Fall 2013 English Lit Applicants

[claire56]

I'm applying to more than 7, and saving a little money for it every month. My advisor through this whole process said I should apply to more than eight schools, but no more than twenty. Twenty is out of the question, but I'm looking in the teens for sure--as long as finances work out as planned, etc.

These fees are crazy, though, I agree. I think if it's really an issue, you can request a fee waiver. Does anyone have more info on that?

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I think seven or eight is reasonable. Over twenty is crazy (as far as time consumption). I read somewhere on this board...someone said his girlfriend applied to 25 and got into 2. I can't apply to 25!! lol...

Anyway, I actually don't think the fees themselves are that bad. $50-$65 is what I'm seeing. What gets crazy is adding on the transcripts. I have two community colleges I've attended, plus my B.A. and my M.A. I attended the same school for undergraduate and graduate, but I can't remember if the transcript is just one for both, or two separate ones. I just can't remember. I wish I didn't have to include the community college transcripts because it's not like I got a degree from them; they were just credits that went toward my B.A.

And then sending GRE scores...

If it were *just* the schools' application fees, I'd do 11 or 12 schools easily. But when you add on the rest, I bristle...

[nokingofengland]

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I think seven or eight is reasonable. Over twenty is crazy (as far as time consumption). I read somewhere on this board...someone said his girlfriend applied to 25 and got into 2. I can't apply to 25!! lol...

Anyway, I actually don't think the fees themselves are that bad. $50-$65 is what I'm seeing. What gets crazy is adding on the transcripts. I have two community colleges I've attended, plus my B.A. and my M.A. I attended the same school for undergraduate and graduate, but I can't remember if the transcript is just one for both, or two separate ones. I just can't remember. I wish I didn't have to include the community college transcripts because it's not like I got a degree from them; they were just credits that went toward my B.A.

And then sending GRE scores...

If it were *just* the schools' application fees, I'd do 11 or 12 schools easily. But when you add on the rest, I bristle...

Yeah, I keep forgetting about sending GRE scores. Some schools have super expensive app fees, too. I think Stanford's is $125. I don't know that it's worth the money for a school that accepts only 2-3%.... but then, you know... it's Stanford, and if you did happen to get in, you'd never remember that week you were broke because of the application fee. Or you'd look back on it fondly...

Ugh. And the security at banks now is cray-cray, so robbing one is almost as hard as getting into school.

[antecedent]

Thanks for your response. I already have an M.A., so I won't be getting any M.A. offers, funded or otherwise.

I was originally planning to apply to 11 PhD programs, but in the past few days I've been thinking of applying to 6 PhD programs and four M.A. programs (in a different but related discipline that I am very interested in). Ugh - don't know what to do.

Let me ask you, were those five programs you applied to all top schools? Or did you include lower-ranked schools? What was the make up of your five schools?

My friend got into no programs, but then again she applied to all Ivy League...

I applied to University of Wisconsin - Madison, UT Austin, University of Edinburgh, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and San Francisco State. I got into unfunded MAs at UW-Madison, Edinburgh, and SFSU. Next time I'll apply to more top-twenties, but also lower ranked schools with strong programs, and state schools not in California (my home state is more broke than I'm gonna be after this year). I plan on applying to between 10 and 13 schools. I at least have the knowledge of what went wrong last time to help guide me

[Datatape]

I'm applying to eighteen schools, ranging from top-20 to top-120. I already have an M.A. and am solely applying to Ph.D. programs. I've been saving up money and socking it away every month - my savings account looks pretty impressive, but it's almost all going to be gone by December. I applied to very few schools (almost all of which were top-20 or top-40) last year and didn't get in anywhere, though I did get three waitlists. I feel like I have a much better idea of what to expect this year and started planning for this application season almost as soon as I got the last rejection letter from LSU in April. I have to budget for eighteen school application fees, eighteen sets of transcripts from the community college I attended, eighteen sets of transcripts from my undergrad, and eighteen sets from my Masters institution. I made the decision early on that I was going to apply to as many schools as humanly possible without going into further debt to do so, and that's what I'm going to do.

[claire56]

I'm gonna hold off on making any decisions for sure as to how many programs to apply to. I already have the programs researched, so that is done. I'm just gonna take the GRE on July 28th, see how I do, and assess from there. If I do really well for some strange and unexpected reason, and my writing sample continues to shape up nicely, I'd be more inclined to apply to the full 11 I was originally planning to apply to. My writing sample will work for either of the disciplines I'm interested in. (English PhD w/ focus on Feminist/Gender/Women's criticism --- or Women's and Gender Studies M.A.)

As far as money and paying for fees, I think I'll be fine. I'll probably apply to 11 schools tops (either all PhD or some PhD and some M.A.), but it won't go over 11 regardless of how I divide it up. I have a teaching job and can afford the fees as long as I don't spend too much money eating out this fall (which I normally do a lot, but will cut down on, in light of my grad school applications).

Edited July 3, 2012 by claire56

[eriksmegs]

I'm applying to more than 7, and saving a little money for it every month. My advisor through this whole process said I should apply to more than eight schools, but no more than twenty. Twenty is out of the question, but I'm looking in the teens for sure--as long as finances work out as planned, etc.

These fees are crazy, though, I agree. I think if it's really an issue, you can request a fee waiver. Does anyone have more info on that?

If the school mentions they offer fee waivers if necessary, I say go for it. I applied for fee waivers at three schools and was granted it at two of them, which saved me about $150--not too shabby for just having to send in a little paperwork. I don't know anything about requesting a waiver from a school who doesn't mention if they grant waivers. One bit of advice: if you are going to request a waiver from a school, make sure you start submitting your application a couple of weeks before the deadline, because they often require you to submit paperwork which then has to be approved before you can finalize your app.

[needmorecoffee]

I know that most people will apply to a dozen or more programs, but I'm concerned about applying to that many just because so few of them seem to fit my specific interests that well. I'm not in a particularly narrow field--postcolonial modernism shows up at a number of different schools--but not every program possesses equal strength or resources, and I'm not sure how I can finangle my way into programs where the professors may or may not be interested in global modernism/apocalypse theory. I hope they will be, but...Better to apply to fewer programs which best fit my interests, or more programs with a general focus?

[asleepawake]

I know that most people will apply to a dozen or more programs, but I'm concerned about applying to that many just because so few of them seem to fit my specific interests that well. I'm not in a particularly narrow field--postcolonial modernism shows up at a number of different schools--but not every program possesses equal strength or resources, and I'm not sure how I can finangle my way into programs where the professors may or may not be interested in global modernism/apocalypse theory. I hope they will be, but...Better to apply to fewer programs which best fit my interests, or more programs with a general focus?

If you can afford it, go for all of the above. Apply to all of the programs you think fit you very well and a few that you feel sort-of-might-fit. This is what I am doing.

[Two Espressos]

I'm not applying to a dozen or more programs either, though my reasons are mostly financial. Being poor sucks! I'm going to apply to between 6-8 schools, including one MA program, and I guess I'm just going to make those 6-8 schools be those places which are the absolute best fit.

Edited July 14, 2012 by Two Espressos

[BruisedHibiscus]

I'm planning on apply to about 15 programs. Been saving up and plan on doing applications in waves. Drop a ton, be poor and not be able to eat for a month, drop another ton, be poor and not be able to eat for a month, repeat as needed.

[Postmoddities]

So I just signed up yesterday and wanted to say I am so happy to have found a forum to communicate with people about this process. Seems like a lot of people are applying to more schools than I am- I am only applying to 4 or 5, because my areas of focus are (somewhat) diverse and it has been a little difficult to find programs with faculty in all three of my areas (mid-20th century African-American Lit and Cultural studies, 21st century American Cultural Studies with a focus on music, and Comp/Rhet with a focus on cultural rhetorics.) Anyway when I applied to my MA I was pretty unorganized at the time. I only applied to two schools and ended up getting in to both, ended up waitlisted for full funding at one and then in about 2 weeks I found out I got fully funded and now attend a wonderful MA program. This time around, though, I am only applying to places with guaranteed full funding, that is another reason why my list is so small. Studying for my qualifying exams in the fall while simultaneously trying to get ready to take the subject test and re-take the general GRE is driving me insane. I am happy to chat with people about the process, also if anyone is applying to CU or UW and have questions about the Denver/Boulder or Seattle area, I have lived in both those places and would be more than happy to share information about them.

[needmorecoffee]

Going along with the whole 'sort of might fit' idea, any thoughts on whether I should take the subject test just so that I can apply to programs specializing in modernism/global modernism? (Okay, so maybe this shouldn't even be a question: it's my field!) Three years ago, I freaked out just looking at a sample subject test. This year, most of my absolute favorite programs don't require it, but a couple of long-shot/potentially interesting programs do. I could take it, just for the heck of it, to see how I do and if I can interest those programs at all/expand the number I can apply to that are actually intriguing to me. I'm not really planning to do any kind of intense study, maybe just looking over the Norton anthologies a bit to brush up. Any thoughts on this?

[needmorecoffee]

I'm planning on apply to about 15 programs. Been saving up and plan on doing applications in waves. Drop a ton, be poor and not be able to eat for a month, drop another ton, be poor and not be able to eat for a month, repeat as needed.

Don't 'repeat as needed' too many times. You might die.

[PauseRewind]

Hi everyone,

I'm applying for English PhD programs this fall, and I'm glad to have stumbled upon this forum while getting the process started. A little bit about me: I have a BA in English and a JD. I have some varied interests in English literature and I'm very excited to explore them in grad school, which is something I've looked forward to doing for many years.

At this point, I'm hoping the forum can help answer my curiosity about specializations:

1. How can I tell which specializations are the most competitive/have the least amount of spots this application season? I'm curious about specialization distribution among applicants, but I haven't found any info on this yet.

2. What is the best way to tell which programs are strong in which specializations- the professors' interests/publications, graduate students' areas of interest, some master list?

3. When figuring out which programs are good fits for me, how closely are my areas of interest supposed to align with the professors' intersts? For example, do I look for professors whose areas fall into my period of interest, or genre, or both, or do I look for a professor that fits my particular interests even more specifically than period/genre? And how many professors in the program should match up with my interests to ensure a good fit?

I appreciate any input. Thanks!

Edited July 16, 2012 by PauseRewind

[needmorecoffee]

2. What is the best way to tell which programs are strong in which specializations- the professors' interests/publications, graduate students' areas of interest, some master list?

3. When figuring out which programs are good fits for me, how closely are my areas of interest supposed to align with the professors' intersts? For example, do I look for professors whose areas fall into my period of interest, or genre, or both, or do I look for a professor that fits my particular interests even more specifically than period/genre? And how many professors in the program should match up with my interests to ensure a good fit?

Hmmm, no idea about the first question. Would also like to know that one.

My assumption is that the best way to tell who's strong in what is to focus more on the professors' interests/publications, though students' interests may be helpful--after all, they're being guided by a professor. But definitely consider the professors more--you're going to wind up working with them and they'll guide your own research moderately to tightly (this was my experience, in an English masters program). Agreement/alignment is important!

Also, I'd get as specific as possible--something I didn't do, coming out of undergrad. Grad programs really want to know that you have a definite direction in your research (or can at least look like you're capable of having one, sometime in the future). Period/genre is probably enough correlation for now, but maybe try to have some idea what you would like to look at within this period/genre. In my case, my undergrad 'well, I think I kind of like contemporary literature and sci-fi, but also I like Romantic-Victorian and everything else too, did I miss something?' later became 'I want to study modernism'--then it became 'global modernism'--and then finally, 'global modernist apocalypse/the sublime.' It may not have been as nice and natural a progression as it sounds, but I'm hoping it works better for me this time around than my first.

Lastly, I wouldn't really worry about scouting for many professors who share your interests. Probably two is good. Maybe three or four. Again, I'm not exactly an expert on this whole PhD applications business, but during my masters I wound up working really closely with only two professors and for the most part, my thesis advisor was THE source for research inspiration/sanity/advice. I can't really imagine working a lot with more than just a small group of people, even for the dissertation. It's not at all like English undergrad, where a student typically talks to/works with half of-to-nearly everybody.

Anyway, I hope this helps! Good luck!

[margarethale]

Hi everyone,

I'm applying for English PhD programs this fall, and I'm glad to have stumbled upon this forum while getting the process started. A little bit about me: I have a BA in English and a JD. I have some varied interests in English literature and I'm very excited to explore them in grad school, which is something I've looked forward to doing for many years.

At this point, I'm hoping the forum can help answer my curiosity about specializations:

1. How can I tell which specializations are the most competitive/have the least amount of spots this application season? I'm curious about specialization distribution among applicants, but I haven't found any info on this yet.

2. What is the best way to tell which programs are strong in which specializations- the professors' interests/publications, graduate students' areas of interest, some master list?

3. When figuring out which programs are good fits for me, how closely are my areas of interest supposed to align with the professors' intersts? For example, do I look for professors whose areas fall into my period of interest, or genre, or both, or do I look for a professor that fits my particular interests even more specifically than period/genre? And how many professors in the program should match up with my interests to ensure a good fit?

I appreciate any input. Thanks!

1) There's really no way to figure out this information without just asking the DGS at your respective schools. That being said, it doesn't really matter how many spots are open for which specialities. You should apply to the schools that have the best fit for you regardless of how many spots they may have open. The thing is, most PhD programs only have around 5-15 spots for a cohort in total. Chances are there are only 1 or 2 spots for each specialty with a cohort of that size.

2) The best way to tell which programs are strongest in which specialty is to spend some time researching. There's no cheat sheet or master list and no easy way around doing good, solid research on which programs you think you might fit into best. If you're pursuing your PhD, you're going to be spending at least 5 years of your life at the institution you attend. Personally, I was only comfortable making that commitment after conducting some thorough investigations into a number of different programs. If you are looking for a jumping off point as far as rankings/specialty strength goes, then try: http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-humanities-schools/english-rankings

Here you can scroll through specialties and see which programs are statistically ranked better. Bear in mind that these were ranked in 2009.

3) Be as specific as possible when looking for professors that you could possibly work with. I would be more specific than "Oh look! I like 20th century American lit and this guy teaches it! ACADEMIC SOUL MATES 4 LYFE!!!" Of course you'll be able to find someone who teaches the period of literature in which you are interested. Be as specific as possible. If you're interested in 19th century Postcolonial Literature with an emphasis on Caribbean narratives, then find someone who teaches that above finding someone who just teaches the time period. Getting into grad school is not nearly as important as getting in somewhere that is a good fit for your individual interests. You don't want to spend 5 years getting a degree in something that you're not passionate about or that isn't a good fit for you, so find somewhere that is as specific to your specialty as possible.

As far as how many professors should you look for that fit your specialty: at least two. If there's one professor that you have your heart set on working with and you only mention that one person in your applications, then you're putting yourself at a risk. That professor may be retiring or going on sabbatical. Try to have at least one backup.

[bfat]

So. Short writing samples.

I've noticed that a few of the schools I'm applying to have requirements for writing samples under 10 pages (Carnegie Mellon) or two samples combined for fewer than 25 pages (UVA). In my MA program, all papers are required to be at least 20-30 pages. Is it better to try to "trim down" these long papers, or to just write totally new samples? Ugh. I have a few papers that are around 10 pages, but they aren't necessarily in the sub-field to which I'm applying, which I'd think would look worse than trimmed down or excerpted pieces.

Any thoughts?

[dazedandbemused]

So. Short writing samples.

I've noticed that a few of the schools I'm applying to have requirements for writing samples under 10 pages (Carnegie Mellon) or two samples combined for fewer than 25 pages (UVA). In my MA program, all papers are required to be at least 20-30 pages. Is it better to try to "trim down" these long papers, or to just write totally new samples? Ugh. I have a few papers that are around 10 pages, but they aren't necessarily in the sub-field to which I'm applying, which I'd think would look worse than trimmed down or excerpted pieces.

Any thoughts?

I've got the same problem with writing sample lengths as you, except I haven't written anything in my subfield that I'd want to submit because I only recently became interested in it and the few classes that I took weren't particularly conducive to writing sample material. At this point I have made the completely insane, likely impossible decision to write a new paper and make a 10 page and a 15 page version of it. Luckily, the program I'm in this fall leaves me with significant research time outside of classes, so I will be putting my time and the library's resources to full use.

Edited July 17, 2012 by dazedandbemused

[1Q84]

Don't 'repeat as needed' too many times. You might die.

This made me giggle.

I'm not applying to a dozen or more programs either, though my reasons are mostly financial. Being poor sucks! I'm going to apply to between 6-8 schools, including one MA program, and I guess I'm just going to make those 6-8 schools be those places which are the absolute best fit.

This. I'm kind of paranoid because I'm only applying to about 5-6 but if at least two of the schools have told me I'm a shoe-in, then that shouldn't be so bad? Right?

Definitely sucks being poor. And I'm an international student so I can't even qualify for the fee waiver. Sigh.

[Stately Plump]

I've noticed that a few of the schools I'm applying to have requirements for writing samples under 10 pages (Carnegie Mellon) or two samples combined for fewer than 25 pages (UVA). In my MA program, all papers are required to be at least 20-30 pages. Is it better to try to "trim down" these long papers, or to just write totally new samples? Ugh. I have a few papers that are around 10 pages, but they aren't necessarily in the sub-field to which I'm applying, which I'd think would look worse than trimmed down or excerpted pieces.

Any thoughts?

For the schools that required shorter writing samples, I just trimmed down my longer papers. I found the process somewhat enjoyable, because I cut out any paragraphs (or sentences or words) that weren't absolutely essential to the paper. Though it was difficult at first, I found I was left with a finished product that felt much stronger and more pure than the longer version.

<--- sunglasses to try to hide the fact that applications are never fun, no matter how hard you try

[sfh09]

For the schools that required shorter writing samples, I just trimmed down my longer papers. I found the process somewhat enjoyable, because I cut out any paragraphs (or sentences or words) that weren't absolutely essential to the paper. Though it was difficult at first, I found I was left with a finished product that felt much stronger and more pure than the longer version.

<--- sunglasses to try to hide the fact that applications are never fun, no matter how hard you try

I agree. I've never had to do it for an academic piece, but I've had to cut short stories I've written and the finished product is usually stronger because only the necessary parts stay in. Having to cut multiple pages to fit a requirement forces you to read your work with a more critical eye and allows you to read a sentence and recognize it's not absolutely necessary to what you're trying to achieve with the piece.

I think it's worth at least attempting to cut them down. Just copy the full text of the piece into a new document and keep the old one so that if you hate it, you can easily access the old one. I have several versions of those short stories saved on my computer

[nhswrestle]

As far as the GRE is concerned, I'd worry more about your grades than your GRE scores. I put off the GRE until I finished my classes, which meant I was able to get good grades, and then studied for the GRE afterwards. To be honest, I only spent three weeks studying for the GRE because I'm terrified of standardized tests and kept psyching myself out. Once I had committed a small and manageable amount of time to studying, I was able to really knuckle down and focus on the strategy of the exam itself. In the end I did pretty well (both verbal and AW above the 85 percentile). Granted, I didn't get in to any PhD programs this time around, but I think that was more a problem with my writing sample and my failure to stick to the three Fs in my SOP. I have at least gotten into all my MAs so far.

Three F's?

[Stately Plump]

Focus, fit, and future. What is the focus of your research, why do you fit at X school, where do you see yourself down the road.

It was posted a few years ago. Good thread to browse while drafting SOPs.

[Dark Matter]

Hello all,

I'm a professor in a "top twenty" English department. I've served on the graduate admissions committee off and on for more than a decade. Let me quickly answer some of your questions:

1. GRE scores matter a great deal for initial cut offs. We get something like 300+ applications every year. A third of those or so are tossed immediately, based on a combination of low GREs, low grades, and a quick read of the materials. GRE scores continue to matter further on down the line, but become less important. I have seen low GRE scores kill a candidacy even at the late stages (when the writing wasn't enough to compensate). However, I have never seen high GRE scores by themselves admit anyone.
   
2. WS and SoP matter most of all. SoP should be a concise, clear, and jargon free explanation of why want to go to graduate school in English. Above all else, it should be intellectual. You should make it clear that you aware of and interested in the state of play in contemporary scholarship. Common errors are the "I love literature" essay. We all know you do, but that is beside the point. Or the "I want to write a dissertation on topic x" statement. We all know that you won't write that dissertation. Try for a simple, intelligent, and above all well-written explanation of what kinds of topics and questions in literary study you find compelling and want to pursue. And yes do explain what about graduate program x (what faculty, for example) interests you.
   
3. WS should simply be the best piece of writing you have. That is not very helpful I'm sure! But there really is no other way of putting it. Your professors will be able to tell you what among your work reads the best. Take the time to improve, polish, and get to the right length your best paper or thesis chapter or what have you. Everything else being equal, it's better if the sample is from the period you declare as your field of interest. That is, everything else being equal, if you're applying to work in the nineteenth century, you shouldn't send an essay on Chaucer.
   
4. Letters of recommendation matter less than you might think, given rampant puffery, but they still matter some. Your professors should be able to make a good case for you. So make it clear to them that you know why you're applying to graduate school.
   

Finally yes, it's true that admissions are competitive. There is no magic bullet to get you in. Admissions committees look for curiosity and intelligence and a clear potential to produce good work in literary studies. All we have to go on is what you send us, so make sure that material is in tip-top shape.

Happy to answer any additional questions you folks might have and best of luck.

[1Q84]

Hello all,

I'm a professor in a "top twenty" English department. I've served on the graduate admissions committee off and on for more than a decade. Let me quickly answer some of your questions:

1. GRE scores matter a great deal for initial cut offs. We get something like 300+ applications every year. A third of those or so are tossed immediately, based on a combination of low GREs, low grades, and a quick read of the materials. GRE scores continue to matter further on down the line, but become less important. I have seen low GRE scores kill a candidacy even at the late stages (when the writing wasn't enough to compensate). However, I have never seen high GRE scores by themselves admit anyone.
   
   
2. WS and SoP matter most of all. SoP should be a concise, clear, and jargon free explanation of why want to go to graduate school in English. Above all else, it should be intellectual. You should make it clear that you aware of and interested in the state of play in contemporary scholarship. Common errors are the "I love literature" essay. We all know you do, but that is beside the point. Or the "I want to write a dissertation on topic x" statement. We all know that you won't write that dissertation. Try for a simple, intelligent, and above all well-written explanation of what kinds of topics and questions in literary study you find compelling and want to pursue. And yes do explain what about graduate program x (what faculty, for example) interests you.
   
   
3. WS should simply be the best piece of writing you have. That is not very helpful I'm sure! But there really is no other way of putting it. Your professors will be able to tell you what among your work reads the best. Take the time to improve, polish, and get to the right length your best paper or thesis chapter or what have you. Everything else being equal, it's better if the sample is from the period you declare as your field of interest. That is, everything else being equal, if you're applying to work in the nineteenth century, you shouldn't send an essay on Chaucer.
   
   
4. Letters of recommendation matter less than you might think, given rampant puffery, but they still matter some. Your professors should be able to make a good case for you. So make it clear to them that you know why you're applying to graduate school.
   

Finally yes, it's true that admissions are competitive. There is no magic bullet to get you in. Admissions committees look for curiosity and intelligence and a clear potential to produce good work in literary studies. All we have to go on is what you send us, so make sure that material is in tip-top shape.

Happy to answer any additional questions you folks might have and best of luck.

Amazing! This made me feel a lot better about life for some reason. It's nice to hear from an actual prof at points during the application process, I guess. Thank you!