intextrovert

I saw this and read just the first half of the sentence. I thought, "Number of pubs? There's someone I can get on board with!" I was already thinking of wine bars, martini lounges, etc. when I read the rest and realized you meant publications. Haha, it's Mardi Gras week - you know where my head is.

Thanks for the info, mj! I'm especially grateful to know the visiting dates, since that means I can't chaperone a trip then! Luckily, though, that's during my spring break so I don't have to find a sub. Yay! I'll start checking my mail obsessively now (because I don't already). So excited!

Yup - I am that person you described - my "stats" or what have you are pretty much identical to the above - and I got the red "REJECT" stamp on all of my applications two years ago! This year, applying with exactly the same stats and even to many of the same schools, I've had much more positive results (and in what is by most accounts a more competitive year). It really is the SoP, writing sample, etc. - it really is. Which is why I honestly do tap my foot and bite my lip in impatience a little when I see all the stats requests (and as I understand it, "stats" are numbers, not things like subfield which, depending on the way the school allocates spots, can actually be useful info). I really do have some sympathy, especially if you're a first-time applicant, because I wasn't any better - I have a neurotic thing about numbers and fretted about that stuff, too. But I've since learned that it really, REALLY doesn't matter, as long as your scores aren't notably low. But comparing your 700 verbal to another applicant's 780 is just completely and utterly pointless and inane. Further, it can persuade people to unnecessarily spend more time and money retaking tests that they've already done well enough on to pass the bar. It also creates some unnecessary competitive tension on the board (re: strokeofmidnight's former anxiety at being compared to applicants with better stats), breeds insecurity/defensiveness/one-upmanship, or serves as this unhealthy way to try to put each other on a measuring stick that just doesn't apply. No one involved intends for that to be the case, and I think it's usually an innocent request, but I think it sometimes happens anyway. At the very least it creates the potential for it. We've been taught to value those apparently "objective" measures for so long that it's hard to believe they truly are a small part, but it really, really is the case. It's hard to accept that because it means that we're being judged on criteria that we can't ever fully understand and is highly individualized. But ultimately, that really is a good thing. I think asking for less stats (GRE/GPA, etc.) would free us up to discuss the more nuanced - and more relevant - aspects of this simply thrilling rollercoaster of a process, and restore the sense that we're in it together a bit!

mj88 - I also haven't received anything official from them yet, but on the phone they said Colin Milburn "wants to send out the details in the next two to three weeks." Since it's been exactly two weeks today from that phone call, it seems like today would be the earliest they would SEND them out, meaning the package would come later. But I bet it'll be another week or so before we hear. Thanks for the Davis wiki link, Brokenmoped! It's a nice resource. And yes, I've checked out some of Timothy Morton's stuff already - he's great. And Michael Ziser was the one who made the call, actually! Seems like a good number of faculty are doing some really fascinating research, and it's great to hear that they make good mentors as well.

Awesome! I grew up in Tallahassee. The best part about it is that it's so green - trees everywhere, canopy roads, etc. I'm always struck by that when I come home. As for a nice pub, I really like Finnegan's Wake on Thomasville. There's also a good wine bar next to it. Congrats and good luck!

I'm one of the acceptances, and on cloud nine! But I do remember it being erratic, so I wouldn't panic yet. I applied in Modernism/20th century to the MA/PhD program, if it helps. Good luck to those still waiting!

Congrats, Lompoc! You have every right to be excited and shout it from the rooftops! No need to apologize, though it is very kind of you to consider others' feelings. . Jealous, of course, but not too jealous to be happy for you. Celebrate!

I saw that on the results page literally a minute before my class started. My heart was pounding and it took a lot to mask my flustered state from my students. Ugh, this week of silence and false alarms has been so stressful! I did just check over the previous notification pattern - all over the place. One acceptance by email here, another by phone a few days later, then some almost a month later...so this one acceptance is not the kiss of death for us un-notified folks, but MAN it would be great to be that person! Definitely made me realize how much I want to be accepted there.

I read back over Baldwin's post, and I can see now how you may have interpreted it that way, because of the phrasing of "socially permissible" and stuff about wanting to be attached to a respectable institution. If that were the case, then yes, obviously no one should have to fund someone who just wants to impress people with how smart he is and back it up with a nice university, and it sucks that someone like that could push more genuinely motivated applicants out (though honestly, I really think the process itself is pretty good and weeding these people out. Not infallible, but pretty good). But taken in the context of the post, I just think that's a misinterpretation of what he was trying to say. Maybe we're each imposing our own experiences onto poor Baldwin (who hasn't spoken up to clarify, which I'm curious about!) - you perhaps have some preexisting frustration with pretentious applicants who just want the prestige of a PhD and thus found that in Baldwin, and I perhaps interpreted it sympathetically because of my experience as an applicant a few years ago who, while seriously motivated and passionate about academic endeavors, was like, "Research interests? Um, literature?" I just think it's always better to be a little cautious in jumping to unflattering conclusions about other posters' intentions and WORTH, really, especially when a post is clearly done in the spirit of solidarity, intending to be sympathetic and candid. Not that you can't be critical, but do so diplomatically, especially at first. There's always the possibility that you're misinterpreting, and we shouldn't be here to raise each others' blood pressures, if we can help it!

But I think you're imposing your preconception of what someone means when they say "an intellectual" on Baldwin, and I don't think it necessarily fits here. When I read Baldwin's post, I definitely didn't interpret it to mean that he wanted to been thought of as intelligent or cultured, but that he wanted to be involved in intellectual pursuits as a major part of his life - but that he hadn't exactly sorted through the particulars of what he wanted to research. There are a lot of grad applicants - and new students - that are a little fuzzy on exactly what they want to study, but just have more general pull towards certain interests. I don't know that there's anything wrong with that, as a starting point. I applied two years ago straight out of undergrad and definitely had a "fuzzy" view of exactly what I wanted to study - I had loved doing my thesis and independent projects and knew that that was ultimately the only thing I'd truly feel satisfied doing: rigorous, intellectual work. I had that intuitive sense and pull towards it, but as I was very fresh, I hadn't quite worked through exactly what direction I would take that research in but rather had broad interests and a few general questions I was interested in. But in the two years since I've really had time to think about exactly what I'm interested in, who I would be as a scholar, and yes, part of the reason I was forced to do that now and not later was to make my application stronger this time around. I pursued some of my general interests to learn more about what specifically interested me, reading up on some theory, current scholarship, and subfields in general. Maybe that's the sort of independent intellectual pursuit Baldwin was talking about - but eventually it just affirmed that I needed the resources of an actual program if I wanted to be able to go further. So in that way, the grad school application process has forced me to identify and articulate research interests, when I couldn't have before. The thing is, some people go through this "focusing process" in the first year or so of grad school, while others do it before they apply (though you're going to have a much stronger application if you do it before, as I learned - grad schools would rather you figure it out on your own and not on their penny so that you can hit the ground running). You reacted to Baldwin's blanket statement, which is fair because it's not true for all of us, but you're also making one. It's no more fair to say that just because someone hasn't yet fully gotten their specific research interests 100% into focus yet (don't some complain about this tendency/pressure for applicants to do this so early in their academic careers? pre-professionalizing?), they don't have a valid desire to be a scholar and don't deserve a spot in a grad cohort.

I also applied, also haven't heard from them. Last time I applied I was waitlisted, and that was March 7...it's a school that really does things in rounds. I WANT to be encouraged by the fact that there's a rejection up and I haven't recieved one, but they really seem to do things in pieces - a few rejections and acceptances now, a few more a week later, a few more a week after that, etc. So while it's definitely not a bad thing, it's not necessarily good news yet either, especially when it's just one little rejection.

I wasn't going to respond to this thread with anything more than a sigh - I'm so tired of academic grudge matches. We have more in common than this question recognizes (and man, I resent that tagline!). But I was preparing for my 12th grade class tomorrow, and found a perfect quotation that reminded me of this thread. So I refer you to Tom Stoppard, Arcadia, and its interdisciplinary, academic cast of characters: Hannah: It's all trivial - your grouse (science), my hermit (history), Bernard's Byron (literature). Comparing what we're looking for misses the point. It's the wanting to know that makes us matter. Can't we all just get along?

As it seems a few of the English applicants have also said, my absolute dream school is Stanford - it's completely perfect for my interests and has lots of people doing fascinating work in my area(s), including one prof whose work I really admire, some cool interdisciplinary programs and opportunities, seems like it has the environment I'd like and a good rep for mentorship, etc. It's also in a lovely place, and obviously an extremely strong program. ...And it's very unlikely I'll get in. Who doesn't want to go to Stanford?! But I'm keeping the hope alive while I can! Not far behind Stanford, though, and I think still count as dream schools, are Michigan and WashU. Also excellent fits and great places where I'd LOVE to be. I'm waitlisted currently at Michigan and hoping for the best. I made a list before I did all of this, and the school I've got an acceptance from (UC-Davis) was #4 of my 12! So I'm happy. But still anxiously awaiting news from the others. All of this, of course, could change completely with results and further research and especially department campus visits. But that's where I am based on what I've gleaned from researching this programs.

This made me smile - and then get HUNGRY! Congrats on your acceptance!

This is basically how I've justified not totally losing hope just yet. I don't think you should either, Raz! From looking at past years on the results page, Madison seems to have a somewhat erratic and puzzling notification pattern, so I don't think they do it all at once. And I wonder if those two acceptances were M.A./Ph.D. bridge (which is what I applied for) or straight Ph.D., though I'm not sure it whether or not it makes a difference.

It totally depends on the program, but going through the results page will tell you that notifications reach a peak towards the end of February, though there's about a month of variation on either end. There's also a very general trend of more rejections going out later and more acceptances going out earlier, though that is a VERY general trend (and is school-specific, depending on their pattern of notification) and you can easily get rejected in early February and accepted in mid-March. My theory is that a lot of programs say they'll notify by March because that's the latest they'll do it, and don't want to deal with calls from impatient applicants before that if they're running behind. I applied to English Ph.D. programs two years ago and heard from almost all of my seven schools by the end of February. The one I heard about in March was a waitlist, so I think they were just wavering on me for a while. This year, I got an acceptance and a waitlist in the first week of February and haven't heard from the other 10 schools yet. Basically, they could start hearing soon, but shouldn't freak out if it's March and they haven't heard back yet. It's just so unpredictable, but as jacib says, looking at the results page from past years is the best way to predict.

Hi there. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm pretty sure from what I've gathered that they've finished notifying acceptances and waitlists, and did it all on Feb 3 (admirably early, which I appreciate!). I'm currently on the waitlist, and very much crossing my fingers to get in. I'd love to hear from those admitted or other waitlisters...anyone out there? If so, congrats! Think you'll take the offer? What are you hoping to study?

Probably Rhet/Comp, right? It's a different department and that's when they notified. My understanding is that people with actual insider knowledge have said English is notifying next week, and hadn't even finalized decisions back then.

I'm fairly sure Columbia (correct me if I'm wrong) is combining its English and Comparative Literature applicants in that number - the department is, after all, called "English and Comparative Literature." That's also the number (over 700) cited for its typical number of apps for English. So there aren't actually 700 Comp Lit apps, but probably a number a little closer to the Princeton ones (though likely significantly more, since it's Columbia and people like New York). Of course, that also means the 18 slots are English + Comp Lit combined. Comp Lit is a self-selecting applicant pool because of the language requirements - which we Americans are notoriously weak in. So the comp lit app numbers of any program should be significantly lower than the English. So, melusine, as far as the numbers go I would say your admissions odds are just about even with English applicants - you have less spots to compete for but also less apps to compete with, while we have more spots (sometimes - re: Penn) out there but also more applicants. Chin up!

Or how about the lone Wisconsin acceptance? It's not unheard of that a school will notify a very few people before the majority of their admits, but I'm always wary of the outliers. Anyone here?

Double post! Sorry - my internet is unreliable.

Accepted at UC-Davis and waitlisted at Michigan; subfields are 20th Century/Modernism and ecocriticism/spatial and geographical approaches. Good luck to everyone still waiting! Remember that it's still super early, and those are the only two of mine that have notified!

Tinuvielf - He didn't mention the visiting weekend, but that was the one question I managed to get out during the phone conversation, and he said that yes, they will definitely have one and it will likely be in early April, but he's not sure exactly about the timing. So yay! Ecocrit party! And yes, tell me about it - I anxiously await news of what "five years of guaranteed funding" actually means, especially in the California public school system of 2010 - yikes. Good news: if they have a visiting students weekend, I THINK that means they fly you out without expense. Can anyone wise confirm? Am I making that up or pulling it from fantasy-land? I'd love to keep in touch as we navigate this process - feel free to PM me and we can figure it out. tlsaborido - Thank you so much for your detailed reply! Davis sounds like such a neat little town and I'm aching to be somewhere again with a fabulous farmer's market. How often to people make it out to San Fran? Or how about to do outdoor stuff in the surroundings? Do you consider it a "pretty" place? How's the weather?

I was so happy to get my first acceptance yesterday - from UC Davis! I saw that the results page shows four other people who also got good news from Davis, so I was just curious who the others are! Anyone willing to claim? What's your subfield, what are you interested in studying, what profs would you want to work with? Are you planning to go to the admitted students weekend? (And anyone know when they'll give us info about the details?) I really like the program because of my interests in ecocriticism and geographical/spatial approaches, specifically in the Modern period/20th century. I've also got a secondary interest is Romanticism. They've got a good number of faculty doing really interesting work in ecocriticism, globalization studies, cultural geography, transnationalism, etc. so I'm very happy! I was very worried about my California applications, considering the budget situation, but he did say 5 years of funding, although the specifics come in the next few weeks. Anyone have further info on Davis's funding? And actually, if anyone out there has any info at all on the program - or the place! - I'd love to hear about it!

God, I know. I do think Virginia is the most beautiful US state, and Charlottesville is pretty much Paradise on Earth. UVA was my second choice for undergrad, and though I made the right decision, I've dreamed of that place ever since. (Doesn't hurt that the program is a pretty perfect fit for me as well!)