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saramari · 2006 June 7th, 11:06 PM

Hi everyone...

I would like to pick your brains for any information that any of you have on U of M's English Ph.D. program. What kinds of test scores do they look for, for example? This is my top choice school, and I want to really polish up my appilcation so I have the best possible shot at getting in.

I graduated in December 2005 with a BA in English from a mid-level program. I graduated with a 3.9 departmental GPA and a 3.9 cumulative. I have excellent references, and wrote an honors thesis during my last semester from which I can draw a good writing sample. I haven't taken the GRE General or Subject tests yet, but am currently preparing to do so.

Any information that anyone has to offer about this program would be greatly appreciated.

classicist22 · 2006 June 8th, 02:26 PM

Hi Saramari,

I can't give any advice about that specific program, but if you want to know what kind of scores they're looking for, email the school's graduate advisor (or director of graduate studies) and ask. That's what I did - they don't seem to mind at all, and it will give you some idea of what you should be aiming for. You might be pleasantly surprised - even the top schools don't seem to require a great score on the Maths portion if you're applying for an Arts or Humanities subject.

Good luck with your application!

cridamour · 2006 June 8th, 06:03 PM

I got into UMich's Comparative Literature PhD program and I didn't have great GRE scores (V640, Q700, AWA5.5), but I'm a foreign applicant. I think the main thing to work on is ensuring you have something that sets you apart from the pack of equally-qualified applicants with a flawless academic record. Use the time you have now to get some teaching experience, learn a foreign language or perfect your knowledge of one you studied before. Don't focus entirely on GRE scores and GPA, yes, these need to be good, but they won't decide whether you get in or not. We've discussed this on TM on several occasions and GRE and GPA are mostly used to exclude certain applicants if either is really too low. The most important items of your application are your writing sample and your statement of purpose. The statement of purpose in particular seems to be very important. You need to make sure you outline your interests clearly, even you will probably change your mind once you start taking more graduate courses. It is important to select universities based on your research interests, places in humanities programs are so limited that no school will admit someone just for having perfect GPA and GRE scores, they are looking for someone who will fit in, someone who is interested in the type of research the department has specialists in. So, a well-thought selection of universities is essential. And just keep in mind that very few people are left with only a couple of admits even if they've applied to 10 or more universities. So, keep a tight schedule, make sure not to lose out because you missed a deadline or didn't put enough work into customizing your statement of purpose. GOOD LUCK! For any questions, feel free to contact me!

Scraggle18 · 2006 July 17th, 10:08 PM

Wow! I'm so glad I found this forum!

The only thing I know about U Michigan is about the town itself. My friend Jeff went to UMich for his PhD in Engineering - and loved Ann Arbor. Its cold and small, but cute and liberal. He compares it to Ithaca, NY. (we went to Cornell for law school.)

I am applying to PhD in English programs this fall, and thinking I will probably apply to UMichigan too! Hurray for Michigan! =)

2006 June 7th, 11:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
saramari I JUST got here. Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 29	PLEASE LOOK: University of Michigan Hi everyone... I would like to pick your brains for any information that any of you have on U of M's English Ph.D. program. What kinds of test scores do they look for, for example? This is my top choice school, and I want to really polish up my appilcation so I have the best possible shot at getting in. I graduated in December 2005 with a BA in English from a mid-level program. I graduated with a 3.9 departmental GPA and a 3.9 cumulative. I have excellent references, and wrote an honors thesis during my last semester from which I can draw a good writing sample. I haven't taken the GRE General or Subject tests yet, but am currently preparing to do so. Any information that anyone has to offer about this program would be greatly appreciated.

2006 June 8th, 06:03 PM	#3 (permalink)
cridamour Providence-bound! Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 3,394	I got into UMich's Comparative Literature PhD program and I didn't have great GRE scores (V640, Q700, AWA5.5), but I'm a foreign applicant. I think the main thing to work on is ensuring you have something that sets you apart from the pack of equally-qualified applicants with a flawless academic record. Use the time you have now to get some teaching experience, learn a foreign language or perfect your knowledge of one you studied before. Don't focus entirely on GRE scores and GPA, yes, these need to be good, but they won't decide whether you get in or not. We've discussed this on TM on several occasions and GRE and GPA are mostly used to exclude certain applicants if either is really too low. The most important items of your application are your writing sample and your statement of purpose. The statement of purpose in particular seems to be very important. You need to make sure you outline your interests clearly, even you will probably change your mind once you start taking more graduate courses. It is important to select universities based on your research interests, places in humanities programs are so limited that no school will admit someone just for having perfect GPA and GRE scores, they are looking for someone who will fit in, someone who is interested in the type of research the department has specialists in. So, a well-thought selection of universities is essential. And just keep in mind that very few people are left with only a couple of admits even if they've applied to 10 or more universities. So, keep a tight schedule, make sure not to lose out because you missed a deadline or didn't put enough work into customizing your statement of purpose. GOOD LUCK! For any questions, feel free to contact me! _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ Brown, here I come!

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2006 June 8th, 02:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
classicist22 Eager! Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 60	Hi Saramari, I can't give any advice about that specific program, but if you want to know what kind of scores they're looking for, email the school's graduate advisor (or director of graduate studies) and ask. That's what I did - they don't seem to mind at all, and it will give you some idea of what you should be aiming for. You might be pleasantly surprised - even the top schools don't seem to require a great score on the Maths portion if you're applying for an Arts or Humanities subject. Good luck with your application!

2006 July 17th, 10:08 PM	#4 (permalink)
Scraggle18 I JUST got here. Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 26	Wow! I'm so glad I found this forum! The only thing I know about U Michigan is about the town itself. My friend Jeff went to UMich for his PhD in Engineering - and loved Ann Arbor. Its cold and small, but cute and liberal. He compares it to Ithaca, NY. (we went to Cornell for law school.) I am applying to PhD in English programs this fall, and thinking I will probably apply to UMichigan too! Hurray for Michigan! =)

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