a couple of questions re: my chances

[oreos]

Hey everyone, I was hoping for some advice!  I'm looking into applying for 2016 English MA/PhD programs and just started studying for the GREs. However, I'm already concerned about my prospects.

 

A quick rundown of my academic life story: I did dual undergrad degrees in English and psych at VCU, and although I did well enough in English classes (my major GPA is a 3.6) I was also doing failing pre-med on the side. My pre-med classes brought my overall GPA down to 3.0. I also did minors in British studies and creative writing, but my last two years focused mainly on psychology. I graduated in spring 2010 and went overseas to teach ESL, so I do have interesting life experience, I guess? I've traveled all over Europe and speak 3 foreign languages (2 fluently). I think my essay and fiction writing skills are strong but don't have publications.

 

So, my questions:

 

1.) How much will my GPA hold me back from getting accepted into a good program (if, let's say, my application is otherwise qualified)? Should I definitely drop the idea of applying to PhD programs and focus on MAs?

 

2.) What should I do for academic recommendations when I've been out of school for this long? The last lit class I took was in '08.

 

I'd really appreciate any advice/recommendations and thanks in advance!

[Ramus]

My guess is that your GPA will definitely limit the places you can get into. Most graduate programs require a bare minimum GPA of 3.0, and often have de facto GPA baselines that are much higher than that. So to answer your first question: yes, I think it would be wise to focus on applying to MA programs instead of PhD programs. This can only help you: you can avoid the app costs for PhD programs that will scoff at the GPA issue, and an MA program will help you get back up to speed with your academic work. When you apply to PhD programs with a high GPA, improved writing sample, etc. etc. you'll stand a much better chance of getting accepted into a "good program" than you currently do. That's just my guess anyways. You can always send out a few PhD apps and see what happens. I might be way off base.

 

Re the recommendations: almost all programs will advise you to reconnect with former professors in order to secure letters from them. I'd send out emails to three or four professors this summer reintroducing yourself, reminding them how you did in the class, what your plan is, etc. As awkward as this might seem, they go through this all the time with students who are interested in returning to school after taking time off, so don't worry about it. At some point after initial connect you'll probably want to send them a copy of the final paper you wrote for their class and/or the writing sample you're planning on submitting for apps. But that's way down the line. 

[1Q84]

I was in a very similar situation to yours, OP. I took about five years off after my undergraduate degree but luckily I had profs who, even though I made no effort to connect with them because of extreme anxiety, were very supportive and wrote my letters three times and continued to do so when I kept failing at getting into programs. So I'll echo Ramus' advice and say that if you show your readiness for grad school and give them a good reason to write a rec for you, they most likely will be able to.

 

I'll add that you should provide a copy of any essays that you wrote for the professors that you want to recommend you, ideally with their original comments still on it. My profs told me that having that kind of material definitely helped them speak more clearly to my abilities.

 

Also, I had a semi-low GPA, too, and decided to go to the MA route. I'm very, very glad that I did because, personal/academic development aside, I can now present a much stronger profile for Ph.D apps rather than the mediocre one I had from a rocky undergraduate career.

[softcastlemccormick]

As someone with relatively low grades who just finished her first application cycle, I'll tell you that yes, you can be considered by competitive PhD programs (in the top 20 if USN rankings matter to you), but yes, your GPA will affect your prospects--most likely your funding. My English major GPA is a 4.0, but because I started out in the music school and got a couple of C's and a D in advanced music theory classes and an F in a particularly challenging math class, my overall GPA is a 3.42. However, the fact that this all happened in my freshman year, my major GPA is perfect, I did a lot of internships at academic journals, I have a couple of conferences and a publication, I'm fluent in two languages, and my test scores were really high, really mitigates the the grade issue. I didn't even mention it in my personal statement. 

 

With that being said, I was rejected from my two top schools (UPenn and UNC), and I'm fairly certain that a significant portion of that reason is my unimpressive cumulative GPA. In your case, applying for a master's might just be a better option in general for you so you can get some really specialized research and maybe a conference or two under your belt before applying. Little arbitrary differences like a high master's GPA and solid publications can mean the difference between a basic funding package and a sweet fellowship.

 

EDIT: I totally agree with 1Q84--dig up your old papers for professors, scan them with the comments attached, and send it their way when asking for letters. You could even take it a step further and edit the essays as per their comments to show your growth as a writer. I had taken a class with one of my LOR writers earlier last year, and she still asked to see every paper I'd ever written for her, as well as my honors thesis, my transcript, my SOP, and my writing sample. It all really helps to get the best picture of you as a candidate as possible.

Edited March 14, 2015 by softcastlemccormick