ProfLorax

Hi there! Sure thing. I applied to The Ohio State, University of Maryland, University of Arizona, Miami University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Purdue, UMass Amherst, and Penn State. I got into Maryland, Arizona, Miami, Illinois, and UMass; I was wait listed at Ohio. As for my SoP, I'm happy to share. PM me if you'd like to check it out!

Hi there! I recently applied and was accepted to PhD programs in Rhet/Comp. My BA and MA are both in English; however, my emphasis was in Literature, so I was/am definitely a rhet/comp newbie. In fact, I had taken only one comp course at the time I applied. Still, I got into five awesome programs. My not-so-secret secret? In my SoP, I framed my literary research in a way that focused on the more theoretical aspects, the same theoretical concerns I plan on researching once I am in a rhet/comp program. Furthermore, I explained how my work had led me to rhet/comp, and I stressed my teaching experience. Fortunately, I had a writing sample from a lit course that, while focusing on literary works, asked questions about gender, disability, and writing. Even though I had only one grad course in comp, I was accepted straight into PhD programs, rather than MA/PhD programs, because of the number of English grad classes I had under my belt. Depending on how many English classes you have between your MFA and MS, you may be able to go straight into a PhD program, saving time and money. I believe the standard cut off for GRE scores is five years. I didn't meet with any faculty, but I did email some. I Skyped with one professor and had a phone conversation with another. In the end, I don't think this had any effect on my application decisions. Of the three programs I had the most contact with prior to applications, I was accepted to one, wait listed at another, and rejected from the last program. However, talking to the professors did help me refine my SoP; they gave me great ideas of what to emphasize (without me really asking for advice) and the names of other professors and programs at their university that would be of interest to me. Hope this is helpful, and good luck!

The best advice I've received is to not rush to publish; rather, wait until you have the best possible piece of work and the best possible journal to publish in. After all, publications are permanent; they will follow you forever! It can be tempting to get a new mark on your CV. However, if you think you have something worthy of publishing, I would hold onto it until you're in a program with supportive advisors who can help you revise it for publication in a major journal in your field.

I just got married last August, so let me know if you'd like an awesomely detailed wedding planning spreadsheet. A friend of a friend created it, and it's been passed around my social circle for years. Spreadsheets: life savers for grad school applications AND wedding planning!

I think that much can be said about the risks of a public web presence. But what about the benefits? As academics, our jobs aren't just to research, but to put our research out to the public. The primary way of doing this is through traditional publication, but for smaller projects or when building up to a publication, blogging can be a tool to hash out ideas with other scholars (see ProfHacker's post by Anastasia Salter about using Tumblr for research). I can't help but wonder if hiring committees in the future (and possibly present) are looking for professors who have a strong web presence, who are writing and researching in the public's eye. Also, Twitter is becoming the chief tool for conference navigation and discussion. This past year, I had several tweets retweeted at a major conference; not only did that build my ego, but it also put my name out there in association with a professional organization. I'm not saying that everybody should go and sign up for a Tumblr account right now. But if you are tempted to start a blog, I do believe that having a strong, positive, and productive web presence could actually help you in the future job search. While I agree that having a crummy web presence is the worst, I would say that having no web presence follows closely behind. So, as long as you follow the cardinal rule of civilized Internet discourse (don't be a dick), having a blog and/or Twitter account associated with your real name could actually help you connect with fellow scholars, get your ideas out there, and build a positive reputation around your name and your work. Lastly, the don't be a dick rule applies even when posting anonymously. As Roquentin points out, it's easy to figure out the identity of a poster with just a few key details.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I am in no way connected to Tufts, but this graduate student conference looks amazing. I know there are some other folks here interested in queer theory and gender studies, so I thought I'd share here. I'll be submitting a proposal! "We solicit papers from all areas of the humanities on being suspended between or moving across two states of being. Some questions of interest include: What are historical moments of fissure at which trans* figures emerge? How might the trans* figure transfigure structures of identity and power? In what ways are identities and bodies transfixed? What constitutes an act of transgression? How do new technologies translate and transform identities?" More info here: http://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/node/51458

I'm a big fan of ProfHacker. It doesn't focus on PhD students specifically; rather, it gives ideas and tips about how to manage a life in academia. Both the posts and the conversations in the comments section are pretty insightful. I blog; it's not anonymous. I blog about issues that are related to my research interests, but on a blog, I can write about those topics in a much more casual and personal way. Fortunately, the blog genre actually fits well with my interests in feminist theory and rhetoric; both blogging and feminist writing value personal connections and accessible language.

No problem! Thinking about it, I realize that most of my favorite lit professors had creative interests outside of the classroom. The Americanist sang and performed opera. One professor was initially a Shakespearean actor before he was a Shakespearean scholar. Another early modernist professor plays guitar in Hawaiian music festivals. I honestly think that having an artistic pursuit outside of their field has made them even better scholars and teachers!

I think if we avoided opportunities that were outside of our realm of study, we'd all be pretty boring scholars! I definitely do not think this experience will hurt you; worst case scenario, it will have no impact on your future applications either way. Do it!

Hi Marilyn, This forum is for people who are studying literature or planning to at the graduate level, so homework help isn't our focus. If you are looking for help with literature homework, I suggest talking to your professor. Your campus might also have a writing lab that employs literature students who can help you with this task. Good luck!

Right on! I signed up for a half marathon in my new city. It's not til October, but I have lots of work to get myself back to that shape again. Like you, forcing myself to run regularly has been a beautiful gift to my mind, body, and soul.

1. You should never pay to publish. However, if your proposal is accepted to a conference, you will have to pay the conference registration fee. The fee ranges depending on the organization. Always check for grad student/adjunct/underemployed discounts; this often soften the blow of the fees. 2. In terms of prestige: Google the organization. Check to see who the keynote is. Google the keynote. If the keynote is a well known scholar in that field, chances are the organization is well-regarded. I have also been told that there are some great conferences for specific subfields that are not well known among the general public of scholars. Check with your advisors to see what conferences they suggest for your interests. You can also tell a lot from the CFP itself. If it is a grad student conference, for example, it may not be prestigious, but it may be a good opportunity to get your feet wet and make connections. Your own objectives will determine your ideal venue. 3. I imagine the few journals that still use snail mail for submission do not return rejected manuscripts because it takes money and time to send them back. However, if they do reject your proposal, you still have full authority to resubmit it to other publications. 4. I honestly have no idea. Hope this helps!

In general, I don't think any conference or publication will hurt your CV; whether or not it will have a positive effect is another question. Specifically, I am skeptical of New Directions in the Humanities. My proposal was accepted in 2009, but I ended up not presenting or publishing because I didn't feel comfortable with the organization. First, the cost of presenting was extraordinarily high (I think over $500); in comparison, MLA typically ranges from $150-220. Also, my proposal was also accepted for publication, but I would have to pay at least the virtual presenter fee ($200) to get it published. I talked to my advisors, and they all told me to be wary of pay-to-publish publications; furthermore, they had never heard of the organization. The whole publication aspect was definitely odd; in exchange for submitting my paper, I was asked to read and rate other papers that had nothing to do with my field. I wonder if that is what they consider to be "peer-reviewed." If you already presented, I would say put it on your CV. If you are thinking of presenting again in the future, I would ask around about New Directions' reputation before committing to present or publish.

For community colleges and state universities, I have contacted the HR department and asked how to submit my application for the adjunct pool. However, some schools will outline how to apply to the adjunct pool right on their employment website, so I'd suggest checking that first. Good luck!

Clearly, we all need to invest in a babel fish.

I have two suggestions for you: 1. Look at the department websites and see where alumni end up. I looked at Emory's and UMD's Women's Studies websites, and it seems that most of their alumni end up in academia, but not all of them are in strictly academic positions (a few are directing women's centers and LBGT centers on college campuses). If you notice that all or most grads are ending up in academic positions, that shows you the department will most likely focuses its mentorship and resources on getting its students into academic positions. You may be happier in a program where the grads up in advocacy and non-profit work as well as academic positions. 2. Look at organizations where you could see yourself working and see where the leaders went to school and what they studied. If most of them have degrees in public policy or social work, that shows you something. However, if there is a variety of degrees represented, perhaps work and research experience will be more important than the type of the degree. You could perhaps even contact some folks in the industry and ask what degrees they look for when hiring. Good luck!

I love you for this.

Am I crazy for thinking I can have a baby and still finish in five years? My goal is to wait until I'm done with coursework, plan my pregnancy for the summer, and take advantage of the six weeks of parental leave. I know there are a lot of things that have to go right for my plan to work, but I am going into this thing planning on having ze babies and staying on track. I'm willing to admit that I am completely delusional, so at least I got that, right?

Not only do different programs have different requirements, but most programs have a strict deadline for completing the language requirement. At Maryland, I cannot take my comp exam until I have proven fluency in my language. So, I have to achieve fluency within two years, all while taking coursework. If a student is unable to master a language within two years, the comp exam is pushed back, the dissertation prospectus is pushed back, and the dissertation itself is pushed back.

American Sign Language! I got this approved because of my interest in disability studies. Even more excited for me, I will be taking ASL courses at Gallaudet, so that's super cool.

Well, so I guess there's a small caveat: the summer camp mostly works well for those who like working with kids. Me? I love the imagination, energy, and mess of kids, so summer camp is the place for me. I gave a presentation at NCTE on how to tailor camp games in the college classroom to inspire student engagement and improve retention. Hell, I even have a tattoo of my camp's logo... So yeah. I'm a bit camp-obsessed.

I know this isn't directly related to our field, but don't forget about summer camps! I put myself through college through summer camp jobs, both residential and day. It's a perfect summer job: it typically only lasts for six to eight weeks, pays decently, and is super fun. And they usually hire a ton of staff. I am teaching this upcoming summer, but I plan on finding summer job director gigs for future summers.

I was accepted but ended up declining their offer. I do know another gradcafer who told me via email that she would be attending Arizona in the fall.

I don't think everyone needs to jump on the hot new trends in the field to be taken seriously as a PhD candidate. For me, the key was showing how disparate interests overlapped. Really, nothing I was talking about was really new or cutting edge, but I was excited about finding new connections between seemingly unrelated topics. So, sure. gender studies and Victorian literature aren't exactly new, groundbreaking topics, but maybe you have a question about those interests that hasn't been asked yet. Don't stress about not being edgy enough. Instead, focus on demonstrating how your interests are really fucking exciting and deserve to be discussed.