Masters in English Literature

[Analyticchic]

Hey guys,

 

I'm new to this forum and just have a question about MA in English Lit. I majored in psychology when I was an undergrad and they would like a writing sample(10-20 pages) but I never did a thesis during my undergrad. What could I use to substitute as a writing sample? I write alot of poetry and short stories. This is the admission requirements for University of Delaware MA in English:

 

• Resume or CV
• Statement of Objectives and Interests that answers the following questions (1–5 pages)
  • What are your intellectual objectives and how will your proposed plan of graduate study relate to them?
  • Within English studies, are there areas of special interest to you? Please explain.
  • How will the resources at the University of Delaware (faculty and otherwise) help you to achieve your objectives and pursue you areas of interest?
• Unofficial transcript of all U.S. college records
• GRE scores: General Test, minimum combined score of 300
• Three letters of recommendation
• Writing Sample (10–20 pages)

I'm not too worried about the statements of interests because I can write my ass off and enjoy it but how did you guys prepare for the verbal section of the gre? My old scores were Verbal: 145, Quan 144, and Writing 4.4

 

 

[ProfLorax]

You need a literary analysis-type essay with research for the writing sample. Did you take any lit courses? The best final paper for any lit courses will be fine. Do not submit any creative writing unless you are applying for a degree in creative writing.

Why do you want an MA in Lit?

[echo449]

You're basically going to have to either expand a class essay or write a sample from scratch. Creative writing won't be of interest to a Masters program since they are interested in your analytic skills as well as your ability to write. 

Edit: whoops cross post

Edited June 24, 2015 by echo449

[1Q84]

As for your second question, the Princeton GRE prep book is really amazing for the General Test. I would say the test-taking strategies in there definitely helped net me the 169 V (especially because I had never done standardized testing before, being from Canada and all.)

 

Also, what did you have the most trouble with in the Verbal section? That might allow us to give more specific advice on how to improve.

[ProfLorax]

Also, this:

I'm not too worried about the statements of interests because I can write my ass off and enjoy it but how did you guys prepare for the verbal section of the gre? 

I'd urge you to worry about the statement of interest. Ok, not worry, but put lots of time and effort into. As someone who can write lots of BS on the fly, I can tell you that the SoP (statement of purpose, another name for the statement of interest) is not something you can just crap out. It's a very specific genre that requires lots of thought and revision. I spent months writing mine. 

[jhefflol]

Also, this:

I'd urge you to worry about the statement of interest. Ok, not worry, but put lots of time and effort into. As someone who can write lots of BS on the fly, I can tell you that the SoP (statement of purpose, another name for the statement of interest) is not something you can just crap out. It's a very specific genre that requires lots of thought and revision. I spent months writing mine. 

 

I second that. I had 20+ drafts and 4 versions of my SOP. Its definitely a part of your application that you should focus on.

[Analyticchic]

You need a literary analysis-type essay with research for the writing sample. Did you take any lit courses? The best final paper for any lit courses will be fine. Do not submit any creative writing unless you are applying for a degree in creative writing.

Why do you want an MA in Lit?

I took a lit course freshmen year and then one my senior year about works in the 19th century. I had to write lots of papers for my psych classes. I want an MA in Lit because I thoroughly enjoy reading and having discussions on all types of literary genres 

[Analyticchic]

As for your second question, the Princeton GRE prep book is really amazing for the General Test. I would say the test-taking strategies in there definitely helped net me the 169 V (especially because I had never done standardized testing before, being from Canada and all.)

 

Also, what did you have the most trouble with in the Verbal section? That might allow us to give more specific advice on how to improve.

I have heard the Princeton book is really great, but I used the Kaplan book. I think the most trouble I had with the verbal section was the passage section where you had to read and answer the questions, then the fill in the blank with the appropriate word to finish the sentence because words are so similar to one another that I have to know the exact definition(or other instances of it) or I end up second guessing myself. 

[Analyticchic]

Also, this:

I'd urge you to worry about the statement of interest. Ok, not worry, but put lots of time and effort into. As someone who can write lots of BS on the fly, I can tell you that the SoP (statement of purpose, another name for the statement of interest) is not something you can just crap out. It's a very specific genre that requires lots of thought and revision. I spent months writing mine. 

 

Oh, I plan to marinate the hell out of the statement of interest, I just need to jot down ideas, list my experiences, thoughts, etc into it before I hand it over to them. I'll also have several individuals from the writing center read it(I plan on having plenty of drafts since I also think of things to write about)

[empress-marmot]

...how did you guys prepare for the verbal section of the gre? My old scores were Verbal: 145, Quan 144, and Writing 4.4

 

Didn't the GRE have this program which delivered a mock-test? That's a free option. I think I also found some free practice tests floating around the Internet, and you can probably find older practice books priced very cheaply. I think I used Kaplan's books, which I got for free back when B&N was still promoting their Nook. One of my friends used GRE vocabulary flashcards. As an English major, I didn't find those particularly helpful.

 

Also, this:

I'd urge you to worry about the statement of interest. Ok, not worry, but put lots of time and effort into. As someone who can write lots of BS on the fly, I can tell you that the SoP (statement of purpose, another name for the statement of interest) is not something you can just crap out. It's a very specific genre that requires lots of thought and revision. I spent months writing mine. 

 

Based on what I know now, I'm surprised I was accepted anywhere with my SOP. A person I trusted advised me to be very matter-of-fact and kind of...clinical, I suppose? That was a bad idea. I'm sure the acceptances I received were from the other parts of my application. If you need an example of what not to do, let me know.

 

I just wanted to add that you should check the program's website to make sure your application to the program is also your application for funding (if you want it). Some schools require you to fill out additional applications or provide additional materials for those TAships. 

[Analyticchic]

 

 

Didn't the GRE have this program which delivered a mock-test? That's a free option. I think I also found some free practice tests floating around the Internet, and you can probably find older practice books priced very cheaply. I think I used Kaplan's books, which I got for free back when B&N was still promoting their Nook. One of my friends used GRE vocabulary flashcards. As an English major, I didn't find those particularly helpful.

 

 

Based on what I know now, I'm surprised I was accepted anywhere with my SOP. A person I trusted advised me to be very matter-of-fact and kind of...clinical, I suppose? That was a bad idea. I'm sure the acceptances I received were from the other parts of my application. If you need an example of what not to do, let me know.

 

I just wanted to add that you should check the program's website to make sure your application to the program is also your application for funding (if you want it). Some schools require you to fill out additional applications or provide additional materials for those TAships. 

 

 

I would love an example of what not to do, lol. Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. I'm not a fan of flash cards but how did you study for verbal?

[unræd]

Based on what I know now, I'm surprised I was accepted anywhere with my SOP. A person I trusted advised me to be very matter-of-fact and kind of...clinical, I suppose? That was a bad idea. 

 

I'm intrigued by this! What would you have done differently?

 

Maybe it's a difference in what we mean by matter-of-fact-ness and what it means to be "clinical," but I'd definitely say my own SOP fell much more into those categories than not. I mean, sure, I tried (struggled) to write it well enough that it both wasn't going to make anyone fall asleep and that it did the weirdly targeted things an SOP is supposed to do, but it was pretty, well, clinical--a tied-together rundown of my interests, prior coursework, languages, scholarship/approach, and (only about half of the time) a fit paragraph. 

 

Another question for Analyticchic: have you thought about whom you'll be asking for your letters?

[rising_star]

The Statements of Purpose subforum has some great advice about SOP mistakes and advice on writing a SOP: http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/73-statement-of-purpose-personal-history-diversity/They're the first two pinned topics.

[1Q84]

I have heard the Princeton book is really great, but I used the Kaplan book. I think the most trouble I had with the verbal section was the passage section where you had to read and answer the questions, then the fill in the blank with the appropriate word to finish the sentence because words are so similar to one another that I have to know the exact definition(or other instances of it) or I end up second guessing myself. 

 

I hesitantly suggest that you learn some rudimentary Latin to help with exactly what you mentioned. Instead of being flustered by similar looking words, you can pinpoint the actual root or pre-/suffix and be confident in your selection.

 

Websites like this are designed for specifically this purpose: https://msu.edu/~defores1/gre/roots/gre_rts_afx1.htm

 

Now, I'm going to be that guy and say that I think that the GRE General Test is actually somewhat important. Lots of differing opinions on this on TGC, but I know quite a few schools have a Graduate Division hard cut-off score that will either disqualify you from funding (if it's not guaranteed) or will not even get your app passed onto the English Department. English Departments themselves usually have a soft/rumored cut-off score, so that's something to keep in mind.

 

Obviously, your SOP and WS are far more important than a GRE score, but don't discount the leverage that the score can give you--unless a POI has explicitly told you that the department doesn't care about scores (as I had one professor tell me when I called him.)

[Dr. Old Bill]

Now, I'm going to be that guy and say that I think that the GRE General Test is actually somewhat important.

 

Hear hear.

[ProfLorax]

I think given that Analyticchic has only taken two lit courses, the whole package needs to be strong, but especially the writing sample and SOP. I wonder if University of Delaware does conditional admits? I know for my MA program, students with little or no lit background had to complete a year of upper division undergrad classes at the MA institution before they were officially considered MA students. 

[Dr. Old Bill]

I think given that Analyticchic has only taken two lit courses, the whole package needs to be strong, but especially the writing sample and SOP. I wonder if University of Delaware does conditional admits? I know for my MA program, students with little or no lit background had to complete a year of upper division undergrad classes at the MA institution before they were officially considered MA students. 

 

Yes. I didn't say anything, because I don't know anything about Analyticchic's background beyond what she has mentioned in this thread, but I suspect that taking several more lit courses is not only encouragable, but essential for her application. Even if she can "write [her] ass off and enjoy it" there's not a lot of interplay between psych courses and lit courses. I can envision some psych-theory influenced lit papers, but there has to be the literary background in place for those to be written.

 

I guess the underlying question is why she's looking at an MA in English Lit when she doesn't have the demonstrated foundational knowledge (I stress demonstrated because she may have read and analyzed hundreds of literary works outside of the college construct). I suspect this is a question adcoms would ask right away. And like others have said, creative writing doesn't really count when it comes to applications to lit programs (in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have mentioned my own proclivities in that regard on my SOP...so mea culpa).

 

The bottom line is that in the competitive world of graduate English admissions, pretty much every aspect of one's total package has to be strong. Better people than I were completely shut out in this past round, and I was damn lucky to get one admittance out of seventeen applications. Having an application package that makes sense to an adcom is a good first step, and if the OP can bring up her GRE scores, create a strong narrative about why she has gone from Psychology to graduate English, and generate a great writing sample that intrigues the various committee members, then she might stand a chance. Otherwise, it's a true gamble without a firm track record of doing well in lit courses.

[empress-marmot]

I'm intrigued by this! What would you have done differently?

 

Maybe it's a difference in what we mean by matter-of-fact-ness and what it means to be "clinical," but I'd definitely say my own SOP fell much more into those categories than not. I mean, sure, I tried (struggled) to write it well enough that it both wasn't going to make anyone fall asleep and that it did the weirdly targeted things an SOP is supposed to do, but it was pretty, well, clinical--a tied-together rundown of my interests, prior coursework, languages, scholarship/approach, and (only about half of the time) a fit paragraph. 

 

I wasted space telling them things they already knew. They knew my specialization. They knew I had research experience and teaching experience, they knew my GPA and GRE. They also knew what my professors had written about me, as did I. (I didn't ask for my professors to send me drafts of their LORs before they submitted them—they just did anyway.) My SOP was essentially an analysis of the rest of my application.

 

I summarized the lines of my SOP's last paragraph. It reads like this:

 

“So yeah, that is who I can be with a degree from you. I know that you do not know much about me or what I am interested in, because I have spent this whole document telling you stuff I have done, rather than telling you about stuff I would like to study...[i am] woefully unprepared to write an SOP, but I definitely have hidden depths which I have not told you about, because I have not actually told you anything you didn't already know.

[xolo]

I was admitted to a PhD program at a well ranked school without a bachelor's degree in the subject area. I did take two years of upper division classes before applying, however, which represent most of the requirements for a bachelor's - still pretty weak though compared to much of the cohort. My cohort-friend just completed her MA in Spanish lit. My SOP had about 5 major re-writes and about 40 different revisions (I really don't know for sure, it's all kind of blurry now  ), plus I'm not very academic anyway. The WS damn near killed me and I simply ran out of time at the end. And I agree that knowing Latin helps.

[Analyticchic]

I'm intrigued by this! What would you have done differently?

 

Maybe it's a difference in what we mean by matter-of-fact-ness and what it means to be "clinical," but I'd definitely say my own SOP fell much more into those categories than not. I mean, sure, I tried (struggled) to write it well enough that it both wasn't going to make anyone fall asleep and that it did the weirdly targeted things an SOP is supposed to do, but it was pretty, well, clinical--a tied-together rundown of my interests, prior coursework, languages, scholarship/approach, and (only about half of the time) a fit paragraph. 

 

Another question for Analyticchic: have you thought about whom you'll be asking for your letters?

I am going to ask for recommendations from my manager at my job, the coordinator at the children's home I volunteer at, and one of my former professors

[Analyticchic]

I hesitantly suggest that you learn some rudimentary Latin to help with exactly what you mentioned. Instead of being flustered by similar looking words, you can pinpoint the actual root or pre-/suffix and be confident in your selection.

 

Websites like this are designed for specifically this purpose: https://msu.edu/~defores1/gre/roots/gre_rts_afx1.htm

 

Now, I'm going to be that guy and say that I think that the GRE General Test is actually somewhat important. Lots of differing opinions on this on TGC, but I know quite a few schools have a Graduate Division hard cut-off score that will either disqualify you from funding (if it's not guaranteed) or will not even get your app passed onto the English Department. English Departments themselves usually have a soft/rumored cut-off score, so that's something to keep in mind.

 

Obviously, your SOP and WS are far more important than a GRE score, but don't discount the leverage that the score can give you--unless a POI has explicitly told you that the department doesn't care about scores (as I had one professor tell me when I called him.)

 

I will do anything to get a better score on the verbal section, lol. Even studying a dead language. I will give equal attention to my SOP, my gre scores, my LOPs, and everything that goes into my application

[Analyticchic]

Yes. I didn't say anything, because I don't know anything about Analyticchic's background beyond what she has mentioned in this thread, but I suspect that taking several more lit courses is not only encouragable, but essential for her application. Even if she can "write [her] ass off and enjoy it" there's not a lot of interplay between psych courses and lit courses. I can envision some psych-theory influenced lit papers, but there has to be the literary background in place for those to be written.

 

I guess the underlying question is why she's looking at an MA in English Lit when she doesn't have the demonstrated foundational knowledge (I stress demonstrated because she may have read and analyzed hundreds of literary works outside of the college construct). I suspect this is a question adcoms would ask right away. And like others have said, creative writing doesn't really count when it comes to applications to lit programs (in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have mentioned my own proclivities in that regard on my SOP...so mea culpa).

 

The bottom line is that in the competitive world of graduate English admissions, pretty much every aspect of one's total package has to be strong. Better people than I were completely shut out in this past round, and I was damn lucky to get one admittance out of seventeen applications. Having an application package that makes sense to an adcom is a good first step, and if the OP can bring up her GRE scores, create a strong narrative about why she has gone from Psychology to graduate English, and generate a great writing sample that intrigues the various committee members, then she might stand a chance. Otherwise, it's a true gamble without a firm track record of doing well in lit courses.

 

 

thanks for your honesty, I appreciate it.

[Ramus]

I am going to ask for recommendations from my manager at my job, the coordinator at the children's home I volunteer at, and one of my former professors

 

Since joining a graduate program is the first step toward doing professional academic work, adcoms almost always prefer academic LORs. You might include one non-academic recommendation if the recommender can speak to specific skills that might assist or enrich your academic work, but I would have no more than one at most. It would be even better to get three academic references, one of which should be the professor who taught your upper level literature course. 

[ProfLorax]

I wonder, Analyticchic, if you could talk to one of your lit professors about graduate work in the humanities. Then, perhaps you could research how MA in English programs work, what kinds of questions you want to research as a graduate student, and how this MA could help with your career. This last question is the most important. 

 

In terms of letters of rec, you will want writers who can speak to your ability to write analytically, research, and participate in scholarly communities. Like Ramus, I urge you to have professors write your letters. For better or for worse, admissions committees won't be interested in your ability to sell merchandise or work with children. They'll want to know that you have what it takes to pursue graduate work. At least one English professor is a must. Three would be ideal, but any professor who would speak to your intellectual curiosity and performance in academic settings could do as well!