English Lit GRE Subject Test boycotters, anyone? (also, fee waivers?)

[__________________________]

Okay, so ETS is a horrible monolith sent to this earth by Reptillians to enslave us to an increasingly corporatized, money-driven, hierarchical, exclusionary, and underpaid academic industrial complex that encourages its initiates to put their livelihoods on the line for underpaid, hard-to-get jobs because we love reading books and don't want to write ad copy or instruction manuals. Also fuck paying ANOTHER $170 after already coughing up 190 for the general test... am I right?  Who has the time and attention span to cough up that kind of money (which is serious money for us wage slaves) so they can memorize key digests from the friggin' Norton Anthology?  How is that any indication of preparation for advanced work in literature?  I have a Bachelor's degree in "literature in English," a great GPA, honors, and a great CV/resume.  Being expected to take another silly and expensive test is kind of insulting.   

 

Who else didn't take / isn't taking the GRE subject test in Literature in English? And to which English programs are you applying that don't require/want it?  As someone who is working for a pitiful minimum wage, living off food stamps and ALSO basically serving a post-B.A. term of scholarly indentured servitude to my undergraduate institution, I decided that it wasn't worth the money.  To be fair, I'm not exclusively applying to English programs, so I'm not trying to necessarily recruit others to my same path.  I assume that most of us have probably already finished up GREs anyway at this point.

 

My list: University of Maryland, Duke, University of Chicago, Penn State, and probably Notre Dame.  University of Chicago is the only one I've found that doesn't even accept GRE subject test scores.  Good lookin' Chicago.  Other schools that don't require it include UNC Chapel Hill, Columbia, George Washington, Boston College, and UW Madison.

 

I'm also about to send out some emails about application fee waivers, so if anyone has any experience, insight, or advice for that I'm also looking for some discussion and insight into that process.

 

 

 

[unræd]

I've already kowtowed to my academicorporate masters, but I raise my wan, number-2-graphite-stained fist in solidarity.

[__________________________]

I've already kowtowed to my academicorporate masters, but I raise my wan, number-2-graphite-stained fist in solidarity.

 

It is appreciated, comrade. 

 

I know you're applying to Notre Dame's Medieval Studies program; are you applying to their English program too? 

[Dr. Old Bill]

I agree that the subject test is stupid, pointless, and [insert synonym here]. However, at the risk of sounding like a defender of ETS (I assure you I'm not!), the problem is more with programs that still require the subject test. There are no doubt some good reasons for this. I suspect that most of the places that require the subject test are routinely inundated with applications, and the subject test just adds one more layer of "weeding" to the process. In other words, if 400 people wanted to apply to a certain tippy-top-tier institution, having a subject test requirement might dissuade 100 or so of those people (i.e., those who might apply on a whim...like "hey, maybe I can get into Harvard, hyuk hyuk"). There has been a steady decline in recent years of programs requiring the test, but as it stands, if some of your best "fit" programs have the lit test as a requirement, you can't really boycott ETS without effectively boycotting yourself, unfortunately.

[unræd]

It is appreciated, comrade. 

 

I know you're applying to Notre Dame's Medieval Studies program; are you applying to their English program too? 

 

Nope, just Medieval Studies. I was going to do English too, but their OE program is in such flux at the moment it's honestly not a perfect fit for the work I want to do, and one needs to draw the line at applications somewhere, and that's apparently where I drew it! But even given the fact that its not as strong an OE place at the moment--I mean, how can you not apply there, right? My main advisor did their Medieval Studies PhD there, and the stories I hear! Although I made the fool-ass, amateur mistake the other day of looking at the course listings--that was a bad plan. Increased my desire to attend by roughly 3000%.

 

But, it's insanely competitive, so I won't feel bad if I don't make it. And another benefit of being axed in the initial cull: not having to go through the interview process!

Edited November 5, 2014 by unræd

[__________________________]

I agree that the subject test is stupid, pointless, and [insert synonym here]. However, at the risk of sounding like a defender of ETS (I assure you I'm not!), the problem is more with programs that still require the subject test. There are no doubt some good reasons for this. I suspect that most of the places that require the subject test are routinely inundated with applications, and the subject test just adds one more layer of "weeding" to the process. In other words, if 400 people wanted to apply to a certain tippy-top-tier institution, having a subject test requirement might dissuade 100 or so of those people (i.e., those who might apply on a whim...like "hey, maybe I can get into Harvard, hyuk hyuk"). There has been a steady decline in recent years of programs requiring the test, but as it stands, if some of your best "fit" programs have the lit test as a requirement, you can't really boycott ETS without effectively boycotting yourself, unfortunately.

Word, yeah I don't mean to deny that. Just trying to see if there's other people are forgoing the subject test, to see if any resources or advice could be shared - I'm applying to a variety of programs and I can't justify the cost or time it costs right now - though who knows, if I don't get in anywhere, I'll probably end up taking it and applying again next year.

Nope, just Medieval Studies. I was going to do English too, but their OE program is in such flux at the moment it's honestly not a perfect fit for the work I want to do, and one needs to draw the line at applications somewhere, and that's apparently where I drew it! But even given the fact that its not as strong an OE place at the moment--I mean, how can you not apply there, right? My main advisor did their Medieval Studies PhD there, and the stories I hear! Although I made the fool-ass, amateur mistake the other day of looking at the course listings--that was a bad plan. Increased my desire to attend by roughly 3000%.

 

But, it's insanely competitive, so I won't feel bad if I don't make it. And another benefit of being axed in the initial cull: not having to go through the interview process!

I feel the same way. It's like the lottery or something. But I have this pathological urge to apply to the English program just to be associated with it - it's kind of gross actually, lol. To be honest, I'd almost rather be at Toronto's program, but I'm probably not applying there unless I get an M.A. and transfer for the doctorate - can't swing an unfunded program right now.

[unræd]

I feel the same way. It's like the lottery or something. But I have this pathological urge to apply to the English program just to be associated with it - it's kind of gross actually, lol. To be honest, I'd almost rather be at Toronto's program, but I'm probably not applying there unless I get an M.A. and transfer for the doctorate - can't swing an unfunded program right now.

 

And from what I hear, it's a good option--students in English still get to take advantage of ND's ginormous medieval resources. And I feel your Toronto pain: it (and the English program, which I was also going to apply to for exactly that sort of double dipping) came off of my list for the same reason, which was a sad, sad day. But as an adviser said: "Hey, look on the bright side. Maybe you'll be really unhappy wherever you do your Masters, and you can transfer!" I mean, thanks, I guess?

Edited November 5, 2014 by unræd

[ProfLorax]

Way way back in 2008, I applied to PhD programs in literature that didn't require the subject test. It didn't go well, though I consider it a blessing because I ended up doing a great MA program and discovering rhetoric and composition (which, as a field, never requires the GRE subject test!). To add to your list, Emory, UC Santa Cruz, Syracuse, and Ohio State also do not require the GRE subject test. 

[jhefflol]

I'm sending my mediocre scores to the programs that require it and viewing it as the least important part of my application. 

 

As far as fee wavers go, I have a spreadsheet dedicated to that subject. Only a few offer them unless you're a McNair scholar, and some don't offer them at all. Info can be found on the school's grad studies website, not in the department websites.

[jhefflol]

Also, off my list of programs, U Delaware, U Rochester, and UC Irvine don't require the subject test.

[queennight]

Brown and Pennsylvania don't require GRE Subject Tests, and both are highly ranked Ivys. (Although Pennsylvania will strangely accept your score if you wrote it anyways.) NYU also doesn't require it, but will accept it if you wrote it and are gleefully proud of your score. However, none of these schools are particularly renowned for Medieval Studies (which I think is the direction you're asking for?) so take them with a grain of salt; that being said, I think I've heard a couple times that it's all about the professor rather than the program.

[queennight]

Now, in regards to writing the Subject Test:

 

[unræd]

Yeah--Penn's really, really great for ME lit, I hear, but I don't know about their broader medieval coursework. (And they have no Anglo-Saxonists, so I didn't apply.) But something to think about, mollifiedmolloy!

And NYU has Hal Momma for OE! I applied, and did send my lit score, but they explicitly say that not including a score won't hurt your app.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Yeah, there are a few programs I applied to that imply (at least, this is how I take it): "If you did really well on your GRE subject test and you want us to know, then please, by all means, send it! But if you didn't do well, we don't really want to see it."

 

Suffice it to say, I only sent my score to the places that required it.

[__________________________]

I'm sending my mediocre scores to the programs that require it and viewing it as the least important part of my application. 

 

As far as fee wavers go, I have a spreadsheet dedicated to that subject. Only a few offer them unless you're a McNair scholar, and some don't offer them at all. Info can be found on the school's grad studies website, not in the department websites.

*cough* I would love to see said spreadsheet, or at least know which ones you know are good on that.  It can be a pain finding info on that.  Unfortunately, I wasn't in McNair but I know the Trio coordinator at my college and maybe he could give me some help on that...

 

 

Yeah--Penn's really, really great for ME lit, I hear, but I don't know about their broader medieval coursework. (And they have no Anglo-Saxonists, so I didn't apply.) But something to think about, mollifiedmolloy!

And NYU has Hal Momma for OE! I applied, and did send my lit score, but they explicitly say that not including a score won't hurt your app.

 

Brown and Pennsylvania don't require GRE Subject Tests, and both are highly ranked Ivys. (Although Pennsylvania will strangely accept your score if you wrote it anyways.) NYU also doesn't require it, but will accept it if you wrote it and are gleefully proud of your score. However, none of these schools are particularly renowned for Medieval Studies (which I think is the direction you're asking for?) so take them with a grain of salt; that being said, I think I've heard a couple times that it's all about the professor rather than the program.

 

I've actually been increasingly interested in Penn over the last few weeks and might actually apply.  I'd rather live in Philly than in god-knows-where-Pennsylvania too, but trying not to let that be too much of a motivator... I will investigate NYU too, thank you both! OE isn't quite as essential for me as it is for you, unraed (sorry my windows laptop can't handle the ash), but I definitely value its presence in a program -- I'm learning OE now and it's a lot of fun and I do need it for a project I'd like to do some time in the near future involving Latin/OE philology and some comparative poetics.  Several programs appear have only one or the other (UMD has a few ME people but no signs of OE; Boston College appears to only have Anglo-Saxonists for medieval lit - unraed, you might have a look at the latter if you haven't already, actually).

 

 

Yeah, there are a few programs I applied to that imply (at least, this is how I take it): "If you did really well on your GRE subject test and you want us to know, then please, by all means, send it! But if you didn't do well, we don't really want to see it."

 

Suffice it to say, I only sent my score to the places that required it.

 

Yeah, I never quite know what to think when a program says it's "recommended but not required."  Makes me feel like I've gotta compensate for it in my app.

 

Thanks everyone!  Y'all are brilliant.  These things have been nibbling at my scalp for a while now.

 

[jhefflol]

*cough* I would love to see said spreadsheet, or at least know which ones you know are good on that.  It can be a pain finding info on that.  Unfortunately, I wasn't in McNair but I know the Trio coordinator at my college and maybe he could give me some help on that...

 

 

Feel free to send me your email address and I'll send it your way. I can also send you the one that lists what kind of GRE scores are needed. Keep in mind that I made these spreadsheets for my own application process, so they are unique to the programs that I'm applying. However, the list is rather long (17) and I don't mind sending it if you would like. 

[__________________________]

Yeah--Penn's really, really great for ME lit, I hear, but I don't know about their broader medieval coursework. (And they have no Anglo-Saxonists, so I didn't apply.) But something to think about, mollifiedmolloy!

And NYU has Hal Momma for OE! I applied, and did send my lit score, but they explicitly say that not including a score won't hurt your app.

Ach!  How could I forget that Carolyn Dinshaw is also at NYU??  It looks like they've got a few medievalists... (Momma looks great, don't know her work though actually)

 

 

 

Feel free to send me your email address and I'll send it your way. I can also send you the one that lists what kind of GRE scores are needed. Keep in mind that I made these spreadsheets for my own application process, so they are unique to the programs that I'm applying. However, the list is rather long (17) and I don't mind sending it if you would like. 

 

That'd be great, thanks!  I'll PM you.  There's likely some overlap - there are a bunch of early modernists at virtually all of the programs I'm applying to.

[ToldAgain]

A good way to get a few fee waivers is to fill out this form:

https://www-s.cic.net/programs/FreeApp/archive/RequestForm/FreeAppRequest/application.asp

 

I have never attended, nor had I ever heard of, the CIC Summer Research program. No worries, though, because you can simply answer "No" to this question: Have you participated on a CIC campus in the Summer Research Opportunities Program?

 

It was a total hail mary on my part, but I figured they wouldn't hold it against me for trying. I ended up getting three fee waivers to good schools out of the deal, so it's worth a shot.

[__________________________]

A good way to get a few fee waivers is to fill out this form:

https://www-s.cic.net/programs/FreeApp/archive/RequestForm/FreeAppRequest/application.asp

 

I have never attended, nor had I ever heard of, the CIC Summer Research program. No worries, though, because you can simply answer "No" to this question: Have you participated on a CIC campus in the Summer Research Opportunities Program?

 

It was a total hail mary on my part, but I figured they wouldn't hold it against me for trying. I ended up getting three fee waivers to good schools out of the deal, so it's worth a shot.

 

Wow, thanks!  Investigating this now...

[toasterazzi]

I expressly refused to apply to schools that required the subject test, and I feel absolutely no qualms about that. I applied to Ohio State, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee State, Pitt, University of Missouri, and Bowling Green. One of them (I think it was Pitt) even was pretty dang vehement in their info absolutely not wanting to be sent the subject scores haha.

 

As for waivers, I was also going to mention the CIC one. I made use of it, and it was pretty quick and painless. Here's the full list of schools that you can possibly get waivers from through them:

 

• University of Chicago  
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Indiana University
• University of Iowa
• University of Maryland
• University of Michigan
• Michigan State University
• University of Minnesota
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
• Northwestern University
• Ohio State University
• Pennsylvania State University
• Purdue University
• Rutgers University

[__________________________]

Hell yeah, that's just what I needed. Thanks toasterazzi!

Edited November 18, 2014 by mollifiedmolloy

[jhefflol]

Brandeis just sent me a fee waver because I signed up for the GRE profile thingy. Check your email to see if you got one too. I'm sure most of you did since I didn't score as high as some of you on the GRE. They do require the subject test, though.

[__________________________]

Brandeis just sent me a fee waver because I signed up for the GRE profile thingy. Check your email to see if you got one too. I'm sure most of you did since I didn't score as high as some of you on the GRE. They do require the subject test, though.

 

That's really awesome, but I'm not sure what "GRE profile thingy" you speak of.  I haven't seen any such emails, at least not that I know of.  Perhaps there's some way to do it through the ETS account?

[1Q84]

All you lucky American citizens and your fee waivers! Us internationals get no love

[__________________________]

All you lucky American citizens and your fee waivers! Us internationals get no love

 

Really?  I'm sorry to hear that.  It's a real racket -- and yes, I've heard all the explanations about preventing people from doing casual submissions, and the explanations like "if you can't pay an application fee, maybe you can't afford grad school" : these explanations are bullshit, especially for these schools with ginormous endowments that often charge higher application fees.  I often joke that the money from these fees is how they fund their grad students. But seriously, paying application fees for the 10-12 schools I'm applying to is going to be a real financial hardship for me.  Obviously it's worth it to me, since I'm going to find a way to cough up where I have to, but even just a couple waivers would really help given the modest income I'm currently working with (where my use of "modest" is a textbook example of litotes if there ever was one). 

 

Frankly, the only thing keeping me from applying internationally is the money involved, but I'm lucky enough to have been born in a country with some of the best universities in the world.  Which isn't to say that there aren't many, many other countries where I'd rather live