joeygiraldo

Elementary my dear, Watson (or stephenfirrell, ha). What you have there is ''prolepsis.''

update: Just checked my e-mail and received good news (relatively). I'm pretty sure we secured a third available funded slot so that's a tiny, tiny light of hope I guess?

Hey, all. I was part of the '09 Gradcafe community and hardly visit this site anymore but curiously returned this morning and saw a post about Brandeis (where I attend now). For the PhD program, I believe they have two funded slots, and they are really fighting for a third. As far as I know, they've made a couple of offers since February and most have passed on them. But I believe one student is very close to confirming (we were told to contact the student to impart info. on the program), so unfortunately, that's one slot gone there. There is a waitlist but it's kinda long (only about 6 or 7 students but given that there's so few spots, I consider this "long"). Also, accepted students day is April 7th. Hope this helps.

APPLY. I'm the famous cat from last year who applied with a 50th percentile Subject and got into 2 out of 6 programs. More and more programs are regarding that test as bogus.

I think it does. I think it gives the OP some perspective on the strength of the types of applicants and accepted students there and demonstrates that the school does expect a lot more than they lead on on their website. I do admit it was an awkward way of me to show all this, by telling the OP about my friend, but I'm sticking to it.

I realize my post seemed a bit forward (sorry) and the tone was a little off. I'll just tell you facts: 1) My friend who got accepted into the program is one of the brightest people I know (smarter than me, yes), and the faculty in our previous grad program all agreed, and he is extremely lettered and knows many languages (all I'm saying here is this is the type of competition you'll be up against) and 2) UCSD's Literature program is not a traditional English program, but rather more of a Comparative Literature one (so thusly, I think even though they don't have specific language requirements on the site, I believe wholeheartedly that they expect serious language skills for admission).

This thread makes me laugh. UCSD's program in Literature is highly, HIGHLY selective. Esp. the language requirements (dig deeper into that site, please). My friend who just got accepted into there is from Belgium. He is fluent in 3 languages (with working knowledge of a fourth), and has TWO Master's: he has a M.A. from Antwerp in Germanic Languages, and an M.A. from SUNY in Comparative Literature (he was my classmate). For one of his classes, he wrote a 45 page final essay just for the hell of it (it wasn't a thesis). That's the type of competition you are going up against.

It doesn't matter what your focus language is in. 99% of Comp Lit programs require another (some a third) language as a degree requirement even if you don't use it in your research (you need it, though, for them to test you in it). So yeah, brush up on that non-European language as best you can. You're gonna need it.

Get the hell out of here with your NJ hate, man. The hell is wrong with you? Rutgers is a fine school. Now that that's out of my system, I would like to know how exactly you plan on using your Russian and English skills in a Comparative Literature program (which for a PhD, btw, would require good knowledge of one more *additional* language). What do you want to study exactly? I'm just asking because usually people are all for going into a Comp. Lit. program, or are all for going into English. It's odd that you are mixing-and-matching... makes me wonder if you are truly committed to a particular niche.

In other news, what does everyone think of Harvard English's new web site??? http://english.fas.harvard.edu/

What do you mean by "somewhat normal in interviews," perchance?

But do these people live in Manhattan??

Hey, greekdaph! Great points... although I must disagree with you regarding NYU's English funding. 22k never sounded and never will sound good for living in the city. Even living in Brooklyn and Queens with that is extremely tough. NYU does offer great graduate housing in 2bedrooms next to the department for a cheap (relatively) $980 a month (all utilities included), but unfortunately, this is only available to students for their first year. Places like NYU and Columbia should be offering at LEAST 28k stipends.....

Hi, friend. If you only know English, I would advise you not to apply. If this were a lowerranked program and your stats were ace, I'd feel different, but any school in the top-tier most certainly wants to see second language training. There's no way around this... when a place like Columbia gets 600 apps, knowledge of languages serves not only as an asset but also as an unspoken, under-the-radar cutoff criteria... the idea being that they want to admit students w/ the highest amount of what I call ''success probability.'' In other words, they want students who can, at least on paper, go through all the hoops of their degree reqs. w/ the least amount of hitches.

Where are you getting your information? I'm curious, since I have a Comparative Literature degree from SUNY... when I finished and left recently, yes times were a little rough; I was told that they were only accepting three fully funded people into the Ph.D. program (as opposed to double that during a normal year).