Gwendolyn

I think properly establishing fit and naming professors is rarely, if ever, a negative thing. Sometimes people just don't get in. Space is limited. I think attributing failure to get into a program on establishing fit in a PS is a bit unreasonable.

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

Thanks. Fixed.

FINALLY heard back from Florida. I am "high up on our wait list." I am pretty sure the department thinks someone notified me of this status before today, and that when I was asking about my status, they thought I was asking if there's been movement on the wait list. 
 
What a disorganized department.

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

Got into Kent State's MA program with funding!

Perhaps a google docs might be beneficial here for a collaborative effort.
 
Anywho, I've accepted an offer at The Ohio State University (English PhD). 

For those of you rejected by Emory: don't feel bad, It's not a good program. For those of you thinking about accepting Emory's offer: don't believe L. Otis's claims about President James Wagner. The English department is guilty of the same things. I wish someone had told me the truth from the beginning.

I think properly establishing fit and naming professors is rarely, if ever, a negative thing. Sometimes people just don't get in. Space is limited. I think attributing failure to get into a program on establishing fit in a PS is a bit unreasonable.

If it makes you feel any better, I got into their Ph.D. last year and was offered no funding. That's an even harsher blow. "Oh, sure, I'll go to your program for 5-7 years with no funding. I'll also blowdry my hair in the bathtub to save time! What could go wrong?"

I think properly establishing fit and naming professors is rarely, if ever, a negative thing. Sometimes people just don't get in. Space is limited. I think attributing failure to get into a program on establishing fit in a PS is a bit unreasonable.

I think properly establishing fit and naming professors is rarely, if ever, a negative thing. Sometimes people just don't get in. Space is limited. I think attributing failure to get into a program on establishing fit in a PS is a bit unreasonable.

Claiming the Buffalo consolation MA on the board. A little surprised(?) as I specifically asked not to be considered for it but ok.

Edit: forgot to add for the record, letter dated 2/26, the same date as my application was marked "under review" on the status site.

I hope not to sound redundant, but I firmly believe it's important to write about program fit. 
 
For what it's worth, I have to attend an annual conference for one of my undergrad programs (although there are several optional events throughout the year) and the majority of fellows in this region are from emory, rice, and wustl so we'll typically have graduate admission counselors from those schools, but we'll also have graduate admissions counselors come from other prominent fellow schools from other regions sometimes  (when I say "prominent" I mean schools who produce a large number of fellows) to speak and answer questions about admissions as well (mainly ucla, university of chicago and northwestern, but I've seen harvard, dartmouth, and stanford and a few others). Over the course of two or so years it's been explicitly stressed over and over again from admissions counselors from these schools to make sure to write about how you fit into a program, but here's where some people might err. Don't just pick out professors blindsighted -- ASK if professors are willing to work with more students during the next school year. ASK if professors are interested in your research. ASK if professors think your research aligns with theirs before you apply.
 
Writing about your fit means absolutely nothing if your POI can't work with you (they might already be advising more students than they can manage or  they might be on a sabbatical by the time you enter etc.), if your POI doesn't have interest in what you're doing (their research interests do change - one professor at OSU told me he wasn't doing something I inquired about anymore, BUT he was interested in working with some of my other interest areas).
 
This is why it helps to list 3-4 people you can work with in your letter (hopefully you've at least contacted the primary 1 or 2). If you can only name one person you want to work with and he's not taking any more students, then you're out. If you've convincingly written in two or three others you can see yourself working with then, if admitted, you'll have access to Professor of Choice and you'll prove that if something happens to Professor of Choice (they leave the school, they retire, they die... all realities), you'll still have other people in the program who can guide you. Appealing to 1 professor is like applying to the professor. Picking a few reveals your interest in the department rather than just one POI. 
 
A few other things I've taken away:
 
1. Write about why you want to study at the school; what resources does the school have that will contribute to your research? Is there a special collection or a special institute? Is the location particularly beneficial to your research? Are there local off campus resources?
2. Explicitly state what you want to contribute to the academy as a whole. What conversations can you join? What new are you adding?
3. Tell what academic experiences prepare you for graduate study (avoid too much extraneous personal information unless requested). 
4. Know what you want to research, but be sure to indicate that you are a young scholar so your interests are evolving (this illustrates your flexibility and makes those professors with changing interests more inclined to work with you). 

He e-mailed me this afternoon to let me know. Hmm...

These are things I have learned about literary studies Ph.D. admissions, and I do believe they are accurate:
 
Fit really does matter, though it is mysterious and difficult to gauge from the applicant's perspective, and it can mean a number of different things.
 
GRE scores and grades will not get you in, but they can keep you out.
 
Languages matter a lot more than you might think, especially for particular subfields; beware of applying to be a medievalist without Latin, for example, or applying as a transnational scholar without relevant languages. 
 
Letters of recommendation are very important, but not as important as the statement of purpose and writing sample. Your writing sample matters the most, followed closely by your statement of purpose (which is its own kind of writing sample).
 
The scariest truth of all: your writing sample may be very good, but that doesn't mean it's good enough to earn you a spot in any given year. In fact, your application as a whole may be excellent, but whether or not it's excellent enough is a different story. That's why you have to aim to be the best while hoping to land at "good enough." Sincere apologies if this makes anyone sad. It can be a painful thing, I know.

I hope not to sound redundant, but I firmly believe it's important to write about program fit. 
 
For what it's worth, I have to attend an annual conference for one of my undergrad programs (although there are several optional events throughout the year) and the majority of fellows in this region are from emory, rice, and wustl so we'll typically have graduate admission counselors from those schools, but we'll also have graduate admissions counselors come from other prominent fellow schools from other regions sometimes  (when I say "prominent" I mean schools who produce a large number of fellows) to speak and answer questions about admissions as well (mainly ucla, university of chicago and northwestern, but I've seen harvard, dartmouth, and stanford and a few others). Over the course of two or so years it's been explicitly stressed over and over again from admissions counselors from these schools to make sure to write about how you fit into a program, but here's where some people might err. Don't just pick out professors blindsighted -- ASK if professors are willing to work with more students during the next school year. ASK if professors are interested in your research. ASK if professors think your research aligns with theirs before you apply.
 
Writing about your fit means absolutely nothing if your POI can't work with you (they might already be advising more students than they can manage or  they might be on a sabbatical by the time you enter etc.), if your POI doesn't have interest in what you're doing (their research interests do change - one professor at OSU told me he wasn't doing something I inquired about anymore, BUT he was interested in working with some of my other interest areas).
 
This is why it helps to list 3-4 people you can work with in your letter (hopefully you've at least contacted the primary 1 or 2). If you can only name one person you want to work with and he's not taking any more students, then you're out. If you've convincingly written in two or three others you can see yourself working with then, if admitted, you'll have access to Professor of Choice and you'll prove that if something happens to Professor of Choice (they leave the school, they retire, they die... all realities), you'll still have other people in the program who can guide you. Appealing to 1 professor is like applying to the professor. Picking a few reveals your interest in the department rather than just one POI. 
 
A few other things I've taken away:
 
1. Write about why you want to study at the school; what resources does the school have that will contribute to your research? Is there a special collection or a special institute? Is the location particularly beneficial to your research? Are there local off campus resources?
2. Explicitly state what you want to contribute to the academy as a whole. What conversations can you join? What new are you adding?
3. Tell what academic experiences prepare you for graduate study (avoid too much extraneous personal information unless requested). 
4. Know what you want to research, but be sure to indicate that you are a young scholar so your interests are evolving (this illustrates your flexibility and makes those professors with changing interests more inclined to work with you). 

I hope not to sound redundant, but I firmly believe it's important to write about program fit. 
 
For what it's worth, I have to attend an annual conference for one of my undergrad programs (although there are several optional events throughout the year) and the majority of fellows in this region are from emory, rice, and wustl so we'll typically have graduate admission counselors from those schools, but we'll also have graduate admissions counselors come from other prominent fellow schools from other regions sometimes  (when I say "prominent" I mean schools who produce a large number of fellows) to speak and answer questions about admissions as well (mainly ucla, university of chicago and northwestern, but I've seen harvard, dartmouth, and stanford and a few others). Over the course of two or so years it's been explicitly stressed over and over again from admissions counselors from these schools to make sure to write about how you fit into a program, but here's where some people might err. Don't just pick out professors blindsighted -- ASK if professors are willing to work with more students during the next school year. ASK if professors are interested in your research. ASK if professors think your research aligns with theirs before you apply.
 
Writing about your fit means absolutely nothing if your POI can't work with you (they might already be advising more students than they can manage or  they might be on a sabbatical by the time you enter etc.), if your POI doesn't have interest in what you're doing (their research interests do change - one professor at OSU told me he wasn't doing something I inquired about anymore, BUT he was interested in working with some of my other interest areas).
 
This is why it helps to list 3-4 people you can work with in your letter (hopefully you've at least contacted the primary 1 or 2). If you can only name one person you want to work with and he's not taking any more students, then you're out. If you've convincingly written in two or three others you can see yourself working with then, if admitted, you'll have access to Professor of Choice and you'll prove that if something happens to Professor of Choice (they leave the school, they retire, they die... all realities), you'll still have other people in the program who can guide you. Appealing to 1 professor is like applying to the professor. Picking a few reveals your interest in the department rather than just one POI. 
 
A few other things I've taken away:
 
1. Write about why you want to study at the school; what resources does the school have that will contribute to your research? Is there a special collection or a special institute? Is the location particularly beneficial to your research? Are there local off campus resources?
2. Explicitly state what you want to contribute to the academy as a whole. What conversations can you join? What new are you adding?
3. Tell what academic experiences prepare you for graduate study (avoid too much extraneous personal information unless requested). 
4. Know what you want to research, but be sure to indicate that you are a young scholar so your interests are evolving (this illustrates your flexibility and makes those professors with changing interests more inclined to work with you). 

I like to think there's a subtle difference between a name-dropping paragraph, and a fit paragraph.  The first one might be a bit more "[insert PoI name here]" and "[university name]" there, the second talks about your research interests and how they should, obviously, line up with things the department is doing.  Adcoms for lit programs are guaranteed to be able to tell the difference.
 
The Biggest Application Hack I Know: Form a relationship with the professors you're likely to be working with in your MA/PhD.  Pitch a project to them, and get feedback before you even start the application process.  Only talk to professors that are doing something you genuinely find interesting, and build a relationship from that shared interest.  THAT was the biggest thing I did, and I did it when I applied to both MA and PhD programs.  Then when I mentioned someone's name in the SoP, it wasn't just name dropping Fancy Professor McAwesome, it was saying "Hey, go talk to Dr. So-n-so next time you see her in the mail room and ask her about this kid from Oregon.  She thinks I'm cool."  It's a bit like having a secret extra LoR, except it's a faculty member who may even have some influence on what kind of funding you get offered.
 
As a bonus, I feel super confident about my decision because I already know I have an ally in the department, and we've talked about the program and the field.