Grizbert

Oh, man! I can't stand it! Haha. I only applied there, so I'm kind of lucky insofar as I don't have to juggle decisions. But... sheesh!

FWIW, still waiting on a decision from Texas.

Applied to UT-Austin only (already live in Austin), Archives and Preservation. I'm particularly interested in medieval English manuscripts, the history of the book, bibliography, and textual studies. Haven't heard anything yet.

Texas used to prefer fresh BAs, but in recent years has admitted 2/3 of each new cohort with MAs in hand. This is due to a culture change resulting from the ever-changing makeup of the GC. $0.02

I finally finished Guns, Germs, and Steel. It was fantastic.

Email the graduate coordinator. Take with grain of salt, however: the department is unlikely to give you the names of any students who will be less than positive.

Phil Sparrow, this is definitely the feel I'm getting from my queries so far. 95% of the current students I've approached have been very helpful and delightfully garrulous. I have heard very few remotely negative comments about faculty, but I have gotten several extremely positive, practically giddy responses on certain professors, such as "Professor X is the most collegial, professional, helpful person ever." Which is good to know.

Don't do it. Certainly not for an MFA. Anything more than about $10,000 total is going to financially sink you when you graduate and have to start repayment. Especially since an MFA is unlikely to substantially increase your earning potential (unless you want to teach, then I suppose it's necessary - but, still, you won't be making enough to pay back $50K). Therefore it is not "reasonable." / Depressing reality check from 30-something literature student with an MA and considerable student loan debt who has spent the last ten years working in admin.

My feelings align with yours, Andrew. But I am also 32 and therefore will be well into middle age upon completion - not too much time to "change careers" or go find myself. If I don't get into a top program with full funding, I'll settle for reading medieval research on the side and taking free classes at the university where I work (and where, incidentally, I could easily be making as much or more than a newly-hired TT professor in less time than it will take to earn a PhD - I'm in fundraising. )

This wasn't in English, but it was in another humanities department. And the assistant professor in question has proven to be prolific and popular. So

Especially considering that you are doing relevant work, I'd say it's no handicap at all. At least that's what I hope, since I am 32 and completed my MA in 2003! I'm applying this round for 2012 admission. I know of one woman who completed a PhD at Yale at age 40 and got a TT job at another top 10 school in her field. All of the current professors I've spoken with don't seem to think my age is an issue, so I seriously doubt a one or two-year delay will be a problem for you. But, yeah, don't have kids until after you get into grad school.

To be more specific, one of our elder faculty, who went to Penn, was heard bemoaning the fact that we hired a PhD from WUSTL.

I've been told by professors who are currently serving on graduate admissions committees that the overall cutoff for the slush pile is usually 1200 combined, especially if GRE scores are considered in funding. I've also been told that GRE matters least out of the whole package, and that, for humanities, the math score is almost meaningless unless you completely bomb and/or it keeps your total score below 1200. I studied on my own for about four months for the general test, about three hours a day for the final two weeks, including memorizing about 300 words using homemade flashcards and taking multiple practice tests, and got a 790. So it can be done. (BTW, my math was only 480 and I was told not to worry about it and not to re-take since my verbal was so high, YMMV.) Granted, this was before August 1. You may be dealing with a different beast altogether now.

I also agree with the above posters, based on my experience behind-the-scenes in hiring in a humanities department at a large R1 which is not a top 10, perhaps borderline top 25, program in its field. The general consensus is that you will likely land a job at an institution/department of slightly less prestige than your degree granting one. Most of our faculty have PhDs from Ivies or top private universities, with the odd high-ranking public R1 thrown in. It does matter. You should definitely select programs based first on strength in your subfield, then your field, then the prestige of the overall institution. If you already know what area you what to research, narrow even further and consider the reputation and research output of target professors within that program. And it's also definitely true that you may want to apply to below-25 programs that are exceptionally strong in your field. Check their recent placement rates to get an idea, if possible. Ask the graduate coordinator for this information if it isn't on their web site. Read the most current literature in your field and find out where those scholars studied, and under whom.

I tend to agree with old Thomas H. Benton (as someone who is coming to this process as a "mature" student who has an unfunded MA and the student debt to go with it, and who has worked for four years as admin staff in a humanities department at a large R1): unless you're independently wealthy, don't do grad school in the humanities unless you have a very strong idea of what you want to work on, what your long-term goals are, what the real situation is in the job market (clue: dire), and what your Plan B is. That said, if you are competitive enough to get into a top ten program with funding, and you can finish the program (while doing more-than-average on the professionalization front - conferences, publications, etc.), you will stand a good chance of getting a TT job - somewhere. I, too, think I would prefer to land a job at a SLAC. But I'm only bothering applying to top programs. If I don't get in anywhere, or don't get funded, I might give it one more whirl next year (at which point I will have 3-4 further graduate courses under my belt, showing proven academic potential, since I can take a free class each term at said R1). If you are able to do a short-term move (no spouse or kids to worry about, etc.), a funded MA is a great option, too. But you need to take that opportunity and run with it - view the MA as your job, and set and meet very high goals for yourself during the program so that you can use it as a springboard for PhD applications. In the humanities, do not take on debt to go to graduate school. Ever. $0.02

This is all also true. I am finding current students very helpful, too. Especially regarding programs' theoretical approaches, collegiality, etc.

From what I have heard/read, you want to have a decent grasp on that professor's general work and have read and liked their recent publications. Then you just email them cold to ask about any questions you have regarding their research, your interests, and whether you're a good "fit" for the program. Or you might contact the graduate advisor/coordinator first to ask if faculty are open to this type of communication.

Thanks, PhS Pharmacist. I do plan to do that. I am currently contacting grad students, and will start contacting professors in the next couple of weeks. For the most part, this seems to be done in humanities, too.

I did an MA at York ten years ago, although in modernism (what a waste - I now want to be a medievalist!), and it was, indeed, dreamy. If you can afford it, go! BTW, I went straight out of undergrad, 3.85 in English, 3.1 overall, had done two previous study abroad programs in the UK, and had good references. I suspect it will be harder to get into the MS program, and harder now because of the UK economic/educational situation, but they certainly like overseas fees-payers. I used all federal aid money, and will be paying for it for another 10-15 years, but it was still worth it. I ended up staying in the UK for a further three years to work (by virtue of a domestic partnership visa), and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world. Obviously, the resources in York are amazing; the city is beautiful and cosmopolitan for its size, but easy to navigate; and you can get to London by train in about two and a half hours. If you're doing MS and can swing it, you might want to find private, shared accommodation in town, since the Centre for Medieval Studies is in York and the campus is a few miles outside. It will save you a lot of time on the bus, and the campus, while nice, is somewhat bleak due to its predominantly brutalist modern architecture. $0.02

Thanks, BelleOfKilronen! From my initial research, based on the "perfect fit potential advisor" approach, I am leaning toward a broader view, and your points make great sense. This also leaves room to apply to some high prestige programs that can offer a broad range of medieval scholars, great collections and other resources, as well as good funding packages. I definitely don't want to apply anywhere with only one tenured professor working in my area, or where the scholar whose work interests me is untenured. And your thoughts on avoiding being a fanboy while formulating your own unqiue approach are also very convincing.

I am applying to PhD programs in English Lit, and my interests are medieval / women's studies / Jewish studies / history of the book. I am trying to narrow it down to ten programs to which I will apply. I already have an MA and a pretty darn specific idea of what I am looking for regarding advising, research, and dissertation topic, involving the above topics. Therefore, I am considering the breadth of advising potential and resources across these areas and giving special considerations to universities with strong Medieval Studies, History of the Book, Women's and Gender Studies, and Jewish Studies programs, along with significant relevant collections (or proximity to them). Should I be targeting programs with overall strengths across these areas, even if there is no "obvious" or "perfect fit" advisor for my pet topic / specialization intention, or should I focus on programs with tenured faculty doing very similar work (there are a few)? As an example, would it better to go to say, Berkeley (which is consistently well regarded in English, and has a good placement record in medieval and early modern) or somewhere that is less strong overall, such as Texas or Wisconsin, but which has a "perfect fit" potential advisor and decent supplemental programs/resources? Thoughts?

I'm taking it November 12 because I cannot get off work on the one October date in my area. It'll have to do.

Another medievalist checking in here. I'd be curious to hear more about this, too, if anyone has any insight. GWU is also on my short list due to J.J. Cohen, and because my partner has many connections in the BWI area, so it would be an easy move. If they have serious funding problems, however, I might reconsider. Their program was highly recommended to my by an assistant professor of medieval French.

I have narrowed my list of possible programs down to about 15, and I plan to apply to 10. I have spoken to a few current professors and grad students with whom I had an "in," so to speak, for generalized advice and insight, and I expect to contact a few more as I finalize my list of programs. I have taken the (old) GRE General Test and scored a ridiculously high score on the verbal portion, mediocre on the math. I am taking the English Lit. Subject Test in November. I took this my senior year and bombed on it, but I have been out of school for a few years and, having looked over the study guides and practice tests, feel much more confident - those extra years of reading seem to have improved my breadth of English Lit. trivia! Last semester, I took a graduate course at one of the schools in my top five (because I work there, so it's free!) and made an A. I am going to ask that professor for reference letters soon. This fall, I am taking a course in my chosen sub-field (medieval) with a "star" professor who is one of the scholars I would most like to study under. I plan to also ask him for reference letters, and I am going to use the paper I will write for his class for my writing sample (which means I will have to complete and revise the paper a full month before it is actually due). I also have an MA from a British university that is very strong in my sub-field, and am going to ask my MA supervisor there for reference letters, having approached him about it a couple of years back when I first seriously considered going back to do a PhD. I have read some sample, successful statements of purpose from friends and acquaintances, and plan to start a rough draft in the next 2-3 weeks, although I am not too worried about this because I have a very strong idea of what I want to do any why (like I said, I've been out of the game for a few years, working at an R1, and come to this process with eyes wide open and a good deal of motivation). I also have a full time job.

Thanks! I am actually very familiar with York, having done my MA there! Too bad I picked the wrong subject!