GWU vs. Rutgers vs. U of T for English PhD -- Help!

[andromeda]

Hello lovely folks,

I'm hoping to get American and Canadian perspectives on this one. I've been accepted into three schools thus far: GWU, Rutgers, and U of T. All have a funding package, but I am wondering how these schools' English PhD programs might be ranked. My confusion stems from the following:

GWU = private, a somewhat more elite feel, but known for public policy, not necessarily English; might be fun living in the capital

Rutgers = excellent funding package, but where do they rank?; not so keen on living in New Brunswick, NJ

U of T = excellent school, and it's where I call home right now, but I want to open my future job prospects to the US (I am a Canadian); figured attending an American university might up the ante on my scholarly profile

HELP!! How would you rank these schools? What might I want to consider? Thx!

[Safferz]

U of T = excellent school, and it's where I call home right now, but I want to open my future job prospects to the US (I am a Canadian); figured attending an American university might up the ante on my scholarly profile

Disclaimer: I am not familiar with English Ph.D programs!

But I will say that a UofT doctorate will not be an obstacle to working in the US. And why would it? Doctorate programs up here are structured exactly the same way, the only real difference is that funding is generally better at American schools. But you have other options here for external funding, like SSHRC.

[nonymouse]

Hello lovely folks,

I'm hoping to get American and Canadian perspectives on this one. I've been accepted into three schools thus far: GWU, Rutgers, and U of T. All have a funding package, but I am wondering how these schools' English PhD programs might be ranked. My confusion stems from the following:

GWU = private, a somewhat more elite feel, but known for public policy, not necessarily English; might be fun living in the capital

Rutgers = excellent funding package, but where do they rank?; not so keen on living in New Brunswick, NJ

U of T = excellent school, and it's where I call home right now, but I want to open my future job prospects to the US (I am a Canadian); figured attending an American university might up the ante on my scholarly profile

HELP!! How would you rank these schools? What might I want to consider? Thx!

It would be really helpful if you could give us an idea of your interests and subfields. I can tell you that Toronto should not in any way be an obstacle to your getting hired in the US—far from it! It's an excellent school, with a great reputation in the US and a degree from there should certainly be an asset on the job market.

That being said, Rutgers is also great, and don't stress to much about New Brunswick if that's what's really holding you back about it. It's not DC or Toronto, but it's relatively close to New York.

I personally don't know anything about GWU's english grad program, so I can't way in on it.

I would suggest though that you try and visit all three of the schools so that you get a better idea of the ever elusive "fit."

[andromeda]

My interests are in American/African-American lit, as well as critical race studies.

I have a forerunner in Critical Race Studies who has expressed interest in my ideas, which is nice; but U of T has also expressed the interest of a few faculty members.

I'm not sure why I am worried. I want to try and visit all three, but in case I can't, want to know that I'm making a viable decision.

For some reason, I feel like down the road, having an American PhD will benefit me more. Problem is, most American friends I have think automatically GWU and Rutgers are better; while my Canadian folks tell me U of T is the most prestigious of the three. Should I worry about prestige? Ugh, I shouldn't. I appreciate further insight from you....

It would be really helpful if you could give us an idea of your interests and subfields. I can tell you that Toronto should not in any way be an obstacle to your getting hired in the US—far from it! It's an excellent school, with a great reputation in the US and a degree from there should certainly be an asset on the job market.

That being said, Rutgers is also great, and don't stress to much about New Brunswick if that's what's really holding you back about it. It's not DC or Toronto, but it's relatively close to New York.

I personally don't know anything about GWU's english grad program, so I can't way in on it.

I would suggest though that you try and visit all three of the schools so that you get a better idea of the ever elusive "fit."

[TeamCoco-Bollo]

My interests are in American/African-American lit, as well as critical race studies.

I have a forerunner in Critical Race Studies who has expressed interest in my ideas, which is nice; but U of T has also expressed the interest of a few faculty members.

I'm not sure why I am worried. I want to try and visit all three, but in case I can't, want to know that I'm making a viable decision.

For some reason, I feel like down the road, having an American PhD will benefit me more. Problem is, most American friends I have think automatically GWU and Rutgers are better; while my Canadian folks tell me U of T is the most prestigious of the three. Should I worry about prestige? Ugh, I shouldn't. I appreciate further insight from you....

GWU is known for that exact sub-field, and the research facilities (Library of Congress) are very good. I'm sure you know this. GWU, however, is very very underfunded and the program's growth is suspended (source: department blog words of former chair).

Rutgers IS an elite university. If you subscribe to US News and World Reports or the other one (name slips my mind) Rutgers is in the top 20. GWU, is not. Could be someday, but not right now.

All that said, you go with the best fit.

Edited March 8, 2011 by TeamCoco-Bollo

[wtncffts]

My interests are in American/African-American lit, as well as critical race studies.

I have a forerunner in Critical Race Studies who has expressed interest in my ideas, which is nice; but U of T has also expressed the interest of a few faculty members.

I'm not sure why I am worried. I want to try and visit all three, but in case I can't, want to know that I'm making a viable decision.

For some reason, I feel like down the road, having an American PhD will benefit me more. Problem is, most American friends I have think automatically GWU and Rutgers are better; while my Canadian folks tell me U of T is the most prestigious of the three. Should I worry about prestige? Ugh, I shouldn't. I appreciate further insight from you....

I'd suggest looking at the placement records. I don't know anything about English, specifically, but a quick glance tells me that Rutgers' placement is probably better than, or at least equal to, U of T's in terms of US institutions (I couldn't find GWU's).

Toronto is definitely more prestigious in that it's in the highest echelon of Canadian universities (usually with UBC and McGill), whereas Rutgers and GWU are comparatively lower ranked, but there's definitely something working against Canadian PhDs on average in terms of US placement. It's a topic which has come up many times on these forums, and I'm still not sure in my own mind of the causes, but it's obvious that, in most fields, it seems uncommon for Canadian PhDs to obtain tenure-track positions at 'comparable' universities. It's pretty evident if you look at U of T's English placement: http://www.english.u...d/placement.htm . Perhaps the record shows that most of the PhDs are Canadian and thus choose to work in Canada, or that US perceptions of Toronto's (and other Canadian schools') 'actual' rank is much lower, i.e., that were it a US school, it would only be mid-ranked, say, top 50.

That's not to say that a Toronto PhD will be an 'obstacle' to job prospects in the US; the placement record shows that it probably isn't. But it seems to be the case that, if you're looking at 'prestige', U of T's prestige and reputation within Canada don't translate favorably (depending on your expectations) to the US context.

EDIT: Sorry, my original post mistakenly thought the OP and andromeda were different people. Stupid me. If I could add one more thing: would it be unusual or seen as odd to study American literature in Canada? I'm not in your field, so I don't know, but it seems like it might be an issue.

Edited March 8, 2011 by wtncffts

[hupr]

You can't really go by overall prestige; you'll need to do some homework on departmental and subfield reputations. I'm not familiar with English departments or your subfield, but for what it's worth, here are the rankings for African-American Lit.:

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/african-american-literature-rankings

Rutgers clocks in at 15, tied with Emory and U Michigan, which is pretty damn good. GWU seems to be 71st for English overall, but that'll surely be different for African-American Lit.

[The Dudester]

FWIW, there is more than one U of T.

[SimilarlyDifferent]

Keep in mind too, that the price of living in each location is extremely different. New Jersey is an expensive state to live in. Make sure you take this into consideration when comparing the funding packages. The Rutgers package might look impressive, but you need to compare it in terms of cost of living for each location.

Edit: I thought U of T was Texas, edited now that I see it isn't.

Edited March 8, 2011 by SimilarlyDifferent

[andromeda]

Your points are very... on point.

Do you know where I can find job placements for Rutgers English? I searched to no avail. I did see the U of T ones, and it seems as though most grads remain in Canada/

I'd suggest looking at the placement records. I don't know anything about English, specifically, but a quick glance tells me that Rutgers' placement is probably better than, or at least equal to, U of T's in terms of US institutions (I couldn't find GWU's).

Toronto is definitely more prestigious in that it's in the highest echelon of Canadian universities (usually with UBC and McGill), whereas Rutgers and GWU are comparatively lower ranked, but there's definitely something working against Canadian PhDs on average in terms of US placement. It's a topic which has come up many times on these forums, and I'm still not sure in my own mind of the causes, but it's obvious that, in most fields, it seems uncommon for Canadian PhDs to obtain tenure-track positions at 'comparable' universities. It's pretty evident if you look at U of T's English placement: http://www.english.u...d/placement.htm . Perhaps the record shows that most of the PhDs are Canadian and thus choose to work in Canada, or that US perceptions of Toronto's (and other Canadian schools') 'actual' rank is much lower, i.e., that were it a US school, it would only be mid-ranked, say, top 50.

That's not to say that a Toronto PhD will be an 'obstacle' to job prospects in the US; the placement record shows that it probably isn't. But it seems to be the case that, if you're looking at 'prestige', U of T's prestige and reputation within Canada don't translate favorably (depending on your expectations) to the US context.

EDIT: Sorry, my original post mistakenly thought the OP and andromeda were different people. Stupid me. If I could add one more thing: would it be unusual or seen as odd to study American literature in Canada? I'm not in your field, so I don't know, but it seems like it might be an issue.

[andromeda]

That makes me feel a bit better!

You can't really go by overall prestige; you'll need to do some homework on departmental and subfield reputations. I'm not familiar with English departments or your subfield, but for what it's worth, here are the rankings for African-American Lit.:

http://grad-schools....rature-rankings

Rutgers clocks in at 15, tied with Emory and U Michigan, which is pretty damn good. GWU seems to be 71st for English overall, but that'll surely be different for African-American Lit.

[wtncffts]

Your points are very... on point.

Do you know where I can find job placements for Rutgers English? I searched to no avail. I did see the U of T ones, and it seems as though most grads remain in Canada/

The Rutgers placement is here:

http://english.rutgers.edu/graduate/placement1.html

Good luck with your decision!

[andromeda]

How did you find that? I'm blind, I think I've been staring at screens way too long every day.

I couldn't find the GWU one, though.

The Rutgers placement is here:

http://english.rutge...placement1.html

Good luck with your decision!