Gwendolyn

Are the interviewers going to ask to see my driver's license? Or birth certificate? And then interview me differently? No, they'll have no idea how old I am. I don't look any different than my peers. What they will see is a wealth of maturity and experience that my peers may not necessarily have.

In my humble opinion, bfat says sorry yet has nothing whatsoever to apologize for. Swagato is in full admiration and simply hopes that the oldies know what they are getting themselves into. That was after asking "Why?" with so much concern regarding the putative disadvantages (which Swagato seems to know so much about) that come with age. I appreciate bfat's laudably diplomatic overture about the grumpiness that comes with turning 30, but for my own part, there is nothing helpful about this olive branch, only good-humored essentialism that does me (for example) a disservice. But nevermind.  Let's continue in the spirit of good will. Allow me to reciprocate Swagato's courtesy. Let me ask "Why?", full of tender concern...wait, no.  Because of my age, I am full of a seasoned wisdom that tells me it is none of my fucking business. I'll just hope with bated breath that the PhD-to-tenure-track trajectory of Swagato's life has no unexpected detours on the horizon. Because, goodness me, those are some "significant disadvantages" that I (in all my 33 youthful summers) happen to know something about. Or are they advantages, rather? Hmm, I guess it depends on how you view the process of changing as a person.

I'm not sure why, but this post kind of rubs me the wrong way. Maybe because I'm already feeling anxiety about being "too old" (I just turned 30), and I feel like this attitude is what I'm most anxious about encountering--a kind of patronizing "good for you!" masking potential underlying criticism. Well shucks, gee, it sure would be an advantage if I was younger, but there's this thing where time only moves in one direction...
 
The truth is that it just took me longer to get here. It took me 6 years to finish undergrad because of financial difficulties, I lived and worked abroad for a while after that, then got a regular job, then realized I wanted to go back into academia, so spent the last 3 years working full time, starting a family, and earning my MA. Voila, I'm 30. It's not as though you can't live your life before you get tenure, so if that doesn't happen until I'm 45 (or, let's be honest, ever), so what? I just don't understand the "racing toward tenure so I can start my real life" idea, which views it as a beginning, rather than a milestone or an eventual goal. Obviously it's an important goal/step in an academic career, but I'm not sure that being a few years older affects the granting of tenure, and something like 50% won't end up getting it anyway, so I think it's important to be open to other possibilities.
 
I'm sorry, I really don't mean to be snippy--I think I'm just grumpy about turning 30. But I don't exactly wear dentures and hobble around on a walker in my slippers. 30 is young. 40 is young. People change careers all the time, and from the people I've spoken to in grad programs, a 10 or 15 year age difference means nothing at all. It's not like I've decided to become a gymnast at 30--I think I've got a few good years before senility will rob me of my literature-teaching abilities.

I moved to the town where I'm getting my MA about a month before school started. I had enough money saved from my previous job to cover the first two months of rent, moving fees and not much else. But I found out my campus bookstore was hiring for the back to school rush, so I applied and got hired. And they actually let me start working in July instead of the week before school started since I was already in town. They also let me come back during winter break, and I just started up again this week and will probably work through the summer as long as there's enough hours available. It's a pretty nice job .

New Criticism. That shit is hot.

All I can say is this, and I've said it before here. I visited 6 different schools in making my decision, and of all the fellow prospectives I met (probably at least 50), it was difficult to get a sense of what we all had in common. Many came from different types of schools, different ages, backgrounds, etc. There was also huge variation in people's GRE scores and GPA's.<br /><br />But the one thing I noticed about everybody was their unique and cutting edge interests. Everybody was looking at a really interesting subject area and doing so in a very fresh way. Of all the people I talked to, nobody bored me with their research focus. I mostly left those conversations with an enriched sense of possibilities for work in the humanities. That's how powerful I thought people's research interests were. So in presenting yourself to these schools, especially through your writing sample and SOP, you might want to tap into that, however vague or abstract or general it sounds.

Hm, well I recently set up my new school email address and paid my enrollment deposit.  And my future roommates--one of whom is the ever-awesome It's (Not) About Me-- and I are searching for an apartment/house to move into this August.  All very exciting stuff!  I still need to send my official transcripts, enroll in the graduate student health insurance plan, send in my medical history, register for classes, etc.

Glad to hear I'm not alone in my impending homesickness. My family and my in-laws are both super sad about my husband's and my big move, and I'm trying to stay strong for them, but in reality, I am already missing California. I spent the weekend in San Francisco eating all of my favorite foods (ice cream from Bi-Rite, burrito from Taqueria Cancun, and pizza from Zachary's) and doing my favorite things (watching the new light show on the bay bridge, going to a Giants game, and walking around Dolores Park). It was bittersweet; I had a blast galloping around the bay area and spoiling myself, but the thought of my impended departure loomed over each activity. 
 
However, it's not all bad. I live in a lovely coastal town right now that I love during the day, but man, this town is dead once the sun sets. I am so excited about living near a city again. I've already been scoping out the local music venues in DC, and I signed up for a half-marathon in Baltimore. So, while I am sad about moving, I am feeling super ready for this new adventure. 

Chronicle of Higher Education (?)

I mean, obviously you'll want to apply to quality universities thestage.  But to imply there's a firm "top 20" when there's so many different subfields and specializations is an impossible taxonomic task!
 
I mean, what is the "top 20"
 
I'd understand "top 20 early modern" but even then, are these top 20 for historicist/archival early modern or top 20 for theoretical/marxist approaches to early modern!  To imply that somehow there's a firm and set "top 20" that guarantees jobs is just silly.  I mean, how does one even qualify a general top 20!
 
It's more that I have a big problem with the very idea one can qualify a top 20 institution without a nod to subfield is just silly.  Like, sure you might be going to a "top 20" but if none of the scholars do what you do, you're gonna have a bad time.
 
This is to say, there's rankings for every subfield, but those rankings don't *always* reflect the standard "top 20."  This isn't to say the top 20 aren't strong in most areas, but you'll probably be better off doing your school search based on your strengths rather than general institution strength.

Yes, but it's also better not to attack and/or deride said individual for being "woefully misinformed." Better to kindly enlighten them on the (grim) realities of the situation, wish them luck, and move on. Anyway, moving on...

Chronicle of Higher Education (?)

Everyone on here is so mean, it's pretty amusing

Chronicle of Higher Education (?)

Brilliant.

Hi guys,
 
Am writing from the land down under, with hopes of one day being admitted into an English Lit PhD program at an Ivy League school.
 
I already have the school in mind, and understand there is a LONG road ahead of me.
 
I am prepared to do whatever it takes to get there. This year I enrolled in a MA of Creative Writing (as my GPA for Business was SHOCKING).
 
I don't doubt my writing abilities and if my application was solely based on writing samples, I know I'd get in - no doubt.
 
I am looking to study in Europe first, perhaps a Masters in the UK or elsewhere.
 
 
What do I need to do to impress the US schools and get noticed.
 
Please note I am not talking about good marks, GRE, GPA etc.
 
I am talking about all the other stuff, and at a looser level what other Master(s) program should I enrol into to heighten my chances, I'll do a few if necessary.

No. If you have one Ivy League school in mind, your odds of getting in, even if this was the case, are still quite low. That's the reality of the numbers. Other people are strong writers, too.
 
You need to have doubt, because without it you will not strategize appropriately, which I would argue is one of (if not the) most important aspect of applying (picking where to apply and how to represent yourself to those schools).
 
The best thing you can do it focus on fit. This means abandoning the idea of looking specifically at Ivy Leagues exclusively--there are plenty of other fantastic programs, and they might be better fits for you. I think you will figure a lot of this out while you get your MA. Good luck.

Maybe I'm swimming upstream here, but I would apply if I were you.  I say that because I think I probably was you, and I applied, and I went, and I'm about to do it again (the going; I've already done the applying again).  
 
I guess I'm assuming that your malaise is not frustration with academia but frustration with your current position; I felt that at the end of undergrad and I feel that now at the end of my master's (exhibit a: I am on here and watching Chopped instead of marking papers).  By the end of undergrad, I just wanted to burn all of the books I'd ever read and run out and join the circus or something, but within three weeks of graduation, I felt like I needed to be reading and writing, I was worried about my next project, and so on. Right now I want to take my cat and run away to the midwest where I would find a job at a diner and make just enough money for kibble and freezer pizza.  But I know that, by mid-June, I'm going to be researching and getting excited about the next place I'm going to study and all the awesome things I'll be learning there.  So... I'd apply, if I were you.  Unless you feel that it is not where you're studying, I think that it's a really good bet that you're just feeling the impatience that I think nearly everyone feels when they're almost done with what is basically a huge project.  It's probably just that there's an end in sight and you want it to be here now (and, ideally, without you having to do the work required to get there).

Eh, it depends. I went from undergrad to a PhD program in 2008, so I'm in my third year. It's both true and false. I had a bad case of senioritis my last year, but O defeated it by focusing on my research and my senior thesis AND settling for "good enough" on the other classes I was taking once I had made my decisions. You just have to be good enough, especially in non-field classes.

But on the other hand, it's better in grad school because you are focused on your area of interest - I loved taking only classes I was interested in. However, I don't necessarily agree that the motivation follows the interest. There will be pleeeeeeeeeeenty of times where you know that you love what you do and once you get started with a specific task, you'll be on a roll and really enjoy it. Yet, you don't begin because...well, whatever you're doing to procrastinate feels good! Lol.

I think senioritis is pretty inevitable, or at least it was for me. And I don't think it is connected to what classes you are taking or the fact that you left the most boring requirements to the end. I had a terrible case of it even though I was working on a thesis I had invested much blood, sweat, and tears into as well as taking upper division astronomy classes because they sound and were in fact amazing. Anyways, it clears up when you start your grad course work so just float on now if you need to with the conviction that you will be moving on to bigger and better things.

On a related note, I always get transitional depression which fuels my senioritis lack of motivation. This might be something to consider. You are planning on making a pretty substantial change in life plans. I also remember senior year sucking for this reason and the fact that there were so many unknowns. Would I get a job? Would I go to grad school? Which grad school would take me? Will there be funding? Will it be in a good city? What will my cohort be like? Will I have a good adviser and committee? Am I really cut out for grad school or were the schools that rejected me right? Ect ect ect. Maybe it is just me, but it is pretty hard to be motivated with that much existential angst hanging around.

I am a senior in college, planning to apply to PhD programs in the fall.  I have wanted to pursue an academic career throughout all of college and last year I even applied for and received an external scholarship for grad school in literature.
 
This semester, however, I have been struggling. I can't concentrate, I waste hours of time instead of working, and I am not happy with how my honors thesis is turning out.  I often just feel stuck and look for excuses to not do schoolwork.  I feel frustrated when I get feedback on thesis drafts or papers.  My gpa will be lower this semester than any other semester.  
 
Part of this is due to personal circumstances and the stress of being a senior.  But I also can't help but wonder if I am making the right choice.  I know many people on this message board will say academia is always the wrong choice, or that if I am questioning then it is not for me, but I don't think it's that simple.  I have felt for years that this is the right path and that I'm pretty good at what I do. Now I feel like nothing I do is good enough, and I am really floundering.  However, I don't just want to give up on this idea and I am also worried about disappointing everyone who has helped me.  
 
It's hard to separate how much of these feelings is just momentary stress/depression and burnout and how much is real questioning of my future career path.  I have not had a break from academic work that lasted more than a few days since the beginning of last summer, and that might be part of it (I spent all my breaks catching up on assignments, working as a research assistant, studying for written/oral exams, etc.)
 
I am also a bit worried about sharing too much of this with my professors because I don't want it to affect their LORs, even on a subconscious level.  
 
Any advice? Has anyone been in a similar situation?
 
Edit: Sorry for the typo in the thread title.

I reapplied and was admitted to 2 schools for Fall 2013 that I had been rejected from in the Fall 2011 cycle.  I think as long as you strengthen your application significantly, it makes sense to reapply if those schools are a good fit. But you should seek out opinions about why you were rejected to make sure you aren't wasting your money by applying again.  If you weren't a good fit in terms of your POIs research interests, it may not make sense to apply again.  If it was because you didn't have enough experience, but you will in a year, then reapply.

Yippeee!
 

 
Victory dance!

I was a lurker on these boards most of this season, but I want to thank all of you regular posters for your positive energy, good humor, and often helpful advice.
 
I accepted an offer for the Ph.D. program in Writing History and Theory (WHiT) at Case Western Reserve University today.
 
To those who've already accepted, good luck in your programs come Fall!
 
To those who are still waiting for wait-lists to convert, I'll keep my fingers crossed right there with you.
 
To those who were shut out but plan to saddle up for the next application season, I am sending the best of good vibes your way. I (with uncharacteristic optimism) only applied to one program for Fall 2012, and when I was not accepted, it was difficult to rally again. I did, though: I rethought my strategy, reworked my materials, and I came out of this season with 8/10 acceptances. It can happen.
 
To everybody, I look forward to reading your work, running into you at conferences, and perhaps being your friend and colleague in years to come. Take care out there.
 
 
 
[edited for silly typos]

I will be attending Georgetown for my MA in the fall! Wooo! Thanks to everyone here for being so helpful!