Magical Realist

As for me, I will not be in attendance (as notice was super late), so post back on how it goes. Super congrats!!!

That's exactly my tutor's rate. She's a native speaker with teaching credentials in both English and Japan, and also a medical translator. There's definitely a lot out there, though I would caution you to find someone who's been doing Skye tutoring for a little while. There are certain strategies that work well in-person, but not so well over Skype, and vice versa. Good luck!

I've been studying Japanese for about a year now, and I've been doing it largely via private lessons on Skype. If you have difficulty finding a tutor in your area that fits into your schedule, I'd say skype tutoring is the way to go. It's been awesome for me in a lot of ways.

I can't speak for sure to whether all the acceptances/waitlists went out, but NYU's recruitment weekend is the week after next. I was phoned early February.

So this doesn't productively contribute to the conversation, but this. I'm not the only one. I'm just planning as if I've already pulled that proverbial trigger (my last visit isn't until April!) and have been trying to use other contacts as practice for dream school/future networking opportunities. Still dying for some concrete plans, though.

My desire to accept goes against all logic; I think I'm just in need of an emotional security blanket. It's been driving me crazy to have no idea where I'd wind up come August. I'm pretty plan-oriented, and I've been adrift since Spring of 2012, more or less. So it's illogical, but I want to begin taking concrete action steps just to feel like I'm making progress towards a goal. I suppose I should probably practice exercising self-restraint:).

Yep--the ticket's purchased and reservations are confirmed. And I guess I wouldn't say it's not so exciting (the faculty, location, etc are all fantastic, but outcomes aren't quite as good as at dream school, and the stipend is pretty paltry, too). Alas.

If I may shoot off on a tangent here... What is the etiquette on accepting an offer prior to a visit to a different school? Basically, my problem is this--some of my schools set deadlines to accept/decline a visit prior to all of my schools getting back to me (which is incredibly frustrating, especially because I can only take so much time off work, and working out the logistics to get to where I want to be is tough). So, I accepted a visit to a school that isn't necessarily at the top of my list. Before that visit, though, I have a visit with my number one choice. My visit there is basically to make sure that the department isn't filled with completely distant advisers and disaffected graduate students. As long as that's not the case, I'm ready to pull the proverbial trigger and forge ahead with concrete plans. (Of course, if it is the case, it's good to have a back-up visit scheduled anyhow). But I'm wondering what that looks like, since I have a visit after. Should I just wait and accept after the last visit? I know there's really nothing to be gained in terms of accepting a little earlier, but I'm dying for a sense of certainty in my immediate future. .

That's mine. Unfortunately, I don't have a sense for whether they're done with notifications or what the plan is in that regard, but I can say it was quite the (incredibly kind) personalized letter, so I don't get the sense that it was one of those forms they send out largely en masse, just changing a few lines here and there. Which is to say, there was nothing specifically to indicate that there won't be further notification. Visiting days seem to be on the late side--the first few days of April. Hope the current radio silence breaks for you soon!

Yes. This. So maybe someone here could assuage some bit of my anxiety. I'm pretty terrified that when I get there, I'll trip all over myself (metaphorically AND literally) and they'll decide they no longer want me or something. So 1) are acceptances ever withdrawn? If so, does it have to be for something egregious, generally? I'm nearly to the point that I'd like to pull the proverbial trigger and accept the offer now, without going on the visit. And then, I echo all of the above. I'm pretty at a loss for what to expect here...

Did you press for more details about "okay," and specifically about the paper's argument and the prose style itself? It seems to me that most professors can still recognize strong writing, even when they disagree with the validity of the topic. If the prose and argument too are just "okay," that's a huge problem. You're applying to do this for the rest of your life more or less, so you'd better show promise. Also, did you consider the types of schools you're submitting to? There's definitely a cottage industry springing up around "bad" literature, and counter-cultural literature (I'm working on this currently, and also, my writing sample's texts weren't serious in their time, either). One professor I was speaking with even said "sometimes, bad literature makes the best papers." But, this kind of research is largely limited to a certain type of school. I wouldn't, for example, apply to Harvard or Yale as a top choice with this type of writing sample, but if my number one choice were Berkeley, UT Austin, UC Irvine, or NYU, that's a different story. They're all good schools, but with vastly different values and critical approaches.

Of course, it's early and I can't speak to my overall outcome. I can say, though, that out of the 4 schools I've heard back from, I've gotten good news from two, including a wonderful fellowship at a dream program for me. 1) This spring will mark my seventh year out of undergrad. This wasn't part of my initial plan, but outside life factors interfered. That said, working outside of academia for so long (and in a strange variety of fields) gave me time to mature as in my interests. I whiled away my time really thinking long and hard about programs and specializations, and what I could imagine devoting a lifetime to. I know I wouldn't have made the same decisions straight out of undergrad, but right now, I'm feeling zero anxiety about whether I'm doing the right thing. Also, having worked both in the private sector and for the government, I'm incredibly excited to have the opportunity to spend six years going to school for a living (and really, for the rest of my life). I know deeply what's out there, and I'm absolutely certain it's not for me. I also know now I'll treat my graduate studies like a job, because I never want to go back to my old one(s). 2) Related to the above--my stats are definitely solid all-around, but I don't think I really have that "next level of exceptional" on my CV. This is to say, as an undergraduate, I worked a lot of hours and took a really heavy courseload, so I didn't present or have any publications. To make up for that, I ensured my plan was really thought out, and revisited my writing sample from undergrad pretty heavily. I found that I was still confident with the arguments and structure, but I spent a lot of time editing away the "cocky twenty year-old" voice. Trust me, your undergrad work has that voice, too. I spent nine months working on my application materials pretty heavily (and had the luxury to devote a lot of time on weekends I was "feeling it" and not a lot when I wasn't). Since I'm not in school any longer, I swapped my SOP with other GC members. I had tons of eyes on that thing (even then a few errors on early submissions, but nothing too serious). 3) Regardless of what everyone says, spend some time on your GREs--look for your weak spots. I've always been strong (for a literature student) in math, and actually do statistical analyses as part of my current job. But, I, too, tested out of undergraduate math, so I hadn't had a math class in 12 years when I took the test. Sure, you can figure out a lot of the formulas using logic, but that takes a lot of time on a timed test, and someone else already went through the trouble of working out how to solve it for you. It's much faster to memorize a few important formulas, and time is a huge factor here. This definitely won't be the end all, be all, but as datatape mentions, if it comes down to two otherwise equal apps, it could make or break. (Plus, they may not admit it, but having a high average GRE score does make a department look good). If you're crunched for time, this would be where I'd cut corners, but the number one lesson here--DON'T GET CRUNCHED FOR TIME. This is the rest of your life; it's better to take an extra year and really be sure you get into the best program (fit AND rank) you can. You want a good job later, after all. 4) I differ a little with datatape on the writing sample. My research in undergrad is vastly different than what I've been working on moving forward. I considered for quite awhile using my second-best sample (still had won a minor prize), because there was an obvious link to my current research. But I drove to my alma mater to speak with one of my UG professors (incredibly respected in her field), and she was firm that I should use my strongest. I was still doubting, but then I realized that I wouldn't want to attend a program that was off-put by my seemingly-discordant critical interests, because I love looking for connections where there initially appear to be none. In fact, my whole application was a bit risky (my current critical interests aren't terribly common either), but that helped ensure my ultimate choice was a great fit. 5) Apply to as many programs as you can afford, will fit, and will give you the best prospects later. I think perhaps some people are too specific with fit, and they want to find a program with a POI working on the very same ideas. I looked for programs that, on the overall, would support what I'm working on. I could see my studies (despite somewhat esoteric interests) being supported and cultivated at a number of institutions. Maybe you can't, but think long and hard about it. And don't send out sloppy applications, either, because that's a waste of time and money. (See #2 re: time crunch). 6) Give yourself a long time in the "submission" phase. I put myself on a schedule that included submitting three apps per weekend for 5 straight weeks. Ideally, submit to your bottom choices first (this requires organization and judicious use of spreadsheets). If you're anything like me, you're going to pour over your apps once you've submitted anyhow, so it may as well be productive. Everyone round, I found a few small things I wanted to fix. (Also, realize errors aren't the end of the world. My first weekend was pretty sloppy, but my very first, very early acceptance came from a submission that weekend). Again, see #2 re: time crunch. 7) Be polite, professional, and appropriately deferential with everyone you come in contact with.I met with a number of DGSes from programs I didn't apply to but were highly ranked (my departments at my alma mater, as well as some individuals associated with friends' schools). As expected, they all had conflicting suggestions. One thing they always had to say, though, was that they really try to weed out "undergraduate attitudes," and look for individuals that would be a pleasure to work with, and would be mature and professional both in their classes and when representing their school. The worst thing you could possibly do is to appear entitled. I cannot underestimate the importance of this one (and not just when applying to grad school, but I digress). And of course, to some extent, all of this is still a lottery. Most of your schools are accepting 3-5% of applicants (and these are applicants who've taken the time and money to apply for graduate school, a very self-selecting population as-is). They have a very finite number of slots, and a lot of really interesting applications. It may be that your dream school loves you, but is filled to the brim with Victorianists this cycle. Who knows what the programs composition will look like next year. Don't go to a graduate school (or graduate school in general) because a) you don't know what else to do you don't want to look for a 9-5 job or c) you feel like you're supposed to. Go because you've considered long and hard what 's out there, and you know that this is exactly what you want to do. It's your future in a way that very few other decisions ever will be (save having children and maybe getting married), so give it the gravity it deserves. You are committing to a very specific lifestyle from here on out, and it's not a path that most people understand and experience. Be sure you're willing to make the appropriate sacrifices. When I was 21 and fresh out of undergrad, I was in no space to commit to the rest of my life (I couldn't even imagine "the rest of my life"), and made some decisions I wouldn't have made in retrospect. I hope this wasn't pedantic, and take it with a grain of salt. But, I can positively state I'm incredibly happy with my life (both now and broadly) and excited for my future, and I have no regrets.

For what it's worth (and this is coming from someone barely above a decaf), this is what I've gleaned from speaking with a few DGSes: It seems like a lot of programs are fellowship-funded the first year, but, outside of that, most of the teaching (especially early on) tends to come in foreign language departments, especially those noted above. The difference between English Departments and, say, Spanish departments is that it seems most schools have puny foreign language departments when compared with the generally-robust English departments, yet nearly as many students have to satisfy a foreign language requirement (meaning a huge need for teaching "Hola. Como te llamas?" and the like). And as for NYU, they do allow teaching on top of fellowship funding, but, it seems there's a maximum of teaching allowed, and you can either use it to fund a 6th year or use it as supplemental funding for the 5 years, but not both (and 5 years really isn't very long. But if you had an outside fellowship, it seems that wold be a game changer, though I have no solid evidence). Of course, I'm not an expert, but I wanted the opportunity to creep towards upping my coffee rating, too.

It's nice to know I'm not the only paranoid train wreck;). I know it's ridiculously imprudent, but I really want to just accept the offer now (even though 60% of my aps are still pending and the recruitment weekend is 6 weeks away), because I don't want to give them time to realize the error of their ways and take it back. And no worries, though it's generally speaking not the best idea in the world to let potential professional contacts know about medical concerns right away, I'm fairly confident the offer is safe. Also, I'd like to think that times have changed a little since the colleague at Stanford story. And generally, congrats on the acceptance!

Sweet! I'm pulling for you! Let us know how it goes.