ReadingLisa

I've been accepted to 5 schools so far. 4 of them have invited me to open houses and offered to pay for transportation fees (to a limit) and lodgings (some have you stay with grad students, while others actually pay for a hotel room). The 5th school has not invited me to an open house yet, so I don't know about that one. EDIT: Actually, one of those schools, Cornell, offered to pay for my hotel stay, but not for transportation.

LOL no worries at all! No I didn't answer there (I'll check it out now, though). In reply to your question, I'm not quite sure since I haven't met personally with any of my POIs, or attended open houses yet. My POI at the CUNY grad center did complement my writing. I guess if I had to think of things that made me competitive I'd say that: 1) I participated in two summer research program, so I gained a decent amount of independent research experience. Also, both of those programs required me to present my research in conferences, so I had that experience as well. 2) Per the advice of a couple of my undergraduate mentors, I tried very hard to show a wide range of research interests while at the same time showing that I was focused and committed to a particular field. I don't know if this makes sense, but what I mean is that though I specialize in the X Century and in a particular type of literature within that century, I nonetheless tried to show in my SoP that I could relate those interests to more relevant, contemporary topics. 3) I had amazing recommendation letters. I really do think these are very important. Also, I gotta say that my GRE scores were not the best. My verbal score was so so, my quant score was pitiful, and my English subject score was atrocious (I am not exaggerating here). So I don't think GRE scores matter as much as we think they do. No problem, and thank you! I am fairly certain that they've made their decisions. My undergraduate mentor knows someone at Columbia and she told me this year's English cohort would be extremely small (I could update you with the actual size once I visit next week). But yeah, if you haven't received any word from them then maybe you are on the wait list!! Maybe you could call them at this point?

Does anyone have info, tips, advise, warnings, anecdotes, or anything of the kind concerning Columbia's English program, its faculty members, or the grad students there? I'd particularly love to hear from current grad students. How do you like it at Columbia? I was admitted and will most likely accept their offer, but I still really wanna know the dirt. Thank you in advance!

No, sorry I don't. They never specified.

I got in. Received a phone call from the DGS last week, and a formal letter yesterday.

Working on my BA thesis and finishing off my last semester as an undergrad.

Accepted into UPenn! Received a phone call from the DGS!

Hey guys, I'm attending a two-day open house for accepted/prospective students, so it's not an interview. The first day consist of a cocktail part at a professor's house. How does one dress to that?? I'm so confused and the date is rapidly approaching. I want to be super comfortable and at ease, but also look put-together and elegant in some way.. :/

There go the Yale English acceptances. Does anyone know if Yale has a history of accepting in increments rather than all at once?

Thank you! Yes, the person who emailed me was one of my POI (I put down three on my SOP).

Yeah, I was the one who posted about my acceptance. Very nice email, which made my day.

Even if you get accepted? But why?

Thank you very much Czesc! It's reassuring to know that I don't need a car to get by up there. The more I read over this entire thread the more I'm enticed by the scenic beauty of the campus, which is definitely not something I can get in the city. In my department, though, (English) I think we're required to teach up to our fifth year so I don't think I could move after my third. Thank you again for offering your help.

Hello guys, I've also been admitted into Cornell, but am really really doubting that I'll accept. I'm from NYC and the thought of not having a supermarket nearby kind of scares me. Also, I can't drive. :/ I hope I don't sound lazy, but it's just I've grown up in a big city so don't really feel comfortable anywhere small. I'm lucky because I've also gained admission into another good school, but I don't know if Cornell offers a better program, in which case I don't want to pass on it just because I'm scared of small towns. But I guess that's what student weekends are for... I do know one thing though, if I do end up at Cornell I am sooo becoming a regular at that cult cafe!

Also, has anyone received a follow up email from a faculty member in their department offering their assistance with the decision-making process?

Thank you Lifesaver!! Hope you hear favorable news very soon! Phoebecaulfield, I'm actually in NYC too. Although it is expensive here, I'm not so sure I want to move away since I do like it here! But I'm still waiting to hear from 10 schools so let's see how things change. Congrats on your acceptance!!

Congratulations Creffecreve! I too was accepted into NYU's English department, so I'm also curious about the reliability of their funding. I mean, their offer seemed fantastic to me, but what do I know.

Anyone else out there attending NYU in the fall, or contemplating accepting their offer? I was accepted last week and will attend their open house for prospective students on March 9th and 10th.