Best colleges for humanities PhD admissions

[Anonymous]

Specifically comparative literature. Looking to get into a top PhD program. High stats and full pay.

[Anonymous]

Columbia

[Anonymous]

This is not the answer you want, but as someone whose spouse has a PdH in history, I would not recommend this line of work AT ALL. My spouse landed a teaching gig 15 years ago. It was a tight market then, and things have only gotten worse. If your kid does pursue a PhD in the humanities, make sure they have a very clear understanding of how absolutely crappy the job market is. Sorry to be a wet blanket.

[Anonymous]

Don't know anything about comp lit, but Middlebury and Reed come to mind.

Re PP. It's so true. I know many PhDs turned professional tutors or adjunct faculty. is there such a thing as private sector jobs for PhD in Lit?

[Anonymous]

Colleges that send most graduates on to get Ph.D.s in English, per capital:

1. Bryn Mawr
2. Hampshire
3. Carleton
4. University of Dallas
5. Swarthmore
6. Kenyon
7. Reed
8. Sarah Lawrence
9. Amherst
10. Oberlin
11. Haverford
12. Vassar
13. Williams
14. St. John's College
15. Beloit
16. Columbia
17. St. John's College
18. Wesleyan
19. Agnes Scott
20. Thomas Aquinas

https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#English

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Colleges that send most graduates on to get Ph.D.s in English, per capital:

1. Bryn Mawr
2. Hampshire
3. Carleton
4. University of Dallas
5. Swarthmore
6. Kenyon
7. Reed
8. Sarah Lawrence
9. Amherst
10. Oberlin
11. Haverford
12. Vassar
13. Williams
14. St. John's College
15. Beloit
16. Columbia
17. St. John's College
18. Wesleyan
19. Agnes Scott
20. Thomas Aquinas

https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#English

Univ of Dallas? Outlier on this list

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't know anything about comp lit, but Middlebury and Reed come to mind.

Re PP. It's so true. I know many PhDs turned professional tutors or adjunct faculty. is there such a thing as private sector jobs for PhD in Lit?

Get the phD if that is your passion but be prepared to go into tutoring, writing books, adjunct teaching, maybe work for a history textbook co

[Anonymous]

I think a SLAC. I majored in comparative literature FWIW at an Ivy. You need a lot of personal one-on-one mentoring and attention to be a strong grad school candidate, and the people I know who went on to PhDs were largely from SLACs.

Now, is it a good career option? Probably not, but that’s a separate question. I assume your child is aware of how dismal the job market for humanities PhDs is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't know anything about comp lit, but Middlebury and Reed come to mind.

Re PP. It's so true. I know many PhDs turned professional tutors or adjunct faculty. is there such a thing as private sector jobs for PhD in Lit?

Yes, in the sense that many literature PhD’s are employed in the private sector, but they have the same types jobs as people who do not have PhDs in literature. There’s a Reddit forum called “leaving academia,” about trying to transfer skills to the private sector. It would be a very good read for an aspiring humanities PhD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Specifically comparative literature. Looking to get into a top PhD program. High stats and full pay.

This career path is perfectly suited for children of dynastic wealth. For others, it will lead to misery. Might as well try to be a rock star; it's more fun and the chances are about the same.

[Anonymous]

Is this a joke? There are no jobs in this area, you know.

[Anonymous]

Passion doesn't pay bills. Passion don't feed your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not the answer you want, but as someone whose spouse has a PdH in history, I would not recommend this line of work AT ALL. My spouse landed a teaching gig 15 years ago. It was a tight market then, and things have only gotten worse. If your kid does pursue a PhD in the humanities, make sure they have a very clear understanding of how absolutely crappy the job market is. Sorry to be a wet blanket.

I have a Phd in the humanities and concur heartily. If you want a relatively normal middle class existence don't embark on this path. It's only gotten worse over time and teaching is no longer fun the changes that information tech has wrought.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am a DP and agree with the others that have cautioned you. Don’t do this. The pathway to a true middle class lifestyle (not DC middle class) doesn’t exist in higher education. As countless colleges close, there will be experienced phd’s desperate for work and a newly minted PhD won’t stand a chance. You’ve been warned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Specifically comparative literature. Looking to get into a top PhD program. High stats and full pay.

This career path is perfectly suited for children of dynastic wealth. For others, it will lead to misery. Might as well try to be a rock star; it's more fun and the chances are about the same.

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