Why hello there! Can you help me?
Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster.
I'm applying to English PhD programs this year (currently a total of 13 but that may change in the near future). The process is well underway and mostly successful. However, this damn SOP is a real b**ch. I'll preface this by saying that I'm applying to both PhD in Literature and PhD in Creative Writing. The only way these two differ, really, is in the fact that the Creative Writing track places more emphasis on, well, one's creative writing. You still take literature courses, still write analytical/theory based papers for publication, and **most** of the places I've chosen have an analytical component as well as a creative component to their dissertation requirements (something along the lines of write a novel and write a 30-50 page analytical paper/introduction about/to your novel addressing the conventions and histories you drew upon to complete said novel).
Here's my question. I'm starting to write the "fit" paragraphs for my SOP. Research wise, I'm really interested in the ways in which the influence of science and technology on identity are represented in speculative novels of the 19th and 20th centuries. MOST schools ask you to identify a particular area, so for arguments sake, I've identified myself as a Transatlanticist interested in the 19th thru early 20th century. HOWEVER, USC--which has a fabulous PhD Creative Writing program--seems to be... less period organized. Their website says, "Unlike traditional departments that organize themselves according to historical periods, USC English finds its intellectual coherence in a variety of interests that tend to overlap periods and fields." How should I approach the fit paragraph? So far, my tactic has been to find a professor or two who I'd really like to work with (in my area), and maybe highlight anything else really cool like special collections the school might have, cross listing with other departments, etc.
I have no idea why I'm so stymied by this...
I'm applying to English PhD programs this year (currently a total of 13 but that may change in the near future). The process is well underway and mostly successful. However, this damn SOP is a real b**ch. I'll preface this by saying that I'm applying to both PhD in Literature and PhD in Creative Writing. The only way these two differ, really, is in the fact that the Creative Writing track places more emphasis on, well, one's creative writing. You still take literature courses, still write analytical/theory based papers for publication, and **most** of the places I've chosen have an analytical component as well as a creative component to their dissertation requirements (something along the lines of write a novel and write a 30-50 page analytical paper/introduction about/to your novel addressing the conventions and histories you drew upon to complete said novel).
Here's my question. I'm starting to write the "fit" paragraphs for my SOP. Research wise, I'm really interested in the ways in which the influence of science and technology on identity are represented in speculative novels of the 19th and 20th centuries. MOST schools ask you to identify a particular area, so for arguments sake, I've identified myself as a Transatlanticist interested in the 19th thru early 20th century. HOWEVER, USC--which has a fabulous PhD Creative Writing program--seems to be... less period organized. Their website says, "Unlike traditional departments that organize themselves according to historical periods, USC English finds its intellectual coherence in a variety of interests that tend to overlap periods and fields." How should I approach the fit paragraph? So far, my tactic has been to find a professor or two who I'd really like to work with (in my area), and maybe highlight anything else really cool like special collections the school might have, cross listing with other departments, etc.
I have no idea why I'm so stymied by this...