Where else should I apply?

[srcrowther]

I'm applying for (mostly) comp lit programs, with a background in English, Semiotics, and Russian. I'll be applying to the following places, but need some "easier" schools that I perhaps haven't thought of. Coming from the University of Toronto, I'm largely unfamiliar with smaller/less prestigious American schools.

Applying to:

Yale (comp lit)

Duke (Literature)

Emory (comp lit)

WashU (comp lit)

Oregon (comp lit)

I've heard some good things about Rutgers, but the fact that it's in NJ turns me off a little. Should I fight against my snobbish tendencies?

Thanks!

[joeygiraldo]

Get the hell out of here with your NJ hate, man. The hell is wrong with you? Rutgers is a fine school.

Now that that's out of my system, I would like to know how exactly you plan on using your Russian and English skills in a Comparative Literature program (which for a PhD, btw, would require good knowledge of one more *additional* language). What do you want to study exactly? I'm just asking because usually people are all for going into a Comp. Lit. program, or are all for going into English. It's odd that you are mixing-and-matching... makes me wonder if you are truly committed to a particular niche.

[melusine]

Sorry I don't have an answer for you but I'd appreciate more replies as I'm largely in the same boat.

I'm also applying to Comp Lit in (largely East Coast) top tier American universities and am looking for some slightly safer options..

I am bilingual in French and Russian (my mother tongue), with English my third language and also that of my undergrad lit major at UBC. So yes, judging by the languages, my focus is very self-evidently late 19th, early 20th century european lit.

Any recommendations?

[Phedre]

FYI Many complit departments nowadays treat "comparative" in its broadest sense-- not necessarily comparing between national tradtions but also between disciplines (historiography, new media, music) and approaches (queer theory, literary theory, psychoanalysis, etc). Basically if you're interested in "theory" these days, then complit is the general catch-all house for you.

Some schools are more traditional in their approach and require 3-4 languages (Harvard and Yale-- Michigan, U Chicago, and NYU are also pretty big on the language requirement, i think). Other schools are more flexible, but they would treat your expertise in an "interdisciplinary" field as another "language." Duke, Cornell, and Berkeley are in this camp.

The best idea would be to discern what theoretical approaches you are interested in and then find a school that suits you (as well at matches your literary field and perhaps century interests). For myself, I had to choose a school that boasted both strong queer theory, psychoanalytic, and French depts-- which meant ruling out a bunch of schools and casting my net wider than i had anticipated.