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inside the academy:
realistic considerations for applying to ph.d. programs
If you wish to pursue a
Ph.D. in English after completing your M.A. at EKU, there are several points you
should begin considering early on in your Masters program.
First of all, you should
probably choose to complete a thesis. The sustained research and writing that
a master's thesis requires are essential preparation for the longer scholarly
projects you will pursue as a doctoral student. Also, it's very possible that
the writing sample you'll include with your Ph.D. program applications will be
a part of that thesis, although you might also select a strong course paper for
this purpose. Now that you know you'll be writing a thesis, begin considering
early on what kinds of topics interest you. Also, talk often with various graduate
faculty members in order to make informed decisions about whom to select for a
thesis advisor and committee members.
Equally importantly, while
a student here, you should try to garner experience and credentials that will
look impressive on your Ph.D. program applications. Such things include:
- membership in professional
organizations, from perhaps the most influential one in our field, the Modern
Language Assocation, to smaller societies devoted to your area of study--say,
Victorian literature--or even more specifically to the author(s) on which you
write your thesis. These memberships will keep you informed of changes in our
discipline (which is always evolving!) and about recent scholarship in your area
of interest, through newsletters, journals, and conferences. Which brings me to
the next point. . .
- attending and, ideally,
presenting a paper at a professional conference in your field, as a way of showing
your "connectedness" to your field of study. You will see calls for conference
paper proposals in the publications mentioned above, but another great source
for learning about upcoming conferences is the Call for Papers Listserv, operated
by Erika Lin at Penn State University. Its website is www.english.upenn.edu/CFP/,
where you may browse for paper calls or follow a link for simple directions on
how to subscribe to the listserv. On this list, each post will mention or describe
a conference or panel for which papers are sought, and detail what types of abstracts
or proposals to send and where to send them. This is an incredibly helpful resource
for breaking into the professional meeting network.
- Gaining relevant work experience,
such as teaching courses or tutoring in the Writing/Reading Center. You will most
likely support yourself throughout a Ph.D. program as a teaching assistant, and
such demonstration of your capabilities as a teacher will make you stand out from
applicants without such experience.
When you begin searching
for specific Ph.D. programs, there are several helpful resources to consider.
The U.S. News and World Report publishes each year a ranking of top Ph.D. programs
in each specialization in English, which can be found on the web at www.usnews.com.
Follow the link "Best Grad Schools" on this page, and you'll find the rankings
plus lots of other helpful information about choosing schools, admissions tests,
financial aid, etc. Also, Peterson's Guide
to Graduate Programs provides comprehensive information about courses of study
at various institutions. It can be found in the reference section of libraries
or on the web.
Finally, once you've narrowed
your list of potential schools to a handful, go to each institution's website
and spend a good deal of time looking around. Determine the admissions requirements,
including GRE scores (you might even want to consider retaking the GRE, if you
have a fairly competitive school in mind). Notice the credentials of the faculty
there -- are there well-published "stars" in the field of study you'd like to
pursue? Find out about the requirements of the degree program itself -- does its
philosophy (as represented by required courses, etc.) square with your own scholarly
objectives? Also, learn about forms of student support, such as research or teaching
assistantships. It's particularly important to know what the course "load" for
teaching assistants will be and how many years of support are given.
Once you are well-informed
on all these fronts, it remains to request and complete applications to the programs
you choose. How many schools to apply to is a personal decision, but it might
be useful to think of applying to one "long-shot" program, two programs that you
feel you have a reasonably decent chance of being accepted to, and one "saftety"
school. Of course, you'll need to budget both your time and the money you'll spend
on application fees, when considering these issues.
When completing applications,
be sure to highlight your qualifications as identified in the bullets above. You'll
need to select a writing sample for your applications, so choose a piece that
most accurately reflects your abilities and methodologies as a writer and thinker
-- it may not have been the paper you received the highest grade on! Also, select
something that is "self-standing" within the page requirements stated on the application,
as opposed to part of a longer piece (condense a longer paper, if that's the one
you want to use). Finally, if letters of reference are required, be sure to request
these early on from faculty in order to allow them to write them with care and
precision, rather than in a time-crunch. Also, it's thoughtful to supply a resume
and writing sample to each letter writer. Once the applications are in, be patient.
Sometimes schools will "wait list" you and notify you later in the school year
of your acceptance.
Good luck!
Dr.
Charlotte Rich
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