Need a Plan of Action for Junior/ Senior Years in Undergrad!

[dorotheabrooke]

I've been able to look up information on average GPAs and GRE scores; however, I'd like to know if anyone can offer advice as to the rest of the application? What about work experience? Volunteerism? Other community involvement? Honors recognitions/ societies?

Any suggestions for activities with which I can become involved for my junior and senior years as an English major? What about advice for course-load? Specific classes/ subject areas?

Anything else that I might've missed despite my dozen questions?

I'm interested in top-tier M.A./ Ph.D. programs, so I would like any and all input as far as preparation goes.

Thanks in advance! Much appreciated!!

[Emelye]

Make sure you take at least one course in literary theory (you'll need it) and most likely a research-oriented course or two as well. Also, if there's an option at your school to write a thesis or honors thesis, make sure you get on board with that. If you do write a thesis, it's probably a good idea to use it as a sort of "test parachute" for whatever general area of study you are thinking of pursuing in graduate school. That will help you get familiar with scholars in the field, you can start networking with professors who have interests in that area, and you'll be much better prepared to write a statement of purpose when that comes around. Also, it's important to start articulating why you want to go to grad school. Getting an undergraduate TA position can also be a huge leg up in the application process because it gives you the benefits of teaching experience and great recs (hopefully!). Extracurriculuars are rather less important than the rest of your application unless they are super related to your field of interest, so focus instead on building research experience and a strong knowledge foundation in your field of interest.

Good luck, and props to you for starting early!

Em

Edited July 23, 2011 by Emelye

[Protagonist]

Find your academic theme or at least a concentration to study in. Take classes that show you have already started to specialize. Grad schools don't usually want students who are generalists, they want specialists. Find a professor that studies what you want to study and either see if they will be your advisor or just build up a good relationship with them. You're going to want to have good relationships with 3 professors for your letters of recommendations. Try to take multiple classes with professors who you like (and who like you!). Ask them about doing independent studies. Those are a great way to get a term paper written on a specific topic that fits into your area of study.

For instance, I had a professor my first semester of university (my first two years of my undergraduate were done at a community college as I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with myself at that point and lacked funds) who, within a month or so after the semester had started, had individual conferences with us about topics for an upcoming paper. She also took this time to get to know us, and she asked me what I was planning on doing after college. I mentioned that I was considering getting a masters degree in library science or education, as that was what my plan had been after getting out of community college. She gave me a blank stare and bluntly asked me why I wasn't considering a Ph.D. in English as she assumed from the quality of my work that I was planning on graduate school. That's when I first started considering that option and I took her words and praise to heart. I built up a great relationship with her, asking her if I could take an independent study the next semester. Just by asking her how I should go about doing this and who else I should talk to I learned a lot about the faculty and about what classes I should take. I learned that she was good friends with my advisor who also happened to tell me I would make a great candidate for graduate school when I spoke to him about it. From there I suppose I did some networking and found the professors who knew my field of study. I've just graduated and I still keep in contact with them regularly, they've had meetings with me to discuss what schools I should be looking at and are going out of their way to help me improve my writing sample and statement of purpose.

So to make that long story short, get to know your professors well. Impress them and ask them for help, if you do you'll get a wealth of information. After all, they know the most about getting the job you want because they've been in your shoes before and made it. They also know where the prominent scholars in their fields are and what schools are sending out graduates who are getting jobs. A strong relationship with your professors will give you a group of people who can answer the questions you've stated much better than we can.

Edited July 23, 2011 by Protagonist

[Two Espressos]

I'm a junior in undergrad. I'll post what I've done/am doing:

-I joined Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society last spring. Admissions aren't very selective (3.0 GPA, at least 2 English courses beyond the freshman writing sequence), and I don't know if membership would help my CV. I figured I'd join nonetheless.

-I'm presenting a paper at an undergraduate conference this fall. Once again, I doubt this will help my admissions chances much, but it certainly cannot hurt.

-I'm taking an upper-level seminar in literary theory this fall. I've been watching lectures by Paul Fry on literary theory as well as doing some light reading in the Norton Anthology of Literary Theory and Criticism to prepare myself for the course.

-I plan to present at another conference before applying to graduate school if possible. Preferably, I'd like to attend the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention next February in New Orleans.

-I plan to do an independent study in the spring semester with the humanities department chair. Hopefully the independent study will result in one or two well-refined papers that can serve as writing samples for my application season. Also, I hope that the course will help me refine my research interests.

I feel like my plan of action is respectable. There are certainly others who are doing more, but I think I'm doing okay.

[lyonessrampant]

Yeah, the extracurriculars and volunteering really don't help much. What Two Espressos is doing is a good action plan, though I'd add submitting to undergrad journals. Conference presentations really do help, especially if they are larger conferences. As others have said, start specializing now in your subfield. Read journals relevant to your interest areas and books written by people with whom you would like to work. Here's a biggie: GET YOUR LANGUAGES STARTED (if you haven't already). If you're looking at Medieval or Renaissance, you need Latin. Most programs want two languages, and showing competency when applying is a great idea.

[Two Espressos]

Here's a biggie: GET YOUR LANGUAGES STARTED (if you haven't already). If you're looking at Medieval or Renaissance, you need Latin. Most programs want two languages, and showing competency when applying is a great idea.

Ah, that's one thing I forgot to mention in my post. Lyonessrampant is right: language preparation is vital. All the people I have talked to about graduate school have stressed this. I've taken 2 semesters of college French so far. By the time I apply to grad school, I'll have taken 4 semesters of French as well as 6 credits of intensive French language in Paris (assuming everything works out with my study abroad trip planned for next summer).

I'm not worried about my foreign language readiness. What I am worried about is specialization (I realize this is perhaps the most important thing too...). My academics are relatively strong, but I keep vacillating back and forth between subfields/specializations. It deeply bothers me and makes me question whether I'm even ready for graduate school...

[Phil Sparrow]

There is great advice here already--I'd second everything Emelye wrote in particular. While looking for conferences at which to present or trying to scrounge for (probably ill-advised) undergraduate publications may seem useful, your efforts will be MUCH better spent working through your own interests, honing your research skills, and trying to develop as a scholar. I'd definitely take advantage of any thesis-writing opportunities you have. If there is no honors thesis program at your school, try to organize an independent study for which you can write a big research paper. Working on a thesis will also bring you closer with at least one faculty member.

Here's my advice (this is not in any particular order):

* Develop close relationships with faculty members, particularly in whatever subfield(s) interest you most. Go to their office hours, take their classes (especially small seminars), ask if you can set up independent studies, etc. Keep in touch when you're not working directly with them!

* Talk candidly about your grad school plans with faculty members you trust. Find out what THEY advise you to do--they'll probably know better than we on the GradCafe.

* Even if theory doesn't interest you, familiarize yourself with the major trends in literary theory; take at least one class.

* Focus your interests into a particular area or two of study (i.e., Restoration, poetics); see if you like it.

* Work on a thesis or major research project. Use that time to develop relationships with faculty, improve your research skills and writing, familiarize yourself with current scholarship in your field, and--perhaps most importantly--figure out if you really want to spend the rest of your life hidden away in a corner of the library researching and writing on a topic that no one but you cares about. Academia is exceptionally tough for a number of reasons, and something you should be 100% sure you want to dive into.

* Languages! Take these two years to improve your skills in languages you already know, and try to develop a basic grasp of at least one other that will be relevant to something you want to study (French and Latin are always great choices for almost any area of focus, because they are major languages of historically important criticism and philosophy).

* Take time off after you graduate. Really. Of course this advice is not universal, but I'd say 99% of people would benefit from taking time off, even if they already know for sure they want to go to grad school. Quite honestly, having some time to step away from institutionalized education can make you a much better student when you step back into the classroom. And it helps you be a sane, normal adult when you're in the throes of a grad school meltdown. Which you will have. Often. To paraphrase Francis Bacon, it is important to temper your studies with experience. (Also, you won't have to worry about going through the hellish application process while also trying to juggle school, thesis, enjoying your last year of college, etc.)

Edited July 23, 2011 by Phil Sparrow

[lyonessrampant]

Definitely seconding Phil Sparrow's advice on taking time off. Your applications will be a lot stronger once you have some distance from your thesis (likely writing sample) to revise, time to fully work through it, and time to spend on your SOP and researching schools. Trying to take the GRE, English in Lit subject test, be a senior, AND write your SOP/put together your writing sample/create your CV, etc., can often lead to compromosing the quality of your application.

[runonsentence]

I third that. I took two years off, and was really glad I did.

I'd also like to second (third? fourth?) the great advice to develop relationships with professors in undergrad. They will be a wealth of information and help if you ask them for guidance for your applications—you'll want to be able to ask their opinion on potential programs, for instance, or run your SoP by them—and it is vital that you get to know some of them well so that you can get some strong LoRs.

Definitely do some kind of independent research, be it an honors thesis or independent study. You'll want to show adcoms that you have the chops to do graduate-level work.