fancypants09

I am SO there with you. When I was working on the apps I didn't have much time or energy for any sort of diversion so my demons left me alone, for the most part. But they're all back, and in full force. This is not going to be a fun time at all, my friends...

Just checking in to say that I'm done!!! 7 for 7. Good luck to those still with pending deadlines. Now on to the two finals i need to give this semester...and then vacation starting this Saturday!! Can't. Wait.

What?! That sounds totally crazy. EDIT: The school's policy, I mean... Update on my end: Chicago application worked itself out, so I guess I do get to apply to their Comp Lit department! Except it is already 1:16AM here in Korea. I've been running on little to no sleep for the past two weeks. I just want to be done...

Thanks so much, WT and hypervodka! So a bit on what I learned about GRE score reporting: There are now some schools that receive their applicants' scores electronically, Chicago being one of them. I received a verification email from them (saying they received my official report) almost a day or two after the scores were processed by ETS. But I guess this is an opt-in service and that others, like Harvard, take them by mail. Having all sorts of last-minute "issues"---like one of my recommenders forgetting the fact that some deadlines are today (luckily he had the recommendations to the schools I really cared about done and ready to go). Living on the edge, I tell you!

Oh and BTW with Harvard: What is up with not sending out confirmation emails like everyone to confirm submission? Ugh...

Hi everyone! Just a quick report from yours truly from the trenches... So, 5 out of 7 submitted, but one of 2 not yet submitted is due later today. I ran into this snafu with U Chicago...I planned on applying to multiple programs there, so I created two applications, finished one, hit submit, and then when I logged on again it won't let me access the other one...if the worst case scenario happens and I cannot apply to this program, it's honestly no biggie---I'm applying to a national lit department and a comp lit department, but my focus is really more on the national side than comp (or so my heart says, for now) so it should be ok. Freak out no. 2: I realized that some of the schools (like Harvard!) still receive their GRE scores by mail. The first application I finished this morning was for Harvard, and I didn't upload an unofficial report because the application doesn't provide a specific space for it and I had assumed that the scores went in because some other schools had sent confirmation emails RE: scores...long story short, it looks like the mailed scores might get in today or sometime this week, and needless to say, I'm freaking out somewhat on this. Called the dept coordinator and was told that my application is not yet uploading on their end for them to check whether my GRE scores have been received... It seems like the Harvard site has some major traffic issues, so for those with deadlines there today be aware! If anyone has thoughts to assuage this worry wort here about the GRE scores...I'd be forever grateful to you for sharing.

I think trusting letter writers is so trying at these times, even if we consider them to be our academic heros and/or mother/father figures. But no worries folks, they will pull through! It's much about their reputation as it is about your application too, since they are recommending you to their peers. As for me, it looks like my recommenders will beat me to the punch...

So here's my daily check-in for today! Finished the tailoring of the SOPs, finished citing and footnoting the WS---came in at just over 90 footnotes, many of them containing foreign citations, so it took some time but I am so glad it is done. Putting off the minor revisions for tomorrow because I feel like I'm going to puke if I stare at this screen any longer. Final push everyone!!

I haven't read the English translation of 1Q84---I read it in Korean translation which came out almost simultaneously with the Japanese original, and thought it was actually pretty good. Perhaps time to add the English 1Q84 to the "fun" reading list once this is done...

You. Guys. So December 15 is almost on us!! Tailoring SOPs (almost done) and then adding citations + last-minute revisions to the WS. Bringing back memories of writing my undergraduate thesis...I was working on citations until about two hours before the thing was due. Applying to 7 programs, 5 of them due on Monday. I've been working on the application for about two weeks nonstop and cannot believe that everything may actually be coming to an end. !!! Good luck in wrapping up everyone

I'm dying to read Murakami's _Strange Library_ whenever that comes out. And more diaries of Anais Nin. I love the authors and theorists I've been working with for the last few months, but I am in serious need of some fun reading!!!

Totally agreed on the difficulties of the publication cycle. I was extremely lucky because one of my co-authors was a full professor so his name and title provided a buffer, but you bet we had several rounds of revisions with the journal. And sometimes the difficulties came in trying to strike a balance between said professor's ego ("I'm a full professor at X law school and awesome why should this journal ask us to do these revisions") and following the request of the journal. But 1Q84 (a huge Murakami fan here too, btw!), congrats in having the manuscript in circulation!

1Q84, just to add to what WT has pointed out (also, I'm part of the "blind" here so take it with a grain of salt ) The note about manuscript being in circulation can only help you; at worst, it will have no effect. I spoke to a professor at a school to which I am applying about my candidacy back in late spring and she specifically asked me if I had any publications, especially since I'm coming from way left field. When I told her I did publish a law article---co-authored, but still!---she mentioned that any such information could only help my candidacy. Hope this helps somewhat.

Stay dry CA folks! Just doing my daily check-in here to keep sane. Finished SOP today. Need to revise CV, footnote and cite WS, and change the fit paragraph on SOP...and then freedom!!

Speaking of Hong Kong, the umbrella movement was dismantled earlier today. My heart just breaks...many of those protestors are college students who have grown up with the message that if they work hard and believe, that they can change the world.

Thanks for starting this thread, MM. I'm Korean, currently living in South Korea after spending most of my childhood up to my college years in the American midwest. As I mentioned elsewhere, I am also an attorney. It has been an incredibly trying year---I was in Seoul and working as the ferry tragedy unfolded, I have friends who work and live in Hong Kong, and I've been feeling the effects of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner GJ decisions. There are many reasons why I decided to pursue a doctorate in literature at this time, many of them personal. But I also decided to return to the humanities because I saw, way too up close, how the shift away from the arts that teach us about truth(s), beauty, love, freedom, equality, happiness---the non-monetizable values, those that will not necessarily lead you to that well-paid and envied job in the corporate world, led to all of this. Taking the ferry tragedy as an example: The ship sank because of a host of reasons all focused on the bottom line, including the fact that the crew made a sharp turn in order not to be late; it was carrying more cargo than allowed by law; the crew were inadequately trained partly because they were temps; and the crew escaped first not only for the lack of training but a "me first" mentality. It's almost too perfect of a neoliberal disaster, where the drive for a fatter bottom line ruled. What can we do in the humanities to address this situation? Being politically active is a personal choice, but I think all of us can sign on to addressing this global crisis by being ourselves, in studying the things that we love and passing that knowledge on to the next generation. I've met too many college students in Korea who simply don't read literature anymore because it doesn't help them get that dream job. I'm all for students doing whatever they love, but think that literature and the values that it has to teach us are fundamental. I teach law now, and while I haven't found an angle to bring literature into the discussion, I apply poststructuralist principles to my understanding of the law to get my students to think more critically about the law and the business environment which they all take into be self-evident truths. I also think it is important to try to maintain some sense of normalcy, a continuation of what came before. As I mentioned before, I believe that political activism is a personal decision, but me personally, I don't agree with delaying exams, asking for extensions or cutting classes to be answers to the problem. I don't deny the geniune pain, anger, frustration and anxieties felt by many, and agree that there should be some mechanism for addressing these concerns in a constructive manner. But I feel that taking this kind of a break is hurtful to precisely those who take it. A few stories from Korea: Many of my colleagues at the university where I teach have openly admitted to me that they feel like imposters---many of them full professors---because they never had a proper, in-class college education; they were all on the front lines of protesting for democracy in the late 80s and 90s. Many of my former superiors at the corporate day job were also students activists, but faced the same doubts about being imposters in the business and legal environments. I commend them for their efforts and there is definitely something to be said for that type of education as well, but we must remain engaged with the institutions of the everyday if only to subvert them. I draw much inspiration from my attorney friends in the States who have been deeply affected by the recent issues, but remain committed to doing their jobs---whether as corporate attorneys, public-interest advocates, and yes, even prosecutors---because they can have a positive impact by trying to do right. It's easier said than done, but let's stay strong, my friends, and get through these applications. So that we may be able to contribute our knowledge and our passions to making this world a better place.

Just checking in, everyone! Deadlines approaching = motivation/emotional roller coaster = writing as directly and succinctly as possible to finish everything before I completely run out of steam (forget the beautiful rhetoric and imagery...at this point I just want to be done...) It looks like my recommenders and I will all be submitting on the day of. Yay...

I've run out of positive votes for the day, but thanks so much for your input! I decided not to include descriptions, and to put all the non-academic professional experiences in a separate section altogether. This is after I checked the application requirements for several of the schools, only to realize that many of them don't even require CVs. So I guess that's telling of the importance of CVs to the application.

Wyatt's Torch and proflorax, thank you! This is indeed helpful. One additional question---how much description should we offer in the CV? The teaching that I am doing now should be self-explanatory since I am at a university, but what about the corporate gig---do I need to, or can I, include descriptions of what I did there? It was my first gig out of law school, I was there for almost 4.5 years and did Many Things, but I also understand that they are not quite directly related to my PhD application. Thanks again

Hi everyone, Question on the CVs. How important is it to identify the month and the year for a particular professional experience? For instance, if I switched jobs twice in 2014, once in May and once in July, would I need to note the months? I'm used to writing resumes for jobs where you want to have absolutely no gap between the various experiences, and where listing the months and the year for start and end dates for a position are the norm. Would appreciate your thoughts on this!

Not surprised to hear of it, though I'd say we need to remember that the decisions are being made by committees and not by a single professor. And from what I hear of friends who have taken part in the adcomms as student reps, one professor can't hardly sway a candidacy yay or nay unless they happen to be super senior in the department or a world-renowned Big Wig. Deep breaths, all!! Just finished my WS draft (not good, but at least it's done for now) and touching up on the CV. I'll look at it again later on in the week I'm sure, but I just want to be done at this point...

I am SO there with you. Revising, finishing up the conclusion...my eyes and brain are super blurred at this point. I told one of my friends who offered to read it for me that I just didn't want to sound like an idiot. As in, I use a very famous theoretical formulation by one of these Theory Bigwigs at one of the schools to which I'm applying, and I don't want to have gotten it wrong...

Thanks everyone! I've got a few revisions to make in the introduction and the conclusion to finish up on the WS, but otherwise it is looking as good as it will look for now. So glad to be close to finishing this baby...and then on to the SOP I go!

Thanks for the reassurance, proflorax. Like most applicants I'm obsessing over all of the details, but for me I feel like I have to clear additional hurdles: I have had potential advisors mention that my WS had to be "really good" because I didn't major in literature (just looked over my transcript and saw that the last graded lit course I took was like 12 years ago?!) and also because I am leaving a professional career to pursue this---basically, coming from left field. I am fully committed to this enterprise and know that it's not a walk around the park, and I want the committees to give me a fair read and not just dismiss me for potential signs of not having the requisite background. With that, back to the sample I go...thanks for the input everyone

Thanks so much! And you're right, I think footnotes make much more sense---especially if other notations are going to be short citations. It's just these two block quotes that are somewhat lengthy.