solomonski

@haltheincandescent Don't worry -- I did the same thing with my Duke interview... but in the WRONG direction, so I ended up having an hour less than anticipated. Ultimately, I think that was a good thing, because the more I "prepared," the more nervous I got. I might not have survived if I really had another hour. In the end, it went about like how you described: not nearly as intimidating as I feared, but I still think I sort of ended up rambling and not fully answering every dimension of their question, especially on the first of the three. On the whole, I think it was okay though. Still checking email compulsively. Good luck with the rest of yours; let us know how they turn out.

I'm also planning to get to SC the day before and stay two nights. I'd like to stay longer and do something like what you're planning, but I'm still doing my final semester of undergrad and can't afford to miss too many days. I'll already be missing a lecture on one of my favorite chapters of Ulysses as it is!

I was offered a spot and as it stands, I'm planning on going to 3rd March to check the place out! Just trying to figure out some of the logistical issues (like planes only landing at San Jose, still 30 miles away from Santa Cruz). I guess we'll see one another there? I'd also be interested in any perspectives on the program that current students might be willing to offer.

Oh boy, that's gonna help me sleep easier! To answer you though, the projects I talked about on my SOP and my writing sample dealt with transnational modernism.

I never received any notification of an interview AT ALL -- as in, I've heard exactly nothing from U Chicago. Probably prudent to take this as a rejection, right?

That feeling when you wake up, look at your monitor as you walk by, see an email title in your inbox that says "Application status notification," nearly fall over trying to lunge towards the mouse, only to realize it's more pseudo-spam from Healthcare.gov.

@ypink I had a Skype interview with Duke English last week, and I believe that two other people on the results page did as well. Who knows for sure what not getting an interview signifies, but I did have the impression they were all sent out by this point, yes As for how it went down, it was quite relaxed. If anything, I maybe "over-prepared" which resulted in my first response sounding a little breathless and rehearsed before I realized this was nowhere near as tribunal-like as I imagined and I could just relax. Basically just had a conversation about a research project I'd like to do, and a bit about my academic background. There was nothing "tricky," no "gotcha" questions at all -- it seems like in interviews they really do just want to have a conversation geared towards determining whether you're a good fit with the department or not. Good luck! I bet you'll hear back from some programs this week!

Just wanted to say @haltheincandescent, I dig your name so much.

@sarabethke It's all conjecture on my part, but it seems that there's no set time at which they start to meet. Some have already been meeting because acceptances and interviews have been sent out at certain schools. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't meet on weekends, though; however, one could check results pages from years past and see if any notices went up on weekends (not foolproof, but enough of them would suggest something). Hang in there -- only heard from 2 of my 11 programs so far.

Anyone else have an interview with Duke English today? I believe they said they were all scheduled for today, although there were some technical difficulties because of the winter storm on the east coast that might result in some rescheduling. Regardless, I had mine -- anyone want to compare notes/worry together?

Yeah, I was surprised as I've heard it said before that only the Literature program does interviews. Some details if you're interested: the email seemed to suggest they had culled down the field of applicants and said they were "on the verge of making final selections" and were conducting interviews to "determine the best fits." There were 15 possible time slots to sign up for. Of course, who knows what, if anything, all that signifies?

Thanks! I went ahead and posted my two results thus far (interview with Duke, "soft acceptance" at UC Santa Cruz (no official notice but email from DGS saying I'm in))! Good luck, everyone -- I'm happy to be a part of the hand-wringing with you guys this time around.

I haven't posted anything on the result search. Ummm, to be honest, I haven't yet figured out what "the result search" is, but I keep seeing everyone mention it. Time to go a'searchin' I guess. EDIT: Oh, the giant tab that says RESULTS. Okay. : |

Hey all. I got an email this afternoon from Duke English saying they were "very impressed" with my application and wanted to talk with me over Skype. Obviously I'm pleased to hear anything at all, but I am a bit worried. I'd heard before of the Literature program doing interviews, but not the English program, so it's taken me by surprise a bit. Has anyone out there endured this process before, and if so, how did you fare? Any advice for a first-timer like me? At the moment, I'm just planning on being prepared to talk about my writing sample, my undergrad thesis if they ask, and some areas of graduate-study interest that I think are especially suited to their program (which is why I applied in the first place of course). Any insight?

Yeah, they've already responded and taken care of it. Crazy how the application process can completely drain your perspective and rationality down to zero, eh? Oh well, maybe some poor soul in the future will get some value out of this thread.

Hi all, So like the topic suggests, I'm a total moron, or at least I feel like one right now. I was applying to two programs at my first choice school today. The first one went fine, but was unusual in that they request the writing sample to be uploaded at a totally separate website after the application itself is submitted and paid for. I erroneously assumed this was standard practice across the university. Consequently, I submitted my app to the second program, then went to find their link to the same website, only to find *they* request the writing sample be attached to the application under "miscellaneous documents." So, I basically submitted an application without a writing sample, since I can no longer edit it. It's frustrating as hell because I spent several months agonizing over this, only to totally screw it up at the final moment. There was no mention of this in the application itself; I didn't see this info until I went several pages deep on the department webpage. Anyway, I know this is my own screw-up. I've emailed the graduate admissions office with a copy of the writing sample to ask if there's anything that can be done, but I worry that 1.) they'll say no, I'm out of luck, or 2.) they'll accept it but the fact that I had to email them about such a blunder in the first place will expose me as the absent-minded doofus I really am and just result in my app being immediately tossed out anyway. Anyone else ever been through something as stupid as this? If so, did it work out okay? Is all hope lost?

Thanks for the heads up. I don't really have anything like criminal activity bound up in this "living in a car" stint; it was the result of both my parents becoming disabled at the same time. But I do take your point. I'm trying to strike a restrained balance that gives some sense of my intellectual formation, without sounding like an undergrad admissions essay.

Thanks for the responses. I'll keep the personal information then, but be especially sure that its relationship to the research comes across. Either of you willing to take a look at what I end up producing and give me some feedback?

Hi guys. This is cross-posted in the SOP forum but it wasn't getting any action there, so I thought to post here. Please feel free to delete this / perma-ban me into oblivion if this is against the rules. So, this is one of the trickiest things for me when it comes to the SOP (for an English program): how much personal info is too much? I know the focus of the topic is supposed to be on my research interests, demonstrating that I know how to think about a long-term project, that I've researched the specific program and can demonstrate my fit, etc. That much nearly everyone agrees upon. However, many people suggest that it would be prudent to leave out any mention of personal background at all, while others say that you need to use the SOP not just to demonstrate your academic qualities, but your actual personality as a human being (since this is one of the only non-quantitative indicators of your story in the application). In any case, my background is both a.) maybe interesting in the sense of being non-traditional/diverse (first in family to college (or even to graduate elementary school), lived in backseat of car for years as adolescent, then for years in a trailer with no lights or water, literally reading by oil lamp) and b.) relevant to my interest in literature (in terms of developing my research interests as a result of my experiences with disadvantage/class). Anyway, what's the verdict?

Hi all. I have a few programs that use ApplyWeb in order to manage their applications. These tend to have a question which says something like: " List the major scholarships and fellowships for which you have applied during your undergraduate or previous graduate study. Include scholarships and fellowships such as NSF Graduate Fellowship, Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS), Mellon Fellowship, Graduate Engineering for Minorities Fellowship, or others. " I'm curious what exactly it means by "or others." I have a ton of scholarships/fellowships I received during undergrad, but they're all university-level stuff, none of them mentioned in that above list. Should I list those here? Or is that appropriate for another part of the application? I'm not sure what is meant by "major scholarships."

In case it matters to anyone, they've changed that requirement (I guess within the last two months). It now says " You may apply to English and to Literature" (http://english.duke.edu/graduate/prospective-student/application-faqs#2)

Hi all. So, I took the GRE today. Did rather well on the Verbal (169), but just "okay" on the Quant (158). Am I correct in assuming that programs are going to care more about my good verbal score than they are my dusty ability to factor polynomials? I've heard the majority of people say that's the case, but I'm just curious if anyone has experience to the contrary. In short, should I be at all worried about this?

Thanks, I appreciate the insight. I won't worry about it too much then.

Hrmm, the program in question (Northwestern) does say "you may be asked to scan and submit your score report when you submit your application. This will only be used for preliminary review, and results will not be official until we receive them from ETS." Are you saying I can take this to mean that, as long as I have my scores from ETS by December 1st, I can self-report them on most apps without worrying if ETS has gotten the official scores to them yet?

Hi all, I'm scheduled to take the GRE on November 12th. I had chosen this date on the basis of reading that it would take roughly 10 days for scores to become available, and I thought that timeframe also applied to when schools would receive my score reports. Now I'm wondering if I'm not mistaken about that? I think most of my applications would be fine, since the deadline is Dec 15th, but there are one or two programs to which I'd like to apply which have Dec 1st deadlines. Is a November 12th date too late to a December 1st deadline? I could move the test up until next week, Nov 3, but doing so would have the obvious drawback of having less time to prepare for the exam (not to mention having to pay a rescheduling fee). Any insights?