Fall 2013 English Lit Applicants

[Casserine]

I can shoot some PMs to interested parties regarding my subject study methods and exam experience. I scored 90%+ with like 2 months' prep time.

Full disclosure, I have only unfunded MA offers this year (ie, didn't get accepted). Compare to Stately above.

I'd appreciate if you could send me a PM! I'm interested in hearing about as many people's experiences as possible.

I don't have the PR book - where I live none of the bookshops stock any GRE prep material and I never bothered ordering it online. Perhaps I should've, but it doesn't seem worth it at this juncture! I've been mostly going through the Vade Mecum and Hapax Legomena websites, Wikipedia, the Nortons, etc. I have a fairly good knowledge of British literature from Spenser to the modernists because my departments's requirements, but I have absolutely zero Old or Middle English. They're not too bad to study for, though, cause the exam probably isn't going to ask anything too indepth about, say, Piers Plowman. I've also been reviewing prosody and rhetorical terms, etc, as a lot of that seems to have come up in recent years.

It's very irritating not knowing what format the test is going to be. I remember reading panicked people on this forum when they sat the first of English subject test that was more about reading long comprehension passages than identifying authors. To be honest, I'd prefer more identification questions - not sure how to prep for reading comprehensions! As an English major I'd like to think I'm fairly good at quickly parsing passages, but it's hard to gauge!

[anxious_aspirant]

I'm still on the waitlist at a school I'd very much like to attend, but I'm starting to think about a second round of applications in case it comes to that. I know that the SOP and writing sample are way more important than the GRE lit score, but I'm planning to take the test again because it won't hurt to have a higher score.

I scored in the 79th percentile the first time around. For anyone who's done better than that, did you find the Princeton Review book and Vade Mecum helpful? I've heard from many who have scored in the 90th + percentile that the test has changed drastically in the last few years and that there aren't really any resources out there with accurate prep information. Besides doing your best to memorize the Norton Anthology, has anyone found good resources/strategies that match the current exam?

I used a combo of the PR book, Vade Mecum, and my Nortons. I was also prepping to teach Brit Lit the next semester, so I think planning units on Chaucer, Marlowe, etc. went a long way. I scored in the 89th percentile (as a non-English major). In that case, I'd say those sources "worked," but I can't say I saw a ton of it coming up on the actual exam. Most of the exam questions required me to draw on my own background knowledge (from pre-cramming) and/or close-read an unfamiliar text. Some are giveaways, too - as in, no analysis, just identifying the title, author, or translator. Though, even if you don't see the exact authors and text you studied on the exam, you can do some pretty informed guessing, placing the test excerpts alongside what you know to hypothesize about the time period, etc.

And overall, it's a poorly written test. I remember a Bradstreet question asking about a particular line, and since the image was a clear metaphor, two of the answers were completely sound - depended if they wanted a literal or figurative answer. And the question itself didn't help - it legit said, "What does line ___ mean?" For a lot of these, it comes down to outthinking the test itself, which can't always be done. For that particular question, I was asking myself - is this a question about comprehension or analysis? A question for which I should confine my answer to what's shown in the excerpt, or bring in what I know about the rest of the poem? Alas, there's no one there to clarify during test-time.

I'm also living proof that the GREs aren't the biggest factor in applications. In contrast to many, many on this board, I had high scores (with 99% in both verbal and writing), and was virtually shut out this season. I know for a fact that was due to my SOP, but still. WIth the time I spent cramming, I wanted them to mean something. I was hoping GREs would help alleviate any admissions worries about my not being an English major, thereby proving I am an able autodidact, but no dice.

Another warning: the practice test they send you is MUCH more well-balanced, in terms of question type and literary time period, etc., than the actual test I took. I scored much higher on my practice tests than the real thing. Don't bother with Old English - there are a few questions max - and the Middle English passages were mostly comprehension, if I recall from practice tests (where it came up more). I've never studied anything in Middle English and was able to use context clues to get most of them.

To echo Fiona, I was in a room with Computer Science test-takers who also said 20th percentile, or thereabouts, was an admirable score in their field.

[harvardlonghorn]

I can shoot some PMs to interested parties regarding my subject study methods and exam experience. I scored 90%+ with like 2 months' prep time.

Full disclosure, I have only unfunded MA offers this year (ie, didn't get accepted). Compare to Stately above.

I would appreciate a PM with your subject study methods as well!!

[poeteer]

And overall, it's a poorly written test. I remember a Bradstreet question asking about a particular line, and since the image was a clear metaphor, two of the answers were completely sound - depended if they wanted a literal or figurative answer. And the question itself didn't help - it legit said, "What does line ___ mean?" For a lot of these, it comes down to outthinking the test itself, which can't always be done. For that particular question, I was asking myself - is this a question about comprehension or analysis? A question for which I should confine my answer to what's shown in the excerpt, or bring in what I know about the rest of the poem? Alas, there's no one there to clarify during test-time.

EXACTLY. I get a little angry when people say that the reading comp on either the GRE or GRE Lit is a valuable indicator of, well, anything relevant to graduate study. ETS's "best answer" is not necessarily the best, and I found that in nearly every case, there were three answers that were definitely incorrect, and two that could be correct or "best." this is unreasonable, imo.

my test was probably 75% reading comp. of long, dense passages. and hardly any of the material the PR book suggested I know was on it. I think PR, Vade Mecum, all my Norton reading, etc. gave me a false sense of security. my test was not like any practice test I had taken, and it definitely did not adhere to the structure/content proposed by those sources. I would agree the test has changed drastically, and that the prep material is outdated.

yes, memorize facts and passages and literary terms (perhaps less common ones, as I had a few on my test not covered in PR, Vade Mecum, or Abrams' Glossary of Literary Terms, or any other prep sites I visited), but also look hard at the GRE reading comp questions and make sure you know how they "think" (i.e., there will frequently be two answers out of five that are potentially right, so make sure you know which is the "very best" answer and why). also, I would bring out Paradise Lost and practice locating various grammatical units (such as the subject of a long, clause-riddled sentence with complicated syntax, something that might be hard to do quickly if it's the last answerable question on your test and you have 10 more seconds to answer it).

I think books like the PR may have actually screwed future test takers. PR tells you to study works of literature and theory with which any entering Ph.D student should have general familiarity. they explain that the exam is primarily a test of encyclopedic knowledge, like some stupid cocktail party. well, if everyone studies that way, there won't be as wide a distribution of scores. it makes sense that ETS has changed things up a bit since information about the test has been so widely disseminated.

but the problem is that now the test seems less comprehensive, and also tricky for the sake of trickiness. some of the questions (too many, on my exam!) test your knowledge of obscure factoids only a specialist of the period or author or area is likely to know. others test your ability to read exactly as the testmakers want you to (sometimes the difference between a "right" and "wrong" answer is great and obvious, but other times slight, and you can easily find yourself waffling between the two for precious minutes). this makes the test more difficult, so that the people who do well on it are surely knowledgeable (maybe some had a lucky day and got the best questions for them, but it's safe to say that the majority of people getting very high scores know their stuff!). but at the same time, I think a poor showing says even less about the applicant's base knowledge of major literary traditions and criticism than it ever did before.

(in the end, I did about average on it. not too great, but not too low. I'm not an extremely fast reader and under that pressure I ended up reading some long passages twice! maybe three times. not a good thing, because I had to leave too many questions blank. unfortunately this is the hardest type of question to prep for, because not too many practice tests exist, and the ones that do are not asking you to read as much as I had to read in the time allotted. maybe if I hadn't spent all that time making useless flashcards, ala PR's brand of advice....bah.)

Edited April 2, 2012 by poeteer

[obrera]

I can shoot some PMs to interested parties regarding my subject study methods and exam experience. I scored 90%+ with like 2 months' prep time.

Full disclosure, I have only unfunded MA offers this year (ie, didn't get accepted). Compare to Stately above.

Yes, please!

[pinkrobot]

Hi all, I'm happy to chime in on study methods for the literature GRE over PMs, too. I've taken the test twice and on the more recent test did score in the 90%+ range. Please feel free to message.

Regarding its importance: this is pure conjecture on my part, so please note that I have no definite sense of what I am talking about, but I feel like this test is more of a cause for concern for those who either do not come from an English BA background or have some substantial gaps in terms of time periods or genres in their coursework. I fall into the latter category. One of my mentors did also tell me that it was well worth it to put a sizable amount of effort toward doing the best I absolutely possibly could, although I doubt that she would have instructed me to prioritize it over writing (in fact, she said at the very beginning of the process that the writing sample would be the kicker).

Edited April 2, 2012 by pinkrobot

[veniente]

I have pages of word documents and some flashcards that I made for the GRE Literature in English. Very happy to share, so feel free to PM and I can email them.

[Stately Plump]

My advice, which should be obvious from my last post, is to spend little time on the Lit GRE and more time on your writing sample and SOP.

I promise you, you will fare better with strong SOPs and writing samples than you will with high GREs.

I would be willing to bet that my GREs, particularly my subject test scores, were among the lowest of the students admitted, and I would also be willing to bet that the majority of students who applied and were not accepted also scored higher than I did. I admit that most of it was just luck, and that's just how the cards were dealt this round, but I also believe that it was because I spent several months (like, eleven) working on my writing sample and five months working on my SOP. By contrast, I spent about a month studying for the general test.

[ComeBackZinc]

One good place to start would be to take your SOP or writing sample to your campus writing center or writing lab. Often, people think of those places as only for remediation, but that's not the case. Most are happy to review more advanced writing. Plus, many or most writing centers are staffed by graduate students who have been through the process and know something about applying to grad.

Edited April 3, 2012 by ComeBackZinc

[TripWillis]

One good place to start would be to take your SOP or writing sample to your campus writing center or writing lab. Often, people think of those places as only for remediation, but that's not the case. Most are happy to review more advanced writing. Plus, many or most writing centers are staffed by graduate students who have been through the process and know something about applying to grad.

In addition, some colleges (such as mine) have fellowship coordinators and scholarship advisors -- they are not specifically designed, perhaps, to tailor PhD app writing, but they definitely have a lot of experience with this type of writing. Grad students work in those departments too and can be very helpful.

[emma_and_alice]

I just accepted an offer from a one-year MA program, so I'm moving straight from the "Decision Freak Out" boards to the "Application Freak Out" ones. I can't say that it's thrilling to be starting all over again, but it's better than checking my email ten times a day!

With one exception, I didn't contact any potential supervisors for the Ph.D. programs that I applied to last year; when the rejections started rolling in, regretted it. I meant to change that this time around, but now I am reading on a few posts that English students shouldn't bother contacting faculty for potential contacts. I knew that it was uncommon (in the US at least), but didn't realize that it was downright discouraged. Any thoughts on this?

[transcendental]

I found this over in the Poli Sci forum (I don't even...) and thought it was really interesting and helpful, as I'm still struggling to understand the admission process myself.

Here, a professor on an adcom provides a lot of insight regarding the decision process. Again, it is a different subject and the process itself will likely vary from program to program, but I think this is something that is not touched on a lot: "Our goal is to find people--and this is important, so read carefully--who can successfully complete our program and secure a tenure-track job. That is the outcome that we are trying to achieve; we are not trying to admit the smartest, the most unique, or even the most interesting students (although we do want these people too!). It's possible that other departments that care less about placement are more interested in just admitting smart people, and I bet that for schools like Harvard and Princeton, that's probably true. But for us, we want students who will succeed."

Happy reading.

[thestage]

read: we want people upon whom we can impress our ideology so that it does not die in the next generation and take us with it

political science. makes sense.

[felicite]

I took the GRE over the summer before applying and studied for a week before. I got 98th percentile on vocab (old test) and a 5 on writing. I didn't stress out about it too much because they don't consider the math score (I got 49th percentile) and that was what I was worried about. I stressed much more over the Lit Subject GRE because I took it during Fall classes. Reread my Norton Anthologies and used a Princeton review for the rest. I got an 89th percentile which surprised me considering I had to guess on a number and I somehow forgot the last page of the test (fingers were too dry) and all those questions were on a poem I knew! I didn't realize this stupid mistake until the last minute of the test. But on the whole, while these were all important, Statement of Purpose and Writing Samples are more important. One DGS actually joked with me about my Statement of Purpose which began with an anecdote of me falling in love with Derrida (reading on my iPod Touch) while sitting inside of a trashcan during rehearsals for Beckett's "Endgame." It took me a while to finally realize this story explained alot about my passions, who I am as a person, and fed right into what I wanted to study. But to this DGS it was memorable.

[JeremiahParadise]

I found this over in the Poli Sci forum (I don't even...) and thought it was really interesting and helpful, as I'm still struggling to understand the admission process myself.

Here, a professor on an adcom provides a lot of insight regarding the decision process. Again, it is a different subject and the process itself will likely vary from program to program, but I think this is something that is not touched on a lot: "Our goal is to find people--and this is important, so read carefully--who can successfully complete our program and secure a tenure-track job. That is the outcome that we are trying to achieve; we are not trying to admit the smartest, the most unique, or even the most interesting students (although we do want these people too!). It's possible that other departments that care less about placement are more interested in just admitting smart people, and I bet that for schools like Harvard and Princeton, that's probably true. But for us, we want students who will succeed."

Happy reading.

This was great -- thanks! Every prof I've encountered has echoed most of this (beside the math stuff, of course ) and professional/professionalizing potential seems to be the name of the game. I wonder, though, about how to communicate our potential for passing/finishing/publishing/tenure-tracking without appearing as though we "know it all" already. How does one strike a balance between being informed about the department/program/research/professionalization and being interested/excited/desirous of learning more and more the whole time? Blah.

[harvardlonghorn]

I just accepted an offer from a one-year MA program, so I'm moving straight from the "Decision Freak Out" boards to the "Application Freak Out" ones. I can't say that it's thrilling to be starting all over again, but it's better than checking my email ten times a day!

With one exception, I didn't contact any potential supervisors for the Ph.D. programs that I applied to last year; when the rejections started rolling in, regretted it. I meant to change that this time around, but now I am reading on a few posts that English students shouldn't bother contacting faculty for potential contacts. I knew that it was uncommon (in the US at least), but didn't realize that it was downright discouraged. Any thoughts on this?

I hadn't heard that it was flat out discouraged (although it wouldn't bother me if it was). I know a few of the applications I looked over asked if you have contacted any faculty members and which ones, but definitely not all of the applications. I hope its not something the adcoms expect us to do. I have a hard enough time emailing professors I actually know.

Edited April 4, 2012 by harvardlonghorn

[nada.am]

I hope its not something the adcoms expect us to do. I have a hard enough time emailing professors I actually know.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Even if I have a good relationship with a professor I still obsess about what I should say in emails. I don't even want to think about how painful it would be to try and make academic small-talk via email with professors I don't know.

Anyway, I'm also applying for the 2013 cycle and thought I'd finally get involved in the forum. I finished my MA last year and am spending this year and next year teaching English in a high school in Spain. I actually really love teaching, but definitely know that ESL is not my life's calling and am looking forward to hopefully getting back into the university setting. I've been out less than a year and am already in withdrawal!

I'm taking the GRE subject test in 2 weeks to try and get it out of the way. I've been studying for a couple months but still don't feel prepared and am getting progressively more and more stressed out... I'm also trying not to think about everything else I have to do for the applications until this is done, but it is all a bit overwhelming.

[ProfLorax]

Hello! I'm also applying for the Fall 2013 cycle, so I thought I'd introduce myself. I will be applying for PhD programs in Rhetoric and Composition (which means I don't have to take the GRE subject test in literature! Weeeee!). I have a BA and MA in literature and have been teaching writing, reading, and Women's Studies at the community college level for a few years now.

Because I've been out of school for two years, my MA friends have already applied and started their respective PhD programs. I was worried about being all alone in this application process, but now I see that I'm not alone! I've spent the past week reading pretty much every single post in this forum (which means now I have become emotionally invested in the application results of a group of strangers. My heart breaks with every rejection post and rejoices with each acceptance!). I'm so grateful to find this community early in the application process.

Just out of curiosity: is anyone else married/partnered? Will you be dragging your partner along with you? My fiance has been incredibly supportive of this decision, but I'm still anxious that we'll end up in some city he'll absolutely hate. I've been remedying this by having him be a part of the list-making process. It's strange having to think of someone else's happiness when making this decision--but simultaneously awesome because my best friend will be coming with me (forgive the cheesiness... I'm in the process of writing the vows...)!

Edited April 9, 2012 by proflorax

[id quid]

Yep: got a long-term relationship/live-in SO. It's been an interesting part of the process because he's very laid back. (By "interesting" you should read "maddening." I make lists of lists, y'all. He's messing with my mojo!)

His preference is for us to stay right where we are, but he's willing to go wherever I go. I've been involving him in the process, giving him full veto power on the list, but he just shrugs. "They're all fine," he tells me, even though they're in wildly different places.

We've also agreed that if I end up in a one-year program, he likely won't come with me. One year is not long enough in one place for him to uproot himself, go somewhere else, and then uproot himself again. He's quite the homebody, so I totally get that.

I love that he's flexible, and that his intended career will let him go wherever in the world we want. We're both English majors, and both medievalists, so it's gratifying, too, that I can talk to him about all the things I'm doing, and have a sympathetic ear, and someone off whom I can bounce ideas.

Edited April 9, 2012 by saecla vincere

[lagucræftig]

Here I am introducing myself as another fall 2013 medieval person! I won't call myself a medievalist because I'm only in undergrad and haven't specialised enough to have that title, but I swoon over Beowulf and Breton lais, so... I think it's safe to say I'm very interested in that period. I'll be applying for MA programs, and since I'm single I get to be very selfish about where I go, haha. I'll either be staying in Canada or going over to the UK - the States has never really been my cup of tea. Still toying with the idea of taking a year off between my undergrad and MA, but for now it's fall 2013. Very, very unsure of which schools I'll be applying to, so any discussion will be helpful for me!

[harvardlonghorn]

I don't know if anyone can answer this question for me, but how do you determine/know if a department accepts more or less of a specific field? I've seen a few posts where people say that a specific department only accepts 1 or 2 medievalists or the competition is stiff for modernists at a particular school. Where are you guys finding this information? This may be a dumb question, but I just haven't come across any information regarding that on department websites.

[Fiona Thunderpaws]

I don't know if anyone can answer this question for me, but how do you determine/know if a department accepts more or less of a specific field? I've seen a few posts where people say that a specific department only accepts 1 or 2 medievalists or the competition is stiff for modernists at a particular school. Where are you guys finding this information? This may be a dumb question, but I just haven't come across any information regarding that on department websites.

I would have KILLED to find out this sort of information when I was applying! That being said, I don't think it's the sort of thing that's readily available for applicants unless you contact the department personally. Even if you can get a hold of someone though, I really doubt the schools have a lot of strict guidelines about what they're looking to accept. I think it depends on the caliber of the people applying, which professors are available to work with, the frequency of solar eclipses during months that end in "er." I think it's worth a shot to ask people in the department, and even if you don't learn anything helpful, at least you made an effort.

Also, welcome new 2013 applicants!

[anxious_aspirant]

I don't know if anyone can answer this question for me, but how do you determine/know if a department accepts more or less of a specific field? I've seen a few posts where people say that a specific department only accepts 1 or 2 medievalists or the competition is stiff for modernists at a particular school. Where are you guys finding this information? This may be a dumb question, but I just haven't come across any information regarding that on department websites.

Take this with a grain of salt, because it's only my guess - but considering that any school only accepts 5-20 students any given year, there will only be some measly, single-digit number of acceptees in any given field. Also, as Thunderpaws notes, I think it would be tough to glean from the information available, anyway. I would assume that if a school is particularly known for a given area, they might accept more with that concentration - which might be easier to figure out.

If any acceptees or current students have special insights into their departments about these kinds of mysteries, maybe we can start a thread to compile that kind of info? Would be REALLY nice to have some one-stop-shopping for those big, elusive questions.

[ProfLorax]

Wow saecla vincere, your first two paragraphs mirror my own experience! My fiance would prefer to stay where we are, but he's been incredibly supportive of my application and our possible move. Just like your SO, my guy says "sure" whenever I ask about location (well, most of the time. He's definitely less okay with Kansas and Oklahoma, I've discovered). However, unlike your SO, my fiance is not an English person; he's a software programmer. I've convinced myself that there are computer jobs everywhere (right??). I’m still getting used to this whole lifelong commitment thing; it’s strange that my life decision will affect someone else so directly!

Oh yes! I forgot to say: my interests within rhet/comp are feminist theory, disability studies, and new media studies! I was thinking it would be good to team up with a lit PhD applicant later down the road, someone to swap writing samples and SOPs for feedback. That way, we would be somewhat familiar with each other's fields, but we would never be direct competition! Think about it!

[ProfLorax]

Another guess, harvardlonghorn: I imagine a good indication is how any professors and associate professors are in your field at any given school. For example, at my MA program, there were a ton of early modernist scholars, so I assume they took more early modernist applicants. However, that also could mean that there would be more applicants for that field... Hmmm...

Also helpful: my POI at Purdue told me that assistant professors typically don't advise dissertations, so I wouldn't even bother applying to a program that only had an assistant professor in my field. Maybe that is common knowledge, but I sure didn't know it until a few weeks ago!

Edited April 10, 2012 by proflorax