English MA

[Cayg118]

Okay, so of the schools I've been accepted into, I have narrowed the choice down to two schools, and am now having severe anxiety. I am interested in Rhet/comp and literature, and eventually want to get my PhD in Rhet/comp.

School A: Is fairly well known, and everyone I speak to about it says they have heard it's a great program that people don't often think of. It would be an MA in literature, but they have an excellent PhD program in rhet/comp. It is a bit more traditional, although very rigorous, still. However, the program accepts very few MA students applying to do their PhDs within the program. Many current students have suggested taking a year off in between. It is much closer to home, and a beautiful campus with friendly people, many of whom I met during the open house. However, they offered me no funding, and it would end up costing me $60,000 to get my MA.

School B: Is not a well known school for my program, but everyone I've spoken to about it says it's an up-and-coming program, with young, excited faculty. I've also heard the faculty members are (unusually) rigorous, and vigorously push their graduate students to improve. However, they do not have a PhD program, although some of their students have gone on to PhD programs at UCLA and NYU, among others. Also, this program would be an MA in rhet/comp, and I think getting my MA in literature might help me look more well-rounded for more traditional departments during my prospective job search after grad school. However, School B is flexible and will encourage me to take literature courses. There are two faculty members there whose research interests align with mine, and the courses are experimental and interesting-- but maybe too experimental? They have offered me a full tuition waiver, health insurance, and a $9,000 Grad Assistantship, where I will teach two courses a semester.

That being said, the program is 22 hours away from my home, and the reality of picking up and moving freaks me out a little bit. I didn't have time to go visit, or go to the open house, so I'm worried about not having met anyone in the program. However, should I want to take time off between my PhD and my MA, it will be nice to have teaching experience and no loans.

I appreciate any insight you all can give me!

--CG

[strokeofmidnight]

Okay, so of the schools I've been accepted into, I have narrowed the choice down to two schools, and am now having severe anxiety. I am interested in Rhet/comp and literature, and eventually want to get my PhD in Rhet/comp.

School A: Is fairly well known, and everyone I speak to about it says they have heard it's a great program that people don't often think of. It would be an MA in literature, but they have an excellent PhD program in rhet/comp. It is a bit more traditional, although very rigorous, still. However, the program accepts very few MA students applying to do their PhDs within the program. Many current students have suggested taking a year off in between. It is much closer to home, and a beautiful campus with friendly people, many of whom I met during the open house. However, they offered me no funding, and it would end up costing me $60,000 to get my MA.

School B: Is not a well known school for my program, but everyone I've spoken to about it says it's an up-and-coming program, with young, excited faculty. I've also heard the faculty members are (unusually) rigorous, and vigorously push their graduate students to improve. However, they do not have a PhD program, although some of their students have gone on to PhD programs at UCLA and NYU, among others. Also, this program would be an MA in rhet/comp, and I think getting my MA in literature might help me look more well-rounded for more traditional departments during my prospective job search after grad school. However, School B is flexible and will encourage me to take literature courses. There are two faculty members there whose research interests align with mine, and the courses are experimental and interesting-- but maybe too experimental? They have offered me a full tuition waiver, health insurance, and a $9,000 Grad Assistantship, where I will teach two courses a semester.

That being said, the program is 22 hours away from my home, and the reality of picking up and moving freaks me out a little bit. I didn't have time to go visit, or go to the open house, so I'm worried about not having met anyone in the program. However, should I want to take time off between my PhD and my MA, it will be nice to have teaching experience and no loans.

I appreciate any insight you all can give me!

--CG

Are you absolutely sure that you won't have time to visit? I think that would help to settle a lot of issues. I don't know enough to recommend one option over another, but I did want to weigh in on some details.

School B: 9K for 4 classes a year is a bit exploitative. Are the two classes per semester different sections of the same class (aka, less work) or two different classes that require considerably more prep time? My undergrad professors stressed that I should avoid programs that require teaching more than one course a semester, and from my experience, this seems like sound advice. I'm teaching now (sort of), and it really takes up a lot of time. I can't imagine doing "good work" if I were to teach two classes at the same time--especially early on in my grad career.

School A: You said that you're going for an MA, but that they have a PhD option as well? What is the relationship between the PhD and the MA program like? My partner obtained his MA at a program that has a separate PhD track. Although he landed in a very strong PhD program (much stronger than the program at his MA institution, which also accepted him when he reapplied), he found that he couldn't really compete with the PhD students for his professor's time and attention. This isn't always the case, but--as someone who is now looking at PhD programs with terminal MA tracks--it may be worth considering.

It's also worth noting: I never know what to make of MA placements (aka, where the MA students have gone onto PhD programs). While it would be troubling if the MA students never place well, I'm not entirely convinced that a handful of good placements (assuming that they are the exception rather than the rule) is necessarily an indication of quality. On the one hand, my partner willingly acknowledges that he would never have gotten into a good PhD program without his MA year. On the other hand, looking at him (and the 3 or 4--out of 20--students from his MA cohort who also placed well), I suspect that it has more to do with their own aptitude rather than the program's efforts. In other words, while they needed an MA year to "season" their scholarship, they might have done well coming out of any MA program, rather than that specific one.

[waldorf1975]

Congratulations on your acceptance. Initially, I thought that School B was a better bet. In general, you should go where the money is. However, two classes a semester is too much. Can you talk them down to one for the same amount of money?

Also, don't worry too much about looking well-rounded. Being in rhet/comp will already help you when you are in the job market.

I'm still not liking the sound of school A because of how much it will cost for you to get your MA, unless it is so close that you can live at home, which can cut down your debt. Also, it will cost money to move if School B is so far away. Sit down, do the math, and follow the money. What will really count is where you get your PhD, but you don't want to burden yourself with debt, either.

[JackieW]

Hi there,

Honestly, I think you should try everything you can to get funding at School A. Email the grad assistant office about any possible assistantships and the grad coordinator and ask about the TA waitlist and express your interest in the program. Email (or call!) everyone you can think of and try your hardest to get funding. BUT, if you don't get the funding--- I would go to School B. $60,000 is a LOT of money for a Master's degree and, as we know, we english majors aren't exactly ever going to be rolling in the dough!

I was having similar worries (I really liked School A too!)-- but then my other choice, Marquette, offered me a TAship!

[Sparky]

1. Do not go into debt for a graduate degree in the humanities.

2. As a terminal MA student (which you are, even though you are intending to go on for your PhD), it is typically to your advantage to be at a school with no PhD program. At schools with both PhD (or MA/PhD) and terminal MA tracks, often you hear complaints from master's students about feeling ignored or left out--the faculty have a limited amount of time to spend with students, and it sort of makes sense that they would spend it more with doctoral students.

3. In most humanities fields, school name doesn't matter as much at the master's level as the work you do there. Get a 4.0 or something close to it, and produce a hyperstrong writing sample. Get glowing LORs. That's what you need.

4. A funded MA looks better on an application than an unfunded one. (The grad assistantship, whether it's TAing or RAing, goes on your CV. PhD programs will know you had funding).

5. Within the crappy English job market, literature is even more oversaturated. There are actually rhet/comp jobs available, apparently (I'm not an English person, so this is hearsay, or rather readsay), so if anything it's lit people who should be going for r/c degrees as supplements.