English2013:)

I have an MA in English from a reputable school. It seems that there's quite a range of how many credits different schools will transfer into their PhD programs. I've seen anything from 12-30. Is 15 a decent amount? Is this something I can negotiate? Also, what is a decent amount of time for the PhD, if you're entering with an MA? I've heard anything between 3.5-6.

Do we know anything about schools in Canada? There is a scholar I really admire at the University of British Columbia. What are the implications of attending a school in Canada in terms of the job market?

Well, Phil, it looks like you're already doing a great job with contributing to the "opaque, bureaucratic crap" in academia. I really don't need any counseling about how strenuous and difficult PhD programs can be. Got that from my profs at least once a week. They have actually been really honest and genuine. I'm sorry you've had a bad experience and have consequently resorted to trying to make people feel bad on gradcafe.com. Others, thanks for the info about GREs. I appreciate it. It sounds like I should just put forth 100%, be confident in my work, and see what happens!

Stately Plump, when you say to apply to some schools in the top 20s, 40s, and 80s, what rankings are you referencing? These? http://graduate-school.phds.org/rankings/english/rank/__M_____________________________________________________________U

So, in undergrad you could buy one of those books with stats on schools and have a pretty good idea as to if you'd get in to a school or not. I am having a REALLY hard time telling if my GPA and GRE (haven't taken it yet) will be sufficient at certain schools for PhD acceptance. I know that a lot has to do with the other components of an application, but how do I get an idea based on GPA and GRE? I have contacted a few schools individually, but that is time consuming. How can I tell without emailing every school? I already have an MA and my GPA was a 3.77, but my undergrad was a 3.2 (didn't care about school then). I haven't taken the GRE yet. I am super intimidated by some of the more prestigious schools or even the big names, but I don't want to sell myself short, either. How can I gauge?