claire56

I'm a little concerned because I registered for the GRE general three weeks ago and still haven't gotten anything in the mail from them. I've been on the look-out for the practice test they send. When I took the GRE in 2008, I remember getting the materials fast, like a week later. But this time, nothing, after three weeks? Anyone know anything about this?

Wait, so if I take the GRE general in July (which I am -- scheduled to take July 28th) and I choose four schools to send scores to, some of those schools might just get rid of them because there's no application open for me yet? That's crazy. I can't have that! (I don't think that's what you're saying, though. Need clarification) I would think it'd just sit in a database in the school first....(and then not go to the department until I submit an application for the department). I dunno...

Wow. I had no idea this kind of thing occurred. I don't think there is anything wrong with it at all, though, as long as the prof looks it over and if that's what the prof wants to do (have you write it and he/she approves it). I think I have thought before about this. Like, that I would offer to do it if they are too busy. I write letters of recommendation for my students often (I'm a community college instructor currently and also have ex-students from when I was a T.A. at the university where I did my M.A.). I essentially ask them, "What do you want me to say?" I mean, they are good students anyway, so it's not as if I'm lying about them. But since I ask so explicitly what they want me to emphasize, I'm sure professors feel the same way about their undergrad and grad students...

I'm gonna hold off on making any decisions for sure as to how many programs to apply to. I already have the programs researched, so that is done. I'm just gonna take the GRE on July 28th, see how I do, and assess from there. If I do really well for some strange and unexpected reason, and my writing sample continues to shape up nicely, I'd be more inclined to apply to the full 11 I was originally planning to apply to. My writing sample will work for either of the disciplines I'm interested in. (English PhD w/ focus on Feminist/Gender/Women's criticism --- or Women's and Gender Studies M.A.) As far as money and paying for fees, I think I'll be fine. I'll probably apply to 11 schools tops (either all PhD or some PhD and some M.A.), but it won't go over 11 regardless of how I divide it up. I have a teaching job and can afford the fees as long as I don't spend too much money eating out this fall (which I normally do a lot, but will cut down on, in light of my grad school applications).

Ah, so is it the case that you can start your application well before you plan to have everything submitted? I was thinking previously that I'd do each of mine about one month before its deadline date, but realistically I'd like to start a few applications even earlier (just to decrease the amount of work in a short period of time, stagger the fees and transcript costs, and actually have two or three of them almost complete by end of September (and just be waiting on letters of rec to be submitted.) How early do most schools open up their applications?

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I think seven or eight is reasonable. Over twenty is crazy (as far as time consumption). I read somewhere on this board...someone said his girlfriend applied to 25 and got into 2. I can't apply to 25!! lol... Anyway, I actually don't think the fees themselves are that bad. $50-$65 is what I'm seeing. What gets crazy is adding on the transcripts. I have two community colleges I've attended, plus my B.A. and my M.A. I attended the same school for undergraduate and graduate, but I can't remember if the transcript is just one for both, or two separate ones. I just can't remember. I wish I didn't have to include the community college transcripts because it's not like I got a degree from them; they were just credits that went toward my B.A. And then sending GRE scores... If it were *just* the schools' application fees, I'd do 11 or 12 schools easily. But when you add on the rest, I bristle...

Thanks for your response. I already have an M.A., so I won't be getting any M.A. offers, funded or otherwise. I was originally planning to apply to 11 PhD programs, but in the past few days I've been thinking of applying to 6 PhD programs and four M.A. programs (in a different but related discipline that I am very interested in). Ugh - don't know what to do. Let me ask you, were those five programs you applied to all top schools? Or did you include lower-ranked schools? What was the make up of your five schools? My friend got into no programs, but then again she applied to all Ivy League...

I've been teaching composition for three years and rather enjoy it. I have lots of advice (but limited time at the moment). I'll just give a few tips: 1) Make sure they do a lot of in-class writing exercises. The class shouldn't be you lecturing to them about how to write, and then sending them off to do some assignment. Yes, they should have out-of-class assignments, but lots in class too. 2) Alternate pretty frequently between you talking and them doing. e.g. have them work in groups to discuss a reading, have them practice a thesis statement, have them brainstorm ideas for a paper, have them start an introduction. And have them share what they wrote with the class. They stay awake more when there are tasks to do... 3) If you have a class that is quiet and not opening up to discussion, have them "free write" their thoughts on the reading, or topic, first. Students aren't able to just come up with ideas at the moment you ask a question. They need time to think, and having them write for five minutes about the question you've posed gives them the time to think. 4) Be sure to save student papers (xerox copy them or keep electronic copies) for use as "samples" to your future classes. My students really get a lot out of it when we "critique" a past student paper (anonymously). They are so much more likely to tear into / honestly critique a paper from a past student who's nameless and not in the class. They aren't worried about hurting feelings, so they're brutal (but effective). This is in contrast to how they act when in peer review with each other (overly polite, not getting any good critique in). More later!

Is there anyone who plans to apply to seven or fewer PhD programs? Just wondering because for a while, I was thinking I'd apply to 11, but now I'm mentally shrinking that down to 7. But is that crazy? Honestly, I just want to be reasonable. It's expensive, and I could easily get into no programs. I'd feel better about having spent on 7 and not getting into any than spending the money for 11 and not getting into any. I know there's no way of knowing in advance, and I shouldn't spend all this time doubting doubting doubting. I just wonder...any of you planning to apply to 7 or fewer? I'm thinking of applying to as few as 6. I don't think I'd go lower than 6, though...

Well, despite what I said above, university teaching isn't ruled out. While I was doing my M.A., I had some friends who were in the PhD program at our school. Our school was ranked 87, and some of them have gotten university teaching jobs. I can think of three who did. So, I don't think it's impossible to get a university teaching job even if one's PhD program wasn't Top 50. That said, I"m not counting on getting a university teaching job. I'm an adjunct at a community college right now (have been for three years), so maybe I'll just keep teaching community college (will probably be easier to get full time if I have a PhD) and just be a higher-status community college teacher because I have my PhD!. Also, as I work on my new writing sample and do so much reading on a certain type of theory and criticism, I've realized how much I may well be into research and writing. I don't know what's going to happen, but I really hope my research abilities and general enjoyment of research will flourish in a PhD program, and that even if I'm not employed with a university, I could research and write in some other capacity.

Thanks for your response about the # of offers made and how they do it in "waves." All makes sense. Yeah, I hear you on all your reasons for targeting high-ranking schools. Makes sense, and I didn't mean to offend anybody by referring to "being a ranking snob." It was just a phrase I used. I think people should aim high if they want to and if they have reasons for it. I just am not doing so completely because 1) well, I just don't think I have a chance at top 30 schools, 2) I think I DO have a chance at some middling schools in the 40-60 range, and an even better one in the 60s, 70s, and 80s 3) some of my classmates in my M.A. program told me they got into no schools at all or only into the one where we did our M.A.s. And our school was ranked 87. So...I'm no better than my classmates. There's no reason for me to believe I could do much better than they did. But you never know. Anyway, one of my friends, a really smart girl, applied to all Ivy League English PhD programs; she considered U.T.- Austin her "low end" choice; she got into no programs. She's smart, but I thought she was kinda crazy to apply to all Ivy League, and to consider UT-Austin "low end." I'm big on living in a major metropolitan area too. That factors into my choices. If it's not a major metropolitan area, it has to be a rather cool college town. But I'd rather the major metropolitan area thing.

I hear you. And I don't doubt it. But I am also not recommending my course of action to others. People should do what's right for them and what aligns with their career goals. I'm not necessarily looking for a university teaching job afterwards. It'd be nice, I guess, but it's not my main goal. So many people with PhDs don't get a university teaching job anyway, even if they went to a highly-ranked school, so I'm not making it a priority to go to a highly ranked school. All that being said, I'd rather go to one of the more highly-ranked schools. Just allowing myself to consider others as well. I'd go to a school that was in the 100s if it were the only one I got into and I felt it was worth it. (I also made sure the schools that I was willing to include in my list that were more lower-ranked schools were in cities I'd really like to live in, so there's a built in trade-off).

About that whole "only 8-15" spots or "only 5-10" spots out of 200 or 300 applicants. Isn't that less daunting than it seems, though? I mean, don't they actually have to accept more than that 8-15 or 5-10 because they want that many students who'll attend. I think they have to make more offers initially because not all students to whom they offer acceptances are going to choose their school, right? (I'm really not sure about this; I'm asking everyone...). I would think they have to "accept" about 20 and waitlist a few more beyond that, and just see who accepts. (Or maybe those 20 initial offers *is*....only 5-8%...yeah I guess that makes sense...) Also, I agree about the rankings. I'm being very much not a rankings snob. (I'm actually more picky about location and size of school; I don't want to attend some really tiny school with only 11,000 students; I'm very used to and like big universities of 30,000 or more students). I'm applying to some schools that are in the 80s, 90s, and 100s as far as ranking. My own M.A. school was in the 80s, and I thought it was great / challenging. I can't imagine that the others 80s schools are any different, or the 90s or 100s ones are much different either. One of my friends from my M.A. program is attending a PhD program right now that ranked 125. I think he got into two other schools besides that. But the guy's pretty smart, and as far as I'm concerned, if that school is good enough for him, 100s-ranking schools are probably good enough for me too. I think my current list is something like this: 20 41 52 52 63 87 87 87 94 105 110 as far as rank....

To Phil Sparrow: And you talk about "overhauling a website" as if what's being talked about is videos, graphics, and a whole new design that would be more pleasing to my and other applicants' precious eyes. What's being referred to is adding a few more bullet points of plain text information to what's already in place. Hardly an "overhaul of a website." And also "sucking it up because you love it despite the stupid shit" is the default. You don't need to remind people to do so. It's not as if that's news to people. This place is for freaking out with others and grumbling a little, in addition to other things. So I say...stop with YOUR jerky attitude. I may have been complaining, but I'm not being jerky to fellow applicants (for whom this is a place); I'm talking about educational institutions whose employees and administrators, as you've noted, are way too busy to read this and who I am in no way actually offending, given their absence from Grad School Cafe.

Oh my goodness, no one's getting worked up about anything. I'm not sitting around seething about how "jerky" they are because of absent information on a website. Just gave an agreement to someone who mentioned something about it. But what I said stands. Clear, explicit information on a website isn't a lot to ask, and keep in mind that I said doing so (having everything as explicit as possible) saves THEM (the overworked people) time answering emails that want information clarified. And you say "not to sound jerky" but then proceed to say "but maybe you should re-think spending money on applications if this is all too much for you." You're being jerky. Snarky, at least. We're on a website; we're allowed to vent. It happens I'm a very organized person and don't, myself, have any trouble doing applications even for schools that are a bit of a challenge as far as providing info to applicants. I'd venture to say it's administratively easier for me than most. I can still complain about things, as a matter of principle, if I want to.