Which schools are "safe bets" to get accepted for a PhD in English?

[ladycarolina]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and this is the first time I am applying for an American school, so I have many questions... At the moment I am feeling a little desperate and I am worried about not getting accepted to any school at all. Could you give me some examples of schools where my chances are best to get accepted for a PhD in English (as an international student, without a M.A.)?

I really appreciate your help!

Edited October 23, 2010 by ladycarolina

[Alette]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and this is the first time I am applying for an American school, so I have many questions... At the moment I am feeling a little desperate and I am worried about not getting accepted to any school at all. Could you give me some examples of schools where my chances are best to get accepted for a PhD in English (as an international student, without a M.A.)?

I really appreciate your help!

I hate to break it to you - but there is no such thing as a "safe bet" in English. Unfortunately, I don't think I can give you the advice I'd give to someone with an American degree (look for programs that are in the same tier as your undergrad, for one). I'd speak to your adviser, or someone else who has successfully either navigated students through the process or students who have been successful at your university.

There were many well-qualified, very competitive applicants last year (some of whom are on these boards) who did not receive offers anywhere. Unfortunately that's the way it goes in our overly saturated field.

[skeletonkeys]

Have you considered applying for MA programs? I did an MA in English and taught for a year before applying this cycle, and while there is some debate about this, I feel like I'm a stronger candidate.

[bigdgp]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and this is the first time I am applying for an American school, so I have many questions... At the moment I am feeling a little desperate and I am worried about not getting accepted to any school at all. Could you give me some examples of schools where my chances are best to get accepted for a PhD in English (as an international student, without a M.A.)?

I really appreciate your help!

I would be willing to offer half of my application fees (that's approximately $300) to anybody who can answer this question! LOL

[strokeofmidnight]

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and this is the first time I am applying for an American school, so I have many questions... At the moment I am feeling a little desperate and I am worried about not getting accepted to any school at all. Could you give me some examples of schools where my chances are best to get accepted for a PhD in English (as an international student, without a M.A.)?

I really appreciate your help!

As everyone noted, this is probably not the right approach. Programs pick students (mostly) based on the strength of their writing/thinking/analysis/research, and how well suited your particular project is for the program's current strength and weaknesses. For the most part, your background won't come into play.

If you tell us more about your field, project, training, etc...we might be able to offer suggestions...but not based on your non-MA/international status.

If you don't have a good sense of a project (or series of related questions in one or two fields) that you might want to pursue...well, I always hesitate to suggest MA programs (particularly since they're often not funded), but it might be a good idea in this case.

If you're hell-bent on PhD programs, that are some programs which admit international students in doves...and make most of them pay tuition. I *really* wouldn't recommend that route, but it's out there if you're interested.