fancypants09

Deep breaths, y'all! Just remember: adcomms aren't looking for already polished, perfect scholars when they read your writing samples. They are looking for proof that you have the potential to grow into a polished scholar! My writing sample was probably one of the strongest part of my application, but a year and a half into my program, I already feel like the sample no longer represents my writing or research abilities. You want to revise your sample until it's as strong as it can be, but don't fret over the small details. The best sample is one who shows the adcomm what kind of student you are and what kind of scholar you can be. 

Thanks! It's funny...it feels like they've been "done" for a long while, but realistically, until that emeritus uploaded his final letter this morning, I couldn't legitimately say they were complete...
 
I'm doing a low-carb thing right now, BUT I just chugged an Atkins shake...so that's something!

The emeritus LOR-writer I mentioned the other day has now uploaded his one missing letter, which means that all of my LORs are now in. Huzzah! So unless I screwed something up, like sending a scanned transcript when a program wants a hard copy or something, my applications are officially 100% complete and ready to be pored over.

There aren't really stylistic conventions in general, but I kept mine mostly MLA format, but included footnotes. About ten or so. I simply thought it was necessary to clarify a few things this way for adcomm readers who may not have an intimate knowledge of Shakespeare's sonnets. That said, none exceeded three sentences or so, so I'm not sure how much this helps.

If the professor has already agreed to write your letters and has uploaded for some of the schools, I'm sure that he'll pull through.  
 
These have been some trying times, friends. I had a breakdown last night wondering whether I could actually get into a school, period. Worst time to have self doubts...
 
Let's get through this and enjoy our winter breaks! 

It looks like many phone you to tell you you've been accepted. Others email, and still others expect you to check their application site. Rejections are usually done by the latter two methods, I think, as well as snail mail, and often come after the acceptances (but some programs do them all in bulk). So...it varies.
 
I'm sure that most of us will have big moves involved after acceptance, though an overseas move is obviously a bit of a different beast. My big concern is that my wife will need to find a job in her field wherever we wind up, or else we'll have to live apart for some / most / all of the time. Not a nice prospect, of course. She has a relatively narrow field, though should be able to find something eventually in most city environments. As a result, places like Cornell and Penn State are a little lower on my hope-to-get-into list, though they still have excellent programs that I'd be delighted to be accepted into, of course. It's just the relatively rural setting of each will make for a less-than-ideal personal situation.
 
I have to say though...for all my anxiety / concern etc. about not getting in somewhere, I also have a lot of excitement at the prospect of going somewhere else for a few years. No matter what happens, we'll be moving away from this ugly little place in northeast / central Virginia. I just hope it's somewhere in Connecticut. Or New Jersey. Or Nashville. Or Boston or...

I think I'll be on GC regularly throughout the process. I'm not sure if this will help my anxiety level or seriously hurt it, but GC is part of my daily routine, and frankly, I have a vested interest in where everyone gets in! I don't know any of you personally, but I've sort of gotten to know many of you, so...I'm interested!

I'd say if you're still in school, just try to focus on the task at hand though I understand how difficult that may be, since you're "in the field" even if not yet a doctoral student. 
 
I'm outside the US now, definitely not teaching in literature, and the education system here has a very generous winter break: I don't have to begin teaching until March 1. So, I'll be spending half of the three-month break in the US, and then I'm planning a warm beach get-away in February (somewhere with no wifi), followed by just catching up with people I haven't seen while I've been working on this madness. 
 
Having gone through grad school admissions for other programs twice now: Law school admissions went by in a blur, but since they were rolling I heard back pretty quickly after I applied. The MA in IR I applied for four years ago---the waiting killed me, so I traveled (I had just graduated from law school and waiting for my bar results, interning part-time). 
 
I'm going to be the first to say it: Rejection sucks. Law school admissions were brutal. I was accepted to one---the school I eventually ended up attending, waitlisted at like three to four, and denied from the rest. I had applied to like 15 schools or so at that time. And it was just painful because everyone knew I had applied and was constantly asking me about the results. I got lucky with my MA applications: I applied to two schools and was accepted by both. One thing that I learned from my experience is that it is best to be up front and honest with yourself and others with the results. Yes, there will be those who will gloat over your rejections (but don't worry, karma will get them) but I found that being open allowed me to come to terms with my situation quicker, whether good or not so good. 

Indeed! I am so look looking forward to that moment when all my apps are complete, the semester is over, and I head home for the holidays. I'm going to try not to think about graduate school one single bit at that point, but focus on having fun over break, enjoying my new classes when they start up in January, and preparing for my upcoming conference presentation.
 
A question for those who've done this before, though: how, aside from keeping a scrupulously cleaned inbox, did you deal with the stress of waiting? I'm going to try to adopt an attitude of disinterested equanimity, but let's not kid ourselves on how successful I'll be--any specific recommendations or whatnot? I know several people have said to avoid GC during that time, and I must admit part of me thinks it'd be healthy not to log between, say, when my apps are completed and when I get my first rejection and need an electronic shoulder to cry on or my first acceptance and need someone to help pop the digital champagne. Other thoughts/hints/strategies that worked for y'all, or things those of you who are just now undergoing this process intend to try to do to keep yourself hale and whole?

Two of my letter writers are doing a lot of tailoring of each letter to each specific school. That's great--wonderful, thank you, I'm filled up with gratitude from the bottom of my heart!
 
Here's the thing, though. One of them does it in batches, uploading about two at a time a few days before the next set of deadlines. Cool. But the other one has submitted each of the letters that have been due thus far in the early evening of their deadlines, which is turning those days into inordinately stressful, high-stakes games of temporal chicken. On each and every one, as the clock ticks down through the day my own tics get worse: "Is this the day he'll forget? Should I send him another reminder? I'm worrying for nothing, right? Surely he'll remember!"
 
Cue the nervous laughter as I reach for a tumbler.

If the professor has already agreed to write your letters and has uploaded for some of the schools, I'm sure that he'll pull through.  
 
These have been some trying times, friends. I had a breakdown last night wondering whether I could actually get into a school, period. Worst time to have self doubts...
 
Let's get through this and enjoy our winter breaks! 

Yay!! So happy to hear that things are moving in the right direction  
 
Continually repeating the mantra "baby steps" over here...you know, like writing one sentence at a time. I cannot wait for all of this to be over!!

It happens to all of us! Honestly, I have moments of abject despair at the prospect of not getting in somewhere. Usually I'm happy, confident, and optimistic, but boy are there bleak moments...
 
By the way, the professor I mentioned yesterday (not the emeritus) did indeed upload his letters, finally. I had emailed, and I fear he might be a bit annoyed at that, but the letters are in, so...yay!

If the professor has already agreed to write your letters and has uploaded for some of the schools, I'm sure that he'll pull through.  
 
These have been some trying times, friends. I had a breakdown last night wondering whether I could actually get into a school, period. Worst time to have self doubts...
 
Let's get through this and enjoy our winter breaks! 

I so know the feeling, Wyatt's Touch! I found out about my family-emergency recommender only when I reached out to him last night. Sea of conflicting emotions but I am just so thankful that he was honest and forthright in telling me he couldn't do it, and that I was able to find a replacement. 
 
All of this to say, I would gently check in with the recommenders. Do they have secretaries---especially the professor emeritus? If so, then it may be best to contact the secretaries and enlist them for help with reminders, if you haven't already. I've also had one recommender tell me up front that professors are usually last minute about this too, but that they will get it done. Also, it may be helpful if you try to remind them indirectly---perhaps by mentioning that you've finished uploading all your stuff for the deadlines upcoming in 4 days, rather than asking them directly to upload their letters, which seem to them to be a bit excessive/confrontational. 
 
Sending good thoughts your way!

Hi everyone, 
 
I'm super late in the game (story of my life, it seems) but I thought I'd post and say hello.  
 
It's been almost a decade since I graduated from college, where I did not study literature. I've already been to graduate school once (law school), applied to and accepted at MA's in IR post bar, but decided to work. After a few years, I realized that the corporate day job was literally sucking away at my soul, so I've been lecturing part-time while preparing for my applications for a PhD in literature. 
 
For those who are going through this process while in school, major kudos, and for those who have already submitted applications, I am seriously in awe! I'm still working on my writing sample and the SOPs will come after that. My goal is to submit a day or two before the deadline...but I'll most likely be hitting that send button on the day of. 
 
If anyone needs a comforting image, please feel free to think of me---trying to get my old brain cells to hold it together to finish a paper within two weeks. Good luck to all!

Hi everyone, 
 
I'm super late in the game (story of my life, it seems) but I thought I'd post and say hello.  
 
It's been almost a decade since I graduated from college, where I did not study literature. I've already been to graduate school once (law school), applied to and accepted at MA's in IR post bar, but decided to work. After a few years, I realized that the corporate day job was literally sucking away at my soul, so I've been lecturing part-time while preparing for my applications for a PhD in literature. 
 
For those who are going through this process while in school, major kudos, and for those who have already submitted applications, I am seriously in awe! I'm still working on my writing sample and the SOPs will come after that. My goal is to submit a day or two before the deadline...but I'll most likely be hitting that send button on the day of. 
 
If anyone needs a comforting image, please feel free to think of me---trying to get my old brain cells to hold it together to finish a paper within two weeks. Good luck to all!

I'm glad some of you heard from your LORs, and I hope the rest of you do too.

1. I think regular printing paper is totally fine for applications. I've only used higher quality paper for my undergraduate thesis (we were required to use acid-free paper) and for job search materials (the fluffy & soft resume paper--the best in my opinion, but super expensive!).

2. When I applied to my first grad school (already 4 years ago!) I put down identifying information in the header. I didn't use page numbers b/c my SOP ended up being 2 pages max. If you are numbering a longer writing sample though, I'd put page numbers as footers just to be clear with organization and everything.

3. Stapling SOP = OK. Stapling CV = OK (again, not like a formal job application, so stapling should be OK). If your cover letter is 1 page, then I'd just place it on top of the stack and not staple it. Usually, I like to clip all the stapled parts together into 1 big packet with a small binder clip.

4. Not sure what you're referring to here, but with regards to anything I send to my LORs, I send them an informal cover letter, much like an email, with a checklist to help them keep track of everything I'm sending them and what they're supposed to do.

5. I don't think you want to send in more than 5 pages in a regular letter-sized envelope. If you're applying to lots of schools, I suggest that you stock up on large envelopes (8.5x11), which are pretty cheap at the mega office supply stores.

Hope this helps!