Hi, everyone! ?
Here's my dilemma . . .
I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2014 with a BA in English lit (GPA 3.5); now, in 2019, I've decided to make my return to school for (eventually) a PhD so that (again, eventually) I can teach. My dream schools are top-tier. After reading other posts on this forum, I'm guessing that my best bet would be to apply to MA programs (or possibly an MSt program at Oxford?), but I'm nervous about how I'd look on paper. It's been a few years since I graduated, and I haven't done much of anything that would seem to advance my cause. Throughout my undergrad, I suffered pretty severely from an eating disorder, as well as depression and anxiety. I shuffled between three or four schools before graduating, and even though I earned respectable marks everywhere I went, I didn't make any lasting connections. Now that I'm a few years into my recovery, I'm hoping to audit a few courses in the fall/spring so that I can connect with professors and prove my true ability before applying (for the fall of 2021, I guess? or should I just take my chances and apply in the fall of 2020?). I'm also hoping to publish something and connect with literary societies. Are there other things that I should consider doing to make myself a better candidate? Am I overthinking timelines? (In other words, should I just apply for the fall of 2020 instead of 2021?). If I were to apply in the fall of 2020 (without auditing courses), how would I address my past difficulties (i.e., my 'average' grades) in applications?
Thanks for any guidance. (I realize this is rambling, which . . . welcome to me!).
Emily
Hi, everyone! ? Here's my dilemma . . . I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 2014 with a BA in English lit (GPA 3.5); now, in 2019, I've decided to make my return to school for (eventually) a PhD so that (again, eventually) I can teach. My dream schools are top-tier. After reading other posts on this forum, I'm guessing that my best bet would be to apply to MA programs (or possibly an MSt program at Oxford?), but I'm nervous about how I'd look on paper. It's been a few years since I graduated, and I haven't done much of anything that would seem to advance my cause. Throughout my undergrad, I suffered pretty severely from an eating disorder, as well as depression and anxiety. I shuffled between three or four schools before graduating, and even though I earned respectable marks everywhere I went, I didn't make any lasting connections. Now that I'm a few years into my recovery, I'm hoping to audit a few courses in the fall/spring so that I can connect with professors and prove my true ability before applying (for the fall of 2021, I guess? or should I just take my chances and apply in the fall of 2020?). I'm also hoping to publish something and connect with literary societies. Are there other things that I should consider doing to make myself a better candidate? Am I overthinking timelines? (In other words, should I just apply for the fall of 2020 instead of 2021?). If I were to apply in the fall of 2020 (without auditing courses), how would I address my past difficulties (i.e., my 'average' grades) in applications? Thanks for any guidance. (I realize this is rambling, which . . . welcome to me!). Emily