waparys

I was so convinced I'd for sure score below 50th percentile. I'm relieved but still frustrated at the ETS. The practice tests and the cramming I did were utterly useless. So now I'm just trying to figure out if I did well or poorly. I just don't know what's considered okay and what's considered strong, etc. So Harvard lists its average score as 650, right? I know Harvard isn't "number 1" or anything, but if we consider that a "great" score then where does the "good" score range fall?

I was just having a conversation about this topic yesterday. We were trying to figure out who is the more "insensitive" one--the person who uses a word like "exotic" unwittingly or the one who picks up on the negative connotation? Like I said--I honestly didn't mean to offend.

Post-colonialism was never my thing, sorry. When I think exotic, pineapples and mangoes pop into my European brain. I'm just not that critical, I suppose!

TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW I'm actually terrified. I really think I bombed it. Dear literature God, please let it be at least the 50th percentile.

Sorry--no offense was meant with the word "exotic." Just something these adcomms don't typically see. Yes I did my undergrad in the States and my Master's in the UK.

Speaking of which--does anyone actually KNOW what it's like for an international student applying to English PhDs? I mean if you met me, you'd say I was indistinguishable from an American...but on paper I AM foreign--I'm worried this is going to hurt me somehow (though t1racyjacks, I've also tried to tell myself it makes us more exotic!).

That is DEFINITELY nothing to worry about. I found a similar mistake in my writing sample. Mine was just a plain old typo, though, and no one noticed. Breathe!

P.S. I did the MSc in Literature and Modernity at Edinburgh (in the English dept., obviously).

Hey antecedent, thanks for the mention! I'm honestly not sure how British master's degrees are viewed by U.S. PhD adcomms (TOO MANY ABBREVIATIONS!). I wrote four 4,000-word papers and one 15,000-word dissertation (I did a taught master's at Edinburgh--congrats, by the way, Kentsu827!--if you have Edi questions, feel free to message me). I have NO clue how this compares to a U.S. MA, but I'm still hoping to get SOME credit if I'm lucky enough to be accepted to a U.S. PhD. Anyway. The reason I went ahead with it is that it was cheaper than a U.S. MA degree (I'm also European so much cheaper) and it gave me a good idea of what graduate work would be like and if I was cut out for it. That's pretty much it...I also lived in Manchester for a long while, so feel free to message me about city questions!

Debt-free actually (and will stay that way after, hopefully, getting into a well-funded PhD program). Thanks for your concern, though.

Am I a complete outlier for wanting to teach high school English? Yes I'm going for my PhD. I like to learn.

According to the person I e-mailed, yes. And I still used my regular 1000-word SoP for them.

Just had to write and give you props for the Mary gif. A good one to keep around!

Thank you! This fixed the problem. But seriously. Why does Michigan's application have to be so soul destroying?

But the whole point of the writing sample is to show a well-researched, scholarly, critical piece of work so I'm pretty sure they're going to at least GLANCE at your sources to make sure you've actually done what they asked for.

Sorry that this happened to you, but thanks for the giggle.

Re: Michigan WHY DOES IT MAKE ALL OF MY DOCUMENTS LONGER WHEN IT TURNS THEM INTO PDF I don't want them to think I'm the idiot who submitted a two-page resume or a three-page SoP. URGHHHH.

Yup. I think this is the only one I'm double spacing.

I ordered an official transcript from each of my schools (undergrad and grad) and scanned those. P.S. Be aware that some schools want black and white scans! Changing my scan from color to B&W (because I'd misplaced the original document) took years off my life...(if you don't have Acrobat it's not that easy).

Double check if you're really worried. I got this info from the contact person (the Academic Coordinator of Graduate Studies). Though she never responded to the fact that the ASF said this and was therefore misleading...maybe if someone else points it out to her.

It's generally not going to help you and it may hurt you. The DGS at my alma mater (BA) said I should briefly mention in my SoP WHY I want to return to the department. I didn't get to work with most of the professors in my subfield since I decided on it so late. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Make sure it's a strong application! Good luck. P.S. I did my MA elsewhere.

Dear UMD Applicants: Which SoP instructions are you following? The ones on the ASF include a diversity/personal statement type thing. I e-mailed the department to point out this contradicts what their website says, and was told to obey the department instructions (i.e. just a standard SoP, no personal stuff). So then should this be 1,000 words or still 1,000-2,000? Help is appreciated!

STOP READING SUBMITTED APPLICATIONS! If we all did that, we'd die.

I'm also international--I think Maryland was the only one to ask me to fill out extra financial paperwork listing my sources of funding. I just put departmental funding and stipend.

For some schools I just put that I would not be able to to attend without departmental funding.