts posted by rrk686

  1. 13 hours ago, maengret said:

    Not sure how you arrived at me already being qualified, but thanks for the vote of confidence ;) 

    I was hoping for questions and information that would help me make a decision, hoping particularly to hear from the forum members who have some hindsight on the PhD.

    Fair enough, but I don't think one needs to have graduated with the PhD to understand that a PhD is a degree that professionalizes students in research and teaching. That's self-evident. 

    I say you're already qualified because I'm assuming you have a BA in a writing-related major, though I might be wrong. None of the people I know who are successful marketing writers have anything above a BA. 

    As for questions, I did pose a question: Why do you want to pursue a 6-year degree, the purpose of which is train you in research and teaching, to work in marketing/professional writing/editing? I ask genuinely. I think answering that question is fundamental to deciding to do a MA/PhD--why do you want to do it? 

    Of course, you can do an MA/PhD for the experience alone or to be able to say you have a higher degree. Those are valid answers. I'm not trying to discourage you necessarily. I'm just suggesting that you consider the purpose of the commitment you might make and whether it aligns with your goals. 

  2. On 3/3/2018 at 5:40 PM, maengret said:

    I'm looking for input on a happy hiccup in my application process. I applied for MAs at schools with either Rhet/Comp majors or concentrations. My career goals are professional writing/editing and marketing (my writing sample discussed the use of religious rhetoric to subjugate women). I've been approaching the MA as a terminal degree. However, I've been open to the idea that I might finish my MA and want to continue to a PhD. But I do not want to teach college so I don't need the PhD.

    A program admitted to the PhD track (I can earn their MA concurrently). It's a very good offer. But is it the right offer for me? If you were in my shoes, what information would help you make a decision? Is there are resource to help me get a handle on what "alt-ac" employment rates are like?

    My two cents: it doesn't sound like the PhD is the right choice for you. If you want to work in professional writing/editing and marketing, why get a research-based degree that takes six years and trains you primarily to research and teach? You're already qualified for the work that you want to do. You would be better served, professionally, by working in writing/editing/marketing.

  3. I'm doing this, too. Frankly, I think we have to come to terms with the fact that everyone, including people coming in with MA's, has gaps in their knowledge. I mean, why would we be going to school if we knew everything? The professors I spoke to at the program I'll be attending said that reading  a lot is helpful, but they also said that it could be useful to find out what's important to scholars currently working in your field. Take a look at recent issues of important journals, etc. They also said it could be worth learning to code, with Panther or R perhaps, to give yourself a skill that could be used in a "digital humanities" way. 

    I will (try to) do both of those things myself, but I'm also keeping in mind that I have at least three years of coursework before I'm expected to have a dissertation topic, which seems like plenty of time. 

    I think, also, as an MFA grad, it is fundamentally important to keep in mind what it is that you're doing. A PhD is a professional degree. It's training in how to be a scholar, mainly. That means it's important to keep in mind that you are now learning a trade different from creative writing (though not unrelated). That is, you are learning to do research and write in order to engage in the conversations that are important to other scholars in your field. I think if you keep that in mind,  your goal becomes clearer and you may not feel the need to go out and read a million books this summer necessarily. That said, I personally found The Craft of Research, edited by Wayne C. Booth, to be an incredibly useful introduction to what it means to do research writing, which is what our work as scholars basically is. I read this a couple of years ago, but I may go over it again and refresh myself.

  4. I know this is an old topic, but I'd also like to request some information on Minnesota's program from anyone who might currently be attending. I'm curious about all of the original poster's questions, and a few more: How difficult is it to get summer funding? What about the dissertation fellowship? How is the health insurance? How are the working conditions for TAs (do you have access to working space, printers/copiers, etc.)? Is the department, including the department assistant(s), helpful and kind? 

    Also, I'm curious about Minnesota itself. How do you like living there? How is the cost of living? Is it easy to commute to campus? Does the cold weather get unbearable, in your opinion? 

    Answers to any of these questions would be much appreciated! 

  5. @silenus_thescribe @dazedandbemused Sounds like the program is great, but the rent is high. Noted. Do people find lower rents somewhat further away from campus, particularly if they have a car? I'm aware of the UT shuttle and its range, but what about other forms of public transportation? If you live a bit out of the shuttle's range, are you able to get to campus without a car with relative ease? 

    Other, random questions: How's the health insurance? It looks pretty good, aside from a not inexpensive deductible. Also, I noticed UT is a campus carry school. How does that play out, if at all, in your experience on campus? 

    Also, how are the working conditions for TAs? I've been an adjunct at my MFA school for the past two years, and the work is great but the conditions are awful. We have extremely limited access to printing/copying. The department office and administrators are rude and unhelpful. Over a hundred adjuncts share one, medium-sized office. 

    Finally, how do you find the experience of navigating the UT bureaucracy? My MFA is at a large, multi-campus university system, sort of like UT, and the bureaucracy is a nightmare. Our online interface for grades, financial aid, etc., sucks, and, when dealing with actual offices, it is very frustrating to try to do simple things like get a paycheck or make a key.

  6. 11 minutes ago, punctilious said:

    Rankings probably don't matter much, but I think placement rates do. Have you looked closer into how each school compares in terms of placement rates (especially tenure track post-2011)? I personally think location should be a major factor, too--you should be happy wherever you spend the next 5-6 years of your life.

    Great point. I have looked into this for Austin, which has the data on their site. They seem fairly strong in placement and job preparation. I’ve requested the data on UVA from the DGS, but it isn’t posted on their site. 

  7. @silenus_thescribe @cloudofunknowing @dazedandbemused

    Hope it's okay to revive this thread. I got into UT Austin's English PhD, and it's a great fit. I'm interested in early modern/Renaissance, with a focus on Milton Studies. John Rumrich is a perfect scholar to work with for my interests. The funding is good enough, and my fiancee likes the location. Also, re: my fiancee, she wants to continue to teach as an adjunct and it seems very likely that at UT she can do that. Also, Austin has been aggressive in its recruiting, with all the Renaissance profs reaching out, having conversations, and being exceedingly kind and welcoming. Feeling welcome and wanted has gone a long way for me in putting UT above the other two programs I got into.

    The only hitch is, I got waitlisted at University of Virginia. It's not nearly as good of a fit (good Renaissance people but no one with a sharp Milton focus, certainly not like Rumrich), not as good of a location (though probably cheaper), and my fiancee isn't as into it. But--it's ranked higher. So, for you UT students, what would your advice be if I should get into UVA? I feel like I should go to Austin, but I don't want to sabotage my chances at a future as a professor. 

  8. 1 hour ago, mads47 said:

    Ok I am going to geek out here and attempt to do this question justice. I want to give a few caveats first: many time periods have different names depending on the region (ie. Victorian vs. 19th century American); larger eras of study include a multiplicity of subdivisions; these eras are largely based on canonical interpretation of literature, so many more recent scholars push against these dates of separation between eras and the idea that these eras are typically defined by British and American literature. Also, I am going to define these eras in the way that English scholars typically do, but I think Comp Lit people define the eras slightly differently, because many important literary trends and eras did not start in English. So please, please, please correct me if I am spreading any misinformation.

    Midieval Lit: This follows historically what is considered Midieval, so largely the fall of the Roman Empire until the Renaissance. In English, this includes Anglo Saxon literature (from about 500-1066) and Middle English (1066-circa 1500)

    Early Modern Lit: This is literature from the Renaissance, Reformation, and Neoclassical eras (circa 1500-circa 1800).

    Romanticism: Depending on who you consider the first Romanticists to be, this overlaps with the later Early Modern and Early Victorian Eras. (late 1700s to mid 1800s), this era includes the beginning of Gothic Lit

    Victorian Literature: This is literature written during Queen Victoria's rule (1837-1901). This era contains realism, a significant amount of social satire and writing for social reforem, scientific writing, early nature writing and later Romanticism, etc. 

    Modernism: This is an era that is tightly defined by 1901-1945, but more loosely encapsulates certain styles from the 1890s to 1950s. Maybe I am biased, because this is my era of study, but it seems an era more defined by certain literary and artistic movements than the time, though it most certainly contains the interwar time.

    Postmodernism: This is a term used in so many different ways, it is largely believed to be unhelpful. Some theorists defined it as 1945 to the fall of the Soviet Union. Other people call everything since 1945 postmodern. There is a significant trend to discuss more recent literature in thematic categories instead of by time (ie. Post-colonialism)

    Contemporary Lit: This is literature written now-ish. 

    I hope this helped a little bit. There are undoubtedly gaps in this timeline, and I hope others will help fill them in (: 

    Another good resource for this kind of timeline is the Norton Anthology of English Literature, which is organized in volumes, each volume a literary period. The only period missing in this lovely timeline is the 18th Century, which I don't think gets counted as "early modern" or "Romantic."

  9. Hi everyone,

    I'm thinking about Austin for an English PhD. My wife is an English adjunct professor, and we're wondering whether there are commonly English adjunct jobs available in Austin or the surrounding area one can apply to externally?

    Thanks!

  10. 58 minutes ago, khigh said:

    I LOVE Minneapolis. You will find a lot of similarities with NYC (We are sometimes called the Little Apple), but it's much safer and they are only talking about the food and theater. For 800-900 a month, you could live in a one-bedroom in Uptown or Downtown in one of the older buildings, which I love. I live in a Victorian era building with all the Victorian features. In Uptown, you can walk to the lakes (Calhoun, Harriet, Lake of the Isles) and Lake St, which has tons of restaurants, bars, shopping, and theaters.

    I'm just going to go copy what I wrote elsewhere here. I could type for hours about the joy of Mpls. 

    Thank you! That's very helpful. Sounds like a great place!

    Another question: What are some of the affordable neighborhoods with relatively easy access to the campus? The one you've described sounds lovely, and I'm wondering if there are any others.

  11. Hi,

    I'm considering UMN for an English PhD. I'd be moving with my wife, and, for the first six months, our income may be just the stipend (17-20k probably). So, is Minneapolis the kind of place where one can find a one-bedroom apartment or studio for $800-900/month or less, with bus or shuttle access to campus? Also, how do you feel about living in Minneapolis? We're coming from Brooklyn, which we dislike. The cost of living here is high, the affordable neighborhoods are bleak, the public transportation is congested, and it's loud and busy.

    Thanks.

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