whats a wannabe English graduate student supposed to do?

[rtguva]

Hello, this is the first time i've ever used a forum site to talk about grad school so hoping it can be helpful.

I made a big push this year to apply to some English phd programs. I applied to the Univ.Chicago,

Northwestern, Northeastern, Washington, Buffalo, Vanderbilt, Iowa, Minnesota, and I didn't get in anywhere.

I did get accepted to the two MA programs I applied to, at Georgetown and American University.

however, I couldn't possibly even think of attending an MA program, especially at a private university, living in DC, etc. etc. without receiving any funding... so that option is out.

Although I did also apply to an EDD (a doctorate in education) at Vanderbilt and i got into that. No word about funding though. I did always think programs in education (or in fact any other subject) would be easier to get into than English, and I guess i was quite right because i didn't put in nearly the time/effort into my application and essay like I did my English applications, but really just applied because Vanderbilt had free applications, so i thought "why not."

Anyway, returning to grad school was something I always wanted to do... I graduated with honors from the University of Virginia, my GRE scores are V730, Q680, W5.0. And I do have a previous degree in a master's program in Liberal Arts. I did get some advice and help with my essay from someone who works in a college writing center.

My academic pursuits have always been important to me - I'm the first in my family to graduate from college and have always had to finance my own education... And I have had to defer my grad plans for many years (its been 5 years since i received my master's degree) in order to pay off my student loans and build up a savings account. So in the meantime, I've worked in publishing and in ESL teaching but I always wanted to continue my education at the grad. level in liberal arts... But once again, another year has gone by and I'm wondering how and if I can make that happen???

[rainy_day]

If you look through these boards, lots of people don't get in the first time around. With the average PhD acceptance rate somewhere around 10% (probably lower than that when we limit to funding) it's not unlikely or surprising that some people with lots of potential didn't make it in. Try not to take it personally. Talk to your mentors, maybe contact the schools you were rejected from, and identify the weaknesses of your application. Then fix those and reapply if this is what you want to be doing.

[lyonessrampant]

I think that the amount of time you've been away from academia probably impacted your success this cycle. Do you live near a university with graduate courses? If so, I would strongly encourage you to take a graduate-level seminar this fall that aligns with your research interests. Communicate your goal to get a Ph.D. to the professor and try to use that class and the paper you write for it as your writing sample. This will enable you to produce a fresh piece of writing, get the feedback of a professor, and show that you are engaging with current conversations about your proposed field. The key to making this a viable writing sample, though, is that you start working on it early and have a final draft to give to your prof for feedback early as well (like maybe mid-October). If you wait to finish the paper until the end of the semester, you won't have time to revise with the professor's feedback.Your test scores are fine; I wouldn't worry about those. Some of the programs on your list require the subject test. Have you taken that? Try also to make sure you're aware of current research in your field. Read some journals that focus on your research areas. Join a regional organization like the Midwest MLA or Rocky Mountain Medieval and Renaissance Association (I use those as examples only; I obviously have no idea where you live or what you are interested in!). Best of luck!

[thegirlintheafternoon]

I made a big push this year to apply to some English phd programs. I applied to the Univ.Chicago,

Northwestern, Northeastern, Washington, Buffalo, Vanderbilt, Iowa, Minnesota, and I didn't get in anywhere.

I did get accepted to the two MA programs I applied to, at Georgetown and American University.

however, I couldn't possibly even think of attending an MA program, especially at a private university, living in DC, etc. etc. without receiving any funding... so that option is out.

Anyway, returning to grad school was something I always wanted to do... I graduated with honors from the University of Virginia, my GRE scores are V730, Q680, W5.0. And I do have a previous degree in a master's program in Liberal Arts.

Hi there!

Although there are obviously exceptions/differences, I've found that, in general, Ph.D. programs don't really seem to be admitting as many students to the straight Ph.D. track as they have in the past - there are just too many well-qualified applicants. And M.A.s in other fields really don't carry as much weight as those in the same field - especially, I think, when it comes to fields like English, where there are SO many applicants (at least, that's my perception).

So, in addition to the excellent advice offered by the previous commenters, I would say maybe focus some more effort on funded M.A. programs for next year. I'm completing a fully funded two-year program right now, and I went from 1/5 acceptances during my first round of applications (to Ph.D. and M.A. programs) to 4/6 acceptances this time around, so it really does help.

Good luck next year!