Writing Sample

[thisistheyear]

so i'm starting to think about apps for next year, and feel like i could spend some time on pretty much everything on the app to improve it [gre's, ps, and of course, ws]...but for those who've gotten into programs this year, could you provide some advice and insight on the writing sample? like...if i'm using a paper from a class that i got a decent grade on it, with some helpful comments, should i use the paper for the ws as is or try to polish it with the prof's comments, etc.? should i try to add more to the paper in general in terms of more research and other sources? i wonder how much time the admissions committee spends on reading the paper itself?

thanks in advance for any future help. i applied to 5 schools this year, and just was idiotic about everything.

[Sinope]

I didn't get much specific feedback from acceptances about my writing sample, but the advice I was given was that readability and coherent logic is more important than erudition (not that the latter's irrelevant either!). That is, your professor presumably knows a lot about the specific subject within which you're writing your paper, so doing detailed research and finding something new is important for a class. The professors reading your writing sample, on the other hand, may be relatively inexperienced in your specific field; what they care about is whether you have good, clear writing and an argument they can follow. (Example: I asked my SO, who isn't in the field at all, to read over my writing sample. His first response was "this is actually intelligible!")

So, when I asked my professors what would be the best use of my time in improving a paper to become a writing sample, they said that improving its flow and style would be more fruitful than doing more research and writing more footnotes. Correct any flaws in facts or logic that your professor pointed out, if possible, then have multiple friends look it over. Obviously, you should still be saying something interesting and non-obvious within your field, but in terms of maximizing results with your time, that's what they advised me.

[academiccricket]

I think the above advice is fantastic. The only thing I was told was not to send a writing sample critiquing an author/viewpoint espoused by the school's department (apparently a former professor of mine did this, with less-than-favorable results). My writing sample was from my M.A. thesis, which I had to orally defend last spring, and which I presented last month.

Honestly, I also wonder how much of the writing sample weighs into the decision-making process, as I don't imagine it matters until at the very end (no committee is going to read 10 pages or so of every applicant...so hypothetically, you'd have to be in the running for this to matter). Strengthening your C.V. is probably more important by trying to present, publish, acquiring French and German, in addition to what you've mentioned. Granted, you can't do all this in the next admissions cycle, so pick a couple of areas and go after it.

If you have a strong paper, polish it, polish it, polish it. Revise it taking into consideration your notes. Ask the same professor to read over it again and again until it is perfect. Say that you are considering using it as your writing sample. They might be able to guide you better (in terms of current academic discourse/available resources/articles, etc.) with this goal in mind. The same goes with your personal statement. See if any professors in your department attended similar programs/schools, and ask them to give you pointers. It would help if you had what you considered to be a "Final draft" of your ps for them to see, so their criticism is applied to your best work. In addition, most schools have career centers that help with this kind of stuff (in terms of clarity, cohesion/logical flow, correct grammar usage).

This might seem silly, but since I've adjuncted (English 101 and an upper division religion course) and had to grade stacks of papers...use Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spaced, with clean margins FOR EVERYTHING (unless specified otherwise). Don't be creative on this. At the very least, it looks nice and doesn't annoy your readers (reading other fonts drove me crazy), though they clearly won't reject you for stylistic reasons such as this.

Good luck!

[peppermint.beatnik]

I know you're asking for advice re: your writing sample, but just try to put forward your best possible application (in every respect).

There's no magic formula when it comes to PhD admission. Unfortunately, x+y does not always equal z. Anyone who tells you otherwise doesn't know what they are talking about.

[thisistheyear]

thanks this is all REALLY helpful...and encouraging. i'm looking forward to getting into the work to make these apps hopefully a little better for next year. and luck to everyone this year - those still waiting to hear...and those who have been accepted and starting their programs in the fall.

[Emma]

I was accepted this year for my ph.d with full funding and Fellowship. I submitted a chapter of my MA thesis that was not the most original but that was easy to read and showed I mastered my field's vocabulary and concepts very well. I made sure it could not possibly offend anybody; I would not submit the same sample for other departments. I don't know what part of my admission was considered the most important but I have a friend who was accepted at Stanford (not in religion) with full funding and they told her it was because they loved her writing sample. I am not sure the CV is that important, unless you published and have research and TA experience. I never published anything and my GPA is not even fabulous for undergraduate study (3.6), so I put all the emphasis on communicating enthusiasm and showing my promise as a future scholar through my project (I also made sure it was a good match for the departments' specialty) and my writing sample. It worked for me.

Good luck for next year.

[cavedan]

I agree with all of the above, I'll just throw a couple more morsels in...

In regards to having a professor help you with polishing - yes, yes, yes. This is the painful part of the applications process, pestering people you know are busy to help you again and again with something solely for your benefit, but it's really essential (don't believe those on this forum who would have you believe that "the waiting is the hardest part"). Ask the professor you turned the paper in to; even better, find a TA/current doctoral student whom you trust and have them help you revise your sample and SoP, since they'll have more time, went through the process more recently, and are 'safer' confidants. for readability, give it to your smartest friend in another field.

when i was discussing my interest in a program with a professor, he asked me preemptively what my writing sample would be about. i told him the text i was focusing on, and he immediately asked "but what methodology are you going to use?" He went on to explain that a simple exegesis or text critical paper would be a poor fit for this particular program, and said that after they narrow down the finalists they do look at your sample to see if your interests and approaches are a good fit with the faculty - so, write about something you care about, and use the methodology you hope to use for your dissertation. while faculty may not read your sample in depth, your choice of topic makes a statement about your interests and your 'fit' much more so than the cursory "the work of professors X,Y,Z really match my interests blah blah" that you tack on to the end of your SoP.

with that said, i was also advised by another person to choose a 'safe' sample - which, in my field at least, means an exegesis paper (but with an angle) that shows your historical-critical and linguistic skills (both ancient and modern).

and a final anecdote: when i was interviewing at notre dame, i met with eight faculty members, seven of whom said not one word about my sample (in fact, a few of them gave no indication that they had even read my file). the eighth mentioned that he'd only had time to briefly look over my sample, but he liked how i had done my own translations from the original text, and he also complimented a text-critical suggestion that I had made... in a footnote on page 16. take from this what you will