New writing sample?
Hello! I'm glad to be part of this community - I've been reading the posts for a couple of weeks and thought it was high time I jumped in to seek and offer advice.
I'm applying to PhD programs in English lit with an Early Modern emphasis. I also have a strong interest in critical theory that I hope to continue to pursue. My greatest concern at the moment is the issue of the writing sample. In short, I want to produce a new one. I have been out of school for over a year now, and most of my significant papers don't feel sufficiently representational. I wrote an honors thesis on Montaigne, but I admire neither the prose nor the argument, various conference papers never really achieved a polished form, and my last year was spent in a project on Badiou and a senior thesis on Pasolini... people who really have nothing to do with my proposed primary field. Thus, I've been researching a new paper on Francis Bacon. I've wrote a little on him before, so the territory is not unfamiliar, but I have a new argument. And 20 pages is not impossible when, apart from the SOP, that's the only "writing assignment" I have from now until December. But is it appropriate to submit a writing sample that was not completed as a university assignment? Do they even have to know? I will, of course, consult with various mentors before submitting the thing, but I wanted to solicit opinions from a broader audience before I commit myself further. My theory is that the excitement I have for the new paper will be apparent in the final project - as would the irritation and boredom I would feel revising something old I am unhappy with.
Thanks for considering my question!
I'm applying to PhD programs in English lit with an Early Modern emphasis. I also have a strong interest in critical theory that I hope to continue to pursue. My greatest concern at the moment is the issue of the writing sample. In short, I want to produce a new one. I have been out of school for over a year now, and most of my significant papers don't feel sufficiently representational. I wrote an honors thesis on Montaigne, but I admire neither the prose nor the argument, various conference papers never really achieved a polished form, and my last year was spent in a project on Badiou and a senior thesis on Pasolini... people who really have nothing to do with my proposed primary field. Thus, I've been researching a new paper on Francis Bacon. I've wrote a little on him before, so the territory is not unfamiliar, but I have a new argument. And 20 pages is not impossible when, apart from the SOP, that's the only "writing assignment" I have from now until December. But is it appropriate to submit a writing sample that was not completed as a university assignment? Do they even have to know? I will, of course, consult with various mentors before submitting the thing, but I wanted to solicit opinions from a broader audience before I commit myself further. My theory is that the excitement I have for the new paper will be apparent in the final project - as would the irritation and boredom I would feel revising something old I am unhappy with.
Thanks for considering my question!