Rhetoric and Composition Extended Deadline

[R.J.]

Hi, everyone! This post is for any of you who are still applying to schools or perhaps those of you who are receiving disappointing results for English applications and are interested in submitting to one or two more schools with hopes for Fall admission. I hope it doesn't come across sounding like spam, as I just want to share my experience and info on an extended application deadline at my school.

I'm currently a second-year doctoral student at the Univeristy of Texas at El Paso, but I had to apply to doctoral programs two years in a row before I enrolled in Fall 2009. In 2008 I applied to ten mid- to top-tier programs in Literature and American Studies, and I was only accepted at one, Boston University, without funding. I didn't want to go deep into debt to get my Ph.D., so I was left to wait another year. At that time, I wished I had applied to a more diverse group of schools to give myself more options in the case that I was not accepted into my top choices. I knew the process would be competitive, but I thought I would have gotten into a funded program, given how many schools I applied to.

The next year, in Spring 2009, I applied to eight more programs, mostly in Literature (the focus of my MA from UT Austin). After I had completed my Lit applications, I also decided that I would apply to a couple of Rhetoric and Composition programs with February deadlines in order to diversify my applications and hopefully ensure that I would be able to return to school that Fall. I didn't want to have to wait it out another year and spend several hundred dollars on another round of applications.

By April 2009, I was accepted into a few of my mid-level choices and wait-listed at my top choices, but the more I looked into the programs and thought about my research intersts and career options, I decided to go with Rhetoric and Composition at UTEP. Having been here for almost two years, I have never regretted my decision. It's a strong program with good funding, teaching experience (Assistant Instructorship), a low cost of living near campus, and many options for pursuing your research interests and making a mark in the program. Our students present at major conferences and publish regularly; I have two book chapters coming out later this year and two national conference presentations in the Spring. The program has also been successful placing graduates in faculty appointments around the U.S.

The main purpose of all this background, other than to share what I learned after having to apply two years in a row in order to return to school, is that UTEP's Ph.D. application deadline has been extended to at least February 15, and some applications may still be accepted even through the end of February. The sooner you apply, the better, but I know the program is interested in getting more applicants from outside of Texas, so I encourage you to apply. If you have any questions about the program or applications, feel free to contact me (rjlambert@miners.utep.edu). There is also plenty of information about applying on our site: http://academics.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=3302

Good luck with your applications this year, wherever you apply!

R.J.