This would be for after acceptances come your way. Please, please, please turn down offers right away if you are not interested. As someone who was admitted off of the waitlist only days before the April 15th deadline, I beg of you to be kind to waitlisters and just bite the bullet if you're going to say no. While initial admits were able to think about their choice for months, I had to make a huge decision in only a few days, and I was only able to visit the campus because I lived nearby. I've seen a lot of posts in which people describe the dread of turning down an offer, and have waited to do so because they felt badly about saying no. Please think of the person who can take your spot. Obviously, you should take your time deciding between schools, but if you know the answer is no, let the program know right away!
My other bit of advice: do as much research as you can on the Literature English GRE. I followed one of the big name guides, and several seemingly wonderful websites, only to find the exam covered very different material than I had been expecting. It was far less focused on the canon (as in, testing on identification of authors/periods/etc.) than I had expected, and far more centered on interpretation.
Good luck, future applicants!
