kurayamino

Yes. I wish I could up-vote this more than once. I'm a non-traditional student and I worked for about ten years before going to get my BA, so when I made the decision to focus on applying to English PhD programs it wasn't all fairy tales and pipe dreams. I needed concrete advice on prospects and ways to utilize my skills if the TT doesn't appear. I mean, I think passion is key in this field to make it into the PhD and through the dissertation, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be some thought about how to maximize the skills your gaining outside of the academy. There are jobs out there for English BAs and PhD's, but you certainly won't find them by living in a fantasy.

I know I just posted, but in light of the U Chicago interviews this will be my permanent expression until news of any kind comes in: And if there's more happy news on the forum:

I think this rings really true for my own school which seems to be in transition from liberal arts support to hard sciences. It seems as though they offer significantly fewer topics/classes in my senior year than they did when I transferred in three years ago. Some of that is due to a lot of people on sabbatical at the same time, but I would say more older professors are retiring and not all of those positions are being filled with TT faculty. At my school and to pretty much everyone I talk to I hear the same thing. "You're majoring in English? What are you going to do with that degree?"

Regarding the UC interviews - I can't remember if it was posted here or somewhere else, but they could be interviews done at the discretion of faculty who are looking for new graduate students to work with rather than something that's a department policy. That could explain the mixed messages.

Congrats to the USC admissions! I'm so glad there's more positive news to be happy about

I remember when, as a double major, I decided to focus specifically on English instead of Psychology for graduate school. My mentor (in English) told me flat out what the prospects were about becoming a tenured professor and offered personal sobering statistics about his graduating class from Yale (he was the only one who found TT). I just said that I'd never wanted to pursue any aspect of psychology as much as I wanted my field of research in English and that it didn't matter one iota if I could get a TT position. I'd be happy at any location with good library access so long as I could continue my research. That being said though, I did look long and hard at placement records when I chose my schools to apply to because I wasn't about to sell myself short either. In some cases this meant "prestigious schools", but prestige isn't everything. I mean, Yale didn't make my list because of their refusal to list their placement record in spite of the fact that there are professors there who I would have loved to have worked with. So, the long and short of it is, in my opinion, prestige isn't everything, finding TT shouldn't be everything, but passion? That's pretty much non-negotiable.

I referenced only one person in my WS that works at a school I applied to as most people who work in my area of study are in non-US schools or schools I had no interest in because there was only that one faculty member I wanted to work with. I think I handled this with my SOP by talking about the work that influenced my research and how Professor X that I want to work with at Y school wrote Z book that was really important in developing my ideas, etc. etc. Having to do this type of thing in my writing sample would have made the process of writing it as tedious and dreadful as the SOP was for me.

I love this thread! I hadn't even realized it existed until this morning. What grocery shopping feels like when you're entire future is hanging in the balance: What I want to do to every email that has nothing to do with acceptances or rejections: What my mind felt like thinking about all the possibilities (and thus why I can't sleep):

Thanks for the google doc thepriorwalter! I look forward to seeing what people post.

I would definitely contribute to a google doc and I think focusing on the soft ares will be particularly helpful.

Yep, that's one of the ways I kill time too. I love Babylon 5 (and Straczynski!). I would recommend Firefly over Battlestar Galactica, but that's just my personal preference. Personally, other than watching tv I've been playing a lot of Diablo 3. It's a great time suck and distracting enough that I can step away from my email for a few hours.

natural world

I think overall you're right, but I think it would also be useful if your scores are outliers in any way. My AW score on the GRE is low (in my opinion) and so if I get accepted somewhere I'd want to make sure that score was there for someone to see that it's still possible to get in at X school despite that. This would show that other aspects of the application are weighted more and so forth. I like what hreaðemus suggested, that information such as research experience and publications would be very helpful in gauging what is necessary for future applicants and I'll be sure to put my credentials on both my rejections and my acceptances (I hope!).

I also did not get an invite for an interview, but I wish you the best of luck for Monday!

Congratulations on your acceptance! I had the same question and my mentor suggested that the best way to handle an acceptance is to thank them and let them know that you're seriously considering their offer. I'd also ask if there's a date that they need to hear from you by. I would imagine that any DGS knows that students don't apply to just one school and will need to weigh their options before making a choice. After all, they want you to be just as sure about them as they are about you.

Yes it is. I almost wish I had known which schools decided early just so I could have a result already, even a negative one. Waiting in limbo is no fun!

gold rush

It sounds like you've done everything right swampfox and I can completely understand your anxiety! Doing everything right just gets you a ticket to get in, but it doesn't guarantee your number could be called. As a fellow humanities major with pretty abysmal math scores on the GRE I was anxious as well, but I was told that the quantitative section doesn't even play a part in humanities admissions. The most important factors are your SOP, writing sample, and LOR. The GRE just sort of puts your name out there. I can't say much to alleviate your anxiety, but I can say you're not alone. Just keep your chin up and don't let that Fulbright rejection get you down. Remember, that's a program open to every major, to every country in the world. That's a lot of competition and while you've still applied to competitive schools, it won't be nearly as bad as the Fulbright. Fingers crossed for you!

Yes! It was the same for me as a kid. Same book even, although the copy belonged to the parents of the kid I was babysitting. I don't mind admitting I like Stephen King because he is engaging. I don't think I've read many authors who are on par with how quickly he can develop a character, but then again, I'm not a modernist. Perhaps I've been missing something. I can see what you mean about a similarity between King and O'Connor and perhaps that's why O'Connor appeals to me so much.

I've never grown out of my Stephen King obsession from when I was younger...so I'm finishing up Revival. It's a very easy read and engrossing enough to keep me invested while flying across the country. When that's done I'm probably going to read Gilead by Marilynne Robinson which was highly recommended and given to me as a gift, but I know nothing about it except whats on the back cover. I'm also working on Under the Cope of Heaven by Patricia Bonomi for a history class. It's very informative and interesting, but a little dry.

From other students I know from my own school (a large public college) English admits are widely unpredictable. Last year I had a friend get in to UPenn and Columbia, but was rejected from OSU, WUSTL, Michigan, and Temple. Everyone has a different journey, but try and stay positive.

I can second the papasan. Definitely my favorite place to curl up with a good book.

Congratulations to those who have heard back already! I'm a nailbiting mess over here. Fortunately looking at the forums/results page is cutting into my neurotic email checking