Prestige vs. Fit/Edinburgh, UCL, or Durham?

[Indecisive Poet]

Hi all,

I've been offered places on English MAs at the above three universities. However, the reason I'm doing the MA is that I'm interested in specialising in 18th century and Romantic literature, which I have little undergraduate background in. UCL only offers an MA on modernism, Edinburgh's is on Romantic/Enlightenment/victorian, and Durham offers some great modules in Romanticism. I'm also big on literary theory, which only Edinburgh offers modules in.

It's clear to me which programs are the better fit for me, but I'm wondering whether this matters less than prestige when it comes to PhD admissions. I am planning on attending a PhD program in the US afterward, so international prestige matters more to me than national reputation, and from what I understand, UCL is really the only UK university outside of Oxbridge (I didn't get in) that has international reputation in English. I believe if I went to UCL, I would be able to tailor my dissertation to talk about modernist literature in conversation with the earlier areas I'm interested in.

I'm not sure whether it would be more favourable for me to attend an impressive-looking university with global connections and write a personal statement about a period of literature I didn't study (since I am not expected to be a specialist yet at the time of applications), or whether it would be better for me to attend a lesser-known university that might be assumed to be "the only one I could get into" that was actually a better fit for my research interests. Any ideas?

Edited May 12, 2018 by indecisivepoet

[CulturalCriminal]

I think you might be underselling the prestige of Edinburgh. While it certainly doesn't have the universal recognition of UCL, I'd be surprised if most Lit/English departments wouldn't recognize Edinburgh as a great program. Likewise, I think it is better to go somewhere where you'll have that fit. If you're able to tell that UCL isn't a great fit, chances are future PhDs will as well.

[Warelin]

I agree with @CulturalCriminal. UCL is the most recognizable of the three based on its affiliations with a number of colleges. From looking at many faculty pages, I can say that a fair number have earned their MA from all three universities. I'd also like to point out that your MA degree won't matter as much as what you do during your MA. You might be judged on things that show a dedication to the field and will be expected to have a stronger SOP than an undergrad would due to the training and exposure that the MA is meant to provide. Your writing sample (and the language showing current research) and SOP will always be the most important component of your package. As such, you'll want to ensure that you're both happy with your choice and that you'll be able to (hopefully) revise a previous assignment to use as your submission.

[Indecisive Poet]

Thanks very much, both of you! I've also reached out to some undergrad professors of mine who have said they don't think admissions committees will care where I got my MA. It seems like Edinburgh is the right choice for me -- the courses I'd be taking there are an absolute dream (I don't know how I'll choose) and there are plenty of Romantic faculty. I would also much, much rather live in Edinburgh than in London, but I didn't want that to be a deciding factor since it's only a year-long program.

[Kilos]

On 5/13/2018 at 8:21 AM, indecisivepoet said:

I would also much, much rather live in Edinburgh than in London, but I didn't want that to be a deciding factor since it's only a year-long program.

Mostly tangential, but my grandfather was born in Aberdeen and moved to Edinburgh when he was very young. He attended the University of Edinburgh and loved it. He later moved to the U.S. and always talked about how much he missed Scotland, Edinburgh in particular. It's been one of my life's dreams to visit and wander around the city (particularly Old Town and the university campus). It's gorgeous, it's ancient, and it's plenty prestigious. 

[Indecisive Poet]

4 hours ago, Kilos said:

Mostly tangential, but my grandfather was born in Aberdeen and moved to Edinburgh when he was very young. He attended the University of Edinburgh and loved it. He later moved to the U.S. and always talked about how much he missed Scotland, Edinburgh in particular. It's been one of my life's dreams to visit and wander around the city (particularly Old Town and the university campus). It's gorgeous, it's ancient, and it's plenty prestigious. 

Happy to say I will be attending the program at Edinburgh! I absolutely can't wait to live there -- I studied in Ireland during undergrad and visited Edinburgh for just a few days on what I believe were the only sunny, 70-degree days of the whole year, and I loved it so, so much. This is saying quite a bit for me as I am generally not much of a city person at all. Definitely reach out if you come for a visit!

[M(allthevowels)H]

On 5/22/2018 at 4:41 PM, indecisivepoet said:

Happy to say I will be attending the program at Edinburgh! I absolutely can't wait to live there -- I studied in Ireland during undergrad and visited Edinburgh for just a few days on what I believe were the only sunny, 70-degree days of the whole year, and I loved it so, so much. This is saying quite a bit for me as I am generally not much of a city person at all. Definitely reach out if you come for a visit!

Congratulations on making your decision!!