Best colleges for humanities PhD admissions

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Thirding this as another PhD holder who gave up on academia, transitioned to a related federal career (think along the lines of NEH program officer), and now needs to figure out a third career midlife. Don't encourage this path.

But go to a great SLAC for the education anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Maybe because they fund NMSFs, so have a cohort of strong students.

[Anonymous]

OP here. We are independently wealthy and she will not need to worry about money when choosing a career. Thanks for all your concern though.

[Anonymous]

Ivies and Chicago if assured and self-motivated, SLACs if needs more support (e.g. Middlebury). I'd stick with private rather than public, and focus on securing those crucial glowing letters of recommendation.

https://www.koppelmangroup.com/blog/2022/4/20/best-undergraduate-schools-for-comparative-literature

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are independently wealthy and she will not need to worry about money when choosing a career. Thanks for all your concern though.

Independently wealthy… how nice.

[Anonymous]

Comp Lit is notorious for challenging employment, even back in the day. A colleague told me there is rarely more than one tenure-line position posted each year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ivies and Chicago if assured and self-motivated, SLACs if needs more support (e.g. Middlebury). I'd stick with private rather than public, and focus on securing those crucial glowing letters of recommendation.

https://www.koppelmangroup.com/blog/2022/4/20/best-undergraduate-schools-for-comparative-literature

Agree ivies/elites or top lacs only. Why? It is easier to get into a top phD this way, which makes hiring in non-academia easier. Many museums preferentially hire phD over masters, and need various history and adjacent majors. Also, with the right undergrad and grad pedigree, consulting and think tank work is available to humanities (phD or not). It may not be ideal, but top private high schools especially boarding schools love to hire phD. The best ones pay 75-80k or more. Plenty to live on.
Since money is not a serious concern for your family aim as high as possible for undergrad so they have many options open to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are independently wealthy and she will not need to worry about money when choosing a career. Thanks for all your concern though.

But I don’t think you get that there will never be a tenure track job, ever. And a visiting professor contract that will probably last no more than 2 years. Or a piecemeal adjunct at various schools.

It is not all about the money, but the fact that there will never be any kind of career respect or stability. Psychologically, that’s bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are independently wealthy and she will not need to worry about money when choosing a career. Thanks for all your concern though.

A trust fund will provide a nice cushion for an adjunct salary, but it won't save your kid from a student body that can't be bothered to read books or write papers that aren't generated by chat gpt. You're naive if you think otherwise.

[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.

Congrats to your spouse getting for a job with just a PdH.

[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

I want to emphasize that English is VERY different than Comp lit. Comp lit requires proficiency and many languages typically at the grad level. The best preparation isn’t an English degree, but a multi-lingual degree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Congrats to your spouse getting for a job with just a PdH.

Huh?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are independently wealthy and she will not need to worry about money when choosing a career. Thanks for all your concern though.

A trust fund will provide a nice cushion for an adjunct salary, but it won't save your kid from a student body that can't be bothered to read books or write papers that aren't generated by chat gpt. You're naive if you think otherwise.

NP. Is this real? You’ve got to be joking…there’s no way the students at Swarthmore or Reed are refusing to read and using ChatGPT. I can see it for regular schools, but there’s got to be some intellectuals left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are independently wealthy and she will not need to worry about money when choosing a career. Thanks for all your concern though.

A trust fund will provide a nice cushion for an adjunct salary, but it won't save your kid from a student body that can't be bothered to read books or write papers that aren't generated by chat gpt. You're naive if you think otherwise.

NP. Is this real? You’ve got to be joking…there’s no way the students at Swarthmore or Reed are refusing to read and using ChatGPT. I can see it for regular schools, but there’s got to be some intellectuals left.

The trust fund will not guarantee a job at Swat or Reed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Congrats to your spouse getting for a job with just a PdH.

Thanks for that laugh!!!