Fall 2014 applicants??

[champagne]

Is it really worth the big gamble, involving so many unknowable, random factors? 

Thanks for the advice, folks! I don't really like to reveal a whole lot of personal information over the internet, but I can say that I currently work in higher academics on the administrative side (Boo! Hiss!). My adviser brought up the point that I can still obtain the Ph.D. and come back to what I do now in the likely event that there are no jobs available, especially considering the diversification I would bring to such a realm with my experience on both sides of the higher education process.

 

Take that for what it is, but my professor and I both came to the "fuck it" solution regarding my lack of anything to lose (other than my pride, I've all ready saved the money) by applying and seeing what happens.

 

I still have yet to get an MA, FWIW. I've seen people exemplify the MA as a toe-wetting experience for some people in my shoes.  

Edited August 28, 2013 by champagne

[Katia_chan]

Okay, I feel the need to come on the less practical side here, and instead on the stupidly-optimistic side.

 

If the money for apps is there, and you at least have more than 50% desire to go, then....why the hell not?  It's not like you have to quit your job to apply.  So take a gamble, join the rest of us in the crippling anxiety game that is applications.  See what happens.  Maybe you get into your ideal program, and you go to school, and it's great.  Maybe you get into one and decide "meh, it's not for me."  And maybe you get into none.  Either way, you have a job, and the freedom to cast a wide net.  As long as you're applying for your own sake, and not because you think you "should," go, fly, take the plunge.  At worst, you get to experiment with your threshold of crazy, and everybody knows that's fun.

[id quid]

Absolutely agree.

 

I took a similar approach to my undergraduate applications, and it worked out quite well for me. The concept of "reach," "target," and "safety" schools does not hold the same weight for graduate school, for which admissions rates are 50-90% lower and depend on a number of opaque factors that are challenging to predict, but it may still be a way for you to categorize your level of effort in placing an application.

 

For example, "reach" could be those schools you think would be absolutely marvelous: they have POIs which match your interests, the location is perfect, the department is inclusive, the funding is outstanding, and it has or gives access to everything you need; but maybe its admissions standards seem higher than your record allows. "Target" would be those schools you would fit very well in, and have most of your requirements -- and definitely have those "no negotiation" must-haves for you to feel at home -- at which you think, based on fit, you have an even chance. "Safety" would be those schools that maybe have more misses than hits on your requirements, but would be preferable to not going anywhere at all.

 

Ironically, with that system you're more likely to achieve your reach and targets than your safeties. You will hear it time and again, but "fit" adds strength to the other portions of your application in a way that is difficult to measure but readily apparent when you see an "unexpected" acceptance.

Edited August 28, 2013 by id quid

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

Thank y'all for the advice. And BunnyWantsaPhD, don't worry. Once you decided not to apply to a certain school, be sure that it's not meant for you to be there. I'm sure you'll be able to decide which schools to remove from your list. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart

 

Thanks! You're right; I should be able to narrow it down eventually!

[BunnyWantsaPhD]

I'm not usually one to yell and vent into the vast maelstrom that is the interwebs, however y'all are a supportive group of web-based personae. Here goes:

 

I've been having lots of second thoughts about applying for graduate school. I originally thought that it might be because I've enjoyed my job so much the first year through, and I found myself thinking that I could do it maybe for the rest of my life if not for the near future. I had a great year, and the work I do is incredibly rewarding. It's a tremendous buzz, and apparently I'm really good at it. I had discussions with my co-workers, and they were very supportive of it. I then had a long, frank discussion with one of my favorite professors. He brought up the point that I might possibly be scared of the inevitable rejection that comes with applying to graduate school in the humanities. I looked inside myself and found this to be a huge part of it. I didn't get rejected from any undergraduate schools I applied to, I had a prodigious and successful undergraduate career (Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, all that jazz...), I've never been turned down in a job interview, and I've found tremendous success in my first year as a professional. There is none of this in applying to literature graduate programs: Let's demystify a little bit of the process. You will be rejected. With that said, I'm feeling more confused than ever, and I definitely don't want to wait another year to apply. I feel like not applying is letting my 45-year-old self down. Literature and writing and research and teaching is such a part of who I am, but all that I've heard from advisers is the "If you can do absolutely anything else, do it" mantra. Now I have something else I can do, but I don't know if it's something that will sustain me the way I know graduate school would.

 

TL;DR: I'm more confused than ever, and I haven't even started applying.

 

What say you, GradCafe?

 

 

I think it's definitely worth applying. Besides the whole job market argument, sometimes it's just a personal goal and it sounds like it is for you (when you say that you'll be letting yourself down if you don't explore this option). 

 

Personally, yes, of course I want the dream (tenure-track) job. But, if I don't get it, then I don't get it. Either way, I can't NOT get a PhD. I grew up in a family where the motto was "if there's more education to be gotten, why wouldn't you get it?" I love school; I can't wait to be back in school, and I can't wait to teach (more than I am already). 

 

You're lucky that you have a back-up profession that many of us don't. So, why not take the risk? It seems a lot less risky than what we're doing (those of us who haven't found a "plan B"). It sounds like one of your main reasons is fear of rejection--yes, rejection sucks, but it doesn't define you or your future options. Don't let that fear stop you. 

 

At the end of the day, you're the only one that can answer the following questions: will I regret not trying? will I regret not getting a PhD? 

 

And, yes, if you're unsure, go the MA route first (or at least throw some MA apps in the mix with your PhD apps). 

[antigone56]

Do you all have anything negative (or positive) to say about the following schools:  Boston College, Boston University, or Northeastern University?  

 

Thanks!

[tingdeh]

Yes, that seems to be how it works. They give you their most bleak assessment, and if you still don't back down, you pass the test. Very odd, as I'm not sure whether they secretly want you to pass that test and join them in fearless pursuit of your dreams or if they're hoping you'll turn back while you still can. Depends whether the professor is a pessimist or an optimist, I suppose.

When I first started the program, my first instructor (a Modernist graduate student) profusely urged me to stay away from applying. After a couple of years, a Mellon fellow and a full professor ended up encouraging me to go into it. So it really is that weird test of perseverance.

 

I'll be applying this year from undergraduate, looking into good programs on diaspora and transnational literatures (I've done work on Filipino and Nigerian literature in the diaspora, under a summer fellowship). Initially I wanted to apply to UC programs, but after some lurking I found stories of the funding cut woes in California. So I'm trying to rejig my options.

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Hi there. I'm an international, so I don't really know how to judge on my GPA. What would you consider a very low score, that there would be no chance for the applicant to be accepted anywhere on earth? Is there a minimum? The last thing I need now is to worry about my GPA    

[toasterazzi]

Hi there. I'm an international, so I don't really know how to judge on my GPA. What would you consider a very low score, that there would be no chance for the applicant to be accepted anywhere on earth? Is there a minimum? The last thing I need now is to worry about my GPA    

 

Most of the programs I've looked at don't have hard and fast GPA rules. Of the ones I've seen that list a required minimum GPA, it's typically like 3.0 or 3.5. Some of them also list their programs' average GPA, and those typically tend to be 3.5 or higher from what I've seen. I don't know how serious the GPA is when compared to all the other stuff though.

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Should I be worried if I e-mailed a professor and I got no response? It's less than two days now but it worries me. Is it true what I read around here that someone migght really steal your research idea? I can't even imagine that. Someone please assure me cuz I'm really freaking out about the whole process. thx 

[ProfLorax]

 Someone please assure me cuz I'm really freaking out about the whole process. thx 

Professors are busy. Some will reply quickly; some will take some time to reply; some will never reply at all. None of these responses are indicative of your chances, and no one is stealing your ideas. More than anything, it's the beginning of the semester, and professors are swamped with emails. Understandably, their priority is to respond to their colleagues and current students.

 

 This process can make anybody freak out, so make sure that you are taking care of yourself and surrounding yourself with supportive people. 

Edited September 1, 2013 by proflorax

[Katia_chan]

OKay, I...think I've outdone myself in sheer pathetic academia-related freakishness. I was wandering the google in search of PHD programs, because that's what I do on a Saturday night, and I found a link to a program that looked like it had a strong presence in my main area of focus.

 

It was in a location that, in theory, would actually kill me with weather, and in a place that I could not even fathom living in, But looked really good, so I clicked on the faculty list, just for the hell of it, because you never know and location can be adjusted to blah blah blah.

 

...The first three professors I clicked on were incredible fits, in one way or another.  Some of them even studied things I didn't even have on my "interests" list.

 

...I cried.  Just a little, but there were tears.

 

I'm kind of hoping someone else has done this, because I feel like such a weirdo, even amongst fellow nerds.

 

Coincidentally...anyone know anything about the program at UG Athens? Just, ahem, theoretically, you know... (I don't know how asking for info on specific schools is looked upon, so PM-s are fine.)

 

Anyway, I'm going to go...away, into this little corner over here, and...enjoy my cocktail of happiness and shame in peace. :B

Edited September 1, 2013 by Katia_chan

[egwynn]

Rose Egypt:

 

If the person you emailed is in the States, it's a holiday weekend here.

[Swagato]

2 days? I've received responses after 3 months. I would say just email the people you wish to, with no expectations whatsoever. I do not believe that gaining faculty interest ahead of time plays any significant role for us in the humanities. Project and grant funding is not nearly as crucial to our admission decisions as it is in the sciences. Is it worth establishing contact? Well, it may be nice to, and if you can get to a point where a professor wishes to read your present work etc., that's certainly a good thing. 

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Professors are busy. Some will reply quickly; some will take some time to reply; some will never reply at all. None of these responses are indicative of your chances, and no one is stealing your ideas. More than anything, it's the beginning of the semester, and professors are swamped with emails. Understandably, their priority is to respond to their colleagues and current students.

 

 This process can make anybody freak out, so make sure that you are taking care of yourself and surrounding yourself with supportive people. 

Proflorax, you're always there when help is needed. You know, at some point I felt that I will quit the whole thing cuz I kept checking my e-mail and telling myself 'they must have hated me'. Thank you so much and good luck in your first semester  

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

I got a dumb questions for you guys; if a writer's work (all of it) reflects her background and her life story, which literary term or literary theory could be applied to her work? thx...

[gatz]

I got a dumb questions for you guys; if a writer's work (all of it) reflects her background and her life story, which literary term or literary theory could be applied to her work? thx...

I'm not sure I really understand the question, but...biographical criticism? Or like cultural criticism? It sounds less a matter of a particular theory or terminology and more of a matter of research paradigm.

 

Which makes me wonder if there's any interesting research going on into revitalizing or revisiting classic biographical approaches to scholarship. That would be pretty cool.

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Would it be outdated to use biographical criticism (Although the text I'm working on was written in the mid-20th century) ?

[gatz]

Would it be outdated to use biographical criticism (Although the text I'm working on was written in the mid-20th century) ?

I didn't mean to imply that or anything, since I honestly don't know, and don't want to make broad statements about the history of literary criticism or whatever. I was just wondering out loud whether there has been recent theoretical work in 'biography studies' or something. From my experience though (just undergrad), all of my professors treated biographical stuff as interesting and sometimes useful for articulating certain points, but never encouraged us to use it much. 

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Guys, 6000-8000 words is around how many pages? It looks like a lot

[wreckofthehope]

Guys, 6000-8000 words is around how many pages? It looks like a lot

 

 

Depending on all the usual factors, 6,000 is around 23 - 25 pages, at least that's what I've found.

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

Yes, that's what I thought too. thx.

[Romanista]

Has anyone contacted a school and asked if they allow you to reapply the next season if you don't get in? In my case I want to go directly to a PhD program with just a BA but I am also going to apply to MA only schools if I don't get in to the former. Sometimes the department website tells you their policy on reapplying but sometimes they do not...

[aGiRlCalLeDApPlE]

I never heard about that, why wouldn't a school allow students to reapply? I should ask about that too cuz I have one school on my list that I applied to last year. 

[Katia_chan]

You're always allowed to reapply. You just have to pay all the fees over again and send everything in again.  But there are no schools, as far as I know, that won't let you.  If they can keep getting money from applicants, they will... /bitter cynicism.