University of Illinois at Chicago

[plznE3]

Hey guys,

 

I'm still busy adding schools to my list . I can't believe how anxiety-inducing researching schools is.

Anyway, can anyone tell me anything about the doctoral program at UIC? Their faculty seems pretty impressive.

[ComeBackZinc]

I've met Ralph Cintron a few times and he was very thoughtful, charming, and friendly. His book Angels' Town is really great, even if you're not at all into rhetoric. If you're interested in Latino and Latin American Studies, urbanism, or ethnography, he's one to check out.

[Lycidas]

It's worth noting that UIC greatly prefers applicants who already have a Master's. I believe they've only accepted one or two students without one in the last several years. 

[guinevere29]

I think UIC is a school that can be excellent if you have the right "fit," but may not offer as wide a range of English Lit-oriented faculty as you would find at say, the Champaign-Urbana campus. I'm sure you've looked at their website, but they give a pretty fininte list of suggestions as far as the interests they're looking for. My impression was always that UIC was stronger in creative writing, media studies, urban and cultural studies than some of the more traditional literature areas, which is not a bad thing as long as that is what you're interested in. One of my favorite research papers I've written outside of my concentration was on the fiction work of Luis Alberto Urrea, who is a faculty member there.