How to strengthen a ling. app. if you had to re-apply?

[gubidal092]

While this post may be more in the vein of the 'waiting it out' section, I thought a linguistic-specific response might be helpful to some people. 

 

Many of us are waiting for results still, and we all know, sometimes you don't get in anywhere your first try. So, if the worst were to happen, what would be your contingency plan? What would you do with the additional year you had to wait to re-apply to strengthen your application? 

 

Certainly, one could take non-degree seeking graduate or undergraduate courses and attempt to earn As, but that option can be costly. Internships are another option, but there are very few linguistic specific internships, and would an internship or job in a completely unrelated area really strengthen your application that much? 

[goldheartmountaintop]

I definitely wouldn't look outside of my department for jobs, as I'm not sure doing so would make you a stronger candidate for research-based PhD programs. I'd probably continue my current research assistantship (or get a new one), and maybe get some TA-ships too if possible. The MA program I'm in is thesis-based and a lot of the MA students are encouraged to rework their theses so that they could get published, so I'd aim for that, and meanwhile I'd try to go to a lot of conferences and maybe continue working on my thesis topic. Essentially, I'd be looking to bulk up my CV more than anything else (ie grades). 

[this_is_a_wug]

I definitely wouldn't look outside of my department for jobs, as I'm not sure doing so would make you a stronger candidate for research-based PhD programs. I'd probably continue my current research assistantship (or get a new one), and maybe get some TA-ships too if possible. The MA program I'm in is thesis-based and a lot of the MA students are encouraged to rework their theses so that they could get published, so I'd aim for that, and meanwhile I'd try to go to a lot of conferences and maybe continue working on my thesis topic. Essentially, I'd be looking to bulk up my CV more than anything else (ie grades). 

 

I second this, but I would also add that a strong writing sample would also be good. I feel like linguistics is one of those fields where, if you have access to a decent university library and some public data, there's a lot of potential for some kind of project, whether that's a lit review with criticism or even investigating something new. If you don't have a linguistics background and/or the money to take more courses, then I would certainly say a writing sample about a linguistics topic would be an excellent addition. It would show adcoms you know what linguistics is and definitely enough about the field to devote a significant part of your life to it.