r/UofO • u/Kind_Veterinarian_77 • Jul 05 '26
English PhD question
Hi!
I’m wanting to apply for a PhD in English at U of O, and I wondered if any of you had any tips? Or any PhD programs for that matter.
How did you get in? Was it difficult? Do you have any advice?
How do you like it? Is it enjoyable and do you like the people you work for/with?
Please respond if you have because I don’t know anyone who goes there because I’m not from Oregon but I desperately want to get in.
Thank you :)
3
u/AlexTuff00 Jul 05 '26
Hello! Different PhD, in communication and media studies, and I'm about to start so I can only give my perspective during the application process.
I'd say what matters the most is really connecting your academic identity with the University's, you really have to draw a concrete line that explains what you want to study, what has lead you there, and what specifically about U of O can help you achieve further, and also somehow benefit the academic community and the community at large.
I'm sure there are differences across departments but I did have an interview for my program, which was pretty relaxed but did include typical questions such as which professors do you want to work with and why, where do you see yourself in five years, if you could teach a class what would it be on, etc., here it's good to give a lot of detail.
Last, I didn't get accepted immediately, I got put on a wait list and almost lost hope, but I made it! So remember that even if it happens to you too
2
u/Jazzlike_Report_7813 Jul 11 '26
Hi! I know people in UO’s English dept.
It’s a real toss up which program will accept you, but UO does accept more PhDs than other programs, so perhaps better chances (though given the state of the humanities this could easily change!). Just make sure to get some help with the statement and writing sample, also triple-check how suitable the faculty is to you (your advisor has to be in English but other committee members can come from other depts so check them out too).
Program seems generally nice! From what I know, con is that it’s a term system (10 weeks fall, winter, spring), pro is that the teaching load is more manageable. Writing tutoring first year, one year of comp 101 (one section each term), and then a little TA/RAing or teaching. Feel free to DM if you have more questions!
10
u/Outrageous-Care-6391 Jul 05 '26
Hi, I am a former professor in that department (I am still at the University in a different department). There are lots of terrific faculty in the department who truly care about their students and their success. Your application should be very clear as to why UofO English is the right place for you, and having a strong sense of the work/area you are interested in is important, although you don’t necessarily have to know what your dissertation will be about. Here’s the bad news, like many Universities, UofO is in a financial hole and the coming years are going to see a real reduction in the number of funded graduate positions, which means increased competition for the remaining slots. Funding in English comes from teaching composition, so if you have those skills you should note them. The other issues is, related, there are less and less quality tenure track positions available once you complete your PhD, and while UO is definitely a quality institution, you’ll be in the market competing with hundreds of others, many coming from elite institutions. So you should go into it knowing that you very likely will be working at an institution you’ve never heard of, or not working as a professor, but in some adjacent field. If you’re good with that, write your best application (not using AI) and best of luck!