J. G. L.

Ciboney, I wouldn't trust in the NRC ranking, it's 8 years old!!!!! Besides, it's very difficult to rank academic programs (especially in the humanities). The fact is that there are no measurable variables that reveal the overall quality of a graduate program. The rank also lacks important information, since not always the Spanish and Portuguese programs are within the same department (e.g. Brown and Yale) and sometimes the Spanish or Portuguese Studies are an area in a bigger program (e.g. Romance Languages and Literatures at Chicago and Michigan). When I first chose my options I used the NRC ranks as a quality standard, but my advisors and this little guide (http://www.spanishacademic.com/spanish-graduate-programs/hispanic-linguistics-grad-program-rankings.aspx) made me change my mind. I ended up applying to universities based on the faculty's research, the structure of the program and funding; as a result of that, my options are in the very top, in the middle, and in the bottom of the list. I think that we should focus on finding a department where our research interests would be appreciated and enriched, but also a program compatible with our workload expectations and that offers decent conditions of living. Of course, I think that little to no attention should be paid to the ranks, they can even be misleading.

Hola a todos! Just found this useful community, so excited to see so many prospective Hispanists. To answer CafeConCharis, I prefer smaller departments, since you get to know everybody and everybody's work can influence your own; it's easier to create a sense of intellectual community in a small department. In a big department, there might be more specialists in your field of study, but in the end, you'll end up with separate communities that won't interact with each other. Anyway, what you mentioned does sound strange, but I don't think that it will hurt to be the only M.A. student: you'll get more attention from faculty, which translates in better work, better research outputs and, ultimately, better opportunities in the job market. If you ask me it's a great advantage, at least in academic terms. Mucha suerte a todxs!