sebastiansteddy

Hahaha, well hopefully you can get that mess straightened out!

I've heard Chicago is pretty cut-throat too. But... there are sooo many amazing people there I want to work with. I've always joked that I'll worry about the "den of vipers" if, somehow on a miracle, I am accepted.

Just e-mail the department. They will let you attach anything they don't have in an e-mail. That's what I did with my writing sample.

In a short while, I will be submitting my app to U Chicago. I know it's an insane long shot, but there's just something emotional in sending off the application to your ultimate dream school.

I tried to watch Buffy, but I just couldn't get into it I gave it a shot though!

You're not alone. I am a triathlete health freak. I work out for at least 2.5 hours a day and eat an extremely healthy diet. I was so stressed last night that I ate one of those "single serving" cakes that grocery store bakeries make in plastic tubs. It was chocolate peanut butter.

As always, thank you for your positive, constructive comment. I have spent a good deal of time in Buffalo. It is what you make of it. There are some amazing museums, great architecture, unique coffee shops, and the arts are fairly vibrant for a depressed city. If you're willing to look for it, it's there.

I still have not been able to upload my writing sample to Buffalo's online app. I e-mailed the department, and they told me I can just attach it to an e-mail and they will include it in my file.

I've kept trying, and now I have been able to upload everything except my writing sample.

Did you just keep trying? I've been trying for a while now, and have even logged out and back in, etc.

No error message, they are just not uploading. Ugh... I'm all set to submit so my recommenders will be able to upload their letters, but it's just not working.

My transcripts uploaded just fine, but when I try to upload anything else, they just don't appear as uploaded.

Is anyone else having difficulty uploading materials to Buffalo's online application?

I am not applying to CUNY, but for the sake of everyone who is... COMP LIT is due in Feb, ENGLISH is due Dec. 15th.

Yeah, it's a Mean Girls reference. Don't worry. I got it

YOU CAN'T SIT WITH US!

Yikes! My fingers are crossed for you as well! I just submitted mine... now I am off to give a class presentation.

I tried calling, but Tina Feldmann is not in the office on Mondays. But the app is due today... So... hmm.... I think I am going to submit a standard-sized statement, disregarding the maximum on the graduate department's application. I will call her again tomorrow, and ask if the English department does have a limit, and if so, I'll ask if I can resubmit a shorter SOP.

Comp Lit is due Feb. 1st

I was able to upload a full-length SOP. My writing sample will not upload though, will yours? I am waiting to submit my app until I hear back from the department - I have a much-condensed SOP ready to go if need be. I will call them tomorrow early afternoon if they don't reply to my e-mail in the morning, and will let you know.

Anyone applying to UC Riverside? Their English website says nothing about SOP length, so I thought it could be any length. On their online application though, it limits the size of the SOP to 3,000 characters - that's not even 1 page! It does say though that an option instead of uploading it is e-mailing it to the department. Do you think it can really only be 3,000 characters if we e-mail it?

Well, first off, from what I gathered from previous posts you have made, you and I might have slightly different reasons for applying to PhD programs and that might have something to do with it. More to the point of your question though, everyone in my MA cohort was told that 15-20 is a good range. That seemed like a lot to me, but every PhD student I talked to in my program advised from their experience to apply to as many schools I can that are good fits. After an extensive search, finding out where the scholars that have been influential to my work are, and discussions with my advisor, I had a list of 16 schools, all which are a great match. Of those 16, 2 of them happen to be in locations that, to put it lightly, do not excite me. Those 2 happen to be 2 of the lower ranked ones on my list, and I am still debating whether to apply to them. While I don't want to live there, they are a good match and I am concerned with casting a wide enough net.

Never mind! The website does say to mail the paper in addition to e-mail submission. I can read, I swear...

I thought you were only applying to top 20 programs? US News has it ranked #22...

I have a question about UC Irvine's application: on the online portion, you can submit your SOP and personal history. They ask for you to e-mail your writing sample. The LORs are online as well. But then it says to send a packet to the department - what do they need in the packet? Do they want you to mail everything in addition to online/e-mail submission?