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hopefulJ2010

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  1. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to milestones13 in Too Good to Admit?   
    Interesting thread. I'm applying next year so it's fascinating to read people's perspectives.

    One thing: Can we quantify what is meant by "too good to admit" based on GPA/GRE or prestige of undergrad institution or, is it, as some have maintained, a subjective matter of SOP's/LOR writing samples that determine applicant quality? From what I can tell, the subjective plays a big role and numbers far less than, say, law school...but still they are far from irrelevant.

    My guess is there is a reasonably high correlation between the numbers and the level of the qualitative aspects of an application.

    At the top of the applicant pool we might something like this:

    3.9 from Ivy, 99%ile verbal, LOR's from professors who state emphatically "one of the most gifted students to come through our program in years..."

    Other subjective aspects of application likely corroborates such sublimity...but in just as many cases it's not as clearcut (or, at least, there will be reason for disagreement).

    Here we have a fictional conversation at mid-ranked ranked institution over an on-paper scholastic superstar:

    Committee member #1: "I just don't see justifying an admit here. X's writing sample really drags and statement is very unfocused."

    CM#2: "Not a strong writing sample, I agree. Too much reliance on secondary sources. The prose is clunky."

    CM#3 "I find the application extremely strong overall, and sample to be quite promising. I really think X will blossom here."

    CM#1: "I respectfully disagree. I'd much rather give an offer to Y who we reviewed yesterday, who will most likely consider our offer with greater interest than X."

    CM#3: "I don't see the point in throwing away a brilliant application like X's in favor of an applicant like Y."

    CM#2" "I think X is a definite pass. Let Harvard knock themselves out with X."

    (Chuckles around the room, except from a miffed CM #3 who wants his/her promising scholastic superstar.)

    In other words, you might have committee members view "super star" applicants as completely over-rated based on subjective criteria, mainly SOP/WS. This confounds the "too good to admit" notion because certain members of the committee (not dazzled by the numbers) are essentially saying "no there, there." I'm sure there are huge disagreements on this issue with some cm accusing others (politely, I assume) of being blinded by numbers while other cm's see others as being too driven by subjective criteria like SOP/WS.

    Now for a fictional conversation at an Ivy over applicant X: 620 verbal, 3.2 GPA at unranked institution. Strong rec's but not glowing.

    CM#1: "X's sample is exceptional. I think we need to consider this applicant further.

    CM#2: "Agree with you. Wonderful sample. Plus, very focused and a convincing statement. What a find!"

    CM#3: "Some nice writing, but I just don't think X has the level of intellectual horsepower to flourish here based on what I see."

    CM#1: "Oh...well."

    CM#2: "I think X addressed those concerns in the statement very convincingly."

    CM#3 (Shakes head and sighs) "X can address it all day long but...I really do not see a fit here at Ivyland U for X. Neither X's grades nor X's GRE scores indicate the requisite level of --"

    CM#2: (Growing a bit testy): "The fit is evident -- in the writing sample!"

    CM#1: (Moderating tone): "I understand your concerns CM#3. I'm putting X aside to discuss later. Let's move on to applicant Y..."
  2. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to StrangeLight in Too Good to Admit?   
    the rankings are meaningless. example: the USNWR ranks harvard as the #9 school for latin american history. they don't have a latin american history program. they have one person on their faculty, who for all i know may be a very talented scholar but who has zero name recognition in the field. they don't take on latin americanist masters students because they never offer seminars for that field. the small handful of latin americanists there received their MAs elsewhere and are attending harvard to work with that lone professor in particular. how is that a top 10 program? these rankings are based in large part on surveys of professors. to formulate the subfield rankings, they don't just survey the professors of that subfield; they ask every prof in the profession. the many historians that don't know anything about latin american history but know that harvard's supposed to be good at everything put the school into their top 10. the profs that do know a bit ("professor X is great and he's at school Y") don't necessarily know enough to realize that professor X moved to a different school half a decade ago. they don't keep up with the field enough to know which professors moved or retired, so their rankings are often based on former reputations that may or may not still hold true.

    here is my advice for future and current applicants: THE RANKINGS DON'T MATTER. leave the confines of this website and no one talks about rankings. you look for the best academics in your field. you find out where they're teaching and (if they're young) where they went to school. those are the places you apply to.

    noticing a pattern based on biased data is not evidence of a causal relationship. if the rankings actually reflected the quality of the faculty and the placement rates of graduate students, then you might have something. but they don't. i also don't understand how this thread is supposed to "help" future applicants. to me, it came off like you wanted someone to validate your rejections from lower-ranked schools based on you being too good, rather than programs which are beneath you somehow deeming you unworthy.
  3. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to Pamphilia in the true info on Penn State   
    For PSU the MA is pretty much the PhD. While you apply "to" the MA or PhD, it's really an MA/PhD program and therefore, as I understand it, they make decisions more or less together. There isn't a "terminal MA" program in the traditional sense, which is why one gets six years of funding when one is admitted to the MA. Their structure is a bit confusing, but I'm trying to simplify it here. Also, just in case, I'll note that I'm referring here to the English program.
  4. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from kandeya in still waiting on penn state   
    this is interesting info. i've never thought of an unofficial waitlist because i haven't seen any rejects in the results feed. either way, i have a decision to make quickly and the "2nd week of april" could be as late as the 13-14th. not cool.
  5. Downvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from thetruthsnake in still waiting on penn state   
    this is interesting info. i've never thought of an unofficial waitlist because i haven't seen any rejects in the results feed. either way, i have a decision to make quickly and the "2nd week of april" could be as late as the 13-14th. not cool.
  6. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from lcampb in still waiting on penn state   
    hey those of you who are still waiting for PSU (myself included). I spoke to the departmental grad secretary and she said decisions will be happening the first or second week of april. very considerate for those of us who need to accept/decline other offers in the near future... (note sarcasm).
  7. Downvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from Pamphilia in still waiting on penn state   
    hey those of you who are still waiting for PSU (myself included). I spoke to the departmental grad secretary and she said decisions will be happening the first or second week of april. very considerate for those of us who need to accept/decline other offers in the near future... (note sarcasm).
  8. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from fromeurope in Randomness Or Vent?   
    this experience has been an out of body one. i have experienced the lowest lows -- DESPAIR at the thought of not getting in or when rejections arrived in my inbox/mailbox. yet you feel the greatest euphoria when you get in... it's like "they like me, they really like me!"



  9. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from fromeurope in Sorting out Potential Recommenders?   
    it may be better to ask someone who knows you better. some grad school apps are due as early as mid-december and you'll need to notify your LOR writers early so you may face the problem of not having that much class time with the prof. you're going to be competing against people with *stellar* recs (recommendation inflation maybe?) and you need people that can really vouch for your work ethic, research capabilities and writing.
  10. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from fromeurope in temple funding   
    if anyone is interested, i spoke with Alan Singer today via email and he told me they're not giving me funding-- so i guess it is a possibility to be unfunded. and he'll disclose the info now i suppose.
  11. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to poppyensemble in how do you justify studying literature?   
    Studying lit (and the humanities in general, unfortunately) is often seen as something hopelessly academic/a vain pursuit/point-blank 'useless'.
    I'm very curious: how do you justify studying it to people outside the field/academia? And I mean in a non-combative, non-defensive manner, even though many non-lit people may ask this from a very skeptical viewpoint... It can definitely be annoying sometimes, but the skepticism is, to be fair, quite understandable.
    In short, I'm genuinely interested in why we're doing this, besides a strong personal love for texts. I would love to hear how you folks have been grappling with this, since we're all obviously set on some form of continued academic involvement with literature. Anything from fully-formed lit-activist mini-treatises to fumbling one-line nebulous musings. This issue really interests me, and you're the best crowd to ask!
  12. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to EcceQuamBonum in Randomness Or Vent?   
    Wow, our experiences turned out to be strikingly similar. I, too, was arrogant (foolish?) enough only to apply to five schools: four Ivies and UVA. Ha! My professors also told me I'd have my pick among schools to which I'd applied. I'm not sure either they or I realized how tragically unhip the English department is at my alma mater. The adcoms sure did.

    Looking back on the process, I now recognize how utterly fortunate I was to be admitted to the one school I was, and how many equally--if not more--qualified candidates I was up against. The odds were incredible. No one should feel bad for being rejected at a school: you're better off playing slots.

    Before the admissions decisions began to roll in, UVA was at the bottom of my list. But once I was accepted and began to look into the school a bit more, I realized there's nowhere else I would rather be. (Indeed, no where else I could be at this point.) There's something fortuitous in that. In hindsight I appreciate how miserable I probably would have been at the other four schools, but, had I been admitted to one of them, I probably would have been lured away from UVA by the siren song of the Ivy name. "There's a divinity that shapes our ends" and all that, you know.
  13. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to EKPhrase in SUNY Stony Brook   
    <br /><br /><br />
    I know the stress of a waitlist. I am on a few. I will let you know ASAP.
    b
  14. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from ohh-holy-hell in SUNY Stony Brook   
    the letter said 7 spots out of 120 applications so good luck! i hope you get off the waitlist but wistfully kinda wish it was me!


  15. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to strokeofmidnight in Straight outta college   
    Good luck, folks! Here's to more (and funded) offers to give Fordham some competition.

    For what it's worth, I think it's *incredibly* difficult to apply successfully as an undergrad, especially to PhD programs. I waited two years before applying my first round, and did quite well. (I didn't spend the time in between doing anything academic-y...though the summer before apps were due, I did start studying for the GRE's/Lit exam and rewriting my writing sample, SoP, researching schools, etc). There's something about simply giving oneself a few years to mature--and for your undergrad training to "percolate" that seems quite effective. Looking over my papers from senior year (which I would have submitted had I applied back then), it was pretty obvious that no self-respecting PhD program would have taken me at "that level"...and for what it's worth, I was a straight-A student from a decent undergrad.

    So I suppose what I'm suggesting is...while I can definitely understand the desire to pay for one's MA (and in some cases, this would indeed be a wise move), it may be to your benefit to simply take some time off, find a "real" job (in my case, I tutored, waited tables, and worked in a coffeehouse...nothing glamorous or particularly attractive on my CV/resume)...and try again.

    This isn't to say, of course, that no one gets into strong PhD programs applying as an undergrad. It happens all the time. But I suspect that far more promising applicants benefited from taking time off than applying "straight." Certainly, most (90, 95%) of the students at the top programs that I know of (though this varies depending on the culture/preferences of different programs) took at least 1 year off.
  16. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to hopefulJ2010 in so how are you holding up?   
    i was CONVINCED i'd be rejected to all 13 of the programs i applied to (mix of MA and PhD-- mostly PhD), and have to go to a city school that is very unfriendly commute-wise for me, or continue at my undergrad (no PhD program) which is a better but still annoying commute, expensive and the same 'ol faculty (who i lovelove). i spent nights awake; when i was sleeping they were often nightmares of various sorts. my first rejection came from a 70's ranked large state school who denied me to both their MA & PhD! my second rejection came from my top choice- a top 20 state school that I visited and LOVED but knew was a long-shot. i was sitting eating lunch at school with two friends, probably in the depths of despair when i auto-checked my blackberry, clicked an email labeled "school x's graduate program" without even really knowing I was about to open a letter with a decision. i had visited and definitely liked school x-- it was up there on my list... VOILA accepted to the terminal MA with a chance to continue to the PhD based on my academic standing after 2 years. best part=tuition remission and hefty stipend for the part of the country it is in. the next day i got acceptance #2 from a more prestigious program but in an undesirable location and sans a cent so I won't be attending.

    two days ago i was rejected from mid-ranked large state school numero dos- also not that desirable of a location and an ivy league school which woulda been nice but never was really happening. i'm sitting on one implicit rejection (nyu-- not called for an interview), but i really don't care about going there since i'm from the city and aren't drawn to the location like many people. i'm waiting for 6 others which i believe i have a decent shot at. if not, i have an awesome offer from a solid school.

    and people, a professor mentioned to me that if you do an MA first at a school (even if they're intending on keeping you til the PhD) you can always re-apply both internally and to other higher rated schools if you'd like.

    i guess the moral is, it's not over until it's over. a LOT of schools work in rounds. one of the schools i was accepted to had sent out some acceptances at the end of january and i got accepted the 2nd of march. i feel very lucky because i was torn whether or not i would go through the whole process again. stay hopeful guys! i'm not trying to lie and say i wasn't feeling apocalyptic before but seriously, some committees haven't even met (slowpokes).

    ...and now to my inbox. just kidding-- maybe.
  17. Downvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from lilac in fingers in uconn   
    anyone else just get rejected from uconn? and it says im rejected from the MA and MA/PhD #71 on the rankings. really?
  18. Downvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from glasses in grad school to me, in the words of linkin park   
    i deleted this post because it was formatted badly and a mess to read :X sorry!
  19. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to hopefulJ2010 in nothing, nothing, nothing   
    anyone like me, sitting on 10+ NOTHINGS?! only one or two of my schools have notified (not me), no letters, emails, phone calls or anything acknowledging my existence in this world. i even got up the courage to call 2 of my schools today- one is probably snowed in and the other just isn't answering i am going from hopefulJ to hopeLESSj but quickly. </endrant>. and i'm beginning to wish i applied to the midwest/west coast. they at least get back to people!
  20. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to hopefulJ2010 in Notre Dame and Brandeis   
    brandeis said they're still making decisions. at least a couple of weeks. i applied to the MA.
  21. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 reacted to hopefulJ2010 in uconn   
    anyone else just get rejected from uconn? and it says im rejected from the MA and MA/PhD #71 on the rankings. really?
  22. Downvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from Pamphilia in grad school to me, in the words of linkin park   
    i deleted this post because it was formatted badly and a mess to read :X sorry!
  23. Downvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from melusine in grad school to me, in the words of linkin park   
    i deleted this post because it was formatted badly and a mess to read :X sorry!
  24. Upvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from elephant1 in grad school to me, in the words of linkin park   
    i deleted this post because it was formatted badly and a mess to read :X sorry!
  25. Downvote
    hopefulJ2010 got a reaction from Kinkster in grad school to me, in the words of linkin park   
    i deleted this post because it was formatted badly and a mess to read :X sorry!
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