I want to eventually get my PhD in English, my overall college GPA was a 3.1;, what route should I take?

Question

I actually would like to study Comparative Literature and Asian American Literature with an emphasis in Critical Theory...how should I proceed since my GPA is too low to get into a competitive program? I know, I should have thought of this in college, and taken it more seriously, but I KNOW that the life of academia is for me. Please help!

Answer 1

Good grief, you do not need another undergraduate degree, or any more undergraduate courses. You already have a B.A.

There are many "terminal masters" programs in English out there. They are often less competitive than PhD programs, and many of them have superb placement rates (meaning they place a good percentage of their students into PhD programs after they complete the master's degree).

Do your research and find the terminal masters programs in your field. Talk to your former professors. They'll help.

Once you gain admission to a terminal masters program, just plain excel. Write fantastic papers. Don't get any grade lower than an A. (A "B" at the graduate level spells doom.) Present at MLA, or at graduate student conferences and colloquia. Get something published, either in an academic journal, or even in a graduate student journal. Just work your butt off, impress your professors, and write, write, write. That will make your PhD program application much stronger.

Best wishes to you.

Answer 2

If you are SURE that academia is for you then yours is a different path than most people. I agree you may want to pick up another BA, or maybe teach for a while to get teaching experience. Depending on the institution, the difficulty of your program, etc., your GPA may not hinder you; but for a competitive MA or PhD program, it probably will. If you do not get into your PhD program of choice, get into the most competitive school you can for your MA and kick some asss - publish, do research, and TA if at all possible.

You have a field of interest, which is good - while getting your MA get involved with research efforts being done at your top choice universities. Even while getting your MA, you should immerse yourself in research going on at other universities. You certainly want to publish or at a minimum, write conference papers. Do your best to talk with these other professors at conferences; establish a personal relationship with professors who really light an academic spark. By the time you apply for your PhD, you should have published papers in the Literature, you need an excellent graduate GPA, and you should have developed personal relationships with several investigators in your field of research.

At that point you'll be an excellent candidate for whatever work you wish to do. And as a PhD, do more of the same - research, publish, teach - but at about 100xs the effort you put in for your Masters.

It's not easy and it will take years, maybe decades; and you're never really done, but over time you'll become an expert in your field and your undergrad will be a distant memory.

Answer 3

I didn't have a great GPA in my undergraduate studies either. After working for a few years I went back for my Masters and made sure I did very well, worked really hard and was easily accepted to a top PhD program afterwards.

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

I think your GPA shows that you are a skilled student and capable of better.
Don't give up on what you want. Just because your favorite university makes a recommendation of a GPA of 3.4 or 3.3 to enter their program doesn't mean they are going to overlook a student with a 3.1 if that individual shows promise.
I worked in the college/university circle for several years and I know they'll make exceptions for gung-ho students.
Go for what you want and don't take no for their answer until you've played all your cards.

Answer 5

I think you're going to have to maybe go back and take some classes over then because I'm pretty sure you have to have a 3.2 or a 3.5 cumulative to start working on your Masters and/or PhD. Talk to a counselor. Best of luck!

Answer 6

I'm a graduate student and I had to retake almost all my courses to stay in graduate school. Be prepared. Seek a masters first or another BA in something else. You can get a second BA with transfer credits.