rachelann1991

Thanks, Wyatt's Torch and qwer7890! And I think you're absolutely right, quer7890. I didn't use exact quotes, despite the quotation marks - I more paraphrased - and I figured since it was six or so students pretty much saying the same thing, it would be okay, THIS TIME and in THIS CONTEXT, to write about, in a general way, the sentiments of the class as a whole. Plus, I pretty much told the entire class the same things I wrote in the blog when I gave the class a mini-pep talk on Thursday. However, I couldn't agree more with you about respecting student confidentiality. Had it been only one student, or had it been information of a more personal nature, or had any of the students shared their nerves about writing papers in anything but a casual, kind of off-hand way, I wouldn't have put it into writing at all!

Hi, all!
 
First semester Ph.D. in English student here! I recently started a blog to share my experiences / difficulties / funny stories / good times in graduate school! Here's a link if anyone wants to check it out!
 
http://englishphdreamer.wordpress.com
 
Anyone else start a blog? I'd love to read it! Also, my dear 2015 applicants, feel free to ask me questions / solicit advice! 

I'm 22, a baby just coming out of undergrad, and I'm starting to get INCREDIBLY nervous about jumping straight into a Ph.D. program! I keep wondering whether I should have done a M.A. first or, even more, whether I should have done a gap-year like the advice in the above forum posts very smartly suggested, but I've made my decision and I have to deal with it, so now I'll try to justify it to myself and to you 2015ers who bravely want to do the same thing I'm embarking on! My professors all advised me with some words of wisdom and comfort about going straight on, so, 2015ers, I'll tell you why they (and hopefully me, eventually, once I get some confidence) think that moving straight on might not be such a bad idea for some people:
 
1. You're still in "school mode," so you might have more motivation to continue in that mindset, and you won't need to reset yourself once you're back in an academic setting.
 
2. The job market is bad in ANY and EVERY field, (I know, no shit, sherlock), so it might be more trouble than it's worth to find a temporary year-long job, and it might not even be financially the best thing in the grand scheme of your life. Especially if you have student loans, the chance to defer makes grad school the better potential option financially.
 
3. (1+2 were my professors, but this one's mine!) If you're dead serious about this, if you KNOW you want a Ph.D/M.A, why put off the inevitable? I know being an English professor is the only thing I'll ever wake up every day wanting to do, so, for me, doing a year of something else just wastes time and delays the life I want. Every minute I'm not reading or writing feels . . . like I'm not being ME.
 
TL;DR: If you feel burnt out, if you need more time to work on your applications, if you need to feel more sure that a graduate degree is what you want, take a year off! Heck, even if you think it would make you happy to travel or something before more school for no other reason than you feel like it, DO IT!!! But, if you're feeling like anything besides graduate school would be a waste of time, don't feel like you HAVE to take a year off simply because that's the best path for someone else. Now, for all I know I could be full of crap and an idiot for starting a program so young and admittedly from such a sheltered little life, but only time will tell if you should listen to my advice, dear 2015ers

I'm 22, a baby just coming out of undergrad, and I'm starting to get INCREDIBLY nervous about jumping straight into a Ph.D. program! I keep wondering whether I should have done a M.A. first or, even more, whether I should have done a gap-year like the advice in the above forum posts very smartly suggested, but I've made my decision and I have to deal with it, so now I'll try to justify it to myself and to you 2015ers who bravely want to do the same thing I'm embarking on! My professors all advised me with some words of wisdom and comfort about going straight on, so, 2015ers, I'll tell you why they (and hopefully me, eventually, once I get some confidence) think that moving straight on might not be such a bad idea for some people:
 
1. You're still in "school mode," so you might have more motivation to continue in that mindset, and you won't need to reset yourself once you're back in an academic setting.
 
2. The job market is bad in ANY and EVERY field, (I know, no shit, sherlock), so it might be more trouble than it's worth to find a temporary year-long job, and it might not even be financially the best thing in the grand scheme of your life. Especially if you have student loans, the chance to defer makes grad school the better potential option financially.
 
3. (1+2 were my professors, but this one's mine!) If you're dead serious about this, if you KNOW you want a Ph.D/M.A, why put off the inevitable? I know being an English professor is the only thing I'll ever wake up every day wanting to do, so, for me, doing a year of something else just wastes time and delays the life I want. Every minute I'm not reading or writing feels . . . like I'm not being ME.
 
TL;DR: If you feel burnt out, if you need more time to work on your applications, if you need to feel more sure that a graduate degree is what you want, take a year off! Heck, even if you think it would make you happy to travel or something before more school for no other reason than you feel like it, DO IT!!! But, if you're feeling like anything besides graduate school would be a waste of time, don't feel like you HAVE to take a year off simply because that's the best path for someone else. Now, for all I know I could be full of crap and an idiot for starting a program so young and admittedly from such a sheltered little life, but only time will tell if you should listen to my advice, dear 2015ers

I scored a 167 (97%) on verbal doing a combination of things:
 
1) I went through the Princeton Review book and did the practice tests in there; I also made flashcards for vocabulary words using their "hit list," which I found INCREDIBLY HELPFUL! In fact, that was the driving force behind my score, I think.
 
2) Whenever I came across a word in a practice test or in general reading that I didn't know, I wrote it down, looked it up, and made a flashcard for it
 
3) I did the two online practice tests that the Princeton Review provided with their book
 
4) I did the ETS practice tests (offered free online), both the computer based ones and the paper-based ones
 
5) I'm very proud of this - I didn't want to purchase the ETS prep book and spend an extra $30-$50, so I went to Barnes and Noble, sat in their cafe for a few hours at a time, and used looseleaf paper to go through a copy of the ETS book that they had on sale Yeah, I'm cheap as hell . . .
 
I gave myself 8 weeks over the summer, and I went hard so I could do it one-and-done, since I didn't have the money to take it a second time! Best of luck!!!!

I scored a 167 (97%) on verbal doing a combination of things:
 
1) I went through the Princeton Review book and did the practice tests in there; I also made flashcards for vocabulary words using their "hit list," which I found INCREDIBLY HELPFUL! In fact, that was the driving force behind my score, I think.
 
2) Whenever I came across a word in a practice test or in general reading that I didn't know, I wrote it down, looked it up, and made a flashcard for it
 
3) I did the two online practice tests that the Princeton Review provided with their book
 
4) I did the ETS practice tests (offered free online), both the computer based ones and the paper-based ones
 
5) I'm very proud of this - I didn't want to purchase the ETS prep book and spend an extra $30-$50, so I went to Barnes and Noble, sat in their cafe for a few hours at a time, and used looseleaf paper to go through a copy of the ETS book that they had on sale Yeah, I'm cheap as hell . . .
 
I gave myself 8 weeks over the summer, and I went hard so I could do it one-and-done, since I didn't have the money to take it a second time! Best of luck!!!!

I'm 22, a baby just coming out of undergrad, and I'm starting to get INCREDIBLY nervous about jumping straight into a Ph.D. program! I keep wondering whether I should have done a M.A. first or, even more, whether I should have done a gap-year like the advice in the above forum posts very smartly suggested, but I've made my decision and I have to deal with it, so now I'll try to justify it to myself and to you 2015ers who bravely want to do the same thing I'm embarking on! My professors all advised me with some words of wisdom and comfort about going straight on, so, 2015ers, I'll tell you why they (and hopefully me, eventually, once I get some confidence) think that moving straight on might not be such a bad idea for some people:
 
1. You're still in "school mode," so you might have more motivation to continue in that mindset, and you won't need to reset yourself once you're back in an academic setting.
 
2. The job market is bad in ANY and EVERY field, (I know, no shit, sherlock), so it might be more trouble than it's worth to find a temporary year-long job, and it might not even be financially the best thing in the grand scheme of your life. Especially if you have student loans, the chance to defer makes grad school the better potential option financially.
 
3. (1+2 were my professors, but this one's mine!) If you're dead serious about this, if you KNOW you want a Ph.D/M.A, why put off the inevitable? I know being an English professor is the only thing I'll ever wake up every day wanting to do, so, for me, doing a year of something else just wastes time and delays the life I want. Every minute I'm not reading or writing feels . . . like I'm not being ME.
 
TL;DR: If you feel burnt out, if you need more time to work on your applications, if you need to feel more sure that a graduate degree is what you want, take a year off! Heck, even if you think it would make you happy to travel or something before more school for no other reason than you feel like it, DO IT!!! But, if you're feeling like anything besides graduate school would be a waste of time, don't feel like you HAVE to take a year off simply because that's the best path for someone else. Now, for all I know I could be full of crap and an idiot for starting a program so young and admittedly from such a sheltered little life, but only time will tell if you should listen to my advice, dear 2015ers

I'm 22, a baby just coming out of undergrad, and I'm starting to get INCREDIBLY nervous about jumping straight into a Ph.D. program! I keep wondering whether I should have done a M.A. first or, even more, whether I should have done a gap-year like the advice in the above forum posts very smartly suggested, but I've made my decision and I have to deal with it, so now I'll try to justify it to myself and to you 2015ers who bravely want to do the same thing I'm embarking on! My professors all advised me with some words of wisdom and comfort about going straight on, so, 2015ers, I'll tell you why they (and hopefully me, eventually, once I get some confidence) think that moving straight on might not be such a bad idea for some people:
 
1. You're still in "school mode," so you might have more motivation to continue in that mindset, and you won't need to reset yourself once you're back in an academic setting.
 
2. The job market is bad in ANY and EVERY field, (I know, no shit, sherlock), so it might be more trouble than it's worth to find a temporary year-long job, and it might not even be financially the best thing in the grand scheme of your life. Especially if you have student loans, the chance to defer makes grad school the better potential option financially.
 
3. (1+2 were my professors, but this one's mine!) If you're dead serious about this, if you KNOW you want a Ph.D/M.A, why put off the inevitable? I know being an English professor is the only thing I'll ever wake up every day wanting to do, so, for me, doing a year of something else just wastes time and delays the life I want. Every minute I'm not reading or writing feels . . . like I'm not being ME.
 
TL;DR: If you feel burnt out, if you need more time to work on your applications, if you need to feel more sure that a graduate degree is what you want, take a year off! Heck, even if you think it would make you happy to travel or something before more school for no other reason than you feel like it, DO IT!!! But, if you're feeling like anything besides graduate school would be a waste of time, don't feel like you HAVE to take a year off simply because that's the best path for someone else. Now, for all I know I could be full of crap and an idiot for starting a program so young and admittedly from such a sheltered little life, but only time will tell if you should listen to my advice, dear 2015ers

I'm 22, a baby just coming out of undergrad, and I'm starting to get INCREDIBLY nervous about jumping straight into a Ph.D. program! I keep wondering whether I should have done a M.A. first or, even more, whether I should have done a gap-year like the advice in the above forum posts very smartly suggested, but I've made my decision and I have to deal with it, so now I'll try to justify it to myself and to you 2015ers who bravely want to do the same thing I'm embarking on! My professors all advised me with some words of wisdom and comfort about going straight on, so, 2015ers, I'll tell you why they (and hopefully me, eventually, once I get some confidence) think that moving straight on might not be such a bad idea for some people:
 
1. You're still in "school mode," so you might have more motivation to continue in that mindset, and you won't need to reset yourself once you're back in an academic setting.
 
2. The job market is bad in ANY and EVERY field, (I know, no shit, sherlock), so it might be more trouble than it's worth to find a temporary year-long job, and it might not even be financially the best thing in the grand scheme of your life. Especially if you have student loans, the chance to defer makes grad school the better potential option financially.
 
3. (1+2 were my professors, but this one's mine!) If you're dead serious about this, if you KNOW you want a Ph.D/M.A, why put off the inevitable? I know being an English professor is the only thing I'll ever wake up every day wanting to do, so, for me, doing a year of something else just wastes time and delays the life I want. Every minute I'm not reading or writing feels . . . like I'm not being ME.
 
TL;DR: If you feel burnt out, if you need more time to work on your applications, if you need to feel more sure that a graduate degree is what you want, take a year off! Heck, even if you think it would make you happy to travel or something before more school for no other reason than you feel like it, DO IT!!! But, if you're feeling like anything besides graduate school would be a waste of time, don't feel like you HAVE to take a year off simply because that's the best path for someone else. Now, for all I know I could be full of crap and an idiot for starting a program so young and admittedly from such a sheltered little life, but only time will tell if you should listen to my advice, dear 2015ers

I'm 22, a baby just coming out of undergrad, and I'm starting to get INCREDIBLY nervous about jumping straight into a Ph.D. program! I keep wondering whether I should have done a M.A. first or, even more, whether I should have done a gap-year like the advice in the above forum posts very smartly suggested, but I've made my decision and I have to deal with it, so now I'll try to justify it to myself and to you 2015ers who bravely want to do the same thing I'm embarking on! My professors all advised me with some words of wisdom and comfort about going straight on, so, 2015ers, I'll tell you why they (and hopefully me, eventually, once I get some confidence) think that moving straight on might not be such a bad idea for some people:
 
1. You're still in "school mode," so you might have more motivation to continue in that mindset, and you won't need to reset yourself once you're back in an academic setting.
 
2. The job market is bad in ANY and EVERY field, (I know, no shit, sherlock), so it might be more trouble than it's worth to find a temporary year-long job, and it might not even be financially the best thing in the grand scheme of your life. Especially if you have student loans, the chance to defer makes grad school the better potential option financially.
 
3. (1+2 were my professors, but this one's mine!) If you're dead serious about this, if you KNOW you want a Ph.D/M.A, why put off the inevitable? I know being an English professor is the only thing I'll ever wake up every day wanting to do, so, for me, doing a year of something else just wastes time and delays the life I want. Every minute I'm not reading or writing feels . . . like I'm not being ME.
 
TL;DR: If you feel burnt out, if you need more time to work on your applications, if you need to feel more sure that a graduate degree is what you want, take a year off! Heck, even if you think it would make you happy to travel or something before more school for no other reason than you feel like it, DO IT!!! But, if you're feeling like anything besides graduate school would be a waste of time, don't feel like you HAVE to take a year off simply because that's the best path for someone else. Now, for all I know I could be full of crap and an idiot for starting a program so young and admittedly from such a sheltered little life, but only time will tell if you should listen to my advice, dear 2015ers

This is really helpful! I'll just add my own two cents on situation 3: declining admissions.
 
Before reading this, I sent not super-short emails to the programs I declined, briefly and very politely explaining what went into my decision (a good fellowship and a particular faculty member I wanted to work with at the school that I chose). All of the DGS replied with kind, encouraging emails to the effect that they completely understood my decision and wished me the best at the program I chose. It actually seemed like they were grateful to know my thought process and I'm wondering if explaining the decision without a condescending tone might have saved some bridges that declining an offer might otherwise burn (even if they would have been burnt only in my paranoid mind!!!).

This is really helpful! I'll just add my own two cents on situation 3: declining admissions.
 
Before reading this, I sent not super-short emails to the programs I declined, briefly and very politely explaining what went into my decision (a good fellowship and a particular faculty member I wanted to work with at the school that I chose). All of the DGS replied with kind, encouraging emails to the effect that they completely understood my decision and wished me the best at the program I chose. It actually seemed like they were grateful to know my thought process and I'm wondering if explaining the decision without a condescending tone might have saved some bridges that declining an offer might otherwise burn (even if they would have been burnt only in my paranoid mind!!!).

Uhm by now I am sure that if you haven't gone through it you can't really understand. It sounds arrogant, but it also means that I don't get upset or offended anymore when my friends seem uninterested or unenthusiastic to everything grad-school related. On the other hand, I've met quite a few fantastic people during visits and on this very forum, who "get" it more and can be more of a support group since they can relate. I also heard multiple times from the current students that you need a group of friends separate from school, so that might work in our favor anyhow.
 
For the record, I'm actually excited after making my decision, and I don't think it's because of this particular decision either. It just feels like my mind has been released from this uncertainty limbo; now I can move forward and start making other plans. I would've felt the same had I chosen other program. I haven't realized how much I suffer from indecision until now

This is so timely. I also feel like I can already feel the 'chill' of friends who don't quite get it. I've had a MUCH more enthusiastic response from  my colleagues (work at a uni) than from my best friends of the past 15 years.
 
This is going to be tough.

I'm pursuing an English Ph.D., and my professors all tell me this is COMPLETELY normal; it's called "imposter syndrome," and a good chunk of students feel this way. Because we can put a name on it, it makes me feel a lot better, like maybe they picked me AND YOU!!!! for a reason and everyone feels unworthy to some extent! Be proud of getting in and realize how normal these feelings are, as difficult as they are to deal with for both of us

This made me so happy

Hi, all!
 
I just accepted an offer at Stony Brook, so I thought this would be a great place to say where we're going this Fall and to celebrate after a long, difficult journey! Congratulations to everyone, and good luck to all who are still deliberating!

Thank you all so much, and congrats on UNM, ArthurianChaucerian!!! And yes, it does feel AMAZING

Hi, all!
 
I just accepted an offer at Stony Brook, so I thought this would be a great place to say where we're going this Fall and to celebrate after a long, difficult journey! Congratulations to everyone, and good luck to all who are still deliberating!

Hi, all!
 
I just accepted an offer at Stony Brook, so I thought this would be a great place to say where we're going this Fall and to celebrate after a long, difficult journey! Congratulations to everyone, and good luck to all who are still deliberating!

Sorry, I totally didn't mean for my comment to come off as snarky as it did!!! I guess I was just clarifying if we meant the same school or if I misunderstood the rankings; I definitely know what you mean, like if you're merely comparing it to, say UC Berkeley or Harvard or something!

I've definitely gotten contacted at weird-ass times - the BC prof who gave me an unfunded MA sent me an email at 8:45 pm on a Friday night!!! But definitely don't give up hope! I know Albany mentioned they're possibly doing other rounds of admits, and my professors keep telling me it's not over until you get a rejection in your hand, so I'm rooting for you

Hi, all! Anyone else get accepted by Alexa Huang this morning?? By this morning, I mean like a personal email at 12:45 a.m. . . .Very excited with the offer!!!

And yeah, I might shoot them an email if I haven't heard anything by Monday! GAAH the agony of waiting, lol!