Rhetoric and Composition Writing Samples

[Reared Panda]

Hello there!

No, I'm not fashionably late to the fall 2016 application party. I'm here to pre-game for fall 2017.

What did you folks use for your R/C writing samples? I majored in English (linguistics) and economics, so I don't have a relevant piece. I'll likely either submit some underwhelming marxist lit crit or an esoteric and oh-so-terrible sociolinguistics essay. Likely dead in the water either way, but I'm leaning toward the former.

It seems like most of us weren't lucky enough to study the field during undergrad, so I'm curious how people handle the sample. (If you want, you can also advise me on my own situation.)

[bhr]

For my MA I used three pieces (depending on the requirements). I used a 10 page paper from an American Lit survey course that could have broadly be considered a rhetoric piece (but really was just comparing works from different authors), a 4-5 creative nonfiction piece, and a feature article that I had written for a journalism course. R/C programs know that most MA admits aren't coming from R/C undergrad programs (or even from English programs, from my observations), so they are looking for your ability to make an argument, organize you ideas, and write coherently. If you have teaching materials (if you've done any workshops, or undergraduate TAships) I would use them.

[rhetoricus aesalon]

For an MA application, you're probably in the same boat either way. My feeling is that what makes apps stand out is a coherent narrative of who you see you are as a scholar or scholar-teacher. So, if you have no interest in applying work you've done in your writing sample to grad study, you will want to make sure you have that articulated especially well in your SOP and letters of recommendation. 

I've made this recommendation before, and I will surely make it again: if you can swing it, take an independent study with a faculty member you trust to push you and your work. Explain that your expectation for the course is to produce a writing sample for graduate school applications. You will not only have something you can then use for apps but also a faculty member who can speak very specifically about your work, your interests as a scholar in rhet/comp, and your work ethic.

[Reared Panda]

Thanks for the helpful replies, folks! It sounds like I should be less anxious about this. I'll just polish up what I've got and let the chips fall.

[CrashJupiter]

With almost a year to go, you could always write something new. Are you applying to MAs or PhDs?

[Reared Panda]

On 1/18/2016 at 11:30 PM, CrashJupiter said:

With almost a year to go, you could always write something new. Are you applying to MAs or PhDs?

I'm a bit wary of writing something new without any guidance. I've been out of school for a couple of years now.

Are there many R/C PhD Programs that accept applicants without an MA? I thought most programs liked to see the MA first. 

[jrockford27]

If you have a good relationship with a recommender, offer to buy them a cup of coffee and see if they'd be willing to chat with you about a potential writing sample you're working on.  One of my recommenders did that for me with my personal statements.  I'd stop short of asking them to read a draft, since that would make a big demand on their time, but if they're interested they might simply offer.

Edited January 20, 2016 by jrockford27

[bhr]

8 hours ago, Reared Panda said:

I'm a bit wary of writing something new without any guidance. I've been out of school for a couple of years now.

Are there many R/C PhD Programs that accept applicants without an MA? I thought most programs liked to see the MA first. 

A few do. OSU, Pitt and UCDavis are among the best of those that do, though, since the MA is funded at decent levels at many places, it's less of a concern for R/C folks than English folks.

[renea]

I was recommended by my adviser to align my writing sample with my research interests. So my paper did fall under the R/C heading- however I'm also coming from an undergraduate R/C program. However, I don't think you should be too worried if your paper doesn't. The field of rhetoric is very broad and overlaps with other subjects. I know if you're going for digital rhetoric a lot of departments will accept writing samples that are more technical. Some like MSU will even look at portfolios that are co-authored. I would say if you aren't sure how to write a sample that shows rhetorical concepts- instead display your writing skills in general and pick an area that's close to your other interests- for example, feminism, environmental studies, cultural studies, ect. I'm trying for R/C, with an emphasis on cultural studies (Native American specifically) so my paper covered Native American issues and rhetoric. Also- if it makes you feel better, I've been told a lot of programs don't spend a long time looking at writing samples. Statement of Purpose and LoR come first for most departments. They just want to know that you're competent, have good writing skills, and show potential for scholarly research.

[KappaRoss]

On 1/20/2016 at 11:33 PM, bhr said:

A few do. OSU, Pitt and UCDavis are among the best of those that do, though, since the MA is funded at decent levels at many places, it's less of a concern for R/C folks than English folks.

UC Davis does not have a rhetcomp program. They only have an English Lit PhD, but you can get a designated emphasis in rhetcomp and teach writing. I just graduated from UC Davis undergrad, and my professors lamented that there was no R/C PhD program. They only have a few professors in the writing faculty. Most of the UWP faculty is lecturers.

There are some R/C PhD programs that don't require an MA. Arizona, Arizona State, and Syracuse are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

They usually only accept "extremely capable BA students," however. That means at least 3.8+ GPA, 90%+ GRE, great recs from English/Writing professors, and a great writing sample. Keep in mind most PhD programs require a significant paper, sometimes 20-25 pages, and the line is usually "something from your MA/honors thesis." It is extremely helpful to have something directly related to the R/C field. They really don't want to read another Shakespeare paper.

Your writing sample should be novel. If you can go to sparknotes and get the general gist of your paper in a section, then it is not good enough.

But your best bet is a paper on rhetoric and composition. Have your recommenders look over it for you.