<p>I'm looking at graduating from Berkeley next spring with an English degree emphasizing in medieval lit (and possibly a Medieval Studies minor, depending on course offerings). I have my eye on English PhD programs with a focus on medieval literature, but I'm starting to feel kind of lonely and wanted to see if there were any other people on CC who have gone through or will be going through something similar.</p>
<p>How'd you decide to get into it? Before or after you started undergrad (ie, did you go specifically because of the faculty in the field?)? What preparation (languages, history, etc.) have you had during undergrad? Papers or conferences?</p>
<p>I'd like to get a feel for other people going this route, because as helpful as my professors and advisor are, it's been a few years since they've done this.</p>
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<p>No one?</p>
<p>I'm a little surprised. I know I've seen hints of students interested in this field. I know someone for this Fall's graduate school cycle is in this area, too...</p>
<p>Oh well. I guess I'll keep hunting!</p>
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<p>I'm an undergrad (possibly majoring in Medieval Studies) who really has not thought too hard about grad school, but I wanted to say:</p>
<p>If you have a LiveJournal (and even if not!), I would suggest checking out medieval_studies.livejournal.com. I know LJs are so 1999, but I find the communities very helpful! :]</p>
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<p>The url is without the underscore, and I know it as Hwaet? ;)</p>
<p>LJ's are useful for groups and I find I go there a lot when I'm looking for a community for a particular thing. Thanks for pointing that out, too. ^_^</p>
<p>What year in undergrad are you? I ask merely because "possibly majoring in Medieval Studies" usually means a pretty early decision, thanks to the breadth it generally requires. I'm actually staying an extra year in undergrad because of them (though I'm also a transfer, so my path is not exactly typical).</p>
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<p>Undecided, my daughter is in your same position. I sent you an email.</p>
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<p>Ah, drat. Good thing you know of it. Otherwise confusion would have ensued! >_<</p>
<p>And I'm only a freshman. The Medieval Studies (called 'Medieval Cultures'!) major here only requires 10 courses, and I've already taken four! The period has always really interested me. Part of me thinks that a general 'History' degree would be more useful and look better than a 'Medieval Cultures' degree... but the latter allows me to focus exclusively on the Middle Ages, which I really like. I'm definitely going to pair it with either Linguistics or French, though.</p>
<p>gwsmom: Thanks. :)</p>
<p>poubelle: See, that's the fun thing. I thought I was all set with my English major and concentration on medieval-era literature. Not so much -- to be truly competitive in admissions for grad programs, I need to be functionally literate in Latin and French or German (better if it's both) and should have at least a little experience with one or more "old" languages (Old English, Occitan/Catalan, Old Norse, etc.) as well as have exposure to a great deal of the softer tangents: the history, the culture, the art, and so on.</p>
<p>To be fair, I am seeking an English degree first and foremost, and the language requirements are nothing new. It's the addition of the focus that makes things complicated, as it presumes an intimate familiarity with a variety of subjects outside the major, moreso than I expect occurs with other English concentrations.</p>
<p>It's fun, don't get me wrong. I am working through Latin and French, taken Old English, will be taking Old/Middle Irish in the fall and have enjoyed every minute of my English courses. I'm just surprised when my adviser looks at me and says, "Where are your history/art/religious studies/etc. classes?"</p>