How many Ph.D in English programs to apply to?

[Brown_Bear]

Hello all,

I am in the middle of compiling a list of prospective programs, most of which are Ph.D in English. I am going to be applying in the near future.

That said, how many schools should I apply to?; also, what range of program rankings or distribution of schools should I send applications to?

I know some people've talked about this, but I want to both maximize my chances of admissions but also get into the best program I can. I can only imagine some people only apply to top-20 schools, whereas others disregard ranking. Can someone shed some light on a good ratio, or does such a thing not exist? What went through your mind when you applied to grad programs?

 

Thank you for any help.

[illcounsel]

From what I have gathered from the English forum on here, I would say about 10-12 is an average amount.

It is also important to note that there is no such thing as a "safety" school like there is in undergrad schools. ANY English PhD program is hard to get into, so you want to have a variety of schools that fit your research interests. Fit is one of the most important things that an admissions committee looks at. If you have the most stellar grades and GRE scores, but don't mesh well will the department (I.E. you study Early Modern literature and they have few faculty in the field), they will pass on you. I have seen many friends get rejected from schools in the 10-50 range, but get into a few top 10 programs because their interests overlapped nicely with faculty in that school's department.  

It is also worth noting you may want to add a few MA programs into your mix. There are a handful of fully-funded English MA programs around the country at great institutions. I chose to apply to 5 MA programs and 4 PhD programs. This is because I want to go to a top 10 school in my field. While I did not get into the PhD programs (all at top schools), I did get into all 5 MA programs. This will give me a chance to strengthen my profile, refine my research interests, get published/present at conferences. My MA program has placed students into PhD programs in all the schools that I applied to. 

Hope this helps!

[Brown_Bear]

19 hours ago, illcounsel said:

From what I have gathered from the English forum on here, I would say about 10-12 is an average amount.

It is also important to note that there is no such thing as a "safety" school like there is in undergrad schools. ANY English PhD program is hard to get into, so you want to have a variety of schools that fit your research interests. Fit is one of the most important things that an admissions committee looks at. If you have the most stellar grades and GRE scores, but don't mesh well will the department (I.E. you study Early Modern literature and they have few faculty in the field), they will pass on you. I have seen many friends get rejected from schools in the 10-50 range, but get into a few top 10 programs because their interests overlapped nicely with faculty in that school's department.  

It is also worth noting you may want to add a few MA programs into your mix. There are a handful of fully-funded English MA programs around the country at great institutions. I chose to apply to 5 MA programs and 4 PhD programs. This is because I want to go to a top 10 school in my field. While I did not get into the PhD programs (all at top schools), I did get into all 5 MA programs. This will give me a chance to strengthen my profile, refine my research interests, get published/present at conferences. My MA program has placed students into PhD programs in all the schools that I applied to. 

Hope this helps!

Excellent advice; just what I was looking for. You seem to be right. I need to think widely and specifically. Thank you.

[illcounsel]

1 hour ago, Hasspurple said:

Excellent advice; just what I was looking for. You seem to be right. I need to think widely and specifically. Thank you.

If you have any more questions, you can post them in the Literature forum or message me directly! 

[meglo-mama]

Hey illconsel, 

Which MA programs offer full-funding? Sounds like a good option. 

[illcounsel]

On 5/26/2019 at 10:00 PM, meglo-mama said:

Hey illconsel, 

Which MA programs offer full-funding? Sounds like a good option. 

You can see a spreadsheet in this thread (tab over to see MA programs): 

.