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Frequently Asked Questions: Prospective Students
The following is a list of our most frequently asked questions. You should also read the step by step guide to advising and review the general information about the advising process. If you don't see your question, contact the graduate office at 803-777-5063.
- What are the most important elements of the application?
- What should my statement of purpose include?
- What should I use for my writing sample?
- Do I have to take the GRE subject test in English?
- How many letters of recommendation should I submit?
- Whom should I ask to write a letter of recommendation on my behalf?
- Must I have majored in English as an undergraduate to be a successful applicant?
What are the most important elements of the application?
The department considers grades, GRE scores, recommendation letters, the statement of purpose, and the writing sample. Candidates are successful with different mixes of relative strength in these components. Unlike admissions in some types of graduate and professional programs, the process is more qualitative than quantitative. The department will carefully consider an applicant with spotty grades or marginal test scores but a clear statement of purpose and strong, well-informed letters of recommendation. Conversely, the department is wary of applicants with an unclear purpose even if their grades and scores are excellent.
TopWhat should my statement of purpose include?
The statement is an opportunity for you to explain your plans for graduate study in English. This task will involve a reasonably precise (if necessarily tentative) description of exactly what you propose to study. The essay should indicate particular advantages that you will bring to your studies, and the department will be interested in life circumstances and experiences that inform your career goals. The statement should also indicate why USC is an appropriate graduate program for your objectives. This explanation should include identification of the faculty members whom you would like the department to consider as advisers for you.
What should I use for my writing sample?
An analytic paper of 10-20 pages that represents your best critical work. The writing sample might be a paper prepared for a course in a field other than literature, such as history or anthropology. The sample should, however, show your ability to analyze a piece of writing using close reading and secondary scholarship.
Do I have to take the GRE subject test in English?
If you are applying to an MA or PhD program in American or British Literature, yes. If you are applying to the MA program in Speech, the MA or PhD program in Rhetoric and Composition, no. If you are an MFA applicant, or applicant to the MAT program, no.
How many letters of recommendation should I submit?
The department requires a minimum of two letters of recommendation but will consider additional letters.
Whom should I ask to write a letter of recommendation on my behalf?
The most useful letters are from faculty members who have had the opportunity to evaluate you in classes that involved a significant amount of substantive discussion. Above all, recommenders should have detailed and thorough knowledge of your analytical and writing skills.
Must I have majored in English as an undergraduate to be a successful applicant?
Applicants for admission to the MA, MAT, MFA., or PhD degree programs in the Department of English must have completed a minimum of 24 semester hours of upper-division undergraduate courses in English or an appropriate related discipline with grades indicating ability for successful graduate work. An applicant who lacks adequate undergraduate course work may have to take up to 12 credit hours of 400-level literature or communication courses (depending on the degree emphasis sought) before the application will be considered.
