lyonessrampant

Another potential indicator is whether current students have an MA. Many of the top 10 programs tend to prefer young applicants without an MA, but that isn't true across the board, of course.

Absolutely don't do it. Search for Chicago's MAPH and Columbia's MA program and you'll get tons of previous threads about this issue where I (and many others) have shared our experiences and advice, but if you're looking for the tl;dr version: don't do it. Stick to your current plan.

As far as LORs, obviously if someone was a student of a prof at a school you're applying to, they should do an LOR or if they know someone at the school. Name recognition doesn't hurt. Beyond that, as many of them in your potential subfield as possible to speak to your depth/preparedness can help. If you were a TA or RA for one of them (officially or not) and they can speak to your work ethic/potential in independent research, that can help. The more specific the letters are to you and your work and interests, the better. Everyone has letters that say "So and so is the best student I've ever taught blah blah blah." Personalized letters with specifics will be more likely to stand out. It's really the same advice for the SoP. Show not tell and all that.

Make sure you expand your potential list beyond schools like Harvard and UVa. It's hard getting in pretty much anywhere these days, and even if you have some connection to a particular prof or profs, it won't matter much if they're not on the ad comm, not taking students right now, or don't work much with grad students anymore. There will be people who get in at Harvard and other top 10 programs without the 165 or without the big name undergrad school or without connections, but there are so many qualified people applying that it is best to apply widely. The SoP and writing sample are the most important parts of your application, and I agree with the previous poster that getting those done as early as possible so you can have as many people as possible read them for you (ideally profs or graduate students who've been through this process somewhat recently) is the best idea. Also, when you prep for the subject test, it isn't really necessary to read all of the books on any given list--that's what comps are for. This is true because the subject test isn't testing for depth of knowledge but merely breadth. Use sites like vade mecum, hapax legomenon, and prep books to supplement your reading and, I'd argue, replace reading whole books. Take as many practice tests as you can because the actual tests vary significantly with some more on identification of text/author from a quotation, some with more emphasis on reading comprehension, some with more emphasis on British med/EM texts, some more on lit theory, etc. That said, the WS and SoP really should be the things that you spend the most time with. Edited to add that once you pick schools to apply to (or even as you're picking), I'd recommend building an Excel spreadsheet or coming up with some method to track things for each program like all due dates, LORs requested/received, materials required, records for each time you contact the school and with whom you speak, etc. Organization is really key to this whole process.

I'm also in literature, and that many B's is not good. Generally in the humanities, particularly in literature from my experience, a B is a sign of very problematic work. Did you go to all the classes, turn in all the work, etc.? If so, and if the grade is solely based on a seminar paper, you should be concerned, particularly if your goal is a top 20 program. Are you a non-native speaker? If so, there may be some more wiggle room, but the most important thing to do is figure out why you're getting B's on your writing. If you're getting B's on seminar papers, an admissions committee will wonder if you can produce original research that contributes to the field. A B seminar paper isn't getting published without a ton of changes, perhaps a complete do-over. While you're not expected to be able to produce publishable-quality writing during an MA (though it certainly is possible), an ad comm is going to want to see potential to reach that level during a Ph.D. program. The expectation for lit now is that you go on the job market with a couple publications in hand, which means starting the publishing process years before going on the market since it takes so long to submit, hear back, revise if you get a revise and resubmit, or go somewhere else if you get rejected. Anyway, it's really important that you speak to your professors and ask them what exactly you are doing wrong and what you can do to change your methodology, research techniques, arguments, etc. If you show substantial improvement from your first year to your second, you can make a case in your personal statement (a brief one) that you have shown significant improvement and learned the field during your MA, which shows motivation and adaptability etc.) and minimize the impact of B's in the first year of your MA on your chances as a Ph.D. applicant.

Just make sure that any books you get from the library or buy used are for the new GRE. It changed around 2010 (I think it was).

And if the school you had to turn down has a good Ph.D. program that you might want to attend, they may remember your communication with them and this situation when you apply and consider you more because they think you made an ethical choice.

Freelance writing? Check out oDesk, efreelance, and elance (or something like that. . . can't remember the last one exactly). You have to sift through them to find jobs paying decent rates, but it's a way to get some extra money.

This won't so much help you (unless you're waitlsited eventually) as others, but don't hang on to waitlists after you've accepted an offer unless you're 100% sure you'd rescind the offer you accepted if you get in there, which probably means you shouldn't have accepted that offer in the first place. Now that I'm on the grad recruitment side of the picture, I see the damage this causes. Does it inflate the ego to see a waitlist shift to an acceptance? Sure. Does it feel even better to decline that late extended acceptance? Yes, Machiavelli knew us well. However, there is a large network constructed by applicants and schools, and if you have no reason to accept a waitlist offer if extended (I know, I did the same thing when I was applying to try to stick it to UT-A), then TURN IT DOWN. I can't tell you how many waitlisted people I've been in communication with as a grad student recruitment officer and just felt terribly for because people who seem totally uninterested hold on to all their offers to see what converts even after they've made a decision. That's just mean-spirited. I don't think most people do this; I'm just posting this as a bit of advice to say that checking ego is always helpful.

Sorry but what schools are TWU and UNT? If one isn't in the same region, it can be difficult to know what you mean. For example there are several UMs (U Minnesota, U Montana, U Maryland, etc.). More specificity about institution and your specific goals and research interests may invite more responses.

Having been both in the position of an applicant and as a grad student adviser, students and potential students always overthink. Schools and programs do this every year, and the more specific info they can get about funding packages--in terms of length, amount, teaching load, etc.--is really what helps them predict comparisons for appeal. Provide info. Brag about (if that's how it feels) where you go. It gives schools a sense of where applicants consider, and that is helpful. It's also helpful for you to say where you are going and why. Programs don't feel personally offended ever. This is a game, and in the interest of these ludic concerns, what matters more than your individual ego (for everywhere) is a profile of types of applicants who apply, types who apply and don't attend, and types who apply and do attend. Best of luck to everyone! I don't mean to diminish your particular experiences; I just hope to connect hose particular moments to a much larger system.

Since exams vary so significantly from field to field and even department to department, I'd recommend talking to someone in your field and program for specific advice, but as someone in English (we do a one-week written exam of about 20-30 pages followed by, if we pass, a 2-hour oral exam that is a mix of defense of the written and quiz-on-your-list time), I pretty much prepared for and passed my exams with distinction in a 3-month period. I was teaching a course during that period. This all meant I read and studied and taught a lot, slept little, and had no life. I wouldn't recommend it generally, but from that experience, I'd say it is possible to prep for and take exams whilst in a class. If the class directly overlaps with your dissertation topic or exams list, it can actually be helpful in terms of covering your list. I was teaching a lit theory course, which is a strong secondary interest but not well represented on my approximately 200-text list. However, I think my approach to the written was better because of what I was teaching, which might be true for you in terms of the course you'd be sitting in on. In general, my thoughts as a cross-disciplinary scholar is that points of connection--even and sometimes especially those that seem totally extrinsic--can be the most inspiring. Best of luck! But if you go this route, be prepared for a lot of work and reading, little socialization, and much exhaustion. I'm so glad I'm past the exams. . .

I didn't apply to comp lit programs, but I work on theory and with English, French, and Italian so I can understand your situation to some extent. My favorite French professor did comp lit, and her recommendation was to do all the language work that you would do in a stand-alone language program, so for her, that was French. She was hired in a French department with her comp lit background, which was an advantage because she could do French but also Latin, Old Occitan, Old French, and Catalan. Basically, there are more English positions then there are comp lit, so if you go comp lit, you'll apply for both comp lit and English positions, I would assume (or other language positions). Your comp lit background may make you more competitive for the English/lang positions if you have all the normal coursework for those positions plus your comp lit-y uniqueness. Without the broad coverage, though, you'll just be competitive for the comp lit positions, and there aren't many of those positions and the people competing for them tend to all be very strong candidates. Good luck with your decision!

WendyWonderland, I would echo the above comments about the reputation of the MA program being less important than the attention and support you get while there. The cost of CUNY + living in New York would be prohibitive for me, whereas at Loyola or Emerson (I don't know the program) you'd probably get more attention because they don't have a Ph.D. program. For the MA, follow the money, I think. Your application, language skills, and knowledge of the process will be superior when you re-apply no matter what program you attend for the MA, so if you like Loyola and it seems like you've got a good chance for funding there during the second year, I'd definitely think strongly about their offer. Good luck!

I'm grading about 20 revised papers written by my Brit Lit I (historical survey of British literature) class, and I must say, they've done some nice work and I'm actually enjoying grading them Don't mean to rub it in or brag, just wanted to point out that once you get to the point where you teach lit courses in your subfield filled with more advanced undergrads, the grading drudgery gets better!

Fingers crossed for you, Andromache. I hope that funded offer comes through for you!

Okay, for whatever reason, this lengthier response I was typing disappeared (sigh), but the gist of it was that I would recommend you consider turning down all the offers and reapplying this fall with a focus on funded MA programs. I did a partially funded one-year MA, and I actually really enjoyed the program, learned a ton, and am a much better scholar and writer now, but I'm also a much poorer one. If I had known there were funded MA programs, I wouldn't have gone the unfunded route. As for the one or two year option, I think one year is enough, if you're not teaching, to do coursework and write a thesis, especially if the school is on a quarter system, but you can't really apply for Ph.D. programs during the one-year MA. You would apply the year after, and then you'd have the MA in hand, a complete and oft-revised thesis, good connections with letter writers, and probably be working during what would be the second year of a two-year MA. In the two-year program, you'd be applying without the complete thesis and while doing all the work an MA program requires. The quality of your applications might be better in the first situation (one-year MA and apply the year after) if for no other reason than you probably would have more time to work on the applications. As far as subfield focus, I do late medieval/early modern (primarily early modern but the 15th century is a good example of why periodization so often fails), and I can confirm that as awesome and vibrant as the med/EM subfields are, the number of jobs is also quite a bit lower than modernists. These subfields are often reduced by colleges when faculty retire. Basically, you're not getting out of any problems by switching to an earlier subfield. I wouldn't change a subfield for a potential future job, especially when the job field is as dismal as it is for all subfields. Follow your interests, wherever and whenever they lead you. It certainly is true, though, that you could focus on the medieval in the modern. That is a strong and vibrant area of work. Check out the Babel Group for examples of that work.

To add, sorry, I passed several of those STEM tests because in undergrad I could do "shock" calc, higher level stats, and upper level chem experiments. It isn't about capability. It's about impression of merit. Seriously, I've published work in the business field on perception, and just add all the work by people like Linda Bancock. It isn't the baseline that's the problem, but it is competence and willingness to negotiate (as is expected by men).

I just don't have time to link all the research I've done and care about to the above (knowing 'exclusion' whatever that means in this regard as a 'white' woman), but if you intend to go to a progressive, critically oriented program, I'd recommend reading a bit more bell hooks (et al) before starting. For the people I work with, it's about deconstructing what "privilege" means in layers. . . and let's fact it white folks, there are a hell of a lot more layers if we're isolating to the US, and beyond that gender.

You might also want to scour department listings and locate programs that have international students. My program (U Minnesota) has had at least one international student and up to three per cohort since I started (I'm a 3rd year). I don't know how we do on childhood studies, but I think Vic lit was your main area? If so, that is a strength here. Not to say you need to apply to UMN, but you can look at the profile of our grad students and see that we have a lot of international students in comparison to other places. Most of our international students are from S. Korea, actually, though the cohort behind me has a student from Taiwan and the current first years have two S. Koreans and a guy from India (I believe). If you're worried about funding and bias, look at the composition of current grad students on department websites. That will give you a sense of which departments might have a lower bias or who don't experience the same funding problems with international students.

Seems like you have your answer then! Good luck

I echo the above, but I would say that you should be more than 100% sure you will accept New Mexico. I don't know what the other program is, but you applied there last fall for a reason (or reasons). Do any of these reasons still stand? Is there funding better/longer? Is the teaching load lighter? Are there more fellowship, travel grant, research opportunities? Is the department bigger and/or more diverse? Are connections between the department and other departments stronger--especially important if you're doing and sort of interdisciplinary work? If the answers to these questions are either no or not important enough to you that you couldn't possibly be swayed by the other program, then yes, I'd notify the program that you won't be visiting. Programs don't want to waste money on people who know for sure they aren't coming, and it may open up a funded visit spot for someone on the waitlist as well.

Definitely email the DGS. I'd also email the professor just to say you appreciate the information he/she provided and that it was a difficult decision (basically something that is polite and thanks her/him for her/his time).

Sorry for the strong tone of the earlier post. I'd had a couple drinks But I do regret the loan debt from my MA. If money is no problem, maybe an unfunded MA is right for you, but there are so many great funded MAs out there that not only won't put you in debt but will also give you teaching and research experience.

Paid about 1/3. . . closer to 1/2 once you factor in living expenses and I wouldn't do it again. Seriously, don't pay for your MA. I had NO idea funded MAs exist. They do. If you don't have a funded Ph.D. or funded MA this year, work and apply again, including more funded MA programs. This field is shit for long-term jobs. Don't accrue jobs to be uncertain. I only got 1/3 funding for my MA, and knowing what I do now, I wouldn't repeat it.