Freaking out!! help will be honestly appreciated...

[MadihaG]

hi.  I am new to this forum and found the discussions very helpful. I wanted to know is there any chance to get accepted into PHD English Programs at the top schools like Cornell, Brown, Upenn etcetera without a publication to your name?

I am an International applicant. Scored 105 in the TOEFL. GRE 155 verbal 135 quantitative and 4 Analytical. I have been an A* student throughout my academic career and graduated with a disinction. My writing samples were alright, not as good as they could have been but pretty good nevertheless. The SOP was OK . The LOR`s were written by professors who taught me during my undergrad, but none of those professors are big names in the field or anything. I have a very strong record of Co-curriculars and all and a couple of conference presentations to my name. 

But I know how competitive the thing is. I am not sure why am I even ranting here. But I would appreciate your honest opinion folks , do I stand a chance?  

Edited January 6, 2017 by MadihaG

[unræd]

I'm going to just very narrowly answer your question about publications -- this isn't an answer to your broader "do I stand a chance" question or a comment on the other information about your applications that you provide: the vast, vast (seriously, it's vast) majority of students accepted to PhD programs in English (literature; I don't know about Rhet/Comp) do not have publications in peer-reviewed academic journals.

[Warelin]

This may not be what you want to here but multiple schools have stated that the Writing Sample and Statement of Purpose are the two most important parts of your application materials. Grades and GRE scores can keep people out of certain schools, but they won't be what gets someone into a school. It's also important to realize that there isn't a "good" or "bad" writing sample. It's more of a "how good" is this and whether or not you fit in with their program. The latter means different things to different people all of which or none of which the program may use in determing whether they see fit or not.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Warelin

[JessicaLange]

I would say that your GRE scores are a little low, like @Warelin mentioned, GRE scores aren't enough to get you into a program, but they definitely can keep you out of a program, and since you're going for the top schools, they are going to want you to be in the top percentiles as far as those scores are concerned. BUT! Who knows? I'm sure that they'll take into account that you are a foreign student, so maybe your TOEFL scores will outweigh the GRE? (I'm not really sure how that works). I suppose time will tell. If you applied for this cycle, then you'll know by the end of spring if not sooner.

[steve3020]

I don't know why you should be panicking - there are plenty of people who've done their undergraduate degrees outside the US and went on to do Phd there. I don't know about the whole application process as well as many other people but surely no one will judge you just for being international. If anything I think being an international student will positively reflect on your application if you can meet the same standard of English as American applicants. 

[MadihaG]

22 hours ago, unræd said:

I'm going to just very narrowly answer your question about publications -- this isn't an answer to your broader "do I stand a chance" question or a comment on the other information about your applications that you provide: the vast, vast (seriously, it's vast) majority of students accepted to PhD programs in English (literature; I don't know about Rhet/Comp) do not have publications in peer-reviewed academic journals.

that is a relief! Thank you for commenting

[MadihaG]

6 hours ago, steve3020 said:

I don't know why you should be panicking - there are plenty of people who've done their undergraduate degrees outside the US and went on to do Phd there. I don't know about the whole application process as well as many other people but surely no one will judge you just for being international. If anything I think being an international student will positively reflect on your application if you can meet the same standard of English as American applicants. 

I am not freaking over being an international applicant, what I am worried about is my GRE. It is a little too low. Well all I can do at the moment is just hope my TOEFL makes up for the GRE

[MadihaG]

17 hours ago, JessicaLange said:

I would say that your GRE scores are a little low, like @Warelin mentioned, GRE scores aren't enough to get you into a program, but they definitely can keep you out of a program, and since you're going for the top schools, they are going to want you to be in the top percentiles as far as those scores are concerned. BUT! Who knows? I'm sure that they'll take into account that you are a foreign student, so maybe your TOEFL scores will outweigh the GRE? (I'm not really sure how that works). I suppose time will tell. If you applied for this cycle, then you'll know by the end of spring if not sooner.

Yes, Ill have to wait it out  

[MadihaG]

22 hours ago, Warelin said:

This may not be what you want to here but multiple schools have stated that the Writing Sample and Statement of Purpose are the two most important parts of your application materials. Grades and GRE scores can keep people out of certain schools, but they won't be what gets someone into a school. It's also important to realize that there isn't a "good" or "bad" writing sample. It's more of a "how good" is this and whether or not you fit in with their program. The latter means different things to different people all of which or none of which the program may use in determing whether they see fit or not.

That was helpful Warelin. Thank you for commenting.

[ExponentialDecay]

If your writing sample could've been better, why didn't you work on it until it was?

The GRE is low. 

But chances are hard to predict on this information alone, so you'll just have to wait and find out /:

[Ramus]

On 1/6/2017 at 4:14 PM, MadihaG said:

hi.  I am new to this forum and found the discussions very helpful. I wanted to know is there any chance to get accepted into PHD English Programs at the top schools like Cornell, Brown, Upenn etcetera without a publication to your name?

I am an International applicant. Scored 105 in the TOEFL. GRE 155 verbal 135 quantitative and 4 Analytical. I have been an A* student throughout my academic career and graduated with a disinction. My writing samples were alright, not as good as they could have been but pretty good nevertheless. The SOP was OK . The LOR`s were written by professors who taught me during my undergrad, but none of those professors are big names in the field or anything. I have a very strong record of Co-curriculars and all and a couple of conference presentations to my name. 

But I know how competitive the thing is. I am not sure why am I even ranting here. But I would appreciate your honest opinion folks , do I stand a chance?  

Everyone here is being kind in saying your GRE scores are low but that they won't necessarily shut you out of top programs.

I'll go out on a limb and say there is little-to-no chance of being admitted to a top-20 program with your scores. A 155 on the verbal puts you at the 68th percentile of all test-takers, not simply those applying for English programs. A 4 (59th percentile) in the analytical writing suggests basic competence in writing but no more than that. A 135 (1st percentile) on the quantitive, while the least of adcomms' concerns, will only confirm a program's decision to reject you on the basis of GRE scores alone. Of course, I may be wrong about this, and you may be radically underselling the quality of your writing sample, statement of purpose, letters of rec, etc. But you shouldn't get your hopes up. 

Edited January 8, 2017 by Ramus

[Axil]

With the stats you have presented, your writing sample would have to be outrageously good for you to be accepted into any Phd program, let alone a top one. Most funded programs are extremely competitive, even if they don't make the rankings list. 

Have you considered a terminal Masters? Some of them have funding and some are still accepting applications for this year. Georgetown, North Carolina State, etc. 

[KWIKKI]

Hi MadihaG! Just saw your post and wanted to cheer you up a bit. I am from a different field, but also scored low on GRE and high on TOEFL. My overall GRE score is even lower than yours:) But I do not really care:) I got my master's degree here in the USA and undergrad degree from Russia. Of course, my advice is to look into other programs and schools ( non-top schools and possibly those that do not require GRE) if you do not get accepted this year. Life is life and application season is a big and an expensive gamble---you never know. Good luck!

[Bumblebea]

On 1/8/2017 at 0:45 PM, Ramus said:

Everyone here is being kind in saying your GRE scores are low but that they won't necessarily shut you out of top programs.

I'll go out on a limb and say there is little-to-no chance of being admitted to a top-20 program with your scores. A 155 on the verbal puts you at the 68th percentile of all test-takers, not simply those applying for English programs. A 4 (59th percentile) in the analytical writing suggests basic competence in writing but no more than that. A 135 (1st percentile) on the quantitive, while the least of adcomms' concerns, will only confirm a program's decision to reject you on the basis of GRE scores alone. Of course, I may be wrong about this, and you may be radically underselling the quality of your writing sample, statement of purpose, letters of rec, etc. But you shouldn't get your hopes up. 

If the OP is ESL, the verbal portion of the GRE may not be weighted as heavily as it often is for native English speakers. A lot of programs understand that people coming from vastly different language backgrounds are just never going to do as well on a test that is all about word connotations and shades of meaning. I mean, one of my program friends was from East Asia, and I think her GRE was 490 (old system). She really struggled with the analogies, which is normal for an ESL applicant, but she completed the program just fine. 

Having said that, I didn't go to a top program. (But I didn't go to a bad program either.) I'd say getting into a top-20 program these days is an extreme long shot, regardless of scores. 

[Ramus]

1 hour ago, Bumblebea said:

If the OP is ESL, the verbal portion of the GRE may not be weighted as heavily as it often is for native English speakers.

That may very well be true for many programs, but I doubt that those mentioned above would be flexible enough to consider OP's scores. Cornell, Brown, and UPenn will all almost certainly receive applications from ESL students with better scores, so I imagine they would have little reason to extend OP the latitude he or she needs. 

[ExponentialDecay]

On 1/18/2017 at 4:13 PM, Bumblebea said:

If the OP is ESL, the verbal portion of the GRE may not be weighted as heavily as it often is for native English speakers. A lot of programs understand that people coming from vastly different language backgrounds are just never going to do as well on a test that is all about word connotations and shades of meaning. I mean, one of my program friends was from East Asia, and I think her GRE was 490 (old system). She really struggled with the analogies, which is normal for an ESL applicant, but she completed the program just fine. 

Having said that, I didn't go to a top program. (But I didn't go to a bad program either.) I'd say getting into a top-20 program these days is an extreme long shot, regardless of scores. 

Na, that's a misconception. Top programs receive a ton of applications from ESL applicants with perfect GRE scores, perfect English, and an undergrad at Oxford or something. ESL is a bit of a misnomer in 2017 because the vast majority of us who matriculate at top schools have been in English-language education from a young age and are effectively native speakers. 

Another complication is that OP is applying for a PhD in English. For a PhD in EAS or some other non-Anglophone field, her knowledge of foreign languages may have propped up her application versus others. But for a PhD in English, not only is the department mostly interested in your command of the English language, but you'll also be expected to do your scholarship in English, on English sources - so knowing the language to a relevant standard is kind of essential imo.

[Bumblebea]

On 1/20/2017 at 7:39 PM, ExponentialDecay said:

Na, that's a misconception. Top programs receive a ton of applications from ESL applicants with perfect GRE scores, perfect English, and an undergrad at Oxford or something. ESL is a bit of a misnomer in 2017 because the vast majority of us who matriculate at top schools have been in English-language education from a young age and are effectively native speakers. 

Another complication is that OP is applying for a PhD in English. For a PhD in EAS or some other non-Anglophone field, her knowledge of foreign languages may have propped up her application versus others. But for a PhD in English, not only is the department mostly interested in your command of the English language, but you'll also be expected to do your scholarship in English, on English sources - so knowing the language to a relevant standard is kind of essential imo.

I've actually had a lot of access to applicants' GRE scores over the years, and they represent a much larger spread than you might initially expect. I was surprised myself to see people admitted to perfectly decent programs with scores all over the map (and much lower than the "bare minimum" I'd originally assumed).

Then again, I'm not talking about the scores it takes to get into Harvard or Yale or Columbia, or the schools the OP is talking about.