bck203

If you aren't already using the "Undo Send" feature in Gmail, you should be. It allows you to unsend messages for 10 seconds after you send them. This has saved me many times, the most recent of which was this morning when I accidentally hit "reply-all" on a message my boss sent to a listserv. Almost sent a private message to a whole listserv...phew. Love you, Gmail.

Is it acceptable for one of my letters of recommendation to come from a Spanish professor, not an English one? I'm applying to MA in English lit programs. I could ask 3 English profs, but I think this Spanish professor would write me a stronger letter because I did a research project/ won a fellowship to work with him, and I never did any other research with English profs. Is this OK or should I ask an English prof who wouldn't write as personal a letter? thanks.

Thanks, this is very helpful!

I've read that one should contact potential advisers at each school and ask if they are taking new students. Does this still apply to MA applicants? I have a couple possible areas of interest, but I'm still pretty open at this point. Not sure what I should say in the email...just that I would be potentially interested in working with a particular prof? I don't know if it's necessary for me to email a couple people at each school...might make me stand out more, I guess? I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Thanks, Sparky, that's really helpful. Sounds like I should just pick something and run with it even if I am still really unsure. I do want to go to grad school "for the heck of it," though - because I like it a lot more than working, because I value intellectual thought and inquiry, and because it seems like more education often leads to good places. I have several family members and friends who went to grad school because they liked school and didn't know what else to do or couldn't get a job, and it worked out well for all of them, even if in ways they couldn't predict. But I'm feeling so conflicted because there are other people telling me "don't apply until you really know what you want to do," and "an English MA will make you a worse job candidate." I'm feeling really lost about it all, but still thinking I should apply anyway just to have more options. I have really low confidence about the whole thing, but I've passed up opportunities in the past (like applying for fellowships, or writing an honors thesis) because I didn't think I was good enough, and then regretted not going for it as I watched more confident peers excel. I feel like this time next year (when I finish my one-year Americorps position), better to maybe have some options than run the gauntlet of trying to get a job (any paying job, let alone one I'd find challenging and fulfilling) with my BA in English. (None of that backstory is going in the SOP, of course! haha. just explaining why I have this lack of focus that makes it tricky to approach the SOP.)

Thanks, that is helpful. Can you explain a little more, though? I thought that MA-only applicants (NOT PhD applicants) were not always expected to have very specific research interests. This is why I want to go to grad school--to increase my skills within a field that I love and figure out a more specific interest. I loved studying lit in undergrad but never honed in on one particular period...I was always just too interested in everything (Victorian, Shakespeare, contemporary fiction, it was all great). Aren't there MA programs out there for people like me? A program that would allow me to begin as a "generalist." So far, the two criteria I have been using in searching for schools are these: they fund most/all MA applicants, and they allow you to start out as a generalist. Am I way off base here, or is that possible? Certainly there are themes I've been attracted to over and over again, across different periods and areas of lit (i.e., nature writing, racial identity) - perhaps I can develop those in my statement, giving specific examples of related work I did and directions I might want to go. but it's hard to be specific when I am not yet a "specialist."

Hello, I am starting (rather late, I know) the process of applying to MA programs in English lit this fall. The part of the application that scares me the most is the statement of purpose, and I'm seeking resources/suggestions for how to go about writing it. How specific should my statement be, considering that I don't really know yet what subfield of lit I want to specialize in? I have some possible areas of interest that I explored in undergrad, but they're very diverse and fluid. What do schools want to see in an MA applicant's statement? Do they expect me to have well-defined interests, or is it OK that I'm still very undecided? And is it appropriate to bring in my nonacademic writing work experience? Also, this is an unrelated question, but: can I still be a competitive candidate even though I did not write an undergrad thesis or have a close faculty mentor? My GPA was very high, from a nationally prestigious school, and I won a couple departmental awards (in creative writing, though I'm not applying to MFA programs). I also have substantial work experience in writing/publications. Haven't taken the GRE yet, but I've been getting around 700-720 verbal on my practice tests, so I think I'll be OK there. But I worry that I'll be at a disadvantage compared to applicants who wrote honors theses. I'm not really sure what tiers of schools I should be applying to...a mix, I guess. Thoughts? I'm still pretty lost at this point and would appreciate any advice. I really appreciated the "Funded MA" thread lower on this page and am researching all those schools...looking for more resources like that one. Thanks!

Thanks! Yes, I am definitely only looking at masters' programs at this point. I am kind of bummed that 116 people have viewed this thread but only one person replied. Does anyone else want to weigh in on jumping right in vs. waiting it out? I feel very conflicted because many people have told me to wait and work until I have more clarity, while others have said that more education always leads to good places and I should just pick a program that will allow me to explore options. I'd love to hear from someone with a similar background. Maybe most people on this forum are hardcore PhD students and that's why no one can relate to my indecision...?

I'm a recent (this May) college grad with a BA in English, and I'm trying to decide 1) whether to apply to grad school this fall and 2) if so, to what kinds of programs I should apply. I'd be really appreciative of any advice or reading suggestions to help me with this process. I am not looking at MA or PhD programs in English, but rather something more applied, possibly Communications. I'd especially love to hear your experience/advice if you followed a similar winding path. I apologize if this gets a bit long-winded, but here's my background: BA in English (3.96 gpa, Phi Beta Kappa) from a top-20 university. I also got a teaching certificate in TESOL and did a lot of coursework in linguistics and cognitive science, though I guess none of that counts much since I didn't do a second major. Proficient in Spanish, held several journalism/publications internships, leadership positions at university paper and radio station, volunteer experience as an ESL tutor and essay editing coach for a non-profit that works with underprivileged kids. Currently doing an Americorps VISTA year until July 2011 at a large university in their Service Learning office, doing work such as web redesign, blogging, creating a resource manual for faculty designing service syllabi, coordinating university partnerships. It's interesting work and I'm enjoying it, but not enough that I think I would want to continue in a university administration-related field. I've realized that I really miss doing substantial writing projects and academic research, and I really want to go back to school already, but I am lacking direction. I am studying for the GRE (and really enjoying doing so...that's how much I miss studying!) and starting to research schools. I'm looking for master's programs that fit the following criteria: -Have actual job prospects, whether non-profit or corporate (so, not English lit programs) -Substantial focus on writing and research, because that's what I love to do -Good funding possibilties (I don't want to go into debt), also looking at schools that will double my Americorps education award (turn $5k into $10k) -A broad program that will allow me to narrow down my interests (since I am still pretty undecided) My weaknesses: I did not have a close relationship with a faculty mentor in college, nor did I do a thesis (my university didn't really encourage it and I was too shy to seek it out...darn). I'm also terrible at math and doubt that my math GRE will be too hot, even with all the studying I'm doing, but I aced the verbal SAT and SAT II, so maybe I'll do OK there (although I understand the GRE verbal is a whole different beast). Given all that, what are your thoughts? I don't really want to face the job market again with just my BA in English after I finish my Americorps year, nor do I have clarity on what kind of grad program to apply to. I've always been indecisive and done well in a wide range of subjects from Spanish to journalism to linguistics, and I'm thinking it might be time to just pick something and see where it takes me. A lot of similarly indecisive English grads seem to go to Library Science school, but that doesn't sound like my thing..sigh. where to begin? Thank you so much!