jazzyd

From my personal experience, my priorities at this point were:
1) Personal Statement
2) Writing Sample
3) Letters of rec
4) GRE
 
The only caveat with the GRE is that if you haven't signed up for the Subject Test in Literature (if you're taking it that is and didn't take it in the spring) then that should probably be done ASAP, or as soon as you get the funds to (ASAYGTFT?). The GRE General is all year round, but the Subject is only Oct-Nov and taking the test in November there's no guarantee that your scores will be ready in time for the earliest apps (granted, I don't think this is a HUGE problem, since I doubt schools even glance at applications until after their winter breaks). 
 
The reason I had my statement higher was because at this point I already had a finished rough draft of my writing sample and was given the advice to let it sit and stew for a bit before returning to start edits. Otherwise my writing sample would've been #1

I would suggest searching "Octavia Butler" in the MLA Bibliography. Even if you are not interested in her work, anyone who writes about Octavia Butler is most likely interested in sci-fi, race, and gender. I did a quick search, and I found over 200 articles. The first was written by Jane Donawerth, who is my mentor at UMD; I had no idea she was interested in science fiction! 

Less than two weeks... ha, I wish. Classes don't start at Chicago until September 30th!
 
So more thumb twiddling to do, it seems like. But at least I'll have more than enough to time to home-ify my apartment and explore the neighborhood beforehand.

One of the things I like a lot about that book is that it is resolutely anti-romanticism in academia, which I've found to be a real problem for a lot of people; they romanticize the university system so they have a hard time dealing with the inevitable disappointments. But I don't intend to post this in a purely or deeply pessimistic sense. In large part, I think the takeaway is first to forgive yourself if you don't get into that one program, because there is just such variability in readers on adcomms. Relatedly, cast your nets wide both in the sense of applying to a good number of schools (the author of the book advocates 10 as a sensible number) but also emotionally. Don't get overly attached to one department! 
 
Also, I agree with this person in the sense that the system has a lot of randomness and arbitrariness in it, but still tends to produce fairly just results in aggregate. I think an individual rejection or acceptance can be a genuine crapshoot, but that if you apply to a decent number of schools, you should hope to find that your luck breaks out even. I also think that you can trust that several acceptances from good programs are an indication that you have what adcomms want. (Not necessarily the same thing as an "objective" notion of academic value!) On the downside, I think if you strike out at many departments over a few separate application seasons, it's likely that you do not have an academic resume that projects the kind of things adcomms are looking for in the field right now.
 
It's natural for all of us to have a somewhat self-defensive attitude towards our own success or failure in this process. If you got into your top programs, you want to believe that the system is fair. If you didn't, you want to believe that the system is flawed. The reality is probably in the middle. More than anything, I hope people try to maximize their chances for success, but also that they don't get bound up in thinking that any particular acceptance or rejection is somehow indicative of their value as people or as intellects. Sorry to speechify. 

I honestly would not sweat it. What are your grades like for literature courses?

I scored in the 49th percentile, which got me into 5 schools, only one of which required the Subject Test. However, my (brilliant) friend scored somewhere below the 20th percentile and got in to all but one of the programs he applied to, including top 5 and top 8 programs (according the USNWR anyway).
 
I would only encourage you to take it again if and only if you think you will spend the time really reading the material and immersing yourself in the eras that the majority of the test covers. If you just would take it again just to take it, I wouldn't bother. It's such a waste of money and time in the first place.

Agreed. If were about numbers I would not have gotten into any programs: my GPA is average (probably lower than average compared to other English majors), my subject score was below average, and my GRE V score was alright (above average overall, but likely lower than average compared to other English applicants). I've had zero teaching experience and haven't presented at any conferences. Since I still received acceptances from several well-ranked programs, I'm especially inclined to believe that numbers matter much less than the strength of your SOP/sample. 
 
It's really hard to build a picture of the "average" applicant who is accepted since two samples or SOPs can vary wildly even amongst those receiving offers from the same schools. Since you have a lot of time between now and when application open up, I would focus on laying the groundwork for these materials and getting as many professional eyes to see your working drafts as possible.

Holy cow that's huge! Congratulations!

I spent a few days having some doubt, concerned that I rushed my decision. And then, two things happened within twenty four hours to remind me that I absolutely made the right choice.
 
1. The University of Maryland recently approved a policy that guarantees six weeks of paid parental leave to graduate students! As I plan on having kids within the next few years, this news elicited a huge sigh of relief.
 
2. The English Department upped my first year fellowship by $5,000! 
 
I am happy to report that all feelings of doubt are gone.

Specifically do any of you guys know of people who study Robert Musil outside of German departments? I'm thinking like Comp Lit departments with scholars in comparative modernism.
 
Any info you guys might have is appreciated. 

Off-hand the only person I can think of who's written on Musil and isn't in a German department is Jean-Michel Rabaté over at U Penn. (And he'd definitely working on comparative modernism in a very broad sense... and is great.) Otherwise, there's plenty of German scholars who you'd have access to from within a comp lit department; I mean, there's nothing saying you can't enroll in comp lit and then work closely with people in the various national literature departments, and for that matter a lot of comp lit programs (like Penn's) are just amalgams of the various national literatures...

I'll add that not every school is at the mercy of state financial politics either. My current institution is public, but hasn't been funded by the state in years... (mainly because the state's almost as broke as California). 
 
So really, I don't think anyone can make a blanket statement even about something like funding. That's why it's important to do so much research into each school since there are so much fewer absolutes than say if you're looking at the undergrad level.

Is there any system of human advancement where personal relationships don't make some sort of an impact?
 
You're right to say that the truly unqualified aren't going to be getting into a great program simply because one professor pulls for one applicant. What certainly is true is that networks of friendly scholars can help to influence who gets one of very few spots, without malice or any attempt to "cheat." This is especially true in a context where you are often sorting essentially meaningless distinctions. As much as we'd all like to believe that our applications reveal us to be perfectly unique snowflakes who are in possession of objective strengths, the reality is that there are tons of students with great grades, great GREs, glowing letters of rec, and very strong SOPs and writing samples. If you're a prof who has to recommend a small handful of applicants from hundreds of applications, and you have a professor who you know and trust say, "hey, this student of mine is brilliant," that is information you're likely to see as valuable. It's not an attempt to subvert the process or to screw anyone. But it certainly is an influence that many applicants would see as external to what they believe they should be evaluated on. If these kinds of personal connections were out-and-out corrupt, they wouldn't continue. It's precisely because they lie in a murky area between natural and helpful on one hand and potentially unfair on the other that they persist. It's like the constant discussion of fit. A professor might take a colleague's recommendation seriously because he or she feels that the colleague has provided reason to believe that the prospective student would be a good fit. So where does legitimate consideration of fit end and illegitimate consideration of personal connections begin? There's no bright line.
 
This is also related to, but separate from, perceptions of individual colleges, their prestige, and the weight they are given in the selection process. In each case, I find that people are very quick to dismiss them as having any impact at all. That's a mistake, I think. What I do believe is that you should only worry about the elements of your application that you control. If you don't think your recommenders can give you an edge, you shouldn't sit around worrying about it, any more than you should worry about the prestige of your undergrad institution. But to pretend that those things aren't important because it is uncomfortable if they are isn't a useful way to think. It's impossible to say to what degree these things impact who ultimately gets in. But I do think that people who blanket deny that they matter at all-- often extrapolating from personal experience, even though they are ignorant of whether these connections helped them themselves-- aren't being productive. In a process where some super-competitive programs let in as few as 8 new students, one or two students who had an edge thanks to who their professors know makes a big difference.
 
Just bear in mind three rules that are true regardless of what facet of this process you're talking about:
 
1. This process is not fair. It does not represent a meritocracy. Change and circumstance affect outcomes.
2. The process exists to serve the needs of the departments, not the needs of the applicants.
3. You will never be in perfect control of the outcome of your own applications.
 
So just do your best and try to remain as emotionally detached as you can.

Just made it official: English at the University of Michigan!! So excited to be done with this never-ending application/decision process. And even more excited to get started with the fun stuff in the fall!

Officially out at WashU. I'm disappointed but hardly discouraged. I have a fully-funded MA offer from Purdue, which I will accept. I plan on killing it and reapplying to PhD programs in a couple years.
 
Good luck to everyone still waiting!

I too am going to decline, however am also a little slow on travel reimbursement stuff. Will definitely do that today. Sorry for the hold up!

I completely agree with other posters about placement being the most important thing, far more than ranking, but I'd urge you to look deeply into placement numbers. Ask the schools for all the records they keep - sometimes the university's graduate school compiles statistics, as well as the department itself. It's not always easy to find, but not keeping good records is a red flag in and of itself. Are there particular subfields (or advisors) doing notably better than others in a particular department? What sorts of jobs is each school placing people into? By that, I mean not just tenure-track vs. lecturer or adjunct, but also what sorts of schools and positions - ones that are heavy teaching, with 4-4 loads, or research universities that give you more time for your own projects? Many "lower-ranked" programs place quite well because their grads are looking for totally different types of jobs, in which case their raw numbers become incommensurable with schools more focused on training researchers. It may be that you'll want to think very seriously about what sort of job you envision yourself in, and make your decision accordingly.
 
My (admittedly under-informed) impression is just that Buffalo is in a completely different league than West Virginia - they're definitely a "known" program in a way that WVU isn't. They're also known for having an untraditional, hip, theory-oriented program. That's not to say Buffalo is necessarily right for you, but I think it's important to keep in mind as you figure out where you want to be. Good luck!

Also don't forget that larger institutions also tend to have a good number of international students. I consult at the writing center here and we get about 75% international students. Now, in my experience, they write at pretty high level, it's only that they miss small details like articles that native English speakers would usually not miss. International students also bring in more money than domestic students, so as universities are further hit financially the amount of international students will likely rise. Either way, graduate students who are not used to working with students for whom English is not a first language might also need to adjust their approach on that front.

Haven't given the official word yet, but I am almost certain I will be accepting an offer from the University of Chicago
 
Now to finish my thesis and survive the rest of senior year (!)

Haven't given the official word yet, but I am almost certain I will be accepting an offer from the University of Chicago
 
Now to finish my thesis and survive the rest of senior year (!)

Haven't given the official word yet, but I am almost certain I will be accepting an offer from the University of Chicago
 
Now to finish my thesis and survive the rest of senior year (!)

Haven't given the official word yet, but I am almost certain I will be accepting an offer from the University of Chicago
 
Now to finish my thesis and survive the rest of senior year (!)

Haven't given the official word yet, but I am almost certain I will be accepting an offer from the University of Chicago
 
Now to finish my thesis and survive the rest of senior year (!)

Haven't given the official word yet, but I am almost certain I will be accepting an offer from the University of Chicago
 
Now to finish my thesis and survive the rest of senior year (!)

Haven't given the official word yet, but I am almost certain I will be accepting an offer from the University of Chicago
 
Now to finish my thesis and survive the rest of senior year (!)