From Theatre to English/Lit MA

[HPGrad]

I'm close to finishing a thesis for a Theatre masters program, all course work done, just the thesis. I have done some soul searching in the past few months and have doubted my place in academia. After being out for a few months, there's nothing I want more than to be back in academia. Even with all it's downsides, academia beats all other options. However, I have shifted my interested from theatre to literature and writing. The classes I excelled in during my Theatre MA program were the literature based classes. I want to study literature outside of plays though, so I have no interest in getting a PhD in Theatre. I realize that my chances are slim for getting into an English/Literature based Phd, without the necessary background. I don't want to jump through hoops and spend money I don't have applying to programs that will likely not let me in. My current plan is to get an MA in English at my same university. They have a program with concentrations in areas of my interest. This time around, I will focus on getting more stuff published and going to more conferences, so I'll have a more competitive resume to get into a PhD program.

Am I on the right track? Doing the PhD in Theatre is out of the question for me, I've just found that I am more interested in literature outside of plays.

[Phil Sparrow]

I would avoid getting two MAs. I've heard faculty at more than one institution...look down, I'll say, on applicants with two MAs. It is often basically seen as, "two MAs must mean this applicant tried for PhDs twice and didn't get in. Why should we take the chance on this one?" Not necessarily fair, I know, but a common enough attitude.

Honestly, why not go for the PhD now? Or, more sensibly, next year, since it's awfully late to be starting the application process now. Your related-but-alternative background may really help, especially if you spin it right (like, if you say you're interested in the performative aspects of non-dramatic texts, for example). It's a cousin of English as a discipline, and will provide a more diverse base of knowledge for you. How are your languages?

[HPGrad]

Well, I do need to be enrolled full time in school again by next Fall, the little amount of time I've spent away from school shows me that I won't be able to spend another year without it. That may seem crazy, but there's no way in Hell that I'm working retail (the only option in this economy for people with no work experience and no tangible skills) for another year.

I'm terrible at foreign languages. The idea of spinning my background into something related to English sounds good, but I honestly don't think my GRE scores and resume are nearly competitive enough for a Phd program at this point.