Which Norton Anthologies Should I Buy?

[lavender_be]

Hi, I am an unsuccessful 2014 applicant and would like to re-apply, hence taking GRE in English Literature again. I think my abysmal is one of the reasons why I was turned down. I really want to do something to boost my scores. Any advice on the following questions would be greatly appreciated. I am considering which Norton Anthologies to buy. Now out in the market there is a one-volume condensed Major Authors edition. Would this edition suit my test preparation purpose better or still the regular typical six-volumed one.

 

Also, if the six-volumed one is better, I in fact have it somewhere at home, but they are 10 years old. Are the recent updates worth new purchase? 

 

 

[Horb]

Your best bet is to buy the Princeton Review and see which authors it suggests reading. They break it down into three categories. The first is whole works you need to read (i.e. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales or Milton's Paradise Lost or a sampling of Shakespeare and definitely Greek myths); the second is a series of authors whose style you should be familiar with (Shakespeare, Spencer, etc.), and the third is a list of things that could be on there, but probably not something you want to spend all your time on. 

 

My understanding when I was studying it was that it is mostly British literature, with a huge chunk being 1800-early 20th century. That was not true at all for my test. I had A LOT of theory, medieval literature, and world literature. So don't pay attention to the percentages that much.

 

I would say start with reading the anthology summaries of time periods and authors. Then take a practice test. Look at the time periods or authors you missed (so if you missed all of the medievalists, buy the Norton anthology for medieval lit). Study. Repeat. This is something that should be done over time, not crammed into a week or two of studying.

[Fiz]

Fuck that bullshit subject exam and any school that would reject you for it. I'll proudly boast; 18th percentile and accepted into top 25. Fuck that test. It's bullshit, so much.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Fiz

[lavender_be]

I am very tempted to believe that the GRE Subject Test doesn't count at all because I scored less than 10th percentile and is not accepted anywhere. I think it's one of my weakest spots, so I'll still prepare for it. 

[cbttcher]

The GRE Subject test is the most ridiculous thing in this world. A lot of schools already say that they don't want it anymore because it says nothing about you as a student.

[lavender_be]

Your best bet is to buy the Princeton Review and see which authors it suggests reading. They break it down into three categories. The first is whole works you need to read (i.e. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales or Milton's Paradise Lost or a sampling of Shakespeare and definitely Greek myths); the second is a series of authors whose style you should be familiar with (Shakespeare, Spencer, etc.), and the third is a list of things that could be on there, but probably not something you want to spend all your time on. 

 

My understanding when I was studying it was that it is mostly British literature, with a huge chunk being 1800-early 20th century. That was not true at all for my test. I had A LOT of theory, medieval literature, and world literature. So don't pay attention to the percentages that much.

 

I would say start with reading the anthology summaries of time periods and authors. Then take a practice test. Look at the time periods or authors you missed (so if you missed all of the medievalists, buy the Norton anthology for medieval lit). Study. Repeat. This is something that should be done over time, not crammed into a week or two of studying.

Hey, just wanted to thank for the very useful sharing.  

[ReadingLisa]

Fuck that bullshit subject exam and any school that would reject you for it. I'll proudly boast; 18th percentile and accepted into top 25. Fuck that test. It's bullshit, so much.

Ha!!! I, too, will boast my 18th percentile!

Buuut, I guess if the OP feels like she'll have a better shot with higher subject GRE scores, my advice would be to study verse forms as much as possible. The subject GRE I took last October was laden with questions about meter, rhythmic, and the like. I was very very unprepared for these sorts of questions.

Good luck!

[NowMoreSerious]

 It's a good thing to try to improve your overall application, but always consider whether your time might be better spent working on your other documents, especially the writing sample and the SoP.  

 

I would go so far as to say that a low GRE subject score has very little bearing on the outcome of an application.  

 

I'm not trying to discourage anybody from studying from the test.  It's just that I've seen many people kill themselves studying hours a day for it, only to improve their score by only a few percentage points.  In one case, the person scored worse after 2 months of intense studying.  

Edited March 25, 2014 by NowMoreSerious

[Horb]

The thing with that test is some schools LOVE it and most hate it, but if you want in at Harvard, for example, they actually care. I got into Tufts with a very low score and they are decently ranked (28 nationally, but for English 52). Idk if that counts as mid-tier or not, but they have an excellent program. Now, when I mentioned I may have to reapply bc of a fellowship I might have gotten for research abroad, they said I should look into retaking it to strengthen my application. So, though I got in the first time, each committee is different. 

 

The moral of this convoluted tale is to study (don't kill yourself) and then just let it be. I find it ridiculous they only offer it three times a year, but oh well. Isn't worth the cost anyway. 

[ProfLorax]

lavender_be: I see you are in Taipei. Are you an international student? If so, perhaps before investing time and money into retaking the GRE, do some digging and ask questions to see if the GRE general and subject scores are typically weighed more, less, or as heavily for international students as for domestic students. 

[hj2012]

lavender_be: I see you are in Taipei. Are you an international student? If so, perhaps before investing time and money into retaking the GRE, do some digging and ask questions to see if the GRE general and subject scores are typically weighed more, less, or as heavily for international students as for domestic students. 

 

In general, the GRE is a bit more important for international students because it's seen as an "equalizer," especially since adcomms are often unfamiliar with the quality of the applicant's undergrad institution and/or the grading scales in place.

 

Lavender, before you concentrate on the lit GRE, I would look at your general GRE scores. Is the verbal 160+? Do you have near-perfect TOEFL scores? I work at an admissions consulting place (albeit in Korea), and years of test data show that this is a huge, huge factor for Asian international students applying in the humanities. I think adcomms might be more doubtful of an international student's ability to succeed in a reading/writing intensive program if they do poorly on the general GRE/TOEFL.

 

Best of luck to you!

[lavender_be]

lavender_be: I see you are in Taipei. Are you an international student? If so, perhaps before investing time and money into retaking the GRE, do some digging and ask questions to see if the GRE general and subject scores are typically weighed more, less, or as heavily for international students as for domestic students. 

 

Yes, English isn't my native tongue. I asked my MA advisor and he said some programs might understand my extremely low score knowing that I'm an international student, so before I was rejected by all programs, I was actually hoping that it really wouldn't matter at all, though it was required by more than half of the programs I applied to. But after knowing that I was accepted nowhere, I emailed one DG to ask what my weakest spots might be. She said the scores would disqualify me in the eye of some committees. This is why this time I want to take it more seriously. 

 

I am actually very surprised to read that so many have made it despite their low scores. 

[lavender_be]

In general, the GRE is a bit more important for international students because it's seen as an "equalizer," especially since adcomms are often unfamiliar with the quality of the applicant's undergrad institution and/or the grading scales in place.

 

Lavender, before you concentrate on the lit GRE, I would look at your general GRE scores. Is the verbal 160+? Do you have near-perfect TOEFL scores? I work at an admissions consulting place (albeit in Korea), and years of test data show that this is a huge, huge factor for Asian international students applying in the humanities. I think adcomms might be more doubtful of an international student's ability to succeed in a reading/writing intensive program if they do poorly on the general GRE/TOEFL.

 

Best of luck to you!

 

Oh my goodness, thank you for your reply. I finally understood the contradiction. Why so many have argued that it didn't weigh as much as other things while one DG said it did matter to some extent. However, I actually do have a near perfect TOEFL score and I scored above 160 in Verbal, so. . .gosh. . just what did I have to do? They aren't good enough? How can the English department, which should be pro-equality, be so biased against international students? 

[Horb]

I think with international students there are more hurtles (think visa regulations and what not), which I think is why a lot of the time, funding may be different for international students than for US students. It may also be the unfamiliarity with overseas schools and therefore they may choose someone from a school they actually know about. 

[ProfLorax]

I agree, there are most likely some additional hurdles for international students. That being said, as you've most likely seen on these boards, many domestic students also get shut out of PhD applications. It's just a hyper competitive process. What I'd suggest for any student reapplying, whether international or domestic, is to follow the suggestions scattered around these boards. Lots of second and third time applicants have given specific tips about how to best spend the year between application cycles. 

 

Good luck! 

[hj2012]

Oh my goodness, thank you for your reply. I finally understood the contradiction. Why so many have argued that it didn't weigh as much as other things while one DG said it did matter to some extent. However, I actually do have a near perfect TOEFL score and I scored above 160 in Verbal, so. . .gosh. . just what did I have to do? They aren't good enough? How can the English department, which should be pro-equality, be so biased against international students? 

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate that English departments are biased against international students. I was simply asking because there's no point in bringing up your lit GRE score until your general GRE score is up to par. Frankly, I'd advise ALL English lit applicants to aim for a 160V. Many international students think that it's OK to have a low V score because they're not native speakers. This simply isn't the case if you're applying for humanities.

 

I'd also echo proflorax: many, many domestic students get routinely shut out of English PhD admissions, so I wouldn't take that as a sign of bias, or take it too personally. The fact is that there are too many qualified applicants, and not enough spots.

 

I also have to note that if you did both your undergrad and M.A. coursework abroad, you will be at a distinct disadvantage. Again, this is not because of bias, but because your schools (even if they are the best in Taiwan) will not be well-known in the States, and your recommenders likely do not have connections or may even be unfamiliar with how to write a good recommendation letter. (Tip: It's not to simply gush about how you're the best student who ever existed; a good recommendation letter will talk specifically about your accomplishments and situate your future research in terms of a broader scholarly discourse and your personal/scholastic qualities in terms of professional ability.) 

 

Someone in Korea went through and looked at top-ten or top-fifteen English Ph.D. programs and found that not a SINGLE Korean international student had been accepted by these programs without first doing a B.A. or M.A. in an English-speaking country. (There was a sprinkling in the top-25, but were concentrated at schools who sometimes accept students without funding, like CUNY.) I suspect the same is true for Taiwanese students as well. Make sure you're applying very, very broadly in terms of rankings.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what are your research interests? Where did you apply this season?

[lavender_be]

Th

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate that English departments are biased against international students. I was simply asking because there's no point in bringing up your lit GRE score until your general GRE score is up to par. Frankly, I'd advise ALL English lit applicants to aim for a 160V. Many international students think that it's OK to have a low V score because they're not native speakers. This simply isn't the case if you're applying for humanities.

 

I'd also echo proflorax: many, many domestic students get routinely shut out of English PhD admissions, so I wouldn't take that as a sign of bias, or take it too personally. The fact is that there are too many qualified applicants, and not enough spots.

 

I also have to note that if you did both your undergrad and M.A. coursework abroad, you will be at a distinct disadvantage. Again, this is not because of bias, but because your schools (even if they are the best in Taiwan) will not be well-known in the States, and your recommenders likely do not have connections or may even be unfamiliar with how to write a good recommendation letter. (Tip: It's not to simply gush about how you're the best student who ever existed; a good recommendation letter will talk specifically about your accomplishments and situate your future research in terms of a broader scholarly discourse and your personal/scholastic qualities in terms of professional ability.) 

 

Someone in Korea went through and looked at top-ten or top-fifteen English Ph.D. programs and found that not a SINGLE Korean international student had been accepted by these programs without first doing a B.A. or M.A. in an English-speaking country. (There was a sprinkling in the top-25, but were concentrated at schools who sometimes accept students without funding, like CUNY.) I suspect the same is true for Taiwanese students as well. Make sure you're applying very, very broadly in terms of rankings.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what are your research interests? Where did you apply this season?

Thank you. This put me in perspective. My research interests are Victorian and childhood studies. Last year, I applied to NYU, Chicago, Princeton, Yale, Penn State, U Conn, U of Southern California, and Washington U in St. Louis. Now come to think of it, I have no idea why I thought I would have a chance with the first few, but ranking actually wasn't the reason why I chose them. These are programs that provided funding, even to international students, so. . .

 

Applying broadly in terms of rankings certainly sounds right, but funding is still my largest concern. 

[shortstack51]

Unfortunately, due to the funding/financial crises at American universities as a whole, I've heard that some fully funded programs are accepting less international students than usual due to the high tuition waiver (international students would pay a much higher tuition rate if they weren't funded, so the cost of paying for that tuition is high for the programs). This may not be true generally, but I have heard that it's the case at a few schools. Some public schools (ie California? correct me if I'm wrong) are even prioritizing in-state residents vs out-of-state US students. However, many schools require students to become residents of the state after the first year, so again, this may not apply generally. I would echo that international students who have done at least an MA in the States generally have better success; there are funded MA programs you could also look into applying to (there's a thread somewhere around here about funded MA programs in English). Having an MA in general (again, depending on program) may help your application. I know I have had much better success after going for my MA.

 

Anyway, this is all to say that it's very competitive for everyone and perhaps particularly so for international students. I highly recommend applying to 10+ schools and from a wide variety of rankings. There are a lot of programs that provide funding. Also, besides the GRE, it could greatly depend on your concentration. Were the above schools also a good fit for your interests (I know UConn would have been, so it looks like you did search at least in part by interest)? Did you writing sample display your potential in those interests? Same for your SoP. For English PhDs in the US, the written portions of the application are usually weighted much more heavily (though some schools still ask for a certain GRE score, like Harvard). A 160 V is definitely a recommended minimum GRE score, but having higher than that won't necessarily increase your chances of getting accepted. You did apply to some pretty competitive programs--some of the programs you listed get more than 3-400 applicants but only accept 5-8 students. I definitely suggest looking at some schools that receive fewer than 200 applicants.

Edited March 27, 2014 by shortstack51

[cbttcher]

I think there was something in the Computer Science forum or somewhere where they talked about this. I think it was Berkeley. Something along the lines of they don't usually accept international students (I'm guessing because of the costs) but let them apply anyways. People were pretty worked up about the wasted application fee.

 

On another note, I got into a California school but I don't know how many other international students there actually are...

[lavender_be]

Just want to check if my understanding correctly. If the GRE works as an equalizer for international students, it most likely would mean that bring up my Subject score does help, considering that a higher score may provide some assurance to the adcomm that the education I received is not necessarily less sufficient than that of domestic students? 

[Horb]

Just want to check if my understanding correctly. If the GRE works as an equalizer for international students, it most likely would mean that bring up my Subject score does help, considering that a higher score may provide some assurance to the adcomm that the education I received is not necessarily less sufficient than that of domestic students? 

 

I'm not so sure about an equalizer for education. Maybe for English proficiency, only because this may imply that US schools teach for this test or that it tests what we learn in school, which it doesn't. It is to allow one method of comparing you to other applicants and can also be used to justify funding. I think you just need to make sure your personal statement and writing sample are spot on. No mistakes and very thorough in emphasizing why you are the best candidate for the program based on fit. 

[Between Fields]

Have you communicated with the programs that rejected you? If you asked, they might tell you the areas in which your application file was lacking.

[lyonessrampant]

You might also want to scour department listings and locate programs that have international students.  My program (U Minnesota) has had at least one international student and up to three per cohort since I started (I'm a 3rd year).  I don't know how we do on childhood studies, but I think Vic lit was your main area?  If so, that is a strength here.  Not to say you need to apply to UMN, but you can look at the profile of our grad students and see that we have a lot of international students in comparison to other places.  Most of our international students are from S. Korea, actually, though the cohort behind me has a student from Taiwan and the current first years have two S. Koreans and a guy from India (I believe).  If you're worried about funding and bias, look at the composition of current grad students on department websites.  That will give you a sense of which departments might have a lower bias or who don't experience the same funding problems with international students.  

[hj2012]

Th

 

Thank you. This put me in perspective. My research interests are Victorian and childhood studies. Last year, I applied to NYU, Chicago, Princeton, Yale, Penn State, U Conn, U of Southern California, and Washington U in St. Louis. Now come to think of it, I have no idea why I thought I would have a chance with the first few, but ranking actually wasn't the reason why I chose them. These are programs that provided funding, even to international students, so. . .

 

Applying broadly in terms of rankings certainly sounds right, but funding is still my largest concern. 

 

Yes, I can totally understand that. I think other people mentioned this, but you might think about applying more broadly, and to less competitive schools. This is a general rule of thumb that's passed around (so it's not always true!!), but if you look at the list of grad students at a school and there isn't a single Asian international student....it might be a waste of time and money to apply. =/

 

I'll PM you the list of places that we keep that are deemed "friendly" to Korean international students.

 

As to the lit GRE question ... if you have the time and money, I don't see why you shouldn't retake it. However, if you have limited time and resources, they may be better spent elsewhere (refining the writing sample and SoP, for example).