!anonscribe!

Yes, if you will only be happy with an R1 or SLAC job, then you probably ought not go anywhere outside the top 10 or 20, max, unless your specialty is top five at a non-top 20 school. the unlikely sometimes happens; that doesn't make it any less unlikely. but, let's do a little dirty math.

There are, what?, 50 or 60 R1 jobs people would consider suitable (I doubt the person who desperately wants an R1 job at all costs will be happy with U of Kentucky, no disrespect). Maybe another 40 or 50 SLAC's. So, we have 100 departments, roughly, with faculties averaging around maybe 12 or 15. We're talking about 1500 jobs. In any given five year period (the time most are willing to look for work before 'settling'), maybe 10% of these open up (optimistic, i know)? so, 150 openings. in a five year period, the top 50 programs graduate about 2500 students (average of 10 ph.d.'s graduate per department per year). the top 20 graduate roughly 1,000 students. this doesn't take into account fields outside english hired into english departments, folks from foreign departments, etc., making the numbers even tighter.

what do we learn from this: if your goal is to get an R1 or SLAC job at all costs, you probably shouldn't go to grad school at all even if it's at penn or ucla. you're praying against hope.

now, if you'd be happy with any U.S. college in any region granting bachelor's and above, you have about 2,339 options according to this: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/ . If you'd also be happy at a community college anywhere in the country, the total number of institutions in your job search pool increases to 3,658 colleges.

my point: you should be clear about what sort of job would make you happy compared to what sort of job you have a fair chance of getting. those who would be happy with a CC job probably can't go wrong with a Ph.D., so long as they get funding. those in the top 50 who would be happy with any job but a CC job are probably in good shape also. But, if you barely squeeze into the top-50 and have your heart set on an R1 job, you should probably cut and run. in my program over the past four years (top-40), every single degree-earner has a full-time job, 3/4 being tenured. why? because half our grads take TT jobs within nearby CC districts. the other half muscle it into state U jobs, and one or two lucky souls each year get lucky at a peer institution (from rank 20-70).

on placement statistics: keep in mind that most samples are so small as to make these numbers of limited use. most departments graduate maybe 10 or 15 people a year. once you get out of the top-20, you start getting a lot more students who, as those on here have noted, have complex autobiographies. some simply can't move outside the county/region (meaning they'll probably end up at a CC). some never intended to get a job with their ph.d. some will move out of country and never be heard from again. some are well into their 40's when they entered grad school. the folks in my program who fit the model of the average top-20 grad (under 34 when they get the ph.d., published, willing to do a national search, etc.) tend to get pretty good jobs. those who don't have fewer options.

people with english ph.d.'s are a fairly small group. about 1400 are given a year. it's hard to provide anything but anecdotal predictions about a group this small and specialized.

of course, if the Ph.D. is for self-fulfillment (which ought to be at least a partial reason for anyone doing it), then none of this matters, and you should just make sure you stay true to yourself while pursuing it.

Yes, if you will only be happy with an R1 or SLAC job, then you probably ought not go anywhere outside the top 10 or 20, max, unless your specialty is top five at a non-top 20 school. the unlikely sometimes happens; that doesn't make it any less unlikely. but, let's do a little dirty math.

There are, what?, 50 or 60 R1 jobs people would consider suitable (I doubt the person who desperately wants an R1 job at all costs will be happy with U of Kentucky, no disrespect). Maybe another 40 or 50 SLAC's. So, we have 100 departments, roughly, with faculties averaging around maybe 12 or 15. We're talking about 1500 jobs. In any given five year period (the time most are willing to look for work before 'settling'), maybe 10% of these open up (optimistic, i know)? so, 150 openings. in a five year period, the top 50 programs graduate about 2500 students (average of 10 ph.d.'s graduate per department per year). the top 20 graduate roughly 1,000 students. this doesn't take into account fields outside english hired into english departments, folks from foreign departments, etc., making the numbers even tighter.

what do we learn from this: if your goal is to get an R1 or SLAC job at all costs, you probably shouldn't go to grad school at all even if it's at penn or ucla. you're praying against hope.

now, if you'd be happy with any U.S. college in any region granting bachelor's and above, you have about 2,339 options according to this: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/ . If you'd also be happy at a community college anywhere in the country, the total number of institutions in your job search pool increases to 3,658 colleges.

my point: you should be clear about what sort of job would make you happy compared to what sort of job you have a fair chance of getting. those who would be happy with a CC job probably can't go wrong with a Ph.D., so long as they get funding. those in the top 50 who would be happy with any job but a CC job are probably in good shape also. But, if you barely squeeze into the top-50 and have your heart set on an R1 job, you should probably cut and run. in my program over the past four years (top-40), every single degree-earner has a full-time job, 3/4 being tenured. why? because half our grads take TT jobs within nearby CC districts. the other half muscle it into state U jobs, and one or two lucky souls each year get lucky at a peer institution (from rank 20-70).

on placement statistics: keep in mind that most samples are so small as to make these numbers of limited use. most departments graduate maybe 10 or 15 people a year. once you get out of the top-20, you start getting a lot more students who, as those on here have noted, have complex autobiographies. some simply can't move outside the county/region (meaning they'll probably end up at a CC). some never intended to get a job with their ph.d. some will move out of country and never be heard from again. some are well into their 40's when they entered grad school. the folks in my program who fit the model of the average top-20 grad (under 34 when they get the ph.d., published, willing to do a national search, etc.) tend to get pretty good jobs. those who don't have fewer options.

people with english ph.d.'s are a fairly small group. about 1400 are given a year. it's hard to provide anything but anecdotal predictions about a group this small and specialized.

of course, if the Ph.D. is for self-fulfillment (which ought to be at least a partial reason for anyone doing it), then none of this matters, and you should just make sure you stay true to yourself while pursuing it.

Yes, if you will only be happy with an R1 or SLAC job, then you probably ought not go anywhere outside the top 10 or 20, max, unless your specialty is top five at a non-top 20 school. the unlikely sometimes happens; that doesn't make it any less unlikely. but, let's do a little dirty math.

There are, what?, 50 or 60 R1 jobs people would consider suitable (I doubt the person who desperately wants an R1 job at all costs will be happy with U of Kentucky, no disrespect). Maybe another 40 or 50 SLAC's. So, we have 100 departments, roughly, with faculties averaging around maybe 12 or 15. We're talking about 1500 jobs. In any given five year period (the time most are willing to look for work before 'settling'), maybe 10% of these open up (optimistic, i know)? so, 150 openings. in a five year period, the top 50 programs graduate about 2500 students (average of 10 ph.d.'s graduate per department per year). the top 20 graduate roughly 1,000 students. this doesn't take into account fields outside english hired into english departments, folks from foreign departments, etc., making the numbers even tighter.

what do we learn from this: if your goal is to get an R1 or SLAC job at all costs, you probably shouldn't go to grad school at all even if it's at penn or ucla. you're praying against hope.

now, if you'd be happy with any U.S. college in any region granting bachelor's and above, you have about 2,339 options according to this: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/ . If you'd also be happy at a community college anywhere in the country, the total number of institutions in your job search pool increases to 3,658 colleges.

my point: you should be clear about what sort of job would make you happy compared to what sort of job you have a fair chance of getting. those who would be happy with a CC job probably can't go wrong with a Ph.D., so long as they get funding. those in the top 50 who would be happy with any job but a CC job are probably in good shape also. But, if you barely squeeze into the top-50 and have your heart set on an R1 job, you should probably cut and run. in my program over the past four years (top-40), every single degree-earner has a full-time job, 3/4 being tenured. why? because half our grads take TT jobs within nearby CC districts. the other half muscle it into state U jobs, and one or two lucky souls each year get lucky at a peer institution (from rank 20-70).

on placement statistics: keep in mind that most samples are so small as to make these numbers of limited use. most departments graduate maybe 10 or 15 people a year. once you get out of the top-20, you start getting a lot more students who, as those on here have noted, have complex autobiographies. some simply can't move outside the county/region (meaning they'll probably end up at a CC). some never intended to get a job with their ph.d. some will move out of country and never be heard from again. some are well into their 40's when they entered grad school. the folks in my program who fit the model of the average top-20 grad (under 34 when they get the ph.d., published, willing to do a national search, etc.) tend to get pretty good jobs. those who don't have fewer options.

people with english ph.d.'s are a fairly small group. about 1400 are given a year. it's hard to provide anything but anecdotal predictions about a group this small and specialized.

of course, if the Ph.D. is for self-fulfillment (which ought to be at least a partial reason for anyone doing it), then none of this matters, and you should just make sure you stay true to yourself while pursuing it.

Yes, if you will only be happy with an R1 or SLAC job, then you probably ought not go anywhere outside the top 10 or 20, max, unless your specialty is top five at a non-top 20 school. the unlikely sometimes happens; that doesn't make it any less unlikely. but, let's do a little dirty math.

There are, what?, 50 or 60 R1 jobs people would consider suitable (I doubt the person who desperately wants an R1 job at all costs will be happy with U of Kentucky, no disrespect). Maybe another 40 or 50 SLAC's. So, we have 100 departments, roughly, with faculties averaging around maybe 12 or 15. We're talking about 1500 jobs. In any given five year period (the time most are willing to look for work before 'settling'), maybe 10% of these open up (optimistic, i know)? so, 150 openings. in a five year period, the top 50 programs graduate about 2500 students (average of 10 ph.d.'s graduate per department per year). the top 20 graduate roughly 1,000 students. this doesn't take into account fields outside english hired into english departments, folks from foreign departments, etc., making the numbers even tighter.

what do we learn from this: if your goal is to get an R1 or SLAC job at all costs, you probably shouldn't go to grad school at all even if it's at penn or ucla. you're praying against hope.

now, if you'd be happy with any U.S. college in any region granting bachelor's and above, you have about 2,339 options according to this: http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/ . If you'd also be happy at a community college anywhere in the country, the total number of institutions in your job search pool increases to 3,658 colleges.

my point: you should be clear about what sort of job would make you happy compared to what sort of job you have a fair chance of getting. those who would be happy with a CC job probably can't go wrong with a Ph.D., so long as they get funding. those in the top 50 who would be happy with any job but a CC job are probably in good shape also. But, if you barely squeeze into the top-50 and have your heart set on an R1 job, you should probably cut and run. in my program over the past four years (top-40), every single degree-earner has a full-time job, 3/4 being tenured. why? because half our grads take TT jobs within nearby CC districts. the other half muscle it into state U jobs, and one or two lucky souls each year get lucky at a peer institution (from rank 20-70).

on placement statistics: keep in mind that most samples are so small as to make these numbers of limited use. most departments graduate maybe 10 or 15 people a year. once you get out of the top-20, you start getting a lot more students who, as those on here have noted, have complex autobiographies. some simply can't move outside the county/region (meaning they'll probably end up at a CC). some never intended to get a job with their ph.d. some will move out of country and never be heard from again. some are well into their 40's when they entered grad school. the folks in my program who fit the model of the average top-20 grad (under 34 when they get the ph.d., published, willing to do a national search, etc.) tend to get pretty good jobs. those who don't have fewer options.

people with english ph.d.'s are a fairly small group. about 1400 are given a year. it's hard to provide anything but anecdotal predictions about a group this small and specialized.

of course, if the Ph.D. is for self-fulfillment (which ought to be at least a partial reason for anyone doing it), then none of this matters, and you should just make sure you stay true to yourself while pursuing it.