KendraSevilla

Hi everyone, I'm currently apply for graduate school, mainly MA programs in Canada. So far I have applied to: U of Michigan U of Ottawa (accepted, but I it down as I was not offered any funding) U of Calgary (rejected) U of Alberta I plan on applying to UBC and UofToronto as well.

The Kindle is pretty good in my opinion. I first got the Kobo because its pretty common here in Canada, but I could not buy many Spanish books in their store. Amazon on the other hand is way ahead of the game! There is lots of stuff in Spanish, and you can find stuff in French, Portuguese, and the odd Catalan book.

Hi everyone! I was very happy to see that there is a thread here for DH. I have been thinking of applying to the University of Alberta's Digital Humanities MA because they offer a specialization with their languages and Cultures department, and my field of interest is Spanish literature and culture. Now the thing is, I get the impression that not a lot of people who are in the field of languages are in DH (except maybe people who do linguistics). At the UofA's program it looks like most people are in English, History, Classics, Film, and I just don't know if I will be a good "fit" and my application might get overlooked. Personally I am not concerned about possibly being an odd one out in a department, I just really want to learn about DH and try to integrate it with Spanish literature. My idea is to present a project that would look at using technology to teach lit classes in hopes that it would make the content more accessible for students and perhaps more interesting to work with.

One of my profs in UG was a straight male who specializes in feminism/womens studies in the Spanish dept, well regarded at the uni. He was my favourite prof! It is possible, so don't get discouraged.

Hi BrandiAlexandra, Thanks for your message. This year I had planned to apply to Concordia, as well as other schools around Canada, but decided to take a year off to teach in Spain before doing gradschool full-time. It was too difficult to trying to finish off my last year of undergrad and trying to organize gradschool applications at the same time. Plus my interests were all over the place and I wasn't 100% sure what I wanted to specialize in, but Im starting to figure that out, so I will use this year to teach and go deeper into my narrowed down interests.

Bueno, yo decidí tomar un año de descanso entre mi undergrad y de solicitar un master. Mi intención es ir a España por 8 meses después de graduarme para enseñar inglés y cultura canadiense. Me doy cuenta que tengo muchos interesas y no sé en lo qué quiero enfocar para un tesis. Que tengan mucha suerte en las solicitudes!

Bienvenido Tony! Ktwho, gracias por el enlace sobre el SOP. Todavía sigo procrastinando también, y ahora estoy pensando en cambiar a literatura contemporánea porque creo que tengo más ideas en qué investigar. No tengo tanta experiencia con el Siglo de Oro o la Edad Media, así creo es mejor hacer algo que conozco más. Quizás algo sobre Almudena Grandes, Lucía Etxebarría, o Rosa Montero.

Para las cartas de recomendación tengo un poco de miedo. Por cierto tengo uno de un profesor de español, quien me conoce muy bien, pero alguien para escribir una segunda o tercera carta, no estoy cierta... hay 4 profes en el dept que me enseñaron (el dept es super pequeño). Con la más nueva todavía no tiene su PhD, y nos caemos muy bien, pero por supuesto no tiene tenure. Hay 2 no me caen bien a pesar de que obtuve notas buenas en sus cursos. Vamos a decir que hay mucho "drama" adentro el departamento... Tengo que brain storm en qué quiero escribir en mi SOP y en mi propósito de proyecto. Estoy pensando en las novelas caballerías castellanas y catalanas con el Quijote. Pero no creo es original para nada jajaja. Recientemente me interesa mucho en el siglo de oro valenciana también, pero he visto que no hay mucho investigación en Norte América.

Wow, tenéis mucho experiencia en España! Sólo tengo 5 meses de un intercambio en Sevilla y Valencia en 2010. ¿Qué es el OPI (es el GRE)?... No creo que tenemos eso en Canadá (por cierto no tenemos que hacer el GRE). ¿Estáis preparando ahora para las solicitudes? Yo sólo estaba leyendo artículos para pensar en un tema para poner en el SOP y en una solicitud de una beca canadiense. Como ha dicho un profesor mío, "sería un obra de ficción" jajajaa

Ktwho: La programa de Stanford me parece increíble. Me gusta el trabajo de Joan Ramón Resina y hablé con uno de sus ex-estudiantes que ahora es profesor en la Universidad de Toronto. Los dos hacen mucho trabajo en estudios catalanes. Así hablas gallego? Creo que puedes hacer mucho sobre los gallegos, especialmente que ahora el tema de transnacionalismo es de moda. A mí me gusta la literatura posguerra también, especialmente los de Generación X. Bueno, tengo que hacer mi MA antes el doctorado, así, en teoría, sería siete años más o menos hasta tengo el PhD jajaja... pero quiero pensar positivamente al respeto a la bolsa de trabajo, y creer que si trabajo dura, escribo y publico mucho en el futuro, que un buen puesto en una uni me encuentre.

Quiero solicitar a la Universidad de Calgary, UBC, U de Ottawa, U de Western Ontario, U de Toronto. Sería genial si me acepten a U de Calgary, porque yo no tendría que mudarme (asisto a otra universidad en Calgary). Me alegra que tomaste cursos de esta temática medieval. Tengo una profesora que especializa en literatura testimonial de Latino América, pero creo de la época colonial de los Inca de Perú. La literatura testimonial es fascinante, pero no me lo trabajo mucho.

Hola Tiffany! No creo que tener una publicación que escribió durante la licenciatura no es esencial para solicitar a programas, y imagino no hay muchos estudiantes que lo hacen. Yo también falta un año en mi BA. Tengo que pensar en qué tema y tesis para el SOP. A mi me gustaría explorar las representaciones y influencias de musulmanes y judíos en literatura castellana y catalana en las épocas medievales y modernas. Kendra

Hola ktwho! Bueno, espero que puedo continuar a hacer un doctorado después y ser profesora en una universidad algún día. Para las programas en Canadá, tiene que tener un MA antes de solicitar para un PhD. Creo que las programas de estudios hispánicos de UBC, Toronto, y McGill son más conocidos por estadounidenses, de lo que he visto, son la mayoría en Grad Café. En mi opinión, los universidades en Canadá son más iguales por todo el país, así no hay tanto prestigio como en los "Ivy legues" de los EEUU. También hay muchas oportunidades tener becas y financiamiento para el MA y PhD. Hoy tuve una reunión con la directora de la programa de U de Calgary, y me fue bien. Ella cree que soy una buena candidata si quiero enfocar en los periodos medievales y/o edad de oro. Me parece que son muy flexibles y liberales en esta facultad, que para mi es bueno. ¿En qué campos o temas en particular os interesan?

Hola a todos! Quiero solicitar a programas que están solamente en Canadá, para una maestría. Creo que voy a cortar mi lista pero tengo en la mente a solicitar a: U of Calgary, U of Alberta, UBC, U of Ottawa, U of Western Ontario, U of Toronto. Quiero enfocar en literatura y cultura de España, pero todavía no sé en concreto si quiero hacer una tema medieval/temprano moderno o contemporáneo, que son bastante diferentes!

Hi alleykat, I'm glad to hear that you got into a program without having a History degree. It is quite nerve wracking when you dont have the background in that field. I appreciate the input, and I'm thinking that I will most likely have to create my own writing sample, rather than using a paper from a class.

Hi everyone! I have been lurking at Grad Cafe for a while now, and about a year ago only made a single post in the Languages forum asking about Spanish literature programs. I have another year left is my BA, which is in Spanish, not History, and want to apply for MA programs in Canada. However the past few years I have taken a real liking to history, and I feel like my interests are more suited to a history program rather than a literature program. I have found two programs, York U and Trent U, with historians that research contemporary Spanish history. I sent them both out an email saying that I am doing a BA in Spanish and am interested in studying Spanish history further, and I got positive responses encouraging me to apply to their programs. I want to apply for fall 2013. Im trying to complete a History minor, so that I at least have a little bit of a foundation. My marks have been all over the place though; A in Spanish Medieval History (that I took in Spain, which was a 3rd year course taught in Spanish, but it transferred over as an Intro course sadly), C in an Intro to European History, A- in a 3rd year Canadian History course, and a B in a 3rd year American History course. I now have a better idea on how to go about history courses, so I'm hoping I'll get more A's in the next four I have to complete. My current overall GPA is 3.27 and I realize that its not competitive, but I'm hoping it will perk up during the next academic year. I'm not super confident being an applicant for History MA programs, because its pretty competitive, but my marks are good for my Spanish courses and I have studied abroad in Spain so I'm hoping that gives me more of an edge when it comes to focusing on Spanish history in these programs. Has anyone else here "changed fields", or is thinking of doing so if you are like me and wanting to apply, from undergrad to graduate programs?

I have thought about programs in Spain, and have asked professors about that rout and even the representative from the Ministerio de Educación that lives here, and they all say its not a good idea because "the system is so different there". They usually dont fund students there for MAs, so I would have to pay for full tuition (and international student fees) and living expenses for a year, and not be able to work there legally because Im not a EU citizen. The Explore program seems really good, and I have a friend who went as well, and she liked it very much as well. I'll look into it, because I really do want to learn French more for personal interest. I've also been looking at Linguistics/Hispanic linguistics programs for Sociolingistics and Applied Linguistics and also a MA in Humanities Computing at the U of Alberta that can have a focus on Spanish. I've been looking at the reality of the Academic job market and its not pretty, so I have been trying to find programs that might be more "practical" than specializing in literature and culture and never land a job at a university because of an overflowing applicant rate. I could always get a teaching degree and teach kids if things dont work out in the Academic world.

Thanks Cafeomuerto for the response, I really appreciate it! Unfortunately my university does not offer an Honours degree in Spanish. All the other BA programs have the honours option except for us. My program really got the short end of the stick on a lot of factors, and my fellow students and I have not had the best times with it. They also have French classes, and there's a minor, but the way they have it set up to have it at a minor is weird (there's the beginner and intermediate levels, then "univeristy level French", and they only start counting from the uni level for the minor) and there's no time to squeeze it in as a minor because of this. Also there's no Portuguese courses at the two universities in my city. Deep down I think I should focus on programs that offer Catalan, such as Brown, Stanford, U of Toronto, Queen's, U of Colorado Boulder. Enric Bou, Joan Ramon Resina, and Robert Davidson are fantastic. Catalan studies is such an interesting field, and really under researched. I already know some Catalan, but Im no where near fluent like in Spanish. I should save up money to do a summer course at the Univeristat de Barcelona. I hope that for when I apply for the language assistant program that I can end up somewhere in Catalunya, Valencia or the Balearic Islands, and better my Catalan for 9 months. "I would recommend that you do a Master's before trying a PhD": This is my thought exactly, as well with your other comment on getting more research and teaching experience. In Canada, you cant go straight into a PhD program, you have to have a Masters first in order to apply. So if I end up going to a Canadian school, it will be for my masters first. Thanks for letting me know about the competitiveness of Spanish programs, it was just one of those things I had no idea about even after some research.

Hi everyone, Im a Canadian undergraduate with two more years left in my degree, at a small newly named Canadian university, and in a new Spanish program there. The past few years I have played around with the idea that I should go to grad school in Spanish/Hispanic studies after I graduate. I know the state that the Humanities are in universities, that its going downhill with the economy, but I still like the idea of going to grad school to do research and to teach, and have a career in that. I even see it in my own program, where we only have four PhD's that teach the higher level classes, and one PhD that teaches a few Latin American studies courses. Because we have few profs, and the program is new, we basically have no freedom of choice when it comes to courses in our major, and we have to take what is offered that semester. My current GPA is a 3.2, and I do realize that I need to bring it up before the time comes to apply to grad school. I have studied aboard in Sevilla (January 2010-June 2010), and have always been more interested in Peninsular culture and literature. I hope to take a year or two off before applying to grad school, and be a language assistant in Spain, and hopefully to narrow down my interests and to beef up applications. My main question is, what are some good Spanish programs in the US or Canada? I have tried to see if there is a list of schools, but have not found such a thing. I also have been looking at various universities to see if I can find faculty that share similar research interests, and sometimes it is hard to find people. So far my list of schools has been: U of Toronto, UBC, Queens University (in Ontario), U of Western Ontario, Stanford, Brown, U of Colorado Boulder, U of Minnesota Twin Cities, John Hopkins. Some of the schools I have had in mind based on course listings and faculty that share research interests. I very much like Catalan and Andalusian culture, and the medieval period, so I tried to look for schools that had any of those. My second question is, how competitive is it to get into Spanish graduate programs? I know for fields like English and History it is super competitive, and not to get your hopes up when applying to big name universities even if you do have a stellar application. I have no clue what it is like in Spanish, if it is like that or much toned down and not as many people apply. I have tried to ask my profs about this stuff, but two went into grad school for Education, one went to grad school in England for Spanish. They are just not familiar at all with Spanish programs in Canada or the US. I am glad to have found this forum, and have read a lot of the posts and to read of people's experiences applying to Spanish programs.