I'm finally going for it :)

[snickus]

Hello! So, here's my story. I graduated high school in Florida. They have a generous scholarship program where if you get a certain SAT score and GPA, you get a full-tuition scholarship to any public FL college. I stayed local and attended a public FL college with a direction in its name. It wasn't until the end of my junior year that I learned I probably should've gone to a "better name" school. That's when I learned from professors and other students that it would be highly unlikely for any of us to get into a top graduate humanities program from my undergrad due to our lack of prestige.  I should've persevered and gone that route anyway, since my heart was fully in my majors: English and philosophy. Fear of not getting into a good grad school and then not getting a job at the end of my PhD won out though. I gave up on that dream, despite it being the best fit for me.

At that same time, I'd heard that law schools didn't care about undergrad prestige much, since they so strongly weighed the LSAT. So I took that, scored in the 99th percentile, and decided to go that route even though I had my suspicions from the start that it was the wrong fit. That was confirmed once I got there! I loathed it and became depressed. I did ok though, gpa in the middle of the class and all As in my legal writing course. This was at a top ten law school.

Near the end of my second semester, I requested a leave of absence. My school was wonderful and granted it, said I could come back at any time. Not long after that,  my mom was diagnosed with ALS. I was her primary caregiver for a few years until she passed away. At that point, I decided life was too short to do something I disliked. So I decided not to return to law school. 

I instead got my master's in English Education, since some of my strongest interests are learning and instruction. (I discovered this during years as a tutor and professional trainer.) I now have the guts though to go all the way and get my PhD in English so that I can teach at the college level. That's what my heart most desires and always has. Teaching and publishing my own work. I was scared for so long that it wouldn't work out, but I want to at least try!

I come here for advice on where you think I should apply. I only want to apply to schools where I'd have a shot at full funding. I'd appreciate a heads up on the best schools you think I'd have a shot at. By "best," I mean the schools I'm competitive for that give me the greatest chance at landing a professor job when I'm done.

-- My undergrad GPA was 3.65. I was also named "The Outstanding Philosophy Graduate" for my class.

-- My grad GPA is 3.96. I graduate this month.

-- I haven't taken the GRE yet. I took a practice test for the English part and scored in the high 160s. I haven't even attempted the math part yet because I've forgotten everything beyond fractions, it seems.  I'll definitely need to study up for that big time! 

-- I have work experience in tutoring (writing, LSAT) and also in business (training, management).

I currently live in Buffalo, NY and will be applying to University at Buffalo's program, but I wanted to check with you guys on where else I should include.  I'll be applying this fall for admission in Fall 2018. Thank you for reading!  

 

Edited May 24, 2017 by snickus

[snickus]

I read some of the threads here. I see now that my question is possibly unanswerable! I see how different the process is from that of law school. So much depends on identifying my areas of interest, finding a school that's strong in that, and tailoring my application portfolio around that. 

Can anyone advise of English PhD programs that are interdisciplinary? In particular, I'm looking to take some philosophy courses within my program. My particular philosophical interest is epistemology, and that's my favorite lens to use when analyzing literature. I didn't quite realize how obsessed I was with that during undergrad. It's only now when I reread my work that I see how that's what the majority of my literature papers were about. 

The English PhD program at my local university, UB, touts its interdisciplinary nature. That's one of the main reasons I want to apply there.

Edited May 24, 2017 by snickus

[ExponentialDecay]

Most English programs allow you to take classes in other departments. All worthwhile PhD programs in the US are fully funded. If one isn't, it's predatory and it doesn't actually want you to attend.

This is a cute OP and I feel like it has purpose. That said, it's kind of hard to advise you because you don't say what your research interests are. That will guide your program choice much more than your desire to take classes in the philosophy department. Not to mention, philosophy departments, just like English, differ in focus and strength and the classes they offer. If your interests are sufficiently interdisciplinary, an English program might not even be the right fit for you and you might need to apply to interdisciplinary programs. That's only if you know for certain what your project is, because grad school really isn't the time for self-exploration for the sake of self-exploration.

As for lack for undergrad prestige, I'm not sure it's so much that that holds people in your situation back (though it is a factor, among hundreds of factors). The thing in common that applicants from low-ranked UGs and applicants from prestigious non-US universities seem to have in common is a lack of polish. Like, an OP from an applicant from a top US undergrad contains much different questions, assumptions, and information because they are more likely to know what's up. They have more information and support from their department in preparing for grad school. Presentation and register of your materials ends up mattering a great deal, and that's something most people struggle with if they didn't spend time in an environment that runs by those rules. Good news is, unlike prestige, that's all fixable.

[FeetInTheSky]

Welcome!

I agree with @ExponentialDecay -- it's brilliant that you want to combine English and epistemology; I think that there are some really groovy intersections to explore there. Still, I'd say that you should try to get a little narrower. I'd encourage you to consider a period of literature (Victorian, Early Modern, Twentieth century, as examples) and/or a theoretical lens -- critical race theory, feminism, queer theory, etc, then track down some of the people in those fields whose work speaks to you and see if they work at schools that match your other interests (like your desire for a program that encourages interdisciplinary work). Even though some English programs are generally excellent, many are somewhat uneven in that they excel in a couple of subfields. Once you know your subfields, picking a school becomes much easier. 

(Also, based on your MA in English education and interest in epistemology, I'm going to make one quick plug for the field of rhetoric and composition.)

Also, don't worry about the math on the GRE. It's essentially unimportant. Answer the questions you can answer without much trouble so that you get a somewhat respectable score, but remember that the GRE is an endurance test. If you burn a lot of mental energy on the math, you'll do worse on the English, which is what actually matters. 

[snickus]

Thanks, Exponential Decay.  I learned a lot from your post. When you say most programs are fully funded, does that mean that so long as I'm accepted I can expect to be offered full-tuition and a stipend? I may not be using the correct terminology. 

You make a strong point about people in my position not knowing the grad school discourse. It certainly is a tougher road when walking it without guidance. I'm relieved to have found this forum. I've learned so much about the process since I started reading posts here last night. 

Yeah, I definitely need to define my research interest in a way that English PhD programs expect it to be defined. Is an epistemological lens on 19th and 20th century American Literature too broad? In particular, I'm interested in applying Kant's revelation of the mind as the active constructor of experience (and, therefore, reality) to American literature written during that time period. The writing sample I submit will provide them with an example of the type of work I have in mind.  

Edited May 24, 2017 by snickus

[snickus]

23 minutes ago, FeetInTheSky said:

Still, I'd say that you should try to get a little narrower. I'd encourage you to consider a period of literature (Victorian, Early Modern, Twentieth century, as examples) and/or a theoretical lens -- critical race theory, feminism, queer theory, etc, then track down some of the people in those fields whose work speaks to you and see if they work at schools that match your other interests (like your desire for a program that encourages interdisciplinary work). Even though some English programs are generally excellent, many are somewhat uneven in that they excel in a couple of subfields. Once you know your subfields, picking a school becomes much easier. 

Ah, these are helpful steps, thank you, FeetInTheSky!

I appreciate the heads up regarding the math part. I definitely need a refresher there (it's sad how I've forgotten it all), but it's a relief to know that I don't need to aim for a high score.  

Thank you!

Edited May 24, 2017 by snickus