Ryzhaya

Already on my list, but good to hear someone support that choice! Do you have any experience with that department?

I'm having sort of a slow-burning freakout regarding my writing sample, so I'm just going to post a half-kvetch, half plea for help thing here. I've been out of school for 2 years, and while I did very well in my undergrad, I wasn't really thrilled by the idea of returning to any of my old papers. Plus, when I asked my favorite old prof for advice on editing a paper I wrote for his class, he just said "Your writing sample should be an example of what your interests are now" and sort of stared at me meaningfully. So I decided to write a completely new essay. It's a topic I'm really excited about and it is definitely in line with my planned areas of focus for grad study. The problem is that I've never written a paper completely on my own before, and it's sort of terrifying. It's making me realize just how valuable bouncing ideas around in school really is. Also, without a colleague or professor to say "yes, this is interesting, you're on the right track," it's really easy to get pessimistic. I find myself reading more and more things that might even be tangentially related to my project because I'm so worried I'll miss something important. I'm also worried about the editing process; my former professors are wonderful and will help me as much as they can, but they're much to busy to edit my essay for me, and I'm not sure who to ask for help / how much time to give them / how much beer to bribe them with. Has anyone done a project like this before? Any words of wisdom? Also, would it be a point in my favor to mention that I wrote my sample as an independent project in my SOP?

I figured I'd post an update with some more random questions in case anyone has some useful advice . . . thanks in advance! First, I wanted to clarify that I've had three YEARS of formal Russian study, not three semesters! God, that's been bothering me Second, I've decided to apply to Comp Lit M.A. programs (besides Santa Cruz in Literature) and to just kick my language study into high gear between now and the beginning of grad study. This leads me to a couple of questions: - Does anyone have any useful tips on how to get from an intermediate to an advanced level in a language, preferably self-directed / very cheaply? - Is it advisable to mention all language knowledge in your SOP, even if you don't plan on working in said languages? - In general, any advice on how to represent where you are vs. where you plan to be language-wise in your SOP? Essentially I'm worried about misrepresenting my skills, but I also plan to have better language skills (through intensive Russian study and probably beginning French) by the time I actually begin classes. Finally, If anyone out there has a stand-alone M.A. in Comp Lit, I'd love to hear about your experience. And if anyone has any inside knowledge / tips/ words of warning about the schools I'm applying to, I'd love to hear that too!

Took mine this afternoon as well! Q 610-710 V 750-800

I am slowly but surely getting my act together to apply to masters programs. My undergrad degree is in Comparative Literature, and while I will be applying to some programs in Comp Lit, I'm also interested in applying to some English programs. The best piece of writing I have to work with, however, is a comparative paper; the primary texts are in English, Russian, and Spanish. Would it be a bad idea to use this paper as my writing sample for English grad programs? Should I still include quotations in the original languages, or should I only include the translations? Thanks for any and all advice!

I took all the Russian courses offered at my school, which added up to three semesters, as well as a one month intensive course in St. Petersburg. I'm familiar with all the grammar, but my speaking skills and vocabulary are unimpressive. I can usually muddle through a written text pretty decently, though. I'm a little rusty, as I haven't had any focused Russian study since I graduated two years ago, so I'm obviously going to practice my butt off between now and my applications, but I'd still be nervous about entrance exams and wary about misrepresenting my language skills. I would certainly be interested programs that allow you to brush up on your languages while enrolled and will definitely look into it. What was the initial language exam like? For that matter, what were the exams before your comprehensives like? And both of the suggested programs do sound really interesting, thank you! Also, folkloredude, I've already resigned myself to the likelihood of freezing and/or sweltering weather after being spoiled by California all my life . . . but that is probably the least appealing aspect of my grad school plans

Hello all! I'm planning to apply to terminal M.A. programs for Fall 2012, and I figured I'd put out some feelers here to see if anyone knows of any schools that would be fantastic for me. (NOTE: I know most of you are right in the midst of a very nail-biting, obsessively-email-refreshing, hard-drinking time, so a massive thank you in advance to anyone taking the time to respond.) My deal: I have my B.A. in Comparative Literature from a pretty no-name school, but I did quite well in my undergrad. I will probably get some strong letters of recommendation, and I have high hopes for whipping an old essay into an awesome writing sample. Haven't taken the GREs yet. Part of my problem is that I'm not sure which department would be the best fit for me. I don't feel that my foreign languages are strong enough to compete in a lot of traditional Comparative Literature programs, I'm too unprepared / not particularly interested in the English canon for a lot of English programs, and I'd like to work with more literary theory and English language authors than a lot of Slavic programs seem to include. I guess I'm looking for a kind of nontraditional program in any of these departments. My interests include 20th century Russian and Russian-Jewish literature, the history of Jewish thought, theories of authorship, the Body, and the Devil in literature. I'm only interested in M.A. programs because I really don't think I'm intellectually or emotionally ready for a Ph.D. Funded programs are obviously vastly preferable, although I am debt-free at the moment and would be willing to sink a little money into this. Thanks again, and good luck to all of you.