Let’s Talk About Grad School
To start: there are amazing resources from the University of Waterloo with information ranging from how job applications, grad school FAQ, to undergraduate tips. See the bottom of this page for more links and information.
Thank you so much to everybody who came out. It is our hope as the English Student Society that we are able to provide services by students for students. Tonight’s event was a Professor Panel on the subject of ‘Grad School.’ We were very lucky to have a panel consisting of Professor Kate Lawson, Professor Jay Dolmage, Professor Aimée Morrison, and current MA student Amber O’Brien.
Professor Lawson is the Chair of English.
Professor Dolmage is the Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies.
Professor Morrison is Associate Chair, Graduate Studies.
Being an undergraduate student is stressful enough, so we want to be able to help you along the way. Thinking about graduate studies A brief overview of the MA in English programs here at the University of Waterloo:
- Literary Studies
- Rhetoric & Communication Design
- Experimental Digital Media
There are non-thesis options and co-op options for all three streams, but students need only to apply to one since the application is put into the pool of English graduate applications for review. It is recommended to drop by Professor Morrison or Tina Davidson’s offices if you have any questions about graduate studies.
All English graduate courses are labeled according to which stream they fall under and only a handful is offered each academic year. You can find them here.
Letters of Recommendation
A huge concern for students applying to graduate school is asking professors for letters of recommendation. We get it too — it’s totally intimidating and you feel as if you might be asking for too much.
Our panel says: “Don’t be afraid. It’s literally our jobs.” It is a part of a Professor’s job to write letters of recommendation. You will not be the first student to ask them for a letter and you are definitely not going to be the last. They themselves have been in our shoes and they understand our situations.
Some tips for asking for reference letters:
- Don’t be afraid to ask for a strong reference letter! ‘Strong’ is a key word. This is very important because you want the best recommendations possible.
- Some professors think it is wise to draft up a statement of interest beforehand so that the professor has something else to base their letter on
- Understand that some professors will want more detail about who you are as a student, especially if you are asking them after having been out of their class for a couple terms or a couple years
- Always be courteous and polite!
- A thank you at the end is important. Gifts are unnecessary, but a thank you is respectful and suitable.
On that topic, Professor Dolmage hoped that you would be take the following away from the panel: remember that you can ask for a letter of reference at any point in your life. You shouldn’t feel afraid or be hesitant because you believe that the professor will not remember you. That’s often not the case and you can always help your situation by adding supplementary information when you ask — for example, attaching an essay you wrote with the professor’s glowing commentary, so they remember that you were that student. Thanks to Professor Lawson for that tip!
You never know until you ask!
Statement of Interest
Remember that the grad school application typically has three components which the admissions will triangulate between to determine whether you make a suitable candidate. There’s the Statement of Interest, Transcript, and References.
The Statement of Interest is also an area where students find themselves at a disadvantage. How much information should go into a statement of interest? Do you need to tell an anecdote? Grades? Academic success?
Well, first of all, our panel thinks that the statement of interest should show that you are a candidate who is able to think in a research perspective. Graduate school is different from undergraduate studies and requires a lot more self-directed and independent study. Try to avoid saying things like “I love to read; I’ve always loved to read” because that doesn’t really say much about you as a grad school candidate. Be specific about your interests, but try not to fall into generalizations.
Summarily, you should touch upon these things (no specific order):
- Can you string a sentence together? Competent grammar usage?
- Academic competence
- Grad school is a lot more independent than undergrad, so you are expected to make your own connections as a potential student. How can you illustrate this in your statement?
INSIGHT: Amber remembers writing her own Statement of Interest for example and remembers talking about working on her Honours Thesis in her undergrad career.
What is the Major Research Project/Paper (MRP) that we see as option for the MA English programs here?
That’s kind of a “third way” to go about your MA degree. It’s essentially a shorter version/less intense version of the thesis (e.g. about 50 pages, or the equivalent in a physical project for XDM).
Keep in mind that the thesis and MRP are two academic ventures which require a lot of work, unlike an undergraduate paper. It requires a lot of rewriting and rewriting, potentially adding up to you writing the same 50 or 100 pages over and over again. All professors on the panel recommended the coursework option, saying that it’s more in line with many students’ interests. Coursework option requires a completion of 8 courses and a full course load is about 3 courses a term.
Is grad school for you?
This was an important question, so I saved the best for last. You should always consider your own personal capacity to attend graduate school and that includes whether you are able to afford it. Grad School can be expensive! All professors touched upon the idea of how they chose their own graduate studies, highlighting scholarship opportunities, funding, and other factors.
Another thing to consider is what you want to do afterwards. Some graduate programs are very specific and perhaps might limit you afterwards. Also be wary of some technical programs and what they claim to teach you to do. The capabilities of the internet today allow you to look at so many programs in-depth and most schools often list all their tuition costs on their websites.
Professor Dolmage recommended applying for as many programs as you can possibly afford. Understandably it is not within some people’s reasonable limit due to fees associated with applying for schools. Apply outside of Waterloo, apply outside of Canada, but of course — within your limits. AND apply for external scholarships! There is some funding (a note about the UW MA program), but you can always apply externally.
Note that Professor Morrison is always in her office on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.!
We hope that this was helpful for those that need a refresher and for those that were unable to attend our panel!
General Graduate Studies Academic Calendar for English Programs: https://uwaterloo.ca/graduate-studies-academic-calendar/arts/department-english-language-and-literature
Take a look at the graduate courses offered in previous years, as well as helpful descriptions: https://uwaterloo.ca/english/current-graduate-students/graduate-courses
Professor Aimée Morrison wrote up this helpful template/guide to asking for a reference letter: http://www.hookandeye.ca/2014/10/asking-for-reference-letter-how-to.html
Also note through CECA, there are 2 Further Education Career Advisors that can help students with the application process to grad/professional programs as well as 2 dedicated Grad Advisors that can support students when they are in a grad program at UWaterloo. Pam Waechter was kind enough to send over this slide, which summarizes the resources available:
