lyonessrampant

A friend of mine who is in UT-Austin's Ph.D. program got below the 20th percentile on the subject test. . . Some places it matters, and some places it doesn't. I would recommend contacting a program and asking if you're concerned.

I submitted four for Minnesota, and while I don't exactly recall, I think I submitted four for Brown as well. Definitely email the department and ask, though. Good luck to you both!

His writing on language and poetry won't get you exactly what you might be looking for on technology. Check out "The Question Concerning Technology" for a start. It's short too!

Also, yes, Agamben and Heidegger and Foucault SUPER prolific. . .and complicated. I'd start with a primer or reader for any of them. I really like the Foucault Reader edited by Paul Rabinow as a reader for him. . .I've been less able at finding good readers for Agamben or Heidegger. . .they exist, though. Good luck!

I come to this a bit late and you may know this all already, BUT Agamben was Heidegger's student. This is a critical connection, as Heidegger has a lot to say about technology (ultimately warning against it) and Agamben recuperates this position to some extent. Transhumanism is important here as well, intersecting with Agamben. Check out Ronald Bailey. Also, Virilo and more recently James Der Derien have a lot to say about the incorporation of technology in the human and the colonization of the mind. These are just a few thoughts. Fascinating project! Good luck!

A 700 is really high; I think that's in the 98th or 99th percentile. Are you sure you aren't looking at their recommendation for the regular GRE? Most schools say 600s is good. Harvard specifically says 650 or above. A lot of schools also don't care about the subject test, so if you don't get a great score, don't worry about it over much. Apply, see what happens, and if you must reapply again, ask schools for feedback on your application, specifically the subject test score. I would guess none of them will say it mattered much. I got a 680 (92nd or 93rd percentile), but a friend got in the 20s. She got into UT-Austin and CUNY. My higher score didn't get me into top 10 schools. . .so I think it really isn't that important. Take it and then focus on your SOP and writing sample. Good luck!

You usually don't need to list schools for a study abroad if the grade shows on the transcript of your degree-granting institution. None of the 20 or so schools I've applied to between MA and Ph.D. required it for me anyway. I'd contact your programs and ask.

Hope the test goes/went well!

Yeah, it is really hard to guess on the stats questions. I had a 3.9 UGPA and MAGPA, a 700 V, 6.0 Q, and a 680 subject test. I got some great offers but no top-10 offers. I was told when I contacted for feedback that I was close, oh so close (as in very last round and missed by a few people) at Chicago and Duke. I got lots of positive feedback on my SOP and writing sample from those programs, and ultimately the reason why I got beat out was fit. The proposed projects/research interests of the other people I was competing with at the end matched better with the interests of the faculty in my subfield. I'm happy where I ended up, got a great funding package, and have great faculty resources, but I'm not at a top-10 school. I share this only to say that you should apply based on ranking AND fit. If you don't have anyone to work with, it is unlikely a program will accept you. At the same time, reputation matters a lot for getting a job and all that, so do consider a program's placement rate when choosing where to apply and ultimately accepting. For example, my advisor here has placed every one of his advisees in TT jobs for over 5 years now. This speaks well for my chances, and it mattered a great deal when deciding between offers. Do your research to find that kind of information. Good luck on your applications!

Timshel, I would probably go with the trauma theory piece. From my experience, I switched from my MA thesis to a paper I wrote in my last quarter of MA work and was MUCH more successful. Yes, the thesis gets a year of edit's, but you're wrestling with work that started out in a different place from where you are at the end of your program (I did anyway). I found that working with a different piece was also good because I wasn't . . .bored with it. You spend so much time with the MA thesis that putting a lot of energy into revising and editing (again!) can be daunting, but working with a less familiar piece makes the revising and editing more fun and, as a result, innovative (in my opinion). Best of luck!

This last week was my orientation week, and I spent the whole thing feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. It seemed like everyone in my cohort felt similarly, though. Being in a new place and trying to get familiar with your new surroundings is really stressful in and of itself. We also got to our new house a couple days before starting orientation and have spent the time moving in, unpacking, buying furniture, putting things together, etc. Anyway, my point is to say that I think we're all feeling this way and will feel a lot better in a couple of weeks. As for the family situation wtncffts, I would say hang in there and see what each day brings. If things get really bad, your program may let you take a leave to go home if needed. I know my program has that as an option, so maybe check into that in case it becomes needed. Best of luck to everyone on this process of acclimation!

I'm excited about my first semester of Ph.D. courses too! I'm taking the following all in the English department this semester 1) Seminar on gender in the early modern period (crosslisted with history and team taught by an English and history prof) 2) Shakespeare (yeah, I'm an early modernist 3) Pedagogy and teaching (I'm a TA for an Intro to Shakespeare course this semester so this course is the support system) 4) Lit theory and Ph.D. colloquium (not a lot of theory, actually, really just some Foucault but lots on the future and structure of the discipline, future of English, and methods for navigating departmental/university politics) I think I'm going to be busy, but I'm excited!

I did the same as lolopixie. The CV gives you space to showcase your experiences and qualifications without needing to use part of the precious space in your SOP.

I would be willing to share my SOP and part of my writing sample via PM if the person contacting me promised to protect my intellectual property rights and such. . .(I have related publishing concerns here). Anyway, I trust you all and think that a lot of grad cafe folks are a bit more motivated than the average Joe/Jane Schmo. For reference (this is kind of lame, I know, but rankings and such do matter a bit): I was accepted to, in no particular order, UMN, Notre Dame, UTA, U of O, U of Kansas, U of Utah, U of W (oddly since not an acceptance the year I applied but the next. . if you're interested PM me) and MA at U of Chicago. Anyway, I mention these schools ONLY because if you're applying the same places I might be able to give you insight to the people there (if you're early modern/medieval). Best of luck to all applicants!!!

I think if you're applying to the same schools you might mention it and how it made you a stronger applicant, but if you didn't apply to the school before, I wouldn't mention it.

Generally, narrow and focused is stronger.

Check out regional Medieval memberships as well. I belong to RMMLA (Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association), MAP (Medieval Association of the Pacific), and Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association. Regional organizations can give you great opportunities for conferences and, in my case, publishing opportunities. Do both the large national and regional groups and you'll get a lot more exposure.

Kahn is awesome . .. she's a rockstar, though, and as a result I've heard doesn't take on a lot of students. My own work is highly invested in feminist studies, gender theory, and early modern lit (though poetry rather than drama for the most part). Anyway, yeah, whee for the Crow Best of luck on your applications!

Yeah, spreadsheets were really helpful for me as well. In fact, you may find that you prefer the digital system once you use it. It saves money and time on USPS mail. It autoupdates receipt of materials faster. If you use a site like Portfolio you'll be able to store letters of rec online as well and submit for your profs to all schools via that site. It saves the profs tons of time and effort. Anyway, I'm right with you on the feeling old bit.. . sigh. . .no advice there

For early modern drama, check out Brown (Coppelia Kahn) and Northwestern is a good suggestion there. Other strong early modern programs include Stanford. . I heart Roland Greene. WashU is strong in early modern as well (Joe Loewenstein and Steven Zwicker). U of Minnesota has a strong early modern program (John Watkins, Shirley Garner, Nabil, Kathleen Schiel and strong Medievalists too). CU-Boulder is pretty good (Eggert). Oregon has some rising early modernists. Utah has a young early modernist who has a book coming out expected to be amazing. . .he's into drama and I can't remember his name from my campus visit (I'm into early modern poetry and critical theory). U of Chicago has Richard Strier, Michael Murrin, and Bradin Cormack (all awesome). I second the suggestion on Duke (Quilligan. . .need I say more?). U of Washington has a new early modernist on staff. The DGS called me to talk about him, but I don't remember his name. So yeah, good luck!!!!

Wanted to say the same thing Poor Hanged Fool. . .sorry. . .drives me batty. . .

I would definitely not put your blog link in your application materials. There may be information in it that isn't going to benefit you. It is likely you don't spellcheck and edit your blog posts like you do the SOP and writing sample, so don't give them material that isn't your absolute best. It also looks a little. . .unprofessional in my opinion. I also wouldn't put coursework in the CV, unless that coursework resulted in you learning some specific set of skills. Even then, I probably wouldn't put the coursework in personally, but others in your field may advise you better in that regard.

Keep in mind that where you get your Ph.D. can affect pretty heavily where you can teach. Oxbridge isn't going to keep you out of US jobs, but there is a prejudice for American Ph.D.s in the US university system. Just FYI. . .

I did MAPH as well. Someone did withdraw and if you withdraw by the first few weeks of the quarter you get a refund of some amount, but I don't know what it was. I had a good MAPH experience, but a lot of people in my cohort didn't. If you get a funded MA offer, definitely ALWAYS take that. I got partially funded at UC and still took on quite a bit of debt compared to my undergrad.

Definitely seconding Phil Sparrow's advice on taking time off. Your applications will be a lot stronger once you have some distance from your thesis (likely writing sample) to revise, time to fully work through it, and time to spend on your SOP and researching schools. Trying to take the GRE, English in Lit subject test, be a senior, AND write your SOP/put together your writing sample/create your CV, etc., can often lead to compromosing the quality of your application.