Where do I fit in?

[mwp714]

Hey Guys!

So I wanted to give my stats and ask if anyone could either quell or stoke my anxiety over not getting into anyone of the 13 PhD programs I'm applying to.

Major: English Lit

Specialization: Victorian

GPA 3.92 (Major GPA 4.0)

Member of the McNair Scholars honors program and a CUNY Pipeline fellow

Sample and statement are both pretty strong

GRE (this is where I start to suck) Verbal 600 Math 400

And having just taken the Literature GRE yesterday I can safely say I didn't fare to well on that either

I am just not good with standardized testing

I felt confident until I began this GRE process and now I just feel like an idiot.

I'm applying to PhD program directly from undergraduate as I cannot afford to pay for a masters degree. These are my schools:

• CUNY Graduate Center
• Duke
• NYU
• Purdue
• University of California-Berkeley
• University of California-Los Angeles
• University of Chicago
• University of Delaware
• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Virginia
• University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Yale

Any advice? Should I add some more safety schools? Also, If anyone wouldn't mind reading and commenting on my PS that would be awesome! Thanks all!

[coyabean]

Hey Guys!

So I wanted to give my stats and ask if anyone could either quell or stoke my anxiety over not getting into anyone of the 13 PhD programs I'm applying to.

Major: English Lit

Specialization: Victorian

GPA 3.92 (Major GPA 4.0)

Member of the McNair Scholars honors program and a CUNY Pipeline fellow

Sample and statement are both pretty strong

GRE (this is where I start to suck) Verbal 600 Math 400

And having just taken the Literature GRE yesterday I can safely say I didn't fare to well on that either

I am just not good with standardized testing

I felt confident until I began this GRE process and now I just feel like an idiot.

I'm applying to PhD program directly from undergraduate as I cannot afford to pay for a masters degree. These are my schools:

• CUNY Graduate Center
• Duke
• NYU
• Purdue
• University of California-Berkeley
• University of California-Los Angeles
• University of Chicago
• University of Delaware
• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Virginia
• University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Yale

Any advice? Should I add some more safety schools? Also, If anyone wouldn't mind reading and commenting on my PS that would be awesome! Thanks all!

Big ups to McNair scholars! LOL

I am not good enough to give specific feedback on schools, but I don't think you can overstate the leg-up that McNair has given you. Most adcomms know the level of research and scholarship that goes into that honor and it is HIGHLY prized. it will, at least, get your app considered. Every app I've done has a spot specifically asking if you are a McNair or some similar program.

You do have a big top-ten kind of list. While there are no such thing as true "safeties" in phd programs if it will make you feel more confident pick a strong regional program that might get fewer apps but that you would not be ashamed to attend.

For English my advice was to score in the 92nd percentile and above on verbal and to get a solid 5 or better on analytical. I'm Eng undergrad, btw. Almost everyone agreed not to sweat quant too much. The only concern is that too low of a combined score might put you below the mythical cutoffs some schools use to narrow the initial group of apps. AGain, though, that's where your McNair designation helps. I've heard that those are pulled to at least be read, regardless of cut-offs. You might want to ask around on that. Your McNair preceptor has done this a thousand times. Ask them.

Happy to proof your SOP. You can PM me but I also advise you to join the applyingtograd comm on LJ if you are not already. I'm most active there for SOP reviews and the comm is GREAT about sharing info. And there seem to be a lot of English folks there.

BEst of luck! And congrats on a serious kick-azz UG record. I think you look good.