haltheincandescent

Same! I got an interview invite today, adding to another good but still non-decisive email I got a week or so ago from another program. On the one hand, it's all definitely great news, and I'm ready to shout from the rooftops. But on another, neither are for 100% sure set things, so I'm (trying, but mostly failing) to restrain my excitement. And then this half-excitement is mixed with the waiting anxiety, which we all know so well, from the remaining 12 quiet-so-far programs. A weird mix of emotions, for sure.

Just one opinion, but I'd say they count, and might be helpful especially if you have few or no others (help to show that you're getting involved with more professional aspects of academia, that you'll have experience presenting by the time you enter the program, and also that your work is at a level that would be accepted by a conference). As for formatting, maybe, after those you have on there now (if any), have a subheading in the conferences section as "Upcoming"? Then have "Proposal Accepted" at the end of the entry, as you would with a forthcoming paper? So: Conference Presentations: X-Date 2015. Title. Addtl. bibliographic info. X-Date 2014. Title. Addlt. info. --Upcoming X-Date 2016. Title. Addtl. info. Proposal accepted. If you don't have any already, perhaps the heading could just be "Conference Presentations (forthcoming)"? Then same with the "proposal accepted" just to emphasize that it's not complete yet? Just some thoughts, though.

Interview/recruitment-weekend invite from Emory Comp Lit! Whoo!

I just want that for at least the next three days....but, alas: work responsibilities call. And now, after a bizarrely warm winter, it has finally hit single digit temps and has snowed: so dragging myself out of bed to deal with this combination of waiting-anxiety and work-stress is just that much more thrilling. But we're close: remember: you can do anything for ten seconds, said someone in this tread almost a whole week ago. Time is grinding on, and we'll know soon enough.

I haven't either, nor any new linkedin views, but I have had (some) positive response to applications. So, I don't think views necessarily equal interest, or, rather: I don't think an absence of views is a thing to be worried about.

Somewhere around the time of the death of Myspace, when I was just entering that post-dorky-emo-angsty phase, but still took myself way too seriously, I made the mistake of totally deleting my profile. I wish it still existed now, because I could use a good laugh at myself.

In addition to what gughok pointed out, Brown for sure has a program specifically for PhDs wanting to pursue a second MA alongside. I'm pretty sure any PhD field can participate, but only certain departments offer the MA. See here: http://www.brown.edu/academics/gradschool/open-graduate-education-participating-programs

As far as I understand it, closings are pretty unnecessary. It's a "letter" of intent in name only. AKA you're mostly likely 100% fine.

Ooh, good choice on TNG. Always a fav. As for Making A Murderer--maybe later, but I'm not sure I want to be waiting-stressed and angry-stressed at the same time, so...not now. Currently, I'm watching Pyscho-Pass. I'm usually not a big anime-watcher, but a friend recommended this one when I was looking for science fiction-y things, and it's pretty darn good. Just burned through 6 eps this afternoon....

@piglet33 same! almost regardless of where I get accepted, I'll be in or near a major city for the first time--which means finally being in a city that tours go through. so excited!

I know--it's so odd. I was looking at tour dates for a couple of bands (and also the touring Shakespeare 1st folio, because that's happening, and I'm super excited :D), and all the dates around where I am now were in July/August. And I was like--"oh, hey, yeah, I probably won't even be living here then. Huh." But I don't even know which cities' dates to look at, yet.

very helpful--thanks! i've gone through the results forum and looked at when interview invites and acceptances have gone out for my programs in the past, and it looks like I just need to make it 'til the end of next week--then there'll be something every week or so after that through Feb. it's just making it to then without going crazy--and then going crazier by recognizing that it's crazy to be checking my email for something that I fairly well know won't be here for another week, but then still checking. Blerg. so, new mantra: "end of next week, end of next week...." until then: well, you know what this thread is for.

As far as I can tell, at least from reading these forums, interviews seem to be more common for the sciences, and less so for the humanities. Interviews almost seem to be expected for the former, whereas for the latter it's more of an oddity--I think only 2/14 of my programs (for English) have done interviews in the past, for example.

so, i got an email out of nowhere from a DGS telling me my application was a strong one (!!). totally unexpected, and also still hardly an actual decision, so not trying to count chickens before they hatch. but, the whole email was so positive about my potential future there - man, am i excited! at the very least it's a nice confidence booster this early in the season.

ugh. though at least they could argue some sort of at least vaguely understandable regulatory basis for a law like that, instead of, almost literally "you can't buy that on sunday! you're supposed to be in church on sunday! Also: I'm going to walk the middle line, and say I'm mostly cider drinker. Beers and wines are good, but nothing like a cider. Fruitier ones in the spring/summer, maple-y ones in the fall/winter. Yum!

On the actual wine topic though--I've been lucky enough to have a French (because obviously that automatically makes for good taste in wine /s [though true in this case]) friend of my dad's introduce me to some good ones lately (mostly Malbecs). Always makes me sad when I get back home and remember that I can only afford a 5$ bottle, haha. Also, I was definitely having a waiting whine and wine moment yesterday, realized I was out, and got to the store before remembering that (1) it was sunday and (2) it's still [how, really, seriously, I don't get it] illegal in my whole state to buy alcohol on Sunday. (yet another plus in the "heading off to grad school" column, even though I'll miss it here for sure). Today was a better day, though.

About halfway through that last part, I was thinking, "cool Shakespeare reference, but what even does pinot noir have to do with Titus Andronicus?" But then I got to the end, and: also an A+ reference.

Buildings are heated, yes. Coat goes on the back of the chair, gloves go in the coat pockets, scarf and hat usually go in my bag (otherwise I'd probably leave them by accident). Hat sometimes stays on depending on how much it messes up my hair. Some class rooms have coat racks. When shopping, all goes in the cart--unless it's just a quick run in that doesn't need a cart, in which case the coat and such stay on because I'll likely just back outside in the cold in a few minutes anyway.

Ugh, yeah--judging from past postings of results, I won't hear back for about a month and a half still (....), but, woke up this morning thinking "Oh, hey, schools are open again, I should check!" anyway. (Nothing, of course. I actually just remembered that today was the deadline for my last app [I had turned in everything early]; so clearly it's going to be a while...) So frustrating how much this waiting draws out my obsessive tendencies. I mean, I've always leaned in that direction while waiting for grades back, or even college decisions--but those took 2-4 weeks max. This 2-3 months thing is a whole brave new world of anxiousness.

Ни пуха ни пера! or, maybe, mnoho štěstí! (I've got nothing as far as polish, bulgarian, SBC, etc., go, but you know, good luck!)

I'm pretty sure "under review" means that the materials have been passed on to and are being reviewed by the department. You probably won't see any changes to the status until they update it to reflect their final admissions decision. But, anyway, as long as you have all your stuff in before the deadline, you're fine.

Based on what you've listed here, experience and stats, you seem like a pretty strong candidate for a straight through PhD, so unless doing a MA would add literally zero debt to any that you have now, and you wouldn't mind perhaps having to repeat those years of coursework upon entering a PhD program, I'd say a gap year is a good thing. I took one, and honestly, it hasn't been anything but good. There have been somewhat intellectually dull moments for sure, where even though I was keeping up with reading, I really missed the discussion and pressure that comes with actually being in a program, but at the end of the day, once I adjusted to a different schedule, time off from all that has been nice. Further, you say you're still in the middle of your thesis writing--in a year's/half a year's time, once it's done and you've had time to reflect on it, it's highly likely that you'll be able to articulate thoughts about (1) that research and (2) what direction you want to take your further research much better than you will be able to currently, for the purposes both of your SoP, and for your own idea of yourself as a scholar. Or at least that was my experience--I was a much better applicant, with clearer ideas about what research I wanted to do, in terms of a broad and long term project, once I had spent time away from the tiny details of my thesis research. Further, after working in the "~real world~" for half a year, I had a much clearer idea of why I wanted to do a PhD at all, and was more confident in saying that, yes, I know I'm dedicated to research, I know this is for sure what I want to do. Even though I had already intended on going to graduate school, I took a job in a related field, telling myself that if I ended up loving it, I'd consider sticking with it instead, given the disaster that is the academic job market and the need to envision yourself as almost nothing but an academic in order to really pull it off. I'm much more sure of all that now. I know I'm in a different field than you, but I think some of the same ideas will probably apply.

Brief holiday vent: If you say "I'm not doing gifts, so don't get me/us anything either!" please, please don't actually still get people gifts, even small ones. ("You" here being my family.) While on the one hand, I understand that this is somewhat of a polite convention, wherein everyone says this to try to seem like they don't want something (when they really do--almost like fishing to see: "Does this person care enough to get me something even though/especially since I asked for nothing?"), and then everyone still gives gifts....on the other: just this one year, when I'm totally broke from application fees and only having an entry level job for the time being....it was a nice, slight relief to have to get nothing. I mean, I love finding gifts for people (more than I like receiving, to be honest), but just this year, I was totally down for a material gift-less get together, just spending time together. But, here I am, come home giftless (well, almost: I brought something small [a bottle of locally made coffee liquor], for both my dad and his [recently new] girlfriend, though it turns out she doesn't like it--so it ends up being mostly just for him), and now I feel terrible, because both my dad and his girlfriend have things for me. And now there's the slightest awkwardness from her, as if: "so do you not like me, or....?" So uncomfortable on about ten levels.

Yes--lots of vegetarian options! Bloomingfoods, the local coop grocery, is pretty fantastic across the board, but there's also Kroger, Lucky's, and Sahara Mart which all also have good vegetarian selections. There's also a weekly farmers market in the warmer months, which is good as well, and very soon we're supposed to be getting a Whole Foods. So yes to Morningstar and tofu, and much more besides. Many many good vegetarian/vegan choices for eating out as well (much love for the Owlery and Rainbow bakery). And, also yes to lots of nature around: there's a nice little community orchard/garden, a lake and state park, and campus itself is pretty well-tended and wooded: we even sometimes get deer hanging out around class buildings :).

I think stillalivetui mostly covered it, but I'll just throw in an extra plug for it being a fantastically lovely town! I'll really miss it when I leave to wherever I get accepted in the coming months. Probably quieter than CA, depending on where exactly you are (and definitely over semester breaks--it's definitely a college down, and when that huge percentage of undergrad population departs home....very empty summers around campus and downtown; which is actually nice, though), but all around great--and close enough to Indianapolis (1.5 hours), Louisville (2 hours), and even Chicago (4-ish hours) that it's not too hard to get away from the small town vibe for a weekend if you want. (Oh, and if you're into film, definitely check out the cinema if you end up here. So cool.)