Fall 2014 applicants??

[Swagato]

Now, now, don't go bursting bubbles already. 

[champagne]

Now, now, don't go bursting bubbles already. 

Ha! I think I did very well in telling them how much it sucks while still letting her know the reasons for keeping the dream alive.

 

She was bound to have that conversation with a professor eventually.

[Swagato]

I hear you. I've had a few people approach me for advice as well. It feels very, very strange to be on the "other side" (dispensing advice), but I suppose that's an inevitability if you've had a successful admissions season. I've tried to present the realities while pointing out the successes. I mean, I'd love for people to pursue higher education, advanced research and all that--just as long as they're going about it in ways that can position them for a suitable job afterward.

 

Sometimes I have to remind myself that, even though September is a while away and I've not yet begun, all of the next 6-7 years is but another stepping-stone. 

[Romanista]

Do schools really care what you do (if anything) the year before you enroll? I'm thinking of loafing a la Larry Darrell. 

[Swagato]

I doubt it. Most people I've talked to alternate between relaxing (for the last time before the marathon of the PhD begins) and just doing some basic readings. Many choose to work on languages.

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

So since I'm doing another round of applications this year, I'm currently applying for adjunct positions in the meantime. And, I gotta say, it's really depressing. Looks like most places (and I'm in the Midwest, btw) only pay around $2000-$2500 per class! I didn't know where else to post this so I thought I'd just talk about it here...is anyone else having similar issues? How are you all surviving? Also, how do you have enough time to actually work on the applications when you're spreading yourself thin teaching at different places. Help!  Someone send me some happy thoughts to live on since apparently I won't be living off of money. 

Edited July 17, 2013 by BunnyWantsaPhD

[ComeBackZinc]

It's brutal, and it's something all of us in English have to seriously think about, considering that the majority of English PhDs won't be getting tenure track jobs. I know someone who teaches SIX classes a semester in the fall and spring and two in the summer, and still only makes about $38K before taxes. And she's lucky because she gets health insurance from her husband.

[Phil Sparrow]

This is one of the reasons behind all of those "Just Don't Go!" articles that piss us all off so much. Because finding this out when you're in your thirties and are overqualified for any other job because of your doctorate is awful, and really common. 

 

 

So since I'm doing another round of applications this year, I'm currently applying for adjunct positions in the meantime. And, I gotta say, it's really depressing. Looks like most places (and I'm in the Midwest, btw) only pay around $2000-$2500 per class! I didn't know where else to post this so I thought I'd just talk about it here...is anyone else having similar issues? How are you all surviving? Also, how do you have enough time to actually work on the applications when you're spreading yourself thin teaching at different places. Help!  Someone send me some happy thoughts to live on since apparently I won't be living off of money. 

Edited July 17, 2013 by Phil Sparrow

[Two Espressos]

It's brutal, and it's something all of us in English have to seriously think about, considering that the majority of English PhDs won't be getting tenure track jobs. I know someone who teaches SIX classes a semester in the fall and spring and two in the summer, and still only makes about $38K before taxes. And she's lucky because she gets health insurance from her husband.

 

Sad, but very true.  It's probably only going to get worse.

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

I know, you all are right. The situation is not good (to say the least). But, how do you know if you're going to be the one to get the tenure track job or not? Obviously none of us do. I definitely think if there was anything else I was interested in doing I would steer clear of the PhD in humanities track. Unfortunately, I don't want to do anything else. Guess I'll do the PhD and hope I'm one of the lucky ones... : /

[Swagato]

IMHO there are some things that we can do to hedge our bets (to an extent). Specialising in areas that are at the forefront of research today, and are likely to continue evolving over the next decade or so, is certainly one. Pursuing the PhD at a top-tier department, or at least at a program that has an excellent reputation in your areas, is another. Working with major names and having a powerful dissertation committee is another big factor.

[Roquentin]

IMHO there are some things that we can do to hedge our bets (to an extent). Specialising in areas that are at the forefront of research today, and are likely to continue evolving over the next decade or so, is certainly one. Pursuing the PhD at a top-tier department, or at least at a program that has an excellent reputation in your areas, is another. Working with major names and having a powerful dissertation committee is another big factor.

 

Don't forget the importance of producing excellent work!

[marquisbey]

IMHO there are some things that we can do to hedge our bets (to an extent). Specialising in areas that are at the forefront of research today, and are likely to continue evolving over the next decade or so, is certainly one. Pursuing the PhD at a top-tier department, or at least at a program that has an excellent reputation in your areas, is another. Working with major names and having a powerful dissertation committee is another big factor.

Exactly. Of course, there are very few tenure track jobs out there, but there are some and they go to the best people in the field (usually, unless you're a part of the "good ol boys club" or have "connections"). So making sure you are doing the absolute best you can do significantly increases your chances of landing the tenure track job, doing your research and preparing well increases your chances, writing an amazing dissertation and presenting papers at conferences increases those chances. All of these things help land that job and are less dependent upon luck than your sheer will to put in the work.

 

But then again, even those who put in that work don't land the tenure track jobs; however, although some excellent scholars don't get the tenure tracks, even less mediocre scholars get them.

[Swagato]

Don't forget the importance of producing excellent work!

Sort of the minimum expectation for graduate work...at any level.  I mean, I guess I expect that I will, at all times, give it all I can--and I expect the same of each of us. 

[ComeBackZinc]

I often feel bad for saying this, because this tends to be such a supportive community (and that's great). But getting into a really prestigious program really does matter, if you're in lit. When people say that you can't just chase the top departments, I understand what they're saying, and exceptions happen. (Feel free to name some you know of personally, if you'd like.) But the reality is that jobs tend to be staffed by people from the biggest name departments, and I genuinely feel that most people who have a choice between a Berkeley/Harvard/etc and a better fit with less prestige should take the former over the latter. The numbers are what they are.

 

For those of us in rhet/comp, the landscape is different, with better numbers generally and a very different set of schools being the best programs. It's also the case that rhet/comp has (again, with exceptions just like in lit) amounted to a trade between getting TT jobs period and getting the most high-profile, high-prestige jobs. You are much more likely to get a job at State U with a rhet/comp degree than a lit degree, by pure numbers (in terms of # of PhDs issue to # of jobs proportionally), but with a few exceptions such as jobs that pop up at Stanford or Georgetown, you are not going to get a job at Elite English Department X with a rhet/comp degree. I love to teach and would be thrilled to work at a big public research U, personally, which was part of my choice to pursue a doctorate.

 

I guess all I'm saying is that, aside from no duh stuff like "be great" and "get a single-authored, researched paper published in a major journal before you go on the job market," going to the most prestigious program is the best thing you can do to set yourself up to get a TT job rather than to end up adjunting. (In my only partially-informed opinion!)

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

Right. Getting into a top tier program is my goal right now. At this point, I'm just trying to figure out how to go about doing that. I mean, I know everything that I'm supposed to do to get in (great writing sample, SOP, letters of rec, GRE scores, etc etc), but it's just hard to measure what "great" means when there are so many great candidates out there.

 

Right now I'm focusing on narrowing my list of schools down by making sure I fit the program. It's getting harder to know what fit means the longer I look at the department webpages. I mean, there are a few schools that I think I obviously fit well with and then there are other schools that seem to have 2-3 people I could work with as well. How many perspective POI do you guys think we should have/mention in the SOP? I think my brain is just mush right now. 

[Roquentin]

Sort of the minimum expectation for graduate work...at any level.  I mean, I guess I expect that I will, at all times, give it all I can--and I expect the same of each of us. 

 

 

Ooop - at the risk of sounding pedantic, when I said that it's important to produce, I meant that it's important to publish. Specializing in a hot, evolving field is fine, but specializations without publications don't mean much on the job market. A general level of excellence is expected - what many people fail to do, though, is demonstrate that they have the ability to help keep their fields hot and evolving by their work (i.e. at the doctoral level and beyond).

[isabelarcher]

Semester GPA from studying abroad: 3.39. 

 

Considering waiting a year and/or not applying at all now. 

[jazzyd]

Semester GPA from studying abroad: 3.39. 

 

Considering waiting a year and/or not applying at all now. 

 

I honestly would not sweat it. What are your grades like for literature courses?

[isabelarcher]

I honestly would not sweat it. What are your grades like for literature courses?

 

~3.8-9, total UG GPA ~3.7. The main issue was that I took an 8 unit lit class in my major and got a B while abroad so that's taking a hit too. It was an immersion university class in another language, though. 

[Swagato]

With that GPA, you're likely at least as competitive as most admitted people as far as GPA is concerned. But bear in mind that GPA really counts for...not that much, in the greater scheme of things. Your writing sample, statement of purpose, and letters of recommendation carry far more weight. 

[Two Espressos]

~3.8-9, total UG GPA ~3.7. The main issue was that I took an 8 unit lit class in my major and got a B while abroad so that's taking a hit too. It was an immersion university class in another language, though. 

 

My GPA was roughly similar to yours: 4.0 major GPA, 3.76 overall.  I'm attending a top 20 program this fall.  Your GPA is certainly not a death knell.

 

However, I'd encourage you to look at the individual statistics for the programs you're considering.  From my admittedly limited investigation, it seemed like many top 20 programs had average GPAs of 3.8 or 3.9 (see, for example, http://englishcomplit.unc.edu/admissions/applying/FAQ).

[ComeBackZinc]

Incidentally, if I have given anyone any inexplicable downvotes, please blame my clumsiness with a touchscreen. I was just perusing an old thread and handed out like 3 totally undeserved downvotes. (Clumsiness is my curse. You should see me try to take those first few pedals on my bike....)

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Hi there, would anyone suggest a book or two books about literary criticism. I need to read more about literary theories and I can't find a simple direct book, something like a quick guide if you know what I mean. Thanks

[toasterazzi]

Hi there, would anyone suggest a book or two books about literary criticism. I need to read more about literary theories and I can't find a simple direct book, something like a quick guide if you know what I mean. Thanks

 

In my theory class last semester, we used two books. The one that I found to be most useful for giving me a baseline understanding was Critical Theory Today by Lois Tyson (http://www.amazon.com/Critical-Theory-Today-User-Friendly-Guide/dp/0415974100/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1374440506&sr=8-11&keywords=literary+theory). It does a pretty good job of explaining most of the theories in a way that makes a good deal of sense as well as showing how the theories would be applied to texts.