Seeking some much-needed advice for Fall 2017 application cycle?

[youngcharlie101]

Good day, everybody.

I'm thinking about applying for a PhD program, but I want to take some time off to teach. Right now, I'm currently teaching high school English. I want to strengthen my application for the Fall 2017 season, however.

I graduated with a 3.9 GPA from NYU. I'm an African student from London, but I got my MA here in the US. My MA was in Interdisciplinary Humanities. I do have two solid recommendations from my NYU professors, but I am trying to seek a third. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but many of the professors at NYU don't like to help their students. They ignore emails and slam the office door in your face. (It's happened to me twice).

As for my GRE, my scores were abysmal. I was hospitalized twice for anxiety, and I think I'm starting to get it under control. Something about tests makes me tick. I plan to retake the GRE sometime next spring. I got a 5.5 in Analytical Writing, a 153 on Verbal, and a 146 in math.

For my personal statement, I think I have a solid idea for research, but I'm still perfecting it: I am willing to study 20th Century American and African American writers, focusing specifically on themes of masochism and violence as avenues for female expression.

I guess my biggest questions are as follows:

1- How do I get a third LOR from NYU?

2- What's the best GRE software you have used? I liked Magoosh and Manhattan Prep, but I'm interested in learning about others.

3- If I want to get into an English PhD program, how can I study for the Literature in English GRE?

 

Thanks so much, everybody. Wishing you a happy beginning of the school year. Cheers.

 

[.letmeinplz//]

1. Are you still in NY? Could take a course as a non-degree student and then ask that professor for a LOR at the end of the course (of course, research that professor for their likely-hood of writing a good, positive letter). If not at NYU, maybe other universities too. That is, if you have already already exhausted all possible candidates you already have.

2. I like Magoosh, will probably retake next year for when I have to apply for PhD from MS with it as my main resource (and I'll actually use it more this time). I do have some other apps on my phone that are rated well by others but I can't speak to how good they are yet (GRE Prep by Varsity Tutors and GRE by Your Teacher as well as vocab apps that I don't recall right now because they are on my tablet which isn't with me). For verbal though, I would follow Magoosh's advice on just reading challenging things everyday. For math, practice is important. 

[youngcharlie101]

1. Are you still in NY? Could take a course as a non-degree student and then ask that professor for a LOR at the end of the course (of course, research that professor for their likely-hood of writing a good, positive letter). If not at NYU, maybe other universities too. That is, if you have already already exhausted all possible candidates you already have.

2. I like Magoosh, will probably retake next year for when I have to apply for PhD from MS with it as my main resource (and I'll actually use it more this time). I do have some other apps on my phone that are rated well by others but I can't speak to how good they are yet (GRE Prep by Varsity Tutors and GRE by Your Teacher as well as vocab apps that I don't recall right now because they are on my tablet which isn't with me). For verbal though, I would follow Magoosh's advice on just reading challenging things everyday. For math, practice is important. 

Hi, Ian. Good to hear from you. Thanks for this solid advice. I'm definitely going to see if I can audit a class at NYU. 

[GeoDUDE!]

Why don't you get a LOR from undergrad ?

[ExponentialDecay]

Post here:

http://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/43-literature-and-rhetoric-and-composition/

Edited August 19, 2015 by ExponentialDecay