Prospects for the non-elite

[dash of chutmeg]

After graduating from community college, I graduated with a high 3.9 from SUNY New Paltz, a small, selective (~33%), yet marginally competitive college in New York. I developed strong working relationships with a number of professors, but due to financial constraints (that's why I'm at New Paltz, really), I was unable to undertake a large research project. I feel, due to my lack of resources, that I am at an overwhelming disadvantage.

How could I possibly compete with an applicant pool that consists of top-flight grads from the elites? What do people like me have going for them? I know Homi Bhabha went to community college before becoming a celebrated theorist, but what are the odds of getting into a decent PhD program? Any stories?

Thanks!

[UnlikelyGrad]

After graduating from community college, I graduated with a high 3.9 from SUNY New Paltz, a small, selective (~33%), yet marginally competitive college in New York. I developed strong working relationships with a number of professors, but due to financial constraints (that's why I'm at New Paltz, really), I was unable to undertake a large research project. I feel, due to my lack of resources, that I am at an overwhelming disadvantage.

How could I possibly compete with an applicant pool that consists of top-flight grads from the elites? What do people like me have going for them? I know Homi Bhabha went to community college before becoming a celebrated theorist, but what are the odds of getting into a decent PhD program? Any stories?

Thanks!

What field are you in? What do you consider 'decent'?

[dash of chutmeg]

What field are you in? What do you consider 'decent'?

Apologies. My field is literature and literary theory, and my areas of interest are postcolonial literature, cultural theory, and the economics of publishing. I'm thinking top 30 PhD programs in literature with some interest in interdisciplinary programs.

[adaptations]

You are right that you are at a disadvantage, but you do have a stellar GPA, so that's something. It seems to me that if you can rock the GRE and write a very good SOP you will be in the running. You don't need all the top schools to want you, just one.

If you don't get accepted, earning a masters from a more reputable program would be a good stepping stone, but of course that runs up against the resource challenge problem again. However, if you are committed to earning your PhD it is something to consider. Good luck.

[Eigen]

I came from a quite small state school, and had good success in applications.

Research experience, publications, good GPA, good LoRs, and good GRE scores will still make you competitive, although it does put you at a disadvantage.