Hello,
I was wondering if anyone could give me advice about applying to an English MA program. I am a fairly recent graduate of an English program at a very small and not-very-well-known private liberal arts college in my hometown in the Midwest. Since graduating, I have been teaching English at a small rural public school. I am interested in studying English literature at the graduate level with the ultimate goal of teaching English at a small college somewhere in the US. However, I’m not sure what MA program (assuming it would be best to start with an MA) it would be wise to apply to. I want to apply to a program into which I have a realistic chance of being accepted, but I also want to be on track for a PhD that will give me enable me to get a decent job. (I understand that they are increasingly scarce in the humanities.)
My “numbers” are as follows:
GPA: 3.95 overall, A average in English
GRE: 170/170 Verbal, 156/170 Quantatative, 4.5/6 Essay
GRE English Lit: 96th percentile
I can also count on very positive letters of recommendation from professors in and out of my subject area.
I’m not sure how much it matters, but I am also proficient in German and have intermediate reading ability in Latin and Hebrew.
I know so little about the world of higher academics that I feel the need to reach out for more information. I would sincerely appreciate any advice that I could be given.
Thank you very much!