No Acceptances; Time for plan B

[icefired12]

Well, the worst-case scenario came true and I didn't get into (or get waitlisted at) a single one of the ten schools to which I applied for 20th c. American lit.

I'm now hastily constructing a plan b. I don't know if there are any good MA programs that I could still apply for and matriculate at for this fall. I'm also considering staying at my current job for another year, but I don't really like my current location.

Any ideas on what to do for a year until I get a chance to re-apply?

Honestly. You'd think a 99th percentile verbal would get you at least a sniff somewhere.

Any tips, advice, help or commentary would be appreciated!

[amethyst]

well, I know that UK (oxbridge an others) masters (MPhils) have late deadlines. depending on if you have any connections to your undergraduate institution, you might also be able to apply to fellowships. doing a mphil in the UK would only make you a stronger PhD candidate in the future; getting a fellowship would be even better? just a thought. i applied to mphils as back-up.

[workinginnyc]

I faced a similar fate last year, and this year I was accepted to a few very good programs (1 in the top ten) so there is hope. I am not sure what exactly I did that helped my prospects but I will share and maybe it will help. Among a few things, I took a few courses from a local continuing studies program, one of which was a high level philosophy course. I worked a somewhat prestigious internship, and I completely rewrote all the writing I submitted. I also retook the GRE, but I got a worse score!, but perhaps it was showing the effort that helped. I did not get a masters, however. Only do that if you think you need it to understand the trends in the field and write an advanced paper for a writing sample, or to get recs.

Just keep at it and try to apply with as advanced and thoughful of a paper as you can for a writing sample. My suggestion is to really stretch. Spend half of it on very solid readings and research to prove you have the skills and then attempt to branch out from there with ideas you haven't seen before to prove you have ideas. Don't be absurdly speculative, but don't be afraid to reach for things you might not be entirely confident of either. They can teach you research skills, but they can't teach you how to think, you have to bring that yourself. I think the biggest mistake I made on my intitial attempt was being to safe in that way. Course if you have great ideas you can explain and back up 100% with skilled writing and research, even better. Also, don't be afraid of theory, but don't feel like its neccisary either.

[icefired12]

Thanks for the advice; I've found it useful. There are some MA programs I'll apply to - and the suggestion about the UK is helpful.

Two more questions:

If I reapply next year, would it be helpful or hurtful to mention the rejections?

How much should a personal statement be tied to an individual university? I had a good (I thought) personal statement - but I didn't change it drastically to address each place I applied to. Would it be more helpful for me, next time, to draft different personal statements aligned with specific universities to which I'm applying?

Thanks again for the advice.

[engguy]

If I reapply next year, would it be helpful or hurtful to mention the rejections?

I don't know why you would do that, unless there's some compelling reason to.

[edit] one more thought. I'm not sure if you mean that you'd apply to the same schools; you might want to check and make sure that they're cool with that. One school that rejected me stated explicitly on their web site that "those not accepted are not invited to apply for admission again" or some such obnoxious nicety. At least it saves you the $50 or so.

How much should a personal statement be tied to an individual university? I had a good (I thought) personal statement - but I didn't change it drastically to address each place I applied to. Would it be more helpful for me, next time, to draft different personal statements aligned with specific universities to which I'm applying?

Obviously you don't want to rewrite it for every one, but you should at least slant it so that each school is convinced that this is the only place you can do the work you want to do. You don't want them to read it and think, "sounds good, but I don't know why this person needs to come here and not school x." That means doing some research, and more than plugging in different names of schools/professors.

Also -- I just had an admissions com member tell me this at a school that was very tough to get into this year -- you don't want to make your SOP sound like you're trying to cram in everything you know or have learned about your field; it has to be focused. That means being willing to leave out the cool theory you learned, if it doesn't advance your case. I think their fear is that too many students just don't have a clear idea of what they want to do -- which feeds back into the idea of making a compelling case for yourself at each particular school.

Good luck! 8)

[goonie1234]

As for MA programs, check out the University of Sussex. There are many different MA tracks with different foci. I did my MA there and was quite happy with the program and with what I learned; furthermore, it is well respected (and represented) in English departments throughout the US. I had a similar situation last year but took a year out, reassessed, figured out more of the application process (and retook a test or two --- not necessarily for the better), and got admitted to a few good programs this time around.

But as for the MA, I really recommend it. It gives you a better perspective on the profession as a whole while firming up much of what you learned in college. Additionally, you get a good sense of more cutting-edge theory, as you are operating as a graduate student and not an undergrad. Probably for me, my MA was what crystallized my real interest in continuing to a PhD --- I realized how much more was out there.

Good luck -- and keep your head up!

[goonie1234]

And perhaps I should have noted: University of Sussex in Brighton, England. (http://www.sussex.ac.uk)

best