<p>My mind is not yet made up on what college I'll be enrolling in next year, but I'm relatively certain to pursue an English major and then I'd like to go on to a top grad school for an English PhD. I have two major questions that concern me in this last regard, as it relates to my undergrad choice. </p>
<p>How much do grad schools prioritize what school you attend for your undergrad, in terms of admission? I think I'm stuck mainly between Oberlin (20k a year) and Ohio U (no tuition), also considering GW and Pitt (both also 20k a year).</p>
<p>What is the situation like financially for grad students in English? If I attend OU my parents will be able to help pay for the program, but not if I attend any others. What is the situation like for fellowships and things like that in English?</p>
<p>Most (sane) professors would tell you to stay away from graduate school in the humanities.</p>
<p>most programs will fully fund an english PhD. you’ll get tuition remission and a stipend that will cover the bare minimum of your living expenses. as a humanities student, expect about 18K a year. sciences students get a fair bit more than that, but for humanities, you’ll looking at very little money. livable, definitely, but not as much as the biomed students get, that’s for sure.</p>
<p>you should only do a PhD in english if you get full funding. some schools may offer you partial funding, others none at all. don’t go if they don’t pay, even if you leave your undergrad debt-free. you’ll NEVER make enough money with an english PhD to pay off the loans. do. not. do. it. this is a long way off for you, though.</p>
<p>also, you should know this… out of every 10 students that enroll in a humanities PhD program, 6 never finish. of the 4 that finish, only 2 get jobs as tenure-track professors. of those 2, only one is hired at a research university where they’ll have time to continue their own scholarship. the other will be hired at a liberal arts or community college where they’ll teach 5-6 courses a semester and will have very little time to work on their own scholarship. that’s just how it is. and this isn’t because the economy is bad. this was the job market before everything went south, so by the time you’ve finished your undergrad, this will still be the case.</p>
<p>that said… schools don’t really care what undergraduate institution you came from, provided that you’ve got a top GPA, strong letters of recommendation, and a strong writing sample. any of the four schools you mentioned would be fine and would have you on a fairly level playing field for entering grad school.</p>
<p>go to whichever school you want to go to. life will definitely be easier for you if your parents can help pay, but don’t worry too much about funding at the grad level. many programs fund students completely, and if you don’t get any offers with full funding, you just won’t go. maybe apply again the next year, or maybe just move on. it’s early for you yet. in four or five years your plans may change completely, so just go wherever you think will make you happy.</p>
<p>tenisghs: I non-sarcastically appreciate the caveat.</p>
<p>StrangeLight: Thank you very much for your comprehensive answer; I feel much more informed now.</p>
<p>I guarantee that your professors will tell you stay far away from the PhD. Do it only if you really, really love the subject- literary criticism and analysis.</p>
<p>Many English PhDs, if not teaching in universities, wind up as adjunts in state schools and community colleges. Not ideal as they get no job benefits, health coverage, and are only paid by the courses that they teach (not a real salary).</p>