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I don't want to say for privacy's sake (I don't know why I'm paranoid, I just am). And thank you! Congrats on BU!

Since I started the thread, I feel a bit obligated to give an update: I've all but made my final decision, since I got into one of my top schools and absolutely loved everything about the visit! I still have one more place to see, however, and I don't want to be rash, since it's also a place I'm highly considering. Please let me know if you have any (general) questions. Constance07, I did not apply to UPenn but I met two people who got in rather early (either the end of January or the beginning of February -- I don't remember). Sorry about that. At least it's not a rejection, so you may be on a waitlist. I did meet someone who loved BU, though! I am super glad that this process is wrapping up. I would not want to do it again!

I'm in a master's program now, but the semester doesn't start until next Tuesday! I think I should just bite the bullet and learn to mediate or something to relax. New clothes are always a fun way to distract oneself! I had to buy new boots recently, but for a less fun reason than a wedding -- my old ones broke.

My applications were all due between December 31 and January 15, and though all of my materials have been submitted, it looks like it'll be a few weeks before I hear back from anyone. The results page indicates that most people who applied to the same schools start hearing back during the last week or two of January. I just want it to be March 1 so I at least know my fate. Anyone have tips for de-stressing?

Yay! How are your applications going? Mine are a little behind schedule, as I am way too busy this semester (I'm preparing for my first conference...), but I'm sure I'll be done in time.

Thanks for all of the information, eyepod!

Yeah, I figured it would be pretty dead right about now. I used to lurk silently in another grad school forum, but there was nothing there regarding foreign languages. At least there's a section of the forum dedicated to them here. Hopefully it'll be more active in the fall! In terms of strategy...hmm. GRE/GPA: My GRE scores and undergrad GPA are pretty good. I don't have a perfect GRE score, but after the 95th percentile for the Verbal section, nobody really cares, right? And even then, I'm not sure how important the GRE is, from what I've seen on the results page (which seems to be down right now). Also, I graduated magna, so while my GPA wasn't a perfect 4.0, it shouldn't hold me back (hopefully). Writing sample: I'm doing a Masters degree, and I would like to use my MA thesis, or an excerpt from it, for my writing sample. I'm working on that right now. It'll be finished and submitted more than a month before my applications are due. I'll just need to work hard on it for the next few months. Letters of recommendation: I've asked one professor about a letter of rec so far. Another professor from my MA program told me I'd do very well in a PhD program, so I'm sure she would be happy to write a letter for me as well. There's another professor from my undergrad institution who I think would be able to write a good letter for me, so I'll probably ask her next month. I have been communicating with her from time to time, so hopefully it won't be too out of the blue. Statement of Purpose: I haven't started any of my SoPs, mostly because I'm waiting for the applications to open. Sometimes you can only see the exact SoP prompt on the application. But I have been jotting down all of the things that come to mind that would be useful to include in my SoP, and I've found a few articles about SoP writing that might be helpful. I'm hoping to have drafts of all of them by the end of September. Everything else: I don't know what else to do at this point, except maybe try to submit a paper for a conference. The main thing that will hurt my application is probably that I'm not from a Francophone country, but I can't change that. I also don't know if I should contact possible advisors -- it seems kind of fake, to me, but some people recommend it. I'll probably end up asking around about that one.

Anyone else applying for a PhD in French or have tips you would like to share? I am applying to 8 schools, many of them very competitive. I hope I get accepted somewhere.