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Duke English vs Literature?


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I'm not sure when the Lit dept is having their recruitment (read: 2nd round of interviews) weekend. I *think* it's usually around the same weekend as the English recruitment weekend (which is next week) but don't quote me on that. If I happen to hear anything I'll gladly post.

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I'm not sure when the Lit dept is having their recruitment (read: 2nd round of interviews) weekend. I *think* it's usually around the same weekend as the English recruitment weekend (which is next week) but don't quote me on that. If I happen to hear anything I'll gladly post.

 

Thank you Mikers86!! So you think that they already had a 1st round of interviews? Could it be that they are doing things differently because of the new DGS? Thank you so much for this info!! 

Edited by WalterBenj
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Gustav, the situation is weird. I emailed a POI, who knows me, and he told me that he wasn't sure but probably I wasn't in at this point (but he admitted that he didn't know with absolute certainty since he is not on the graduate admissions committee).

Besides that, I emailed another person 3 days ago but she didn't answer at all.

 

I think they decided and we are rejected, since it's February 13th. But this silence is weird nonetheless. I take for granted that the interviewees are not here or don't want to disclose any info (I'm even thinking about the possibility that the adcomm might have told them not say anything, at this point...but maybe an exaggeration on my part). I would like to be wrong, but unfortunately I don't think that's the case....

Edited by WalterBenj
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Hi Walter, I just (finally!) got in touch with a grad student in their department, it's confirmed that the interview invites were sent a long time ago and we just didn't know it. 

 

Ok, let's just hug and cry...(now knowing that both of my POIs are on sabbatical and thus not even on the committee, I just want to kick myself in the forehead!!). 

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Ok Gustav! I seriously think we should just hug and cry at this point!! I have the same problem with two of my POIs that encouraged me to apply but weren't on the committee. It happens...it was my dream school, but life goes on... :(

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Well that's certainly (dis)heartening to know. Out of curiosity, have any of you gone and checked the site? I just did a few minutes ago and noticed I had a new option: withdraw application. If I've been rejected, I'm not sure why I'd withdraw having already been tossed aside...

 

Nevertheless, just an odd change.

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Hey dr_walrus, mine says the same "withdraw application." But it could be just a random thing. Gustav, it's right underneath review application details.. 

 

Nonetheless, a weird option to include right now, especially if we have already been rejected.

Edited by WalterBenj
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  • 6 months later...

Hello! I know I'm late to the party, but I'm wondering if it is possible/prudent to apply to both the english and the literature program with different writing samples?

Unfortunately, you have to choose.  From the Duke English FAQs:


2. What is the difference between the English Department and the Program in Literature at Duke? Which should I apply to?


You may apply to English or to Literature, but not to both. In rare cases where we feel that a student has misdirected an application, we will contact the student to suggest transferring the application. But we cannot guarantee that there will be time for this, so we recommend that you read both the English and the Literature website carefully. The key criterion is again “fit”: though each program allows you to take courses in the other and to appoint faculty from either program to your committee, if you find that a majority of the faculty with whom you are interested in working are based in Literature, it would make sense to apply to that program. 
The Director of Graduate Studies and Assistant to the DGS in both English and Literature will be glad to answer your questions as you make your choice.

 

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  • 2 months later...
  • 11 months later...

I didn't want to start a new topic and realized this one was still unanswered to some extent. I messaged the DGS and got a reply:

Your second question, about the difference between English and the Program and Literature, is also tricky to answer. Many dissertations could in principle be written in either department. However, English is oriented more specifically toward the study of literary texts written in English, whereas Literature (despite its name) doesn’t necessarily have that focus on literature in general, and it definitely isn’t restricted to English literature. So the key question is whether you want a training in English literature or not. (With that said, the Duke English department is very theoretically-oriented, so one would not have to pursue a traditional training in English literature. However, in the final analysis, our students generally do end up in English departments, whereas Literature students end up in a wider variety of departments.)

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