Writing Samples 2015

[ToldAgain]

Hey I guess this is my first post, so hello everyone!

 

I've been wading through all of the 2013 comments and now feel somewhat ready to participate in the 2014 discussion. I am applying to PhD programs in English Lit, specifically 19th and 20th c. American. The writing sample I will use for most programs is a look at how Lacan's three-tiered formulation of the psyche is used in Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood. So that's that. I also have one or two others set aside to potentially use for specific programs, but I think the O'Connor one will get the most mileage. It is definitely my most original and best-written piece.

[unræd]

Welcome, ToldAgain!

[SilasWegg]

CUNY Grad Center has a very concise 15 page limit. The writing sample I plan to submit clocks in at a long 17 pages. I don't really want to cut it down to fifteen... its a chapter from a Master's thesis on social critique and editorial politics in Herman Melville's fiction in Putnam's Magazine. Cutting 3 pages really hurts it. Do you think they are hard and fast about 15 pages? They must realize its a pretty tight limit, right?

[mikers86]

CUNY Grad Center has a very concise 15 page limit. The writing sample I plan to submit clocks in at a long 17 pages. I don't really want to cut it down to fifteen... its a chapter from a Master's thesis on social critique and editorial politics in Herman Melville's fiction in Putnam's Magazine. Cutting 3 pages really hurts it. Do you think they are hard and fast about 15 pages? They must realize its a pretty tight limit, right?

They are hard and fast when it comes to limits. Or they'll stop reading at page 15. It hurts to rip apart your own work, but following their guidelines is extremely important.

[ProfLorax]

I have never read an academic essay that couldn't be trimmed down. In grad school, you're going to have to learn to cut and expand your work. You'll have a 20 page seminar paper that will become a 250 word abstract and then an 8 page conference paper and then 15 page conference proceedings piece and then a 25+ page article submission. You have to get good at telling the same story multiple times with various constraints. Might as well practice this skill now. 

[jhefflol]

I have never read an academic essay that couldn't be trimmed down. In grad school, you're going to have to learn to cut and expand your work. You'll have a 20 page seminar paper that will become a 250 word abstract and then an 8 page conference paper and then 15 page conference proceedings piece and then a 25+ page article submission. You have to get good at telling the same story multiple times with various constraints. Might as well practice this skill now. 

 

A good way to reduce length is to cut out the review of literature portion or at least make it very concise. This is what I do for my papers that I present at conferences. No one really cares about what specific scholars say and therefore no one really misses this part of the essay. Just get straight to your argument!

[Junior1919]

I've got an essay I wrote in an undergrad class designed to be as close as possible to a grad-level class. It's an essay that explains how Pan's Labyrinth (movie) works as a Homeric epic and, specifically, how many of the scenes and ideas in that film have direct antecedents in the Odyssey. I'm pretty happy with the quality of the essay but I think there are a few things that I could polish up, and maybe I could use some help on how to frame it in my SOP. 

 

1. I guess my prof let me use first person pretty generously throughout the essay. There's a lot of 'we' going on. Is this something that I should polish out of the essay to make it feel more academic or should I leave it in?

 

2. While I did write this essay in an english class, it is technically about a movie. Is that an issue? I feel like it could go either way. One, it is interdisciplinary, and thanks to some film electives taught by a fantastic professor, I have gotten really good at writing about film in a technical way, which is certainly a different set of skills than writing about writing. There's the Odyssey based stuff to show off my more traditional skills as well. But on the other hand, it's a little off the traditional kinds of things I've seen in here. Will that be alienating to the members of the adcomm who maybe haven't seen the movie or whatever?

 

3. This is more of an overall problem I have, but it's related: I'm not entirely sure what I want to study, which makes basically every step of the app process a little more difficult than it needs to be. I'm interested in things like fairy tales and children's lit, but I also really love modernist writing. I can safely rule out things like Shakespeare or medievalists, but there's still a wide range of things that are in play. So how do I position that openness as a positive, and how to I match that to this very specific writing sample?

[hypervodka]

I've got an essay I wrote in an undergrad class designed to be as close as possible to a grad-level class. It's an essay that explains how Pan's Labyrinth (movie) works as a Homeric epic and, specifically, how many of the scenes and ideas in that film have direct antecedents in the Odyssey. I'm pretty happy with the quality of the essay but I think there are a few things that I could polish up, and maybe I could use some help on how to frame it in my SOP. 

 

1. I guess my prof let me use first person pretty generously throughout the essay. There's a lot of 'we' going on. Is this something that I should polish out of the essay to make it feel more academic or should I leave it in?

 

2. While I did write this essay in an english class, it is technically about a movie. Is that an issue? I feel like it could go either way. One, it is interdisciplinary, and thanks to some film electives taught by a fantastic professor, I have gotten really good at writing about film in a technical way, which is certainly a different set of skills than writing about writing. There's the Odyssey based stuff to show off my more traditional skills as well. But on the other hand, it's a little off the traditional kinds of things I've seen in here. Will that be alienating to the members of the adcomm who maybe haven't seen the movie or whatever?

 

3. This is more of an overall problem I have, but it's related: I'm not entirely sure what I want to study, which makes basically every step of the app process a little more difficult than it needs to be. I'm interested in things like fairy tales and children's lit, but I also really love modernist writing. I can safely rule out things like Shakespeare or medievalists, but there's still a wide range of things that are in play. So how do I position that openness as a positive, and how to I match that to this very specific writing sample?

 

Well, I have a counter-question. Are you applying directly out of undergrad? When you're applying to schools, it's pretty important to have some idea what you want to study, not just because that's what's going to make you stand out, but it's also going to peak one or two POIs' interest in you. You're not alone in enjoying several different time periods. I have an Early Modernist, an American Naturalist, and a Victorian writing my recommendations, but I still managed to boil down my interests to critical race theory in 19th and 20th c. American literature. If you're using a paper grounded in "study of the novel" (which is definitely transhistorical) and classical traditions in pop culture, then that should be your tentative focus in your SOP. Still, a paper on a film of this kind is a bit of a hard sell for an English literature program. Film Studies, or even Comparative Literature, could probably work better.

 

Please draft out the first person. It is not a good idea to keep that in.

[lyonessrampant]

I would disagree that you need to remove all the first person.  It shouldn't be frequently used, but I have published two articles in peer-reviewed, respected journals and used some first person, and many of the journals I read use first person sparingly.  Again, I wouldn't use it a lot, and I'd generally avoid "we," but it can be helpful to clearly distinguish what you are arguing from what other people, whom you may be quoting, have said.

 

I do agree, however, that a film-based WS might be a bit of a hard sell to an English program unless there are people in the department who work extensively with film and your SOP makes a case for how film and lit go together and connects this methodology to the approaches of these potential advisers.  

[ProfLorax]

First person singular? Fine, even celebrated in some fields. First person plural? Nope. Who is this "we" you are speaking on behalf of? 

[ProfLorax]

3. This is more of an overall problem I have, but it's related: I'm not entirely sure what I want to study, which makes basically every step of the app process a little more difficult than it needs to be. I'm interested in things like fairy tales and children's lit, but I also really love modernist writing. I can safely rule out things like Shakespeare or medievalists, but there's still a wide range of things that are in play. So how do I position that openness as a positive, and how to I match that to this very specific writing sample?

Are you applying to MA or PhD programs? This question right here makes me think a funded MA program would be a great opportunity for you to fine tune your interests.

[hypervodka]

For the record, my own writing sample has a couple of instances of usage of the first person. I do think, though, that when you're examining a nontraditional text, you should ere on the side of tradition in as many other ways as possible. I had one professor from Oxford who hated it when I used first person, even sparingly, and sometimes, people are just like that. So, no, a couple of "Is" isn't a deal-breaker, but I'm worried that the whole paper may seem too unorthodox, and the wrong committee member will read it as ungrounded/unprofessional.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Others can correct me if I'm wrong, but I've always maintained the idea that you have to earn the right to use first person in a paper. Once you get your "academic laurels," so to speak, and are in a position where you're recognized as someone who can speak confidently--and individually--on a topic, then go I-crazy! But as someone who has never used first person in a major paper, I just don't see the reason to do so unless it is an opinion paper, or unless there is no other way around it (like relating a significant personal experience that has major bearing on the topic). I've had some professors say "it's fine" to use first person, and others (usually older) who are vehemently against it. When there are so many easy work-arounds, why take the risk?

 

As for the Junior1919's other points, I think it's vital that your writing sample (and just as importantly, your statement of purpose) match your intended course of study. If you have no intended course of study, Proflorax's advice seems to make the most sense. Frankly, it's pretty late in the process (five weeks before many applications are due) to be thinking about a Ph.D. when you don't know what you want to do and where you want to go. I don't mean that to sound harsh...just my two cents. An M.A. is probably your best bet.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Wyatt's Torch

[ProfLorax]

I suppose the question of the "I" is very much subfield dependent. I'd say, in queer, feminist, critical race, and disability scholarship, it's a common move to early on mention one's identity. The idea is to complicate the notion that our readings of texts are not somehow influenced by our identities and lived experiences; furthermore, the personal is political and all that good stuff. That all being said, I am not sure what the norm is for other fields within English studies. Still, I'd caution against the "we" mostly because it's both vague (which group are you evoking here?) and presumptuous (do you have the authority to speak on behalf of this group?). 

[unræd]

I suppose the question of the "I" is very much subfield dependent. I'd say, in queer, feminist, critical race, and disability scholarship, it's a common move to early on mention one's identity. The idea is to complicate the notion that our readings of texts are not somehow influenced by our identities and lived experiences; furthermore, the personal is political and all that good stuff. That all being said, I am not sure what the norm is for other fields within English studies. Still, I'd caution against the "we" mostly because it's both vague (which group are you evoking here?) and presumptuous (do you have the authority to speak on behalf of this group?). 

 

And it's by no means just those fields; most of the scholarship I read is on medieval topics, and "I" is not a word you never see. Yes, I'd avoid "we" for the same reason I'd avoid "of course," "obviously," etc.--it begs to be contested. And I certainly don't use "I" often in the bulk of an argument, but especially when it comes to the more "meta" parts of a paper, "I" really is necessary unless you want to descend into vague, passive circumlocutions that make it sound like your argument just appeared fully formed on the page, ex nihilo et ad nihilum.

 

If you're going to delimit and situate your argument--discuss the assumptions underlying it, its scope and limitations, and its relation to a broader critical conversation--there's no way to do that without explicitly discussing the argument you're making, which requires acknowledging that there's a "you" (i.e. an "I") making it. And it's hard to be be self-referential without referencing yourself!

Edited October 29, 2014 by unræd

[mikers86]

And it's by no means just those fields; most of the scholarship I read is on medieval topics, and "I" is by no means a word you never see. Yes, I'd avoid "we" for the same reason I'd avoid "of course," "obviously," etc.--it begs to be contested. And I certainly don't use "I" often in the bulk of an argument, but especially when it comes to the more "meta" parts of a paper, "I" really is necessary unless you want to descend into vague, passive circumlocutions that make it sound like your argument just appeared fully formed on the page, ex nihilo et ad nihilum.

 

If you're going to delimit and situate your argument--discuss the assumptions underlying it, its scope and limitations, and its relation to a broader critical conversation--there's no way to do that without explicitly discussing the argument you're making, which requires acknowledging that there's a "you" (i.e. an "I") making it. And it's hard to be be self-referential without referencing yourself!

 

Exactly. You are making the argument. "I" is acceptable when used appropriately and sparingly.

[cloudofunknowing]

There's also a rhetorical difference between a statement like "I argue" or "I would argue" or, even, "I would suggest" versus "I think" or "I feel." As someone who works in/around affect, "I feel" or "I think" never appear in my writing - unless they're in quotation marks. I'm not at all averse to "I" in an essay - as has been mentioned, arguments aren't disembodied things even when the subjectivity creating them never directly announces itself; &, after all, the lack of that self-reflexivity & awareness is partly what got certain approaches into, shall we say, awkward waters - but I do veer on the side of circumspection re: if & when it is used. I reserve it for the cruxes of arguments and/or when engaging with scholarship or readings I am critiquing.

[1Q84]

Wow I'm so surprised to hear about all this "no I" talk going on. I was under the impression that that was mainly a high school composition rule and that "I" was just a regular part of higher level academic writing.

Exactly zero of my professors have even mentioned anything about the use of I and some have even encouraged my use of it.

[__________________________]

Wow I'm so surprised to hear about all this "no I" talk going on. I was under the impression that that was mainly a high school composition rule and that "I" was just a regular part of higher level academic writing.

Exactly zero of my professors have even mentioned anything about the use of I and some have even encouraged my use of it.

 

Haha, I'm a little surprised to see such an extensive discussion on this too.  It's kind of cute.  BUT, to throw in my two cents, I think it can definitely be a stylistic choice that be used effectively or not.  No hard set rules here, but I think it can be easy for students to abuse it and sound a little pretentious (hence Wyatt's Torch comment that it has to be "earned").

 

As someone who's into both critical theory and medieval studies, I've seen the use of "I" on many occassions.  I'm thinking of issues of more traditional journals like Speculum where the articles switch off between essays and critical responses to those essays - "While I agree with so-and-so's point I wonder if..." or sometimes even "We as medievalists must..."  But of course, to agree with proflorax, it's normal to see it in more theoretical writings too.  I was recently reading an essay by Cary Howie -- who writes on critical poetics, medieval literature, and queer theory -- where he very beautifully (and effectively!) says things like "If my words do not belong to me, must they necessarily belong, instead, to you?"  Of course, this use of "I" is a more impersonal one (almost reminding me of when Blanchot writes in The Space of Literature that the writer is not able to say "I," but of course in a more critical mode).

 

Anyway, for our purposes, I would say it depends on the WS and the program.  I agree that "we" is more risky than "I," but again, it depends on too many factors to say without having actually looking at the paper.  If it's a relatively "traditional" paper, I'd say it's safe to keep the "I"s to a minimum (using them when only absolutely necessary -- I agree with unraed that there are times where it would end up looking like a bunch of silly verbal gymnastics trying to avoid the use of a personal pronoun) and try not to use "we" at all -- it's rare that it's really necessary in a standard college research paper.  You're not submitting a manifesto.

[SilasWegg]

This was definitely a rule made up by high school english teachers to prevent students from writing opinion-based analyses, i.e. "I think Hamlet is lonely and I feel the same way." In my freshmen comp classes, students really want me to settle this issue for them, once and for all. I remind them that different instructors and different disciplines have different takes on this policy but a good rule of thumb is to say what I "does" and not what I "thinks/feels." So you can say "I argue" or "I study" but not "I believe" or "I like." 

[unræd]

This was definitely a rule made up by high school english teachers to prevent students from writing opinion-based analyses, i.e. "I think Hamlet is lonely and I feel the same way."

 

How'd you get a copy of my writing sample?

[Dr. Old Bill]

You all just made my point far better than I apparently could! Yes, what I've been getting at is that there's always the risk that an "I" will sound a little too haughty or imperial coming from a 22-year-old undergrad who (in the eyes of many a learned professor) knows too little to be able to proffer a first person critical opinion. The default then, if there's any doubt, is to avoid using first person, unless you're confident enough that no one will interpret it as being a touch too hey-look-at-me-I-can-write-like-Harold-Bloom-too.

 

In theory, would-be graduate students should be able to navigate the wild world of "I" usage, but I personally find it quite easy to avoid it...and so do. That won't be the case forever, of course. I just felt it best (for me) that I kept the "I" out of my writing sample, just in case someone on an adcomm interpreted it as though I was on the same level as Helen Vendler when it comes to analyzing Shakespeare's sonnets (since it's a highly analytical close-reading paper).

[Junior1919]

Well, I have a counter-question. Are you applying directly out of undergrad? When you're applying to schools, it's pretty important to have some idea what you want to study, not just because that's what's going to make you stand out, but it's also going to peak one or two POIs' interest in you. You're not alone in enjoying several different time periods. I have an Early Modernist, an American Naturalist, and a Victorian writing my recommendations, but I still managed to boil down my interests to critical race theory in 19th and 20th c. American literature. If you're using a paper grounded in "study of the novel" (which is definitely transhistorical) and classical traditions in pop culture, then that should be your tentative focus in your SOP. Still, a paper on a film of this kind is a bit of a hard sell for an English literature program. Film Studies, or even Comparative Literature, could probably work better.

 

Please draft out the first person. It is not a good idea to keep that in.

 

The original plan was to go straight from undergrad (graduated in '10) to PhD, but I've come around to the idea of a funded MA program to begin with in order to narrow things down, get better letters of recommendation, and a more suited writing sample. There's something to all of it that makes sense.

 

First person singular? Fine, even celebrated in some fields. First person plural? Nope. Who is this "we" you are speaking on behalf of? 

 

Well, when I wrote it I guess I was speaking as the general audience. Movies have a collective audience while books usually have a singular one, so I thought the we was appropriate when I wrote it. I get that it's presumptive and I'll for sure edit it out if I do end up using it. 

 

Are you applying to MA or PhD programs? This question right here makes me think a funded MA program would be a great opportunity for you to fine tune your interests.

 

I think you're right. 

 

Others can correct me if I'm wrong, but I've always maintained the idea that you have to earn the right to use first person in a paper. Once you get your "academic laurels," so to speak, and are in a position where you're recognized as someone who can speak confidently--and individually--on a topic, then go I-crazy! But as someone who has never used first person in a major paper, I just don't see the reason to do so unless it is an opinion paper, or unless there is no other way around it (like relating a significant personal experience that has major bearing on the topic). I've had some professors say "it's fine" to use first person, and others (usually older) who are vehemently against it. When there are so many easy work-arounds, why take the risk?

 

As for the Junior1919's other points, I think it's vital that your writing sample (and just as importantly, your statement of purpose) match your intended course of study. If you have no intended course of study, Proflorax's advice seems to make the most sense. Frankly, it's pretty late in the process (five weeks before many applications are due) to be thinking about a Ph.D. when you don't know what you want to do and where you want to go. I don't mean that to sound harsh...just my two cents. An M.A. is probably your best bet.

 

You're talking a lot of sense. The whole application process seems like a Brazil-ian kind of nightmare where one wrong move or one ill-timed step will ruin you. As I said earlier, the MA thing looks like the way to go with my current situation re: not knowing exactly what I want to do quite yet. Are there any resources you or others know of for finding funded MA programs?

[mikers86]

There's not a definitive list of funded MA programs, often because programs don't give full disclosure on the subject. Funding could be in the form of a TAship, or a partial or full-tuition scholarship, or even potentially an RAship outside the department. There are definitely some benefits to looking for funding outside the actual department. Working as an administrative assistant x number of hours a week (covering your tuition/maybe a small stipend) will expose you to other areas of academia, and perhaps not be as huge a distraction from your studies as say a TAship. You can potentially work with a DGS to get creative in terms of funding.

 

By all of that I just mean start by looking at programs that interest you. It helps if you have a general sense of a time period or national or theoretical perspective that you could be interested in working on for the next 1-2 years and making sure there are at least a few faculty members who do similar work. If sites don't specifically disclose funding for MA students, email the DGS and just ask. Worst they can say is no, there isn't available funding for MA students. It will save you time and money for application fees. Often MFA/MA programs are more like cash cows for the university, but funded MA programs are out there. I know in the past people have tried to compile lists on this forum. Maybe someone can pull a link to it?

[Junior1919]

I found this: 

 

Of course, that thread is filled with competing information about whether or not it's a good idea, so I'm just going to bury my head in the sand and hope that it is.