/lit/ - Literature

Don't wast money on Grad school.

I'll begin my part.

First, it is important to ask yourself (obviously) whether grad school is right for you or not.

If college was difficult enough for you, it is not for you.

If writing is a chore for you, (english for that matter) and grad school is not for you.

If doing TREMENDOUS amounts of work bother you more than most people, grad school is not for you.

If you do not cope well with intense or rigorous schedules, grad school is not for you.

HOWEVER

If you want to work hard in what you love, if you want to raise your average salary by as much as doubling it, if you want to teach, or if you simply love to be immersed in the field of English, then grad school is for you.

>>MA in English

Have fun working at Barnes & Noble.

Enjoy your job at olive garden

Seriously, an MA in English? Why?

An MFA is at least an excuse to hobnob. What are you going to get out of a master's degree in English? Were you looking forward to teaching comp. lit at a community college? Because there are Ph.D.s competing for those jobs now.

What the hell can I do with a political science degree? This is a serious question.

Once you decide you want to go to Graduate school, you should make sure you have a few things laid out before you even consider which one you should go to.

Before even considering, you should ask yourself the following:

Is my GPA at the VERY LEAST a 3.0?

Have I been involved in numerous activities, both academic, and social?

Did I participate in any activities or mediums that pertained to my field?

Have I interned?

Do I have good sources for recommendations, such as senior professors or department chairs?

Am I fluent in more than just English?

Have I published work before?

Do I have a good GRE score?

All are very important. The more you do to set yourself apart from the several thousands that are also applying for grad school, and the hundreds, if not thousands who are applying to YOUR school and YOUR program, the better.

>>672198
>>672200

Why are you idiots on /lit/...

What degree in English DO you suggest?

>>672206

Serious question. What degree in English is suggested. MA? MFA? MA with a specialization like composition, literature, film studies?

>>672202

Civil servant.

>>672213

And that can't be achieved through an English degree?

>>672210

If you've got infinite money and time, get a degree in whatever you want. Hell, just hang out in school for twenty years.

If you want to teach or do academic research, a Ph.D.

If you want to write, an M.F.A. (strictly for networking).

If you want to do anything that's not teaching or writing for a living, I recommend not getting a degree in English.

I'm a Ph.D. (not in English) and a recovering academic. The M.A. in liberal arts is not a good career move, and usually not a particularly satisfying academic program.

>>672206
None. Get a business degree.

If you're not going to one of the very top schools, it's not worth it.

It is ESPECIALLY not worth it if you have a pay a single penny on it.

>>672203

Cont.

Now we begin the search for a good Grad school.

Understand that there are different programs with English. You can get an MA, a MFA, and even go for a doctorate. Certifications in publishing also are valid choices.

However, schools might offer only certain ones, the best typically offer all.

Decide whether you want to place an emphasis on literature, writing (fiction, creative, prose, whatever), film studies, composition, teaching, publication, and the like.

THEN, you can start researching for which Grad school you would like to go to.

>>672218

What exactly does a business degree teach you? Sorry for all these inane questions, but I'm curious.

>>672225

>Posting about business on /lit/
>NO ONE posting anything relevant to the thread
>rageface.jpg

>Have I been involved in numerous activities, both academic, and social?

This shit actually that important if I have a 3.95?

>>672235

Surprisingly, yes.

Grad schools receive NUMEROUS applicants throughout the year. ALL of them with very high GPA's.

An application reviewer is more inclined to take a person with a 3.66 and has been VERY involved in activities than a person with a stellar GPA...but no sign of social experience.

>>672242

Well, any general recommendation for a Comp. Lit & Philosophy Dual major? Obviously I'll have to check out what they offer at my school, but is there anything you would expect to stand out on an application?

>>672242

Protip: This is only true in the liberal arts. The sciences don't give two shits.

>>672242

Harvard made headlines when a member of the board that handles applications stated that they overlooked someone with PERFECT SAT AND ACT SCORES and took someone with lower scores, but has shown large involvement in activities and leadership opportunities.

Also, please be aware that this is for people seeking ENGLISH graduate programs.

Sorry I didn't make that very clear, this is /lit/ so I thought people would assume.

Stop turning /lit/ into /r9k/ ans see a guidance counselor.

Now then, like I said before, feel free to contribute graphs, websites, advice, links, books or otherwise on how to help fellow /lit/erates get into an English grad program.

Cont.

The U.S. News and Weekly Report obviously has a pretty accurate ranking system on the best English graduate programs. My personal choice, University of Pittsburgh, is ranked 34th. Not too bad considering the top-10 are Ivy schools and in general schools that are very difficult to get into.

Other ranking sites exist if anyone would like to post.

>>672260

>Implying good advice on how to get into an english grad program is /r9k/
>Implying /lit/ has ever had one of these threads in forever
>Pro-tip, I haven't seen one of these in forever.

Less bitching, more contributing.

>>672267 I haven't seen one of these in forever.

And you went to 4Chan first? What a jackass. There's too much personal shit on this board.

>>672274

Since when has there been a pretty helpful thusfar thread on /lit/ on a very important life decision, relating to the interests of /lit/?

Why isn't anyone contributing to this positively...

Speak to your counselor monthly on more ways to prepare, whether it is a foreign language or appealing activities, jobs, etc.

GET YOUR FUCKING GRADES UP. If you have a 2.9 or lower, you might as well quit your hopes and dreams.

Even if you have a 3.0 or above, keep fucking working.

>>672283
Stop putting every sentence on a new paragraph.

Cont.

Constantly read and write, and strive to get published. Your school is going to want to see not just how well you did in classes or how active you were, they want to see your potential.

Grad school application boards ask: Is this person worth taking?

It is a business decision because grad schools don't want to see someone fail just as much as the student doesn't want to fail. If they are taking a person out of only 15 of the hundreds of applicants, they want to make sure that this student was a good choice.

To help ensure that, writing samples are KEY. What have you published? What is your writing? Has it been given reviews? Were the reviews positive? How credible was the publication, subject matter, so on so forth.

Whether it's a newspaper submission, a piece of fiction, a book, Grad schools want to see that you are active in English before you even set foot onto the path towards higher education.

>>672290

>Doesn't understand how advice threads work
>Doesn't realize that tips should be listed in new paragraphs
>girlslaughing.jpg

>>672290

Seriously, get the fuck out.

Sure is negative non-literate faggots in this thread. Shall we continue being constructive?

In my experience, interning for a publishing company was all NYU needed to see when I applied.

>>672308

Stop samefagging, STALIN.

>>672292

Cont.

Online writing websites are also helpful, and provide numerous tips to get in as well.

You can find books published everywhere regarding more in-depth tips on how to improve on your GRE, your GPA, and your writing in general.

The more involved you are, the better. Strive to stand-out, which means to stand-out in more than just your GPA or your GRE scores. Do EVERYTHING you can to set yourself apart from the masses.

>>672308 non-literate
Yeah, I wouldn't anticipate going to grad school if I were you.

No one is samefagging...Sounds like you're just being an ass.

Cont.

NETWORKING is key as well. Facebook, LinkedIn, freelance, whatever. Get to know as many people as possible in the business you plan to work for, whether it is in publishing, editing, teaching, etc.

Professors are good starts, not just for the professors recommendation, but professors are gold mines in pointing you towards people who can improve your application, important people in the business, and even people that are ON THE APPLICATION REVIEW BOARD.

>>672325

>Adj. 1. non-literate - used of a society that has not developed writing
>itsawordyoudumbass.jpg

/lit/ won't help you with you homework, it's not going to help you apply.

Cont.

When with faculty, always be polite. Ask your professors if they have any resources. The library has a gigantic database that is filled with links on where to go for application improvement and people who are in the business. USE THESE.

Professors are usually inviting guest authors to speak or do a reading. Book-signings and what not are also great places. Authors want to network just as much as you do, and in most cases, they will be happy to give you a recommendation or work with you on your writing and so-forth.

>>672343

Stalin archived a thread a while ago that said homework help is allowed if someone offers it.

Seriously, no one else is going to contribute anything useful, pertaining to the topic?

>>672343

OP is trying to help people apply....why are you here....

I think that's all the info I got so far unless anyone else wants to help out.

BUMP

thanks op

bump

good thread Stalin

lol I make more money than your ass in one day than you make all year. suck it

>>672404

>Immature faggot who brags about something that can't be proven, on a board that doesn't give a shit.
>Also can't sage properly.

Go for a Masters in Library and Information Science!

this thread has just convinced me never to go to college.