Possible red flag?

[Portia]

 Hello everyone,

 

 I am a newcomer to this whole process (and an international student/green card holder), and I would appreciate if you could help me out a bit. Briefly, my academic past is rather twisted. After the BA, I wanted to go for a MA in English lit, unfortunately, that degree is not offered in my home country from any top university (I know, baffling, they have stuff like British/American Cultural Studies, but not lit). So I did go for a Comp. Lit, masters instead. After that, I went for a Comp. Lit. PhD, but my professor died and the faculty number was so small that there was no one who could guide me afterwards (now that I write that, sound a bit SF, unfortunately, it is true). So I switched to a PhD in Linguistics, which I have almost finished (2014, final year).

 

 Coming to the US, I knew that my degrees were somewhat invalidated on the work market, so I decided to go for a MA in English. Do you think my chances will be hurt by my academic past, will having a phd by the time of the application weight it down?

[zabius]

I don't think that your academic past will hurt you, especially if the topics that you studied in your comp lit and linguistics programs are somewhat related (or at least applicable) to the work that you want to do in your English MA program. But even if they're not, it's not a deal-breaker. The thing that might raise eyebrows is the fact that you're applying to a master's program when you already have a more advanced degree (the linguistics PhD). Admissions committees might be curious as to why you're "moving backwards," so to speak.

 

Fortunately, this type of situation is exactly what the statement of purpose is for. Use your SOP to explain your background (the limited opportunities in your country, your professor's death and its affect on your studies) as well as your motivations for pursuing an MA in English (you want to be better prepared for career opportunities in the US, and English lit was your original passion to begin with). If you explain all of this well and also manage to show a genuine interest in the program that you're applying to, you should be good.

[Portia]

Thank you for your answer, and your insight.

 

I have chosen my subject in linguistics in such a way that it may have application in literature/theory of literature, so I am hoping that will work for my future literature research. Hope my statement of purpose will manage to communicate my background and my desire to pursue a MA, which is more than genuine, without making me sound like a pompous ass (I've been accused of that before).

[zabius]

...without making me sound like a pompous ass (I've been accused of that before).

 

The best way to avoid that is to have someone (preferably several people) proofread your SOP and give you feedback on it. I've been accused of being "pretentious" many, many times, and the friends that reviewed my statement were able to tell me when I sounded a little too full of myself.

 

It sounds like you don't have much to worry about at all. Good luck!

[Portia]

Thank you.

 

 I have another question.

 

 I went for a PhD in Linguistics because I got a job in a research institute, so I felt it was my duty to be as well prepared as possible. Do you think it is a bad idea to explain that I went for the Linguistics PhD because I felt it was my duty to be as good as possible at my job?

[zabius]

Thank you.

 

 I have another question.

 

 I went for a PhD in Linguistics because I got a job in a research institute, so I felt it was my duty to be as well prepared as possible. Do you think it is a bad idea to explain that I went for the Linguistics PhD because I felt it was my duty to be as good as possible at my job?

 

No, I don't think that would be a bad idea at all. But, I wouldn't dwell on it either... you can mention it in the part of your SOP where you explain your background and previous experiences, but I'd recommend using most of the SOP to discuss why you're interested in getting an MA in English lit.