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You have now targeted schools where you'd like to complete your graduate study, and you've done your "homework" by reading as much as you can about the graduate program(s) and reviewing publications by the potential faculty mentors you've identified. Now what?
First, find out when the application deadline is for the schools to which you
plan to apply. Applications are often accepted in late December or early January
for the following autumn, though some schools do have a
"rolling admission" process. Request information and application instructions
from
each
school.
Prepare all documents that are required by your target schools. Most schools
will require these
admission materials, but you should check with each prospective graduate program
before proceeding:
|
MA / PhD
|
MATESOL
|
MFA
|
| Application(s) | Application(s) | Application(s) |
| Official undergraduate transcripts | Official undergraduate transcripts | Official undergraduate transcripts |
| Statement of purpose | Statement of purpose | Statement of purpose |
| Critical writing sample | GRE General Test scores |
Creative writing sample |
| GRE General Test scores |
Three letters of recommendation | GRE General Test scores |
| (some schools) GRE English Literature Subject
Test scores |
(optional) TA/Fellowship application | Three letters of recommendation |
| Three letters of recommendation | Application fee | (optional) TA/Fellowship application |
| (optional) TA/Fellowship application | Application fee | |
| Application fee | (sometimes) Critical writing sample | |
| (rarely) GRE English Literature Subject Test scores |
Consider writing to appropriate faculty members at your target schools.Tell them about your academic interests (or interests in creative writing), find out where their published work is available. Without being overbearing or a pest, try to maintain some dialogue with prospective faculty mentors. This way, you become more than just another name on a list of applicants.
Request letters of recommendation from faculty members who know you
well enough to discuss
your work and your potential in detail. Otherwise, admission committees
will receive
"meaningless" letters that say "Janelle did well in my Victorian literature class.
She earned a 3.7."
Graduate admission committees need to see letters that speak specifically to
your accomplishments as an undergraduate, your potential as a graduate student,
and your potential for fitting into and
contributing to a community of scholars in English language and literature. Good
letters of
recommendation are an important component in admission decisions.
To assist faculty whom you've asked to write recommendations for
you, consider providing them with a draft of your statement of purpose or a
brief summary of your recent work and
accomplishments and your plans. It can also be helpful to them if you're able
to provide them with copies of papers you wrote for their courses or other
work you completed under their supervision.
Most schools have a particular form with which to submit your recommendations,
with a place for you to sign a waiver of your right to view these letters.
Ask each graduate program to supply you with
recommendation forms. If you qualify as a UW student or alumni, you can set up
a confidential credentials file (called a "LEO" or Letters of Evaluation Online
file) with UW's
Career Center. This is a central
file to which your
recommenders can send confidential, "blind" letters. Each time you need copies
of them sent to a
particular school, you can request them through CCS. Click here
to find out more
about the LEO credentials file.
Work hard at perfecting your statement of purpose. Your statement of purpose is
an extremely important component of your graduate admission packet. Ask peers, faculty, or advisers
to review what you've written, and plan to make multiple drafts. English Undergraduate Advising
offers Statement of Purpose Workshops every autumn quarter. Watch your englmajors
e-mail for
announcements. There are workshops on statement of purpose writing available through the UW Women's Center (open to both women and men),
and there are also many publications available through bookstores that address this topic. Click here for English Advising's online
information about statement of purpose writing.
Polish your writing sample. Your critical writing sample should represent your
best work in an area related to the academic interest(s) you want to pursue in your graduate study.
Continue to revise and refine. Work with faculty whenever possible on your revisions. Prepare to
turn in an absolutely clean copy (don't turn in a sample that has been graded or commented upon)
that has been edited thoroughly. Your creative writing sample should consist of your best work in
either poetry or fiction. Again, seek faculty help and guidance in your revisions, and prepare to
turn in clean copies (not graded or marked up) that have been edited thoroughly.
Take the appropriate GRE tests. For MA/PhD, often
both the General Aptitude Test and the Literature in English Subject Test are
required. (Most MFA programs
do not require the Subject Test.) The GRE (Graduate Records Exam) General Test
has sections that test your verbal, analytical, and quantitative ability. (Your
verbal and analytical scores will be
most important for graduate study in English.) The GRE Literature in English
Subject Test consists of approximately 230 questions on poetry, drama, biography,
the essay, the short story, the novel, criticism, literary theory, and the
history of the language. For information about the tests, sample questions,
and registration, visit http://www.gre.org.
Fill out all of the application paperwork completely and submit all
requested information (personal statement, GRE scores, recommendations, etc.)
on time. Most schools have an
application checklist. Make sure that there's nothing missing. If you have questions
about any of
the materials, contact the graduate program adviser for the targeted program(s).
Apply for teaching assistantships and other available fellowship programs. There
is usually a separate application for these funding opportunities. Most schools can direct you to
other funding opportunities outside their own departments as well. For information about graduate funding
sources from the UW Graduate School, click here.
