ProfLorax

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're let go rather than allowed to quit, can't you then claim unemployment?

I honestly believe that applicants overthink what adcomms will prioritize or even notice. I know I was guilty of this too! For an adcomm to realize you took four years, the committee has to really look at that dates on the transcript (when their priority is the grades) or really look at the dates listed under education history. And even then, they would have to know that your MA program was intended to be a two-year program. For that to happen, someone on the committee would have to be interested enough to go online and look up the curriculum for your MA program. Remember: the committee members have 200-600 applications to review! I highly doubt that they scrutinize our applications as much as we think they do. I also think that taking a long time to complete an MA isn't a red flag. In my MA program, many of the students couldn't afford to go full-time, so they worked full-time and pursued the program part-time. Or they had kids right before or during the program. Or they had a family crisis, like the OP. There are so many legitimate reasons to take extend one's time in an MA program. Plus, while time-to-degree is a big deal in humanities PhD programs, most academics understand that MA programs are just different--they are more casual about time, and often, less of a full-time commitment (by necessity, since funding is rare and often students have to work outside during MA coursework). Which brings me to my final point: when ad comm members read through applications, the question steering the reading is, "does this applicant have the potential to become an amazing scholar?" Their priority is to find the best candidates--not to trip up candidates by analyzing the small details in an application. Write an excellent SoP and writing sample. Make your case for attending that program. Whether or not you get in has everything to do to what you can offer as a history scholar, and that will be apparent in your materials. Also, your old advisor sucks. I'm really sorry you had to go through that.

This question gets a bit more complicated at six months pregnant, let me tell you! I refuse to buy a maternity wardrobe for just for work, given that this is a temporary condition and maternity clothes can be pricey. I wear a pair of maternity jeans when I'm going to class as a student, and then long stretchy skirts or gaucho pants to class when I teach. As winter comes, I imagine I'll primarily wear maternity jeans and commit to lots of layers.

You are both BLOWING MY MIND RIGHT NOW. Thanks for the info! I'll have to readjust how I approach fonts in my day-to-day writing. Chadillac, I hope you enjoyed DC. The weather was nice and cool this past weekend! Your photos from the trip are great, and you looked like you were having a great time. Can't wait to finally meet offline in Tampa!

Here's an email I used to make initial contact that sparked an excellent conversation. For background info: I did get into the program, though I don't think contacting a POI was a factor. Professor [blank], I am preparing to apply to [school name] for the PhD program in [degree name] for Fall 2013, so I thought I would introduce myself. I have a BA and MA in English from the California State University system. For the past two years, I have been teaching reading, developmental writing, freshman composition, and feminist theory at Monterey Peninsula College, a two-year college in California. I love teaching at a community college because of the diversity and courage of my students. On the other hand, the hardest part about teaching at an underfunded public two-year institution is the lack of support for research. When I was a student, I focused on research and writing. As an educator, I am focused on teaching. I want to enter a world where both research and teaching are equally valued, where I no longer have to choose between the two. This is why I will be applying to the [school] for the PhD program in [degree name]. Furthermore, I am especially excited about the possibility of working with you because of our similar interests. As an educator and a feminist scholar, I am constantly questioning how to bridge feminist theory and practice in the classroom. Also, I am interested in analyzing the rhetoric of gender, sexuality, and ability outside of the academy, so your research in [blah blah] is particularly exciting to me. I was curious about how my interests would fit into [name] program. Would it be possible for me to call you during your office hours in the next few weeks? If that is possible, please let me know a convenient time to call you. Thank you for your time! Best, Lorax

Hi there! I think, given your immediate goals, an MA makes a ton of sense! I taught at a community college for three years before going back to get my PhD, and I found that, at least where I was teaching, where you got your MA was less important than you having an MA and teaching experience. That said, if you are interested primarily in teaching community college, perhaps you could look into some of the composition and technical writing MA's. Or if you do decide to go the MA in Literature route, some universities offer an online graduate certificate in teaching composition. There is a list of some luck!

Oh, great question! I'm just going to throw out some thoughts: When looking at a paper, prioritize global concerns over local concerns. For example, thesis that doesn't make sense or relate to the rest of the paper is a bigger concern than a formatting error. Try to keep your comments to what has been discussed in class, and even then, try to focus your feedback on three or four main points the whole class is working on. For example, if you are working on maintaining an argument through close textual analysis in class, your feedback should focus on that. Keep marginal comments brief and sparse. It can be overwhelming for students to get papers back with tons of marks. I try to limit myself to one or two comments per paragraph, if that. Also comment on the strengths; students learn just as much from positive models (even models created by themselves) as from constructive criticism. Form your feedback as questions, pushing the students to come to their own conclusions and make their own choices as writers. Questions like, "how does this quotation/outside source back up your initial claim?" is more helpful than "Doesn't back up your original claim." So often, students have smart connections in their minds but don't articulate them on the page, so questions can help push them to making their analyses and claims clearer. End comments should focus on the future. Even if students won't be revising this draft for class, frame the comments as "here's how you can improve your next draft or project" rather than "here are all the things you did wrong with this one." For you, set a time limit for each paper. It can be really easy to get sucked into a problematic paper, but you don't have time for that. Go through a few papers, time yourself, then figure out what would be an appropriate amount of time to give yourself for each of the remaining papers. Don't go over it! If you are TA'ing, feel free to ask the professor to look over your feedback and give you feedback on your feedback! Or if not the professor, another experienced TA can also give valuable feedback.

I hadn't heard this! Could you expand? Is it a matter of screen readers or something else?

Really good advice all around. I'm just popping into say that I first thought you had written Tommy Wiseau, and I was completely giddy at that. But then I re-read your post and realized you were making a much more scholarly reference than to the writer, director, and star of The Room. (Although, I wonder if there are some interesting parallels between Tommy Wiseau and Tommy Wilhelm...) Back to your actual concerns, I think it is wise to talk to someone you trust. You've laid out some great reasons to leave the program, but do you have a plan for your immediate future if you do? Yes, moving to LA is great, but do you have a place to stay and a way to generate income while you prepare for that move? Also, given your career interests, if you feel like you need a grad program to refocus you, perhaps an MFA or MA in technical writing would be better fits. Good luck! Please let us know what you choose.

Are you talking about way way way northern California? My husband is from Lassen County, and yeah, I see it fitting your description. But I wouldn't describe the Bay Area as dry or poverty-stricken. It's one of the most beautiful places I've been too (Muir Woods, the Presidio, Point Reyes, Big Sur, Mount Tam, etc), BUT there are valid reasons to not want to live there. Instead of being poverty-stricken, SF has been actively pushing the poor out with its ridiculously high rents, and the tide of gentrification is spreading to Berkeley and Oakland. There are way too many people trying to live in too small a space, leading to poor infrastructure and public transportation. And some members of the tech community can be... let's say that comedies like Silicon Valley are more accurate than not. That being said, I would move back to the Bay Area in a heartbeat. My husband disagrees; he loves the area too, but it's just so damn expensive. With the way the job market is, I'll take any academic job west of the Rockies when the time comes. But I'm pretty sure I'd be okay living in a shack if it meant a TT job at Berkeley, SFSU, CSU East Bay, or Mills. The one where Proflorax completely steered the conversation away from the OP's question.... Sorry!

Does. Not. Compute. Brain. Breaking.

I have a different perspective that I think can be applied to many of the GRE questions that will pop up this time of year. Will re-taking the GRE scores make YOU feel better about your application? Do you have the funds to re-take it? Do you have time to re-take it? Are you close to a GRE testing location? If you can answer yes to all those questions, regardless of your score, then consider re-taking it. This is such a bizarre process, so do what you need to do to feel better about your application. Perhaps you will feel fine about your GRE scores once your letter writer has agreed to touched about them. Or perhaps you'll feel great once you have finalized your SoP. But if you're losing sleep over your scores (and you can easily re-take the test), then re-take it. Sit with yourself and really try to figure out what course of action would make you feel best about your application packet, whether that is re-taking the GRE or devoting that time to your SoP and WS instead. In other words, you do you. Good luck!

Welcome, Portia! I'm all about regional universities. Both my BA and MA are from the California State University system. I found my MA program to be a refreshing blend of people wanting to go onto PhD programs, wanting to teach at private schools, wanting to find writing/editing jobs, and just wanting to study literature. And I get the financial limitations of application season! I think your plan sounds wise, though lyoness raises an interesting possibility of applying to both M.Ed. and MA programs and seeing where your acceptances take you. Good luck!

I didn't have to take the subject test, so take my response with a grain of salt. It seems that the General is all about test-taking skills, while the Subject is about test-taking skills but also content. Which means, I think you can probably study for both at the same time. Every time you take a practice Subject test, practice the test-taking skills that will also help you on the General test. Hypervodka's response on the GRE English thread is a great example of this! You'll find similar vocabulary questions on both the subject and general test, and the process of elimination strategy is often more important than knowing the definition of the word itself. If I were in your position, then, I'd spend probably most (51-80%, depending on your already existing knowledge base) of my time studying the content that will be on the Subject test, then spend the rest of the time preparing for the General and Subject together by taking both General and Subject practice tests. I have no idea if I'm making sense today, but it makes sense in my head.

With an MA in Lit, I taught as an adjunct for three years at a community college; now, I am a second year PhD student. I imagine most of the users here who have an MA are going the PhD route, since this board is geared towards grad school admissions. It would be useful to look at some department newsletters and see where their alumni end up!

Agreed-- I think the issue about breaks between semesters is pretty discipline specific. I'm also in the Humanities, and this summer, I went to campus maybe two or three times. Of course, I was working throughout the summer: I finished my language requirement through an immersive program at another school, prepared my syllabus for Fall semester, and revised an article for publication. But most of those are things I can do at home or on the road. This winter break I probably won't be doing any school work... I'll be having a baby! So no travel for me, but typically, I love traveling in the winter: airfares and hotels tend to be cheaper for certain areas (two years ago, we did a big Europe trip in January on the cheap). Or I like driving just a few hours away for a short vacation and different climate. Other than that, my breaks between semesters tend to be consumed by balancing research, writing, and Netflix. Mmmm Netflix...

I think you're getting some good advice here; with your work experience, getting a teaching position after an online MA may not be a problem, but getting strong letters of rec for a PhD program may be more of a challenge. To answer your question, there was recently a thread about online MA programs in Writing Studies on the WPA listserv. Here are the programs that were listed: The following programs offer MA or MS degrees in technical and professional communication: Arizona State Chatham East carolina Metropolitan Sate Minnestoa State Mankato Missouri U. of Science and Tech NJIT New England College Northeastern U RPI Southern Polytechnic Texas Tech UCF U. Wisconsin Stout Utah State William Patterson NYU Valdosta State University Also: The University of Texas at El Paso has Graduate Certificate Program in Technical & Professional Writing Indiana University East has Graduate Certificate in Composition Studies (and is working on a hybrid full MA program)

Like pretty much everyone has said, we all have the same job concerns! But there are strategies to help negate that anxiety. The first priority, from what other faculty have told me, is to write a killer dissertation and publish an article in at least one top journal. And I still think that should be our priority, but the reality is that the jobs that base hiring mostly on research ARE evaporating. So also focus on getting some good teaching experience. Try to be the instructor of record (as opposed to a discussion group leader) in as many different classes as possible: composition, literature survey courses, and professional writing. Keep an eye out for administrative assistantships for graduate students: can you work as the assistant director of the writing program for a year? These kinds of experiences can open up community college, full-time lectureships, and high school teaching jobs in a way that just having a killer dissertation doesn't. Then, as Chadillac suggests, consider working outside of academia. This is more challenging for some because it's hard for us to imagine an outside entity wanting to hire an expert on thing theory or some other esoteric topic, but I do think it's possible. I write about activist rhetoric, which I hope would open up positions in progressive think tanks or non-profit organizations. A TT job is the ultimate goal for me, but I think I could also be happy working in non-profit, political, or activist spheres while adjuncting on the side as my Plan B. Of course, this may all sound overwhelming: write a killer dissertation, publish, and teach ALL THE THINGS. But I do think it's possible to diversify your CV while also staying grounded. I do want to stress that it is okay to say no to extracurricular activities while in grad school. Maybe pick one or two that you think you'll really love, and just focus on those. You don't have to lead every reading group or be on every board position of your grad student organization. Pick the activities that interest you and think will enhance your CV, and say no to the others. Lastly, talk to your advisors and the placement director early on, preferably ones who were recently on the market, about your concerns. Brainstorm different ways you can graduate with the most desirable CV possible. Your advisors and DGS also want you to get a job; part of the prestige of a program is having a high placement rate! They are also invested in your success (or should be, at least).

I also wanted to add: during Fall orientation and the first week of classes, you'll be asked over and over again, "what did you do this summer?" Seems like a natural place to let people know!

Sure thing! I really think it came down to just changing the way of thought of grad school as a whole. I think lots of people tend to forget that grad school isn't about showcasing brilliance but about learning; I sometimes forget this myself and catch myself wanting to say the smartest thing in a seminar. But to attempt to be the best also shuts me down from opening myself and learning from what I don't know. So now, every time I don't know or understand a concept, I ask rather than hide, then I decide if it's an idea that I can incorporate in my own work. If yes, I explore it further. If no, I move on. Back to that first semester as an MA student: I was taking one class that I hated; it was all about prose poetry and experimental prose, and other students found ways to discuss a page with maybe five words on it for HOURS. And when doing so, they would mention all sorts of critics and theorists I had never heard of. Instead of focusing on learning from my classmates, I just felt bad about how little I already knew. Which is silly! The whole point of grad school is to become an expert in a niche of the field; no one is expected to be a scholar in every period, theory, and genre. But I didn't know that at the time, so I just felt bad about myself. What ultimately saved me was focusing on what I do know. I was also taking a feminist literary criticism course, and that's my jam. I was really rocking in that seminar. So, when I had to start planning my final seminar paper for the prose poetry class, I took what I had learned from my fem lit crit class and applied it to a text we read in the prose poetry class. I am, after all, a feminist scholar and activist, so I was able to feel and write like an expert, even though working with a prose/poetry novel was foreign to me. Knowing my strengths helped me feel good about what I did know and apply my knowledge to a somewhat new area. It's a tricky balance: you want to open yourself to new concepts and frameworks, but you also go to grad school to study what you like. If I had only written through a feminist lens, I may have missed disability studies my second semester, which is now hugely influential in my work. So, know your strengths and interests, but also be open to learning new things. That should help you focus on your own work rather than how you are doing compared to others, and thus, help you produce some great work in the process.

I didn't know this either! But after a quick Google search, yup, the ETS website states that the second reader is a computer: So, it seems that the human reader has more power than the computer program, but still, that the computer program has ANY power in the analytical writing assessment is mind-boggling!

So much good advice here! I'm pretty much going to repeat everything that's being said. I have an MA in literature and am now working on a PhD in rhetoric and composition, so my advice can apply to pretty much any English studies grad student. mikers86 is on point. Read smartly. When you have 500-1,000 pages of reading in a week, plus grading and writing and applying to conferences and oh yeah a personal life, it is physically impossible to read all the pages. This may be more applicable to PhD programs, but I have had multiple professors tell me to prioritize my own research over coursework. So, how does one read smartly? Like boomah already knows, you want to come prepared with some ideas or even questions about the readings. If you are reading a pile of articles, read enough of each one so that you can synthesize and make a connection between all of them (if I'm desperate, I read the intro, really skim the body, and read the conclusion). That being said, once I am reading an assigned novel or article that I know will be helpful for my comps or dissertation (or for the OP, an MA thesis), I zero in. I read it thoroughly, make notes, and highlight that baby. If I know I will use the reading again, having done a deep reading early on will save time when I sit down to cite or memorize or summarize it later on. Okay, now onto my own advice. As always, I don't expect what worked for me to work for everyone, so feel free to pick and choose what you resonates or doesn't! 1. Ask questions. And no, I don't mean those kinds of questions you get during the Q & A at a conference, wherein the question is really a statement about how smart the asker really is. No, I mean ask questions if you're confused. My first semester as a PhD student, a professor had mentioned something about affect, and another grad student piggy backed onto her comment. I was nervous to admit that I didn't really know precisely what "affect" meant in a rhetoric/literature context, but I asked. When the professor turned to the other students to explain it to me, they ALL admitted (even the one who was previously talking about it) that they didn't really understand affect either. It was this great moment when I realized that if I don't understand something, chances are, others don't as well. So, now I ask for clarification whenever I need it: rather than looking ignorant, I feel like I come off as engaged and confident. 2. Forget competition with others. Compete with yourself. When I started my MA program, I immediately was plagued with impostor syndrome. Everyone in the program knew more than me! And looking back, that's probably true; I don't think my undergrad adequately prepared me for graduate studies. I almost dropped out because I just didn't think I'd ever be as smart as everyone else. But after the semester ended, I had a couple professors tell me that I wrote the best seminar paper in the class. So the next semester, I wanted to do even better. And I did. My second semester, I didn't really register how I was doing compared to the other students: I started to see if I could be a better scholar than I was last semester. This simple yet radical change empowered me to enter a PhD program years later, knowing that no matter where I'm at in the pack, I will find a way to better myself throughout the program. 3. Advocate for yourself. You have a right to be happy, satisfied, and safe in your program. If something isn't working out, speak up! I read so many threads of the Officially Grads forum of miserable grad students asking for permission to advocate for themselves. I'm giving everyone that permission now. 4. Make connections. The difference between a great seminar paper and a publishable article is that the former demonstrates an understanding of the course material and the latter breaks into the larger conversation within the field. Make connections among what you're reading in one course with the others. See if you can find connections among your Shakespeare, Classical Rhetoric, and Feminist Theory courses. The ability to see the larger conversation within your field will enable you to write kick ass papers that not only get the "A" but also the coveted "let's talk about submitting this to X, Y, or Z journal" comment from your prof. 5. Make connections. Obviously, with professors. Go to department events, office hours, or book readings by the professors. But also make connections with your classmates! Fostering a sense of community can be especially challenging in an MA program, versus a PhD program, but it's worth it: you will simply be a happier grad student! But having a community of support can also be priceless when you are too sick to go to class and need notes, or need a second pair of eyes on your seminar paper before turning it in, or discover that your classmate has been hoarding the one copy of that library book you so desperately need. And later on, you don't know where your fellow MA graduates will be! I helped an MA classmate get a job where I was teaching, and other MA students helped me when I was applying to PhD programs. It's a community of support that can extend beyond the two years of the program. 6. Have an end game in mind. This is MA specific, but since an MA in English is not a terminal degree, I've noticed that some students who don't have an end game in mind just kinda flounder throughout the program. However, those who had, even a vague plan, succeeded. PhD student? Grant writer? Teacher? Editor? Whatever your endgame is will hugely direct the kind of research and extracurricular activities you pursue. If you really have no idea what you want to do post-MA, that's fine too: then, I suggest dedicating yourself to trying a little bit of everything so you can figure out what makes you happiest and most fulfilled. That's what I did! I tutored in the writing center, presented at conferences, chaired the graduate literature association, volunteered with youth, organized group outings to education funding protests. By doing a little bit of everything, I had a pretty diverse CV. After my MA, I was hired as a supervisor at a children's museum (thanks to my volunteer work), which I quit pretty quickly once I was hired as an adjunct instructor (thanks to my tutoring and TA experience), which I then quit three years later to start a PhD program (thanks to my coursework and conference presentations). I hope this is helpful! Good luck to all who are starting their programs soon!

Oh! One more note because I totally forgot about the second essay. I did read a handful of sample Analyze an Argument essays. The questions are weirdly phrased and at first threw me off. Then, I realized that the question was actually just asking me to point out (three) fallacies with the argument: maybe the sample set used to back up the argument didn't adequately represent the whole, or the argument overlooked other potential causes. These essays don't need to be as long as the Analyze an Issue section, but I still stuck with the basic five paragraph structure: intro explaining generally how the argument is shortsighted (and the argument is always shortsighted!); three body paragraphs, each detailing a specific fallacy (and since this is a general GRE test, you don't need the names of the rhetorical fallacies. You just need to explain them to a broad audience. However, knowing the rhetorical fallacies helped me spot the errors in the argument); and a conclusion wrapping up the general shortsightedness of the argument. Hope this is helpful!

Every few years, we have a discussion about the role of the AW section in admissions, and we usually come to the verdict that it is probably the least important aspect of your application. Sure, I imagine a low low score (3.5 or below?) could raise some eyebrows, but since adcomms will be reading a writing sample, they will be able to evaluating your writing and analysis skills regardless of your AW score. That being said, I got a 5.5 both times I took the GRE. Like Wyatt's Torch suggests, the AW section isn't about good writing. Rather, it's about formulaic writing. I followed the advice given in the Princeton Review: write a standard five paragraph essay, write a lot, and support your claims with specific examples. I spent three or so minutes in the beginning sketching out my essay, basically just listing the main ideas for the three body paragraphs and the specific examples I'd use. Then, I wrote wrote wrote until there were about three minutes remaining, which I then used to wrap it all up and proofread. My thesis wasn't nuanced: I stated my position and the three reasons I stood by my position. I didn't do any prep, just followed the advice in the book. I imagine the GRE readers will be looking for the same qualities as the WPE and high school exit exam readers. Good luck!