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I had similar worries! I think a safe bet is to go with associate or full Professors. And if you are planning to write down a professor that is extremely old and may not be taking any more graduate students, look for another associate professor, since they are most likely younger. It is always good to have at least two professors you want to work with in the department. Cheers!

Most schools specify what they want. And most schools prefer a cv, which do not have a page limit. But I came across USC that asks for a one page resume. So read the instructions carefully

My scores were on the low side (78%) but I sent them anyway to recommended schools (NYU and WashU). That said, I know my scores won't give me an edge, but I don't think it will hurt me either. A 54%, however, may be problematic when they compare your scores to others. So I personally think it is better if you don't send your scores. Your GRE verbal, Writing and GPA are fantastic, so don't tarnish their "WOW this person has great scores" perception. Just my two cents. Edit: grammar

I am curious about this as well. To add to the OP, some schools provide a percentile that provides a clearer picture of where I stood in terms of actual performance. But when I converted the gpa and percentile to a 4.0 scale, the numbers were different (3.69 vs 3.81 or smth).

Wondering what others have to say about the ops question. From looking at the samples, it seems none provided citation. But their quotations were either clearly paraphrased or quoted, while providing the name of the critic or the work it is from if it is from a popular work, ie “traditions and the individual talent.” No page numbers though. It seems the ability to clearly paraphrase and synthesize ideas into one’s own work is part of showing your skills. But it would be nice to hear from anyone who cited their SoP and how they did it.

I'm not sure if they offer any more tests this year, but I wanted to chip in for future test takers. I took the test twice, the first one I bombed, and the second I am waiting for the scores but I think I did pretty well (fingers crossed). There were some significant differences in how I approached the two tests. But, as always, finding your own strategy is the best 1. Wrong questions are no longer penalized. I did not know this when I took the test the first time around (relied too heavily on the Princeton Review book written years ago). I wasted time on questions I should have guessed and moved on. I hate myself for not knowing this beforehand 2. Read the questions first -- mark the lines when they ask "in line # . . ." On the first test, despite Princeton Review's tips, I didn't do this. Turns out reading the questions first (not the answer options) really does help with understanding the reading passage as a whole. It's like having a guide to direct the comprehension of the passage. A SUPER cursory glance over the answer options in questions that ask for "what is this about" can at times help. 3. On the first run, go through the texts you are absolutely familiar with. But make sure to guess aggressively on questions you don't know. Never consider coming back for them. You won't have time. On the second run, I read texts that were short. I spent way too much time reading long texts on the first test and ended up not having enough time to go over the short text questions. On the third run, go over the longer texts and guess the questions you don't know (even when you can't cross out an option). On this third run, you have to keep the time in mind. Be aware that it may take you around 5 - 10 minutes to fill out any of the circles that are left blank. And when all hell breaks loose and you KNOW you won't be able to read the final 2-3 passages to answer questions, and you have only 5 minutes left, look for questions that ask for grammar, figural language, and etc (ex. "is this an example of,,, litotes? simile? metaphor?). I personally think it's important not to dwell on the idea that you may able to miraculously figure out the gist of the passage and answer all questions. When the time is almost up, it's better to have any blank circles filled and those simple knowledge out on to the paper). ----- some miscellaneous advice for anyone interested 1. grind out your pencils so circling is more time efficient. I held the pencil in a particular position at all times 2. have a firm grasp on literary and grammatical terms. knowing the difference between a synecdoche and metonym, metaphor and simile, monologue and soliloquy, personification and anthropomorphism.... It saves a lot of time when you don't have to try to squeeze it out during the test. 3. practice reading skills. I'm not sure how to explain this, but find out what the passage is about, and how they develop that idea. Keep in mind the structure of the passage as you read (in addition to the content, of course).

Hi, I am drafting up a writing sample for English literature and wondered if it is okay to have some large chunks of explanatory notes at the end. The paper is originally from my MA thesis and I do not want to waste the literary review I did for it. My fear is that the professors reading through the writing sample will not bother to read the end note :S

Hello everyone. I have been looking around online and some of the posts in GC but none seems to give any real answers. From what I learned, UK applicants usually go through some form of interviews, while most US applicants don't. But at the same time, there are some applicants that mention (among US's) having an interview (Notre Dame, SUNY). If this a rare scenario, or does it entirely depend on individual applicants? No where in the admissions page can I find this info. Thanks! Edit: I'm specifically talking about English. It seems some of the comparative literature folks have to show their capacity with foreign language :S

Hello! While rankings are less important when applying for a PhD, I do believe that they provide some money-saving guidelines when applying. So I am curious as to what you know in regards to rankings (general/overall vs subject). While many of the top schools retain their position even when specifying the field of study, some schools differ greatly. As an English Literature applicant, some schools that come mind are, Indiana U, Illinois UC, Rutgers, CUNY and so on. These are schools with great english programs but somewhat down the rank when considered overall. WashU, Rice, USC are ranked in the 30s. I'm wondering how you guys spread out your applications. When you divide, for example, (top 2, mid 4, low 6), which rank do you consider? Furthermore, If Rutgers is #15 on USNews and Boston U #42, does it mean that the competition is less fierce for Boston U applicants? I am not a US Citizen so I only have these numbers to go with and I don't want to waste $$$ by applying to too many schools. Thanks!

Hello everyone, I was looking around and didn't find any satisfactory answers regarding how GPAs are weighted. Not even the google search was helpful. So my question is, how do American PhD admissions value GPAs? For example, my school currently has a 4.3 scale, and I'm wondering the American universities understand that number. Do they simply run it through a calculator and convert it down to 4.0? If that's the case, the number does not really match with the percentage equivalent. To illustrate: I have a total gpa of 3.94 / 4.3 , and a 96.9 Percentage Equivalent (CPGA), or so says my report card. Now, if I convert the 3.94 / 4.3 to a 4.0 scale, it comes out as 3.71 / 4.0. If I convert the 96.9 Percentage to a 4.0 scale, it comes out as around 3.84 / 4.0. So which of the two scores would the admissions take? Thanks.

Thank you Warelin for your comments. It's good to know that my scores are not as abysmal as I feared. I did not mean to focus solely on the top 30 schools per se, but it was stated to better judge my GRE scores. I have not yet looked into schools that specialize in my field of interest, and of course I will look further than the "top 30." As for my interests, I am currently focused on the long 19th century English literature, with emphasis on gender studies (masculinities).

Hello everyone, I am having some troubles deciding between the two options. Here is what my application looks like at this point in time. GRE: 164v 165q 4.5aw Undergrad GPA: 3.98 / 4.3 summa cum laude Graduate GPA : 4.2 / 4.3 1 minor conference attendance in USA Now, the biggest problem I have at this point is that the school I am currently in is in South Korea, and I am shooting for the “top 30” programs, which range from Chicago to Michigan to NYU to Illinois UC. I have talked over with my advisor (chicago u) and he recommends that I need the subject test as well as conference attendance and publications to set me apart from the other candidates who will be coming from the “top” schools. So time is of the essence, and I am not sure if my GRE general is enough (more specifically the AW) that I can focus on the subject test. I doubt I will have any publications by December, but I am planning to attend a few more conferences before the application begins. Any advice will be a great help.