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Thanks, ponponpon! I've found a couple of graduate publications where I can submit book reviews (or an article if I have time), but who knows if it will make a difference. I'm definitely worried about explaining my switch back to Spanish....it was my primary focus and passion, until one too many moves and ESL work was easier to find--and let's be real: at some point, you have to grow up and pay bills! But now, I'm ready to pursue it again and my husband is out of the military, so we have the geographic stability for me to do it. And, by the way, I've had jobs outside of academia--there's nothing wrong with that! But you won't find them on my cv unless they're relevant!

Hi JeremiahParadise, I'm interested in how people respond to this because I, too, have experience teaching at both CC's and a UC. This is my third summer teaching at a UC, and I've gotta tell you that the CC where I work during the year doesn't seem to care in the LEAST that I teach at a UC. They want instructors to have experience teaching a student population very similar to their own, which means that they haven't valued my CC teaching experience very much. UC, however, HIGHLY values my CC teaching experience. It's really strange of this CC. So, in my opinion, I would think that the PhD program would value your teaching experience from any higher ed. institution. That said, which one would pay more and how much do you like commuting? I have a terribly long commute to the UC, but it pays significantly more than the CC, so it's worth my while. Also, my colleagues at the UC are awesome, so I'd also consider the people you'd be working with. Lastly, I see you wrote "instead," but is there any way you can do both? What are your goals after you finish a PhD? CC's will most likely require CC teaching experience, so I'd consider that, too.

Hi everyone, I posted this in Languages a couple of days ago but am re-posting here since this forum is more active. I'm applying to Spanish/Latin American Lit. PhD programs this fall and have letters lined up. One former professor recommended that I "get back into academia," without any further advice. So, I'm interpreting this as either taking a couple of courses non-credit, if I can--given that I have a full-time job--OR by publishing something. This, however, could prove a little difficult to do in the next 6 months because most publications require much more lead time. I live close to Stanford and have been able to attend a couple of departmental events there, to at least be immersed in academic Spanish language, which has helped. Does anyone have any thoughts/ideas/advice for this? A little background: -BA-Spanish and International Studies, grad. 2003 -One-year of MA coursework in Spanish 2004-2005 at the same university -a gazillion moves with the military later as my husband was active duty, and I completed and online MA in ESL, 2010, while we were supposed to be living in Korea. I've been pretty entrenched in the ESL world since, though I've been trying to pick up some Spanish work lately. I've presented at the international TESOL Convention and a state conference and have published an article, though in a newsletter, not a journal. None of my Spanish profs think that applying is a long shot and think that having my teaching experience may be advantageous, but, again, any advice would be appreciated. I'm thinking book reviews... Thanks!

I'm going to post this over in Lit. to see if anyone responds. I'm super patient.

Hi everyone, I'm applying to Spanish/Latin American PhD programs this fall and have letters lined up. One former professor recommended that I "get back into academia," without any further advice. So, I'm interpreting this as either taking a couple of courses non-credit, if I can given that I have a full-time job, OR by publishing something. This, however, could prove a little difficult to do in the next 6 months because most publications require much more lead time. I live close to Stanford and have been able to attend a couple of departmental events there, to at least be immersed in academic Spanish language. Does anyone have any thoughts/ideas/advice for this? A little background: BA-Spanish and International Studies, grad. 2003 One-year of MA coursework in Spanish 2004-2005 at the same university a gazillion moves with the military later as my husband was active duty, and I completed and online MA in ESL, 2010. I've been pretty entrenched in the ESL world since, though I've been trying to pick up some Spanish work lately. I've presented at the international TESOL Convention and a state conference and have published an article, though in a newsletter, not a journal. None of my Spanish profs think that applying is a long shot more than other applicants and think that having my teaching experience may be advantageous, but, again, any advice would be appreciated. I'm thinking book reviews... Thanks!

Hi SY, Are you applying to UC?

Pues sí...hay que hacer mucho antes de entregar todo. Hace cuánto se graduó la profe de Berkeley? Pasé por el departamento hoy después de mis clases, pero la consejera de los estudiantes graduados se había ido a comer. Me pregunto que qué son los enfoques de las investigaciones que están haciendo ahora...Hmm!

I also have so many different perspectives/opinions being tossed my way by my colleagues that I'm second-guessing my prospective field. I've been torn between EDD, TESOL, Linguistics, Second Language Acquisition, Spanish Ling, and Spanish Lit. That and we really would like to stay in the SF Bay Area, so I'm limiting myself (for now) to the programs that are available here...and they're all super competitive. In the mean time, I hear that a few lecturer positions will be opening up and it would behoove me to do a grad certificate in Composition. That same person told me that that program prefers lecturers WITHOUT PhD's in Lit because PhD's are usually more inflexible about what they teach. So, I'll probably be doing the certificate in Comp. It's just 4 classes, but, man, the job market is still so tough, I feel like I have to just to stay competitive. It's just so much: -I have an MA in TESOL and a BA in Int'l Studies and a BA in Spanish AND 18 credits towards MA in Spanish -combined 10 years teaching experience and then, hypothetically: -a Certificate in Composition -a PhD in one of the above THEN will I be able to get a job...in one of these fields...that's full-time....and pays something worthwhile....somewhere where my husband can get a job, too??? That's a lotta stars that need to align. I agree, it's very hard to maintain motivation to even apply. But I keep telling myself that it would be better to be working towards something than to keep my current full-time staff position that isn't really going anywhere. Seriously. One answer I got was that I could become an executive assistant, a position, which, in our district, doesn't require a BA. Gah.

Hi Claire56, What are your goals after you finish a PhD?

Hola y bienvenida! Pues solo estoy empezando el proceso de solicitar. Casi me muero, que nervios. Mentira! Pero sí es enervante. Si estas por aqui, avisame y vamos a tomar un cafe. Que hace tu novio en Stanford?

Salaries vary greatly from state-to-state. If you know where you will live, I would also compare higher ed pay with primary/secondary pay. In Northern CA, for example, if you get a full-time position in higher ed, you will absolutely make more money. If you end up as a visiting lecturer or adjunct (part-timer) then you will make considerably less than K-12 teachers. Of course, when it's all said and done, you should pursue something that you love, and if it doesn't work out, well....then explore different options.

Hi cpicardi, One of my former profs has just moved to UCONN from UC Berkeley. Look him up: Mark Healey. If you email him, he'd probably respond. He's in LatAm History but taught cross-listed courses in my BA program--Int'l Studies. He was my undergrad thesis advisor, and while he was pretty green and fresh out of his PhD at that point (in 2003!) he went on to win awards at Berkeley for his work with grad students. Shoot him an email!

HI RunningInCircles, I wish I had seen your post sooner. Looks as though we have much in common. I'm down in the peninsula for husband's job and I'm also applying for PhD at those three schools, though in a different field--Spanish/LatAm Studies. 1. I'd love for someone to answer this. 2. I'd shoot for the PhD. There's nothing to lose by applying, except your time and maybe a little sanity. If you don't get in, there's a chance that they'd offer you the option of doing an MA instead. Either way, it can't hurt, and if you do get into a PhD program, you'll likely have SOME funding whereas with a MA you are likely not to. The UC's will expect you to work for your funding if you get some. Stanford will, too, but in research, not so much in teaching. 3. I have an MA in TESOL. I teach at UC Berkeley Summer English Language Studies program--starting my third summer on Monday. I moved from Texas two years ago and was hired immediately. This move was especially painful b/c a week after I moved, my former CC in Texas offered me a full-time faculty position. We actually considered being a commuter couple, but my husband had JUST gotten out of the Army and did so so that we could spend more time together. Sigh. After the summer session, the job market was pretty dry. I was able to get a lot of private students and some courses at a private English language school, but it was tough. Now, I did finally get a f/t job at a cc near SF.....as a full time tutor. It is rough a lot of days. It pays about 40-60% less than what faculty make and requires a different skill set. At this particular college, the Dean is already finishing the spring schedule--for 2013! And she schedules based on seniority, so a lot of fac. members have asked why I'm teaching at a 4-year and not their own college, well...ask the Dean. Anyway, I LOVE teaching ESL. A very rewarding experience. However, there are not that many classes, and they go to whomever has been there the longest and courses get cut pretty often at the two-year level. Four-years are different--they need the cash from international students. A few community colleges have started figuring this out. All this said, what I will tell you is the that students (our grad tutors) who graduated from SF State's Composition program--some MA and some certificate-have had ZERO problem getting classes. There's a certificate that's only 4 courses that I'm considering doing myself just to get my foot in the door at other local cc's. Finally, the people that I work with have had the most luck--and have had to turn down courses--because they are 100% available ANY TIME, so they can scoop up the last minute courses that need to be filled. So, in my case, I'd need to quit my job, email all the deans in my area and say, "Hey, guys. I have absolutely NOTHING scheduled." Then you will get a call. Hope this wasn't overload and feel free to message me.

Wow, mira que escribí mucho sin decir todo. Lo del transatlantica es buena idea. El problema que veo con algunos programas es que quieren que escojas España o LatinoAmerica...el mismo dilema que tuve en el BA. Habia pasado tiempo en España pero estudiaba en aquel momento en Costa Rica y Brasil. Queria hacer los dos!!! Tambien me interesa otra cosa pero no sé cómo describirlo. Sería relacionado con Gen X pero en Angola e otros países después de la caída de una dictadura. Kendra, estoy preparando ahora, sí. Tengo 4 profes que me han ofrecido cartas. Tengo los viernes libres para estudiar para el GRE...y sí, el GRE es un monstruo. Que pena que cambiaron el examen y que mis notas ya caducaron.

El OPI significa "Oral Proficiency Interview", una entrevista dada por ACTFL (American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages). Es nada mas que una persona certificada por ACTFL te llama por teléfono para evaluar el nivel que hablas español. Hay 4 niveles principales: Superior, Advanced, Intermediate, Novice. Dentro de los últimos tres niveles, hay 3 subniveles: low, medium y high. Es una manera estandardizada de juzgar si puedes conversar en el idioma. Berkeley requiere el OPI si quieres ser TA y Stanford lo requiere para todos solicitantes. Tuve que hacerlo como parte de mi BA, pero fue en 2003. Que horror. Segura que saldrás bien si tienes que hacerlo si estuviste tanto tiempo en España. La vida aquí en NorCal, cerca de San Francisco, es una maravilla. No te puedes imaginar. El tiempo es genial donde vivo yo aunque en SF y otras partes puede ser mas nublado. Aquí tenemos microclimas así que el tiempo cambia cada 8 millas más o menos. Una locura! Donde trabajo, siempre hay neblina y hace frio. Hemos tenido 7 dias soleados desde agosto en el campus! Pero cuando voy a casa, sé que va a hacer calor..normalmente una diferencia de 20 grados. Vestirme es un poco chungo si te digo la verdad. Lo malo es que no es nada barato vivir aquí. Estamos cerca de Palo Alto y uuuuuf. Nosotros venimos de Texas donde tenemos una casa preciosa de tres plantas. Al principio, estuvimos en un piso de dos cuartos que nos costaba más que la hipoteca en Texas. Entonces depende de tu situación. Tengo la suerte de que mi marido trabaja en Tech y gana muchisimo mas de lo que voy a ganar yo en la vida si me quedo en educación. Si los dos fueramos profesores, pues...lo veo dificil vivir aqui. Hay gente que lo hace y hay partes mucho mas baratos. Tengo colegas que manejan de East Bay a SF y la peninsula y compraron casas enormes para 300,000. Uno tiene la suerte de que su esposa da clases online de casa y así se queda con su hijito en casa. El área rodeando Berkeley es mas barato....casi por 50% en unos casos. Todo dicho, me encanta vivir aquí y en cuanto al encontrar a hispanohablantes, no tendrás ningún problema. En los últimos meses cuando estoy en la calle, noto que hay muchisisisimos más españoles....no sé si vienen de turistas o por las compañías. Hay 80 restaurantes cerca de nuestra casa. Venimos con does vehículos y tenemos uno de venta ahora porque mi marido va a trabajar en bicicleta. Un sueño!

Proflorax, I was happy to read your post because I, too, have a full-time job and a summer job. And private students. My husband is willing to move for the right program for me, granted it's in a location where he could also continue his career. Have you taken location and his career into consideration when choosing programs to apply to? I'm thinking that I'll apply locally this year--which are all crazy competitive schools--and then apply out of state next year if I'm not accepted. Best of luck--and best wishes!

Al final cómo acabaron todos? Quienes vienen a California? Vivo aquí cerca de Stanford y voy a entregar solicitudes dentro de unos meses. Mucha suerte!

Hola TiffL! Estuve en Villagarcia de Arosa...más o menos 45 de Santiago de Compostela. Fui de intercambio el tercer año de high school y volvi cada verano para visitar a mi "familia" por no sé, 6-7 años. Mi esposo y yo fuimos en diciembre para que se conocieran todos y lo pasamos de maravilla. Voy a solicitar ahorita en Septiembre. Tengo tres profes--dos de literatura Española y una de mi Maestria en ESL--que me han ofrecido escribir las cartas. Pienso en solicitar a UC Berkeley y Davis, y claro, Stanford. Si no me aceptan ninguno, el próximo año, podría solicitar a mas universidades fuera de California. Tal vez parece una locura, pero prefiero que nos quedemos en California por lo menos 3 años y llevamos 2. Es que nos mudamos mucho y estamos un poco hartos . Ademas, nos encanta esta area, especialmente para la familia que nos gustaria empezar prontito. Kendra, hablar Gallego, bueno, no lo hablo mucho, pero entiendo bastante. Todas las clases nos dieron en Gallego y es lo que hablan en casa. En la universidad, estudié en Rio de Janeiro y al volver estudié más Portugués, así que con un poco de práctica, creo que me volveria. También me interesa Gen X. En este momento, estoy vacilando un poco entre enfocarme en España o LatAm porque me interesa la inmigración entre los dos continentes. Si os digo la verdad, me encantaría hacer algo relacionado con la comida que me fascina y me encanta cocinar pero nunca he hecho nada académico con la comida. Oye, vais a hacer el OPI?? Unas universidades lo requieren...que nervios. El ultimo OPI que hice fue en 2003!! Creo que vale la pena hacer el doctorado. Llevo 8 años fuera de la universidad trabajando y si os digo la verdad....pues casi todos que solicitan trabajo ahora ya tienen MAs. Me parece que ya no basta tener MA. TiffL, tengo MA en ESL y sí he publicado y presentado pero no en español. No sé si me va a ayudar o no tener esa experiencia, pero ya veremos. Necesito hacer algo en el mundo hispanohablante pronto...!

Hola! Pues vivo aquí cerca de Stanford y mi esposo tiene un trabajo que le encanta, así que el sueño sería que me aceptaran ahi. Es que empecé un programa de MA en español hace muchos años pero cuando nos casamos, después de mudarnos varias veces, fue más facil conseguir trabajo dando clases de ESL (English as a Second Language) y al final, por mucha desgracia, dejé al español y recibi un MA en English Language Learning. Asi que me preocupa un poco tener tanto tiempo sin estar rodeada de español, pero ya veremos lo que pasa! Me interesan temas mas modernas, pero tambien la testimonial. De joven pasé mucho tiempo en Galicia y por eso me interesa la migración de los gallegos. Tambien me interesa la literatura posguerra y la cultura visual. En diciembre, fuimos a Lisboa y aprendimos mucho de la historia contemporanea judia y el papel de Lisboa en la segunda guerra mundial....muy interesante. Definitivamente voy a solicitar a Stanford y UC Berkeley. A mi esposo no le importa que solicite a universidades fuera de California, pero como el es el "primary breadwinner" me preocupa un poco. Eso y nos encanta vivir aqui. Una profe me ha sugerido los programas en U de Florida y Emory tambien. A vosotros os preocupa conseguir trabajo despues de terminar el doctorado? Mira, no soy una persona ansiosa, es que el doctorado es un compromiso enorme!

Hola KendraSevilla! En qué quieres trabajar después de terminar el MA? Por desgracia no conozco las universidades de Canadá.

Gracias por responder! En cuál area te vas a concentrar? Vas a comunicar con profesores antes de entregar las aplicaciones?

Really? Nobody?

Hello, everyone! Is there anyone out there who will be applying next fall for PhD programs? I've been jealous of posts in other areas and decided to speak up. I have two schools picked out for Spanish--Stanford and UC Berkeley--and am starting to work on my statement and other materials. Is anyone out there applying to these schools--or others? Are you contacting profs ahead of time?

I live in Mountain View and teach at UC Berkeley in the summers. I LOVE the program, but the commute is killer. It's about 38 miles and the fastest it takes--no rush hour--is 50 minutes to get near campus and about another 10-12 to walk once you park. And that is lucky. Normally, it's about 1:20. Parking is $10/day and closes at 7pm.ON the contrary, to give you an idea of traffic, I teach in San Bruno...which is 33 miles away and takes 40 minutes door-to-door. I've been late due to traffic two times since August. I have to pad the Berkeley commute 15-20 minutes just in case because of 880. Go to Stanford and save money...if you get along with your parents. If they start to get on your nerves...well, you could probably just bike it over to the library and hang out on campus. 880 is a total nightmare, depending on the timing (rush hour or not). If you choose Berkeley, look into the co-op housing and move there. If you can't handle living with your parents or think it will be an issue eventually, then go ahead and go to Berkeley because is much cheaper there for students. Grad student housing at Stanford is not cheap. My friend is a 2L and he and his wife live off campus in a house to themselves, which is about the same price as on campus with more space and privacy. Like the others said, it's all about fit. You should pick the school whose professors you'll get along with and whose topics interest you. The closer you live to a campus, the more you'll be able to do things spontaneously--like attend an event you find out about or anything like that that may come up. Academically, you can't go wrong at either school.

Thanks!