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[engrad12]

Hello, all--

I've been checking out CHE forums for the past few weeks. I have one of the ubiquitous and dreaded questions about graduate school that I know everyone always asks; it's similar to the 'what are my chances' ones but I hope you're able to help because I haven't been able to find much about my particular situation in the searches.

I'm going to be a first-gen college graduate, and my degree will be from a lower-tier religious-based SLAC. I never thought when I first started college that I'd want to attend graduate school, but things have changed for me--I want to attend a master's program for English.

I've done extremely well in my undergraduate program, going above and beyond inside and outside of the classroom. I have a 3.9 GPA, solid LORs, a 1370 GRE (770V/600Q/5AW), and a fervor for the discipline and the idea of teaching and researching. Also, I have experience assisting in the University Writing Center, tutoring with the local literacy association, and working as an assistant for two professors in my field (grading, filing, etc.). I do feel prepared academically.

Mostly I'm worried about my undergrad school's reputation (or lack thereof) and opportunities/experiences I may not have had. Mine is a growing school and not well-known.

All in all, I've been stressing over my applications and whether I'll get in to the schools if they're well-ranked programs (most w/in top 50). I won't give away the places I'm applying to as that may give away my location, and I've noticed a adherence to anonymity on the forums.

What types of schools should I shoot for? Can I aim high?

[zainab]

Yes. A friend and three acquaintances applied from a pretty low-ranked undergraduate institution (all of them in the humanities field). The friend is now at Oxford, the two acquaintances are at Cornell and Brown, having turned down schools like Chicago, Michigan, and Stanford. What really helped all of them (so they say) is incredibly good reference letters and things like independent studies and their senior theses. The one at Oxford had the highest GPA in the entire university, but the one who is now at Brown had a GPA lower than yours - a 3.85 - and pretty shoddy GRE scores.

Their professors and advisers suggested that they apply to these schools.

[systeme_d_]

Yes, aim high, and make sure your writing sample is impeccable.


Unsolicited advice: do not attend any MA program without full funding, especially if you do not yet know whether you'll be going on for the PhD. 

And I hope you realize that the hiring market (for English PhDs) is beyond brutal.

[msparticularity]

So what everyone should do for college and grad school (and jobs!): establish a list of "satisfactory," "very good," and "yippee!" options, and apply to at least one in each category.

[watermarkup]

A professor at a school like yours regularly referred students like you to my grad program, where he had earned his Ph.D. Those students were warmly welcomed and funded, even if they were coming from a tiny, religiously-affiliated college, because he was known to be a professor who prepared his students well and sent good students our way. Where have students gone in the past who had LORs from your professors?

Aim high. Don't let geography limit where you apply. If you aim low, it's not worth doing at all.

[engrad12]

Wow, I'm much appreciative of the helpful tips from each poster. Thank you all so much for taking the time to offer such encouraging and practical advice.

[thehighking]

Aim high...to do this you must have an absolutely flawless writing sample.

Stellar letters will help tremendously also, but mostly the statement of purpose and writing sample must be air-tight.

[goldfinch]

I agree, apply to a range of schools that offer good funding packages.  One of the most successful students from my [private, top 20 in field] PhD program came from a third tier public undergrad university.  He wrote great scholarship, published published published, and landed a great job.  Most sensible universities can see quality and aren't so snotty that they can't see students with different backgrounds.  Make sure you have a terrific writing sample, and if you can, know who you want to work with at schools so you can tailor your cover letters in a meaningful way.  Good luck!  

[minorleaguer]

The idea of gauging your "chances" at getting into this program or that program is flawed.  This is beyond frustrating for most people when applying for graduate school.  If you meet the minumum requirements - it is anyone's guess, frankly. 

Let's take three of my friends from a top-ranked program. Friend A went to a medium sized, well respected, but certainly not top-tier state school.  Friends B and C went to unknown SLACs.  Good schools, no doubt, but certainly not national, "brand name," undergraduate institutions.

All three of the friends got into one of the top programs in our field.

This said, these three individuals were rejected at a combined 19 schools. 

This year, our graduate program admitted only ONE student in our field.  None of the three friends, they each admit, would have stood a chance. 

I hope this is clear, I just took my first sip of coffee.

[thehighking]

Yes, it is all highly, highly whimsical.

But I can guarantee you that you WILL NOT be admitted UNLESS you have an impeccable writing sample and impeccable statement of purpose.

They are necessary, but not sufficient conditions.

[seniorscholar]

In my department we get in the neighborhood of 300 applications for the PhD program every year. First we week out those who do not surmount some basic numerical floors -- you'd easily pass that test. (The only time we question an undergraduate GPA, though, is when that school has a reputation for grade inflation and the grades are way out of line with the writing sample; but I see no evidence that might have an impact on your profile.)

Then we give all the writing samples and other files to the tenured faculty members *in the area of interest that the applicant has mentioned in the personal statement. Note: this is "area of interest"; not a clear proposal of a dissertation topic (which sometimes suggests someone who doesn't know enough about the area to know what a dissertation topic looks like). Since we can't fund more than 10-12 new doctoral students per year, the question to the faculty members in the area is "based on what you see here, would you like to be dissertation director for this student?"

That's how important the personal statement and writing sample are (as opposed to the things we can judge from your self-description). And we seldom admit more than one new PhD student per faculty member in the area: hardly anyone in humanities is able to give the full needed attention to more than one student who will graduate in any one year).

But finally notice: you may never know who "asked for" you; and many people change their area once they have sampled the graduate coursework. However, it's the well-published scholars in your general area who will actually make the decision about who to admit, based on the writing they see and with very little attention to the undergraduate school.

Unless -- as someone else has said -- one of these scholars is a friend of someone at your college and knows what good preparation it gives to its students.