Dr. Old Bill

Yes, mine still shows as submitted. Someone else mentioned recently that they couldn't see their SOP either. I'm pretty sure the SOP always just showed up as "Other" in the additional documents.

Looks like an acceptance is up for Vanderbilt, though has already been declined... Not sure if they send their acceptance emails out in bulk or not. If so, then it looks like another miss for me.

Who would not sing for Lycidas? Congratulations! I've heard great things about their program!

Gah! Sorry, Hannalore. That's really unfortunate. I actually wound up using a whopping FIVE LORs for Vanderbilt. Normally three is more than sufficient, and many places urge against having any more than that...but Vanderbilt seems to value additional information more highly than some other places, so I pulled out all the stops. Having said that, I really don't think it's going to mean much in the long run -- either you fit with what they're looking for, or you don't. Vanderbilt is particularly selective at the best of times (honestly, they might have the lowest acceptance percentage of all English Ph.D. programs), so getting picked is a wing-and-a-prayer proposition anyhow. I know that doesn't make you feel any better, but you have my sympathies at least.

I can't stop thinking about how for many of us, this could really be just the beginning of the bonds formed on Grad Cafe. Acceptance on its own merits is a huge accomplishment no matter what...but having a ready-made network of people who have gone through the application-to-acceptance process at the same time is quite a delight as well! I mean hell...I know who I'm going to turn to first if I have any questions about Medieval scholarship: GC folks in graduate programs! This is a very happy day.

You have no idea how proud of you I am...and how happy for you I am. I'm not ashamed to admit that I have happy tears in my eyes for both you and Unraed as I write this. I know how much you wanted Berkeley, and I know how hard you've worked for it...and how much you frankly deserve it. Thrilled beyond words for you both! :D :D

Dude. You just got into the #1 ranked English program in America. I think we'll let a minor typo slide. Wow. I'm just so thrilled for you. Unbelievably so. I even emailed my wife to tell her (yes, I'm a nerd like that).

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Congratulations!!!

Awesome, Lilith! They'll surely benefit from your "promiscuous intellect"! Congrats!

It's funny, because while I can't deny that I get a tinge (just a tinge!) of envy at some acceptances, I'm honestly far more happy for the acceptees than sad for myself...even when it comes to the programs that have provided me with the one legitimate and one implied rejection. I'm seriously thrilled to see the joy expressed by those who got accepted, and it's more of a case of "I can't wait to join you in the celebration!" than anything.

Yeah, I gotta be honest -- while I want to get into any of my programs because of the obvious reasons, I can't deny that it would be extra delightful to attend somewhere with someone whom I've interacted a lot with on GC. There are a few folks here who, if I got multiple acceptances with one of them happening to be at the place they are attending, it would be a legitimate factor in my decision process. GC's been a godsend for me. Of course, my ridiculous post count probably says that for me.

I would prefer this to another rejection email:

Yeah, hearing from Vanderbilt would be nice (or not). Northwestern has notified by phone on Feb 1st in recent years. Not sure if they'd notify on Super Bowl Sunday, but tomorrow or this weekend is a distinct possibility for them too. Vanderbilt and Northwestern are very high on my list. As is Stanford.

So I have this theory that now that I have one rejection out of the way, every other rejection that comes in is going to sting a little less, and I'm going to be able to remain positive and optimistic that one of my sixteen programs will come through and that I am still a val....bwahahahahahaha, who am I kidding? My psyche is TOTALLY going to crash and burn!

Yes, I agree. Then again, I would personally never list creative writing publications as "publications" for an academic degree path. The numbers would imply the wrong thing. So who knows? It IS interesting, and perhaps even encouraging, to see someone with a creative writing background get on the academic track. That somewhat approximates my own experience (though sans-MFA in my case).

That's an interesting point. One of my mentor / advisor / LOR-writer profs advised against Johns Hopkins for that reason. Rather, she didn't advise against it, per se, but when I mentioned it as a possibility, she blurted out, "Oh, but that program is so small!" then backreeled a little bit. It was amusing, but her point -- inadvertent as it may have been -- was well taken. Of course I still wish I had applied to more programs -- Johns Hopkins included -- but I'm not sure it would have been worthwhile either way.

Very true. It's making me wonder (as I routinely do at the best of times) whether I should have retaken the GRE. I keep hearing how insignificant it is, and yet so far I have seen very few acceptances with GRE scores in the same ballpark (or lower) than my own...

I don't know why, but seeing some of the numbers and comments of the accepted folks always surprises me. They're so damn impressive. That should be obvious, and yet most of the acceptances so far have blown me away (based on the scant info on the results page, that is). Congrats to that Duke acceptance with the 170 verbal GRE, an MFA, 14 publications, years of teaching experience and presentations!

Sorry Hannalore.

Congrats, Katla!! Not to be a downer in any way, shape, or form, but I read a disturbing news article yesterday about U of W's long-term funding. It's something to be cognizant of when you talk to the DGS and other faculty and admin there (and before you accept, obviously!). It's hard to say if this will touch their Ph.D programs or not, but it's not a great sign.

Yes! I most certainly did. I personally found it to be an important step. I also reached out to some grad students at a few top programs to find out about professor loads and a bunch of other things as well.

Sometimes I think you're my spirit animal, MM. Yes, all of this resonates with me quite a bit. Sometimes I think it's because I'm older, but when I see other students clearly half-assing it and just getting by, I get annoyed. I shouldn't really care. It doesn't affect me in any significant way...but I slightly resent it nonetheless. Also, I'm not sure if anyone else has encountered this at their UG institution, but there seems to be an institutional encouragement for students to not worry about grades where I am. While I understand that grades aren't the be all, end all of an undergraduate education, I still think it's rather wrong-headed to actively tell students to not worry about grades. Especially if a student decides he or she wants to move on to grad school someday...

I used what I call the "Derrida Scale," wherein you count all the faculty members with a stated interest in literary theory and divide it by total faculty. The higher the number, the more rigorous the program. No. Not really. "Rigor" wasn't really a factor for me either. "Fit" was key...basically finding POIs and an institutional orientation that aligns with my own research interests. Since all of the programs I applied to are in USNews' top 50, I just assume that rigor comes along with academic prestige. I may be wrong, but it's really a tertiary consideration for me, at best.

Meh. In theory, I agree -- the humanities are naturally highly interdisciplinary -- but it's a slippery slope. If American Studies is included under that umbrella, then Medieval / Renaissance studies has to be as well. And probably European Studies. And Cultural Studies in general. Maybe even Linguistics, for that matter. I can see comp/rhet getting separated out as being firmly "English" but not literature...but any more than that seems needlessly fractious, given the objective of the Google Doc. Just my two cents, of course.

Anyone want to claim the SUNY Stony Brook interview? I didn't apply, but the fantastic Joseph Pequigney is an emeritus professor there. His Such Is My Love is essential reading for anyone with an interest in early modernism and queer theory. It's a fantastic breakdown of the homosexuality in Shakespeare's sonnets. Though my academic focus isn't queer theory, I found his insights fascinating, to say the least, and referenced him a couple of times in my WS.