Imogene

Regarding this kind of situation and the cost of sending all the transcripts to all the programs: I wish more programs followed that "upload PDFs of transcripts" during the application process -- only requiring the formal transcripts be sent from schools upon matriculation. Many programs do this now, but man, it would really make things easier if we only had to get one copy sent to us during application season!

I think that everyone makes good points here -- no one should think that GRE's play *no* role in the admissions process. And, as I mentioned, I think what SUNY-Buffalo lays out is likely helpful for any/everyone applying (nothing too idiosyncratic there, except for the mention of the grad students on the panel). I think what I appreciate the most is the amount of information and the fact that they discuss the role the GRE plays, period. Of course GREs play roles, especially as the first-line winnowing goes. But I think it's important for folks to know that, as their description says, people with "stratospheric scores" will get rejected, and people with "modest" scores can get accepted. To me, that's honest and likely true for most, if not all programs, yet I don't hear other programs spelling that out. I think everyone here should know that you need to score well in the Vocabulary section of the GREs, especially, and that there are likely minimum cut-offs for making it to the round of serious consideration. I guess I just get tired of the standard "we weigh all parts of your application equally" phrasing, because that's not really true, right?

Maybe this is overly cynical, but my gut is that you'd likely make about the same score on the test whether you studied for it or not -- it's that kind of test. You can't really cram for it, if you know what I mean. So, I would recommend taking it, because, as many have said in this forum, lots of folks score pretty low on this lit test and still get in to top schools. I think you may be doing more harm to yourself by limiting yourself to programs that don't require it. Of the programs that do require it, I don't expect that they weigh it too heavily in the mix. But, of course, you have to weigh things for yourself: time, money, and the programs you feel you have a strong fit with. Best of luck!

Hi Brooke - welcome! I don't think you'll have much luck finding an MA program that doesn't have a second language requirement, but most programs allow multiple ways of meeting that requirement, such as taking a language course. In fact, most large universities, I think, have intensive/translation/reading classes, typically during summer sessions, specifically for graduate language requirements. Those classes also might be pass/fail, because they're for that language requirement. So, while it will be some concern for you because you don't have any second-language coursework in your recent history, it shouldn't necessarily be a dead-end. But you should talk to your current professors/advisors about this.

Thank you for being forthcoming, SUNY-Buffalo! Check this out: http://english.buffa...u/?page_id=1265 Here's a nice tidbit: "The Committee reads every application folder, then discusses them at long and sometimes contentious meetings. Mostly we find ourselves discussing the personal statements, the writing sample, and the letters of recommendation. While we do gauge grades and GREs, we are not number driven and we trust our judgments. We have accepted candidates with modest GREs and have rejected candidates with stratospheric scores. Furthermore, we do not place any particular emphasis on the schools you have attended. It is not the prestige of a school that produces interesting applicants. Brilliant students dwell in strange or obscure places, and they interest us." There's more there, like the make up of their adcomm (5 professors and 5 grad students, with equal votes), and advice for approaching your personal statement. I think that this information could help us all with our applications to any program, but I sure wish more programs were as thorough and honest!

This is very sound advice for everyone. As I've already mentioned elsewhere in this forum, I made the mistake of erring too close to the "specific" end of this spectrum, and I'm pretty certain it hurt me--you don't want to close any doors on yourself, which can happen if you're too narrow in your research interests.

I'm debating using something like this service this time around -- since it's my second to-do, I feel I owe it to my LORs to go easy on them, and I also think I'm widening the net this go around (probably somewhere between 9-12 apps). But I'm a little nervous about it -- obviously, this means there will be no personalization in the letter for each school, but chances are my LORs are sending a "to whom it may concern" letter anyway, I guess. Is there a downside to using this from the adcomm perspective? I mean, will the adcomm even be able to tell (beyond the "to whom it may concern" part)? Also, I haven't been able to find a comparable alternative to Interfolio -- anyone know of any? I realize the cost is a factor here as well, but I figure this is a go for broke year for me, why not make it literal.

Iowa and Arkansas both have MFAs in translation, so their comp lit programs may provide some good opportunities for translation. Brown has a translation track in their undergrad program, and Brown generally supports interdisciplinary studies, so seems like there might be good support for this there as well. This also seems like a great question to reach out to a DGS about.

Thanks for this, @Stately. This is really helpful and rather confirms my perceptions. Sounds like, at the least, some more investigation and some questions to POIs are in order here.

@ Phil Sparrow -- that is sound advice, and I think it's generally good for folks, but I also think folks shouldn't avoid big names because they're big names. I have several reasons for being interested in Yale as an institution to pursue my PhD (beyond what I've listed about Lewis), and I think folks should include "reach" programs in their mix if the "reach" is about them (i.e. they are the most competitive programs for *their* specific interests), and not just generally big names that, you know, they've heard of. So I think that's sound advice for folks picking schools unrelated to their interests just because they have a certain prestige (even/especially outdated). I don't think that applies to me (because there's some specific selection and consideration going on based on other things than big names, as my post should also suggest), but I'm happy to be the poster-girl for your point because I threw in the words "you know" here for some light-heartedness. let that to be a lesson to y'all

Ok, this is a selfish thread, and I've been sitting on it for a while, but I've decided to just ask: I have programs that I'm interested in, and these include "usual suspects" for my area of interest and for "top schools" -- and what I'd love some help with is insights and recommendations for getting beyond the "usual suspects." I figure that you all are at programs right now (whether as undergrads or grads) that may include great professors or departmental interests in the areas that I'm interested in. So here are my interests: British - Modernism/Fin de Siecle - Theory of the Novel - Reception Theory (with Feminist approach) - women writers - urban studies - interdisciplinary (painting and cinema). (These are not just ordered as general to specific, but this order also represents priority/emphasis.) But here's another thing: I already have my MA (and an MFA), and have been out of grad school/academia for a few years now (like 5). There are some programs/professors that interest me, but then I get the sense that these programs prefer accepting folks straight from BA, and I want to avoid them. (For example, I was interested in Delaware because of Ardis, but I get the sense that all their PhD candidates were straight from BA). So this is a 2-parter: 1) Beyond obvious programs (like Rutgers, Brown, UVa, for example), are there any professors/programs that jump to your minds here? 2) Are there programs that I should look at/avoid based on my already having an MA? Thanks as always, folks! ---> sunglasses to hide shyness and spark of hope in eyes P.S. I also want to apply to Yale because, you know, it's Yale -- but it also has P. Lewis, who has the comparative approach to modernism that I really like -- plus the modernism lab aligns really well with the work I've been doing since I left academia. But I don't get a good "feminist" or "reception theory" vibe from them (and that's an understatement). Can anyone offer insights there?

Wow, aeplo, that may be the most enlightening post I've read in this forum yet. Thank you for taking the time to share all that. I think what's so frustrating about the application process is that it's so hard to find out about those things that really define "fit" - the atmosphere, model, goals of the department - without some kind of personal contact. I've always had the "stand on your credentials/work" mentality rather than the "networking" mentality when it comes to professional advancement, so it doesn't come naturally for me to reach out to POIs and DGSs and current grad students - even just for information-gathering. It seems there's this mental block for me to reach out to these folks, especially considering all the other people who may be reaching out to them about this kind of thing. A part of me is worried about doing more harm than good (will I wind up on a blacklist of folks who annoyed the faculty?). I guess there's no real question here, because I know what I'm talking about here is borderline irrational/phobia, but I just wanted to say that aeplo's post was really important for someone like me who needs to understand the various reasons it's actually important to reach out to the programs you're interested in to find out if a) the program/ POI is/are even what you think they are b ) whether there's any room for you and your interests for the next 4-7 years

I should clarify that "I want to write my dissertation on x" was hyperbole, but, yeah, I basically flubbed on that important point you make, Stately Plump. @TheNewMrsS, this writer is REALLY underrepresented, as in, I went through an MA and MFA and never even heard of her. But I stumbled upon her since leaving academia and am really motivated to return in part just to get the chance to contribute to making her part of the conversation again. (she's been getting more attention in the last 15 years, but you won't find her in any Norton Anthologies, for example . Hugs and solidarity to you all -- I'm glad I found this forum, and I'm sure it will help me this 2nd time through the PhD slaughterhouse, I mean, application season.

I think we might be application-redux twins, TheNewMrsS, because I think the thing that hurt me most this last app season (2 waitlists, but neither materialized) was that I was too specific in my SOP. I'm also focused on British modernism but I have this really strong interest in a particular underrepresented writer and thought that I'd single myself out from all the other brit mod applicants by emphasizing this particular writer and what I wanted to focus on. I tried to broaden the appeal and at the same time demonstrate fit by tackling some of the theoretical approaches I'm interested in (this is where I pulled in POIs and tried to make connections between their approaches and mine), but after the post-mortem I realized that being too specific (eg "I want to write my dissertation on x") will scare people away. I realized that you want to be clear about your interests and strengths, but you don't want to limit yourself to a point that adcomms and POIs can eliminate you because they don't have someone who's working on that topic or interested in that niche area. I also know that research interests inevitably change, so it's wiser to keep to the broader interests anyway. But, as others have said, there's also just some crazy alchemy that happens with those adcomms and our application materials. I'm not sure they could even justify their decisions in the way that we're all trying to justify/analyze why we were accepted or not. I wonder if you tossed up the same exact set of applications by the same adcomms a second (or third or fourth) time whether they'd even choose the same people. Ok I'm sounding more and more cynical. See what this does to us? And it's only August!

Not too late! You can always bump these kinds of threads back into circulation

+1 to the replies so far, and an additional thought: if the other unfunded program is near where you'll be for the funded, can you audit any classes? Does your school participate in any consortia that would allow you to work with professors/resources outside the institution? This might also help with rec letter time - if you can work with an outside prof who may be better known/or from a better known program, then build that relationship for an LOR. And a third thought: if a thesis is part of your MA, can you get an outside faculty person to be on the committee? Same reasoning as above.

Siarabird, I think that you're ok if you don't have a really specific focus. My sense is that American programs (as opposed to UK) don't expect (and maybe don't even particularly want) laser-defined research interests. If you know your focus area, I assume you already can make a list of these things (which will help form your SOP): Favorite authors/works (why?) Interesting themes you'd like to explore more (why? Who is already writing about this - criticism?) Prominent theoretical arguments you agree with or would like to use as a tool (any -isms you can throw out there?) Any big questions you have about the subject matter, themes, critical discourse, direction of theory? Particular professors/scholars that tend to pop up in your research so far on this area? I think if you can spend time on this list, you'll be going in the right direction. Sometimes being too specific with your research goals could be a hindrance, because if no one in the dept shares that specific interest, you may be hurting yourself. You want to be able to show that you understand the current landscape of your focus area, that you have some interests in some specific authors and works, and that you have some interesting questions. And, equally as important, your writing sample shows that you can participate successfully in the critical discourse (ideally, in the same area as your proposed area). But, again, departments know that research focus will change - it's part of the research process anyway.

It's definitely ok if your writing sample doesn't come from a specific class - I think programs may put that kind of language (about including a writing sample from a course) just to make sure that you know what kind of writing sample to submit. I'm working on a new writing sample that will better reflect my research interests now, and I've been out of grad school for a while. Think about it this way: if you were in a program now, what class would you be taking, and what kind of paper would you submit in it? Maybe write a paper for a theoretical class . But, it IS a really good idea to make sure that someone else, qualified, reads your paper before you submit it. If you can't get a professor to read it and give you feedback, then find a peer who you respect and who has knowledge of the topic. And if you can't find anyone like that, then you should ask some folks on this forum to read it. I know that I will be in that boat later this summer (heads up all you Mod-Brit-Fem specialists).

I hear ya. Can we ask what your score is? Or, percentile range? I mean, you've probably already heard (and read here) about REALLY not putting too much energy into these, especially when you could put that energy into updating a writing sample and working on your SOP. There are plenty of stories already shared here about folks with low (relatively) GRE scores being accepted to top schools. Are you worried that your score would technically make you, in some cases, inelligible (like for funding?), or are you just trying to get your scores up into a really high percentile so that they look good? If it's the latter, I'd say don't waste any more time or money; but if it's the former, then maybe, if you're game, you could be more specific about where you are now and get some feedback from others about whether it's a real cut-off concern? On another note, I'd like to also partake in a general anti-GRE rant, and raise you one more: departments who continue to recite the importance of GRE scores without giving actual reference about cut-offs or how they're weighted in their assessment. I know some schools don't even freaking look at them except in cases of needing to meet some baseline requirements for funding or TAs. I applied this season and got waitlisted by two schools (it didn't turn out in my favor), and when I followed up with the DGS at one of these after they told me that they weren't going to have a funded spot for me to ask for any feedback for applying next year, I got a boilerplate response that STARTED with a reference to "make sure GRE scores are strong" --- really? You had me on your waitlist for acceptance (meaning, if a spot had opened up i would be joining their program in the fall), and you're going to mention GRE scores? Am I supposed to take this to mean that if my GRE scores had been higher I would have been on the short-short list, instead of just the short list? If that *is* the case, then TELL me that, otherwise, what am I supposed to do with that info? Ugh. Ok, that kinda felt good to rant about.

I agree with pinkrobot on this: consider writing a new paper that more closely aligns with the area you're proposing your PhD focus to be in. Even though you may find many programs that don't specify this as important when applying, you will find some programs that do mention some preference/recommendation around this, and you can assume that many programs prefer/expect this without stating so. I think the main reason this is important is that not everyone reads your sample, so if you state that you want to study X, with Professor Q, even, then I think that they'll get faculty with X focus, or at least the closest to that topic on the committee (and maybe Professor Q) to read it -- and, clearly, it's harder to make that subjective judgement call between several strong papers, when one of those papers is pretty far afield from the reader's interests and the writer's proposed focus area for their program. There are a couple of options I'd suggest in this situation: - write a new paper on something closer to what you're hoping to focus on -- if you're confident in this other area of focus, then I imagine you've done *some* work, and definitely some thinking, that you could base this on. And, I think you'd be ok writing a 15-18 page paper, as opposed to a 20-25 one, as there are some schools who want shorter papers (Yale) or even two short papers (Virginia, I think?) anyway. - anyway to update your Canterbury paper with a postmodern/transgressive approach? That might sound crazy, but it's not impossible, I'm sure, and could be really interesting. Also, my iPad's auto correct thought, surely, "pinkrobot" must be "pinky obit," because that makes so much more sense

I think Toby McGuire may be the only right casting! He's so . . . vacant, vessel-like, which seems perfect for a character that is basically just your point of view. But, I'm def. not a DiCaprio fan (please, someone, make him stop with the Oscar quest), and I think Trip and Augusta are probably right on that this film is a vehicle for an American "period" film - in 3D! - rather than a treatment of, you know, a text.

Wow, thanks for starting this thread. I am one of those who didn't make it through this year, and was wondering how to ask for help on this for the next time around. Thanks for reading my mind, and for everyone's generosity - something you'd almost expect at this point by this great crowd, but super appreciated, nonetheless.

You guys rocked this. Some great ideas here I hadn't thought of/known about -- added to my queue. (I want to +1 to Big Fish, A Single Man, Princess Bride, and the BBC versions of P&P and N&S) I also wanted to throw out some suggestions here, too: The old BBC mini-series version of Tinker Tailor, with Alec Guinness Where the Wild Things Are (RIP, Maurice! -- or, I should say, let the wild rumpus begin, for eternity) almost any Merchant Ivory production (though I did not like The Golden Bowl) The Sheltering Sky (Paul Bowles)

Hmm. Ok, that clearly didn't work. <--- sunglasses to hide confused and ashamed expression of being shunned by the Lit/ Rhet forum

I've heard this is huge. Unfortunately, I don't think any of my recommenders had particular colleagues synched with my schools. I really love my LORs, and they know me and my work really well, but this is making me think harder about this the next time around. Is it better to go out of your solid mentor/prof circle to get a rec from a prof that may not know you as well, but may have more ties in your prospective circle of colleagues/profs?