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The irony of the fact that Sid Smith is the current president of MLA and Patsy Yaeger is current editor of PMLA (both Michigan profs) is too delicious not to point out. Sorry, couldn't resist defending my department. But really, courtniep, I'm sorry to hear about your rejection. The process is so unpredictable. I hope you hear good news soon!

Last year at least, it seemed really haphazard. Rejections and admittances trickled out all throughout February and March and into April. Those of us who hadn't heard finally started emailing individually by the end of March/early April, and were told we were on a (likely quite long) waitlist, apparently a ranked one. I didn't get any official notification from the department until April 16 or 17 (after I had of course accepted another offer), when I was informed I had been on a waitlist but they hadn't had enough space in the end. From what I heard, this was not a big departure from previous years. So, just a warning - you could get notified soon, or you could be in for the long haul!

It's likely that you will know by then whether you are into this other program - almost all decisions will be in by early to mid-March. If you are rejected, it will have been a total waste to visit the other school. If you do get in then, many (I might say most?) programs do have recruitment days that they will at least partially pay for you to attend. And the value of going to a recruitment weekend where they have events, talks, meetings, courses to sit in on, etc. designed just for you, and for recruiting you and showing you everything they can about the program, versus going on your own when you are still just an applicant, is not even comparable. Basically, it can be valuable to visit before applying because then you can gauge whether the program is a good fit for you, things you like or don't like, and thus decide to apply or not, and tailor your application accordingly. After you're admitted, the visit is also helpful for making a decision about attending. But in this period, your applications are in, and THEY are the ones deciding. So going on a trip now seems like it could be a waste of time, because at this point you don't have any decisions to make that the trip would be helping with. Unless you end up waitlisted. That's a whole other ball of wax. But deal with the info you have as you get it - I vote wait.

I'll be the dissenter and say that it's not necessarily bad to mention your other offers. Schools regularly compete to enroll the students they admit, and I've definitely heard of cases where stipends will be increased or packages improved in order to be competitive with other offers you have. But don't do it so early, before you've probably heard decisions from all your schools, and certainly not before you've heard what School A is actually offering you. Also something to keep in mind: if School A gives you a livable stipend but you know others are not guaranteed funding...I might feel not so great about pushing for more. It should be about livability, not just because you were offered more at another place. But if School A gives you a package that had unfunded years or something like that, I would definitely mention other offers to see if there is room for negotiation. Don't do it just to see if you can get more money - too politically risky, aside from being kind of sketchy in general. And yes, you should be tactful when and if you do it, and only do it if it's reasonable request. But don't jump the gun. Be patient and see what they offer you first, because it might not even be necessary to bargain. And you you should try to avoid bargaining if you can. Plenty of time before April 15.

Just as an FYI, in previous years, Michigan has notified all accepted and waitlisted students at once, and sent rejections out later. Cohort is generally about 12 Lang & Lit students, plus 2 in the joint Women's Studies program. Congrats on the waitlist, emichelle! And feel free to post here or PM me if you have any questions about the department (which I have nothing but good things to say about) - or being waitlisted, actually. I have experience with both...

...is this a joke?

Giaour - Yes, that means the English department admitted you. The Graduate School approving your application is basically a formality, and unless your GPA/GRE doesn't meet their minimum (unlikely) or some other basic thing, you're fine - I believe my online status said that for a while after I was admitted last year. I do think it's weird that the website is updated before the department has gotten around to actually directly contacting you (perhaps they are waiting for the official approval this year), but yes, I'd say you should be celebrating. Congratulations!

Yep, I was admitted to UW-Madison last year, and I'll confirm that they do nominate two people for scholarships out of the 10-12 spots they have, and those two are notified early (I was a regular ol' admit last year, not one of the early scholarship candidates). Last year, the rest of the notifications went out on February 12 by email and the visiting days were in mid-March. Also, just as a heads-up: last year, first-year funding was up in the air for quite a while for a lot of us (though the 4 years following were guaranteed), and information about funding was really vague and unclear. So those of you who get offers, be sure to very carefully review the financial info you get so you know where you stand. I didn't even realize until after the visiting weekend that I was on a waitlist for first-year funding. I eventually ended up with funding (though I also got a better offer at the last minute and didn't end up at UW regardless), but was very much in limbo for a while even after I was admitted. The DGS there is lovely (not to mention brilliant), and told me after I turned down their offer that she really wants to make guaranteed funding for all years a top priority - so perhaps she succeeded and it will be different this year. The university in general has really taken a lot of hard hits from budget cuts, so I really believe they are doing the best they can (though it's advisable to be more upfront about it with their admits). Anyway, aside from the stress of the financial stuff, it seemed like a fabulous program with great people, and exciting work - and Madison is so much fun! Good luck to you all!

Proud Middlebury (undergrad) alum here! To clarify what seems to be a lot of confusion: Bread Loaf is a campus that is owned by Middlebury, about a 15 minute drive from the main campus (and close to Robert Frost's cabin, also owned by the college). There are no programs there during the school year, but during the summer, there are two: the Bread Loaf Writer's Conference, and the Bread Loaf School of English. The Writer's Conference is indeed very prestigious - a lot of prominent writers and poets have come through there. What the OP is asking about is the Bread Loaf School of English, which offers an MA program. I have several friends who have gone through it, and all have absolutely raved about it, and found the program really intellectually rigorous and rewarding, and the caliber of the students really high - though from what I understand it's not super competitive as far as admission is concerned. It is indeed designed for high school teachers, who can work towards their MA over several summers (in an incredibly beautiful place! Though they also have campuses in North Carolina, Arizona, and Oxford). Professors from various other programs around the country come to teach over the summer - for example, the DGS where I am currently getting my PhD teaches there and loves it. As far as getting into PhD programs, with a few exceptions, I'm convinced that it really doesn't matter where you do your MA. Half of my cohort in my program (which does well on those silly rankings lists) got MAs at virtually unknown programs, and the rest of us just came in with BAs. It's all about the work you produce, and how the program will help you, personally, grow as a scholar. So Bread Loaf is fantastic, but the value isn't in the name, but in the type of work it might help you to produce (and perhaps the contacts you make there), like anywhere. Really, I think the only real "objective" reason to choose one MA program over another is if you can get one that is funded. Of course, funded MAs are the exception rather than the rule. (And, btw, if you're a teacher, a lot of schools will pay for all or part of your tuition at Bread Loaf). But Vermont - and anything associated with Middlebury - is really wonderful! (Warned you I was proud. "Fanatic" might be a better descriptor.)

Just a note that you almost certainly will not be waiting to hear things until April! I was one of the people posting on the results board last year in April that I had just gotten into my dream school, but that was an admit from a waitlist, which I would guess is probably the vast majority of the April acceptances on the results board. So I had been notified I was on a waitlist here in early February - it wasn't that I hadn't heard from them until my acceptance. You SHOULD hear from almost everyone by early to mid-March. There was only one exception for me last year - I hadn't heard anything from another school by April 1, so I emailed and found out I was on a waitlist. But the lack of notification that late is the exception, not the rule. Not knowing is the worst part (which makes waitlists really hellish, but that's another issue entirely). But yes, seconding the part that says not to worry yet. It is still REALLY early. This is just the very beginning - but the waiting and not knowing will be over (hopefully) in a little over a month. Hang in there!

Just from my own experience: most of the schools where I was admitted covered $200-300 of travel expenses and either paid for a hotel or put me up with current students. That said, I was also admitted to a few places that offered no compensation, and have heard of still others that will cover up to $500. So it really depends.

Second round - I was fresh from undergrad had no idea what I was doing the first time I applied. I know it was the same for at least one other person in my current cohort (at a top-20 school where I was rejected two years prior). I'm sure you understand it's not a matter of number of times applying, though, but rather how well your SoP and writing sample reflect your preparedness and focus. While I needed the extra two years away to figure out exactly what I wanted (and am ultimately glad I had them), it's probably best to do it right the first time around!

Not at all. It's about quality, not quantity (within reason). I freaked out about page limits but heard of a lot of people who sent things 5 pages under, or 7 pages over, and did just great.

Wait - is your thesis a literature paper? For comp lit programs, it absolutely needs to be. The writing sample is the single most important part of your application, and shouldn't even venture out of your subfield (don't send a paper on Flaubert and the Brontes, for example, if you want to study the 20th century), much less your field. If you don't have an adequate literature paper, researching and writing one would have to be step one. Especially for someone with a non-lit studies background, demonstrating you actually can produce the kind of scholarship/research and are familiar with the field and conversations in it that you want to enter through the writing sample will be absolutely crucial.

TFA won't have you teaching Greek or Latin - in most of the schools (I have a LOT of friends who did TFA after graduation), the kids need basic English in high school. They don't necessarily place you according to your academic background - my geography major friend was assigned to teach math and science, a poli sci friend did English, etc. I would guess they would put you in English. You really should be warned that teaching at a TFA school is generally very, very rough - it takes a lot out of you. There's a reason the dropout rate is about 50%. You have to realize you won't mostly be teaching your subject necessarily, but how to be a student (classroom management, etc.) It's a great thing to do of course, but I know a lot of my friends - even the ones who stuck it out and/or stayed teaching in low-income districts - felt they were killing themselves with minimal payoff because the schools, systems, environments, etc. were really dysfunctional. You have to know what you're going into. If you want to teach Greek or Latin, apply to private schools - no teaching certification required!

I'm taking four classes (the first is the only term we do that), but one is an "Intro to Grad Studies" seminar for my cohort that seems to be mostly about meeting once a week to talk about the challenges of transitioning to life as a grad student and further as an academic. We'll have some readings and such, but it'll be lighter. I'm taking two seminars aside from that as well as a really neato course in the psych department about perception and reality as a cognate. I've got class on Mondays 10am-12pm and 6-9pm, Wednesdays 10am-12pm and 1-4pm, and Thursdays 1-4pm. I can't wait! poco_puffs, are you teaching during the first term? That might explain why you have the lighter load. Two courses in the first term/during the first year is fewer than any of the English PhD programs I visited - it was always three or four. We don't start teaching until the second year, during which time the courseload lightens to accommodate our teaching schedules. Basically my program seems to "phase out" coursework, where each term you take fewer courses as you move towards a) teaching and b ) more independent research (prelims, qualifying orals, dissertating, etc.) So maybe your courseload is just lighter the whole way through whereas mine is heavy at the beginning and lighter later on, so that it evens out? At any rate, if you are teaching, the light courseload definitely seems like the humane thing to do. And hooray for three day weekends (although I'm under no delusions that I won't be working through them)!

I just think you misunderstand what the Lit GRE is and what's on it. First of all, there's as much theory on the test as primary text, which you seem to think is tangential to an English PhD. It's not. It's central and has always been central - you're always using some sort of theory when you write about literature, so as a serious academic you have to be able to do so self-consciously. Also, even if you have a "minimum familiarity with English literature" and coursework focuses on literature, it doesn't mean you'll do well on the trivia quiz known as the Lit GRE. Especially since the idea of a "canon" becomes almost meaningless in the 20th century or so since it's so vast and cuts across all sorts of national boundaries, and because "non-canonical" stuff becomes more important, if you get something like 70% of the questions on the test right, you'll land safely in the 90-something percentiles. So basically a lot of it is luck, whether the particular passages you get happen to be ones you know. I mean, I like trivia. I did pretty well on the thing. But it's because I learned a lot of superficial factoids (Tristram Shandy was written in 1760-1770, not 1730-1740!), not because I have a broad/deep knowledge of literature in English. Doesn't really say much about what kind of scholarship you're going to be able to produce. Edit: I should say, too, that I don't necessarily disagree that there ought to be some standard of knowledge base for people going into PhD programs in literature. But I honestly don't think it's possible to stuff that into a standardized test - that particular knowledge base will be more individual than that, and I think adcoms are capable of applying those sort of customized and nuanced standards to applicants better than ETS.

Use the research paper. Tskinner is right - programs won't even look at applications until well after the deadline. For what it's worth, I sent in all of my applications a few days before the deadlines and did pretty well (I'm in English Lit). The writing sample is the most important part of your application. Definitely use what is representative of your absolute best, most relevant work.

The tone was what struck me about it, too - so friendly, especially for The Chronicle! And I hear you - I'm so ready for things to get moving, if only to squelch the anxiety of anticipation. Though I'm sure after it starts I'll long for the days when all I had to do with my days was to sit in a coffee shop or front porch, read, and work out. Glad you all liked it!

My department just sent out this Chronicle article aimed at new grad (especially Ph.D.) students, and though I'm sure a lot of you have heard a lot of this before, I thought I'd pass it along. I especially liked all the tweets offering advice (as much as I hate Twitter). http://chronicle.com/blogPost/An-Open-Letter-to-New-Graduate/26326/

University of Wisconsin-Madison would be a great place to check out. William Cronon, the environmental historian/geographer, is in the Geography department there, and you are required to do a PhD minor in a department outside of your own. They have a great interdisciplinary environmental humanities program, and a lot of grad students in the English department are doing that (you can get a certificate). I met someone on the admitted students weekend (for the English department) who was applying to both geography and English programs - and I think he settled on UW-Madison for that reason. A lot of people are thinking about place in their work. Funding is sometimes kind of sketchy for the first year, but the DGS has said they're going to make funding everyone a top priority. Also: Madison is the capital of Wisconsin of about 250,000 (half a million metro area), and Chicago is about 2.5 hours away.

I'm sure there are people reading this thread and thinking the same thing about you. Everyone feels that way, and it doesn't stop at the application process. I'm about to start a Ph.D. program and I feel that way. Luckily, even the seemingly really well-prepared and impressive people themselves also feel that way. I'm convinced that just about everyone is feeling around in the dark in the beginning of everything, despite appearances. Just focus on yourself and your own work. And get started on that writing sample!

Well, if your GPA is the equivalent of an A, then you can't do much better than that! I'd say that instead of worrying over whether your GPA will be a problem or not, focus on something you can actually control, like your writing sample. I would guess that in cases of international students with widely varying grading scales, admissions committees have as much trouble figuring out how to "convert" GPAs as you do. In that case, the writing sample and statement of purpose - already far and away the most important part of your application - will become all the more critical. That's really how they will know what you are capable of and what sort of promise you show, not a number - especially a number that doesn't translate well. So spend the most amount of time with your sample, and your SoP. And yes, devote some time to GRE vocabulary - the GRE is NOT a very important part of the application, but if you're unsure about your GPA, it would be nice to have a strong verbal as a good (standardized) number. Also, I'm in awe of your language skills. So cool. Good luck!