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Thinking about applying to a MA/PHD program

post #1 of 66
5/17/10 at 10:22pm
Thread Starter 
I just finished up my Junior year and I've been thinking a lot about what to do after graduation, and although I definitely want to do some sort of grad school, up until now I had been pretty torn between an English MA and Law School. after talking to some of my professors, they've strongly recommended that I consider applying to a combo english MA/PHD program. It would end up with two years of basic MA coursework (after which you 'get' an MA) and 2-4 years of PHD/thesis work as I see it, pros: * program would be funded (if I get in), so it would essentially be free * have a PHD before 30 * one of my professors recently graduated from my #1 choice (uva) and has offered to help me in whatever I need.. so that's kind of an 'in' downsides: * extremely competitive. I have a 4.0 GPA with a lot of good references and other work, and I have a paper that, fingers crossed, is both publishable and a good candidate for conferences, but most of the top schools only take 15-25 candidates a year * will be 5-6 years of backbreaking work honestly, I can see myself enjoying being a professor. I understand how competitive and politic-driven it is, and I don't really mind that. any thoughts?
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post #2 of 66
5/17/10 at 10:25pm
There is no downsides from what you've listed, so just do it. If you get in, great, if you don't get in, then that solves your problem anyway doesn't it.
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post #3 of 66
5/17/10 at 10:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eason View Post
There is no downsides from what you've listed, so just do it. If you get in, great, if you don't get in, then that solves your problem anyway doesn't it.

the downside is the months of time/money i'd devote to this process, and doing so would probably put my plans for possibly attending law school (studying for the LSATs) on hold for at least a year. its a big gamble in that sense.
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post #4 of 66
5/17/10 at 10:39pm
Why do you want to go to law school?
Do you have an actual interest in the law, or is it just a default grad school choice that you think will open doors?
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post #5 of 66
5/17/10 at 10:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
Why do you want to go to law school?
Do you have an actual interest in the law, or is it just a default grad school choice that you think will open doors?

I definitely have an interest in law and a familiarity with the workload of a law student and the work of a lawyer once you graduate. although I feel I'd enjoy working in academia more, I definitely don't believe that I'd be unhappy as a lawyer
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post #6 of 66
5/17/10 at 10:54pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bkstone View Post
Life=Risk

yea, but measured, appropriate risk!

a lot of my friends say go for just an MA, but I refuse to get a degree in an unfunded program and if I"m gonna get the MA I'm gonna for a PHD, so why fuck around
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post #7 of 66
5/17/10 at 10:55pm
stay in school, maintain adolescence. great plan.
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post #8 of 66
5/17/10 at 10:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teger View Post
I just finished up my Junior year and I've been thinking a lot about what to do after graduation, and although I definitely want to do some sort of grad school, up until now I had been pretty torn between an English MA and Law School. after talking to some of my professors, they've strongly recommended that I consider applying to a combo english MA/PHD program. It would end up with two years of basic MA coursework (after which you 'get' an MA) and 2-4 years of PHD/thesis work

as I see it, pros:

* program would be funded (if I get in), so it would essentially be free
* have a PHD before 30
* one of my professors recently graduated from my #1 choice (uva) and has offered to help me in whatever I need.. so that's kind of an 'in'

downsides:

* extremely competitive. I have a 4.0 GPA with a lot of good references and other work, and I have a paper that, fingers crossed, is both publishable and a good candidate for conferences, but most of the top schools only take 15-25 candidates a year
* will be 5-6 years of backbreaking work

honestly, I can see myself enjoying being a professor. I understand how competitive and politic-driven it is, and I don't really mind that.

any thoughts?

Skip the MA program, just go straignt to a PhD program. After the coursework, you can petition for the Masters degree. Then you will take your general exams. Btw, actually talk to PhD students. It takes about 5 years to do your thesis after you spend 6-9 months lining up funding and writing proposals.
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post #9 of 66
5/17/10 at 11:00pm
I think you'd make a great lawyer, Teger.
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post #10 of 66
5/17/10 at 11:00pm
Damn there are a bunch of these damn threads.
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post #11 of 66
5/17/10 at 11:03pm
Serious question: Why do you want a PhD in English? If you don't want to become an English professor, then there are very few compelling reasons to get a PhD (even if it's free). If you do want to become one, then a PhD is essential but the academic market is beyond brutal at this moment (and for the foreseeable future). There's an enormous glut of PhDs out there (English and otherwise), many of whom are in debt, stressed out and depressed. It's not a pretty picture. If you do decide to get a PhD in English, two bits of advice:
1. Don't pay for it. Going in debt for a humanities PhD is insane.
2. Go to graduate understanding that won't become a professor (there's always an outside chance, but the market is brutal), so that you're always thinking about what you'll do after graduate school. If you do that, you can focus your studies on getting useful skills for the outside world and not be stuck with skills and dispositions only useful in the academy.
Also, read this op-ed in the Chronicle of Higher Education:
http://chronicle.com/article/Graduat...he-Huma/44846/
There's a lot of truths in his piece (and subsequent ones). It should be required reading for anyone considering graduate school.
Sorry to be so discouraging, but most people outside of academia tend to have a very rosy view of it because they only see the one who've made it (professors) and those aspiring to it (grad students), not the ones who have moved on.
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post #12 of 66
5/17/10 at 11:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thekunk07 View Post
stay in school, maintain adolescence. great plan.

not all of us want to have kids at like 21

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xiaogou View Post
Skip the MA program, just go straignt to a PhD program. After the coursework, you can petition for the Masters degree. Then you will take your general exams. Btw, actually talk to PhD students. It takes about 5 years to do your thesis after you spend 6-9 months lining up funding and writing proposals.

yea, this is my plan. most of the schools I'd want to attend don't have any sort of admissions agreement from MA-> PHD, so.. what's the point? I would go for a combo program or nothing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arced View Post
Serious question: Why do you want a PhD in English? If you don't want to become an English professor, then there are very few compelling reasons to get a PhD (even if it's free). If you do want to become one, then a PhD is essential but the academic market is beyond brutal at this moment (and for the foreseeable future). There's an enormous glut of PhDs out there (English and otherwise), many of whom are in debt, stressed out and depressed. It's not a pretty picture. If you do decide to get a PhD in English, two bits of advice:
1. Don't pay for it. Going in debt for a humanities PhD is insane.
2. Go to graduate understanding that won't become a professor (there's always an outside chance, but the market is brutal), so that you're always thinking about what you'll do after graduate school. If you do that, you can focus your studies on getting useful skills for the outside world and not be stuck with skills and dispositions only useful in the academy.
Also, read this op-ed in the Chronicle of Higher Education:
http://chronicle.com/article/Graduat...he-Huma/44846/
There's a lot of truths in his piece (and subsequent ones). It should be required reading for anyone considering graduate school.
Sorry to be so discouraging, but most people outside of academia tend to have a very rosy view of it because they only see the one who've made it (professors) and those aspiring to it (grad students), not the ones who have moved on.

I would love to be an English Professor. I plan on only accepting to a program if I have guaranteed funding (which is why I'd be applying to top programs; cause they gots the $$). I'm aware of the realities of the academic marketplace and that's part of the reason I'd only attend a funded program.
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post #13 of 66
5/18/10 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teger View Post
I would love to be an English Professor. I plan on only accepting to a program if I have guaranteed funding (which is why I'd be applying to top programs; cause they gots the $$). I'm aware of the realities of the academic marketplace and that's part of the reason I'd only attend a funded program.

I'm impressed. Few people who know the academic market would consider going to grad school to become a professor.

Just remember that going to a funded program doesn't make it free. You'll be spending 4-8 years of your life getting the PhD.
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post #14 of 66
5/18/10 at 2:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by arced View Post
I'm impressed. Few people who know the academic market would consider going to grad school to become a professor. Just remember that going to a funded program doesn't make it free. You'll be spending 4-8 years of your life getting the PhD.
When I first talked with one of my professors about pursuing some sort of graduate degree he simply told me "don't" and it wasn't until we'd talked about it for like 4-5 hours that he finally said "I think you should consider this." This was after he described the hellish process he went through to get his job. In the end, honestly, it's something I really enjoy and I believe I'm good at; and I don't mean the whole 'I like reading books! yay!', but engaging with critical research and deep analysis. Do you work in the field? Anyway... giving up 4-8 years is only predicated on me actually getting in.
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post #15 of 66
5/18/10 at 3:09am
Don't go to law school. There's enough supply of freshly minted lawyers and laid-off ones from the last few years to last a decade. You'll be at least $100k in the hole by the time you're done and there'll be no real prospect of permanent, well-paying employment. If I could turn back time, I'd go back and get my Ph.D. [I might still do that.]
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