HumanCylinder

@klader, I also was informed that I am on the waitlist for a teaching assistantship (which I assume is tantamount to funding?). But, since I have a couple of automatically funded offers, I'm not sure how much I will consider UNM. @ArthurianChaucerian I actually spoke to two graduate students before I applied (one was a newly minted PhD I met at a conference who put me in touch with someone else currently in the program). They were both Modernists, which is my area. They gave me two different perspectives, so I'd be interested to hear more about your take. Can I PM you at some point?

Not sure that this applies to anyone on these forums, but I received an email stating I was waitlisted at Washington State University. Since I already have a couple of offers that include funding, I will probably take myself off the waitlist at some point rather soon.

I actually just received an email of acceptance to U of New Mexico for English lit! Apparently a lot can happen when you get home from work and check your email/voicemail, because I also received a phone call from U of Arizona. The director said that he was very excited about my application and wanted to discuss their offer, which I assume means I've been accepted.

I applied to UNM for English. I haven't heard anything other than a letter confirming my application submission a while back.

Congratulations on being waitlisted at some really fantastic programs, @Little Earthquakes, @EmmaJava, @lesabendio! Wishing my best that each will be converted.

I'm with you, @WendyWonderland. It's a huge distraction. Most days I fall somewhere between wanting to crawl under a rock and feeling like my brain will implode. This is why I just focus on getting through the day at hand without being too hard on myself. Hopefully just a handful of weeks before the dust settles.

I was feeling really down when I saw the first Buffalo notifications early in the morning since it's a program high on my list, but then I saw an acceptance in my inbox later that day -- this process is a crazy whirlwind, so hang in there because it's impossible to predict how things will shake out and there are a lot of possibilities still. For me, it's just about trying to focus on one day at a time; the next day's a clean slate with new possibilities. Hoping the next month or two brings positive news to everyone!

I applied to SUNY Buffalo for English but haven't heard a thing yet, and my application status still says "Initial review in progress" when I log in. I am also still hoping they aren't finished sending out acceptance/waitlist notifications, but I'd just like to hear one way or the other soon...currently waiting on about 4 implied rejections based on the results board.

Congratulations on your success! I was hopeful of Buffalo, but it seems like that will end up being a rejection for me. (I also applied to Davis, but I was much less hopeful there.)

Congrats to everyone who has been receiving acceptances! I can now finally add my name to this list, as I just received an email from the DGS at Texas A&M informing me I was accepted. So incredibly relieved and excited that I will have an option to pursue doctoral work!

Congratulations on being so close to an acceptance and good luck with making it in! Thanks for sharing the info, too; that's very helpful. I think I can mentally file this one under rejection now.

Does anyone want to claim the Boston University waitlist that was recently reported on the results board? Just curious because I applied there and haven't heard anything, and I didn't expect them to notify so early. (Not that I hold out a huge amount of hope for that program since they admit so few, and typically applicants without M.A.s from what I've heard.)

I must say that I am also receiving the benefits of everyone's advice and experiences in this thread as a third-time applicant this season -- thank you all for your perspectives! This is especially refreshing to hear. Realistically and objectively thinking about my application, I decided to focus on schools ranked in the 40-60ish range, with of course some falling on either side. Given past rejections, I think this is where I fit, and my discussions with my (very pragmatic) recommender/mentor encouraged me that there are a lot of very good programs that will be able to help me be successful beyond the top 20, contrary to a lot of "noise" I was hearing about only going to a top 20 school. I feel comfortable with the schools I decided to target, but sometimes (not often) do feel a bit insecure about how other friends/colleagues will think of them, so thank you for your thoughts on this issue, jrockford27. Thanks for starting the thread, Little Earthquakes. I applied to a small number of programs (4-5) the past two years because I was bound by location; in this third and final round, I've applied to many more. If I end up having any success, I'm happy to share my experiences on the multi-year process as well. Best of luck to you, and I can completely empathize with the struggle of waiting to hear back. In the second year I applied, I started researching programs to apply to this year before even getting rejected from most

Congrats on the acceptance! It's great to have an answer so early in the process (and just generally as well!). I may take you up on this offer to discuss Boulder. I applied to the PhD track there as I already have an M.A., but I know they accept so few people. (Although, in reality, my asking questions would do little but help pass the time waiting for an answer and perhaps address idle curiosities.)

Oooh, thanks for this. In this opaque process, any bit of info helps ease my mind.

Congrats, Haltheincandescent! I can imagine that an acceptance with funding must feel exhilarating and gratifying. I also applied to Boulder's program, and was very curious about this move. I guess it's good to hear that it's fairly "normal," but I also wonder if it will push back their notification date.

Yes, that's a great idea. My goal is usually to get an app in at least 2 weeks prior to the deadline. Gosh, I can't wait to get the rest of my apps in! Maybe I'll sneak a few in while I grade final papers and work on my Spring semester syllabus, ahead of my self-imposed Dec. 20 deadline. But, I suppose I shouldn't be hurrying to worry, which I assume with be my predisposition for at least the month of January.

I did Oregon's last week (actually my second time submitting there), and I think their app is a little odd. They do have you submit a lot related to teaching experience, and you have to upload so many individual documents, even for something like supervisor contact info. In this comparative vein, I will say that SUNY Buffalo had probably the most simple and streamlined app of the 7 I've submitted so far, whereas Utah's was a bear to get through on the other end of the spectrum. The ApplyTexas system that I had to use for Texas A&M was also pretty tedious. Just in case anyone is applying to Texas A&M, here's a heads up about submitting letters of rec -- they email you a separate pin number after you submit the app and you have to register in a different place in order to electronically notify your recommenders. I got this login info a few days after I submitted the app....so make sure you leave enough time before the due date.

I was pretty proud that I managed to get 6 applications done over the Thanksgiving break. I have 8 more to go, spread between the first two weeks of January; my aim is to get that bunch in by December 20th so I can enjoy the holidays. I'll be looking forward to doing more personal reading, too, after this part is over. I wasn't able to manage any this semester between the teaching and application stuff. Good luck to all!

Thanks; I appreciate this very grounded perspective! I think I've just begun to convince myself to stop being so paranoid about a few sentences in an entire application.

Thanks for your perspective, haltheincandescent. I was pretty confident in my own decision to name faculty in previous versions of my SoP because I guessed, after talking to other people I knew applying, that it was common enough to be expected. I didn't want my statement to lack some element that seemed to have become a part of the "genre." I think your experience does its part to support that (as much as 2 opinions can, as you point out). I have two recommenders who do not think it's a good idea, though. One thinks it's generic sounding and that fit should be rather evident from the bulk of the SoP that's dedicated to describing one's academic interests. This reasoning wasn't enough to dissuade me. My newest recommender said it could be risky to name someone who might end up taking sabbatical, plans to leave, or can't take on students for whatever reason, which would be an easy way to eliminate an applicant. Though, I think naming around 4 people mitigates that risk to some degree. From another angle, if a faculty member reads your work/application, responds favorably to it, but is not mentioned in the fit paragraph, that is also problematic. This all seems very situational, though, and I'm not sure that I should be scheming for specific situations. Perhaps I will hedge my bets and do it in some applications but not others (I'm applying to 15 schools this time around). I am also planning to edit my writing sample this weekend. It's from a seminar paper from a grad class I took in 2012, and I've worked on it since then, obviously, but I still want to make sure that it's up to date with anything that's been published very recently.

Hey all, I thought I'd bump this thread back up so we could all just check in with where we're at or share any questions/concerns. (Or maybe it will just be me sharing. ) One decision I've been grappling with lately is whether to name specific people in my SoP. As I may have shared earlier, I'm on my third round of apps (but it's my first time applying to more than 5 schools). The advice I've received on this issue (mostly from my recommenders) has varied greatly, and in past applications I did name around 4 people and described why/how they would be particularly good assets for the work I'd like to pursue. I've begun to rethink this approach, though, since I changed one of my recommenders for this round -- in discussing my application with him, he strongly suggested that I don't name people because of the risk it entails. If others wouldn't mind sharing, I'd be interested to know how those of us applying in this round are approaching this aspect of the SoP.

Yes, very helpul -- thanks! The admissions process is so opaque (and idiosyncratic, it seems to me) so info like this is helpul, and it definitely encourages me to reach out to DGSs and profs/grad students this time around.

This is really great to hear since WUSTL is one of the schools I have on my current list! I went to a conference there last fall and had a really great time. The students I met from the English program (freshly admitted) were very nice as well. I am applying to schools not in southern California for the first time this cycle, and my very limited but positive experience there made me look more closely at the school.

Hi BooksCoffeeBeards. It looks like I will be applying to some of the same schools you are (my list is not finalized yet), but my field is Modernism. In my experience, I thought the subject test had a fair mix of comprehension and identifications. There is definitely criticism/theory on it, so I think it's worth having a grasp of some standard texts and authors.