WendyWonderland

I have, maybe many others here have also, worked in other fields before seriously consider academia as a career choice. It may sound foolish, but academia for me is a career, not just a job. I like reading, teaching and feeling that I am making a change to the world. I am fine with no TT job, and I possess the thought that I will really enjoy myself as a visiting professor here and there. In that case, I can travel around the world and really do culture studies. To be honest, I don't even dream to land a tenure job right away. However, I believe that every field has exceptions for exceptional people. All fields are torturing and soul sucking in a way or another, however, it makes a difference between you choosing a job and  a job choosing you. Nothing is easy in the beginning, and I believe the only way to a miracle is being a miracle. I guess most of us know about the job market, but I am not in this for making money. Intellectual pursuit is a luxurious way to spend one's  life and can't be measured by a salary. As adjuncts I am pretty sure you only have to teach and have no publication requirements which means you will have more time to either do something else or get better in your field. It won't be worse than a TA salary, at least I believe so. Only my personal opinion. I am single, which means I have no one depending on me, and it is always easier  to fly solo. I have no loans. So maybe it depends on the individual. I hope your situation changes soon and don't forget your initial passion that got you into books. 

Hi! Thank you so much for your kind post! I am happy to find someone with similar interests and backgrounds! To be honest, I think that your chances are higher than mine because you did your undergrad here in English. I am sure that your English is already at a high level. The next step might be learning some foreign languages if you haven't already done so. Your chances of getting in are higher if you speak 3+ languages. It also depends on your interests and what kind of schools you want to get in. If you are shooting for Ivy leagues like most of the Chinese candidates do, you simply have to have a gre verbal score over 160. You will be evaluated against the other Chinese candidates and their scores are crazy high no matter how their English really are. When I applied I was taking courses and working long hours in retail to pay my bills, and I simply didn't  have the time and energy to study for it. My verbal score was so low and I ended up getting tons of rejections from Ivies. Lots of people here will tell you Gre score doesn't count. Maybe that's the case if you are a native speaker. If you are an international candidate, the committee has to make sure that your English is nearly perfect so you can teach American undergrads. I have an offer, but I think that is because I visited that school. They were VERY surprised by how good my oral English is. I have almost no Chinese accent. But who knows that if you have a lousy Gre score? The other thing is your WS, it has to be a good fit. I said that I am interested in Asian American studies but my sample was in German poetry. A professor from a commitee wrote me an email stating that they think I am an interesting candidate and they liked my paper, however, the fit was not there. Feel free to pm me with other questions. Good luck!!

Hi, Wendy. Thanks for sharing your journey! I am also a native of China and I totally understand how nerve-racking the application and waiting process is for international students. I admire the choices you've made and the fact that you've been constantly improving yourself to achieve your goal. I just graduated from my undergrad program in English literature and Psychology in an American women's liberal arts college, so I'm simply challenging myself by applying to comp lit PhD programs. Your experiences and advice are especially helpful and inspiring to me. Also, it's great to finally find someone with similar background who also falls in love with comp lit. Best of luck!

Hi. May I ask you a question, do you have a MA in English? 
2 years ago I was an applicant for fall 2014, and I got flat out rejected from 8 schools. They were almost all Ivies, however, part of my failure was because of my ignorance of how academia works in the States. I knew nothing about how to write a sop, or a writing sample. MLA style? Never heard of it. Conferences? Nope. I had some publications and a MA  in Chinese literature and comparative literature from the most prestigious university in China, speak a couple languages and had some work experience. I thought that's enough. It was not. So I sucked it and reapplied for another MA in English in MARCH. I did not have any hope in it, at that point my confidence was in the basement. However, all 3 places I applied accepted me, including CUNY. I chose somewhere else and reapplied for phd for 2016. I wish I could have done more research at that time, because as I heard, there are some funded MA here and I didn't know that. I want to say I understand how hard it is for you to go through this process in another country. And if chances are bad for this year, you can start looking for a funded MA in English. I learned so much since I came here and my English has improved a lot. It is still far away from being native, but way better than it was in 2014. Of course I wish that you are lucky and get in this year! I just wanted to share some insights if luck is not on your side. Get prepared for the worst and maybe it will lead to the best of your life. Good luck to all of us!

I know how you feel, because the first time I applied I got rejected everywhere. It was brutal, and it took me 2 years to prepare to reapply. If you do not have a MA I encourage you to look for funded MAs now, you will be surprised by how much you have improved in 2 years doing graduate work. If you do have a MA I suggest you to find a part time job and do more research on different departments and reapply next year. Apply broadly and widely, and there is no safety school. It has to be a good fit. An easy way to know if you are a good fit or not is by browsing their current grad students' profiles online. It really helps. You have to do a lot of change in your application, and work and research/ try to connect with departments. It's hell but maybe it is worth it if you really have your heart settled in academia. However, I worked 2.5 years in culture management before I applied to US grad schools, I knew what I really wanted in life by that time. If you haven't worked at all, maybe you can try? You can do so much with a literature degree. Marketing, sales, all kind of managements, translation, city admin work...just try life out. 

I know how you feel, because the first time I applied I got rejected everywhere. It was brutal, and it took me 2 years to prepare to reapply. If you do not have a MA I encourage you to look for funded MAs now, you will be surprised by how much you have improved in 2 years doing graduate work. If you do have a MA I suggest you to find a part time job and do more research on different departments and reapply next year. Apply broadly and widely, and there is no safety school. It has to be a good fit. An easy way to know if you are a good fit or not is by browsing their current grad students' profiles online. It really helps. You have to do a lot of change in your application, and work and research/ try to connect with departments. It's hell but maybe it is worth it if you really have your heart settled in academia. However, I worked 2.5 years in culture management before I applied to US grad schools, I knew what I really wanted in life by that time. If you haven't worked at all, maybe you can try? You can do so much with a literature degree. Marketing, sales, all kind of managements, translation, city admin work...just try life out. 

Thank you!
I have been depressed and unproductive for a whole month. It has to stop now and today is the day! Hug and good luck to you too!

Thank you!
I have been depressed and unproductive for a whole month. It has to stop now and today is the day! Hug and good luck to you too!

At this point I am kind of done waiting. I just emailed a school: 
Dear XXX Good morning. I would love to ask about the status of my application. I understand that the process takes time and effort for the admission committee, and I really appreciate their work. However, I have seen people posting  their acceptances online a while ago. I wonder if the committee has finalized their decision at this point. Thank you very much for your coordination.  Best XXX   I think since it's the last week of February it's not rude for me to ask. 

Thanks! Big hug! I am still weeping, it was one of my dream school. 

I'm the opposite. I either exercise too much or eat too little (in a very unhealthy manner). I'm starting to think I should have applied to more schools. I'm assuming I will be rejected from both Berkeley and Duke (this last one I have no control of, as the IIE is applying for me). 
Hang in there!

I think I'd have a heart attack if I got an email from her. Well, I guess that's a rejection then.

I'm with you, @WendyWonderland. It's a huge distraction.  Most days I fall somewhere between wanting to crawl under a rock and feeling like my brain will implode.  This is why I just focus on getting through the day at hand without being too hard on myself.  Hopefully just a handful of weeks before the dust settles.   

To be honest, I don't think grad schools bother to change the status of the applications online. It is killing me that I have 15 to hear back from. I hope they can just flat out reject me or tell me where I stand in the game. I have been unproductive for a month and I feel sorry for myself. I feel that 1/2 of my February is wasted on staring at my inbox and watching Netflix to ease the pain. 

To be honest, I don't think grad schools bother to change the status of the applications online. It is killing me that I have 15 to hear back from. I hope they can just flat out reject me or tell me where I stand in the game. I have been unproductive for a month and I feel sorry for myself. I feel that 1/2 of my February is wasted on staring at my inbox and watching Netflix to ease the pain. 

USC just emailed. I'm. in. 
 

 
Actually crying real tears right now as I sit in a pile of books. 

That's awesome! I live in LA! We both applied to Oregon and Bloomington then! What is your major? Heard back yet?

Hey, focus on the positive thoughts! I totally get you I am getting crazy as well. Aber nicht vergessen, Ende gut alles gut. Nur abwarten und Tee trinken! Ich weiß dass es hart ist! Hang in there! You have awesome academic records and solid scores. Keep your head high! Princeton is not notifying yet. Neither did any other top tiers in the east coast. The game is still on, nicht den Kopf hängen! 

Congrats! That's huge!!!

Congrats on everyone being accepted! I am currently having a huge headache from over-drinking at the Super Bowl party. I feel that the best thing to do is to sleep now. It has been a very quiet weekend. Getting ready for the mid February storm. I think it's time for all the UCs to send me rejections. Brace myself! Hope more ppl post in this thread tomorrow. 

Congrats on everyone being accepted! I am currently having a huge headache from over-drinking at the Super Bowl party. I feel that the best thing to do is to sleep now. It has been a very quiet weekend. Getting ready for the mid February storm. I think it's time for all the UCs to send me rejections. Brace myself! Hope more ppl post in this thread tomorrow. 

Congrats on everyone being accepted! I am currently having a huge headache from over-drinking at the Super Bowl party. I feel that the best thing to do is to sleep now. It has been a very quiet weekend. Getting ready for the mid February storm. I think it's time for all the UCs to send me rejections. Brace myself! Hope more ppl post in this thread tomorrow. 

Congrats on everyone being accepted! I am currently having a huge headache from over-drinking at the Super Bowl party. I feel that the best thing to do is to sleep now. It has been a very quiet weekend. Getting ready for the mid February storm. I think it's time for all the UCs to send me rejections. Brace myself! Hope more ppl post in this thread tomorrow. 

Congrats on everyone being accepted! I am currently having a huge headache from over-drinking at the Super Bowl party. I feel that the best thing to do is to sleep now. It has been a very quiet weekend. Getting ready for the mid February storm. I think it's time for all the UCs to send me rejections. Brace myself! Hope more ppl post in this thread tomorrow. 

I got accepted in UCincinnati on Friday, with a very kind email! I know it's not really a 'high-class' program, but I'm beyond excited, because I'd already received 3 rejections and 2 implied rejections! So I was certain I'd be rejected at every single other school I applied to. Basically, I'm delighted to have gotten a fully funded offer anywhere! A huge heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Congrats to everyone who has gotten acceptances! We did it.