Where should I start?

[kaiphi]

I'm a junior, rising senior at an Honors university. I don't know what an Honors university is but they call it that.

For the past year I've been set on journalism (though I study English literature), but now I'm considering going for my master's in English Literature instead because I honestly really don't think a graduate degree in journalism is necessary for what I want to do. 

(I'm also still figuring out what it is that I want to do.)

I have a friend at Harvard's doctoral program who frequently writes journalistic pieces, so I kind of want to be like her, except I really don't want a doctorate, either.

Basically, I want to keep writing and I want to keep learning but I don't want to get too deep into academia because it sounds like Hell and I want to remain in journalism. I'm in a rough spot.

Anyway, here's where I'm at so far:

3.2 overall GPA, 3.6 within my major (English), McNair Scholar and member of the Nat'l English Honors Society (Sigma Tau Delta), president of our school's English Council of Majors and freelance writer. Next year I'm working on a senior Honors thesis and, if I remain on Dean's List this semester, my GPA will propel to a 3.5.
I edit art MFA theses as kind of a free agent for that professor and have applied to be an editor on the undergrad research journal next year.
I'm going to take the GREs later and use whatever GPA I have by the time I graduate next May—I'm aiming for magna cum laude—because I'm going to take a gap year between undergrad and grad school to figure things out, wander, travel, freelance some more, decide whether or not this is what I want. Might even teach English in France for a while; I have a friend that did it. I'm very much weighing my options right now to see if grad school is really the answer, but in the event that it is, I want to be prepared.

What do y'all suggest that I do now to prepare for grad school? 

[Dr. Old Bill]

26 minutes ago, kaiphi said:

I honestly really don't think a graduate degree in journalism is necessary for what I want to do.

26 minutes ago, kaiphi said:

(I'm also still figuring out what it is that I want to do.)

27 minutes ago, kaiphi said:

I'm going to take a gap year between undergrad and grad school to figure things out, wander, travel, freelance some more, decide whether or not this is what I want.

I don't want to sound negative in the least, but I'm afraid that none of us here will be able to figure things out for you. It's clear that you are completely unsure of your future path right now, and that is indeed a rough place to be...but you probably need to have a firm ballpark idea before you can move forward (and before anyone can help you hone in on a direction and/or plan of attack). Even though journalism and English have some ostensible similarities, they are really nothing alike from a course-of-study perspective, and there's not even a lot of overlap when it comes to employment options. Some of the other factors you mention (such as a fairly low GPA) can be overcome, but without at least a rough focus, it's hard to give you some guidance.

My one constructive suggestion is to talk at length with your advisor(s), mentor(s), and faculty members with whom you have a good rapport. They can help size up your strengths and weaknesses, and can give you some more personalized guidance. They would also be your letter-writers, if you do pursue graduate study. Either way, best of fortunes to you!

 

 

[CarolineNC]

If you do decide you want to pursue a graduate degree, I'd worry less about grades and more about a sophisticated, relevant writing sample (try to show off as much as you can here. Show you can use theory, historicize and/or contextualize, close read, etc.) and a detailed statement of purpose that states *specific* plans for future research. 

I wish I had spent more time worrying about my writing sample and less time worrying about my grades and individual classes when I was in undergrad. 

Edited March 8, 2016 by CarolineNC

[EmmaJava]

1 hour ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

...It's clear that you are completely unsure of your future path right now, and that is indeed a rough place to be...

I totally hear what WT is saying, and given WT's track record of encouragement and ridiculously solid posts, I do not mean to come off as contrarian, but another consideration worth taking into account is that being "completely unsure of your future path right now" is - in another sense - a wonderful place to be, and my feeling is that more should be done to celebrate it rather than lament it. Do you realize what this means? This means total freedom to figure it all out. That was one of the most joyful and rewarding phases of my own life, and it took me forever...but in taking me forever, I'm not the financial or emotional wreck that everyone worried I would become (and where does that worry come from?! ). In fact, I'm the opposite.

Just bask in freedom, options, possibilities. Take however much time you need to learn however much you need to learn. Ain't no hurry, yo.

[sarabethke]

3 hours ago, kaiphi said:

For the past year I've been set on journalism (though I study English literature), but now I'm considering going for my master's in English Literature instead because I honestly really don't think a graduate degree in journalism is necessary for what I want to do. 

(I'm also still figuring out what it is that I want to do.)

I have a friend at Harvard's doctoral program who frequently writes journalistic pieces, so I kind of want to be like her, except I really don't want a doctorate, either.

Basically, I want to keep writing and I want to keep learning but I don't want to get too deep into academia because it sounds like Hell and I want to remain in journalism. I'm in a rough spot.

I'm going to take a gap year between undergrad and grad school to figure things out, wander, travel, freelance some more, decide whether or not this is what I want. Might even teach English in France for a while; I have a friend that did it. I'm very much weighing my options right now to see if grad school is really the answer, but in the event that it is, I want to be prepared.

What do y'all suggest that I do now to prepare for grad school? 

Why don't you ask your friend at Harvard about her decision-making process because she seems to be interested in lit and journalism as well.

And just something to add--my roommate's sister graduated with a bachelor's in journalism, got her master's on a Fulbright in the UK, and now works for the Guardian in New York. There are definitely reasons to pursue a master's in journalism if that's what you want to do, and ways to get that to work toward your traveling/wandering goals.

[kaiphi]

Hi all,

I decided to take a couple years off after graduation to work as an au pair in Europe (and maybe later go to WWOOF in Asia) and I've already solidified my first job in Italy for September 2017.

Meanwhile, I've decided to look into Master's programs in Literary Theory and see where I go from there.

Honestly I just want to write fiction down the line, so I want to prioritize that. I might pursue the Master's because I love to learn and my uni doesn't offer a good enough English program for me to feel adequately prepared to do anything in my field.

I may even look into getting a Fulbright; who knows! Until then I've found what I want to do for the time being. Thank you all for the suggestions!

[KappaRoss]

Take a year off and try to figure out what you want to do. That's what I did.

If your initial interest was journalism, I would get a job doing that. You can just try it out and see if it's for you.

If you want to write fiction, perhaps an MFA would be a better fit. How did you like your undergrad Creative Writing classes?

Literature, journalism, and creative writing are usually three separate programs. Try to figure out which one is most for you. The best way to do this is to get actual experience doing it.

As far as your low GPA, you are still a junior. Get all A's from now on -- that's without question. You should aim for a 4.0 for your whole senior year so you show an upward trend. I had a low GPA, similar to yours, and I was able to raise it during my last year.

[bhr]

Assuming that you're at UMBC, go talk to your faculty. There are a couple of amazing profs (including one in professional writing, which may actually be your track) there that would be excellent resources.