2020 Applicants

[ArcaMajora]

@punctilious That is legitimately fascinating, and it lines up with what I've seen from the cohort profiles that I'm seeing from various institutions. I haven't taken a detailed look at mine specifically for Irvine, but I can share some trends that appear somewhat similar. Thanks for sharing this

I am fairly sure mine is a mix of both BA and MA applicants (majority BA-only, but a catch here), but the common thread I've seen is that it's more and more common for applicants to take gap years or do MA degrees to build their research profiles. For my cohort, some took time after undergrad/MA to develop teaching skills, build a writing profile that isn't hewed to academia, etc. As far as I know, only two are coming in immediately after undergrad. A good amount of the BA-only admits in my cohort all took gap years in some form.

Seeing more MAs in cohorts doesn't sound surprising. It looks to be a great way to help reduce time to degree (especially if coursework can be articulated for transfer credit that allows a candidate to reach ABD sooner, though YMMV depending on the program structure if such a thing is possible). The benefits of an MA going into the PhD are tangible, you have a more visible/a more specific research profile, experience with the publication process if one did so during the MA, more chances for conferencing/professionalization, teaching/TA experience, and experience in the graduate seminar room. I think the landscape of literary study has changed too much for the traditional BA-only applicant applying during undergrad to be the only desirable demographic for any school.

I'd love to see more cohort data from other schools if feasible and if it's not broaching unwritten confidentialities/rules of course.

Edited August 15, 2019 by ArcaMajora

[agunns]

Hi everyone!

I'm just getting back into the application cycle and hopped onto Grad Cafe for the first time in a while. I figured I would introduce myself here - I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone as we suffer through this year's applications. 

I completed my MA in Humanities at UChicago in summer 2017, and was set on entering a PhD program. I worked part time as an adjunct English prof in Chicago while applying to start a program in fall 2018. I ended up receiving one offer to the English program at IU-Bloomington. In an unexpected twist, I went to IU for admitted students days and realized that the program was not a great fit for me (which, to be fair: I had applied to IU last-minute based on the recommendation of one of my advisors - it had not been an original choice of mine). I was terrified to turn the offer down, but I ended up doing so because I didn't think it fair to myself or to the program if I wasn't 100% dedicated. Although, things did work out in the end: right after turning my offer down, I secured a job as a full-time assistant prof at the school I was working at. 

So, for the past year, I have been working as a full-time faculty member. I'm ultimately pretty happy that things worked out the way they did; I have really enjoyed the opportunity to teach, and I'm feeling a lot more sure of what I want as an applicant going into this next cycle. I'm really feeling the desire to return to school, so I'm applying to start a program in fall 2020. My primary goal is to enter an English PhD program, although I am also considering a joint MA/MSIS in English and Information Studies, as well as some MA programs in education as a backup. My primary research interests are late 19th/early 20th century American lit, queer theory, biopolitics, and futurity. My master's thesis centered on reading Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" as a biopolitical text and understanding the body as a site of queer resistance. 

Right now my dream program is the English PhD at UT-Austin, although I'm also applying to UIC and Northwestern. In addition, I'm looking into the American Studies PhD at UT-Austin. 

Are there any fellow applicants in this thread who are going through their 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) cycle?

In addition, are there any fellow applicants who are applying to American Studies programs as well as English? I'd love to swap advice and ideas!

[sayantika]

On 7/30/2019 at 10:21 AM, silenus_thescribe said:

Hey all -- current UT Austin PhD candidate writing, to say that if you have any questions about UT's program vis-a-vis your interests, feel free to PM me! Happy to answer questions about the department and program as a whole.

Does UT Austin have a phd in creative writing? 

[karamazov]

I'm applying as a senior in undergrad, and I'm a bit nervous about competing for spots in phD programs against those who already have an MA in hand. I feel like I've read somewhere on this forum that some programs hold BA-only students to slightly different standards than their MA counterparts. Does anyone have insight to share on this? If the two groups were held to the same standards, wouldn't those with master's degrees almost invariably have the upper hand? Given the dismal acceptance rates to phD programs, I know departments will only accept applicants they believe to be the most capable of completing the program, those whose research questions are productive and well defined, etc. Since students who have an MA have had more time to pursue their scholarly interests, define their research questions, and prepare for a phD program, I almost can't fathom how a BA-only applicant could compete. I'm applying to both MA and phD programs, so even if I don't get any phD offers this cycle, I'm hopeful for the chance to attend an MA program, but I would love to hear anything you all have to say on the topic. 

[ArcaMajora]

@karamazov I can speak only from the BA-only side (though with the benefit of a gap year), and the one thing I can is that it definitely depends from program-to-program, and also, from individual-to-individual. I completely understand why you're nervous. I was in a similar position last year, wondering how I'd compete those holding MAs.

I have seen that line of thinking floating around the forums and with some certainty, it does seem to be case. I believe there was one post that remarked that BA and MA applicants are either separated or are read with different lenses. As a BA-only applicant, it's fine if your project/research questions may need some ironing out (if there's one thing I've learned during graduate student recruitment, a program wants to also ensure that it leaves its mark on you). An MA applicant will most likely have the upper hand in terms of having a longer and more graduate palatable CV, but they've also had some years of experience in a graduate program already. Admissions committees (to my knowledge anyway) will be aware of what degrees you're bringing to the table and evaluate you accordingly. The one thing I can say for those applying with just BAs, I'd definitely make sure to try and point out your potential as a graduate student and make clear what kind of research trajectory you're on and how the department can help achieve your goals. A project and SoP (as well as a sterling WS) that is well-constructed, well thought out, exciting, makes an intervention/conversation within your field (and, I cannot stress enough, also one that the program can feasibly support) can and will catch an admissions committee's eyes, regardless if you're an undergraduate or graduate student.

I also want to stress that it also depends on what priorities and what kinds of students does the program desire (do they want those they can mold a bit more? have they had equal success with both BA and MA students? is one field over-crowded and one field underpopulated? etc.). Admission rates (from what I've seen from spending way too much time roaming through available admissions data), can be very elastic and unstable for some departments. Of course, this does not at all diminish the incredibly hyper-competitive nature of PhD admissions. However, the composition of what kind of cohort they want can absolutely change, especially from politics within and beyond the department (funding cuts leading to smaller cohorts to a department aggressively recruiting to justify more funding lines, which can cause an admission rate spike). That is to say, there's a lot of insider info/dynamics can influence a department's vision of what their ideal cohort may look like, so it is admittedly within the realm of the unknown.

To close off though, it is absolutely possible for BA-only applicants to be competitive in this tough environment. Cohorts are definitely mixed in with profiles of students who took varying and diverse paths to the program. I repeated this one mantra to myself when applying: present the absolute best version of myself as a literary scholar and leave no doubts to my capabilities, my potential as a graduate student, and my fit. After submission, it's out of my hands and it's up to the admissions committee to decide.

Edited August 16, 2019 by ArcaMajora

[Narrative Nancy]

Hey all! I typically lurk on this forum but I really want to feel like I'm a part of the 2020 cycle. I'm in the 2nd year of my MA program (that I wouldn't have found without this lovely place) and I'm interested in Caribbean poetry, African diasporic travel and folklore, along with digital humanities. I originally applied with a BA to PhD programs and in 2017 I was accepted to a program but I ended up declining the offer due to a host of concerns. The following year I tried the MA/PhD route and got waitlisted at my top program - OSU - then ultimately rejected. In a surprising turn of events I applied to a funded MA that reopened applications in April of that year and got in!

On 8/15/2019 at 11:43 AM, agunns said:

Are there any fellow applicants in this thread who are going through their 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) cycle?

Idk if this is my 2nd or 3rd cycle but I'm definitely a repeat applicant with a similar experience. My interests have developed and changed so much during grad school that I'm happy those programs didn't work out because they wouldn't support me well now. I'm excited to try this PhD application once more and share the full experience with you all.

Now to tackle the SOP head-on - I thought after writing so many I'd be an expert by now, but it still scares me ? 

[Cryss]

17 hours ago, Narrative Nancy said:

I'm interested in Caribbean poetry, African diasporic travel and folklore, along with digital humanities.

That's so cool! I am interested in Caribbean lit and African literature too. Additionally, south east Asian for me. My interests just run the gamut of transnational postcolonial 20th/21st century lit. So happy to see someone with similar interests!

Edited August 17, 2019 by Cryss

[Narrative Nancy]

1 hour ago, Cryss said:

That's so cool! I am interested in Caribbean lit and African literature too. Additionally, south east Asian for me. My interests just run the gamut of transnational postcolonial 20th/21st century lit. So happy to see someone with similar interests!

Awesome! I don't think there are too many of us around, it's a pleasure to 'meet' you! I just checked out your intro post and saw you're an international applicant - me too! I think we have quite a bit in common. If you don't mind sharing, what schools are you looking at? My list has been growing and shrinking the more I (over)think about it. 

Also, if you ever want to talk over PM about the process in general I'd love to.

[Cryss]

On 8/17/2019 at 10:08 AM, Narrative Nancy said:

Awesome! I don't think there are too many of us around, it's a pleasure to 'meet' you! I just checked out your intro post and saw you're an international applicant - me too! I think we have quite a bit in common. If you don't mind sharing, what schools are you looking at? My list has been growing and shrinking the more I (over)think about it. 

Also, if you ever want to talk over PM about the process in general I'd love to.

Sure, that sounds great! I haven't completely narrowed down my list yet, but Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, UPenn, U of Michigan were the schools in the top 10 that I've checked out. Then Vanderbilt, Rice, U of Pittsburgh, Emory, WashU, Northwestern are some other strong ones I've looked into that I like. I'm gonna apply to 5 total though, so I will be choosing from those (my list has been changing constantly also! It's so hard to pinpoint and stick with something). Some of the schools I listed seem to have a really good postcolonial concentration and faculty. Some have maybe 1 person specializing in Caribbean or African lit (Carole Boyce Davies at Cornell, Shalini Puri at U of Pittsburgh, Gikandi at Princeton). Jamaica Kincaid is at Harvard if you're interested, but I'm not sure if she teaches or advises.  I'm sure there are other really good ones out there. What schools are you considering? 

[silenus_thescribe]

On 8/15/2019 at 6:13 PM, sayantika said:

Does UT Austin have a phd in creative writing? 

It does not. It has two MFAs, both of which are great: the New Writer's Project (housed in the English department) and the prestigious Michener Center MFA (housed within the university, with some English department crossover). The latter is extremely competitive but lucrative; if you get it, it's three years of no-teaching funding at 30k/year.

[Narrative Nancy]

On 8/17/2019 at 12:43 PM, Cryss said:

Sure, that sounds great! I haven't completely narrowed down my list yet, but Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, UPenn, U of Michigan were the schools in the top 10 that I've checked out. Then Vanderbilt, Rice, U of Pittsburgh, Emory, WashU, Northwestern are some other strong ones I've looked into that I like. I'm gonna apply to 5 total though, so I will be choosing from those (my list has been changing constantly also! It's so hard to pinpoint and stick with something). Some of the schools I listed seem to have a really good postcolonial concentration and faculty. Some have maybe 1 person specializing in Caribbean or African lit (Carole Boyce Davies at Cornell, Shalini Puri at U of Pittsburgh, Gikandi at Princeton). Jamaica Kincaid is at Harvard if you're interested, but I'm not sure if she teaches or advises.  I'm sure there are other really good ones out there. What schools are you considering? 

University of Virginia, Rutgers, UMich and NYU are currently on my list since I can identify at least 2 faculty members (sometimes 4 or 5!) I could work with. I've gone back and forth with Cornell, for example, because after looking at dissertations in the last several years I noticed that Boyce Davies hasn't served as chair. It makes me weary of applying to any institution in hopes of working closely with 'superstars' in the field. I've been pretty picky, but there are some programs that I get the feeling my interests would be supported however I can't pinpoint exactly why. I am also toying with Florida State, Brown, WashU, Vanderbilt, Boston University and Northeastern. Like you, I will only apply to a handful of schools, which is both daunting and oddly comforting! 

[Cryss]

On 8/17/2019 at 6:20 PM, Narrative Nancy said:

University of Virginia, Rutgers, UMich and NYU are currently on my list since I can identify at least 2 faculty members (sometimes 4 or 5!) I could work with. I've gone back and forth with Cornell, for example, because after looking at dissertations in the last several years I noticed that Boyce Davies hasn't served as chair. It makes me weary of applying to any institution in hopes of working closely with 'superstars' in the field. I've been pretty picky, but there are some programs that I get the feeling my interests would be supported however I can't pinpoint exactly why. I am also toying with Florida State, Brown, WashU, Vanderbilt, Boston University and Northeastern. Like you, I will only apply to a handful of schools, which is both daunting and oddly comforting! 

100% Agree. I have been super careful about finding at least 2-3 people I can work with at the schools that are my front-runners (and professors whose work I am interested in reading!), even if they don't share my exact interests.  Going to a school for 1 "superstar" is definitely a horrible idea. Instead I actually have been putting a lot of emphasis on what I think my quality of life and happiness would be in the geographical area and the school's department. Whether I would be a fit. What type of environment they foster, etc. I will be coming with my husband, and we don't want the next possibly 6 years to be a nightmare for the sake of some arbitrary prestige. At the end of the day, I feel like if you're happy somewhere and the fit is right, you can succeed there, moreso than just choosing the highest ranked school/most famous person. 

 

On 8/17/2019 at 6:20 PM, Narrative Nancy said:

after looking at dissertations in the last several years I noticed that Boyce Davies hasn't served as chair.

Ok, so I thought it was just me, haha. I l actually look at the CVs of the professors I'm interested in if they're on the website, and I scroll down to the section of their CV where they mention serving as PhD advisors and chairs. Then, I look at the topics of the dissertations, and the dates, especially. It's a bit stalker-ish now that I think about it. 

[Narrative Nancy]

1 hour ago, Cryss said:

Ok, so I thought it was just me, haha. I l actually look at the CVs of the professors I'm interested in if they're on the website, and I scroll down to the section of their CV where they mention serving as PhD advisors and chairs. Then, I look at the topics of the dissertations, and the dates, especially. It's a bit stalker-ish now that I think about it. 

Lol! Now those are good research skills! I've never gone that deep but now I'm tempted to, haha. 

[Uchuuko]

I will be applying to graduate school for entry for Fall 2020. I want to obtain a PhD in biochemistry (or a very similar field; I just want the program to have 'biochemistry' in its name and I'm fine as long as it has a lot to do with biochemistry). I'm in Georgia, and the two schools I've been looking at are Emory and GATech. I'm concerned because I do not want to leave Georgia at this time, and I also no longer feel like taking the GRE particularly since neither of the school I have mentioned look at them.

My GPA is on the low side, but my resume is much better. A highlight of said resume is that I am currently (but have been) doing research in computational biochemistry, and I have presented the work I have done at a conference this past May. I will also be TAing for this semester, though it will be for a general chemistry course. So far I have 2/3 professors who will write letters of recommendation for me; I have not yet determined my third. 

 

[CanadianEnglish]

On 8/17/2019 at 9:08 AM, Narrative Nancy said:

Awesome! I don't think there are too many of us around, it's a pleasure to 'meet' you! I just checked out your intro post and saw you're an international applicant - me too! I think we have quite a bit in common. If you don't mind sharing, what schools are you looking at? My list has been growing and shrinking the more I (over)think about it. 

Also, if you ever want to talk over PM about the process in general I'd love to.

Hello, 

Just wanted to tag in here and say that I am also an international applicant with an interest in Caribbean, transnational, and postcolonial lit! 

[karamazov]

On 8/16/2019 at 1:01 AM, ArcaMajora said:

@karamazov I can speak only from the BA-only side (though with the benefit of a gap year), and the one thing I can is that it definitely depends from program-to-program, and also, from individual-to-individual. I completely understand why you're nervous. I was in a similar position last year, wondering how I'd compete those holding MAs.

I have seen that line of thinking floating around the forums and with some certainty, it does seem to be case. I believe there was one post that remarked that BA and MA applicants are either separated or are read with different lenses. As a BA-only applicant, it's fine if your project/research questions may need some ironing out (if there's one thing I've learned during graduate student recruitment, a program wants to also ensure that it leaves its mark on you). An MA applicant will most likely have the upper hand in terms of having a longer and more graduate palatable CV, but they've also had some years of experience in a graduate program already. Admissions committees (to my knowledge anyway) will be aware of what degrees you're bringing to the table and evaluate you accordingly. The one thing I can say for those applying with just BAs, I'd definitely make sure to try and point out your potential as a graduate student and make clear what kind of research trajectory you're on and how the department can help achieve your goals. A project and SoP (as well as a sterling WS) that is well-constructed, well thought out, exciting, makes an intervention/conversation within your field (and, I cannot stress enough, also one that the program can feasibly support) can and will catch an admissions committee's eyes, regardless if you're an undergraduate or graduate student.

I also want to stress that it also depends on what priorities and what kinds of students does the program desire (do they want those they can mold a bit more? have they had equal success with both BA and MA students? is one field over-crowded and one field underpopulated? etc.). Admission rates (from what I've seen from spending way too much time roaming through available admissions data), can be very elastic and unstable for some departments. Of course, this does not at all diminish the incredibly hyper-competitive nature of PhD admissions. However, the composition of what kind of cohort they want can absolutely change, especially from politics within and beyond the department (funding cuts leading to smaller cohorts to a department aggressively recruiting to justify more funding lines, which can cause an admission rate spike). That is to say, there's a lot of insider info/dynamics can influence a department's vision of what their ideal cohort may look like, so it is admittedly within the realm of the unknown.

To close off though, it is absolutely possible for BA-only applicants to be competitive in this tough environment. Cohorts are definitely mixed in with profiles of students who took varying and diverse paths to the program. I repeated this one mantra to myself when applying: present the absolute best version of myself as a literary scholar and leave no doubts to my capabilities, my potential as a graduate student, and my fit. After submission, it's out of my hands and it's up to the admissions committee to decide.

Thank you so much for this. I'll keep this in mind while working on my applications, and I'll try not to let my anxiety swallow me whole. 

[onerepublic96]

12 hours ago, Uchuuko said:

I will be applying to graduate school for entry for Fall 2020. I want to obtain a PhD in biochemistry (or a very similar field; I just want the program to have 'biochemistry' in its name and I'm fine as long as it has a lot to do with biochemistry). I'm in Georgia, and the two schools I've been looking at are Emory and GATech. I'm concerned because I do not want to leave Georgia at this time, and I also no longer feel like taking the GRE particularly since neither of the school I have mentioned look at them.

My GPA is on the low side, but my resume is much better. A highlight of said resume is that I am currently (but have been) doing research in computational biochemistry, and I have presented the work I have done at a conference this past May. I will also be TAing for this semester, though it will be for a general chemistry course. So far I have 2/3 professors who will write letters of recommendation for me; I have not yet determined my third. 

 

whoops! seems you've posted on the wrong forum. we're humanities folks here 

[Narrative Nancy]

23 hours ago, CanadianEnglish said:

Hello, 

Just wanted to tag in here and say that I am also an international applicant with an interest in Caribbean, transnational, and postcolonial lit! 

Hey! Haha, that's so cool! *insert mild stalking here* Your thesis sounds really interesting. Are you still working on it, or are you using an existing chapter for the writing sample? 

[CanadianEnglish]

3 hours ago, Narrative Nancy said:

Hey! Haha, that's so cool! *insert mild stalking here* Your thesis sounds really interesting. Are you still working on it, or are you using an existing chapter for the writing sample? 

Hello! Excited to meet people with the same interest! 

I'm still working on it since it doesn’t have to be finished until May when I graduate, but I’m using my first chapter for my writing sample. 

 

[Cryss]

On 8/18/2019 at 7:03 PM, CanadianEnglish said:

Hello, 

Just wanted to tag in here and say that I am also an international applicant with an interest in Caribbean, transnational, and postcolonial lit! 

*Another one.* I love hearing about people who share my interests. I feel like it's so niche that I don't usually meet many others in the programs I've been in.  Nice to meet you! ? ?

8 minutes ago, CanadianEnglish said:

Hello! Excited to meet people with the same interest! 

I'm still working on it since it doesn’t have to be finished until May when I graduate, but I’m using my first chapter for my writing sample. 

 

Good luck on your thesis and your last year in MA! I'm sure you'll be great and that we'll be talking more in the upcoming months and early next year as we apply and wait to hear back with bated breath.

 

 

[karamazov]

Is anyone familiar with the etiquette of applying to two departments at one school? For instance, if I'm interested in both an English department and a comparative literature department at a certain university, can I apply to both departments? Can I use the same writing sample and a slightly altered version of the same statement of purpose, or is that considered bad taste? Both departments seem to be great fits for me, and given the considerable overlap between the faculty in the two departments (joint appointments, affiliated faculty, etc.), being able to study in either department would be a dream. Applying to both would provide two possible avenues through which I could work with those scholars, but I don't know if doing so would be a faux pas, and actually hurt my chances of acceptance to either department. Thoughts?

[Glasperlenspieler]

8 minutes ago, karamazov said:

For instance, if I'm interested in both an English department and a comparative literature department at a certain university, can I apply to both departments?

Depends on the university. Some universities only allow you to apply to one program per year (this is the case for Stanford and Princeton, I believe). Other universities have no restrictions.

14 minutes ago, karamazov said:

Can I use the same writing sample and a slightly altered version of the same statement of purpose, or is that considered bad taste? Both departments seem to be great fits for me, and given the considerable overlap between the faculty in the two departments (joint appointments, affiliated faculty, etc.), being able to study in either department would be a dream. Applying to both would provide two possible avenues through which I could work with those scholars, but I don't know if doing so would be a faux pas, and actually hurt my chances of acceptance to either department. Thoughts?

It sort of depends on how much overlap there is between the two departments. It's quite possible (or even likely) that the admissions committees of the two programs consist of entirely different individuals. In this case, submitting the same writing sample (assuming it's applicable to both) wouldn't seem to pose any issue, and it's not clear to me that it would be an issue even if there was some overlap. While I don't generally think emailing professors is particularly important in the admissions process, I do think this is a situation where it makes sense. You could email the professors you are interested in working with and ask them if they think applying to both programs would make sense and, if not, which program would be more applicable to your research. I did this for one university when I was applying and got a very nice email back. Of course, I didn't end up getting accepted there, so ymmv. Generally though, if there's no restriction on doing so, I don't think it hurts to apply to multiple departments as long as they are both relevant to you.

[Narrative Nancy]

16 hours ago, CanadianEnglish said:

I'm still working on it since it doesn’t have to be finished until May when I graduate, but I’m using my first chapter for my writing sample. 

That's impressive! I wrote a chapter for mine this summer and I wish I could use it but it's not in writing sample shape at all. But then again I've been dwelling on the 'fit' between the SOP and WS too much.

[Indecisive Poet]

Urg. Venting here. I am trying to narrow down my list and the more I research and re-research, the more it becomes clear that there is a group of programs all in the top ten that are all perfect fits for my interests. Outside of the top ten? Eh, there are a few that I could make work, but it's a stretch (i.e. there are people working in my period, which can be said of every university, but there is no overlap at all in interest or methodology). This is really frustrating because I do not want to apply to this many uber-competitive programs.

Edited August 20, 2019 by Indecisive Poet

[CanadianEnglish]

On 8/19/2019 at 9:40 PM, Cryss said:

*Another one.* I love hearing about people who share my interests. I feel like it's so niche that I don't usually meet many others in the programs I've been in.  Nice to meet you! ? ?

Good luck on your thesis and your last year in MA! I'm sure you'll be great and that we'll be talking more in the upcoming months and early next year as we apply and wait to hear back with bated breath.

 

 

Nice to meet you too! I am so happy to hear that multiple people have similar interest! Thank you for your kind words! I'm excited to see where we'll all end up. I'm so nervous about hearing back - and I haven't even applied to the programs yet. The steady incline to insanity during application season is starting already.

 

23 hours ago, Narrative Nancy said:

That's impressive! I wrote a chapter for mine this summer and I wish I could use it but it's not in writing sample shape at all. But then again I've been dwelling on the 'fit' between the SOP and WS too much.

 I wrote the first draft of the first chapter last fall and it's finally ready to be in writing sample shape. Yeah I'm a little worried about my WS since it doesn't have that much poco theory and criticism to it since it's mostly gender and sexuality based. But we'll see how it goes! Good luck on getting the 'fit' right! I'm sure it'll be fabulous