McGill MA English

[ekat97]

Hey guys, I'm currently at U of T and am planning on applying for McGill's MA in English (deadline in a month-ish).

1. My CGPA at the moment is only a 3.4, but the minimum requirement is a 3.5. Off the bat, even though it's a slight difference, is it worth it at all to even apply? (Has anyone gotten into MA English at McGill with lower than 3.5?) I've noted that they place "emphasis" on the final two years, in which case my GPA is a 3.5, but they also don't say that they'll only look at the last two years. I made the fatal mistake of doing a double major of Ethics/Law which has totally lowered my grades, but am hoping for some lee-way in this by having a stellar SOP considering the law courses shouldn't even be relevant to my qualification as a literature student. Am also wondering what difference it would make if my final CGPA when I graduate in May 2019 is a 3.5, considering the application is due in January and they'll probably be giving out acceptances and such well before May... 

2. I ultimately want to pursue an academic career related in Critical Theory, which is tied to literature but isn't rooted specifically in "English texts", i.e. not so much literary analyses of novels as much as their wide-ranging sociopolitical/philosophical/critical implications. If anyone has knowledge or experience, would having an MA in English be a justified basis to then continue with a PHD in Critical Theory? Would I be fulfilled in doing this MA? 

I'm not prepared to go abroad at the moment, and while U of T has the best MA in English in Canada, my undergrad experience has made me tired of the city, so McGill is really my ideal choice. I'm hoping for some positive answers :) Thanks for the help in advance! 

[GradSkewlHopeful]

Hello! I know some people who pursued McGill's MA English program. I wouldn't overthink your GPA too much, especially if it was above a 3.5 in your last two years, and you attended a well-renowned institution such as U of T (I'm sure they'll take grading scale / difficulty of the program you attended into consideration). If you'd like to clarify the reasoning for this grade discrepancy you may be able to do so in your SOP, but I'm not sure if it is necessary. 

Also, McGill's English MA has 3 streams - literature, drama, and cultural studies (I believe), so if you are precise about what you want to study and who you want to work with (while indicating profs who have a theory background in your SOP), I'm very confident you will be okay to propose work that isn't necessarily literature-oriented.

Hope this helps! Best of luck to you!

Edited December 14, 2018 by Bambina