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redsfan · 08-20-2006, 04:42 PM

Everyone reccommends ranking grad schools in "tiers," and then applying to these "tiers." What I'm curious about is what my tiers should be. I want to go into English Lit, specifically the Renaissance with some Medieval. I have a 4.0 GPA, double major in Psych and Eng with honors--albeit at a second-level, rural state school, 10,000 enrollment--I'm very involved in extracurriculars, I've won some awards (including the one for best junior/senior in the university), and I just got a 780 Q, 770 V on the GREs. My writing sample will be very strong, as I've networked with profs from R1 schools and they've helped/guided me.

So should my top tier be UMich, Rutgers, UVA--big state schools? Or can I shoot for the Ivies, UChicago, UToronto, etc. as my top tier? Or should I aim for something more like IU, UTexas, etc.?

Thanks for your help...

cridamour · 08-24-2006, 02:15 PM

Hi there!
The tiers are actually divisions that are not linked to your personal situation but that people use in general to talk about universities. It's like talking about ranking with the only difference that a tier is never clearly defined.
Anyhow, it is wise to apply to universities across the board in terms of ranking. Depending on what you want, you need to make sure you only apply to schools you are willing to attend, so don't apply too low, unless you would still want to attend that school.
What I did was to go through all schools for my program in the top 60, browse through their programs, eliminate the ones I didn't want to attend based on location (in my case, I didn't want to be in LA or NY for housing prices and in general because I prefer smaller cities). Since I'm in comp lit and Italian is one of my main lits, I excluded every university that didn't have a full program in Italian (hence not enough courses for me to choose from). So, that way, I went along and eliminated. It's also good to search for information on funding if you need it. E.g. some universities don't fund a large part of their students while others only admit the number of students they can fund. I was then left with a list of about 30 schools and had decided to apply to roughly 15. (my professors told me: "As many as you can afford" and I believe they were right) I then selected based on a more thorough review of the programs and faculty and made sure I had enough universities of the rankings I was willing to go for. I had about 4 Ivies, 4 big ten, and concerning ranking: about 6 ranked in top 10, 3 in top 20, 5 between 25 and 40 and then 2 in the top 60. Chosing is for many a bit of a guess, unless you have a BA from an Ivy League or other fabulous university with a super-gpa and super-gre and a super honors thesis etc., which was not my case. The best thing you can do is talk with your undergrad professors and ask them which kind of universities you would make a chance. (Beware though, they will usually be a bit more optimistic about your chances and might sometimes exaggerate them...) You can also ask them for suggestions of universities with faculty strong in your area of interest. If your recommenders know someone in the program you're applying to, you'll at least get some extra attention. You can also apply to the universities your recommenders attended for their PhD, unless they left a bad impression, if their program suits you.
Good luck!

saramari · 08-24-2006, 06:38 PM

Whoa, redsfan! Those are great test scores. Any advice you'd care to offer to your fellow English applicants?

mercadia · 08-24-2006, 11:07 PM

I think with your stats you can go for the ivies if you want. However, I wouldn't just go with the ivies--they can be insular and snotty. I would apply to other schools as well, there are plenty of good programs at big state schools. Go for the programs that best fit your interests. Concentrate on your SOP as well.

redsfan · 08-26-2006, 05:50 AM

I don't have much advice really. My vocabulary was already strong from all the reading I've done. I used Barron's 3,500 word list and studied of it with flash cards. I also tried to take about 6 practice tests under timed conditions, including the writing sections, to build some brain stamina.

As for the math??? I'm not sure; the highest math I got on a practice test was 590, so I was blown away by my math score.

I'm much more concerned about the GRE subject test. It seems pointless and inane. Ugh.

Anyway, thanks to all for the help.

08-20-2006, 04:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
redsfan Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2	Please help me make my tiers! Everyone reccommends ranking grad schools in "tiers," and then applying to these "tiers." What I'm curious about is what my tiers should be. I want to go into English Lit, specifically the Renaissance with some Medieval. I have a 4.0 GPA, double major in Psych and Eng with honors--albeit at a second-level, rural state school, 10,000 enrollment--I'm very involved in extracurriculars, I've won some awards (including the one for best junior/senior in the university), and I just got a 780 Q, 770 V on the GREs. My writing sample will be very strong, as I've networked with profs from R1 schools and they've helped/guided me. So should my top tier be UMich, Rutgers, UVA--big state schools? Or can I shoot for the Ivies, UChicago, UToronto, etc. as my top tier? Or should I aim for something more like IU, UTexas, etc.? Thanks for your help...

08-24-2006, 02:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
cridamour Providence-bound! Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 3,394	Hi there! The tiers are actually divisions that are not linked to your personal situation but that people use in general to talk about universities. It's like talking about ranking with the only difference that a tier is never clearly defined. Anyhow, it is wise to apply to universities across the board in terms of ranking. Depending on what you want, you need to make sure you only apply to schools you are willing to attend, so don't apply too low, unless you would still want to attend that school. What I did was to go through all schools for my program in the top 60, browse through their programs, eliminate the ones I didn't want to attend based on location (in my case, I didn't want to be in LA or NY for housing prices and in general because I prefer smaller cities). Since I'm in comp lit and Italian is one of my main lits, I excluded every university that didn't have a full program in Italian (hence not enough courses for me to choose from). So, that way, I went along and eliminated. It's also good to search for information on funding if you need it. E.g. some universities don't fund a large part of their students while others only admit the number of students they can fund. I was then left with a list of about 30 schools and had decided to apply to roughly 15. (my professors told me: "As many as you can afford" and I believe they were right) I then selected based on a more thorough review of the programs and faculty and made sure I had enough universities of the rankings I was willing to go for. I had about 4 Ivies, 4 big ten, and concerning ranking: about 6 ranked in top 10, 3 in top 20, 5 between 25 and 40 and then 2 in the top 60. Chosing is for many a bit of a guess, unless you have a BA from an Ivy League or other fabulous university with a super-gpa and super-gre and a super honors thesis etc., which was not my case. The best thing you can do is talk with your undergrad professors and ask them which kind of universities you would make a chance. (Beware though, they will usually be a bit more optimistic about your chances and might sometimes exaggerate them...) You can also ask them for suggestions of universities with faculty strong in your area of interest. If your recommenders know someone in the program you're applying to, you'll at least get some extra attention. You can also apply to the universities your recommenders attended for their PhD, unless they left a bad impression, if their program suits you. Good luck! _ _ _ _ SIG _ _ _ _ Brown, here I come!

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08-24-2006, 06:38 PM	#3 (permalink)
saramari Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 29	Whoa, redsfan! Those are great test scores. Any advice you'd care to offer to your fellow English applicants?

08-24-2006, 11:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
mercadia Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 8	I think with your stats you can go for the ivies if you want. However, I wouldn't just go with the ivies--they can be insular and snotty. I would apply to other schools as well, there are plenty of good programs at big state schools. Go for the programs that best fit your interests. Concentrate on your SOP as well.

08-26-2006, 05:50 AM	#5 (permalink)
redsfan Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2	I don't have much advice really. My vocabulary was already strong from all the reading I've done. I used Barron's 3,500 word list and studied of it with flash cards. I also tried to take about 6 practice tests under timed conditions, including the writing sections, to build some brain stamina. As for the math??? I'm not sure; the highest math I got on a practice test was 590, so I was blown away by my math score. I'm much more concerned about the GRE subject test. It seems pointless and inane. Ugh. Anyway, thanks to all for the help.

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