Fall 2015 Comparative Literature PhD, anyone?

[nahis]

Hi there, I'm an international applicant applying for doctoral programs of CompLit. I would like to know other CompLit applicants and people who are already attending a CompLit program here. Would be grateful for any suggestions and information about CompLit programs!

 

Here are some things about me:

 

Areas of interest: narrative forms, history of the novel, aesthetics, interaction between art criticism and literary criticism / literature and arts. I'm interested in early China, 19c France and Edo Japan. 

 

Languages: I'm a native speaker of Chinese, know French and Japanese, and have basic knowledge of classical Latin, classical Greek, German and Sanskrit.

 

Applying to: Brown, UMich, UChicago, Washington in St. Louis, UCR, UCSC, USC, Indiana, PennState, Rutgers and maybe UCSB. (still deciding on schools, so REALLY need some advice...)

 

GPA 3.55 (undergraduate) , V163 Q163 AW4.0, TOEFL 113. Have not attended any conferences nor published any papers (probably the biggest weakness in my application package?). I'm currently translating a book on still lifes in literature and arts into Chinese, also trying to sign up for a conference held in Dec. (don't think it will help much, though...)

 

I was wondering if any one knew the funding of the UC schools, I've seen posts warning not to apply to universities of the UC system because they have poor funding. Well funding is quite important for me so I'm a bit worried, I would appreciate it if there are any suggestions on this. 

 

Good luck to all the applicants here!

 

Edited November 4, 2014 by nahis

[smg]

I've been told with the UC system fellowships are often tied to GRE scores and that most grad students are funded through TA-ships which you may or may not have to fight for. I would contact the departments in the UC system that you're thinking about applying to and ask about funding.  I would also ask grad students in those departments about funding.  

[Dr. Old Bill]

I can't speak to the UC question or comp lit in general, but I've got this funding spreadsheet bookmarked and refer to it often. The info is a bit outdated (two years), but it should give you a ballpark estimate of what each program's funding is like.

[ProfLorax]

Hi there, I'm an international applicant applying for doctoral programs of CompLit....I was wondering if any one knew the funding of the UC schools, I've seen posts warning not to apply to universities of the UC system because they have poor funding. Well funding is quite important for me so I'm a bit worried, I would appreciate it if there are any suggestions on this. 

Nahis, welcome! I'm not in Comp Lit, but I wanted to draw attention to this part of your post. UC funding greatly depends on campus and even applicant, but you have the additional burden of being an international student. The good news about the UC system is that most campuses won't accept doctoral students if they can't fund them. That being said, I have also heard rumors that some public universities tend to not admit as many international students because of the high cost of funding an international student. These are mostly rumors, though. If you do contact departments to inquire about funding, be sure to note that you are an international applicant. 

 

Here's a recent thread that may be useful: 

[nahis]

Nahis, welcome! I'm not in Comp Lit, but I wanted to draw attention to this part of your post. UC funding greatly depends on campus and even applicant, but you have the additional burden of being an international student. The good news about the UC system is that most campuses won't accept doctoral students if they can't fund them. That being said, I have also heard rumors that some public universities tend to not admit as many international students because of the high cost of funding an international student. These are mostly rumors, though. If you do contact departments to inquire about funding, be sure to note that you are an international applicant. 

 

Here's a recent thread that may be useful: 

 

Thank you proflorax, I read through that thread and really feel I should ask the UCs about funding in details before applying..... 

 

 

I can't speak to the UC question or comp lit in general, but I've got this funding spreadsheet bookmarked and refer to it often. The info is a bit outdated (two years), but it should give you a ballpark estimate of what each program's funding is like.

 

Thank you for this, I hope I have seen this earlier! But are these packages offered equally for every accepted student, as proflorax has pointed out international applicants may not receive the same funding?

 

 

I've been told with the UC system fellowships are often tied to GRE scores and that most grad students are funded through TA-ships which you may or may not have to fight for. I would contact the departments in the UC system that you're thinking about applying to and ask about funding.  I would also ask grad students in those departments about funding.  

 

I'm going to ask them too, will post updated info if I get a confirmation from the departments. Please share updates with us )

[__________________________]

Greetings everyone, and welcome nahis! I'm applying to a couple Comp Lit programs (U Indiana at Bloomington, Penn State, Princeton if I get the guts and have scrape up enough cash for another application fee for a school I have low hopes of being accepted to), but mostly programs in English and Medieval Studies.  I grew up in California though, and know that the UC system has taken a lot of finiancial hits over the last few years.  I ended up doing my undergrad out of state at a small private liberal arts college simply because I was able to get much better funding than at the UC I got accepted to.  You should really do your research on each school you're interested in -- my guess is that UCB and UCLA are probably the sturdiest financially, though I've heard that it takes much longer to finish you're Ph.D. at UCs in general (like up to 10 years, :-/).

 

I'm no expert though.  I knocked UCs off my list a couple months ago and I also haven't lived in California for over four years now, so maybe some other people know better than I.  My impression is that funding is more competitive and that programs take longer.  Funding is absolutely imperative for me and I don't want to spend a decade on my Ph.D. though, so I decided against it. 

 

Your other schools look good for where you're applying though.  Penn State and Indiana both seem pretty solid to me, and I'm also applying to U of Chicago (for English).  Penn State is in the middle of NOWHERE, which is a concern for me because both myself and my significant other are applying to scattered places for very different things, but Bloomington is supposedly a very nice town.  UChicago's probably my favorite location, but I'm biased toward the city of Chicago (not to mention the beautiful campus and the fact that Chicago has some of the best bookstores and public transportation I've found in this country, the Newberry Library). Might apply to WUSTL for comp lit, though still not 100% sure.  You might want to take a look at U Penn, Princeton, and UNC Chapel Hill and/or Duke though.

 

When it comes down to it, I think you're multilingualism and solid GRE scores will be great assets for getting into programs (including for getting funding).  Best of luck with your applications!  I'd be curious to see how things turn out for you, since it seems like we're applying to some of the same places.

[nahis]

Greetings everyone, and welcome nahis! I'm applying to a couple Comp Lit programs (U Indiana at Bloomington, Penn State, Princeton if I get the guts and have scrape up enough cash for another application fee for a school I have low hopes of being accepted to), but mostly programs in English and Medieval Studies.  I grew up in California though, and know that the UC system has taken a lot of finiancial hits over the last few years.  I ended up doing my undergrad out of state at a small private liberal arts college simply because I was able to get much better funding than at the UC I got accepted to.  You should really do your research on each school you're interested in -- my guess is that UCB and UCLA are probably the sturdiest financially, though I've heard that it takes much longer to finish you're Ph.D. at UCs in general (like up to 10 years, :-/).

 

I'm no expert though.  I knocked UCs off my list a couple months ago and I also haven't lived in California for over four years now, so maybe some other people know better than I.  My impression is that funding is more competitive and that programs take longer.  Funding is absolutely imperative for me and I don't want to spend a decade on my Ph.D. though, so I decided against it. 

 

Your other schools look good for where you're applying though.  Penn State and Indiana both seem pretty solid to me, and I'm also applying to U of Chicago (for English).  Penn State is in the middle of NOWHERE, which is a concern for me because both myself and my significant other are applying to scattered places for very different things, but Bloomington is supposedly a very nice town.  UChicago's probably my favorite location, but I'm biased toward the city of Chicago (not to mention the beautiful campus and the fact that Chicago has some of the best bookstores and public transportation I've found in this country, the Newberry Library). Might apply to WUSTL for comp lit, though still not 100% sure.  You might want to take a look at U Penn, Princeton, and UNC Chapel Hill and/or Duke though.

 

When it comes down to it, I think you're multilingualism and solid GRE scores will be great assets for getting into programs (including for getting funding).  Best of luck with your applications!  I'd be curious to see how things turn out for you, since it seems like we're applying to some of the same places.

 

Thank you mollifiedmolly! I just asked the UCs about their funding for international applicants and got positive answers. UCB claims they strive to support all the incoming international applicants, so does USC, and UCSC provides merited fellowships but unfortunately international applicants are not eligible for other sources of financial support. I think not all of them are minefield schools that should be best avoided. That said, I'm thinking about cutting the UCs off from my list for all this, since funding is not that solid as other private schools, and I also don't want to venture into a program that may take a decade to finish.

 

I have looked UPenn, UNC Chapel Hill and Duke before, but found few people working in the same field. Well as for Princeton I just barely have the guts.

 

As to the locations, I have never been to the U.S. so I simply depend on my research on the internet. But I do heard that Chicago is a good place to be.

 

So glad that both of us are applying to CompLit, I have sent you a PM and please keep in touch:) Good luck! 

[quena]

Hey Nahis,

 

I'm pretty much on the same page... you basically just described my background up there (except for the area of interests and the Latin & Greek part ), and I'm also applying to Comp. Lit.

 

I'm trying to be an early bird this year, meaning that I'm almost done with my applications. I've only applied to 4 programs though. Cornell, Upenn, Berkeley (oops.) and Colorado Boulder. I'm targeting Cornell so I actually prepared everything to 'fit' their program, the others are just random shots. They told me that they'd make admissions in Feb.

 

Anyway, best of luck to all, and feel free to PM me!

Edited November 6, 2014 by quena

[iwontbelyeveit]

Hi Comp Lit people! I'm wondering if there is anyone who would be interested in reading a SOP via a PM? I'm trying to get as much feedback as I can before I send it off! THANKS!

Edited November 7, 2014 by iwontbelyeveit

[__________________________]

Hi Comp Lit people! I'm wondering if there is anyone who would be interested in reading a SOP via a PM? I'm trying to get as much feedback as I can before I send it off! THANKS!

Sure, PM me if you'd still like some feedback. Mine aren't even close to finished yet (*hangs head in shame*), but I could probably use a reader too when the time comes.

[nuclearves]

I am applying to some comp lit programs.  I want to see if we have an ongoing dialogue here since the last post was several weeks ago.  Is this the right spot for us comp lit folks?

[Katla]

Ahoy, I've been lurking for years, but I feel the time has finally come to officially declare myself a Comp Lit PhD applicant :S Have no clue if there's a busier thread elsewhere though...

[fancypants09]

Hi! Joining the crowd here...I applied to a mix of comp lit and the "standard" lit/languages departments. My proposal in the SOP RE: research remained the same for both sets of applications---the reason for me having applied to both is that I have a very strong background (personal and academic/professional) in one of the languages for the literatures I want to work with, and so I wanted to make the most of that comparative advantage. 

 

Anyone take a similar approach? If not, what made you stick just to comp lit?

[quena]

Hi! Joining the crowd here...I applied to a mix of comp lit and the "standard" lit/languages departments. My proposal in the SOP RE: research remained the same for both sets of applications---the reason for me having applied to both is that I have a very strong background (personal and academic/professional) in one of the languages for the literatures I want to work with, and so I wanted to make the most of that comparative advantage. 

 

Anyone take a similar approach? If not, what made you stick just to comp lit?

 

I choose to stick to comp lit because I want to work with two literatures (both of which are not English) at the same time. Frankly I didn't receive any 'formal' training in one of the literatures that I referred to in my proposal, I simply thought it would not be a huge problem for me to catch up since 1. I'm a native speaker, 2. I'm an avid reader. But I'm starting to second guess my decision now because my background is highly focused on one literature... maybe I should have applied to some national lit departments, too...

[Katla]

 

I choose to stick to comp lit because I want to work with two literatures (both of which are not English) at the same time. Frankly I didn't receive any 'formal' training in one of the literatures that I referred to in my proposal

That's me too, except I'm not a native speaker of my informally acquired lit, so for all I know this will doom my application from the beginning...

I considered applying to national lit departments at a few places, or one really, where they offered a phenomenal ceritifcate in Comp Lit but frankly I'm not sure they'd consider my training in my primary literature sufficient... Actually, I think I was more in doubt about whether to apply to a Gender or Cultural Studies department rather than Comp Lit, but we all know that Comp Lit is where its at

[fancypants09]

Quena and Katia, 

 

Same here too, working with at least two different "national" literatures, or shall I say, two bodies of literatures in different languages, neither of which is in English---in fact, I had to translate parts of the work I used in my WS into English myself since the text I used is not available in English. I guess I'm not "formally trained" in the sense that I don't have a degree in either of the literatures or anything literary in general. I have some coursework in one of the literatures, and I'm a native speaker of the other language in which the other body of literatures is written. 

 

For me, I chose to apply to both because I haven't figured out, at this stage, whether the focus of my research will be on the inductive reading, analysis and criticism of national literatures, or on theoretical formulations for which Comp Lit is famous. I'd like to pursue both at an even measure, hence the decision to apply to the mixture that I did. 

Edited December 30, 2014 by fancypants09

[nuclearves]

I have a background in French and literary theory, but want to work in Spanish because that is the language I use most professionally (besides English).  It looks like we are generating some momentum on this thread.  I am in a similar position to Katia and Fancypants.  I want to work in other languages apart from English, but not entirely exclusive of English.

 

I have heard various advice about how many applications one should fill out.  I have applied to seven programs, and maybe one more.  Is that crazy?

[Katla]

 

 

I have heard various advice about how many applications one should fill out.  I have applied to seven programs, and maybe one more.  Is that crazy?

 

Personally I'm applying to ten, which my supervisor thought was a lot (I think he's more used to 2-3 applications), but then I have the impression that people apply to more unis/programmes in the US -maybe that's wrong? Some of my unis were rather later additions though because I suddenly had a panic attack about getting in and not being funded (this seems quite likely as many of the public unis that I've applied to tend to write things to put off international applicants -or is that just me?) -now I'm back in the I'm probably not getting in to anything anyway camp, so maybe I'll regret this extra expense. There are so many amazing programmes out there though, I was on such a high as I was reading up on some of these places I could hardly get my arms down.

[Katla]

I saw this answered elsewhere for English, but I'm guessing things could be different for Comp Lit. Does anyone know if interviews are the norm for Comp Lit programmes?

[iwontbelyeveit]

I was just wondering the same thing, Katla. I know Emory's English department does interviews, but do they do them for Comp Lit as well? 

[quena]

I saw this answered elsewhere for English, but I'm guessing things could be different for Comp Lit. Does anyone know if interviews are the norm for Comp Lit programmes?

After a quick glance at the Result page I would say interviews are not common for comp lit programs. My POI did not mention anything about interviews, either. But again I'm not familiar with American system anyway, so that's just my educated guess

[bgt28]

Comp Lit hopeful here...is there a place where I can hash out stats/SOP/WS particulars and talk about "chances?" Not a fan of doing this since the whole thing is a black box, but I'm deeply in need of commiseration...my parents are cannibalistic lately and don't want to hear anything...they love to discount me as a bleeding radical, which is so funny, since "people who live in tin houses shouldn't throw can-openers."

 

I will say I'm a firm believer that the GREs are Satan's newest scheme to conquer the souls of the deeply desperate (bitter? obviously), so those with similar sentiments may come forward. Thank you xx

[sillyrabbit]

^ Second this question...I've always wondered if there's a place in the forums where people have posted stats/(maybe SOP/WS), and we could see where they did/didn't get in. Could be interesting to see the correlation.

[queennight]

I will say I'm a firm believer that the GREs are Satan's newest scheme to conquer the souls of the deeply desperate (bitter? obviously), so those with similar sentiments may come forward. Thank you xx

 

Not in Comp Lit, but this is an incredible belief and I am right beside you on this one.

[bgt28]

^ Second this question...I've always wondered if there's a place in the forums where people have posted stats/(maybe SOP/WS), and we could see where they did/didn't get in. Could be interesting to see the correlation.

My attempt: 

 

 

Enjoy xx