English literature is considered one of the easiest online master’s degrees you can earn, but applying for the program might not feel so easy. What’s particularly difficult about preparing your application package for an English literature program is figuring out what to include as your written materials. Prospective graduate students should realize that there is a difference between their personal statement and the writing samples they submit. For your writing samples, it’s important to pick an example that showcases your skills in critical and analytical writing and reflects your academic interests. Applicants should always be meticulous in following the directions of each individual program to which they apply.
Differentiating Between Personal Statements and Writing Samples
The first thing you should know is that your application to a graduate English literature program requires different types of written materials: a personal statement and one or more writing samples.
The personal statement is your opportunity to make your case for why you belong in the program. You should highlight the characteristics that would allow you to shine in this program and the skills that equip you for the challenges of analyzing literary texts at the graduate level.
The writing sample should be an example of your academic aptitude. You want to show your capacity to fully understand and critically evaluate the literary text, as well as to effectively draw insights and arguments from scholarly sources.
Your personal statement should discuss the future as well as the past, not only highlighting the aspects of your background that will help you succeed but what you plan to do with your graduate education.
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Stick With Critical, Not Creative, Writing
It’s no coincidence that many avid readers are also aspiring writers and vice versa. However, if you’re trying to get into an English literature program, rather than a creative writing program, you shouldn’t submit a creative piece as a writing sample. Analyzing literature requires a different set of skills – writing and otherwise – than crafting lyrical poems or page-turning prose. No matter how good a writer you are when it comes to the creative side, the short story you’re most proud of won’t do a good job highlighting your skills in literary analysis.
Although English literature departments aren’t interested in your creative works as a writing sample, they do want to see creativity and originality of thought in your analyses.
Choose a Writing Sample That Pertains to Your Program
At the graduate level, English literature programs are a lot more specialized than those at the undergraduate level. You can study the literature of certain historical periods, like the Renaissance, medieval times, and 18th-century British literature. You could also specialize in topics like African-American literature and language, gender and sexuality in literature, rhetoric and composition or children’s literature. The literature you study in a graduate English program isn’t always limited to text, either. Some programs offer specializations in visual media, digital media studies and the intersection between literature and film.
The writing sample you select to accompany your application should match whatever specialization you plan to pursue once you get accepted into the master’s in English literature program. Otherwise, your application will be less effective, because the piece of writing you have chosen to represent your candidacy for the program doesn’t match your declared academic interests.
Since each member of the English department has a different area of focus, your writing sample should be reviewed by the instructor whose area of specialization matches yours. That’s harder to do when your writing sample doesn’t match your intended specialization.
Follow the School’s Instructions
Most importantly, every aspect of your application package should follow the requirements of the school and program. Most universities provide an expected length for writing samples, as well as other specifications. If you exceed the word count or the page count, you’re not only adding to the reader’s workload but also giving the impression that you either failed to pay attention to the instructions or felt that they didn’t apply to you. You definitely don’t want to appear to struggle with reading comprehension or to seem to be determined to flout the rules when you’re applying to an English literature program.
Some English literature departments even provide a sample application to guide prospective graduate students as they compile their own application package.
Additional Resources
Does My Undergraduate Degree Need to Be in English in Order to Get a Master’s in English Lit?
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