Izzie2104

Greetings GC community! I have recently developed an interest in Science Fiction, but specifically Chicanx (Mexican American) and Latinx Sci-Fi. I am specifically working on the intersections between the "alien consciousness" with race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and social/cultural and economic classifications of humanity. I have been doing some research on programs or other support offered by Universities, and it looks like UC Riverside has a graduate emphasis in Sci-Fi; also, the University of Florida has a working group on Sci-Fi (conferences, colloquia, etc.). Are there any other places I could apply and receive some support from faculty? I apply for PhD programs next year, and I want to be prepared to apply to multiple schools next year- that is, to apply to schools where I can get support from faculty working in different areas of research- such as gender and sexuality and ethnic studies. What I am trying to say is, I would not mind applying to a University, as long as the school(s) have faculty working in a broad range of areas- particularly gender/sexuality and ethnic studies (Chicanx studies, esp.) My other research area of interest is Multicultural Young Adult Literature. This is an area of expertise I have been familiar with for a while now, but I want to mesh in this area of research with my other area (Chicanx/Latinx Sci-Fi) and apply as an Ethnic American Lit specialist. Broadly speaking, I would be an Americanist 20th/21st Century, with a specialization in YA Lit and Sci-Fi (and, in some schools, I could apply for a graduate emphasis [such as UCI; Gender/Sexuality Emphasis; Chicano/Latino Studies Emphasis, etc.] The schools I have in mind are: UC Riverside, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, USC, Stanford (In-State) University of Washington, University of Florida, UT Austin, Notre Dame, Princeton, NYU, and University of Wisconsin-Madison (Out of State). Besides these schools, are there any I should be specifically applying to/applying more time and attention to? Or Is this list of schools a pretty good range in terms of applying? (I was thinking of a minimum of ten schools, but I have more) Please let me know if I am on the right track here.... Any help appreciated! Best, -Izzie Gonzalez

Hello All, I was wondering if anyone can give me advice in terms of what schools I should apply to for English PhD programs. My area of specialty is Postcolonial Theory/Literature and Queer/Feminist/Marxist/Post-Structural Theories. I mainly want to research how postcolonial discourse intersects with other areas of inquiry (queer/feminist/marxist/post-structural) through close reading Anglophone pre/post colonial texts; Literature of the Diasporas (Caribbean, African, Middle-Eastern, Asian). So far, I have University of California, Irvine; Columbia University; University of Florida; New York University; Stanford University. Any help appreciated! -Izzie Gonzalez

Greetings all, I wanted to ask: can you research with an emeritus faculty member as your mentor? I am asking because I am interested in working with someone who is emeritus, and I am not sure if sending an email to that person would be a good idea. I am going to be applying for PhD programs soon, and I would like to get some perspective on this. The school is Stanford; Department is English; and the faculty member is Yvonne-Yarbo Bejarano. She is known for her research in Queer, Latinx performance, drama, and overall in Queer/Latinx Literature. What should I do?

Hello everyone. So I recently got admitted into an MA program in English at Cal State San Bernardino. I was wondering, what option should I take for my culminating activity? It is either a Comprehensive Examination or a Thesis. I am leaning toward a thesis, because it would be an experience where I would get practice writing a sustained body of writing. What are your thoughts/recommendations?

Greetings everyone. I was wondering, when applying for a PhD with an MA in Literature, do the schools require only the MA transcripts or both undergraduate and graduate transcripts?

Hi folks! I need some help. As you all know, applying to a school for a (funded) PhD in Literature, you need to find faculty that are in your area of interests. I am interested in Queer Young Adult literature, but only found a professor from UT Austin who focuses on Young Adult Literature. I googled everywhere and could not find any faculty that explicitly says they work with Queer Young Adult Lit (except the professor from UTA). I need help. How do I find faculty that fit my interests in Queer/Multi-cultural Young Adult Literature? Thanks!

Greetings everyone! So, I am happy to announce that I am applying for PhD Programs in English. However, there are some things that I may need help with in terms of applying. 1) I have a LOW gpa range across the board (2.55 overall, 2.6 in the last 60 units, 2.8 in the major). 2) I am not sure if I can get strong letters of recommendation from my professors, but I can still try to see if I can get some. 3) GRE Practice exam was at 143 Verbal, and 4.5 Analytical Writing. Although I have a low gpa, I KNOW what I want to pursue in terms of programs and faculty I would like to work with. Given these things, HOW do I get my GPA past an admissions committee? To my knowledge, they make cuts off the stack of applicants based on GPA. Any suggestions as to how I could shine on my application or improve my chances to applying for my prospective programs (UCI, UCSB, UCR, U of Washington, UT Austin) Thanks!

Greetings everyone. Quick question: What questions should I be asking professors from departments I am interested in applying for in the future? I am kind of nervous to ask questions on graduate studies in the professor's respective department.

Greetings everyone. I was wondering if someone could take a look at my statement of purpose for graduate school applications? It would be good to get perspective(s) on it so that I can be more prepared! Thanks! -Izzie Statement of Purpose- Graduate Applications.docx

Greetings GradCafe Community, So, I am interested in applying in the future for an English PhD Program. I was told that when looking for a specific program, I have to look for faculty who have the same interests as I do (go figure!) However, I have only found two faculty members (U of Texas Austin and U of Washington) who have similar interests as I do. I am interested in Queer and Ethnically diverse Young Adult Fiction, and would like to specialize in this area, but its been hard to find other faculty in other schools who work with these kinds of texts. Any suggestions on how to improve my search fo a professor who works with YA Fiction? Secondly, on a sidenote, I have also been told by a professor that I should specialize in British or American, and have YA Fiction as something I have of interest to increase my odds of landing a good academic job (yes, I know how had it is to land tenure.); should I be looking for contemporary American (given that that is where YA fiction would land in) professors when looking for potentials mentors? Any suggestions would help! Thanks!

@thepeeps Thank you for your sympathy (,: I appreciate the gesture by your part, and I also am sorry to hear that you have gone through severe depression. It isn't easy to navigate academia when facing personal things like depression, or illness... So as to a personal statement, it is not required in my program. The only minimum requirement they have to be admitted to the MA is a 3.0 in the last 60 units of undergrad. That being said, I will be writing a statement of purpose and a personal statement for the department chair and see if he will make a decision to be admitted into the program. The question is, how do I mention my illness? I have medical documentation to support my claims, but I am not sure if this will be enough. Even so, I still have a semester of coursework left. I only have one more semester of funding (at the moment) which means I am able to only take some extra classes to graduate in the Fall. I will do my BEST this last term I have and see if I can get into the MA. Lastly, I think I can get at least two letters of recommendation from professors I have worked with before, maybe that along with the SOP and PS might help vouch me into the MA despite having GPA shortage. Hopefully this all pays off. ?

Well, to answer your question, I was diagnosed with a chronic health issue (not diving into it, because it is a bit complicated). I had to drop out of school for a semester (in which I dropped out without record of classes) and I also had dropped a semester as well with a medical withdrawal; both these alongside remediation English and Math practically made me start from the bottom. Now, I have taken a graduate class and had received an A- in that class along with two semesters worth of major classes at 3.1 (both semesters added together and totaled). This was a good indicator that I could succeed in a graduate level course, but these past two semesters, due to medical reasons, I have not done so well in my classes due to my health problems. Now, I am at a point where my medical stuff isn't all that bad, and I think I can do well in graduate school. I am aware that it gets more intense in terms of course load and writing seminar papers every term, since that was the structure of the graduate seminar I took, but I did get an A- in that class. If I could perhaps mention these things in a statement of purpose for the school I am trying to go into for the MA, they probably could admit me (conditionally perhaps?) under the condition that I maintain a gpa above a 3.0? I am not sure if this is possible, but I do know that some schools do allow this if the applicant has shown potential. @thepeeps

Greetings. I am currently an undergraduate student majoring in Literature. I have a 2.817 major GPA and a cumulative GPA of 2.555; and a 2.67 GPA in the last 60 units of upper-division coursework. My question is: How do I get admitted into the MA program at my school (or other MA programs) with the kinds of GPA I have? I have one semester left of coursework left before I graduate, and I was told that the best thing for me to do was to get the best grades possible this last semester. I am not sure if I can muster straight A's or anything like that in one semester to boost up the minimum GPA requirements. My school (CSUDH) requires a 3.0 in the last 60 units of coursework to be admitted. I am really nervous because I only majored in Literature to go to graduate school and one day pursue a PhD (with me already knowing what I want to specialize in already). What should I do this last term I have before graduating? I will be applying for my program, despite GPA deficiencies, but I am still nervous that I might not make the cut. My school really isn't that competitive when it comes to admitting students, and I am lucky to even have been able to be a student at this university. Even if this is the case, I am still not certain I will be admitted given that I do not have the GPA. Any advice appreciated!