HopeX

Congrats! That is amazing.

Thanks for the advice. I'm hoping to also reach out to get some more help too. Can't hurt right?

Thank you. I actually got the same feedback from some others. I did contact a few of the schools already. The ones I heard back from told me that basically my credentials were amazing but the people I wanted to work with were too busy to take on another PhD student or that I wasn't a good fit. I would prefer that to the crickets I heard from other schools. I also personally think my statement of purpose isn't strong enough. I did research, read websites, etc but due to departmental drama, I haven't had a lot of support from my MA program. The adviser I have is actually from a whole other department and is more of a friendship than anything official. Again, that is why I am so glad I found this place. I already got some fantastic tips from the SOP thread. I really just want to take everyone on this forum out for coffee or tea or alcohol. It's been invaluable. I just wish I had found it in September! Maybe this is the wrong place to ask (maybe someone can suggest a better forum) but if I am applying again to the same program next year, should I submit a new writing sample as well as new SOP and letters? The writing sample I submitted was my strongest work in my MA program and my adviser was very adamant that this sample was the best. Do rejections from past rounds reflect poorly on you the next time around?

I'm so thankful I found this place from googling. I applied to eight different PhD programs (WGS, WGSS, FS) and got rejections back from all but two. I was having a serious freakout because I know how competitive it is but it is a whole other ballgame when those rejection emails start coming in. I kept wondering what was wrong with me, you know? My adviser was shocked I didn't get into Rutgers. She thought that was going to be a guarantee. I'm waiting to hear back from UCSC and Simon Fraser. But I didn't get any calls from UCSC about interviewing so I'm not really optimistic now. I am thinking if I go through this process again this fall, I might have to expand out of WGS and into some different fields. I did a round of Communication PhD apps Fall 2013 and was waitlisted then rejected. I just really don't want to go through it again. I'm sure we've all been there.